Most books, like their authors, are born to die; of only a few books can it be said that death hath no dominion over them; they live, and their influence lives forever.  ~J. Swartz

“It all ends.” screams Harry Potter movie posters I see not only in the theaters or in magazines, but on Facebook posts and pictures as well. Everyone is saying it, like it’s a TT on Twitter, or a political campaign wagon to jump on just when it takes off in the direction everyone thinks will win. It’s like “that’s so fetch” or “winning!”. It’s the phrase of the month nobody will stop repeating. (Though, admittedly, it is better than lyrics from that God-awful Friday song.)

But to those people who so boldly dare say that the completion of a movie franchise -based on books – is “the end”, I would like to announce: you are incorrect.

This is not “the end”. What is it “the end” of, anyway? The end of midnight releases? The end of wild apprehension at what will come next? You already know what will happen in the movie, if you did the reading beforehand like you should. Call me old-fashioned, but I consider it nearly sacrilegious walk into a movie based on a book having not actually read it first. And there will be more opportunities for you to dress up – I believe there is a holiday dedicated to that, check your October calendar if you are unsure.

No, this is not “the end.” Harry Potter is more than just a smashing box office success, more than just an ingenious literary masterpiece. Harry Potter is one of those rare novels that those who do and don’t like reading both derive an unmatched, unwavering love for the characters we’ve watched grow up and the world we’ve seen flourish. Harry Potter is the reason we believe in the magic that is reading.

Imagine the child, or even the adult, who swore off books as a waste of time, whose pleasures can be overshadowed by those brought about by television or the Internet. They apprehensively pick up a Harry Potter book only to be swept up in the magical world that is not Hogwarts, but their imagination, taking off to picture the world JK Rowling has flawlessly envisioned. Spell-bound, if you will, at the amazing, magnificent images only their minds can create, better than anything an actor and a set in Hollywood could produce.

I’m not saying Harry Potter is the sole reason those who so rarely read they can nearly be called illiterate pick up a book and read. There are many timeless classics well worth taking the time to read, their lessons just as crucial and their stories just as powerful as the Potter series. Harry Potter doesn’t deserve all that credit. But, there’s just something about Harry Potter that draws us to him. That so fiercely binds us to his story that we don’t just read it once, we read it twice, three times, more than that. Those who enjoy reading and those who dread it alike are revel in his story and travel in his adventure like he is our own best friend.

It might be the way JK Rowling has seamlessly sewn together seven books and thousands of pages into an exciting, unpredictable story that has new surprises and hints every which way you turn. The way she has woven in themes so basic you learned about them in elementary school fable stores. Themes of morality, death, and staying true to one’s self, so well incorporated into the story you don’t even know you’re learning and growing as you read.The creative genius of that alone should be enough to pull you in.

But it doesn’t stop there. It might be the way she creates characters so real, so relatable, so true to human nature and the many forms it takes that we can’t help but find someone or someones to connect with. She introduces us to characters exemplifying characteristics as powerful as courage and determination to characteristics as damning as selfishness and cowardice. We immediately see ourselves, our family members, our friends, our enemies, represented in the many characters she has produced and let grow throughout the series.

Or, it might simply be that Harry Potter is true magic.

As wise Professor Dumbledore said “I will only be gone when none here are loyal to me.” 

The book series ended four years ago, taking with it a small piece of every self-proclaimed Harry Potter nerd’s heart. The end of a decade of books, its popularity with each book exponentially increasing so much that with the release of the final book emotions were running so high it can be said it was like a member of the world’s own family died.

And this week the movie franchise will come to an end. Shutting the door on eight spell-casting movies that captivated audiences bringing many of our favorite, most-imagined scenes to life on the big screen and introducing us to a cast we watched mature as both individuals and as actors.

But, Harry Potter will not be gone after the final credits have rolled and the final tear has been shed. As long as we continue to re-read, to re-watch, as long as we continue to believe that our Hogwarts letter is just one very lost and confused owl away, Harry Potter will not be gone and this will most certainly not be the end.