The Master of Death

In the pages of the most well-worn books in my house, there can be read the story of a young man who was not everything he seemed. Like so many heroes, he believed, in the beginning, that he was not anything special.

Harry Potter started his story as so many of us did - young, lonely, friendless. And then one day, he was told that he, young, lonely and friendless as he was, was something special. Magical. Powerful. That revelation, to him, was life-changing, and we celebrated with him.

As Harry grew, so did my siblings and I. Through him, we learned of the pains, the awkwardness, and the heartache of adolescence. We experienced them ourselves, and Harry taught us how it wasn't a big deal, how it could be overcome, how nothing was the end.

Harry faced not only the terrifyingly brilliant and complex villain that is Voldemort, but also faced the common struggles of a normal teenager. He faced bullies, awful teachers, prejudice, jealousy, and failed romance. Harry's struggle with the ordinary is what endeared him to us; he was like us, but he was incredible, and that made us incredible too.

We grew up knowing the characters by name and personality. By the end of it all, those people in those books, the places we'd seen in our heads, were so much more than fantasy. They were family. Hogwarts was home.

And then, suddenly, like the jarring stop of a rollercoaster, it was over. No more books. No more movies. Hogwarts existed only in our minds and hearts, without the river of words to continue the story. Eventually, you'd come to the last page, the last sentence, again: "All was well." And while that sentence made us all happy for Harry in ways almost sacred, it also broke our hearts - because in a sense, it meant that there would be no new adventures that we'd get to hear about.

The emotions I felt when I learned that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter would be opening in Universal Studios in Orlando were strong and varied.

On one hand, I was thrilled that there was more and that the more that there would be was a physical and tangible thing. I was ecstatic that some of the magic I experienced in my mind through Harry Potter would now be available to everyone.

On the other, I live in Utah. I'd never been to Florida and had no reason to hope or believe I'd go there any time soon. I knew the chances of getting there were slim.

But you know what's great about life? It loves slim chances. And that is how, on a Sunday night in the recent past, I found myself on an airplane, heading to Orlando Florida, that would fly all night until the next morning, at which point I would bus to Universal Studios and beeline my way back to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Looking back on it now, the sensations are diluted somewhat by the waters of time. But I do remember the real joy that I felt as, hand in hand with my best friend of seven years, I crossed the threshold of the mundane world into a magical world I'd only ever imagined or seen on a screen.

The music was the first thing I noticed. Life now had a sound track I knew almost as well as I know my own name, and it was to a familiar melody that I then absorbed the sight before my eyes.

My initial thought at the snow-dusted rooftops of Hogsmeade was something like, "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep", but my initial coherent thought was, "okay, wow." It was as if someone had taken everything in my head and built it meticulously. Every detail was exactly what I wanted and more. I settled comfortably into this place, because for me it was like home. It had been like home for years.

I can't divulge specifics of my immersion into the world of Harry Potter. The more I study the actual events of that day in my mind, the less I want to share them with others. The experience was incredible, one that I'll never forget, and one that I would like to keep special to me.

Because I truly got to do it all. I toured Hogwarts. I got to visit Ollivander's. I drank butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, with a killer view of Hogwarts castle. I battled my way out of Gringotts. I boarded the Hogwarts Express for the last time to the most perfect music, just like at the end of the first movie. I lived it. I lived the magic. And I got to do it all with my Ron and Hermione at my side.

"You sort of start thinking anything's possible if you have enough nerve." -Ginny Weasley