Getting Into Harry Potter

[Rames]

Revival Time!!

How did you get into Harry Potter? What made you read the books in the first place? Tell YOUR personal story

Some of you might remember this 'contest' we had in HOL in December 2001. It was very popular back then, and a lot of fun to read for everybody. So it's about time to bring it back, and all of you who joined HOL since January 2002 can now participate.

Read all GiHP Stories from HOL 2001/02
Read all the 363 HPGalleries GiHP Stories

Check out these links. Please submit your story as a post to this topic, and only here. Your story will be added to your HOL Yearbook, and you will earn 10 points for your house (not for one-liners etc., take 200 words as a guideline, but you can write as much as you want).

Please 'sign' your submission like this:
Full HOL-Name ( house, HOL-ID, Country you're from)
John Doe ( Gryffindor, jo323, USA )
This is mandatory, please do not forget to add this.

Professors, Staff, everyone who has a HOL-Student or Professor-File is welcome to submit their story here. They all will be added to the Yearbooks and also available on the main HOL pages. If you already have your GiHP Story in your Yearbook, you can't participate in this contest for a second time.

EDIT: With the new HOL Library, everyone please go there and submit their GiHP to the Library. It will be added to your Profiles automatically and you will get the 10 Points awarded by the Head Librarian. Thanks!

[Prof. Angelus Darklost]

Why did I get involved with Harry Potter? Well, it all started at work. One of the girls I worked with in Customer Care was a diehard Harry Potter fan, and was always talking about it all the time. Everytime I saw her at lunch, she was reading a Harry Potter book. Everytime I stopped by to visit her, she was talking about some Harry Potter paraphenalia she had gotten. And the more she talked about it, the more interesting it sounded. So I had to figure out what all the hype was about. I mean, having studied about witchcraft in college, and having watched Charmed since day one, I was curious as to what this children's series had to offer on that perspective.

And with that idea implanted in my head, I ran off to the nearest Barnes & Noble and found a lovely little 3-pack of paperback books. The first three books in the series all bundled together. And I read them all in one weekend...I was hooked!!! I wanted more...more...more!!! And the next weekend, Goblet of Fire was released. And I couldn't help but pick up a copy and devour it whole! A fantastic read...and I couldn't wait for more.

Then I slowly started working my way into the online world of Harry Potterness. And the more I looked, the more I found...and the more I had to read the books. And then the movies started up...and I was beyond hooked!!! The inner-kid couldn't help but come out and play. And as time went along, my online search finally found someplace where I could call home. HOL...the one-stop shop of Harry Potter happiness!!! It was perfect. And with the release of Chamber of Secrets to the bigscreen, Order of the Phoenix as the 5th book in the series, Prionser of Azkaban filming, and Book 6 on the horizon...my Harry Potter addiction only grows...and the more I can't wait!!!

So with a little Muggle-Be-Gone...my heart has found its way into the Wizarding World. And I don't want to go back. And with that...Harry Potter and HOL have become staples in my happy little world. /biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />

Signed: Angelus Darklost (Ravenclaw, First Year, an416, USA)


[EDIT: It does help to learn to read...almost forgot to sign my story...*dohs*]

[Liarna Quinn]

How did i get into Harry Potter? Well i was a young, naive 11 year old in my first year of high school. One of the first lessons i had was English, and when i arrived, we were told that Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was the book we were going to be reading over the next few months. I admit that when i first heard, i was a little apprehensive as i'd never read anything of the sort before.

A week or so later, we started reading the book and i was very pleasantly surprised indeed. At the time, it was one of the best books i'd ever read and now it's only been over shadowed by the more recent HP books.

Unfortunately, 2 months after we started it, we got a new teacher and the book was put aside. Being a person who always wants to finish something, i went and searched for the Philosopher's Stone in the library and borrowed it that very day. A couple of days later i finished it, desperate to read the next two books in the series which had already been released.

Little did i know, but my obsession with Harry Potter had begun that very day. After finishing Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban, i was dying to read the next book, going out on the day of release to buy it. After that, with the release of the films, Order of the Phoenix and the imminent release of PoA, my obsession with Harry Potter has now reached the highest it's ever been. And as they say, the only way is up...

