If there's something wrong, those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action.
– Thomas Jefferson
I used to read a lot before Hogwarts. The library was my primary refuge from Dudley and his "Harry Hunting" gang, and it is no wonder that little by little, the yellowed pages of books and comics -long forgotten in this era of digitization – became a constant in my life.
A vigilante – they called him. He was a protector, the sole knight in shining armor, and they vilified him.
A hundred names can be given to him. The dark knight, spidey, yada yada. He has been there for us. We didn't want him; we were content with the rot in our society. Yet, he fought on.
He fought the good fight, on his terms, and ended up changing the face of the society by his sheer doggedness in not wavering from his mission.
Rot – yes, real rot- not caused by fungus, but by neglect, indifference, a corrupt administration.
I wonder if Riddle was right. I have been fed a daily dose of the "Dumbledore is a great wizard" and "Voldemort killed your parents" propaganda since before I started my first journey on the Hogwarts' Express.
A flash of red and bushy hair was all it took to dumb me down, I guess.
Caught between the both extremes of academic success, I guess I subconsciously stopped my intellectual pursuits overnight.
I stopped thinking for myself, allowing myself to be led, rather than leading. I didn't see the bullshit for what it was, and took pride in not standing out any more than necessary. Why, I even fooled myself into believing the utter tripe about staying away from media or attention that I repeatedly spouted with a ferocity akin the Niagara.
So, why the sudden change, you ask?
Why is little Harry not content to be tame anymore?
Why is he staying awake the night before his 4th year at Hogwarts, and actually digging up old memories, analyzing them?
Something doesn't feel right – there is mischief afoot.
And the stench of a cover-up fills my senses.