Running Head: POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME?

Potterheads: After all This Time? Always.

Christina L. Bundy

East Carolina University

POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 2

Abstract

Fans of the Harry Potter series appear to remain active and engaged with the series and

the fandom that developed because of it, despite the series ending in 2011 with the release of the

eighth and final film. The purpose of the current study is to survey Harry Potter fans to answer

three research questions: (1) What does it mean to be a Potterhead? (2) To what extent do

members of the Harry Potter fandom rely on the Internet and specifically social media platforms

to keep the “Harry Potter experience” alive? (3) In what ways has Harry Potter made such

lasting and significant impressions upon its fans?

POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 3

Potterheads: After all This Time? Always.

Fandom Culture

One of the largest fan communities in the 21st century is the Harry Potter1 fandom

(Groene & Hettinger, 2015). A fandom is a subculture of individuals who form a communal

identification and build upon their mutual interest in an element of popular culture media

(Jenkins, 2006). Every member of a fandom is a fan; however, every fan is not necessarily part

of the fandom. Being a part of a fandom requires more than a casual interest in the media object;

it also involves engaging in participatory culture. For example, Harry Potter fans experience one

of the largest-scale forms of participatory culture by visiting the Wizarding World2 theme parks,

which are designed in a way that enable visitors to fully immerse themselves into the wizarding

world. (Waysdorf & Reijnders, 2016). In the Chamber of Secrets film, Harry vehemently

declares, “Hogwarts is my home!” (Heyman & Columbus, 2002). Fans who have visited the

Wizarding World of Harry Potter have said that entering the park felt as if they had received

their long-awaited Hogwarts acceptance letter and arrived home (Waysdorf & Reijnders,

2016).Whether it is a tangible place or a symbolic representation of their belonging to the

fandom, Hogwarts represents home to many of the fans.

In a 2018 study, Delmar, Sanchez-Martin, and Velazquez discovered that fans of a media

object were more likely to be happy than non-fans. Fans were also more likely than non-fans to

be viewing for the purpose of some form of intellectual or cognitive enrichment as well as

searching for an emotional or social experience. Fans were more likely to be active consumers,

analyzing scenes or characters and seeking to engage in conversation with other fans whereas

1
Any time Harry Potter is italicized, the discussion is regarding the books or films. When Harry Potter is not
italicized, it is the character, rather than the series, that is being discussed.
2
Similarly, when the Wizarding World is capitalized, it is referring to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme
park whereas wizarding world in all lowercase refers to the fictional world of Rowling’s creation.
POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 4

non-fans were more likely to be passive viewers. To be a part of a fandom also increases an

individual’s physiological response. Tsay-Vogel and Sanders (2015) found that individuals who

perceived themselves as part of a fandom reported feeling warmness in their chests, increased

heart rates, muscle tension, laughter, crying, and increased energy when talking about or

interacting with their fandom.

Fans develop attachments with media objects that can evoke strong emotional responses,

often due to personal connections made with said media objects. Consider a fan who was under

the age of 10 when Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope premiered in theaters in 1977. While

Star Wars was evolving into the epic franchise it has become, that fan grew up watching the

original trilogy and has become an adult while Star Wars has continued to release new content

(Harrington & Bielby, 2010). Both the fan and the franchise continued to grow over time, a

phenomenon that Harry Potter fans are currently experiencing. To be a fan of a franchise for

nearly 40 years cannot be overlooked as a trivial factoid of a person’s life. For many, the

franchises they self-identify with as fans are integral parts of their lives, although it is not always

easy to flush out exactly why. Some may identify themselves as casual fans, but others subscribe

to the notion that they are part of something bigger and more inclusive. Those fans immerse

themselves in the participatory culture that has come to be known as fandoms.

