Harry Potter

Years ago I left Harry in his second year of Hogwarts. Finally, after this many years I decided to find out what happened to him. In July I began re-reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the first sequel, and have continued through the entire series. Then, I decided to watch all of the movies and just finished this entire routine on Saturday morning, October 14, 2017.  J. K. Rowling has a wonderful way of describing the action. I found that if I read slow enough I could picture everything that was going on. I was also appreciative of the movies (the 4th, 6th, and 7th) that followed the books fairly accurately because I didn't want to see a new story but rather a visual interpretation.

The story is about a young boy, Tom Riddle, who becomes aware of abilities he has that other people don't have. Thus, he grows up until about the age of at least 11 thinking he is special. When Dumbledore visits him and recruits him to Hogwarts, he realizes he is not the only one with such abilities. However, he wants to continue to believe that he is special. He attends Hogwarts and learns wizarding skills, but also comes out of the experience knowing many skills that constitute the dark arts. In the ensuing years of Hogwarts, he promulgates a belief that only wizards and witches that were pureblood (both father and mother had been a wizard and a witch) had any right to the title. All others muddied up the race - thus, the name mudbloods and half-bloods. The irony is that his own father was not a wizard, whom he murdered so that the knowledge of his background would not reach anyone. Those who were members of the organization vowed to help him and imprinted something into their skin that would call them to service. He ruled by lies, fear, intimidation, and racial exploitation, and it was impossible to back out. He would guilt people into submission and coercion, claiming people were guilty of doing exactly what he was doing.

Many jumped on the bandwagon in support of the agenda of Tom Riddle (Voldemort, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, You-Know-Who, the Dark Lord), declaring allegiance to the tyrant that he was. I'm not sure when they realized that they were not safe within his watch, but as time went on, and they witnessed his treachery, they must have come to the conclusion that their lives were in danger. Even those most loyal to him were not safe, as is always the case with someone who is willing to kill for power.

Harry, on the other hand, never wanted anyone to die for him, or to die to help him. Harry began his training as a wizard innocently. He developed his skill as a wizard but wasn't particularly clever. He was motivated by a concern for people, and his skill was developed as he attempted to protect them and as he was put in the line of fire. Professor Dumbledore, Snape, Sirius, Lupin, and others gave him information, but only enough to leave him with questions, but it forced him to figure out solutions, to think through situations. Also, the frequent danger he found himself in required quick reaction, and the situations resulted in his being taught how to deal with difficulties.

Harry's humble approach to his wizarding skills, his ability to learn from the problems he faced as well as his genuine concern for those who were trying their best won the day. He was able to defeat the evil powers around him.