Everyone has dealt with their own Dementor at one time or another; some wage a constant battle against the creature's ability to suck the good feelings out and leave only coldness, doubt, fear, and depression. In our world, Dementors do not appear as frightening, grim reaper type apparitions, but more so as the down-putting words of others, the voices in the back of the mind that tell us we are not good enough,and all other feelings of negativity about ourselves.
The Harry Potter Alliance (HPA), a non-profit organization that uses Harry Potter to inspire others to engage in social activism, hopes to bring light back to the world. On December 1, 2010 the HPA announced that the second horcrux in their Deathly Hallows Campaign against seven real world horcruxes would be against the Dementor Horcrux. The previous horcrux was the Starvation Wages Horcrux, and you can find more about that, and some background on the HPA, here.
Expecto Patronum! Submit Your Patronus!
In Harry Potter, the most effective way to get rid of a Dementor is with a Patronus Charm. Conjured with a happy memory and the words "Expecto Patronum," a Patronus is a manifestation of one's positive thoughts in the silvery shape of an animal. Unable to devour the pure concentrated positive energy, Dementors flee when attacked by a Patronus.
The HPA is harnessing that positive power by teaming up with the Inspire Foundation’s website Reachout.com, and is asking people to submit their own Patronus' in art forms such as any type of visual art, music, writing, dance, and so on. Whatever positive way one's Patronus can be expressed the best, the HPA wants as many as possible submitted to their tumblr page, or emailed to them. They won't be keeping the power for themselves, however. The HPA plans to take the collection and amass it as one large message of "hope and inner-power to a group who needs that message (the specific group is to be determined".
The Harry Potter Alliance has acknowledged that a one-month fight is not enough to destroy this horcrux entirely. "A month long campaign is here to lay positive seeds," as their informational page says. Perhaps these seeds will be enough to sprout a tree in those people who need a light in the darkness.
Sources:
"Dementor Horcrux." The Harry Potter Alliance | The Weapon We Have Is Love. Web. 07 Dec. 2010.
"HPL: Dementors." The Harry Potter Lexicon. Web. 07 Dec. 2010.
"HPL: Encyclopedia of Spells: E: Expecto Patronum." The Harry Potter Lexicon. Web. 07 Dec. 2010.
Danielle Foster - Danielle Foster graduated from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota in May 2010 with a BA in English and concentration in creative ...
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