Liarna Quinn (Gryffindor, li481, UK)

[Moiraine Lee]

It really began back in the middle of Grade 8, though I never really realized it until later. I was sitting in my Shop class, trying not to look bored. Turning to my best friend, I asked if I could borrow the book she had with her for English class right after Shop, entitled 'Harry Potter and the Socerer's Stone,' just to curb my boredom. I got to just about the ending of the first chapter when the bell rang. I admit I was interested, but not intruiged, and the book immediately left my thoughts as I went back to mulling over Anne of Green Gables, and failed to hear my friend talking rapidly with another friend about how great the books are...

Once Grade 8 ended, I was scouting about for new books to read over the summer, as I really had nothing better to do. Around then my mom told me about this huge craze going on at her store about, guess what, a book! You see, my mom works at one of those department stores that carries just about everything from beds to Pokemon cards to undergarments, so they of course, was going to get what I'd call the latest 'fad.' She told me how everyone at her store is crazy about these books coming in and asked if I was interested in getting it. I kinda said yes, not that I was paying much attention. Whether I did or not never really mattered. My mom always got us involved in these fads whether they were Furbies, Beanie Babies or even Tickle Me Elmos.

So in July sometime, my mom came home with two books, 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone,' and 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,' the book that had everyone going crazy over. They were both cheap (as in, PS was in softcover and GoF was 30% off), which is basically the only reason why my mom bought them at all. But by then I had taken a trip to the library and had 4 books to read. And I admit, I thought the books had the dumbest title ever. So I ignored them and went about reading those books I took out, as I had a greater interest in them.

A week later, I had completely ran out of books to read. I was sitting around bored that day, and lacking a good TV show to watch, I finally picked up the Philosopher's Stone, telling myself it's about wizards so it can't be that bad.

I didn't even see it coming. I was sucked in faster then any other novel I've ever read!

I took a trip to the library the next day and immediately reserved Chamber of Secrets and the Prisoner of Azkaban. However, they had a waiting list of close to 200 people each! So guess what I did? Yup, after seeing that list, I broke the golden rule of reading books in order and immediately opened Goblet of Fire, which was confusing in details, but still wonderful to read. Anyway, I wasn't going to wait over a year to read them all.

I later got the other 2 books, first Prisoner of Azkaban and finally Chamber of Secrets. In October of that year, I finally read everything in order, as I was suppose to read them. And have been hooked ever since.

And this has been going on for hmmm... a good 4 years now?

Moiraine Lee (Gryffindor, mo300, Canada)

[Talison Knox]

Well it was definitely a couple years ago that I was introduced to it. I had only heard bits and pieces about it through all the media hype. And then my friend came to me and said that they were making a movie out of the first book. And at the time was I was just "Okay, cool" about it, since I had yet to read the book, or anything about it for that matter.

Little did I know what I was in for. So around the time the movie came out I started to get a wee bit interested. After all, I had always been drawn to things that were magical and the like. So one day my friend came over and said he was going to see the movie and wanted to know if I was interested in going. So of course I said sure, I was curious enough to see what all the talk was about.

So we went and sat in the very first row. And wow. It was awesome. I don't think I remember liking a movie that much before. I was completely in awe of it. So then a couple months later a good friend of mine sent me the first and second book. I read it and have been reading it ever since. I now have all five books and the first two movies. And I most definitely await the 3rd. I simply can't wait.

I've also pretty much turned my aunt into a fan as well. She too has seen both movies and read all five books. So I'm pretty sure I'll have a good chance at seeing the next movie.

And that is how I got into Harry Potter. I am most thankfull to all my friends for helping me with my new obsession!

Talison Knox (Slytherin, ta312, USA)

[Prof. Paddy O'Brien]

How Did I Get Into Harry Potter

In 2000 I was working in one of the branches of the city library, and one of the librarians kept telling about how good Harry Potter was. To the point of making me really, really sick about it, and I basicly just ignored her. Of course I did see the books go out and we had actually a waiting list for them (we had 4 or 5 sets at that time).