Given the accessibility of social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Reddit,

and Tumblr, it is unsurprising that fandoms have become the rising entity that they are. What

once used to exist openly at Comic Con but subdued the rest of the year due to socially-induced

shame for being “geeks” has shifted to a more united and vocal group who seem proud, not

embarrassed, to admit they are fans of Star Wars, Doctor Who, or Harry Potter (Jenkins, 2012;

Peeples, Yen, & Weigle, 2018). Within the Harry Potter fandom, there are Instagram accounts,
POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 5

YouTube channels, and fan-created websites that have accumulated hundreds of thousands of

followers as they share their mutual love for the Potter universe by enthusiastically posting

theories and sharing memes that they find amusing or emotional (Lee, 2016). Rather than

passively enjoy the media, members of a fandom actively seek out other individuals who share

their passion for the same characters or stories and enjoy engaging in discussions or theorizing

about alternative plotlines and what might have been, especially if they do not subscribe to the

events in the series as canon3 (Groene & Hettinger, 2015; Tsay-Vogel & Sanders, 2015).

In the very first chapter of Sorcerer’s Stone, Professor McGonagall comments that

“[t]here will be books written about Harry – every child in our world will know his name!”

(Rowling, 1997, p.13). At the time, it probably seemed like a throwaway line to Rowling, who

couldn’t possibly have known what to expect when Sorcerer’s Stone was published. Twenty-one

years later, books have indeed been written about Harry, and while every child in the world may

not know his name, half a billion books have been sold, which averages to one in every fifteen

people on the planet owning a Harry Potter book (The Pottermore News Team).

Harry Potter has had a resounding impact on the world during its first 20 years in

existence. If the trend of Harry Potter fans continues on its current trajectory, it would not be

surprising if the series came to be regarded as highly as J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings

and C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia to its fans. Fans that consider themselves the “Harry

Potter Generation” or those who were around the same age as Harry when the first book was

released have grown up alongside him. Many undoubtedly feel as if he is a pseudo-friend who

helped them through trying times of adolescence and if they are not already, they could soon be

reading the Harry Potter books to their own children.

3
The term “canon” refers to material that is verified to be true within the franchise as opposed to “headcanons,”
which are fans’ own theories of events that may or may not exist in the canonical timeline.
POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 6

The goal of the present study is to explore the Harry Potter fandom, specifically fans that

consider themselves to be part of the Harry Potter Generation and/or those who feel the series

has made a lasting impression upon them to determine why they are so attached to it. Much like

the Star Wars fan mentioned above, some Harry Potter fans have grown up with the series and

keep their love for it alive and active, presumably through the use of social media and the

Internet. From personal observation and a review of the literature, the Internet is the primary

setting for fan communities to interact. The intention is to gather feedback from members of the

fandom in regards to why a particular series of fiction means so much to them and how they

express that significance.

Potterheads

Fandoms often develop their own terminology or names to identify themselves to other

fandoms. The Doctor Who fandom is known as Whovians, Star Trek fans call themselves

Trekkies, and fans of the Twilight series are known as Twihards (Donelan, 2015; Maxine, 1998;

Vargas-Barraza, Martinez-Venegas, & Vizcaino, 2017). Individuals belonging to the Harry

Potter fandom have coined the term “Potterheads” to identify themselves as members (DeSouza-

Leao & Da Nobrega Costa, 2018). A search of #Potterhead on Tumblr yields a seemingly

endless display of posts and there are dozens of groups and pages on Facebook of self-

proclaimed Potterheads.

How has a bespectacled teenage boy with a scar in the shape of a lightning-bolt and his

magical world captured the hearts of so many fans? Despite being a fictional person, fans feel as

if he has impacted their lives in significant ways. Is it the attributes of characters that fans relate

to and find similarities in themselves, allowing them to feel like they have found a media figure

that represents them? Or perhaps it is that the series’ primary genre is fantasy, and therefore it
POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 7

allows its audience to escape reality in favor of a more exciting and adventurous world. The first

research question the current research intends to answer is what does it mean to members of the

fandom to be a Potterhead?

