What Makes a Harry Potter Fan?
I had this fascinating conversation with a good friend recently. He told me, âYou canât call yourself a true Harry Potter fan unless youâve read the books.â At first, I laughed it off, but then it made me pause. Does being a fan really come with such conditions?
Some people say youâre not a real fan unless you can recite every spell by heart, list every character in the timeline, or collect all the merch. Others argue you need to have the wands, mugs, or at least a house banner hanging in your room to truly belong.
But hereâs the thingâI donât believe fandom has only one definition.
For some, being a fan means collecting every piece of memorabilia they can get their hands on. For others, itâs rereading the books countless times and cherishing every hidden detail that didnât make it into the films. Some fans love quoting movie lines or practicing spells, while others proudly wear their house colors, whether Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff.
And yet, even if you have none of theseâno merch, no memorized spells, no bookshelf of Harry Potter novelsâyou can still be a fan. Because Harry Potter is more than books and films. Itâs an experience. Itâs a story that touches something deep within usâfriendship, courage, sacrifice, love, and even loss. These are universal, and anyone whoâs felt them through Harry Potter has every right to call themselves a fan.
True fans donât gatekeep. We donât measure someoneâs love for this magical world by the merch they own or the facts theyâve memorized. Instead, we share the joy. We open the door wide and say, âWelcome. This world is for you, too.â
My Harry Potter Exhibit Experience in Abu Dhabi
Stepping into the Harry Potter Exhibit in Abu Dhabi was like crossing the invisible line between our world and theirs. It began with the Sorting HatâI was placed into Slytherin, a house Iâve always felt a strange kinship with. The first magical word I uttered was âAlohomoraâ, and just like that, the doors opened.
Walking in felt like being transported straight into Hogwarts itself. The moving portraits, the long house tables, and the Sorting Hat staring down at youâit was as if Harry, Hermione, and Ron had just passed by moments ago.
Then came the wand room. Seeing the Elder Wand and Grindelwaldâs wand in person was surreal. As a child, I dreamed of holding one, casting spells, and believingâjust for a momentâthat magic was real.
The Mandrakes screamed (loudly, just as I remembered), Hermioneâs robes were on display, and in the Quidditch section, I marveled at the brooms, the uniforms, and even had a chance to throw a Quaffle through the hoop. Suddenly, I wasnât just a visitorâI was part of the game.
The Potions Room was another favorite. Guided by Snapeâs presence, we could mix ingredients and âbrewâ our own potions. The smell, the visuals, the energyâit was as if the classroom had come alive again.
And then⌠the Deathly Hallows. To stand before the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Invisibility Cloak felt powerful, almost reverent. These objects, symbols of life and death, courage and fear, stood as reminders of the storyâs greatest lessons. Alongside them were Voldemortâs Horcruxesâpieces of his soul laid bare. To see Tom Riddleâs diary, Hufflepuffâs Cup, and Naginiâs presence displayed before me gave me chills.
There was even Harryâs cupboard under the stairs, recreated down to the very last blanket and toy. Standing there, I was reminded of how his story beganâwith loneliness, but also resilience.
The exhibit ended with an immersive battle experience, where I could duel Voldemort myself, wand in hand. For a moment, I wasnât just a fanâI was part of the story.
Of course, no visit is complete without souvenirs. I left with a Slytherin pin and a magnet, tiny keepsakes of a truly magical day.
What Harry Potter Means to Me
Walking out of the exhibit, I realized something: Harry Potter has always been magical, not because of wands or spells, but because of the lessons it quietly stitched into our hearts.
It taught us about friendship and loyalty through Ron and Hermione. It showed us sacrifice through Lily Potter and courage through Harry himself. It reminded us that betrayal, greed, and ambition existâbut so do kindness, resilience, and love.
Most importantly, Harry Potter taught me this: Itâs not where you come from that defines you, but the choices you make.
That, to me, is the real magic.
Soâwhat makes someone a Harry Potter fan? Not the books on their shelf. Not the merch in their room. Not the spells they can recite.
What makes a fan is the sparkâthe feeling that somewhere, in some small way, the magic of Harry Potter has touched your life.
And if it has, then welcome, fellow fan. You belong here.
