Please read this. It is so important to me that this story be told. I know it's long, but it's the most important thing in my life.
When I first took the book off the shelf, I didn't know what it would begin. I didn't know how attached to these characters I would become, and I didn't know what tears of agony I would cry when I knew that I would never know them. It all began with a book.
Harry Potter never appealed to me when I was younger. I can remember, faintly, running around outside wtih my friends playing Harry Potter, but I had no idea what it was even about. I remember thinking 'Ginny' was 'Jenny.' My best friend would say to me, "Okay, now you be Jenny, and I'll be Hermione, and we're on platform 9 3/4..." on and on. It was all gibberish to me. People running around yelling "Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy!" I was just lost, but I played along. As I got older, my friends tired of Harry Potter. They liked things I wasn't interested in at all, like YouTube and Fortnite. Occasionally, somone would bring it up limply, but it was just forgotten.
One day, I was searching for books to read. I couldn't find anything that I wanted to curl up with, so I asked my mother what to do. She suggested Harry Potter. I was shocked, because, for one, I didn't want to read them. I knew they were too scary for me, too bloody and sad. I also thought that I wasn't actually allowed to read them. I told my mother they were too scary. She informed me that her friend's daughter was reading them, and really liked them. I decided I didn't have anything to lose.
The next day, I told my teacher that I wanted to try Harry Potter. She was delighted. I think she was just glad that I wasn't complaining about not having anything to read. I have such a clear memory of taking the book off of the shelf and sitting down on the floor to read. When I read the opening sentence, I had such a huge smile on my face. I just knew that this was the right book for me.
I read the entire series in less than a year, and I had never loved any books as much as I loved these. I was a huge fan of romantic and humorous literature at the time, and somehow this amazing author had managed to capture all of it in these books. I can also remember reading the last book, and not even thinking once that this was the end. Perhaps I knew that it wasn't.
I read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as well, which I thought was good enough, though I did not realize the importance of that story to me yet. Written in script form, some didn't approve of this latest additon to the franchise, but I thought it was perfect.
At this time, I had not considered watching the movies at all. I knew, to some, it was an important part of being a Harry Potter fan (though to this day I firmly believe that reading the books is far superior to watching the movies.) I felt the same as I had about the literature: too scary. Books have always been different than movies to me, as levels of creepiness go. I have to see something to really feel it. I think it was my best friend that really convinced me it was the right thing to do. Although delighted that I had finally taken to the series, she continually commented that I needed to see the movies. I kept telling her that I would see them when I was older, and she kept telling me that I should see them now. I begged her to describe every detail to me, and was suddenly gripped with the notion to see the films.
I was talking to my sister in the car one day about something to do with Harry Potter, when I said something like "-someday, when I see the Harry Potter movies. I wish I could see them now though," in a sort of wistful, roundabout way. My mom told me I could see them now, if I liked. I can remember exactly the road we were driving on when she said that, and I was over-the-moon happy. Like with the books, I had thought that I was not allowed to see them.
I watched the first movie with her, on our old couch. I gripped her hand throughout the entire thing, I believe. After that, I wanted to see them on my own.
Watching the movies was like reuniting with old friends. They captured the books so perfectly, and I cried when the last one was over. From that moment on, I was known at school and at home as The Girl Who Loves Harry Potter. Or possibly, That Weird Girl Who's Obsessed With Harry Potter. I had had obsessions before, but I LOVED Harry Potter. The characters were my best friends, my very best friends. I wanted with all my heart to go to Hogwarts.
We now skip ahead a little, to this year. During the year in between, I read Harry Potter, watched Harry Potter, and talked Harry Potter. In March, my father had a conference for work in Orlando, Florida. My mother was quick to realize that this was where Harry Potter world was located, and so she planned a trip for us there. I was so excited, and a little nervous. I often get bad headaches; migraines. I was worried that this would happen on one of the days that we were there. (Spoiler alert: it did not.) Harry Potter helped me through these horrible aches. Often, I would feel bad, then start talking about HP, and feel completely better. This was a miracle to me.
I loved Florida. I loved pools, hotels, and especially, of course, Universal Studios. I adored Diagon Alley, buying a wand, the dragon, and the Hogwarts express. On the night we had to leave, I cried and cried and cried. All I wanted was to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and I felt that this was the closest I was ever going to get. It was so hard to leave. It's still a hard memory.
Again, a skip through time to a few weeks ago. During the time in between, I did many things, but I never, ever lost my adoration for my family and friends in the series. I was playing with my friends one day, when one girlfriend told me she was going to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (a Harry Potter broadway show) for her birthday. I was so jealous, especially when I learned that her brother, who is my age, also got to go, when he didn't even want to. I asked my mom if I could go for my birthday, and she said yes. I was so happy. She decided we could go over April break, which is a while before my birthday, but it was the best time. We made plans to go to New York City over the weekend. I remember standing in line for the theater, being so so so excited and happy, and hugging my mother so many times.
It was probably the most amazing play I will ever see. I loved it so much. On the taxi ride back to the hotel at ten o'clock at night, I watched the Times Square lights sweep by, blurred by the rain on the taxi window. I had never felt that sad in my life. I still cannot think about it without getting this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. I don't know why it hurts so much. I wish with all my heart that Scorpius Malfoy was my best friend. I also wish that I could watch the play again and again and again for the rest of my life. I wish I could just feel happy about the amazing thing I saw, but I can't, for some dumb reason.
Harry Potter has changed my life forever. Sitting here, I flash back to that moment of reading the first book at school. It was the best decision I ever made, and now I am able to watch or read anything I want, no matter how scary. Thank you.
