Hagrid by Zoë

Mom slammed the car door closed, jolting me out of my daydream. I unfastened my seatbelt, opened up the car door, and tried to keep up with my brother, Luke, and my Mom’s fast pace as we headed towards Gamestop. It was cold out. I wished I was not here. I wished I was at home, curled up under a blanket, a cat by my side, a book in my hand. The flames in the fireplace dancing about like ballerinas. Adele playing at full blast. That, I thought, is just what I need.

But no. I wasn’t not home. Far from it. I was at Gamestop. Why was I at Gamestop?

Let me explain. My orthodontist had this point system where every time you go to the orthodontist, you get a certain number of points. You can get extra points if your orthodontic wear  is in good shape, if your teeth are flossed and brushed, etc. etc. etc. When you got a certain amount of points, you could get a gift card.

Luke got a gamestop gift card, and, thus, here I was. At gamestop. Ugh.

We stepped into the store, and the warm, stale air hit me hard. I couldn’t decide whether or not I liked it. Luke seemed to think this store was the greatest thing since indoor plumbing. I remained uninterested. Who wanted to spend their Saturday looking at used video games? Not me, that was for sure. So as Luke tried to decide between a disney infinity game and a lego batman video game, my mom and a salesperson both trying to sway his judgement, I wandered about the store. As I headed off towards the very back, past the video game controllers (10% off!) and the salespeople and the violent games that my dad played, there was only one thought in my head: There sure are A LOT of video games here.

In the back, I saw a rack of cute little vinyl figures. Batman figures, Star Wars, and–

My mouth gaped open. My eyes got larger than an anime character’s. I couldn’t contain my amazement. I sank to my knees, (and could you really expect me not too?), for on the bottom of this rack were the most amazing things ever–Harry Potter vinyl figures! I am SO not exaggerating when I say they were glorious.

“Well, this one’s cheaper,” I could faintly hear my mom saying, “But I think you’d like this one better.”

I dug through the vinyl figures, (which were, according to the box, called Funko POP Harry Potter Action Figures), with the ferocity and speed of a hungry meerkat. There were so many of them, all made in the same big eyed, big headed style. What one should I get? After all, being a massive Harry Potter fan, I knew I would go home with at least one of these (despite the fact that each of them costs about seventeen dollars). All of them were so cute, even Voldemort looked appealing  Maybe I should get Harry Potter, he is the main character, after all, I thought. Wait, no, they have Hermione, too!  And Ron, and Dumbledore, and Snape . . .

I reached into the back of the rack. This one was bigger than the others. And when I pulled it out, I knew which one to buy. And I don’t regret for a moment spending seventeen dollars on the adorable, bearded, pink-umbrella-wielding Hagrid I pulled out of the rack.

I ran back to the other end of the store (after neatly putting away the rest of the Harry Potter merchandise, promising to buy it all another day, of course), and told my mom something along the lines of: “Mom mom mom mom mom mom mom!”

It took her a while to respond. When she did, I briefly explained that I’d found Hagrid, (“You’ve . . . found Hagrid?”), and that I needed to buy him, (which only lead to more confusion), and that he was seventeen dollars, (“Seventeen dollars!!?”), well technically it’s $16.99, and yes, I would pay for it, yes, it was absolutely necessary to interrupt your conversation, etc. etc. etc.

And so I bought the Hagrid vinyl figure. I refused to put it in a bag when the cashier asked me. I practically skipped to the car, Hagrid perched precariously in my trembling fingers, and the second I got home, I ripped off the packaging and threw away the box. I then took a minute to look at Hagrid.

And now, whenever I pass by my bookshelf, I gaze upon Hagrid fondly, the same way I did that first day, for I know that even though I spent seventeen  dollar, and was forced to spend an hour or so at a video game store, I’m glad I purchased Hagrid, because you should always do something if you think you’re going to regret not doing it more than doing it. A wise man once said, “Just do it.” Especially when Harry Potter merchandise is involved.

Photo taken by Zoë Henry
Photo taken by Zoë Henry