Getting Into Harry Potter

Post by **Leyla Night** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 4:58 pm

Wow, nice topic and many stories! Maybe I should also add something here.

In fact, I remember that I didn't like Harry Potter at all when I first heard about the books. Or rather, I didn't want to like it, because it was so popular. Since I tend to think that many popular things are just stupid, I had no reason to think differently this time around. But to my surprise, the books stayed popular for a long time, and I kept hearing about them everywhere for quite some time. There were even reports on the evening news when one of the books was being released in Norwegian version. (I must admit that I was not interested enough at that point to remember which book that was...after I became a HP fan, I've realized that there are always reports on the evening news when a new book get released /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />)

At one point, I started to become curious about the books - probably because I kept hearing about them everywhere. So I went to the library to get the first book, just to check out what this stuff was about. Before I opened the book, I was a bit "Dursley'ish", because I remember thinking that "Harry Potter is such a simple, stupid name for a book hero". But when I finally started reading, I liked the book almost immediately. At first, it was just funny, with tons of funny, new words such as "muggles" and "quidditch", but as I read more, I started to become impressed by how detailed everything was described. By the time I had finished the first book, I wanted to read the next ones as well.

As you can probably imagine, I went to the library to get them already the next day. But getting those books was easier said than done, because they were out, and there were long lists of reservations on them at the library. Since I couldn't wait another few months to read them, I went to get them from the bookshop. I guess the lady in the bookshop was quite happy with me that day. Judging by the look on her face, she could just as well have said: "I don't usually sell full series of books at the same time".

Leyla Night (Gryffindor, le552, Norway)

Post by **Alissa Maldou** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 6:36 am

Alright, how I got into Harry Potter. At first, it was just a book that one of the camp leaders read to us at my summer camp when I was around nine or ten. That was book one, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. We only got into about chapter three at camp, and when I went home, I completely forgot that it even existed. A few weeks later, my step dad started reading us the book, and I remembered what it was.

My interest renewed, I pursued my own copy of the book, and quickly finished it. Soon after, I went after copies of the second and third books, finishing those quickly. Thus did my insanely long wait for book four start. While reading book three, I came to love Remus Lupin's character, and formed my own idea of him in my mind. I was so upset with the portrayal of him in the film that I haven't watched the parts with him in them, for fear that they would shatter my carefully maintained image of him. Remus Lupin is my werewolf, I say, and I shall allow no one else to usurp my control of him.

At last, and after a too long wait, the fourth book came out. I hopped on my bike at eight thirty, a half hour before the bookstore opened, and rode it over. As soon as the doors opened, I dashed in and grabbed my copy of book four. I finished the book in two days of reading, stopping only to brush my teeth, eat, shower, and sleep.

Now, I hated that I had gone through book four a mere two days after it's release in stores. This meant that I had to go a very long time with no new material. I was bored out of my mind with the movies, and hated that they took Oliver Wood out of them in the third, which as some of you may remember, was his seventh and final year. So, when movie four does come out, I stand no chance of seeing Wood.

Anyway, at last, book five came out and I again bought it the same day. This time, I didn't have the same time to devote to reading it in one sitting. I had to start it on a Sunday and then finish it in ISS (in school suspension) on Monday. At least I had something good to go on.

So, I am not as obsessed as some with the actual series, but I am probably more obsessed than most with the fanfiction genre that has since popped up as a result. I thank Rowling for coming out with the series, because it has led to the creation of many good fanfics, and a few very cute actors being seen on screen. (ex: Sean Biggerstaff, Tom Felton.... etc.)

Alissa Maldou (Ravenclaw, al563, USA)

Post by **Eowyn McCuill** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 4:04 pm

First time I heard the name Harry Potter was around 2000. I have read something about it on newspapers and internet but considered it at first to be "another child book". But a friend of mine recommended me the series and that was when I first really considered the possibility of reading it.

In my next anniversary, this friend and some other friends of mine bought me "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" brazilian editions. And today I'm glad they did that! I fell in love with Harry Potter series at the very first chapter. I get "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" brazilian edition on next Christmas from my Secret Santa.

