The Importance Of Witchcraft In Harry Potter

The wizardry and witchcraft of the Harry Potter series is precisely what makes them so enchanting in the eyes’ of J.K. Rowling’s readers. The other worldly aspects provide both children and adults with an escape from the real world through its text, allowing for a break from reality without any repercussions or extreme measures necessary. In the eyes of renowned astronomer and scholar Marcia Montenegro, however, this other worldly theme in Harry Potter is what makes the books dangerous to its readers and those around them in society. Rather than believing that the elements of witchcraft are harmless, Montenegro firmly believes that Harry Potter opens the eyes of its readers to the horrors of the occult and the dark elements of sorcery. The

Although she does not argue that Harry Potter is a poor excuse for a children’s novel, giving her graces in agreeing that it holds good storytelling elements, her belief of the occult and its implications in the story leave her unsettled with the books’ wide scale presence in today’s society. Acknowledging J.K. Rowling’s creative genius in the construction of Harry Potter, Montenegro writes that “however clever or imaginative the stories are, they do center on a character who is learning the arts of sorcery and witchcraft” (Montenegro). While the common understanding of this instruction of wizardry is seen as Harry maturing into a strong individual capable of battling the struggles of his past, many argue that Harry’s education in witchcraft could lead to the desire for children to take interest in learning the ways of sorcery and occult

It is these events, mostly confronted with the use of magic, that makes the Harry Potter stories so successful. The magical aspects of the novels provide their audience with a break from reality, even if just for a chapter or two. Rather than encouraging its audience to engage in powerful and dangerous sorcery in real life, the Harry Potter series encourages the expansion of a child’s imaginative powers while also allowing them to realize their own personal strength through the victories and defeats of their favorite characters. While Hermoine Granger, Harry Potter’s best friend, is well-versed in the usage of magic, she is also a brilliant student. In fact, in The Prisoner of Azkaban, Hermoine uses time-travelling magic instruments to allow herself to take more classes than she could normally fit into her school schedule. Her dedication to her schoolwork shows that she is only using magic to enhance her learning potential, not travelling back in time to do evil things that could be occult-related. Hogwarts places many safeguards to try their best to prevent the evil side of magic being put to use by its students, furthering the presence of seduction toward occult practices. Although dark magic does exist in the Harry Potter novels, the dark magic is only performed by those known to be villainous or in defense against them; after the death of his godfather, Sirius