A general review of the literature acknowledged that one of the most recurring elements

of belonging to a fandom, and specifically the Harry Potter fandom, is that of self-identity.

Obviously, the most discussed character is the hero of the series – the titular Harry Potter. Harry

is loved for his bravery, his naivety, and his selflessness but also has enough flaws that make him

a realistic and relatable character (Beach & Willner, 2002; Schmid & Klimmt, 2011). Fans have

found strength and support in the Harry Potter fandom as the series has inadvertently addressed

issues including the HIV stigma, homophobia, racism, social classes, and bullying (Tosenberger,

2008). And while not every single Potterhead rejoiced at the revelation of Dumbledore’s

sexuality, there was an overwhelmingly staggering number who were inspired to either

overcome the fear of social shunning by coming out as homosexuals or support their fellow fans

as they did so (Nylund, 2007; Vezzzali, Stathi, Giovannini, Capozza, & Trifiletti, 2015).

In their study, Groene and Hettinger (2016) set out to explain the connection between

belonging to a fandom and social identity, specifically through fans’ perceptions of inclusion or

exclusion of their fandom. Their research questions were to determine the effects of having a

fan’s media identity either affirmed or threatened and whether someone’s level of fan

identification influenced those effects. Their study tested the participants’ fanhood by having

them complete a survey of questions centered around Harry Potter and Twilight, providing

measures of how strongly they identified with their chosen fandom. Feedback from other

participants on their responses was either coded as affirming or threatening to gauge the fans’

perception of self-identity within the fandom. While fans whose participation was coded as
POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 8

affirmative felt more secure and were motivated to continue to be active within the fandom, fans

whose responses were coded as threatening were less motivated to participate in fandom

activities (Groene & Hettinger, 2016). Considering so much of modern fandom activity is

achieved using the Internet, a fan’s own perception of his or her inclusion within the fandom is

significant, especially if that fan’s only fandom friends exist online. Thus, the next research

question for the current research is to what extent do members of the Harry Potter fandom rely

on the Internet and specifically social media platforms to keep the “Harry Potter experience”

alive?

In 2010, Harrington and Bielby explored the concept of being a fan throughout one’s life

course and the ways belonging to a fandom shaped fans’ lives. By conducting one-on-one

interviews, they found that fans who experienced some manner of hardship or trauma seemed to

be particularly attached to their chosen media object. One reported that he had been watching

The Young and the Restless for 34 years and that the fictional town setting for the show had been

the most stable home of his adult life (Harrington & Bielby, 2010). Fans of Bruce Springsteen

explained each stage of life they were in when one of his albums was released. Fans reflected on

their own aging alongside the growth of their fandoms over time and were able to acknowledge

that as they grew older, their love for their fandom evolved from mere childhood or teenage fads

into a deeper, more meaningful experience that helped shape the course of their lives. One

compared events in a fandom (e.g. the discovery that Luke and Leia from Star Wars were twins)

to the monumental moments that remain significant throughout one’s life, such as buying their

first home. Throughout their interviews, the most compelling recurrent theme was that being a

part of a fandom marked important milestones in fans’ life (Harrington & Bielby, 2010). One

could be so bold as to hypothesize that Harry Potter is this generation’s Star Wars, considering
POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 9

the original fans have grown from children to adults and a second generation of fans has

emerged. Thus, the third and final research question this study hopes to answer is in what ways

and to what extent has Harry Potter made such lasting and significant impressions upon its fans?

Method and Implementation

Research Design

This research will be a qualitative study exploring fans’ self-report of how much they

reply on the Internet and social media to interact with and remain active in the Potterhead

fandom, fandom members’ self-assessments of being “Potterheads,” and fans’ reasons for why

the franchise is meaningful to them. During the review of the literature, previous studies found a

significant link between one’s self-identity and the feeling of belonging to a fandom (Groene &

Hettinger, 2015; Tsay-Vogel & Sanders, 2015). This larger construct of self-identity and

belonging was examined and applied to the current research in terms of belonging to a specific

fandom – Potterheads – and why that belonging or the franchise the fandom is based from is so

important to the fans. Similarly, while reviewing the literature, Lee’s (2016) essay of how fans

used the Internet to share memes and discuss theories, which help keep the franchise alive for

them led this researcher to find out how much of fans’ involvement with their fandom is Internet-

based and which Internet platforms are they using to accomplish this?