When I finished the third book, HP fans around the world were still waiting for the fifth book. It was at that time when I found HOL, while I was searching the internet for more information on the movies and books. I thought interesting to take a part in HOL specially because I needed to find someone to share my new passion. And that can be a bit difficult when you are 20 years old or more. And I thought it would be very fun to practice English (since my first language is Portuguese) having Harry Potter world as a subject. Let aside the possibility of making new friends around the world.

So I joined HOL. And my passion for HP world just increased since then. After joining HOL I felt ready to read HP books in English. So, I bought "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" in their british editions. I even paid more for the last one, just to have it on the day of British release.

In resume, today I'm a typical Harry Potter fan. I even have a wand, made specially for myself and a complete set of Gryffindor robes. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Hagrid little dolls, plus Scabbers and Crookshanks miniatures, watch me work every day from my desk at the office. And I'm part of that millions of anxious fans waiting for the last books to come and for the next movies to be released.

Eowyn McCuill
Gryffindor, eo351
Brazil

Nikki Bell · Post by **Nikki Bell** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 9:37 pm

Wow, I can hardly remember my life without Harry Potter.I mean, I'm like this with it *holds up middle finger and thumb pressed together*. It all started when I was in year 3, about six and a half years old. My birthdays in April, so the school year is already nearly long gone. There's something you should know. I'm an avid book reader, I can't get enough.

At that time, it took me a day to finish one book (Now I can finish four books on a free day, two on a school day). At school, when I was finished I would swap my book with my friend. My teacher was a bookish person, like me. I think we were borrowing her books. One very vivid memory which I remember even now is carrying the fourth book over to my desk. Everyone in my class was just staring at me. I couldn't help smiling, it was massive (for our size and age).

I worked hard at finishing it too. Unfortunately, I can't remember much of how I got so engrossed in it. I guess it helped when I started to go on the Internet for hours at a time a year or two ago. I was mainly looking at websites with stuff to read and Harry Potter things. I was part of an online school called HOL (Hogwarts Online School). It was really great and I enjoyed it. Then, one day, it suddenly disappeared. Where it used to be just said, "Domain up for sale'. I searched the internet for another school, in mourning. Then I discovered this HOL. I was disappointed to find I had months to wait, so I just put it on favourites. I forgot about it, then remembered it was time for winter sign up. I am now a happy member of the school. /biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />

Nikki Bell
Hufflepuff, ni551, United Kingom

Post by **Rosabella Stanley** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 5:19 am

Well it started about three years ago when my friend from high school introduced it to me. She was always reading harry potter books in class at lunch even before choir rehearsals. She told me how great they were and would occasionally tell me the story line. At first they just seemed a little interesting I really never had picked up one of the books. Well until recently that is lol.

During the time when the movies came out my friend seemed so excited, it actually was the talk of the school! Finally I gave into the hype and saw the movie. I was surprised at how entertaining it was. It drew me into their world. I couldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t wait to see the next move. Still not quite pushed to read the books themselves, what with my senior year activities to worry about. I finally saw all three movies but by then I was hooked. I finally picked up the book and read it within a day in a half. It was just that great!!

My friend who first had introduced me to Harry Potter had also sent me a link to HOL, which she was a member of. I had saved it for years and finally joined this spring. Even though I had been waiting since early November /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> and joining HOL made the Harry Potter fan in me grow even more! I now canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t wait to read the next one!

Rosabella Stanley (Gryffindor, ro556, USA)

Post by **Rames** » Fri Jan 28, 2005 9:59 pm

All stories up to this point in the topic have been added to the yearbooks, and 10 points each have been awarded for participating in the GiHP Stories.

Thank you all for sharing your stories with the rest of HOL. I still love reading them all, and I think I am not alone /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Post by **Sila Snape** » Sat Jan 29, 2005 3:03 pm

I first saw the book at my cousin's house. She was reading it and said that the book was great. I looked at the book, it didn't seem attractive, so I didn't want to read it. Then she finished and gave the book to me. I began reading it... It was amazing! I finished it in one day.(I read the whole day) However, I was feeling myself really bad after finishing the book. I cried. I really wished Harry Potter, Hogwarts etc. to be real. Unfortunately, they weren't. For several months, I couldn't get rid of this mood. Actually, after reading every Harry Potter book, I feel myself bad, but now, I can overcome these feelings.

