In love with a boy named Harry

I’m in love. I’ve been in love for the last seven years, in love with a boy named Harry. He’s no ordinary boy. He’s intelligent, brave, loyal, an amazing athlete, a good friend, extremely talented, and (for his age) good-looking, too. He’s been through more in four years than some people have been through in a lifetime – tragedy and glory alike – and has emerged a better person because of it. He’s dependable, reliable, interesting, honorable ... all in all, he’s practically perfect. There are just a few problems though, first of all, at 15 years old he’s too young for me (jailbait!), secondly the whole world is in love with him, and lastly, he doesn’t really exist.

Yes, this week I jump on the bandwagon and admit that, just like the rest of the world, I’m in love with Harry Potter. Admittance comes with a sheepish smile for me because it means admitting I’m a 23-year-old who pushed aside eight-year-olds in the bookshop to grab my copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when it first came out in 2000. It means admitting that I’m a 23-year-old who HAD to see the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone movie the day it came out. And it means admitting that I’m a 23-year-old who finished said Goblet of Fire book in two days (I was trying to read slowly) and has been waiting in anticipation for the fifth installment for the last two years.

I’m not ashamed. Despite the fact that the series is classified as children’s literature I’m not the only adult going nuts over life at Hogwarts. I have friends who are even older than me lining up for their books as well and, if I recall correctly, there were more adults in the movie house than there were children when the film debuted. Indeed, ever since the first Harry Potter novel came out in 1998, the HP fever has swept over the world faster than a brushfire and it isn’t waning anytime soon.

Looking back, it has been quite some time since something of this magnitude has emerged, especially in the literature scene. Lord of the Rings made its comeback recently with the release of the feature films (undoubtedly thanks also in some part to a cast brimming with eye candy) but in terms of literature, LOTR is nothing new. It’s a distinguished part of literature history. In just the past seven years since its creation, Harry Potter has already joined the ranks of timeless favorites such as The Chronicles of Narnia and Star Wars; the names Hermione, Hagrid, and Dumbledore are as familiar as the names Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and Obi Wan Kenobi (in some houses even more familiar).

It’s not hard to see why. In her novels, award-winning British writer J.K. Rowling creates a world where imagination is the key and anything is possible. Her writing is heartfelt, simple, and pure. The stories are impossible and believable at the same time. She touches a chord in everyone and presents a reality where things we always wanted to believe in like magic and adventure are as real as income taxes and 9-to-5 jobs. Her characters possess traits that easily make them transcend paper and become three dimensional. They’re vulnerable but brave, shy but courageous, tragic but triumphant... in other words, they’re easily like us or like people we know (my friends have called me Hermione more than once!)

Indeed, it’s easy to see what has made Harry Potter the smashing success it has become. One can say that the books are truly addictive. At the risk of sounding like such a fanatic, they’re magic and in more ways than one. They’re magic in the sense that these books have gotten children to read again. In a technological X-box, PlayStation, DVD, TV era Harry Potter has made the young generation (and even the old generation) sit down and open a book. In a time when dreams end as soon as the alarm clock rings and the only magic we know is the magic of e-mail and text messaging, Harry Potter has made us once again believe in flying broomsticks, talking animals, and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans (which Jelly Belly has made a reality!). Basically, Harry Potter has made us believe in magic!

So why the sudden look back at my seven-year Harry Potter love affair? Because tomorrow, June 21, my long wait (correction: the WORLD’S long wait) will finally be over! J.K. Rowling’s fifth much-awaited novel Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is finally being released! It’s no exaggeration to say that this book will cause mayhem the moment it hits the shelves. As I waited for it, I could somehow imagine how people felt waiting for Return of the Jedi to be released after Empire Strikes Back came out. There’s no bias involved and I know for a fact that over half of the books coming out world-wide have already been sold. Bookstores the world over have been taking reservations as early as last year and their lists just keep on getting longer.

The excitement is palpable and I know several friends (young and old alike) who are re-reading book four in anticipation for the new installment. I’ve waited patiently for this book to be released and now that it’s only a matter of one day, I’m practically beside myself! So, Harry Potter fans, where should you head tomorrow for the latest installment in the series? Fully Booked, Manila’s premier bookshop, and Sketchbooks will be among the first shops in the Philippines to have Order of the Phoenix and will be joining the rest of the world in the June 21 release.

For you die-hard Quidditch fans (and I know there are tons of you out there) make your way to Rockwell or Greenbelt tomorrow to finally (and I mean FINALLY!) find out what happens to Harry. But, be prepared to wiggle your way through throngs of kids and adults to be able to grab a copy. As for me, I’ve matured since my first days of Harry Potter reading. No more shoving aside eight-year-old contemporaries for my HP fix because this time I did the smart thing and reserved.