I closed my copy of the book I’d waited for for so long. I’d just finished reading the last few pages. Now it was done and it was over.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; number seven, the last in the series. I had waited for it for what felt like entire centuries, but what in reality had been only two years, since the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I had pondered on so many contemplations and theories.

Now everything was over. Of course I realise I still have the movies to look forward to, but still. In essence everything was over, because now I knew the truth. Now I knew what the Horcruxes had been. Now I knew whether Snape was evil or not. Now I knew the true meaning (and the outcome) of the Prophecy.

… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…

It occurred to me that reading the Harry Potter series and waiting for the new books to be published was probably the longest voluntary commitment I had ever made to anything. And I wasn’t the only one.

During the last few years I’ve met so many passionate fans and have been fascinated by observing the Potter-mania. It slowly but surely took shape of some sort of a sect or religion. The world started to consist of the believers and the non-believers. On the one hand you have the truly committed readers (like my friend Maia and, though not as devoted as Maia, myself). And on the other hand you’ll find the non-readers. The ones that hardly know Harry Potter and his world and wouldn’t dream of reading one of the books, let alone all seven. They are easily compared with atheists. And what’s a religious movement without agnostics? They are the ones who might know somebody who’s read all the books and semi-patiently have listened to their enthusiastic thoughts about Harry and his quests. They are the ones who might have seen a movie or two, who might have read the first two books. But in the end, they don’t really care.

They are to be converted! They need to experience the one and only true happiness in life! Hallelujah, may Dumbledore bless their soul!

Just kidding… But still, by being such a committed Harry Potter reader I came to understand what real devotion by real religious people must feel like. It could be rather lonely and confusing sometimes, talking about Harry Potter to a non-reader. Because in my narrow mind they don’t exist. How could somebody not know what Quidditch was? Or what Horcruxes are? Or who Voldemort is? Or the facts of the lifelong feud between Severus and James? “But it’s the essence of the purpose of meaning!” I sometimes felt like screaming out loud. Now I realise this must be the same way very religious Christians or followers of other religions must feel. They too can hardly believe some people don’t believe in heaven; some don’t see sex before marriage as a sin; some don’t care for refraining from swearing.

In fact it’s rather funny to experience something that’s apparently so powerful that it divides the entire world population into two groups.

Until the dawn of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows both groups cohabited this world in peace. But now the last book was about to be published; the book that would contain all the answers. Its approaching publishing date served as a breeding ground for fear and loathing. A lot of the committed readers desperately tried to protect themselves for spoilers, for people who’d spoil the contents of the Deathly Hallows for them, before they’d had the chance to read the book.

Consequently, this gave the non-readers, the atheists, a way, a weapon, to haunt and hurt the readers, the true believers. That’s were a terrorist movement began to emerge.

There are many examples of terrorist attacks on the established Potter world thus far. The book leaking onto the internet days before its official release. The several columnists spoiling the end of the book in their writing (a disgrace for our profession, Avada Kedavra or rather Crucio are our only options for those writers). The British teacher reading aloud the last page of the book to her pupils before they had had the time to read the book themselves. They are the axis of evil, indeed.

When I slowly but firmly closed my copy of The Deathly Hallows, I felt a smile on my face. Not only because of the story, but also because luckily, I had been able to skilfully avoid the terrorists and their spoiler attacks. And now I had finally read everything and had sucked in every word new and unspoiled. I felt satisfied and illuminated. All was well.

Column published by Cecile on Monday, August 6th, 2007.

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