Sila Snape (Gryffindor, si003, Turkey)

Post by **Abigail Lupin** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 6:20 am

I got into Harry Potter about four or five years ago. At the time, I was taking two language courses at the local university as well as working fulltime, so by the Christmas holidays I was fried. I just wanted a nice, relaxing holiday and I was wandering through the local Chapters (a big-box bookstore chain here in Canada) when I spotted the Harry Potter Books. I vaguely remembered seeing something about the author doing a reading at Toronto's Skydome (this would've been in October 2000) and I thought what the heck, I'll give it a try.

So I bought Philosopher's Stone and went through it in two days. I remember thinking, "Hey, this isn't bad!" I went back a few days later and bought Chamber of Secrets -- and went through it in two days! Then I rushed right back and bought Prisoner of Azkaban. I think I took less than two days to read PoA, because by then I was totally hooked. I spent the next couple of years with millions of other impatient fans, drumming my fingers and waiting for Goblet of Fire.

I joined several HP sites (now I belong to about a dozen) and stumbled over HOL by sheer luck -- but like others here, the sign-up was closed at the time I found it. So I bookmarked it and made a note to myself on my calendar about when registration would re-open ... and here I am.

I've seen all the movies -- several times each! -- and they are excellent, but nothing can match the books. I can't wait for July and Half Blood Prince; I'm dying to find out what kind of surprises J.K. Rowling's going to spring on us this time!

Abigail Lupin
sy404
Ravenclaw

Post by **Salazar Souza** » Sun Feb 06, 2005 5:58 am

I got into Harry Potter about three years ago. However, it was not the first time I had heard about this books. A friend of mine used to read it, but I have never asked about what it was about. Then, some years after I heard about the first film and how good it was. I always liked things about magic, wizards and witches, so, when people started to tell me that it was the theme of Harry Potter stories, I imediatelly run to the nearst cinema to watch it.

It was amazing!!! I became in love with it imediatelly!!! Everything that was in my child dreams was there!!!

Some days after, I bought the book 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher Stone' and started to read. It was like a fever or any other desease because I could not stop to read the book. I started to imagine me in that world. How would be my wand? In which house I would be selected? How fun it would be the classes? And the Quidduitch game? I think this possibility of imagine this new and fantastic world was the main thing that make me to get in love with Harry Potter books.

After reading the first book, I got borrow the other three books from a causin of mine (of course, the fifth had not been publicated yet). So I had to wait just like everybody. And, in case of the second, third and fourth books, the story was the same. I could not stop to read.

I think that my story is just this.

Have fun!!!

Salazar Souza (Griffindor, sa554, Brazil)

Post by **Beruthiel Catqueen** » Sun Feb 06, 2005 6:46 am

Ah, how well I remember it...that calm, quiet day of the sixth grade book fair. (And I'm a junior now, so that's a while back!) I had cash in hand and I was always ready to find a new adventure.
Picking up Sorceror's Stone was really a random thing for me. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I must have read that book a gazillion times!
Then I got Prisoner of Azkaban for Christmas (my grandmother didn't know which one was next in the series) Despite not having read Chamber of Secrets, I went ahead and read Prisoner anyway.
I got Goblet when I was on vacation at the beach and I read it in about three days--oh, how shocked I was when Cedric died!
Then Order of the Phoenix--yeah, I got that one right after it came out and read it in about two days.
I enjoy researching the mythology behind Rowling's stories, and I've enjoyed experiencing her growth as a writer and the evolution of her writing technique. In fact, it was a book about the mythologies of Harry Potter that recommended this very website--and just in time for winter registration!
Cheers!

Beruthiel Catqueen|be557|Ravenclaw First Year|USA (though I'd like to be in England!)

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 9:30 am

Believe it or not, what got me really into Harry Potter was my dad. When the book first came out, only those really smart teenagers from the best schools read the books. That was the main reasons why I switched off when I hear the word 'Harry Potter'. When the movie first came out, my dad kept insisting that I go watch the movie for a whole week. I finally gave in because I had nothing to do that day and it was a school holiday. I thought that it would not do me any harm just to watch the movie. So my dad and I went to watch the Sorcerer's Stone. When I entered the theatre, I slumped my shoulders, hoping that I would not sleep through the movie and waste my eight bucks. But when I came out of the theatre, I fell in love with the show. I could not stop thinking and talking about Harry Potter. I immediately bought the four books and went home to start reading. In all, I took about four days to finish all the books. The only time I stopped was when I had to eat and bathe. I only slept for five hours for the four nights. My parents got really irritated when I kept relating everything with Harry Potter. Every time my parents went overseas, they would always say to me,' Don't worry, if I find any Harry Potter stuff, I will call you to see if you have it. If you don't, I'll buy it for you.'

