Growing Up—and Hopefully Growing Old—with Harry Potter

A few days later she sent me the results from Nathan’s Pottermore sorting. He was indeed a Hufflepuff, bless his little badger heart. My sister called me and we laughed about it, debating what house would offer the worst dating pool and discussing her plans to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Florida. I offered to lend her my box set of the movies, to get Nathan up to speed before they left. I made her promise to bring me back something to show off my Slytherin pride. After enduring some lighthearted insults about my house (the best house, thank you very much), she hung up, and I decided to pop in the first Harry Potter movie for old time’s sake.
I am nearly 31 years old. My sister turns 30 this fall. Like most late millennials, we grew up alongside the amazing world of Harry Potter, and the impact it has made on our lives is hard to quantify or ignore. For my generation, Harry Potter is a touchstone; from the books, to the films, to the fandom beyond, we came of age with the boy wizard and have taken him into adulthood with us. I can’t imagine a childhood without him, and I’m so glad he’s stuck around as I’ve grown older.

My mother bought us the first Harry Potter book in 1998 to keep us quiet on a long car trip. She was an elementary school teacher who’d it at a Scholastic book sale. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was tossed to us like chum to a shark. We were raised to be ravenous readers, and it was quickly devoured. My sister got to it first, and was completely enchanted. I likewise fell in love with Rowling’s beautiful, magical, bizarre world. Immediately, Harry, Ron, and Hermoine felt like old friends. The world was real and lived-in, hidden just beyond the reach of our little muggle hands. I’d never experienced reading quite like that. The fictional worlds I’d previously inhabited—Narnia and Tortall among them—suddenly felt hollow. Hogwarts was so real, I very nearly expected to get my own owl letter when I turned 11.

Since then, loving Harry Potter series has become a lifelong joy. We went to midnight release parties and premieres and traded the books back and forth. We wondered about what houses we might be sorted into and cried over the deaths of dearly beloved characters. She mocked me for not knowing how to pronounce “Hermoine” properly, a fact I’m still ashamed of to this day. Attending the film adaptations became a family affair; my parents took us to nearly every one. Even now, we always watch the first few during the holidays. When my father had to leave for a few months for business, we sent him off with our Harry Potter books, something he says helped him keep his sanity, alone and homesick in a dreary hotel room. Like the Weasleys before us, we made Harry Potter a part of our family.

Part of Harry’s staying power can be chalked up to its passionate fandom. We stayed engaged because the series grew as we did. It was an outlet for us: we wrote fanfiction and drew fanart. We took over whole corners of early internet social media hubs like Livejournal with roleplaying scenarios, and waged our first flame wars over diverse and fiercely defended headcanons. We took the novels’ lessons of friendship and leadership and created charities like the Harry Potter Alliance. We took their lore and created rock bands like Harry and the Potters. A recent study claims people who grew up reading Harry Potter are more politically engaged and empathetic. Spend your childhood facing down He Who Must Not Be Named and Dolores Umbridge, and it’s only natural you’ll strive to make the world a better place.

Pottermore, J.K. Rowling’s online hub for all things Potter, made it easy to get officially sorted, and most of my friends—all people in their late 20s and early 30s—know their house and will proudly defend its honor. I’ve seenthen referenced in online dating profiles, providing a new, nerdy zodiac shorthand to help us pick our mates. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the genius behind the musical Hamilton, even asked Emma Watson which houses Hamilton, Eliza, and Aaron Burr would be sorted into. It was a sweet question, and she took great care in sorting them. Our Hogwarts houses have become a part of our identity, an indelible mark we put on ourselves.
I was born on July 31st, the same day as Harry Potter and good ol’ J.K. herself. I always felt a kinship with the boy wizard. When I tell someone my birthday, I always follow it up with a cheerful “same day as Harry Potter!” refrain, because that little fact delights me so. The release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the script of the new play, feels like a birthday gift made just for me. It’s the first substantial addition to the Harry Potter canon in years. We’re even getting a new Harry Potter adjacent film, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, in November.

One of my first jobs was at a bookstore, and I vividly remember working during the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. My manager let me stay in back and read the book all afternoon, making me among the first to find out what happened next to Harry, Ron, and Hermoine. Most of the midnight customers were my age, and thrilled to pieces at finally getting the book our entire childhoods had been building to.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has brought that feeling back. There will be midnight releases again. There will be more films. Harry is older now, starting to gray, just like his fans, also building his own family, still trying to find his way. It’s been an honor to grow up with him, and I can’t wait to grow old with him, too. I imagine one day I’ll be a wizened old lady, lining up at midnight to get my hands on the next Harry Potter book. I honestly can’t wait.
Preorder Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by July 29 with guaranteed delivery on August 1.