Hogwarts Was My Home

About seven years ago, Harry Potter was my world. I was a proud Hufflepuff who couldn't get enough of the magical fantasy. I read all the books, binged the films and video games and visited the Harry Potter Studio Tour in Leavesden four times. I obsessed over Rowling's characters, collected every bit of merchandise I could find and even got a quote from the sixth book tattooed on my back!

But now, I look at the wizarding world with a mixture of nostalgia, sadness and irritation. I will always love the story, the characters and the magic, but at the same time, the mere mention of Harry Potter has me rolling my eyes. "How in Hogwarts has that happened?" You may ask. "Potterheads never turn their back!" You may say. But sometimes...they do.

When J.K. Rowling told us she wouldn't write another Harry Potter book, I was pleased. She gave the impression that she knew her world inside out and she wasn't going to overdo it. It would always remain a magical work of art and Harry's story was done. So when she announced that The Cursed Child would soon be in our grasp, I was disappointed. Was this the start of a hype the fandom didn't need? Kind of.

Some loved it, some loathed it and others were neither here nor there, like me. I read it in less than a day on a lengthy train ride to Torquay, but it's not a narrative that sticks with me. I've since found out that many others feel the same. For those who still haven't read it, I wish I could tell you what happens bar Harry's kid going back in time to save Cedric Diggory, but I don't remember much more. Nothing really happens to advance the lives of the characters we all love, but it's still out there earning millions. It's this part that disheartens me and fills me with irritation. Harry Potter feels like just a money-maker now rather than a passion that began from a dream on a train.

When Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was released in November 2016, I was a little more excited. It was a film adaptation of one of the textbooks studied at Hogwarts; a book fans were already aware of. I enjoyed it on the big screen at my local cinema and I bought it on DVD when it was released...but I haven't watched it since. Why? It. Just. Isn't Magical. I don't mean spells and charms, I mean the type of magic that gives you goosebumps in the middle of summer, the type that hits your heart and makes you cry, the type that makes you passionate. Sorry Jo, but I'm just not passionate about the new hype. I didn't rush out to watch the second film and I probably won't see the rest until it's old enough to be aired on ITV on a Saturday night.

Fantastic Beasts doesn't grate on me as much as The Cursed Child though, but the latter doesn't bother me as much as the advertising and merchandise that's shoved down everyone's throats. When I walk into Waterstones to buy a pile of new books, there's a designated Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts section glaring at me from the centre. There are books with several different covers that range in price. There are pins, badges, colouring books, jigsaws, bags, necklaces, millions of Funko Pop figures, mugs, coasters, stationary, notebooks, posters and stacks of limited edition merch. I walk into Primark in search for some hidden gems, but I'm faced with a myriad of Gryffindor t-shirts and Slytherin socks, hats and pyjamas. In fact, there's a whole section of Harry Potter clothes that always exclude Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Why? Because those Hogwarts houses don't sell as much. This brings me to the point I raised above; Harry Potter just feels like a money-maker now and there's no escape from it. I go home to watch the telly in peace, but I'm forced to sit through several commercials advertising the Harry Potter Studio Tour! Leave me alone!

These are just a few examples, but these examples are enough. It's in my face everywhere I go, even when I'm at home. I know advertising, merchandising and hype is what keeps fans excited, but how long before it's all too much? How long before people get fed up with it? How long before passionate Potterheads want out, like me?