The Magic of Harry Potter: People, Places & Things #Potterchat

Today’s post is part of the #PotterChat blog hop, a collection of fantastic blogs, Twitter chats, and prizes. Go HERE for all the details.

 Albus Dumbledore with his De-luminator 

I have a confession to make: I wasn’t a fantasy reader until I met Harry Potter. I liked the true-life tale of outdoor adventure, I was always interested in reading a murder mystery to see if I could figure out who had done it, despite the red herrings.  But fantasy novels targeted at middle-grade and young adult readers?  I don’t think so. 

So what was it about an eleven year old wizard that would hook a middle-aged woman so much that she began to write young adult fantasy novels of her own?  

One word:  MAGIC.

I’d forgotten about the power of magic.  I’d never dreamed of such a magical world before. Of such magical people, places and things: 

PEOPLE

 Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts

I met wizards and witches who could do such amazing things: Dumbledore, seemingly all-knowing and all-seeing . There was McGonagall, Trelawney,  Sirius Black, Severus Snape and Hagrid. There was Filch and  Peeves and the horrible Dolores Umbridge. And wonderful friends like Ron and Hermione, Nevil and Ginny, Dean and Seamus, Fred and George, Cho and Luna.Seeker Charlie Weasley, who trained dragons, and Molly and Arthur Weasley. Draco Malfoy and his father, Lucius, will never be forgotten along with He Who Must Not Be Named. And of course there’s Bellatrix LeStrange.

 Bellatrix LeStrange

PLACES

 Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry 

So many places that I still wish I could visit:  Hogwarts – a castle-like school with moving staircases, enchanted ceilings, hidden rooms and  more secrets than we’ll ever know. The Forbidden Forest, Gringott’s Bank and the Minstry of Magic. Platform 9 3/4 and the dark and dangerous Azkaban Prison and Knockturn Alley. Then there was Hogsmeade and Honey Dukes and the Black Lake with merpeople along with  The Leaky Cauldron and one can’t forget Diagon Alley.

 Diagon Alley

THINGS

 The Pensieve 

There were so many magical items in Harry Potter that I’d never even heard of before. You know what I’m talking about: Time-turners and Remberalls, Howlers and Nimbus 2000’s, The Pensieve, The Marauder’s Map, The Knight Bus and of course The Deathly Hallows: The Resurrection Stone, The Cloak of Invisibility and The Elder Wand. And then there was the De-luminator, Sneakoscopes, Floo Powder, The Sorting Hat, The Mirror of Erised and we can never forget the Weasley’s family clock, which showed the location and status of each member.

 

The Weasley Family Clock

Though this is by no means a comprehensive list - all of these things contribute to the magic of Harry Potter. But in the end it was the magic of Jo Rowling’s brilliant storytelling, that made us love these characters like they were real people. 

 I don’t think it’s possible for anyone who has read all seven of the Harry Potter books to ever forget the story of the boy wizard. And that’s where the real magic lies.

What was your favorite person, place or thing in Harry Potter? (if you can pick just one....)

~Kiki