Between trying to create potions for my parents made from random liquids I could get my hands on and running around in my basement screaming “expelliarmus” randomly throughout the night, Harry Potter had a massive influence on my childhood. My parents showed me these films and books at a young age, and they have stuck with me since then. It became a memory that I always cherished since I started to spend more time with other activities rather than rewatching the series. 

The love was rekindled when two of my best friends and I were reminded of the promise we all made each other;before we graduate high school, we will watch the series from start to finish in my theater. We always talked about how we desperately longed for a time for all of us to sit for 21 hours together to watch the series that changed all of us. So, finally, we decided to do it.

For those who do not know, Harry Potter is divided into eight movies, with the last being separated into two subparts.They feature Harry’s journey of discovering he is a wizard and all that comes with it such as fighting, trauma, death and friendships. Each character and story helped me learn different perspectives to the main plot of the series. It taught me how heroes can be found in the most unlikely of places, how family is always there and there are causes worth dying for but none worth killing for. But most importantly, the series showed me how we always have the ability to change our future. 

Rather than rave about the excellence of the series and marvel at J.K Rowling’s imagination, I will tell you about the experience I had sitting in one seat for almost 21 hours staring at a screen. Before the marathon, my friends took the time to make pretzel wands, butterbeer, strawberry wand skewers and the iconic birthday cake for Harry. So, with the snacks in our hands, we began the night with “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” The moment the movie started, and I heard the classic “Hedwig’s Theme,” I was drowning in nostalgia. 

What really brings attention to me while watching all the movies is the constant connection to the past and how it is so dearly important to the events that take place in the present and future. The way each movie captures the vitality of the past is quite astonishing. From the scenes where Harry sees his parents in the Mirror of Erised to his constant reminders that “he has his mother’s eyes” and the many stories he hears about them from their friends and professors, it makes me feel emotions that I believe the creators intended. Even though we are told that Harry’s parents were killed before he was born, his parents never really left him and he was never alone. 

One lesson I took away from this movie marathon is that you can never do it all alone. No matter how talented you are, or in Harry’s case, how powerful a wizard you are, there will always be times in your life when you want to look over your shoulder and see the comfort coming from friends and family. Harry could never face a threat, let alone kill Voldemort (the ultimate villain in the whole series) without Ron and Hermione, his two best friends. Each member of the trio played a key role in the journey to Harry’s ultimate defeat of Voldemort. Hermione was the brains and held the stability in the friend group whenever the boys would bicker, Ron was the humor and muscles and whenever they were in the darkest moments, he was the light that brightened them all up (in my opinion why Dumbledore gave him the deluminator in the seventh book), and Harry was the chosen one who showed ultimate bravery and strength whenever anyone needed him the most. The two never gave up on him even when he acted the most self-absorbed and like the biggest jerk sometimes. I suggest if you ever find yourself a Hermione or Ron, never lose them. 

When I finished the series (which ultimately took two days since we had to take a break or our eyes would have burned right through our skulls), I felt like a different person. Ultimately our goal to finish a Harry Potter marathon was complete, but nothing like I expected. I learned more about the characters and the story line that I never saw when I last watched the film. Harry Potter taught me more about myself and took me out of my darkest of times. Although my movie marathon ended, my magic was renewed.

“After all this time?”

“Always.”