A cloud called Hogwarts

Twelve years old. The movie version, that is. In print, he’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, he’ll turn 15 this June. With the whole world and its neighbour having done a “who’s who” and “what’s what” on J.K. Rowling’s boy wonder, it may seem a tad late to do a post-mortem on why everyone’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 there’s no one immune to the magic of an underdog who comes out on top. The winner, the survivor, the sikandar. And, let’s face it, Harry’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?), he’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, you’re transported into a world of fantasy and make-believe —something even the most jaded adult cannot resist. Despite that, it’s a world where solid common sense and good old-fashioned values rule. So there’s fear and loathing even in the magical world. Being a wizard doesn’t mean that you’ve really got a magic wand — you can’t go “abracadabra” and vanish your problems away. You’ve got to stand up and face them. That’s how good wins over evil, right prevails over wrong and friendship and loyalty rated higher than anything else. Always.

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When Harry’s in doubt, headmaster Albus Dumbledore tells him: “It’s our choices that show what we truly are, far from our abilities.” Isn’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 — can’t be a better lesson than that.

There’s no balderdash, no sugarcoating even a particularly bitter pill to swallow. Harry’s mourning his father’s death, and his principal lets him. He makes no effort to mouth platitudes and simply says: “You think the dead we have loved ever leave us? Your father’s alive in you, Harry, shows himself most plainly when you have need of him… we recall them most clearly than ever when in times of need.” That’s enough to stem Harry’s tears.

And then there’s this little lesson that happens to be my personal favourite. “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies… but just as much to stand up to our friends.” That’s the headmaster’s kudos to the boy who’s always getting things wrong, before finally getting the biggest one of them right.

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