Well, then I went for a 2 week holiday, and wanted to take some books with me. I had some of my self, but I just needed something easy to read, and I just noticed that one of the Harry Potter books was in the house, so I thought, I can take that one (btw. It was SS/PS) and if I didn't like it, well I just got throw it back in the bag.

How wrong I was. When I started reading it in the hotel, I couldn't stop, and I almost wished the holiday was over so I could get the rest of the serie to read.

Once back, I bought all 3 books, and the reading could start. Now, I have the complete English version, complete Dutch version and 2 American paperbacks.

Prof. Paddy O'Brien, Slytherin Professor, The Netherlands

[Tambaqui Balthazar]

Revival Time!!

How did you get into Harry Potter? What made you read the books in the first place? Tell YOUR personal story

Please 'sign' your submission like this:
Full HOL-Name  ( house, HOL-ID, Country you're from)
John Doe ( Gryffindor, jo323, USA )
This is mandatory, please do not forget to add this.

Well this has started two years ago, and everytime I think of Harry I would say that for children or just stupid because I never read the books...

One of my aides Mrs Tyrall (She like a person that comes to classes to help me), went on holiday and visited England and she came back and showed me the photo and some of them had Harry Potter in them because they were from the first movies. I am like, they are just children book and Mrs Tyrall said "I like Harry Potter" and I am like what the... And The other aide Ms Ambler too said that and also said "They are cool, I love and adore Harry Potter" and In my mind I was thinking, this is getting freaky, what is the world comming to, has the world revolved around Harry Potter...

Harry Potter then got stuck into my head ever since and I kept thinking about it and my body was churning like it saying read the Harry Potter books, and I thought what they hey... I decided, I may go and buy the four books because they were cheap (The first 3 was $10 and the GOF was $16) and I started reading and It somehow pulled me into the books and I am no longer in my bedroom and I am at Hogwarts and some book I read like Hatchet (Gary Paulson) for example did this too.

I enjoyed the first book and moved on the second and finished it all in like a few months, I read the book on the couch, in bed, in the car, on the train, at people places I was just literally stuck to it /rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" /> ...
And at school I was talking about Harry Poter to Mrs Tyrall and we were discussing it in terms of literature and how it amazing...

At school and Tafe, I don't tell anyone about my liking for HP books because they would just laugh at you /sad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad.gif" />...

This is how I got into Harry Potter, I then looked at some sites about it, some literature and I was looking for an online school and I been to one and it was roleplaying and I wasn't that good, and then I found HOL and I though, this is perfect...

Prof. Tambaqui Balthazar (Hufflepuff, pr_bal, Australia)

[Prof. R.S. Phoenix]

"It’s all hype! I don’t want to read it, just because everyone else is. I’m reading other books right now anyway ..."

Well. I had my excuses as to why I didn’t want to read Harry Potter. And after the first year or so, family and friends began to give up on me. They no longer attempted to have engaging discussions around me, or tempt me with the magic and fantasy that it promised. I was stubborn for the sake of being stubborn. I wasn’t going to read it, and no one was going to make me.

But on Christmas morning of 2000, my father had gotten me the complete set of the Harry Potter books (1-4). It was my holiday break. I didn’t have school. I didn’t have a job. But I did have these new books, and many hours to spend reading them. And I did. I sat in my bed, and only bothered to leave it for food, a shower, or other essential things before rushing back to my books. I had to finish them. One evening my devotion was proved beyond a doubt when I was reading Prisoner of Azkaban and before I knew it, the sun was coming up, and my mother was knocking on my door because the family was going out to breakfast. It took me exactly one week (seven days) of receiving the series, to read all four books and had become hopelessly addicted just like everyone else. Witches and wizards. Potions and spells. Dragons and unicorns. Mysteries and adventures. It was everything that my childhood games of make-believe used to be, and I was more than willing to revisit those days of ideological fantasy.

From other adults and the intended youth audience, I now realize how fortunate I am to be holding such great company with so many other Harry Potter fans.

