Harry Potter

Seven reasons why Harry Potter is forever magical

"After all this time?" These are the most important words to understand Severus Snape and the key narrative twist in The Deathly Hallows. But for us, they are also the perfect entry point to address this question: After all this time? Why is Harry Potter still relevant after all this time? And the answer here is the same as in Snape's original response: Always. The boy who lived will always be important. We have compiled what we consider to be the seven most important reasons why the fascination with Harry Potter continues to this day.

1. A fantastic, timeless story

Okay, this first point is stating the obvious. Harry Potter would never have become a worldwide phenomenon unless the story was great. But it is! It is true that Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone begins rather small and can clearly be categorised as a (reasonably complex) children's book, but what develops over the course of seven books and eight films is a tale with many twists and surprises. There are details in the first book that only make sense in the seventh volume. With thoughtful developments and dialogue that sounds real. Above all, this is a story that is both classic and timeless: a boy with a difficult childhood has to pass several difficult tests, maintaining his essential goodness despite the most adverse circumstances. The fact that the whole thing is written so entertainingly is a definite bonus!

2. Characters that delight

The vast array of characters are wonderfully written and bursting with personality. This is not just true for Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger (the Golden Trio), but also for the other supporting characters such as Albus Dumbledore, Rubeus Hagrid, Sirius Black and Severus Snape. We are rooting for all these people. We want to know what happens next. What decisions they make and the impact they have. And actually, the same applies to the countless minor characters that JK Rowling created. Where would the story be without Luna Lovegood? Or without Draco Malfoy, Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin, Bellatrix Lestrange, the Weasley twins, Professor Umbridge, Dobby or Moaning Myrtle? And not forgetting the amiable Gilderoy Lockhart, five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award.

3. A fascinating parallel world

At least as important as the characters is the magical world itself. There is so much going on, so many details it is impossible to grasp everything on first reading (or viewing). But the most fascinating thing about it is the way it is integrated into our own world. It is a parallel world, so perfectly embedded that we can imagine — or at least wish — that it actually exists. And who wouldn't want to live in a world where there is a Room of Requirement? Or the Mirror of Erised, the moving pictures in The Daily Prophet, the living portraits at Hogwarts, Quidditch, the Ministry of Magic, or just the many magical animal creatures from Fluffy to house elves (the dangerous and the cute). All this stuff is really cool, but also incredibly well thought-out. Everything follows clear rules that immediately make sense.

4. Harry Potter conveys good values

By this we do not mean, or at least not exclusively, the values represented by the four Hogwarts houses. Sure, courage is great. As are cunning, diligence and intelligence. But Harry Potter conveys much more than that — and so authentically. The claims made in the story go far beyond the idea that friendship, love and openness are a good thing. What we experience along with the characters is how they discover these values themselves and come to appreciate them. For example, when the timid Neville Longbottom decides to stand in the way of his friends in The Philosopher's Stone. And in that moment — perhaps for the first time in his life — he engages in something like bravery. For which he is ultimately rewarded by winning the house cup. And sure, there are also umpteen beautiful quotes that quite obviously convey values: "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

5. The long presence of the main series

The first book was published in 1997, the final film came out in 2011. That's a whopping fourteen years that Harry Potter has been repeatedly popping up in the media. Over such a long passage of time, it's no wonder that fans always talk about the impact of growing up with Harry and his friends. Growing up together with these characters. And it certainly didn't hurt that the films lagged behind the books when they were released. On the one hand, it meant the filmmakers knew exactly how the story would turn out — how the final duel between Harry and Lord Voldemort would end. And secondly, the fans who first saw Harry Potter in the cinema were so gripped by the story, they desperately wanted to know what happened next. Without having to wait two years for the next film. And of course that was only possible by reading the books.

6. The right time

There are often phenomena whose success can be attributed mainly to their appearance at the right time. We doubt whether the Harry Potter books would have successfully inspired a whole generation to read if they had been published even ten years earlier. And yes, that's down to the internet. Like the hit series Lost, Harry Potter benefited immensely from the possibilities of the World Wide Web. On fan sites, in forums, podcasts and even in fan fiction, ideas were exchanged with other enthusiasts, constantly fanning the flames of the Harry Potter hype train. While waiting for the next book, every little detail was analysed and discussed to death. Bets were placed on the possible death of important characters. There was speculation, conjecture and wild guesswork like there was no tomorrow. All this created the fan base that made Harry Potter a global success. By the way, the then operator of the fan site The Leaky Cauldron, Melissa Anelli, wrote her own book about the scope and size of this (online) fandom: Harry, A History.

7. The story continues

All of the above were, and still are, good reasons why Harry Potter is still relevant today. But Harry Potter will also be relevant in the future. And not just for the reasons mentioned above, but quite simply because it's not over! Just before all the excitement subsided about the boy who lived, new content appeared on the scene. The play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, for example. The current Fantastic Beasts film series, which tells the story of the magical world before Harry. And which cleverly introduces familiar elements that we didn't know much about before, such as the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald. Then there are specials like the big reunion in January 2022, showing on HBO Max (and Sky here in Germany), and the long-awaited Hogwarts Legacy video game. And so today, Harry Potter is one of the few brands that inspires people of all ages and across generations. Like Star Wars, James Bond and The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter will always loom large.