Why I’m Done with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Originally Posted: Dec 22, 2017

I didn’t want to read Harry Potter. It was the last book on a list that we had to choose from in my middle school English class for book reports. The book I wanted (that I now forget the name of) featured a strong female protagonist and was much more interesting than the abused boy, who lived under the stairs and also had like, magical powers or something.
But I was mistaken. By the time I was finished with that first book, I was forcing all of my friends to read it too. I was preaching the word of J.K. Rowling like some Baptist preacher on the sidewalk with the fervent conviction that if you didn’t read Harry Potter we would never be able to continue our friendship. It was that deep. Soon all of my friends were hooked, and we formed a little group of consumers, wearing costumes, playing Quidditch, lining up at midnight for all the books, getting our parents to drive us out to the IMAX in the city to see the movie on premiere night. Harry Potter was my world, I followed the lore, I watched the specials, I played the games, I argued with Christian conservatives about how Harry Potter did not lead children to be witches, all while I developed an interest in Wicca (completely coincidental of course).
I connected with the message of the books, that standing up against injustice, despite the ease and comfort that comes with allowing evil to take root, is what makes a hero. Throughout the series Harry is not believed or supported, he knows that evil has returned to their world and he is constantly defending himself and saving others lives and constantly loses the support of those around him, especially those in authority. He watches the rise of the Dark Lord, and is silenced by the governing political power, despite suffering through the death of Cedric Diggory. Those in authority are rarely on the side of good in the franchise, they often have much to lose if the truth comes out, much political, social and economic loss to suffer. So Harry and his friends stand alone, outnumbered and outpowered and it is only at the end of the major battle that those who stood by, silent, come to support the heroes.
I was sad when Harry Potter ended. I cried at the last screening of the Deathly Hallows part 2, along with several other strangers. It was over. A huge piece of my childhood, a magical moment in pop culture that I was grateful to be alive for, was over.
Then, much like He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, the franchise refused to stay dead.
There was the news that there would be a theme park at Universal Studios, and I was glad. It made sense, who wouldn’t want to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter? Eat the food. Buy a wand. Ride a dragon. Sure. All of it sounds amazing, and I’m still holding on that I will one day get a chance to go.
Then there was the news of a play, and I was intrigued. Okay, sure that makes sense. Let’s turn this into a continuation of the books, much like my fan fiction. We all want to know what happens afterward to our heroes and hey! Hermione’s black??? Yes, please. A retroactive move, probably prompted by the backlash against JK Rowling’s initial near erasure of people of color from the franchise entirely. But here we are! Thank you very much!
Then there was the news that there would be another series of movies (huh?) about the school books (what?) that were read in Hogwarts starring none of the original cast (okay…) but with the casting of Johnny Depp (ok go fuck yourself). This movie, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’, would also be directed by David Yates, the director of the first, and arguably the weakest, film. I was not okay. This felt like a move to milk the teat of one of the most lucrative and successful film franchises ever until it was all dried up. The movie wasn’t pleasant for me (except for Ezra Miller’s performance, hey boo) it was dark, convoluted in its plot and oddly whitewashed. But the worse part about it was that Johnny Depp would be in the rest of the film’s franchise because his character plays a crucial part in the series.
Side note: For those who are unfamiliar with why this is distressing, it stems from the allegations that Johnny Depp was abusive towards his ex-wife Amber Heard during their marriage and in the subsequent divorce in 2016 where a video was released of Depp being verbally abusive towards her was released. Heard’s statement in court about their relationship was; “During the entirety of our relationship, Johnny has been verbally and physically abusive to me. I endured excessive emotional, verbal and physical abuse from Johnny, which has included angry, hostile, humiliating and threatening assaults to me whenever I questioned his authority or disagreed with him.” During this time, many people leapt to Depp’s defense, where he accused her of making up the accusations for financial gain. He never once addressed the video or the bruises that were documented on Heard’s body as part of the evidence of his abuse. Many people used the classic, bullshit approach of “but Johnny’s so nice to me” as a way of silencing Heard and her supporters.
In the recent few months women, victims, and those who witnessed abuse are now standing up more than ever and, most notably, are being believed. It seems that in the post-feminist world we are currently living in, women are finally getting the support they deserve from society and men like Depp, are being asked to be accountable for their actions.

In a Vanity Fair article the director, David Yates said; “[Depp is] very different [than cases] where there are multiple accusers over many years that need to be examined and we need to reflect on our industry that allows that to roll on year in and year out. Johnny isn’t in that category in any shape or form. So to me, it doesn’t bar any more analysis. It’s a dead issue.”
What message does this send, not only to potential victims but to abusers as well? That if you only do it once, it’s not abuse? That it only qualifies as abuse if it goes on longer than a year? That there needs to be a numerical amount of victims before it becomes an issue? This is great news for abusers, this means that valley in which they can think of themselves as having a problem or being a problem has just gotten wider and they can rest easier knowing that, as long as they only do it once, or once in a while, or once to the same person, or maintain their pleasant personality, they’re not an abuser and it’s a dead issue. Shame on Yates. Mostly for his cowardly opinion but also for the harm that will come to the young fans of his films because of continued support of Depp.
It all came down when recently JK Rowling herself, spoke out about this issue. In a statement she released, she says, “Conscience isn’t governable by committee. Within the fictional world and outside it was all have to do what we believe to be the right thing.” This seems to be in reference to the outcry of fans who do not support the decision to have Depp in the series and that she knows more than the fans and cannot be swayed by a group of people, no matter how large. Rowling has forgotten herself. She has forgotten the message of the books she created, she has forgotten how central the themes of good people doing nothing, while harm comes to the innocent, makes a good person bad. But Rowling has her own reasons, I suppose.
Rowling in her statement pointed to the parts in the statement released by Depp and Heard after their divorce that said “there was never any intent of physical or emotional harm,” as proof of Depp’s innocence but not the part that said “neither party has made false accusations for financial gains”, as evidence that Heard was not lying about his treatment towards her. Rowling also made clear in her writing. “Based on our understanding of the circumstances, the filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies.”
Happy.
Let that sink in.
I also want to address that I have aged out of Harry Potter. I am not the demographic of people that should be enjoying the franchise, despite the fact that the studio is still counting on the original fan’s money, and that is what upsets me the most. To have a series of films, that prominently features an accused domestic abuser and market that to children is wrong. It doesn’t send the message that standing up to evil is what good people do, it’s sending the message that wrong is debatable. That in order to be a bad guy you have to have hurt multiple people in full view of others. In the books, Harry’s parents died in the privacy of their own home and that’s enough to kick off the entire set of books events but Heard is not to be supported because the abuse wasn’t witnessed by Rowling, Yates and the entire Universal executive branch.
So I am leaving the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I have all my memories, still have some of my costume pieces and my recipe for Butterbeer. I won’t be giving a dime to the new franchise and I hope others consider that too. Let the kids see it and enjoy it, but tell them why it’s wrong. Tell them that sometimes bad people get punished in other ways, that even though it looks like bad people are being rewarded that they always get what’s coming to them on the back end, that’s why it took seven books for Harry to win in the end and if you know that someone has done something wrong, no matter how easy it would be to stand back, collect your check, turn a blind eye to the wrong-doing, it is your job as a hero to fight for what’s right.
Even though she created the franchise, JK Rowling doesn’t get to take that away from me.