Post by **Nicole Ashley** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 9:33 am

Guest wrote:Believe it or not, what got me really into Harry Potter was my dad. When the book first came out, only those really smart teenagers from the best schools read the books. That was the main reasons why I switched off when I hear the word 'Harry Potter'. When the movie first came out, my dad kept insisting that I go watch the movie for a whole week. I finally gave in because I had nothing to do that day and it was a school holiday. I thought that it would not do me any harm just to watch the movie. So my dad and I went to watch the Sorcerer's Stone. When I entered the theatre, I slumped my shoulders, hoping that I would not sleep through the movie and waste my eight bucks. But when I came out of the theatre, I fell in love with the show. I could not stop thinking and talking about Harry Potter. I immediately bought the four books and went home to start reading. In all, I took about four days to finish all the books. The only time I stopped was when I had to eat and bathe. I only slept for five hours for the four nights. My parents got really irritated when I kept relating everything with Harry Potter. Every time my parents went overseas, they would always say to me,' Don't worry, if I find any Harry Potter stuff, I will call you to see if you have it. If you don't, I'll buy it for you.'

Sorry, I forgot to log in when I was posting. This was done by Nicole Ashley ni420 Singapore. Sorry again for posting so many times.

Post by **Nicole Ashley** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 9:44 am

Believe it or not, what got me really into Harry Potter was my dad. When the book first came out, only those really smart teenagers from the best schools read the books. That was the main reasons why I switched off when I hear the word 'Harry Potter'. When the movie first came out, my dad kept insisting that I go watch the movie for a whole week. I finally gave in because I had nothing to do that day and it was a school holiday. I thought that it would not do me any harm just to watch the movie. So my dad and I went to watch the Sorcerer's Stone. When I entered the theatre, I slumped my shoulders, hoping that I would not sleep through the movie and waste my eight bucks. But when I came out of the theatre, I fell in love with the show. I could not stop thinking and talking about Harry Potter. I immediately bought the four books and went home to start reading. In all, I took about four days to finish all the books. The only time I stopped was when I had to eat and bathe. I only slept for five hours for the four nights. My parents got really irritated when I kept relating everything with Harry Potter. Every time my parents went overseas, they would always say to me,' Don't worry, if I find any Harry Potter stuff, I will call you to see if you have it. If you don't, I'll buy it for you.'

Nicole Ashley ni420 Singapore

Post by **Eris Tyler** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 6:12 am

Well...I can't remember the date,but it was probably near the time book 3 was coming out-I got into it all a little late.All the fuss about the amazing new books that people of all ages had fallen in love with.But I had so far not bothered to try and find a copy of the still near impossible to get Sorcerer's Stone,the first book that I needed if I was to figure out what everyone was making such a racket about.I had briefly searched our two local stores that actually had books,but living in an unknown and small city meant we didn't get many things...even this Harry Potter was hard to get and the new copies disappeared quickly.I wouldn't go out of my way to make the one hour drive to find a larger city with more places to find books...I don't like long car drives.Why should I bother,when I might not even like them?The overall population doesn't always share my tastes.

And finally,where it all started.My aunt (well...great aunt) came up from Maryland for Christmas as she always tries to so she can visit and give gifts to everyone.And that lovely woman,always seeming to know my secret loves or desires of the moment so she can give that one awesome gift,knew I had not seen Harry Potter yet and gave me a copy of Sorcerer's Stone (hardcover,of course-the only books I want to not be paperback) as my cherished goody of the moment.And thanks to dear Aunt Hilda dropping by that year with my future in the shape of a rather small book,I set out reading it and found myself hooked before I'd finished the first page.I have never waited to buy one since,having caught up quickly,and now pre-order them on-line.Sweet Hilda.All the money she cost me.I love her.

