The Most Realistic Thing About Harry Potter is Also the Most Heartbreaking
There is an interesting fact about fiction (or at least the best examples of it). Good fiction, no matter what fantastical settings or beings it depicts, always reflects reality.
It speaks the truths of what it means to be alive, to be fragile, to be human. So no matter how unearthly the things in a book or movie may seem to you, be sure that there's something there that comes straight from our seemingly unremarkable realm.
Take Harry Potter, for example.
The story of the secret world of wizards who coexist with ordinary people, Muggles as we are called, has gained international acclaim. Few people would believe, however, that it became popular in Britain primarily because it perfectly represented British education as it was. And J.K. Rowling wasn't afraid to show its darker side.
If you have ever taken a look at the Harry Potter franchise, you know that the world it is set in is quite dark and gloomy. It is not free of unpleasantness either. And no matter how fantastical you may think it is, it does show one thing that certainly exists in our schools. School bullying is the link between the two worlds.
Harry Potter fans seem to agree that this problem exists in the wizarding world as well, and is actually its most realistic feature.
As many Reddit users point out, the teachers at Hogwarts very realistically choose to turn a blind eye to bullying at the school. They don't acknowledge bullying as a problem at all. Some even went so far as to say that the series' events reminded them of their own school days, when kids were bullied and the teachers didn't care.
In addition, some fans openly accuse the Hogwarts teachers of favoritism and manipulation during the initial draw.
One of the teachers (you know who it is for sure) is the biggest bully of all. But in general, most people say that this is what the schools were like in the 1980-90s, and that J.K. Rowling did an excellent job of providing a metaphor for British secondary education.
Still, it is heartbreaking to realize that of all the features of our very imperfect world and flawed education, it was bullying that should have made it into the Harry Potter universe. No one will argue, however, that it makes the story a little more realistic and relatable.