The Meaning Behind My First Tattoo

Recently, I just got my first tattoo. I was always the person who told myself that I would never get a tattoo, nor would I ever want one. However, I had been thinking about this for a while and I finally decided that I was ready.

I got a small Harry Potter tattoo on my ankle. I want to discuss why I got the tattoo and what the symbol means to me.

Harry Potter has been such a huge part of my life since I was 5 years old. I remember when the first movie came out, my parents surprised me with little Harry Potter dolls for Christmas 2001. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was the movie I always had on repeat in my living room. I fell in love with the magic right away and I never turned back. 

I remember in 8th grade I used to lug my big Harry Potter Page to Screen book to school everyday and I would read it during Independent Reading...and trust me, dragging that huge book around wasn't easy. I even found ways to include Harry Potter into my school assignments. For example, I wrote a whole science report on the magic behind Harry Potter (I got an A by the way). 

Harry Potter was always my escape during the hardest times in my life. Middle school was such a tough time for me and I would always come home and emerge myself in the Wizarding World. 

Now that I'm 21, the magic has only grown stronger. In high school, people can be very cliquey and judge you for your image, so I was always nervous to show my true self. Sometimes, people would chuckle when they heard I still loved a "children's book", and they even thought it was a phase (pft muggles).

 But in college, I realized there are so many people that have the same interests as me, and it has made me flourish. Harry Potter means more to my life than ever. 

So, I decided to get a tattoo of the 3 little stars at the top of each Harry Potter page in the books. It is small, but it has a very symbolic meaning for me. I connected my tattoo to one of my favorite J.K. Rowling quotes that inspires me:

“We do not need magic to transform the world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already.”

As a future teacher, I want to have an opportunity to transform the world one step at a time. This tattoo is a reminder to me that I already have the power to do that. This tattoo will always be there to remind me the strength Harry Potter has given me throughout my whole life. It will remind me how far I have come, and I have the power to keep pushing through hard times. 

Every time I look at my ankle, I will be reminded that Hogwarts will always be there to welcome me home.