R.S. Phoenix, Slytherin Professor, pr_pho, USA

[Jonathan Rico]

Well that is pretty simple answering how I got involved with reading the Harry Potter Books. Well it all started in the fourth grade when my friend brought this book "obviously Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone". I did not find the book all that fun at the time I was really into reading books on sports. Then another thing happened at my school about Harry Potter. My librarian had brought up the book to everyone and stated that this book was very interesting one to read. And that if you were not into reading books that this book would get you to read it. After that we had one of those Harry Potter Trivia games. And I remember how my health teacher had said " Hufflepuff " I did not understand what she was talking about and asked her what that meant. She had told me that it was a house that she was playing for, and that she was sorted into that house. And if you won the trivia game you would receive the second book " Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets". As I remember my principal played the Headmaster and the winner was Ravenclaw. Slowly I started getting into the book, and started reading them fast in speed. And now here I end up liking the book. And as for today with relating to HP I don’t let my friends know that I like the book. It’s just that I don’t want other students to think of anything about me although I think its just best to keep it to myself. And as you see I do like HP alot so that’s why I tried to find a school on the Internet for school of witchcraft and wizardry and luckily I found HOL.


Jonathan Seeker, Gryffindor, jo413, USA {America}

[Hemolele Hurley]

I'm a reader, always have been always will be. If I start reading a book, I will read it until I'm finished, it's like this "quitting" thing, I'm not a quitter. My dad's the same way, plus he has this whole thing about us reading books. So it really didn't come as a surprise to me when my dad started reading us books during the summer. He would pick one book or a book series, buy them, and read them to me and my siblings.

It was a way for us to extend our vocabulary skills, I guess. So about three or four years ago, when I was nine or ten years old, my dad came home with a bag from Barnes and Nobles. Upon seeing the logo, I immediately opened the bag to see what was inside, and I brought out the first three Harry Potter books (those were the only ones out at the time).

I wasn't really sure I'd like these books because the summer before he had attempted reading "The Hobbit" to us, and we were too young to understand most of the complicated writing skills JRR Tolkien used. He started reading them to us and at first I thought it was boring. But after Harry got to Hogwarts and everything, I like them very much, so did the rest of the family. We never wanted him to stop reading them to us for the night, especially at the end of the books, it was too exciting!

When the fourth book came out, my dad woke me up early in the morning and took me to Walmart where we bought it. That night, he started reading it to us.

After that summer, the books were kind of entrusted to me, since me and my dad are the only ones "not lazy enough" to pick up a book. I started reading them on my own and easily memorized the characters, what they looked like, who they hated, etc. I was mesmerized.

I read them at least ten times in a month, and my family soon knew about my obsession, so did my classmates apparently (everyone started calling me "Harry Potter").

I'm a huge computer freak so I searched for HP sites online, checking out the good ones. My dad found HOL for me, I checked it out, loved it, and moved in! Now, where can you find me? On the computer at HOL or IMing HOL friends, whom I all love very much!


And that's my Harry Potter story!


~Hemolele Hurley~ (Slytherin, he413, USA)

[Ashley Kosenski]

Well I remember that I was in like 6th or 7th grade. All these kids were reading these Harry Potter books and I thought they sounded really stupid. My friend kept telling me everyday that I should just read the first one and see how I liked it. Finally she got on my nerves so bad that I just said heck with it and went out and bought it. On are way home from the store, I started to read the book. It began to get dark so iI just pulled out the flash light we kept in the car and continued to read. When I got home it was about 10:00 and I knew I had to get to bed because I had school tomorow. I did not want to stop reading so I stayed up until 1:00 reading. We ended up having a snow day the next day, so I spent the day finishing the first Harry Potter book.

I loved the book so much that I had my father go out and buy The Chamber of Secerts and The Prisoner of Azkaban. I know was obsessed with Harry and I waited for the Fourth book to come out. When the book finally came out I already had spent a great deal of money on Harry Potter stuff. I had bought everything for clothes to Harry Potter candy.


When I got my hands on the Goblet of Fire I was so Happy! It was the summer time, and I spent a couple of days locked in my room reading. I was sad when I was done reading it, because I wanted to read the 5th book. So I just re-read the other books.

That is how I became obsessed with Harry Potter! I thank my friend for the push she gave me to read them!

