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If you’re around the age of 7 or above, you’re no stranger to J.K. Rowling’s record breaking Harry Potter series.

I, for one, was growing up in the heart of it. I read the first book when I was around 6 years old, sitting with my mom, reading each sentence slowly, and out loud. At the time, only 3 of the 7 books had been released. And the world was watching.

What was going to happen next? Was the boy who lived ever going to face He-who-must-not-be-named in person? Because Lord Voldemort is like dead, right? RIGHT?!?

I was 6 when the first movie came out in the movie theater. As I grew up, friends went to the midnight book releases– an event so popular, you were lucky to swipe a copy of JKR’s latest off the shelf at Barnes & Noble the next morning (Because your parents didn’t believe in staying up until midnight to get the book).

I read the first 3 books in anticipation for the 4th, the 4th for the 5th, and so on. I got the 7th book in my 13 year old hands the day it came out and read it in about a week.

And yes, while the series of a boy wizard captivated the attention of the world, and at face value it’s a story about a boy and his friends at a wizarding school trying to defeat a dark villain, it has shaped a generation of readers.

It’s a conversation starter. When I met my college roommate we covered all the bases of basic information. Then we figured out that we’re both avid readers. And our first love was Harry Potter. Now we occasionally have debates. Like the time we dropped finals studying to debate what happens to Buckbeak after the final book.

It builds character. It shows us that we don’t always agree with the ones we love, but have to sacrifice and do it for the greater good. Hermione doesn’t approve of all of Ran and Harry’s rule breaking in the first 2 books, but by the 3rd, we see her open up. We see her loosen up on herself, and do things for her best friends, because they’re her best friends. We learn that we have to do things for the greater good. Lupin has to sit back and watch Harry from afar in the 3rd book because Harry doesn’t know he’s his father’s old school pal and fellow member of the first order of the phoenix.

We see that those in authority aren’t right, because they have authority. As a child, you’re taught your whole life to listen to authority figures. In Harry Potter, we see that those who have authority don’t always have other’s best interest in mind. Professor Umbridge, for example, is one of the Harry Potter fandom’s favorites to hate on. In pink frills and lace, she is terrifying. Using her sickly sweet authority to oppress the students of Hogwarts on the terms that Harry Potter was a liar. Cornelius Fudge, the minister of magic until book 6, shows us how those who have ultimately the most authority are cowardly when it comes to their best interest.

It shows us how your family doesn’t have to be the ones you’re blood related to. Take Harry, for example. The only blood family he has remaining are the Dursleys. Despite this, he is eagerly welcomed into the burrow as one of the Weasley’s own children, Mcgonagall and Dumbledore always has an eye on him, and the marauders are watching over him. Though we don’t see Sirius Black until about halfway through the series, he looks out for Harry because he knows it’s what James and Lily would have wanted. Sirius in himself is a completely different story. As the only member of the house of Black to be sorted into Gryffindor, Sirius is basically outed from the family as a disgrace. He finds family in his very best friends, even taking the fall for where he knows Pettigrew fell short.

Man, house elf, centaur, or dragon, we all deserve to be treated as equals. It has been observed that perhaps the dedication Hermione has to S.P.E.W. and the treatment of house elves is a reflection of combating racism in society. Whether this is true or not, we see beasts oppressed by the wizards throughout the novels. The Centaurs are one of the prime examples, because their distrust of the wizards shows that there is history there. The way Firenze is outed from the centaurs because he befriends Dumbledore is one solid example.

Making the right choice won’t always be the easiest. At 14, Harry tries to convince the wizarding world that Voldemort was indeed back, and out with malicious intent. He was called a liar, a fake, and had his hand slapped for instilling fear in wizards across the country. But once you see the Dark Lord with your own eyes, wouldn’t you think that maybe, i don’t know, you should tell someone? He was constantly made the fool by the Daily Prophet, and teachers told him to stop telling lies. His friends told him they weren’t allowed to hang out with him. But he never waived despite being called a phony. (Also the entire wizarding world basically had to be personally hit in the face with dark magic to convince them.)

They say the literature impacts our behavior, and I can attest that this is true. When I was little, my role model was Hermione Jean Granger. I wanted to be smart like her. I carried a book with me wherever I went because of her. I spent hours reading. I loved my curly, wavy, messy hair.

That’s not to say I didn’t like traditional dolls and barbies, etc. I did. But having the  Harry Potter series influence my behaviors I think directly links to my character today. So thank you, J.K. Rowling, for giving our generation such an influential series of books.