For Harry

“Whether you come back by film or page, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home” – JK Rowling.  This is the quote that ignited my tears.

As an English major, my passion is rooted deeply within literature.  I can remember picking up The Sorcerer’s Stone in fifth grade and falling under the enchantment of Mrs. Rowling, and the majesty of words.  Appetite churned to hunger, and soon I was filling myself to the rim with books.  Whether it is the story and drama of characters or the allurement of fictional worlds, the Harry Potter series sparked a flame that grew to consume my interest indefinitely.  There was nothing more I wanted than to be a writer when I was younger, and that vehemence continues to pulse even today.

Literature is a divine instrument.  It is delightful, intimidating, transfixing, tormenting, inspiriting, disastrous, and crucial.  Literature is the mirror revealing our tie is askew, the life raft in our hour of desertion.  It is the wind for our kites, and the night sky for our stars.  Call me an illogical baffling fool, but this is what I believe.

The Harry Potter series is the horcrux in which my childhood thrives.  Nevertheless, Hogwarts, much like William & Mary itself, and any castle, or beach, or terrace I have visited on my odyssey through literature, will always be my home.

So, yes, Daniel Radcliffe, the stories we love best do live in us forever.