Half of the U.S. woke up this morning hoping that the events of the night before were all a bad dream. Today, knowing that Donald Trump will be our next president, book nerds have begun re-reading Harry Potter for post-election comfort.
Throughout the 2016 election cycle, memes abounded comparing the three top presidential candidates — Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders — to Harry Potter characters. Right or wrong, those images cast Trump in the role of Voldemort, Clinton as Dolores Umbridge, and Sanders as Albus Dumbledore. Now, with Voldemort set to take over the White House — A.K.A. the Ministry of Magic — in 2017, Potterheads have turned to J.K. Rowling's books for comfort.
The connections between Harry Potter and the general election run much deeper than memes. Rowling's book series is ultimately about a group of marginalized people — young and muggle-born witches and wizards — who know that a threat capable of destroying the world as they know it is on the verge of rising to power, but who are not taken seriously until it is too late. By the time Harry and his friends garner any widespread support, they've lost Dumbledore, and have been forced to construct an underground resistance movement to fight against Voldemort's Ministry.
Sound familiar?
Here's a look at how people are turning to Harry Potter for comfort in these dark times.
And remember: "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, when one only remembers to turn on the light."
Image: Warner Bros.