Thank you for reading this. It means the world to me.
When I first took the book off the shelf, I didn't know what it would begin. I didn't know how attached to these characters I would become, and I didn't know what tears of agony I would cry when I knew that I would never know them. It all began with a book.
Harry Potter never appealed to me when I was younger. I can remember, faintly, running around outside wtih my friends playing Harry Potter, but I had no idea what it was even about. I remember thinking 'Ginny' was 'Jenny.' My best friend would say to me, "Okay, now you be Jenny, and I'll be Hermione, and we're on platform 9 3/4..." on and on. It was all gibberish to me. People running around yelling "Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy!" I was just lost, but I played along. As I got older, my friends tired of Harry Potter. They liked things I wasn't interested in at all, like YouTube and Fortnite. Occasionally, somone would bring it up limply, but it was just forgotten.
One day, I was searching for books to read. I couldn't find anything that I wanted to curl up with, so I asked my mother what to do. She suggested Harry Potter. I was shocked, because, for one, I didn't want to read them. I knew they were too scary for me, too bloody and sad. I also thought that I wasn't actually allowed to read them. I told my mother they were too scary. She informed me that her friend's daughter was reading them, and really liked them. I decided I didn't have anything to lose.
The next day, I told my teacher that I wanted to try Harry Potter. She was delighted. I think she was just glad that I wasn't complaining about not having anything to read. I have such a clear memory of taking the book off of the shelf and sitting down on the floor to read. When I read the opening sentence, I had such a huge smile on my face. I just knew that this was the right book for me.
I read the entire series in less than a year, and I had never loved any books as much as I loved these. I was a huge fan of romantic and humorous literature at the time, and somehow this amazing author had managed to capture all of it in these books. I can also remember reading the last book, and not even thinking once that this was the end. Perhaps I knew that it wasn't.
I read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as well, which I thought was good enough, though I did not realize the importance of that story to me yet. Written in script form, some didn't approve of this latest additon to the franchise, but I thought it was perfect.
At this time, I had not considered watching the movies at all. I knew, to some, it was an important part of being a Harry Potter fan (though to this day I firmly believe that reading the books is far superior to watching the movies.) I felt the same as I had about the literature: too scary. Books have always been different than movies to me, as levels of creepiness go. I have to see something to really feel it. I think it was my best friend that really convinced me it was the right thing to do. Although delighted that I had finally taken to the series, she continually commented that I needed to see the movies. I kept telling her that I would see them when I was older, and she kept telling me that I should see them now. I begged her to describe every detail to me, and was suddenly gripped with the notion to see the films.
I was talking to my sister in the car one day about something to do with Harry Potter, when I said something like "-someday, when I see the Harry Potter movies. I wish I could see them now though," in a sort of wistful, roundabout way. My mom told me I could see them now, if I liked. I can remember exactly the road we were driving on when she said that, and I was over-the-moon happy. Like with the books, I had thought that I was not allowed to see them.
I watched the first movie with her, on our old couch. I gripped her hand throughout the entire thing, I believe. After that, I wanted to see them on my own.
Watching the movies was like reuniting with old friends. They captured the books so perfectly, and I cried when the last one was over. From that moment on, I was known at school and at home as The Girl Who Loves Harry Potter. Or possibly, That Weird Girl Who's Obsessed With Harry Potter. I had had obsessions before, but I LOVED Harry Potter. The characters were my best friends, my very best friends. I wanted with all my heart to go to Hogwarts.
We now skip ahead a little, to this year. During the year in between, I read Harry Potter, watched Harry Potter, and talked Harry Potter. In March, my father had a conference for work in Orlando, Florida. My mother was quick to realize that this was where Harry Potter world was located, and so she planned a trip for us there. I was so excited, and a little nervous. I often get bad headaches; migraines. I was worried that this would happen on one of the days that we were there. (Spoiler alert: it did not.) Harry Potter helped me through these horrible aches. Often, I would feel bad, then start talking about HP, and feel completely better. This was a miracle to me.
I loved Florida. I loved pools, hotels, and especially, of course, Universal Studios. I adored Diagon Alley, buying a wand, the dragon, and the Hogwarts express. On the night we had to leave, I cried and cried and cried. All I wanted was to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and I felt that this was the closest I was ever going to get. It was so hard to leave. It's still a hard memory.
Again, a skip through time to a few weeks ago. During the time in between, I did many things, but I never, ever lost my adoration for my family and friends in the series. I was playing with my friends one day, when one girlfriend told me she was going to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (a Harry Potter broadway show) for her birthday. I was so jealous, especially when I learned that her brother, who is my age, also got to go, when he didn't even want to. I asked my mom if I could go for my birthday, and she said yes. I was so happy. She decided we could go over April break, which is a while before my birthday, but it was the best time. We made plans to go to New York City over the weekend. I remember standing in line for the theater, being so so so excited and happy, and hugging my mother so many times.
It was probably the most amazing play I will ever see. I loved it so much. On the taxi ride back to the hotel at ten o'clock at night, I watched the Times Square lights sweep by, blurred by the rain on the taxi window. I had never felt that sad in my life. I still cannot think about it without getting this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. I don't know why it hurts so much. I wish with all my heart that Scorpius Malfoy was my best friend. I also wish that I could watch the play again and again and again for the rest of my life. I wish I could just feel happy about the amazing thing I saw, but I can't, for some dumb reason.
Harry Potter has changed my life forever. Sitting here, I flash back to that moment of reading the first book at school. It was the best decision I ever made, and now I am able to watch or read anything I want, no matter how scary. Thank you.
Thank you for reading this. It means the world to me.
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