Of Quidditch and Chocolate Frogs (July 10,2007)

Of Quidditch and Chocolate Frogs
By: Maria Reylan M. Garcia

Five years. Yes, it has been five years since I started living in a world of enchantments and fantasies. No, I’m not smoking pot, nor indulging my self with illegal stimulants that leads nincompoops to cloud nine. I never, in these five years, have mistaken a dog innocently taking a leisurely walk as Mary Poppins with her magic umbrella, or submerged my head in the aquarium claiming that I’m looking for Nemo. Instead, I started living in a world of flying broomsticks, chocolate frogs, invisibility cloaks and time turners. I loaned my galleons for the chance of a lifetime, to live in Rowling’s world of Harry Potter. Fresh were the memories of the very first time I flipped the pages of the first book of the series. Human will didn’t give me the capacity to place it down and temporarily stop reading. Rather, my eyeballs were glued to it until I digested every page of magical brilliance.

As you all might know, the last book will be release this July 21st. Hats off to Mrs. Rowling, her genius had never showed signs of depreciation, the plot just continued to be more complex and a must-read. For almost a decade of her writing, she never failed to meet, or yet overcome, the expectations of her readers. Take it from me. The last book will put a stop and silence the great boy with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead and his amazing adventures. I can attest to the growth of the series, logically speaking, I have grown together with Harry. Every reader, especially of my same age group, had understood the boy wizard’s range of emotions and had absorbed a value or two from his wand-breaking experiences. Permit me now, to behold the readers, of how this noble book landed an impact to my whole existence. The smiles I made, the tears I shed, the lessons I learned and the fantasy I made.

The first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Philosopher’s Stone), provided a gateway for me and supposedly all of the readers to chance to earn the ticket to Rowling’s immense imagination. It was an exploding start for a series. Harry being an orphan and in the domain of his horrid relatives, brings to sense a reality that having a family is never a choice but a gift. Yes, Harry might have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a chance I’ll never have, reality speaking, but he was deprived of a family’s warmth and love. Sure, friends would temporarily satisfy his cravings for belongingness, but at the end of the day, it’s really different if you have a mother who’ll kiss you good night before you sleep, a father who’ll orient you with the beauty of his experiences, it’s really different if you have a family.

Next, came the Chamber of Secrets. The characters were settled in and becoming quite used to troubles and mishaps. Amazing how a diary brings to life a massive past of excessive greed and desire for power. Harry showed that with ample hope and unceasing trust, there is always a way out of dilemmas. At that point, I liked my child-like thinking, for a moment I told myself, why would I lose hope and faith on a simple problem if Harry himself never lost hope while battling a basilisk? Each of us has our own phoenixes that die out just to let us see the beauty of its resurrection. We have to experience pain and feel the stinging of problems in order to bring to life the thriving impulses of hope and faith.



The mind-number Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban left readers befuddled with deciphering the unending paradox of time. I never really paid attention to how Harry and Hermione skillfully manipulated the ticking of the clock, what hit me is the importance of time itself. The old cliché goes; don’t wait for tomorrow what you can do today. Time is but one of the uncertain things in our existence, we don’t know what’s going to happen, and we don’t have the chance to go back. Unlike Harry and Hermione, who just gave a few turns and poof they saved a hippogriff from execution and freed an innocent man. The thing is, it’s not that simple in real life, you have to play things with precaution and anticipation. Let the past teach you the lesson of not repeating in the future what should have not been done. Regrets, What ifs and compunctions are results of ol’ mischievous time; let it not get the better of you. If only we had time turners.

The fourth installment of the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire created fear to keen followers of the story. Voldemort has returned in flesh, and has the greatest urge to exterminate the pest hindering him from his dark reign, Harry Potter. This part revolves around competition. The three wizarding schools battled it all out for the eternal glory giver tournament, Triwizard Tournament. Competition has never been conceived to be negative; it’s the participants who made it so. Harry took it as a motivation rather than a fiery yearning for triumph, making him the champion in the end. Life has never been sweeter if it weren’t for a certain quest for proof. But it will be the sweetest, when this quest is shared with fellow adventurers, all directing to one goal. We might not be battling dragons and answer riddles of sphinxes, but we’ll feel the same joy of triumph in the end. Let the games begin.

Book number 5, the most intricate, the longest, and my favorite; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The rebellion begins. Harry and his gang decided to stand up for themselves as no one was standing quite stably for them. In life, there are instances when you’ve got to stand up for yourself and fight in what you believe in. As long as you don’t step on others and follow the norms, your revolt is within the boundaries of validity. Being shy and timid about circumstances, or what Filipinos refer to as the “bahala na” habit, will lead one to nowhere. Things won’t turn up in thin air if you don’t let them be. Even Harry has to conjure a spell to let feathers fly. They say Do or Die is not a matter of choice, I disagree. It is, if you won’t do anything, what would become of you, what’s your purpose of living?

The sixth part, Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince, opens more twists and disappointments. It depicted a considerable potential for uncertainties. It illustrated a vast chance for ambiguity. Everything is never 100 % sure. There is always room for vagueness. Human as we are we should be ready and accept those wholly and without excuses. The Horcruxes maybe the key to Voldemort’s downfall, but Harry should leave a space, even just a tiny one, for doubts and second thoughts. Trusting is a noble act. But trusting to much is a weakness. Settle some minute percentage of reservations for anything. I say so because not one of us is fate itself, not one of us is destiny itself. In any case, Snape was nothing at all but deceiving. So, where does his loyalty lies? Let’s leave room for doubts.
Tomorrow, you’ll find me in possibly one of the cinema houses here in the city, carrying pop corn and being a nuisance all throughout the film. Yes, tomorrow is the first day of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie. After more than a week, you’ll then see me probably lining up waiting for my reserved book to be unfolded in my agitated hands. Yes, that time will be the release of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the last book to the series. It will be sad, seeing all the parts gradually passing by quickly, as if you’re stepping out of the world where you found comfort and assurance. Time will come when I’ll grow out of Quidditch and Chocolate Frogs. Time will come when Harry’s adventures will just be figments of my mind. Time will come when I might forget all the crazy things I did for Harry Potter. But, never in my whole existence will I fail to remember the lessons and values I garnered from J.K. Rowling’s creation. These lessons and values I shall live and pass on to the next generations, who’ll soon see Harry as a classical character of English Literature.

The story will have to dry out, but the magic will remain conjuring and intact. Magic that only a famous boy wizard with a lightning bolt scar in his forehead can give. The Magic of Harry Potter.

I’d like to extend my gratitude to these readers who have shared their comments on my previous article “Student I.D. Number Fiasco”. Your comments are highly appreciated: 09186702272, 09209626961, and 09282928803.

(For comments and reactions please send an email to reylangarcia@yahoo.com or an SMS to 09186363090)