Participants

Self-proclaimed fans of Harry Potter were identified through fan groups and pages on

Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr via the researcher’s personal accounts on each social media

platform. Fans were requested to complete an Internet-based survey about their involvement with

the fandom. Participation in the questionnaire was entirely voluntary and there were no

exclusionary pre-screening questions that disqualified a participant from completing the survey.
POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 10

A total of 805 participants responded at least partially to the questionnaire; however, 111 did not

complete it and were not considered among the results, therefore a total of 694 participants’

responses were considered. See Table 1 for a breakdown of participant demographics.

Table 1 - Participant Demographics

Gender Age
Male 46 17 or younger 27
Female 635 18 - 32 514
Prefer not to answer 13 33 or older 153
Educational attainment Race and ethnicity
Less than high school degree 23 White/Caucasian 582
High school degree or equivalent 80 Black/African American 8
Some college but no degree 133 Hispanic/Latino 18
Associate degree 47 Asian/Asian American 59
Bachelor's degree 236 American Indian/Alaskan Native 4
Graduate degree 151 Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 1
Prefer not to answer 24 Another Race 22

Participants were given the option to enter for a chance to win a Harry Potter-themed Alex &

Ani bracelet, purchased and mailed by the researcher, as an incentive for completing the survey.

Entering the giveaway was not required for participation and was clearly stated at the beginning

of the questionnaire. Of the total 805 participants, the 569 who did enter the giveaway also fully

completed the questionnaire.

Materials and Procedures

The questionnaire was drafted using a mixture of original multiple-choice questions and

open-ended questions to gauge which Harry Potter media participants have engaged in. While

some of these questions have undoubtedly been used in prior studies, the researcher did not

obtain them directly or explicitly from previous research but instead, drafted the questions

independently. The questionnaire began with general questions regarding participants’ book and

film habits: which books/films they have read/seen, which (if any) they have read/seen more than
POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 11

once, and which is their favorite (with an open-ended follow up question of why). The next

section included questions focused on their engagement with fan-made Harry Potter media,

official extended Potterverse (Pottermore.com), and real-life immersion experiences, such as the

theme parks and the studio tour. The third section delved deeper into participants’ involvement

in the fandom, with questions focusing on merchandise, cosplaying, fanfiction, and their favorite

character and why.

The fourth section featured statements in which the participants selected the answer that

best applied that statement to themselves. The answers were formatted as a five-point scale from

“strongly disagree to strongly agree.” For this section, some of the questions were created by the

researcher but others were inspired and modified from Groene and Hettinger’s 2015 study about

identity within media fandoms. Their statements, while broad due to their intention for

participants to apply them to various media fandoms, were excellent baseline criteria for

exploring the importance to a specific media franchise, such as Harry Potter, with slight

modification.

A brief penultimate section featured two open-ended text boxes requesting participants to

discuss (1) which one location from the Harry Potter world they would like to visit and why, and

(2) their final thoughts on what Harry Potter means to them. The closing section collected

demographic information from participants as well as a contact email address if they desired to

be entered into the bracelet giveaway. See Appendix A for the questionnaire in its entirety.

The survey was web-based, accessible from either desktop computer or any mobile

device or tablet with access to the Internet. The survey was distributed in the following manner:

first, the researcher posted it to her personal Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr profiles (see

Figure 1 for a screenshot of the original Facebook post).

POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 12

Figure 1 – Social Media Post

She then shared the post on several Harry

Potter-related Facebook groups of which

she is a member, with a brief explanation

and request to complete the survey. Friends

and other members of the groups also

shared the post, resulting in a total of 74

shares on Facebook. The number of shares

on Instagram were unknown and the post was not shared on Tumblr. In addition to posting in

Facebook groups, the researcher sent private messages to several independently-moderated fan-

pages on Facebook that post Harry Potter content requesting that they share or post the survey

on their pages. Of the 15 pages that were contacted, 9 replied, and all that replied agreed to share

the survey. Facebook was selected as the primary distribution platform since, from the

researcher’s own observations and personal participation, members of the groups and fan-pages

seemed to be the most active. Sharing the survey through social media also allowed for potential

exposure to members of the fandom from all over the world. Since the research questions aim to

determine the significance of being a member of the fandom and why Harry Potter is so

meaningful to its fans, sharing the survey in a Potterhead-rich environment allowed for the

maximum amount of topic-related responses, making the sampled population very much a

convenience sample.

Results

The goal of this research was to determine how fans who consider themselves to be part

of the Harry Potter fandom remain active and participate in the fandom and how the series has

had a lasting impression on them by asking the following research questions: (1) What does it
POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 13

mean to be a Potterhead? (2) To what extent do members of the Harry Potter fandom rely on the

Internet and specifically social media platforms to keep the “Harry Potter experience” alive? (3)

In what ways has Harry Potter made such lasting and significant impressions upon its fans? Due

to the qualitative nature of these questions, the data from the online survey was analyzed using

the NVivo software to identify patterns and trends in participants’ open-ended responses.

Various keywords (e.g., depression, anxiety, childhood, comfort, escape, relatable, etc.) were

selected and responses were identified based on their inclusion or exclusion of those keywords.

Overall, the results indicate that fans who consider themselves to be part of the Harry Potter

fandom – or Potterheads, as they refer to themselves – have formed a substantial bond with both

the series and the fandom itself. Over 75% of those surveyed strongly agreed that they

considered themselves to be Potterheads and 58.5% strongly agreed that being a part of the

Harry Potter fandom meant a lot to them. Being part of a fandom involves more than simply

reading a book or watching a film – it embraces participatory culture. Being a Potterhead

involved various components of fandom to the respondents. Fanfiction appears to be one of the

most commonly occurring elements of fandom, with 65.7% of respondents reporting that they

had read fanfiction and 17.6% stating they had written it. Cosplaying was a less common, but

still prevalent element, with 39% of respondents stating they had cosplayed as a Harry Potter

character or creature. Finally, 35% indicated they had named a pet or a child after a character or

other element from Harry Potter.

Next, Potterheads were asked about their involvement with the fandom via the

Internet/social media. Over 90% of respondents indicated they either agreed or strongly agreed

that they were a member of at least one Harry Potter fanpage or group on social media and

63.7% said they either agreed or strongly agreed that they actively use social media platforms to
POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 14

interact with other Harry Potter fans. Facebook appeared to be the most widely-used social

media platform with 97.3% of respondents stated they accessed Harry Potter fan materials or

engaged with other fans via that method. See the chart below for the most commonly used social

media platforms.

Figure 2 - Websites and/or Social Media Platforms Used to Engage with the Harry Potter Fandom

Respondents had the option of entering in their chosen website if it was not listed among

the choices. The most recurring manual entries were (descending order of popularity): fanfiction

sites (Wattpad, Fanfiction.net, and Archive of Our Own were those specifically named),

Pinterest, and YouTube. Nearly 85% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that they

follow fan pages and social media accounts because it keeps the magic alive for them now that

the series has ended. Over 60% of those surveyed either agreed or strongly agreed that if they did

not have access to the internet, they would probably be less involved with the Harry Potter

fandom.

Almost 91% of respondents indicated they feel emotionally connected to Harry Potter

and almost 60% indicated that being a fan of Harry Potter plays a part of their everyday lives.

