Attention grabbing title! To start, yes I’ve read all 7 books, multiple times; yes I read the 7th in a single day, the day it went on sale. (Yes I bought Harry Potter LEGO, but it was for the parts!) I enjoyed the books and the movies and so forth, but the world it is set in, the sort of magic that is done, is the worst sort of magic there is.
In the HP world, all of the romantic qualities of magic are taken away. Want to learn magic? Oh there’s a school, and oh its just like regular school. And oh, you are either born with the ability, or you have no chance. What’s more, it is highly hereditary; you would think that an author who rallies for the working class wouldn’t create a world where who your parents are is more important than your will, your drive, or your talent.
The HP world of magic is entirely closed off to outsiders. Everything is expertly hidden, and should you ever stumble across it, your mind will be wiped clean. I don’t see how erasing memories is any more “good” or proper than an Imperio curse. Control a wizard, go to Azkaban; control a muggle, work for the Ministry.
There is nothing arcane about HP magic. Grab a wand (bought in a store), say a word, magic! There are magic schools, magic stores, magic jobs, magic houses, magic sports. It’s all so mundane. There is magic money and a magic bank! They have the power to do anything their minds can imagine, yet they are still working 9-5 jobs.
The storyline itself isn’t much better. Harry is destined, he has no choice. He has the singular ability to fight the enemy, one arising from no action of his own; his mother did the hard part. He’s not the smartest, the most driven, the most talented, the cleverest or anything. He is simply the most Harry Potter. I’m rooting for Voldemort.
