Thank you so much to everyone who’s been part of the Why We Fight series. If you haven’t had a chance to read them, I strongly encourage you to check them out. No matter what you’ve been feeling about the fandom and Harry Potter, chances are you’ll find someone to relate to.

And now that we’re at the end of the series, I’d love to know what you all are thinking. What are your feelings or reactions? What questions do you have? What do you want out of your experiences with the fandom, going forward? Whatever it is, know that you’re not alone; we’re all working through this together, and the wrock community has your back.

Bess Carnan (she/her) is a longtime wizard rock fan who is now dipping her toes into active fandom with her podcast WZRD Radio. In between interviews and edits she checks in on the ‘Pedia’s writers and dreams up new topics to make them write about.

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The Harry Potter fandom isn’t the first fandom to be built on a property created by someone whose beliefs or actions fail to meet the standards we hold for basic human decency. And truth be told, we won’t be the last. But we are the ones most publicly grappling with the issue right now.

As long as Harry has existed there have been things to call out. Racism, sexism, antisemitism, transphobia.

There have also been things to celebrate, the concepts that bound us to the series in the first place. Found family, choosing what is right, anti-fascism.

From it all has sprung the most wonderful community I’ve ever been part of. From big, structured projects like Puffs, A Very Potter Musical, and the Potterhead Running Club, to individual projects like fan art, fan fiction, roleplaying, and—of course—wizard rock, Harry Potter is the intellectual property that has launched a million creative endeavors. I often say I’m more a fan of the fandom than I have ever been of the original series. Like religion and organized sports, fandom gives people a sense of community and belonging, a shared language and identity.

Right now our community is being forced to reckon with the imperfect parts of our foundation, the flaws that hurt people. How we respond now will shape our future, both collectively and as individuals.

For some people, they can’t stomach being associated with such dangerous rhetoric. Or it’s too painful, so they’re leaving the fandom entirely. Getting rid of their merch, covering up tattoos.

Some people are reclaiming the fandom. After all, JKR didn’t create it; we did. They are creating radical new art, letting the world know that hatred and bigotry have no place here.

Some are separating the art from the artist and embracing the concept of ‘death of the author.’

For my part, I am—relatively—comfortable continuing to love the series. I am aware of their flaws, and I know that there is no such thing as a flawless piece of media. Reading critically, and reading with awareness, doesn’t mean only being able to read ‘perfect’ literature. All faves are problematic by virtue of being made by humans.

I am not comfortable supporting the author, so official revenue streams like upcoming movies, merchandise, and games are off the table for me.

I am extremely comfortable supporting and engaging with the community that has embraced me and my weird, given me so many beautiful concepts and creations, and shaped my life in ways that have made me healthier and more active in the push for social progress.

There is no one way to move forward from this point. However a person chooses to respond to JKR’s latest hurtful action is deeply personal. But as a community, I believe it’s important that we never let the difficult subjects rest. From the flaws in the texts to missing stairs in our community, if we pretend they don’t exist all we do is create an unsafe, dangerous space for everyone, especially those most vulnerable to abuse or exploitation, and that is not the fandom that I believe in.

We’ll never be perfect, by virtue of being human, but we can engage in that most human of endeavors and strive for better. At its root, that’s what Harry Potter taught us and that’s what I believe in.