The final question asked participants to share their final thoughts on why Harry Potter is so
POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 15

significant to them. Using NVivo to establish trends, the most commonly recurring themes

among the responses were comprised of the following: fans consider themselves part of the

Harry Potter Generation and grew up with the book series, so they associate the series with their

childhoods; the series helped them discover their own identities and become more self-confident;

and that the series is a source of support or comfort during troubling times. Almost 70%

indicated that they either agreed or strongly agreed that Harry Potter helped them through a hard

time or a difficult situation in their lives. For that question, respondents were given the

opportunity to elaborate, and using the NVivo analytical tool, the most common trends among

those who offered explanations indicated that being a Potterhead helped them through periods of

depression, anxiety, family trauma, and/or grief.

Discussion

If there is one thing this survey revealed, it is that members of the Harry Potter fandom

are tremendously passionate about the series. When asked to share their final thoughts on why

Harry Potter is so meaningful to them, many participants wrote several sentence answers

detailing why the series is so very special. As one respondent wrote, “Reading Harry Potter is

now like putting on my favourite slippers or snuggling under a warm blanket. It is comfortable

and brings me joy.” Another said, “I still return [to the books] when times are testing, it’s like

going home.”

By being members of the Harry Potter fandom, an online community has developed that

constantly encourages and supports one another. The answers to the open-ended questions

indicated that Potterheads, primarily through social media websites, are still regularly developing

theories or discussing their favorite plot points with one another and by doing so, the Harry

Potter fandom has not only endured since the series’ end, but has flourished. As one fan wrote in
POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 16

her comments, it is “something amazing that connects people all over the world.” Another

indicated that Harry Potter bonds her to her family and strangers on the Internet at the same

time. Respondents’ entries in the open-ended questions illustrates how different Harry Potter

fans can be. All have various reasons for why a particular book or character is their favorite, but

one common element unites them – their love for Harry Potter. The fandom uses social media to

connect with people they will likely never meet and possibly have little in common with, but

they at least share a mutual appreciation and respect for the wizarding world.

Other fans indicated that Harry Potter has been so significant to them that it impacts their

day-to-day lives, whether it is making Harry Potter references or jokes in conversation, sharing

humorous memes they see online, or noticing character traits in other people. To some, Harry

Potter was the inspiration that shaped their futures. One respondent wrote that her favorite

character (Severus Snape) is who inspired her to pursue a career as a chemist; another said she

thinks the traits of Hufflepuff house, specifically compassion for others and a desire for fairness

and equality, is what lead her to study social work in college.

The most overwhelmingly recurring response, however, was the notion that Harry Potter

was a crucial element in fans’ childhoods. Many elaborated, explaining that discovering Harry

Potter during their adolescence played a role in shaping who they became as adults. One fan had

this to say:

I quite literally grew up with the Harry Potter gang, meaning I was roughly at an age with

Harry and friends during each book’s release. That’s pretty special to me. Also Harry

Potter wasn’t just a book series I could just binge and be done with, moving on to

something else. It was a story that unraveled over a period of ten years, beginning when I

was 10 and ending when I was 20. These are pretty formidable years in a human’s
POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 17

development, and throughout all of it I was completely engaged in the series, always

looking forward and anticipating the next chapter in Harry’s story.

Others shared that when they finished reading or watching the series, it felt like saying goodbye

to a longtime childhood friend. Some stated they tried to Figure 3 – Harry Potter meme

fill that loss with other book or movie series, but it just

was not the same, and they always ended up returning to

the series that made them truly happy. One fan

referenced the following meme (Figure 3) when she

discussed her reading habits, implying that she has

plenty of books she has not read yet, but rereads Harry

Potter instead, perhaps due to the reasons some of the

other fans mentioned above.

