Getting Into Harry Potter

Post by **Luthien Black** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 6:15 am

Getting Into Harry Potter

Like all of us here, I am a huge Harry Potter fan. But that wasn't always the case. Of course I'd heard of Harry Potter. I remember the excitement when Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire cam out. I also remember thinking "What's the big deal? It's only some kids book." I knew a few people who'd read it, but I still thought it was just a kids book, and not something I'd be interested in.

One night we were at my aunt and uncle's for dinner. My aunt had been in Malaysia recently, and the daughters of the people she had stayed with had made her read Harry Potter. She loved it so much that she bought her own copy of the first book. She lent it to me before I could protest (although I returned the favour and lent her a Discworld novel). Being the sort of reader that devours books by the dozen, I wasn't going to turn down a book, even if I wasn't that enthusiastic about reading it.

I think I finished it the next day. I loved it. And of course, the only natural action was to force my parents to read it. Now I don't know about you, but books are always more enjoyable when you can discuss them with your friends or family. So we talked about it for days on end. Not long after I got sick, and of course what else do you do when you're sick but read. So my mother was kind enough to by me the remaining three books. From then on, I was completely hooked. I scoured the internet for fansites and information on the movies. I've even found fanfics I like! (I don't tend to enjoy fanfics.) And then, after months of waiting, I joined HOL. Now, bring on the last two books, and my HP needs will be complete!

Luthien Black (Ravenclaw, je003, Australia)

Post by **Emma Pacifica** » Wed May 05, 2004 1:26 am

I don't know if it's too late to post my story but here goes anyway .../smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

I actually got into Harry Potter quite late, but what I lacked in time I made up for in fan obsession... /laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":lol:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

I had no idea that Harry even existed until I saw the previews for the first movie. I was immediately drawn to the movie because I have always been a fan of magic since I was a child. (If you were to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up I would reply, " A witch...but a good one...so that I can make everyone's lives better."

Well, I went to see the movie and fell in love with it. I soon found out that there was a whole series of books on Harry Potter and borrowed all four of them from a friend at work. I raced through all four books in a matter of 3 days! I soon went out and bought my own set so that I could read them over and over again. I then found the two schoolbooks and read them numerous times as well. I loved it so much that I soon incorporated it into my workplace. A Harry Potter summer camp! I started the camp two summers ago and it has taken off tremendously. There has been a waiting list for the camps each year. I call our camp Sciwarts Academy of Magical Sciences (it's a science museum so we focus on the science behind Harry Potter) and I spared no details on the kids. Each child recieves an acceptance letter on parchment before their camp date and even gets to feast on homemade butterbeer, pumpkin juice, chocolate frogs and many other honeydukes style treats at the end of the week feast. I throughly enjoyed studying every detail of the books so that I could make the experience as realistic and fun for the kids as possible. I even hold a land quidditch tournament every week for the four houses that are named after the founding fathers (or founding mothers rather) of Sciwarts. /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />
Last year among my research, I found this wonderful HOL community. Since I was still in school and had very little time to devote to my hobbies I watched HOL from afar and enrolled as soon as I could after I graduated from college. I absolutely love this place and wouldn't trade the friends and experiences that I have made here for anything. /biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" /> That's my story... /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Emma Pacifica (Hufflepuff, em423, USA)

Sat May 08, 2004 12:42 pm

Well, I didn't actually read a single Harry Potter book until the fourth one came out, and i hadn't heard of it until then (shock horror - I know). I was ill at the time and I was in hospital getting an operation and my mum said to give me something to do she would go out and buy me some new books. When she came back she had these four Harry Potter book, and I started to read them, and it definately took the boredom away. So I read all four books within two days and was bored again, so I read it again and again. I think I actually read all of them five times before I got out of hospital and each time I'm sure I picked up on something that I hadn't noticed before.
When I was leaving hospital about a week later there was a teenage girl that had come in the night before because she had been in an accident, and she asked what I had done to stop myself being bored, so I let her have my Harry Potter books, while she was in hospital. Well that's my story.
Wylie Weasley ( Gryffindor, wy400, Scotland)

James Vanderbuilt · Post by **James Vanderbuilt** » Sun May 16, 2004 4:49 pm

Most of my friends joke about how I am skipping right threw my childhood, because I am trying to act to old for my age. Well when it came to Harry Potter they were right. When Harry Potter first came out, I had heard that it was for young children, and that people my age were to old for it. I assumed it was going to be like a corny childrens book, so I did not bother reading any of the books.

Several years ago my younger cousin had been really in to the Harry Potter books. In fact she was almost in love with them, and she talked about them all the time, but because there was a four year difference between us I assumed that the books were on her reading level and not mine.

