Sitting down in the homely seats of the theater brought me so much comfort, a small popcorn and soda helped ease my excitement. The anticipation of waiting for the movie to start. All of that brought me nostalgia.

During the Fall of 2020, “DracoTok” became a trend on TikTok. At first, I thought nothing of it and kept scrolling through my “For you page”. But, more edits of Malfoy kept coming up on my TikTok for you page that I found myself giving those edits a like. Eventually, I became addicted but I felt like an outsider when it came to the “Harry Potter” movies. I felt like a hypocrite saying I liked “Harry Potter” only because of a character or trend. Since I only watched “Prisoner of Azkaban” when I was 8 years old. So I begged my mom to buy me the “Harry Potter” movies. That day, I went to the store and bought all my favorite snacks. When I got home I got all my blankets, and pillows. I felt like a small child at a sleepover.

The feeling I got after watching the first “Harry Potter” movie was unforgettable. I understood this “trend” and for a long time, the “Harry Potter” series comforted me.

But after watching the movies too many times, I found myself getting bored of watching Harry trying not to get killed in every scene. I read the books repeatedly, and I had lost that spark that made me fall in love with the words on the pages. I longed for that blissful comfort, that same intense euphoric feeling I got while watching Tom Riddle in “The Chamber of Secrets” (my favorite Harry movie.) For a long time, the “Harry Potter” movies solved all my problems, but as fast as they left, something else came back.

Originally, I hadn’t watched the “Fantastic Beast” series because I felt like it wasn’t going to give me that solace feeling. However, I became so attached to the “Harry Potter” trilogy that I still had hope that they could still comfort me.

And on April 15, 2022, the new “Fantastic Beast: The Secrets of Dumbledore” movie came out. I went in with the thought that it wouldn’t be anything like “Harry Potter” and thought it was going to be boring since they had different plots. I thought this different plot wouldn’t be as compelling as the “Harry Potter” one, but as it turns out I was wrong.

The first time I heard the “Fantastic Beasts” theme song, my heart instantly skipped a beat. My mind instantly went back to when I first heard the “Harry Potter” theme song. I felt a tied knot in my throat. I felt comfort.

I finally got the feeling. The feeling I’ve been longing for, for so long. The feeling I missed. The whole time I didn’t think about “Harry Potter.” I didn’t see “Harry Potter,” Ron Weasly or Hermione Granger. All I saw were these newer, fresher characters: Newt Scamander, Theseus Scamander, and Tina Goldstein. Yet seeing Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald finally draw their wands at each other and cast a powerful spell still brought me so much nostalgia. I was wrapped up in the way the red and the blue mixed together.

I’ve watched many movies recently, and not a single movie left me comforted the way “Fantastic Beasts” has. Not a single movie left me with that blissful feeling. But, the “Harry Potter” series always left me feeling ecstasy, though after a while I started feeling despair, discomfort, and need. Need for that feeling of elation. And that is what “Fantastic Beasts” gave me. The side effects of watching “Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore” were nostalgic. It left me on cloud nine. If you haven’t watched it yet and are a fan of the Harry Potter series I definitely recommend it. And even if you haven’t seen or read anything from the original series it is still an extremely fun and exciting experience!