Nowadays, a little bit of magic and sparkle is necessary for our everyday lives, and the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Reunion started 2022 off with just that.

Harry Potter touched the hearts of millions of fans across the globe and continues to do so. Along with the rest of the world, Western Branch is no less moved by the franchise. 

“It was so cool to see them all together after not seeing them since the last movie. I feel like I learned a lot more about the different types of friendships made in the process of the filming that I had no idea about. It was very sentimental,” Akemi-Lynn Perdew, 11, said.

Sentimental would be correct. In the midst of winter, January is the perfect time to cozy up on the living room couch and binge-watch your favorite magical movie series. 

“It was emotional watching the actors and actresses being together after so long and talking about all their experiences they had filming the movies, such as the relationships that were formed like Tom Felton and Emma Watson’s,” said Perdew. 

The students of Western Branch seem unanimous in their feelings of fondness towards Harry Potter. 

“I grew up with the series. My family all adores it and it was always something we could bond over. Harry Potter helped spark my love for reading and good stories,” Abigail Bucker, 12, said. 

Not only do students find the reunion to be heart-warming, but so do some of Western Branch’s teachers. 

“J.K Rowling created an amazing world. She created a world that was an entryway into so many other bigger worlds that were even more intricate. In order to make a really believable world like that, you know she has got to have a really incredible mind. Being able to have 6 books down the road and still have people, 20 years later, invested in it is amazing,” Charlotte Kauffman, an English teacher, said. 

However, it is up to debate whether or not the reunion had been worth the watch. 

In a poll done by the Western Branch High School Instagram page, 60% of voters relayed that the Harry Potter Reunion was overrated, while the other 40% agreed that it was underrated. 

That being said, Harry Potter has become a universal cinematic masterpiece, egging on and intriguing its followers for decades as well as teaching generations valuable lessons.

“There were so many lessons throughout the whole series, but the ones that stick out are: believe in yourself, you are more than you think, and it is okay to ask for help,” said Perdew.