Conclusion

The Harry Potter fandom has been going strong, despite the last book being published

over 10 years ago and the last film being released almost 7 years ago. Still, fans are producing

theories and memes and sharing them across the Internet and rather than grow stagnant, the

Potterhead fandom continues to grow. The current research indicates that the ability to interact

via the Internet and primarily through social media is one of the contributing factors to why the

fandom is still as active as it is. The current research also illustrates how important the series is

to its fans. Above, the review of the literature mentions a fan of Star Wars who had been

following the series for nearly 40 years. Harry Potter appears to be its generation’s Star Wars –
POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 18

fans have grown up as the series developed and continue to share their love and passion for it

with their own children or just continue to enjoy it into their adult years.

There were several limitations with the present research, the first being that this online

survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling

error can be calculated. This study also did not explore an exhaustive list of the fandom’s

involvement with the full extended Potterverse (e.g., Harry Potter video games, companion

books such as The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Quidditch Through the Ages, Fantastic Beasts and

Where to Find Them, etc.). The sample of participants was also overwhelmingly majority female,

which could be in part due to the incentive of the bracelet giveaway that motivated more females

than males to participate. However, it was the researcher’s personal observation that many of the

active members of the Harry Potter fan sites where the survey was shared were primarily female.

In several of the Harry Potter-related studies that were evaluated during a review of the

literature, it did appear that having more female than male participants was the norm.

There is certainly potential for additional research in the future. It would be interesting to

further research those fans who specifically sought comfort from the series to cope with trauma

and to determine if they found comfort by seeking out the series or if it was present at the time

when they needed support. It would also be especially interesting to conduct a longitudinal study

on a group of Potterheads, conducting periodic interviews at various time periods to determine

how their being fans of the series has impacted different stages of their lives. Just as fans of Star

Wars, many Potterheads were children when the series first began and grew into adults alongside

their favorite characters. Additionally, a new generation of Potterheads is emerging as longtime

fans are introducing the series to their own children. As some of the responses from the current
POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 19

research survey indicated, fans have no intention of letting their passion for the series dwindle.

They continue to reread the books, re-watch the movies, or interact with other fans online.

A video of the worldwide premiere of Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in Trafalgar Square,

London has been viewed over 10 million times. Potterheads have rallied around a statement by

J.K. Rowling from that video in which she implores to the fans that “the stories we love best do

live in us forever. So, whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will

always be there to welcome you home” (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2011). Years from now when

Potterheads and the Harry Potter Generation are even older, it will likely come as no surprise if

when they are approached and asked, “After all this time?” (Rowling, 2007, p. 687) their reply is

the same as Severus Snape’s was to Albus Dumbledore: “Always.” Because for Potterheads,

their love for Harry Potter is the equivalent of Snape’s love for Lily – everlasting.
POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 20

Appendix A

1. Have you heard of Harry Potter? Yes/No

2. Have you ready any of the Harry Potter books? Yes/No
3. If yes, which books have you read? Multiple options available for selection
4. Have you read any of the books more than once? Yes/No
5. If yes, how many times have you re-read any of the books? Single options available for
selection
6. Which book is your favorite? Single option available for selection
7. Why is that book your favorite? Text box for open-ended response
8. Have you seen any of the Harry Potter films? Yes/No
9. If yes, which Harry Potter films have you seen? Multiple options available for selection
10. Have you seen any of the films more than once? Yes/No
11. If yes, how many times have you watched any of the films? Single option available for
selection
12. Which movie is your favorite? Single option available for selection
13. Why is that movie your favorite? Text box for open-ended response
14. How old were you when you first read or watched Harry Potter? Text box for numerical
response
15. Have you read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child? Yes/No
16. If yes, do you accept Cursed Child to be part of the Harry Potter canon? Yes/No
17. Have you ever watched Potter Puppet Pals? Yes/No
18. Have you ever watched A Very Potter Musical or its sequels? Yes/No
19. Have you ever been to the Wizarding World theme park in either Orlando or Hollywood?
Yes/No
20. Have you ever been to the studio tour in London? Yes/No
21. Have you taken the Sorting Quiz on Pottermore? Yes/No
22. What house were you sorted into? Single option available for selection
23. Was it the house you wanted to be sorted into? Yes/No
24. If you answered no to the previous question, which house do you feel you belong to?
Single option available for selection
25. Have you taken the Patronus quiz on Pottermore? Yes/No
26. If you answered yes to the previous question, what is your Patronus, according to
Pottermore? Text box for open-ended response
27. Who is your favorite Harry Potter character and why? Text box for open-ended
response
28. Do you own any Harry Potter merchandise (excluding books and movies)? Yes/No
29. Have you ever cosplayed as a Harry Potter character or creature? Yes/No
30. What is your favorite line or quote from any of the books or films? Why is this your
favorite? Text box for open-ended response
31. Which character death was the hardest for you? Single option available for selection
with additional entry for fill-in answer
32. Have you ever read Harry Potter fanfiction? Yes/No
POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 21

