Growing Up With Potter – Remembering the Battle of Hogwarts

May 02, 2017

Posted by: Ashley Kurtz

Fans, Misc, Opinion

 

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It comes around every year – the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. It’s the final battle at the end of the series where the entire school battles against Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. It’s the ultimate good vs. evil battle. But that’s not all it is.

J.K. Rowling has marked the occasion with the usual apologies, and this year it’s for the bravest man Harry knew – Severus Snape:

See more fan reactions in the BBC article here. Jo also clarified for good measure that her ‘killing people’ was *fictional* people:

Way back in 5th grade, I was eleven. My mom worked at Hastings Entertainment and one day she brought me the first Potter book. Now, I had always been a pretty avid reader, but nothing was like Harry Potter. Like so many others, it changed my life. It allowed me to make friendships through it and express my first real ‘nerdy’ obsession. (Although nobody ever did collect the Harry Potter Trading Cards with me like they did Pokemon ones…)

instagram.com/teatimeismytime

instagram.com/teatimeismytime

Adults my age are unique to the Potter generation because we quite literally grew up alongside Harry, Hermione and Ron. Every so often, a book would come out and I’d recognise that we experienced the same feelings and problems, and in a way – did it together.  Every time a new one would come out, I’d have a copy reserved and devour it the day it was released, only to have to read it again because I couldn’t get enough.

So on the nineteenth anniversary of the Battle – I’m remembering how important the ending was for me and countless others. Personally, I don’t think that I could’ve ever seen it coming – but it was a great ending for something that came into every inch of my life for a decade and then some.  It became a place of comfort – somewhere to retreat to when life was too much to handle and solace when I needed it the most. Watching characters struggle, succeed, die or survive is a big deal; but it showed us all that we can triumph over even the biggest obstacles. While none of us will probably ever live through a wizard war; we all have battles of our own.

Throughout the series, we lost many treasured characters; first was Sirius Black, one that I don’t think I ever fully recovered from. I sobbed in the back of the truck on our annual summer vacation and forced myself to get it together in order to finish it. Dumbledore was one of the worst – Harry’s mentor was gone, and I felt a bit lost without him. But worst of all was the battle. I had never read anything like it; where I had lost so much so quickly.

It was probably one of the very few times, where we saw people, good people, who had done nothing to deserve it – die. Tonks, Lupin, Fred…Dobby, they all sacrificed themselves for a cause, for Harry, for the Wizarding World.

It taught me so much, that those of us we love, never truly leave us. That those relationships with friends who really care about us – can make it through anything.

So thank you J.K. Rowling, for everything.

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Join us in raising our wands in memory of all those lost in the Battle of Hogwarts, and mark the occasion by taking Pottermore’s quiz, here.





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.