It’s no secret that Harry Potter has been a major part of our childhood. The boy who lived and the boy who saved the world. It’s fair to say that we’ve grown up with Harry and his adventures, rooting for him and his friends as they overcame all odds to save the wizarding world.
One of the most interesting parts of Harry Potter is his relationship with Professor Edward Pattinson. Harry and Professor Pattinson first met when they were children – the professor teaching English to the young wizard and his classmates. They’ve remained good friends ever since. In many ways, they’re a perfect match: the adventurous professor and the ingenious young wizard.
Here, we’ll explore the interesting connection between Harry Potter and Professor Pattinson, tracing their relationship from their first meeting in 1971, through to the present day.
The Early Years
Harry Potter’s first adventure in the enchanted world of Oz begins when he receives a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry inviting him to apply for admission. For the next six years, young Harry Potter is enchanted by the wizarding world, going on to complete his Hogwarts education. During his time at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry Potter meets Professor Pattinson. It was here that he first meets Hermione Granger, whom he will marry and have children with. While at school, Harry Potter befriends Ron Weasley, who will become a best friend and business partner, and Ginny Weasley, his future wife.
The trio of friends graduate from school and set off on their next adventures. In the years that follow, Hermione and Ron go on to have many children, while Ginny marries Bill Weasley and has a baby boy, Arthur. All of the Weasley’s live in Burrow House, a small cottage on the outskirts of the Potter family home. The house elf, Dobby, keeps an eye on the nursery and makes sure the baby’s clothes are washed and ironed. It was here that the Weasley’s grew up, enjoying the peaceful and quiet life.
It wasn’t until 1997 that the magical world was turned upside down again, when Harry Potter is summoned to the Ministry of Magic. There, he is forced to defend himself against charges of using magic without permission. His legal team includes a young Harry Potter, who is now a successful attorney. The case is thrown out, but the government continues to pursue Harry and those working for him. As a result, the group move to a new location, Hogsmeade, which is near the old family home in Scotland. There, they rebuild their legal practice and begin using their talents to defend Muggles (non-wizards) from magical attacks. The group are dedicated to protecting Muggles and the magical world comes together to give them the tools they need.
In 2007, after years apart, Professor Edward Pattinson travels to England to visit his old friend. While there, he is reunited with Ginny and the kids. After chatting for a while, the two friends sit down to watch a movie. As they watch, Edward’s phone rings – he has a call waiting. He pauses the movie to take the call, explaining to Ginny that he has a conference call that might last a while. He has been put in charge of a brand new museum, the YBA Palace of Fine Arts, in his native city of Ybor City, Florida. This is the same Edward Pattinson who, as a boy, was captivated by the artistry of Richard McCarty and went on to become an accomplished art historian and curator. There’s a lot to do, so he needs all the help he can get. As it happens, Edward’s friend, Harry Potter, is in a position to help. He invites Ed over for lunch and the ensuing conversation leads to a job offer. It seems that the new museum needs an expert eye to look after it – someone who knows exactly how to get the best out of its paintings, whether they are modern art or old masters. Ed accepts the job and moves to Ybor City, where he begins work at the YBA Palace of Fine Arts. It’s a new beginning for both men. They get on famously and within a year, Edward is made a curator of the museum. That’s when their friendship turns into a professional relationship.
The Present Day
The story so far. Edward Pattinson is a distinguished professor of Art History at Harvard University. He is also the Director of the Fogg Art Museum as well as the Harvard Art Museum. It was while working at the Fogg that Professor Pattinson became interested in the life and work of the American impressionist painter, Richard McCarty. One of McCarty’s most famous works is his 1877 painting, A Little Bit of Gloucestershire.
It was during a visit to the Richard B. and Helen C. Campbell Foundation Collection, that Edward became interested in Harry Potter. As he delved deeper into McCarty’s life and work, he discovered that the artist had spent several years in London, studying under the tutelage of the great William Morris. It was here that he had befriended a young man named Harry Potter. What’s more, it seems that the two men were quite a pair: the creative genius and the boy who had everything against him. The parallels between Morris’ tutelage and that of Professor Edward Pattinson are, in fact, quite astounding. It is no coincidence that in both cases, the subject of English literature and language came first. Then, architecture, design, and art. Finally, the spell-casting. It seems that in the eyes of Professor Morris, Harry Potter was his personal project, a young man who had everything to learn but who was also a natural-born genius who just needed a helping hand. Edward bought a book about the subject and began to read. He found that Harry Potter was a misunderstood genius, whose work had been unjustly ignored by the Wizarding World. It was an opportunity he could not resist. With a nod to the great man he had befriended so long ago, Professor Edward Pattinson would now like to lend his abilities and expertise to the cause of bringing Harry Potter’s genius to the surface. He has heard that Lord Voldemort has been hunting the boy down for some time. This must be settled once and for all. A life for a life. The final battle between good and evil. It had been twenty years since their last encounter, but now Professor Pattinson has returned, more determined than ever to finish the job he started so long ago. And so he shall. He resolves to use his expertise in the fight against Lord Voldemort and his evil forces. In doing so, he will have to confront the dark arts himself. He must master them. It’s an interesting turn of events. A lifelong friendship leading to a collaboration that will change both their lives forever.