A cloud called Hogwarts

Twelve years old. The movie version, that is. In print, he8217;ll turn 15 this June. With the whole world and its neighbour having done a ...

Twelve years old. The movie version, that is. In print, he8217;ll turn 15 this June. With the whole world and its neighbour having done a 8220;who8217;s who8221; and 8220;what8217;s what8221; on J.K. Rowling8217;s boy wonder, it may seem a tad late to do a post-mortem on why everyone8217;s potty about Potter. But, better late than never is what I think after seeing the second instalment in the film series.

Perhaps the whole hoopla is because there8217;s no one immune to the magic of an underdog who comes out on top. The winner, the survivor, the sikandar. And, let8217;s face it, Harry8217;s an underdog with a capital U. An 11-year-old pitting his all against the greatest dark sorcerer he-who-must-not-be-named, remember?, he8217;s met the Dark Lord and lived to tell the tale.

Add to that the fact that as soon as the scarlet Hogwarts Express gets on track, you8217;re transported into a world of fantasy and make-believe 8212;something even the most jaded adult cannot resist. Despite that, it8217;s a world where solid common sense and good old-fashioned values rule. So there8217;s fear and loathing even in the magical world. Being a wizard doesn8217;t mean that you8217;ve really got a magic wand 8212; you can8217;t go 8220;abracadabra8221; and vanish your problems away. You8217;ve got to stand up and face them. That8217;s how good wins over evil, right prevails over wrong and friendship and loyalty rated higher than anything else. Always.

When Harry8217;s in doubt, headmaster Albus Dumbledore tells him: 8220;It8217;s our choices that show what we truly are, far from our abilities.8221; Isn8217;t that so true, so rooted in reality despite the story being played out in a world of make-believe? You are what you choose to be, period. There can be no excuses, no dithering 8212; can8217;t be a better lesson than that.

There8217;s no balderdash, no sugarcoating even a particularly bitter pill to swallow. Harry8217;s mourning his father8217;s death, and his principal lets him. He makes no effort to mouth platitudes and simply says: 8220;You think the dead we have loved ever leave us? Your father8217;s alive in you, Harry, shows himself most plainly when you have need of him8230; we recall them most clearly than ever when in times of need.8221; That8217;s enough to stem Harry8217;s tears.

And then there8217;s this little lesson that happens to be my personal favourite. 8220;It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies8230; but just as much to stand up to our friends.8221; That8217;s the headmaster8217;s kudos to the boy who8217;s always getting things wrong, before finally getting the biggest one of them right.

In the end, call me potty if you will, but I8217;ll stand for the Harry Potter saga as long as Rowling continues to work her magic!