Eris Tyler (Slytherin, er550, USA)

Post by **October Jackson** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 4:40 pm

Wow, I've never posted my story on this thread /biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" /> Are you sitting comfortably? Then IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll begin.

Harry Potter had never really crossed my radar before 2001. I think IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢d vaguely heard of the Harry Potter craze, but never taken any interest in it. Life was very busy, I was working really hard, partying even harder, didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t use the internet much, and the odd news story about a Ã¢â‚¬Å“childrenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s book phenomenonÃ¢â‚¬Â didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t mean much to me.

Then I suddenly ended up in hospital with a critical illness, and spent ten weeks in intensive care. When I became conscious again, after about 5 or 6 weeks, my family seemed delighted that I was awake, but I wasnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t Ã¢â‚¬â€œ I was still on life support, hooked up to three or four machines, and because IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢d been in bed for so long, IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢d lost all the strength in all my muscles. I couldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t speak, eat, move, pick up a book, or even concentrate my eyes on anything for long. Intensive care was a pretty miserable, and a pretty boring, place to be. The only interest was when the doctors argued with each other, and especially when the annoying registrar Dr Jackson got his comeuppance. I mentally cast Dr Jackson as the Wicked Enemy, though I did subsequently pinch his name for my HOL identity /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

Luckily, I had one of the best intensive care nurses you could ever hope to meet. Sadie didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t just look after you while she was on her shift Ã¢â‚¬â€œ she was a nurse 24/7. One day, after her shift was over, she drove home, and came back to the hospital with 4 cans of soup (so I could try and start eating again) and Harry Potter and The PhilosopherÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Stone on audio tape. She managed to find a cassette player, put on the first cassette for me, and left me in the capable hands of the nurse on duty.

Ã¢â‚¬Å“Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive,Ã¢â‚¬Â announced Stephen Fry, Ã¢â‚¬Å“were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.Ã¢â‚¬Â

It was like being transported into another world. For a bit of every day I could forget that I was in hospital, unable to move, and possibly stuck there for several more months. I was in a hut on a rock; in Diagon Alley; waiting to be sorted; learning magic; best of all, watching the magical feast appear (thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s still my favourite bit). It was like being Harry, leaving all the miseries of Muggle life behind.

By the time the tapes were finished, I was progressing with my physio, and able to read again, and a friend lent me Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. By the time Harry had seen off the basilisk, I was out of intensive care and on the general cardiac ward, where a staff nurse lent me a copy of Prisoner of Azkaban from her locker. And soon after I left hospital, my mum and dad took me shopping in my wheelchair, and bought me Goblet of Fire from the supermarket.

Harry Potter got me through the grimmest few months of my life, and to me every book signifies a stage of recovery. But PhilosopherÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Stone will always be my favourite, and IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve now bought the audio tapes for myself, so I can relive the magic of the first time I listened to it.

October Jackson (Ravenclaw, oc200, UK)

Post by **Riea Potter** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 1:37 am

Well, I'm embarassed to say that I once used to think Harry Potter was dumb /sad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad.gif" /> . When I was in second grade, my teacher started to read the book aloud to us. being a second grader, I didn't understand much of it, and we didn't finish the book. So, for three years, I figured that Snape was the bad guy, and the story was the most predictable thing I'd ever heard of.

As I started to grow older, my friends started to get into it. THey would read the books constantly, always talk about it, went crazy when the first movie came out, and even stated a Harry Potter club at school. I thought they were dumb. The summer between 4th and 5th grade, my best friend at the time convinced me to watch the first movie on dvd with her. When it got to the part where you see Qurill in the last chamber with the Mirror of Erised, I gassped. Her whole family suddenly turned and looked at me like I was crazy. I went home and told my parents I didn't hate Harry Potter any more.

At the beggining of 5th grade, I couldn't find anything to read, so I picked up the Chamber of Secrets. I figured I would read this book, then find something new, but this was no ordinary book. I became entranced by the book. We would be doing silent reading, and when the teacher would tell us to stop reading, I would be in a daze, because I felt like I was coming out of a diffrent world. I read till book four, then saw the movies again. I went at midnight to get Order of the Phoenix, but once I finished reading that book, my obbsession went on hiatus.

