November, a Love Story
I will never forget the Friday afternoon in mid-November 2001. School had let out for the week, and I tagged along with a buddy of mine and his family to see a movie about some boy wizard set in England. At the time, I didn’t know anything about this boy or his journey. I’ll never forget returning to that same theater, only one year later, getting competitive with kids much younger than myself at answering trivia questions for collectible movie posters.
November has been a good month to Harry Potter fans. The first, second, fourth, and seventh film adaptations of the books were released in theaters during this month. For this writer personally, November marks the anniversary of when I first joined MuggleNet back in 2002. MuggleNet’s first live podcast event occurred in this month in 2005, in conjunction with the Leaky Cauldron. Eager fans packed the Barnes and Noble in Union Square, New York City to celebrate the premiere of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with their friends (and us) on that night.
Within Harry’s world, November marks a month of firsts: Harry, as an infant, first arrives at number four, Privet Drive; Harry catches his first Snitch in the match against Slytherin; the first task of the Triwizard Tournament is held… The month also contains some memorable reunions: Sirius Black appears in the common room fire, while still on the run, to comfort Harry; Harry finds himself again having to handle a dragon; Hagrid finally returns from negotiating with the giants…
It has been close to 2,000 days since the last film in Harry Potter‘s world debuted. But this November – this week, in fact – the unexpected will occur, and we will yet again enter the wizarding world on film with the release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. We will meet amazing new characters and learn much more about J.K. Rowling’s universe (check out MuggleNet’s spoiler-free review of the film here). Films 2 and 3 already have November release dates, November 16, 2018, and November 20, 2020, respectively, and I have a feeling the final two of the pentalogy will be released in November, as well.
As months go, November is one of anniversaries for all Harry Potter fans. It reminds us of the warmth of friendship and excitement of seeing a film with a live audience for the first time. Let us celebrate this month for the joy it has brought us, and embrace the latest addition to the films as an old friend now returned to us. November is back. And we are, too!
