Reading Harry Potter for the first time as an adult

Three weeks ago, I finished reading JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series for the first time in my life. I am not sure what circumstances prevented me from picking up this series growing up, but I am so glad I finally did it. And in doing so, I learnt a very important lesson for life. But first, let me share how I felt immediately after finishing the series:

“It is 7.52 pm on a cool February evening in 2024. I am sitting here typing my heart out, although my brain is quite blank. I have done it! I finally entered the world of Wizardry and Witchcraft, but I can’t say that I have left it unscathed. There is an indelible mark on my chest now, maybe a little too late given my age, but finally, it is here.

When I was a kid, I didn’t have access to fiction like most of my counterparts did. The library was my only hope! I remember finishing every bit of folklore and fairytales I could find while I was young. But the world of JK Rowling somehow was left untouched, that is till the beginning of this year.

Growing up, I was surrounded by incantations of hexes and spells like any other 90s kid whose childhood was smeared by the streaks of magic left by the story of the Boy Who Lived. And here is me now, almost two decades late to the party, finally prodding my eyes through the last few words of this magical universe – the world that was of Harry Potter!

It’s been only ten minutes since I kept away the last book of the series, that I am here, typing away, in desperate need of venting everything that I am feeling right now. I don’t really have much to say, regardless of how clouded my brain is right now! I am grateful to the world of literature, for giving me the privilege to read and the access to books. I am glad I waited all these years to read the Harry Potter books. I swore to myself that I would not watch the movies till I read them, and boy am I glad about that.

They say movies seldom do justice to the vast worlds that the authors create through their words, trapped in the pages of their beloved books, but I must applaud the beauty that the people working tirelessly behind the movies created.

I was bewildered, appalled, and transported most beautifully into the world of magic, of hope and love. What I loved the most about having finally read the books is simply this - the power of imagination is far beyond human comprehension. The possibilities are endless! How one human managed to capture the hearts and minds and countless generations, is truly stupendous.

I don’t know where I will go from here, or what I will do next. But I will forever be grateful to all my versions of the past for having held onto the resolve and not giving in.”

Three weeks in, the feeling hasn’t really left me. I have moved on to scrolling through Pinterest for Harry Potter-related memes and listening to podcasts on the way to college and back. But the lesson I learnt from this journey is simply this – It is never too late to begin! It is never too late to start something we have always wanted to do.

This leap of faith gave me the courage to move forward - to bigger and better dreams. (I just started reading The Hobbit! Lord knows Tolkien’s universe will be a far greater climb, but I am ready for it now!) I know all of your dreams might have nothing to do with fiction or reading. But if you take anything away from my rant, take this away – Don’t ever be discouraged to take that first teeny-tiny step towards the castle of our dreams.

Here’s to dreams and achieving them all – one step at a time!