33. Have you ever written Harry Potter fanfiction? Yes/No

34. Have you ever named a pet or child after a character or element from Harry
Potter? Yes/No
The following questions use five-point rating scale of Strongly Agree/Agree/Neither Agree
nor Disagree/Disagree/Strongly Disagree
35. Harry Potter played a significant role in my childhood.
36. I consider myself to be a part of the Harry Potter fandom.
37. Being a part of the Harry Potter fandom means a lot to me.
38. I consider myself more of a casual fan of Harry Potter.
39. The Harry Potter series helped me through a hard time or difficult situation in my life.
a. Follow up: If Harry Potter has helped you through a difficult time, please share
the details if you would like. Text box for open-ended response
40. The Harry Potter series is just a work of fiction and doesn't really matter.
41. I am a member of at least one Harry Potter fanpage or group on social media.
42. I actively use social media platforms (Tumblr, Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, etc.) to interact
with other Harry Potter fans or the fandom.
a. Follow up: Which websites or social media platforms do you use to engage with
other Harry Potter fans? Multiple options available for selection with
additional text box for unlisted option(s)
43. I follow fan pages and social media accounts because it keeps the magic alive now that
the series has ended.
44. Harry Potter matters more to me than other books, movies, or TV shows I am a fan of.
45. I consider myself to be part of the Harry Potter Generation.
46. I either have had or feel like I could have in depth conversations with other fans about the
series.
47. I feel emotionally connected to Harry Potter.
48. I spend a lot of time studying Harry Potter (e.g., fan theories, looking at memes, watching
Vloggers, etc.).
49. I feel a strong sense of ties with other fans of Harry Potter.
50. I describe myself by mentioning elements of Harry Potter.
51. I devote a lot of energy to being in the Harry Potter fandom.
52. Being a fan of Harry Potter plays a part of my everyday life.
53. I am the go-to person for information on issues related to Harry Potter.
54. I spend a lot of time talk about Harry Potter with others.
55. Being a fan of Harry Potter is the most enjoyable form of entertainment for me.
56. I want everyone to know that I am connected to the Harry Potter fandom.
57. People think of me when they think of Harry Potter.
58. I strongly identify with Harry Potter.
59. If I didn't have access to the internet, I would probably be less involved with the Harry
Potter fandom.

60. Have you ever been called a "nerd" or "geek" for being a fan of Harry Potter? Yes/No
POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 22

61. If you answered yes to the previous question, did you take that negatively? Yes/No
62. How often do you chat online with others regarding Harry Potter? Single option
selection: Very often/Often/Sometimes/Rarely/Never
63. How often do you read Harry Potter fan-related material (e.g., fanfiction, Tumblr posts,
memes, magazines, blog posts, etc.)? Single option selection: Very
often/Often/Sometimes/Rarely/Never
64. If you could visit any one place from the Harry Potter fictional world, what would it be
and why? Text box for open-ended response
65. Please share your final thoughts on what Harry Potter means to you. Text box for open-
ended response
POTTERHEADS: AFTER ALL THIS TIME? 23

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