I have probably re-read this book at least ten times by now. It's always one of my favorites and I love how JK Rowling's series grows with the audience as well as seeing how she herself grows an author over the course of Harry's time at Hogwarts. I reread this book and the rest of the series every year starting January 1st. It feels like going home.

Now, my Scholastic hardbacks are looking a little love-worn. But I'll never get new copies because 1) I cannot support a TERF financially, so no more Harry Potter merchandise and no reading any new books she publishes or watching movies in her universe and 2) they're mine and they've been with me since 3rd or 4th grade.

I don't believe art can be completely separated from the artist, but I also believe it can be to a very large extent. JK provided the art, but she didn't have anything to do with how I connected to others through it or what any of us brought to the series in reading it. Art is inherently changed by how we interact with it.

There are some parts of this book that don't translate well to the 2020s or perhaps just to my adulthood. Harry's thoughts about Dudley are particularly problematic. There's a lot of fat shaming in the early chapters. Now, this is a product of the 90s. That doesn't excuse the issues at all. But I also don't think I can expect the book to read like a book from this decade.

I think Harry Potter can still be enjoyed. We can have complex and conflicting thoughts about it and the author.