This is what you say to close the Marauders Map, also handy for concluding any project, in Harry Potterese. And the project I’m concluding is reading the seven J.K. Rowling books.

This was urged on my by youngest and most Harry Potter-familiar daughter. She was my guide for this endeavor, finding each new book in the series wherever it was hiding in the house, keeping remarkably mum about certain things that I will also not disclose (which means there are no spoiler alerts in this post!).

What there is, is an appreciation for these modern classics, for their presence in this world, for the fact that my daughters grew up with them. They do what books for young people ought to do, which is to give them a taste of the world, its joys and sorrows, treacheries and sanctuaries.

Yes, there is plenty of evil and danger, they say, but you can handle it if you work hard, trust your instincts and seek the counsel of good friends. And what saves the day, always, is love.