Fast Forward a year, and I am going into 7th grade. I have just seen the new movie, and I had decided I was going to read the third book again, but once I had finished the other books I had been reading. Then my friend tells me to read her fanfiction. So I go on, expecting nothing spectacular, and get a fabulous story. It was about Lily and James, and there adventures at hogwarts. The magic was back. I started to read more fanfiction and go to mugglent (my favorite site ever!!!) every day. I started to reread the books over and over again to find even more meaning. Then I joind here, and now the new book is coming out. I am so obsessed, it scares a lot of my friends. I already have a plan to go see the new movie. I must say, Harry Potter opened up a new world for me.

Riea Potter ri554 USA

Post by **Emmaline Whitney** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 5:50 am

Oh where to start.

Ummm...well...It all started when the first film came out, one of my friends invited me to the premere and I went and was amazed that all of this came from a persons immagination. After that I was hooked on the films but not really sure I wanted to read the book because up until then I only read classics, shakespear, plays, bios and autobios, and I wasn't really that interested in reading a "childrens" book about witches and wizards. All of that changed after I saw the second movie. I finally said "to heck with it" bought the 3rd book, read it in a matter of about 5 hours and was off to buy the 4th book which I read in a day. After that I had to read the first two and did so in a day and by that time I had become a full blown fan, finding every thing I could about the book and waiting with my uniform for the midnight party for the 5th book. It was a long journey, but one that I am glad I took. And I owe it all to my friend Holly for taking me to see the film, because without her I would have never found Hogwarts.

Emmaline
*who is now re-reading the 5th book for the 7th time*

Guest_Heather Shrump_* · Post by Guest_Heather Shrump_* » Tue May 10, 2005 11:44 pm

Ok I got hooked on Harry Potter from one of my best friends she started reading the series and she got me hooked. Im like totally in love with Harry Potter I've read every single book like 3 times each. I cant wait to get the sixth book. Im not at all depressed to say I'm a little bit obbsesed. My best friend has sort of givin up on Harry Potter but i no i never will.

Sat Jun 18, 2005 5:08 pm

It all started when I was 11 years old, in 1999. A boy in my class, who was one year older (we were both eleven and twelve year olds in the same class), read Ã¢â‚¬Å“Harry Potter and the PhilosopherÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s StoneÃ¢â‚¬Â, and he said to anyone who would listen that it was a great book. But there were several reasons I didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t want to read it. One: I didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t like this guy, and books he had said were great before, I didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t like. Two: When I was 11, I only read romantic stories, and books about historical things and persons. I remember reading on the back of HP once, and I thought, Ã¢â‚¬Å“Why does everyone like this book so much? It seems just weird to meÃ¢â‚¬Â. I had never read any fantasy books, except for the series about Oz and Narnia, and HP didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t seem to be like any of them.

And so time passed. One year later I got Ã¢â‚¬Å“PhilosopherÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s StoneÃ¢â‚¬Â and Ã¢â‚¬Å“Chamber of SecretsÃ¢â‚¬Â for Christmas. I brought them with me to Grandma and Grandpa that weekend. We stayed there only a couple of days, but before we got home, I had read both books! Do I need to say I was hooked? /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" /> I had never been so into any book as I was into HP! For (almost) the first time, I felt as if I was there, in the Hogwarts castle. Everything in the books was just soÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ well, I canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t really describe what I felt back then. But I just wanted more and more. I loved (and love) the magic and adventures, and what's more - the books are not so predictable. Anything can happen!

I got Ã¢â‚¬Å“Prisoner of AzkabanÃ¢â‚¬Â and Ã¢â‚¬Å“Goblet of FireÃ¢â‚¬Â for my birthdays. But then, when Ã¢â‚¬Å“Order of the PhoenixÃ¢â‚¬Â would be released, I couldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t wait until it was translated Ã¢â‚¬â€œ I read my DadÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s English copy of it! Ok, so by that time I had managed to make all members of my family (my parents and two younger siblings) read all the HP booksÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ So my Dad owns all the books in English! /biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />

And obviously, my interest in HP is that big that I found my way here, three (actually four, but I didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t register then) years ago.

Rachel Sandersen (Hufflepuff, ra309, Sweden)