Ashley Kosenski
as351
USA
Gryffindor

[Lily Peters]

How I Got Into Harry Potter

The first time I ever laid eyes on a Harry Potter book was after church choir one Wednesday night in third grade. I'd seen an article about the third book in a Disney Adventures issue, but I didn't even give it a second glance...until that Wednesday night.
An older girl in sixth grade was reading Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone and, being the varacious reader that I am, I asked to read it. It intrigued me from the beginning, and I wondered what the big secret about the Potters was. Now I know, and I'm enamored with the book series, knowing that at Hogwarts students are accepted for who they are.

Thank you, Joanne Kathleen Rowling...thank you very much.

Lily Peters, li410, Gryffindor First Year, United States

~Lily~

[Darcey Goode]

How I got into Harry Potter is a pretty boring story, compared to most people's. I've always been an avid reader, since before I started primary school, and that was only encouraged when my teachers discovered that I knew most of the stuff they were trying to teach me anyway, so told me to sit and read quietly for most of the time. Soon I had the problem of having no more books left to read - well, not literally, but not ones that were around, you know what I mean. So I started to ask around for suggestions, and still do today.

Anyway, my point ... I think it was in the summer before I started high school that a friend of my stepmum suggested that I might like the book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. At that point, however, I had several books on the go, so I didn't take her up on the suggestion. Until a few months later, when I was in my local WH Smith, where there was an offer on (buy two books for £10 or something like that), and I came across the book. Remembering Barbara's reccomendation, I bought it. I think I finished it in less than a week (actually quite a long time for me), and went back to buy Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I then had to wait a few months more for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (it was released at 3:45 pm here, because although the Scottish schools were off that day, the rest of the UK weren't, and the publishers thought too many children would skip school to buy it - I still have my receipt saying "15:43" somewhere, another couple of years after that for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and another three years for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but they were all well worth the wait.

Darcey Goode (Slytherin, da357, Scotland)

[Prof. Rilla White]

Hmm.. how I got into Harry Potter.. well.. it was several years ago. Back before Harry Potter was as popular. My dad received the books as a gift. He had heard the books were interesting even for adults were easier and enjoyable reads. My dad is a computer programmer so he isn’t really the type that reads for fun as he has to read a lot for his job. He wanted to get back into reading as a hobby and so decided to try Harry Potter. He had the first to books and he was kind of a slower reader. Well me I and not a fast paced reader but when I get a book I stay up nights just to finish it if it was good. So I and my sisters snatched up the books and read them. I got into them and was excited when I heard the second two were coming out. So I waited and for my birthday. I think it was my 17th birthday, I got the second two and devoured them both in about a week.

Of course as was anyone who reads Harry Potter was I was just dying to read the fifth when it came out and snatched it up too as soon as it came out. At the time I was first reading Harry Potter it wasn’t really a big deal around where I lived. I never thought of it as anything but a good book. I actually considered not reading the 5th book when it came out because all the publicity over the book. I kind of thought they made a big deal out of a good book and made it not as enjoyable because of it. I must have been about in.. I want to say 8th grade or freshmen year in high school when I started reading the books.. so maybe 4 or 5 years ago. My poor dad hasn’t even read the 5th one yet and me and my sisters are just dying to tell him all about it. My brothers won’t have anything to do with it however we did go see the movies as a family.

My story isn’t really exciting I just fell into liking it just like with any other book I have loved. I read nearly constantly.. I go nuts when I don’t have a book at hand for those boring spots in time when I can sink into a good book. I didn’t read until late and so once I figured it out I kind of fell in love with reading. And with hol I kind of fell into that too, or maybe I was dragged in. I was invited by a friend came in and fell in love with it too. Even if I hated HP, which I don’t think I ever could, I think I would love hol. Tons of awesome people here.

Rilla White ( Hufflepuff, ri407, USA)

[Tiana Moore]

Well, it all started in elementary school for me. I think I was in third or fourth grade. I'm not sure. Anyway, twice a week, our class went to the library and the librarian gave us an activity to do. If we had extra time after the activity, our oour librarian read to us. Most of time, she also gave us time to check out books. She usually read to us even if we didn't finish the activity...

