Wizards, Wattpad, and Whimsy
If you can believe it, my housemate–having only seen the first few movies–has never finished watching the entire Harry Potter series. It’s outrageous and unbelievable, to be sure. I could hardly fathom that anyone hasn’t seen Harry Potter, let alone my friend, who lives under the same roof.
In a desperate attempt to fill this gap in her cultural education, we embarked on a Harry Potter movie marathon before Christmas. During our viewing of the first few films, I was preoccupied with three matters:
Not quoting the movie as we watched.
How iconic the chess scene is: “Not me. Not Hermione. You.”
What a diva Lucius Malfoy is, with his luscious locks and little bow.
From the end of the Goblet of Fire, to the final scenes of The Deathly Hallows, I became preoccupied with the inside of a tissue.
I realise ranking the films may be somewhat sacrosanct, but I felt inclined to give it my best go. As of 2025, my ranking of the series is as follows:
Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Order of the Phoenix
Goblet of Fire
Half-Blood Prince
Philosopher's Stone
Chamber of Secrets
Prisoner of Azkaban
Despite this–and as always–the entire series was a pleasure to rewatch. Even more so on this occasion, with the opportunity to experience Harry Potter anew through the fresh eyes of my housemate. Before we began, I confessed that I am fairly certain I fell into a diagnosable clinical depression during childhood when the reality dawned that Hogwarts was not real and that I would never attend. She laughed, but it only took two films for her to wistfully mutter how she wished she could go to Hogwarts.
Once again, I am mesmerised by the power and appeal a fantastical story can hold. I tried to parse through how or why that could be, and ended up on a nostalgic journey through my own relationship with the story.
I remember growing up, my mother took me to the library one day. They were clearing out old books, and I managed to take home the entire Harry Potter collection (except for The Deathly Hallows). They were hardcovers and in complete tatters, costing me, at most, a dollar each. But I devoured those books and got hopelessly lost between their pages. I adored every minute I spent in the world and with those characters.
I finished The Half-Blood Prince when we were travelling in New Zealand and made my family stop at an obscure bookshop in the middle of nowhere so that I could buy The Deathly Hallows. The stunning scenery of New Zealand’s South Island struggled to tempt me away from my book. I wanted to immerse myself in the holiday… just as soon as I found out what happened in the great battle.
I was Hermione for Book Week. I created my own wand and spells. When the DVDs were released, I was gifted the box set for Christmas. When my sister and I got iPhones, we duelled with the wizarding app. I’ve played Pottermore, where I was dubbed a Hufflepuff. At the end of high school I visited the café where J. K. Rowling started writing Harry Potter when we travelled Europe as a family. When I returned to Scotland for a university exchange, I visited as many filming locations as I could.
Since falling into the deep, dark hole of AO3, I have read 3,176,486 words of Dramione fanfics. In my Malfoy-stanning era, I have dressed up as a Slytherin for Halloween parties. ChatGPT has since confirmed that I am, in fact, a Ravenclaw.
Needless to say, Harry Potter has not relinquished its grip on me. I have friends who I would say are much more engrossed in the fandom than I am, so knowing how much I love it, I can only imagine the depths of their devotion.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on whether this rings true for you. Is Harry Potter buried just as deep in your heart and why do you think that is?
In the meantime, I’ll be continuing to read Dramione fanfic, as well as the many traditionally published novels adapted from those fanfics, set to be released in 2025 (a warning to anyone who devalues fanfic as lowbrow: the cultural zeitgeist is often puppeteer by Wattpad and AO3). Furthermore, I’ll be channelling Lucius Malfoy (the diva queen variety, pre-Death Eater breakdown) as I enter the New Year.
Stay sassy!
