At times I’m ashamed to admit my love of all things Harry Potter. But I can’t stop myself.

I tried on a sorting hat in a bookstore recently. I explained Polyjuice potion to another Examiner reporter. I heard about the Knight Bus coming to the Enoch Pratt Free Library on the radio and wished I could go. A Harry Potter poster hangs in my bedroom. The July 21 publication date for the seventh book is marked, in ink, on my calendar. I plan to attend a midnight Harry Potter party.

I’m not quite up to the level of Harry Potter fanatics with Harry Potter Web sites or those who write fan fiction. Harry Potter is not my only hobby and some of my friends don’t read the books. But Harry Potter has been an indelible part of my life for the past 10 years. In a way, we grew up together.

I began reading the Harry Potter books 10 years ago when Harry and I were both 11. I aged slightly faster than Harry, who will be 17 in the final book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” At 21, I suppose I should have outgrown my childhood love of the books, but I never have.

This story continues below
Advertisement

From the day when my mother discovered a Harry Potter book at Costco, I’ve been hooked. Soon after, I bought the second book. I had to wait for the third, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” my favorite book. I rose at 8 a.m. to sit on the front steps of my Baltimore City house anxiously awaiting our mailman on the day of the book release.

My parents soon joined the frenzy, and when the fifth book was released, we bought two copies.

It wasn’t until the sixth book was released that I attended my first midnight Harry Potter party at a bookstore. Employees hosted a New Year’s Eve-style countdown to midnight, after which they called numbered patrons in 50s. At 2 a.m., I finally landed my copy.

Now we all count down to the release of the final book in the series, and everyone asks the same question: What’s going to happen when the series reaches its conclusion?

I’m not just talking about Harry and Voldemort here; I’m talking about the end of a worldwide phenomenon.

Will J.K. Rowling never write again after her early successes, à la Harper Lee? Will she be able to match the success of the Harry Potter books? Will she try?

Will children find a new fad? Will they forget about reading and go back to their Game Boys? Will a new series rise and replace Pottermania?

We won’t be able to answer any of these questions until months after the book has been published. But do they really matter?

The end of Harry Potter, whether we like it or not, marks the end of a generation of children, including me, who grew up with Harry.

My love of Harry Potter makes me endlessly popular with children who want to discuss their own Harry Potter theories. I found Harry Potter fans in Paris when I spent a semester there earlier this year. Harry Potter has broken publishing records and been translated into more than 60 languages. It has sparked a series of hit movies and video games.

Will a new book trend will rise from Harry Potter’s ash? I doubt it. Nothing will ever be able to recreate the inimitable magic of Harry Potter. We can not stop the final release from being the final. The only thing we can do is savor the last moments of a phenomenon that identifies a generation.

Aleksandra Robinson is an editorial page intern at The Baltimore Examiner. She can be reached at al.robinson@baltimoreexaminer.com.