12 of pop culture’s best birthday moments

Harry Potter turns 11

Harry Potter is the boy who lived but he also has one of the most celebrated birthdays. Why? Because fans love to wish this boy who changed our lives a very happy birthday on July 31st every year.

The best birthday moment in the series, however, came when Harry finally found out that he wasn’t just this strange boy the Dursleys took in. He was special. On July 31st, Hagrid found them all in a shack and told Harry that he was a wizard and gave Harry his first real birthday gift.
It was heartbreaking and amazing and everything we love about this series. That moment showed us that Harry, and all of us in turn, could go on to do great things and that we always had people out there who would support us.

Harry went on to have other birthdays with his friends and “faux” family he created at Hogwarts. But that first birthday was truly something special. He finally found a home and he had no idea what Hogwarts or the wizarding world had in store for him yet.

It is also nice that July 31 is also J.K Rowling’s birthday so fans get to celebrate the woman who brought Harry into our lives. Because really, without her, where would many of us be? The Harry Potter series is very special, just like Harry’s birthday.

-Rachel Leishman, co-expert