That day, she never gave us an activity. She told us to take a seat and showed us the book Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone. She told us that she heard about this book from a friend and her friend said that it was very good. She read the back and then started reading. We got to the part where Hagrid went and banged on the hut, I think. Then, she stopped and told us to check out a book. Most people went searching for a book, but I wanted to read Harry Potter. Thus, I went up to the librarian and asked her for the book, because it was the library's. She said she would give it to me right before our teacher came to pick us up.

I got the book and finished it pretty quickly. The next week, I gave it back to the librarian and she told me there were two more books. I got the books from our town library (the other library I was talking about was our school library) when they came out and I got my friends hooked on the books too. After the third book, which I'm pretty sure I finished in fifth grade, I really wanted to read the fourth book. So I search the Internet for information on the book. By that time, most of the school had read at least some of the Harry Potter books.

I really don't know why I enjoyed the books so much. They were kinda confusing for a little kid like I was back then, so I all of them before the fourth on came out. When I reread them, they made a lot more sense. Harry Potter got me interested in fantasy. I started reading more books about magic. Harry Potter was the first "big kid book" I read. Harry Potter was a mix of genres and I guess I liked that when I was little. I always enjoyed it from the beginning and that's why I still like it now.

Tiana Moore, Ravenclaw, ti480, USA

[Liena Illusion]

I was a bit against reading the Harry Potter books for quite a while. I'd always been into fantasy but I'd thought they were a bit too young for me. However I was hearing about Harry Potter everywhere. I had friends reading them, they seemed to be in the papers a lot and in all the shops.

One day when I was shopping and I had nothing to read so I gave in and decided to try the first book. So I bought it. Of course, the next day I went back and bought the second book and then the third. The day the goblet of fire came out on paperback my mum bought that for me and she got me the Order of the Phoenix. That was a bit of a pain though because it was during the middle of exams and I wasn't allowed to read it...and I knew where mum had hidden it.

Eventually I finished my exams and then read the OotP in one go, staying up until about four in the morning to do so.

I'm so glad I eventually caved in and read Harry Potter.

Liena Illusion, Gryffindor, li483, Australia

[Allison Jennifer Black]

Getting Into Harry Potter
By Allison Jennifer Black – al427 (Venezuela/Spain)


I would have to publicly confess I was a late HP fan, and this was due to one of my greatest faults: stubbornness.

When I studied at University there was this big Harry Potter boom. People started to say how great the book was and so on, but meh, one of the greatest landmarks of this country is everything here is just a fashion. Since a child I have made it my way not to follow the crowd. One of my closest friends at that time came to me overexcited, saying how great the story was, and that I must read it. I remember clearly replying her “why am I supposed to read it? Because everyone does? No way, not meâ€Â￾

Time went by and Chamber of Secrets and then Prisoner of Azkaban were released. And I stayed firm in my position of “not reading the Potter thingâ€Â￾

Some time later the first movie was released, and alas, me going to see that? It was quite funny because I was bombarded by the media, my friends and cousins, all saying how cool it was. I even saw one of the previews, and one of the scenes caught my attention: the one of the chessboard. But no, not me. I was not going to see it.

Everything those days was HP: paraphernalia in stores, the posters, the bookshops putting the books in their windows, Harry Potter was just everywhere. I felt like there was this battle between me and the world. But I could endure it. I could, until one day. I visited a cousin of mine and she had the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone for PC Game… And it didn’t look so bad at all. But her computer was very old and the game seemed to be played in slomo, so she lent it to me.

I went home, got there at about 9:00 pm and played till 3:00 am next day.
I swallowed my pride and tried to see the movie in the theatres, but it was no longer on.

At that time I was finishing my thesis for my BA degree, so I had to go hermit and forget all about work, friends and fun. (In one word, everything) After I handed the thesis and id my oral defense I started being social again (not that I’m much of a social person, but that’s not the point) and discovered the movie had been released in DVD. I bought it over the Internet, and I enjoyed it very much, but still not to the point of being a huge fan.

A few weeks later a friend of mine and I were talking about web pages in our country and he told me of a portal where things were not so expensive. In the past he had tried to lure me to reading the books, but he desisted after several years of reluctance on my part. I visited it that day and saw there was a link to books, and being the bookworm I am, I went directly there. Harry Potter. There was a super sale, all four books by a very extremely cheap price.

