Sara Writes: The Ukrainian Ironbelly ~ A Love Affair

It's like an addiction. It's an obsession. It's currently the deepest desire of my heart.

I'm talking about meeting my beloved Ukrainian Ironbelly at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Orlando. It is one of the most iconic things you get to witness when you visit the Wizarding World. No matter how long I am forced to stay away from my precious Wizarding World, the image of that magnificent dragon, perched atop the rickety Gringotts building, never fades away from my heart. I can close my eyes at any moment of the day and can immediately see the beautiful beast. It is a beautiful sight after all, something I can never forget. As soon as I step through the magical brick wall entrance it is visible. Gloriously and fiercely there. I love it!

It's a love affair, I tell you - me and the dragon. I share this bond with that mighty beast. So many memories have been made right under the dragon's watch; walking around with my bestie Abbie, sipping Butterbeer while staring at the dragon, posing for pictures under Gringotts's shade, eating ice cream on the steps next to Gringotts while we stared at the dragon from behind, feeling the hot breath of the dragon against my skin, staring mesmerized at the beast .... *sighs* I just love that Ukrainian Ironbelly. To me it represents the Wizarding World and our time spent there - our peace, our calm, our happy place. To me, that dragon is LOVE!

It was love at first sight. Even after watching a million photos and videos of the dragon on the internet before my first visit to the new Diagon Alley side, when I first saw the Ironbelly I was stunned. It is remarkable how real, how very fierce, and how detailed the dragon is. Salute to every single person who was part of its making, from thinking up its design to bringing it to reality. The wounds, the rips and tears in her skin, the expression in her blind eyes, the fierce gaping mouth ... it's just stunning. It stuns you out of your senses and no matter how many times I visit the park I just stop and stare at the dragon without speaking a word each time. It does that to you. It does that to me ... it leaves me speechless.

Then you hear the rumbling and grumbling and the gruff roars become louder. And then, ROAAAAR ... and the dragon spits out a jet of fire that warms me up more than from just the outside; the warmth spreads through the body and enters the deep parts of my heart, leaving a feeling of elation and magic when it dissipates. It's love. It's a love affair. Me and that mighty dragon.

Anybody, witch, wizard, or Muggle alike can just simply not look at the dragon without being mesmerized and awed by it. When you're there, when you see the dragon - the way it looks, the way it spits out fire, the way it sounds, and the way it has that alive expression in her eyes - you just have to admit that there has to be magic behind it all. Something magical is there. Something magical happens to you when you're there and meeting the dragon. It is not the work of ordinary Muggles ... there is definitely and most certainly magic involved.