During the decade in which the Harry Potter series was published I was a college student, a new nurse, a young bride, a new homeowner, and finally, a mother. What I was NOT was someone committed to thousands of pages of a single series. Obviously, from the tremendous buzz, I knew I was missing out. But in the hours spent in the rocking chair while reading to my new daughter, I made a decision. When she turned 8, we’d start reading it together. I wouldn’t cheat, and I’d do my best to avoid every single article or review about the series.
My daughter turned 11 last week. And we just finished book 6 last night. I’ve read each of them aloud to her, both of us experiencing it for the first time. There have been breaks, as I find that the characters are aging much more rapidly than my daughter, and I recognize that she’ll need the wisdom of age to understand their motivations. It has been an amazing experience, and Rowling’s genius is so very evident in our age-dependent reactions to the story.
My daughter thinks good and bad are black and white. She wants Harry to push forward to do what’s right, she has total faith in the ability of good to triumph. As an adult, I’m scared for Harry, I wonder how good his inner circle can really be, I question what’s made our villains so evil, and I mourn Harry’s loss of innocence and lack of a proper childhood. In book 6, that age divide is covered with tremendous skill. Harry is becoming a young man, and the childlike understanding of good and evil no longer applies. In learning Riddle’s heartbreaking backstory, seeing Draco’s fear laid bare, seeing Hermione, Ron, and Ginny’s dedication to Harry, and finding out that how ever much you think Harry has suffered, there remains a new way for him to find himself orphaned, the gray area of good and evil is more on display than ever before. I frequently found my voice catching as I’d read. I’m terrified for Harry, and I’m sad for him. My daughter is heartbroken and firmly questioning how bad things happen to good people, but she remains convinced of Harry’s mission as we move into the final book.