It was not till last summer that I finally got exposed to the series. I was over my cousin's house (the same cousin who had been talking about the books for years), and I was very bored. She asked me if I wanted to watch the second movie with her, and I told her that I would if she really wanted to. We watched the entire movie and I fell in love with the concept of Harry Potter, but because I am such an anal person I felt that I had to go back and read every book starting with the first one. By the time I put the first book down (It only took me a day to read because I was so into it), I was hooked. Within weeks I had read the first four books, and I was ready and waiting for the fifth book to come out. When it did I read that as well, and I gained a huge respect for anyone who had to wait two full years between the fourth book and the fifth.

Now I am learning patients as I wait for the sixth book to come out, but HOL is helping me with my Harry Potter obsesion, because it gives me an outlit until the next movie or book comes out. I love Harry Potter, and I am so grateful to my cousin and HOL for getting and keeping me interested.

James Vanderbuilt (Slytherin, ja411, USA)

Post by **Tiffany Styles** » Wed May 19, 2004 4:48 am

When I was in elementary school, my friends started talking about these really cool books. I was interested so I went to the library and checked them out. I started reading the first Harry Potter book and loved it! I read the whole book in one day. By this time the second book had already came out and I went back to the library to check it out and the hold list for it had 100 or so names on it. Luckily my friend had a copy of her own and let me borrow it. I was in suspense about what was going to happen the next year.

The Harry Potter books came to life and it made me feel like I wasn't the only one who had a rough time. I felt for Harry and was praying through the whole book that he would survive.

I wasn't able to see the movies when they were in the theater, but another friend bought them when they came out. I went over to his house and watched them and I swear I didn't blink through the whole thing! *g* After seeing the movie I got online and was looking for a site that I could learn more about Harry Potter and HOL came up. I joined then and had to quit for awhile because of RL issues. I'm back on this year and am loving it every bit. I've met so many people and it's awesome how we are all here for one common interest.

Tiffany Waggoner (Gryffindor, ti309, USA)

Post by **Mai Valentina** » Tue May 25, 2004 3:07 am

When I finally got into Harry Potter I was 13. Before that I thought that Harry Potter was the author and, even although I didn't know anything about it, I had decided I hated it and vowed I would never read it! I was finally talked into reading it when one of my parents gave me the first one for christmas. After absolutely loving it, I soon found out that we had had the second HP hiding away in a cabinet ever since I received it a few years before hand. I chewed through that one as fast as I can read (which is pretty fast) and was then begging my parents for the third. I know own the first four, and am WAY overdue to get the fifth, but I have read it. I have officially read the first HP 15 times, the second 13 times, the third 7 times, the fourth 8 and the fifth 3 times.

I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed theem because I have always loved reading and had advanced choices in what i read.

Mai Valentina (Slytherin, ma482, New Zealand)

Post by **Natalia Rilian** » Tue May 25, 2004 8:06 pm

Well, let me see, how did I get into Harry Potter? Well I got into Harry Potter later than some people I guess, it was after the first movie came out. A girl in my Freshman Composition class always had a book with her and was always reading it before class started. After while, I asked her what she was reading, she said Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. She said it was great and she reccomended it. I was intrigued, but I thought it was really lame to be reading some kids book, even though I have a love for a lot of stories written for "younger" people.

Later on that month or something, my friends and I got into a really late night showing of it, about 11:30pm-ish. They both fell asleep of course and I was fascinated by the whole idea of it, wizards and witches, magical creatures and wands! They personally thought it was the lamest movie of all time, but I really liked it. So then, I went to the library and borrowed the first book, which eventually led to the second, third and fourth. I asked for the hardcover books for Christmas (also trading some paperback books given for hardcover ones) and now I had the complete 1-4 collection. A year and half later (I think..) I sat in our front room waiting for the 5th Harry Potter book to come out.

I think the books put some excitement in my boring life. I have dragged my non-HP loving friends to Border's Harry Potter parties and the movies. I have tried to get people to read the books and have managed to get my 40 something Aunt to read it. So, there you go /biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />

Natalia Rilian (Ravenclaw, na480, US of A)

Tue May 25, 2004 10:45 pm

How did I get into Harry Potter? I was in fourth grade, 9 years old. I loved reading, so when my next door neighbor let me borrow a copy of a big fat book called "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," I sat on the couch and read it...in a week. (Shall I remind you I was only 9?)

I returned the book, and in return, she let me borrow "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." I read this one and "Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Askaban" also in a week for each book. By then, like many, I was sucked in. When "Goblet of Fire" came out, I had my mother call Wal-Mart at 7 o'clock in the morning to see if they had any left. They had 8 copies left, and advised us to rush over there ASAP.

