As a crooning Katy Perry so kindly reminds us on her latest album, Teenage Dream, it’s “Not Like the Movies.” No, kids, it’s certainly not, especially when the movies in question depict the Boy Who Lived and his snowy pet owl, which, I might add, is not a common pet for we non-magic folk. In fact, it’s ill-advised to train an owl as your house pet, particularly if you’re in India right now, as the outdoor owl population is swiftly declining.
Realer than a Death Eater killing Hedwig.
And according to the Indian Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh, Harry Potter is to blame. Ramesh says, “Following Harry Potter, there seems to be a strange fascination even among the urban middle classes for presenting their children with owls.” He explains that the Harry Potter series is just as (if not more) popular in India as it is in the rest of the world. As opposed to books or even brooms (as Quidditch is also on the rise!), these kids want owls for the upcoming holiday.
And no, we’re not talking Christmas or Hanukkah. If rumors are to be believed, owls were sacrificed in black magic rituals during the Diwali, also known as the festival of lights. I don’t know if I believe all that hoopla, but if it’s true that owls are this year’s sacrificial lambs, someone should get on that – pronto. Owls were neither meant to be trained like kittens nor slaughtered in the name of magic.
While HP7: The Beginning of the End gets pretty bloody, the book doesn’t promote violence. On the contrary, Harry rages through war because he hopes to bring peace back to the wizarding world. I’m pretty sure J.K. Rowling meant for us to apply the sentiment to this world – the real world – as well. I truly hope we’ve only heard one side of the story, and that the other side is much happier.
How ’bout we buy the kids a canary next time, yes? Wondrous.
XO, The Green Gamine
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