I'm not sure whether this is a rant or a rave, which pretty much embodies my ambivalence about heroes. Here's the thing. If your hero is someone that you look up to and aspire to be like, in a good way, I mean, then heroes are important, and I'm all for them. More on that later.
But if your idea of a hero is someone with unbelievable powers who saves the world on a semi-regular basis, forget it. I'm not knocking superheros, mind you. I enjoy an action adventure fantasy as much as the next wizard. But it's not real. So If I say I want to be a hero, I'd be lying.
Actually, I'd be lying anyway. I don't want to be a hero. I don't want to be that person that somebody looks up and idolizes like I'm the most amazing thing on earth because I stepped in front of a speeding broom and kept some unsuspecting tot from certain doom. No, thank you. I'm not a lion for a reason. That doesn't mean I'm not ambitious; I am. Would I love to be rich and famous for inventing something absolutely amazing? YES. Preferably something pyrotechnical, but I'm not all that fussy.
But that's not a hero - that's a celebrity, and there's a difference. I'd be just fine with being a celebrity, I think. But if someone is going to be a proper hero? That's far harder. To me, a proper hero is someone who just goes about living their life, but they do it in a way that just happens to make a positive difference for other people, or for society, or for the planet, or the dragons, or something. I don't know. I'm not explaining this right, but hopefully you get the idea. It's not a loud and flashy thing. It's just - doing the right thing.
I wonder about the Muggles sometimes. Do they really think that a hero is someone who wears an aerodynamic jumpsuit and can fly without a broom? Or is that just all smoke and mirrors? Sometimes I'll hear on their news that someone was a hero for saving someone from a burning building or who had fallen down a well. I don't mean to downplay their accomplishment, but the Muggles seem to equate that with an athlete who scores the winning goal in a football match or something. Both are great achievements - but how is that a hero?
Or am I completely wrong about what a hero is? Is it more about grand gestures and catchy news bites than just doing the right thing when others find that inconvenient? Will doing the flashy things get me more celebrity and give me that leg up? Do people actually practice to be a hero? Or is is just something you tumble into one day when you're not looking? Do you have to be a hero all the time? Or is just one big thing good enough? Is it better to be a Lockhart or a Dumbledore, or even a Scamander? What if you just want to be you?
Maybe I'm just better off sticking to Quidditch and inventions and pranks and leaving the heroics to the Gryffindors.