When we got there an hour later, I easily found the display; there was now only 3 copies. I picked it up. We traveled to the book section and I got the other 3 books, all for very cheap prices. (I love Wal-Mart book discounts!) I read it in two weeks. (Again, I was only 11) By then, I buying things like crazy. Posters, collectable stones, you name it, I bought it. I even bought the "Bernie Bott's beans." My dad managed to calm me down by making me feel guilty by telling me it was "Bad." (My parents are very strict and religious) I'm still into it, and I have managed to make my cousin and my little brother as obsessed as I am. (Probably bad about my brother, because he's had a huge crush on Emma Watson since the day "Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone" came out in movie theaters)

Hailey Potter (Gryffindor, Ha412, United States of America)

Post by **Phoenix Lumen** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 9:17 pm

I guess I got into Harry Potter when I was in my last year of primary school. The first book was something the teacher read to us for the last half-hour of the day after last break, you know, to calm us all down. We had started it quite late in the year, and so only got about a third of the way through the book by the end of the summer term. I had gotten so into the world of Harry Potter that I told my mom that the Harry Potter book was excellent, and would she buy it for me?

My mom did, but she bought the second book instead of the first, which is what the teacher had been reading. But rather than tell her she had bought the second book instead of the first, which is what I had wanted, I read the second book. I was so into the book that I read it straight through in a few hours, and when I came out of my room a few hours later, I was so surprised that dinner was ready. I had started reading at about 1pm, and it was know 5.30pm.

I told my mom that I thought the book was excellent, and would she get me any other Harry Potter books she could find. A few days later, she gave me the first book, and I then went up to my room and read the first book, and then read the second again.

To this day, every time a new book in the series comes out, I go back to the start, and read the books in order. I express my thanks to my year 6 teacher, whom I won't name because of obvious reasons, and to all teachers who have gotten their pupils into the fantastic, amazing world of Harry Potter without even meaning to.

Phoenix Lumen, Slytherin, ph405, England

Post by **Melita Moon** » Sun Jun 06, 2004 5:25 pm

I got into Harry Potter when I was in about year 8, I think. I always used to say "Oh, I don't like Harry Potter, it produces a bad view for real witches". One afternoon, I went round my friend Amy's house and she was playing on the Harry Potter game on the Playstation, the first game. She said "do you want a go?" so I did and it was quite good, after that I had a dream that I went and bought the books and really enjoyed them, so I said to Amy the day after that "Could I please borrow your Harry Potter book? I wouldn't mind reading it" So she said yes and I read it within a week which was quick for me at the time, I really enjoyed it! Couldn't wait to read the next one so the next day, I took out the Chamber of Secrets from my school library and read that in two days, I got addicted and read the first four books in about 3 weeks! That's my story /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Melita Moon (Hufflepuff, me408, England)

Mon Jun 07, 2004 1:50 am

I got into Harry Potter when the first movie came out. I had no idea who or what Harry Potter was before that time. They had never talked about it in school or anywhere around me. I heard something about Harry Potter from the television one day and saw the trailer for the first movie. It looked interesting, but I didn't jump to the quick to see it. And then it came out on DVD and VHS, but I had not really decided whether or not I would see it, but I told myself why not it could be cool, so I did. I couldn't believe how amazing it was and wanted to know everything about Harry Potter after I had watched the first movie. When the second movie came out, I jumped around because I couldn't wait to see it. I knew there were books, but I hadn't read any of them at that time, and didn't really bother with it. I knew that there was so much information to learn and I wanted to know it, but I still hesitated to read the books. I finally decided to read them because I wanted to know the difference of the books and movies and also the information that I didn't know. I'm starting the books now and love them so much. And I can't believe that I haven't read them before now. They're just wonderful and full of imagination. So yeah, that's how I got into Harry Potter /biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />

~Alexandria Faethorne, Slytherin, al485, United States

Post by **Naomi Tonks** » Mon Jun 07, 2004 3:17 am

I remember when I got into the books. . .actually quite vividly. I was in the fourth grade. I had just gotten out of a dance class when my mom wanted to go to the grocery store. Well, we were there to get laundry detergent, but my mom and I can't pass by the book section without stopping to look. We saw what I thought was a big book. (It's seems as if the books have grown with my age). I actually thought it looked kindof stupid. I was judging by the cover. My mom just told me to try it out. So we bought the first book. We went home and read it to eachother. We took turns, chapter by chapter. After awhile we stopped taking turns. Needless to say, she finished first. At that point I didn't really understand all that had happened in it, but I was quite excited to read the next one.

