Like many of my fellow peers here at Mississippi State, I have been anxiously awaiting the premiere of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I” for a very long time — and alas, the time has come.
This weekend, the first installment of the film adaptation of the final Harry Potter book will have thousands of muggles up past their bedtimes for the midnight showing. This weekend will be bittersweet for me. I’m very excited to see the final movie, but after part two of “The Deathly Hallows” comes out this summer, there will be nothing new left to look forward to in the world of Harry Potter, and it genuinely breaks my heart.


If I could pick only one thing as a representative of my childhood, it would be the “Harry Potter” book series. As cheesy as this may sound, Harry Potter has been an important part of my life for over a decade. I grew up with Harry Potter. I read the first book when I was in the third grade and wept for hours (I’m serious) when I finished “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” in 2007.
I have attended midnight book and movie releases. I have probably spent hours talking about the books or playing some sort of trivia over the past 10 years. If I don’t have somewhere that I absolutely have to be, I can guarantee that I will be at home on my couch during those beloved Harry Potter Weekends on ABC Family. 


With all of that being said, I would like to address something that has irked me to the bone for a very long time. Throughout my journey in reading Harry Potter, I have been discouraged in some way by one person or another who considered the books to be devil-raising witchcraft.
Luckily for me, I have amazing parents who raised me to think for myself, try to act with common sense and always know right from wrong. Although my mother was hesitant about letting me read the Harry Potter books at first, she let me make the decision for myself.
Soon afterwards, the hesitation my mother felt from hearing the heresy the books were evil vanished completely, and she read them; I probably discuss how wonderful Harry Potter is with my mother more than anyone. Anyway, throughout my childhood, I knew some friends, their parents and a handful of teachers who continued to protest anyone who read the Harry Potter books.
I am here to say I honestly feel sorry for people who feel that way, and I hate that their ignorance is clouding the wonderful message Harry Potter offers. Many of these Harry Potter haters grew up with the magic of Disney as a part of their lives. Whether it is Genie in Aladdin or the fairy godmother in Cinderella, magic is a part of childhood.
Does it brainwash children into thinking they are dark sorcerers and encourage them to convert to a life of serious witchcraft? That’s unlikely. Harry Potter is fiction. It is a fantasy story that truly captured my imagination as a child.
Without the Harry Potter books and my parents’ influence, I would not be the avid reader I am today.

 Aside from being a Harry Potter fan, I am first and foremost a Christian.
I consider myself to be strong in my religious beliefs, and in no way do I feel like I am compromising them by enjoying the Harry Potter series. I have never felt compelled to practice sorcery from reading the novels, and I think these books can have a better influence on the lives of children than other books deemed “safe.”


There are two main concepts about the Harry Potter series that give me reason to believe my previous statement. First of all, no matter what happens, good is always trying to overcome evil. There is never a point in the novels in which it is okay for one to be dark or wicked. Secondly, these books are rooted in love. Love is the most powerful force of all — no magic spell or potion or any kind of “dark magic” ever conquers love. 

These books made me laugh and cry. I felt the pain of loss, the joy of friendship and the bittersweet power of sacrifice. If anyone reading this article has not read the “Harry Potter” series, they should … immediately. I hate to see this chapter of my life come to an end, but I hope my future children will read these books and love them as much as I do.
 
Mary Chase Breedlove is a sophomore majoring in communication. She can be contacted at [email protected].