Like I said- before I started reading them. In 2004, I was 14 years old, and that was the same year I read my first Harry Potter book. Having always loved to read, I couldn't put them down. Sorceror's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, and all the way up to Half Blood Prince, which I read the final chapter of in my bathtub, crying when Dumbledore died.
I had become startling attached to the series and to the characters- I couldn't wait for the 7th book to come out. Since finishing the books, I've seen every movie on opening day- and I have the film tickets to prove it. I feel like the characters in Harry Potter are like long lost friends that I knew as a child. They're familiar, comforting, and remind me of home. I can honestly say that Harry Potter is my hero.
Half Blood Prince left me with a lot of questions- what's gonna happen to Harry? Without Dumbledore, how will Voldemort be destroyed? I had to wait two years to find out- and it was worth it. I got my copy of Deathly Hallows the day it came out- 6am UPS to my doorstep. I proceded to hole up in my room for 15 hours, only coming out to pee and get snacks. I stayed there until the final page was turned. I laughed, I cried, and a lot of the time I was thrown through a loop that I didn't see coming. I still remember reading that book- and it's one of the few books I remember the experience of reading, instead of just what the pages contained. It's a rare thing for reading a book to be an experience, but Harry Potter is just that- and not for me alone, but for millions of fans. I'm not the only one that wears a time turner necklace, and I'm not the only one that goes to midnight launches. I'm not one of the only ones that went to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter on opening day. I was 20 years old, with my 12 year old cousin- I sprinted, full speed, to try and be first in line for everything, while she dragged behind me texting and facebooking about how dorky I am on her Android.
But I didn't care. Harry Potter has helped me to realize that it's not what other people think about you, but that it's important what those whom you care about think, that knowing the difference between right and wrong is important, that it is vital to grow and change. I've grown up with Harry Potter, and he's grown up with me. I can't wait til July 15th, but I know that I'll be crying before the opening theme even ends- just because I don't want my 7 years of magic to end.
I know it never will though- as long as I can read the books, watch the films, and have my Harry Potter posters over my bed.
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