So we bought the next book, and started out the same. We also ended the same. Ditto for the third book.

My mom was so excited for the fourth book that she preordered it from her bookclub. The day they came out she couldn't wait. We went to the nearest bookstore and got one. I wasn't fully fanatic at this point but I was close. When we got home, it had come in the mail. (it was classic!).

After reading this book, I become a full-on HP FAN-AT-IC! I loved it! When the 5th book came out we went to the bookstore at 9pm the night before and waited till midnight. My friend and I started reading as soon as we got home.

Next year, I'll be a sophomore in highschool. Some people at school make fun at the fact that I'm completely in love with Harry Potter books, but I can't help it . . . HARRY POTTER ROCKS!

Zelda Neal · Post by **Zelda Neal** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 4:14 pm

Well I began getting into HP when I 1st got the 1st 2 books and my bro got the 4th book and then we both went a bought one copy of the 3rd story. So we kept doing that until I got instrested and learn more about the computer that I got on and looked for Hogwarts and I was suprised on what I got in the results! Many websites!

So now Hogwarts and extra fake classes are now fun for me! Instead of boring school.

Zelda Neal , ze400 , USA

Post by **Athena Paulus** » Fri Jun 11, 2004 7:18 pm

How did i get into Harry Potter? Well, at first I really didn't want to get into it. It was right before the fourth book came out. I had never heard of Harry Potter until about three or four months prior to GoF. Three of my friends were going nuts about the books being released and they would talk about nothing else! Then I would go out to the mall and see Harry Potter stuff ALL OVER THE PLACE!!! /ohmy.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":o" border="0" alt="ohmy.gif" /> I finally decided that I had to see what all the fuss was about. I asked one of my friends if I could borrow her copy to read. Of course she said yes!

Now before I read the first book all I knew about it was that Harry was a boy who is a wizard......and that was all. I loved the book after I read it!!! /wub.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":wub:" border="0" alt="wub.gif" /> I thought it was so creative!! I couldn't believe that someone could be that imaginative! I had to read the other books as soon as I could! I ended up reading the other two books in one day each. I loved how the stories seemed to be meant for older readers as the characters aged!

I found myself joining my friends at Barnes & Nobles for an all day Harry Potter Book Party when the fourth book and later when the fifth book came out. I feel so in love books that I joined HOL! And I have enjoyed every minute of it!! /laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":lol:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

Athena Paulus, Gryffindor, at351, USA

Post by **Rames** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 8:00 pm

Thanks all...

Stories added and points awarded up to this point

THE CONTEST IS STILL OPEN!

You can add your story until June 27 and the points will still count for this year's house cup.

Post by **Leana Morrison** » Sat Jun 12, 2004 11:26 pm

I remember back when I was in fifth grade(WOW! Has it really been four years?!) my best friend was telling me how she had LOVED the Chamber of Secrets. She had been raving about the Harry Potter books for awhile now, but I had refused to read them. Back then, I was a little...strange and believed that I would HATE whatever anyone else liked. So I just smiled and nodded at whatever she said and continued to be ignorant about the Harry Potter world.

That Christmas, one of my presents was book shaped. Of course, my mother had gotten me the first Harry Potter book. She told me that I could read it while I waited for my turn during piano lessons. I threw the book in my closet and didn't look at it for quite awhile. I couldn't believe that my own mother had gotten me the book that I really just had no interest in.

One day I found myself stuck without no book to read for piano. I dug through my closet and found the first book. I remember continuing to search for a different book, but I eventually gave up and took the book with me. I remember I was halfway through the second chapter when it was my turn to play, and I was COMPLETELY hooked and I nearly asked if I could finish the chapter. Ever since, we've gotten each book the day it came out and read it right afterwards(it took me one day to read OOTP - without stopping). I'm just glad that I'd run out of books to read. /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Leana Morrison (Hufflepuff, le400, USA)

Post by **Charlie Starr** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 5:03 pm

I'm always getting into trouble, because I don't think things through. So the summer I turned 13, I was stuck inside, for an incident involving fireworks on Canada day. After a long day of being confined, my mom allowed me to go sleep over at my friend Michelle's house, who was also grounded for the same reasons.

So her mom brings a book, and starts going on about how she read it to Michelle's little brother Trevor, and how he just loved it. And I'm going, "great a kiddy book". So we ignored her and played Diddy Kong racing instead. And then the most horrible thing happened. The power went out. And it was out for a long time. It had been about an hour, when finally I picked up the book, and held a flashlight to it to start reading it to Michelle. We took turns reading, and we started doing the voices for each character after a while. Her Snape was phenominal (to this day she sometimes calls me and does the voice, and I almost pee myself laughing everytime)

We finaly finished, and the sun has just started to come up. And from that day on we were both hooked.