I smiled, it was me and the world again, measuring forces

I lost ... and I’m glad I did.

[Kamika Farinas]

How I Got Into Harry Potter

I actually had never heard of the series about 5 years ago in the 7th grade, 1999 about? My best friend knew how much I love to read and I was over at her house one day. She decided to show me the first two books and I was pretty iffy about it at first. I really didn't know if it'd be a good book and if it WAS a good book, if I liked it THAT much that I'd be sunk into it.

Of course, granted circumstances, it just happened to be a day that I was terrible bored in and I had nothing to do. There were the books laying on the table and there I went. Boy was I HOOKED. I couldn't stand that there were actually more books afterwards that WERE not out yet!

Well... Unfortunately, I couldn't help but forget about Harry Potter a few months after since there were no books following it, but luck beyond luck, the third book was released... That's when the craze started and suddenly my MOM started to buy the books. With that, I truly was able to follow the series since now we were following it. Then... Now? I am COMPLETELY hooked with no chance of ever getting out. But who says I want to? /biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />

Kamika Farinas (Hufflepuff, ka484, USA)
Almost forgot about this!

[Eileen Wided]

At the age of 18 I was working in a observatory in the summer. And my boss (who was a teacher) had start to read "Harry Potter à l'école des sorciers" (my first language is french).

I was thinking that HP was only for young and I didn't want to read it. But a evening a was really bored because I was alone with no visitor... and my boss had forgot his book on the desk... so I get it and I read all the evening ! I finish the book in two days and I immediatly became obsess my the Hp story.

I go to bookstore to buy other book and in two weeks I had finish all the book. In this summer I read the book 2 or 3 times.

The school restar and I passed all time to talk about the books... a lot of friends of me try to read the book in this period because of me. /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> But two week after that, I started to feel very bad. I saw the doctor and I stoped school. I had a mononucleose (sorry but I really don't know in french).

I stoped more then school... everything for two months. I slept 17 hours by day and that was really hard. But I read my HP book... really less rapidly but I read it a lot of time.

It had really help me to passe in this two month. And that's how I got into Harry Potter... /biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />


Eileen Wided (gryffindor, ei200, Canada)

[Elyranna Reginhart]

*wawes at Eileen*

How did I get into Harry Potter.

In january 2000, I was studying at University and working a miserable job in a post office/office supply store. Then there was a 360 degree turn in my life.
I was about to throw away an old paper and I decided to go throught the want ads just for fun....
Well, I left University and my job, and apply for an educator post at my city's School Board!
I got the job and started working in a very tough school and met a lovely gal named Marie who became my life savior in that confusing new start. But she did more than that. She was the one who first told me about Harry. She made me read Sorcerer Stone in french(my first language).

I fell in love !!!

I read SS in one week, then I bought CoS, PoA and GoB and read the three books in 5 days /laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":lol:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> Then I went out and bought all of them in english and re-read them in another week. I was hooked for life!!

Then the hysteria began /rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" /> I always was a big collector of anything that collect dust so I started to see HP stuff everywhere..... and buy HP stuff everywhere...books, lunch boxes, figurines, keychains etc....Then I tried to convice everybody I met to read HP. Even got my mom to read it!
Then I changed school and I started to work with older kids (5th and 6th graders)....and I got them hooked on HP too /laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":lol:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

I started to work on some HP themes with them last years and while doing some research I came across a really cool site....HOL /wub.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":wub:" border="0" alt="wub.gif" /> What a life changing discovery.....

Now HP is such a part of my everyday life it's almost kind of strange....I'm living a Harry Potter life at work and I'm living a Harry Potter life at home on HOL. I'm doing quills, spells classes and I'm sewing school robes with my kids by day and I'm reading classes and doing homeworks for my Hogwarts online at night.......

Life is so wonderful!!!!

Sometimes I just wonder how much I would have missed if I did'nt see this little add in the paper.....


Elyranna Reginhart, el409, Hufflepuff, Quebec, Canada)