Post by **Fidget Black** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 5:48 pm

I first got into HP...
I'm not sure the actual date, but it was shortly after the first movie came out. My mom had bought me the first book in Fifth Grade, I started to read it, got bored and stopped. I never touched another Harry Potter thing until the first movie came out when I was in Seventh Grade. Our school took us all to go see it, I sat in the theater, amazed. I went home a picked up the first book and read it. The the second, and the third... and then the second movie came out, I loved it. Read the fourth, and the fifth(which is my favorite) and now.... I'm obsessed as ever...

Fidget Black (Hufflepuff, fi480, United States of America)

Post by **Cynthia Stout** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 8:35 pm

The Harry Potter books started coming out while I was in middle school. Middle school is that time when you decide, "I'm going to be popular this year!" And so you spend the entire year doing what you think everyone wants you to do, think what you think they want you to think, and say what you think they want you to say. Well, when I was in middle school, I was one of the "cool kids," so of course I couldn't do anything that was "uncool." I remember in eigth grade history, there was one guy who read the Lord of the Rings and we teased him about it for weeks. The same guy talked to the teacher about Harry Potter one afternoon after class (while I was waiting to ask a question) and they asked me if I had read them. I gave them the answer, "No, I'm not really into fantasy. It annoys me." They assured me it wasn't what I thought it was, but I brushed them off--I was too cool for Harry Potter.

After eighth grade I moved across the country. I started high school and was in an advanced program where, of course, I had all the geeky people in my classes. Freshman year I was still trying to hang on to that "cool kid" thing. But by the end of that year, I had embraced my inner geek. So sophomore year came around and that winter the first movie came out. I begrudgingly went and saw the movie with my brother (who was into Harry Potter at the time) and decided it wasn't half bad. Maybe I would read the first book. Maybe. If I had time. (Of course I didn't have time, I was doing school and it was kicking my butt! I was coming home every afternoon and crashing in bed and waking up for dinner, to do homework, and then going to bed and getting up at 4 a.m.) Anyway, so that's how I sort of brushed it off again. That Christmas I flew back to visit my family across the country. Of course this was just a couple months after 9-11 and I was flying in and out of two high-traffic international airports. In order to get on the flight to come back home, my aunt dropped me off at the airport 3 hours early. This was the recommended time to get there at that point because it quite literally could take that long.

Well, we sort of forgot that that would be for normal-people's-time flights, not the really early morning flights. So I got through security and to the gate within 20 minutes. That gave me a grand total of 2 hours and 40 minutes to kill in the airport. I couldn't think of anything to do, so I went window shopping throughout the airport. Then I saw the Sorcerer's Stone in a bookstore. I decided to use my money for food to buy the book and sat down to read it. By the time I got home, the book was finished and I had to get my mom to buy the second one on the way home from the airport. I was hooked after that. So of course the next summer when I heard of HOL, I just HAD to join. And the rest is history...

(Just a rather amusing side note... I scared my brother off from Harry Potter. He's afraid he's going to become too obsessed and won't be "cool" anymore.)

Cynthia Stout (Gryffindor, cy304, USA)

Mon Jun 14, 2004 3:20 am

I was in 5th grade, when I first started reading Harry Potter... My teacher at the time was giving us tons of book assignments, and she (being the cool teacher she is) noticed that we hated them. So she came into our class one day holding the Harry Potter and Sorcerer's Stone, and said that we were to take notes on it. She'd basically read the book, and we were to listen. It was the easiest, and best class. Even then though, I wasn't really into Harry Potter. I was just glad that I had such an easy class. /tongue.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":P" border="0" alt="tongue.gif" />

About a year later, my parents (being the sneaky people they are) asked me if I have heard of the Harry Potter books. I asked them why, and they said that it was this family friend's child's birthday. (Yeah, I know it's confusing) I said they were alright, and kind of interesting. Didn't really put much thought into it, but basically said that they would probably like the books.

Well, my birthday comes around the following year, and I have this 3 book set of the Harry Potter books. I was curious, so I started reading them. I never looked back, and absolutely love the books. At one point I believe I became so obsessed I wish there was a magical school out there, and how awesome it would be to have magic. (Only took me about three years later to find HOL...)

I guess I just didn't pay enough attention in class to take note of that single fact. I was too busy trying to get down details and doing other homework that I was supposed to have done in my 5th grade class, that I never really actually listened and enjoyed the book. (Aye, tsk on me..I be a slacker.)

Kashana Nightdweller, Ka444, Slytherin, USA.