My oldest son was in fourth grade
when I first became aware of Harry Potter. His grandmother gave him a copy of
Goblet of Fire for his birthday. It was 2000 and I was amazed that his class
was reading such a large book together. My interest was piqued when I poked
around in a few bookstores and saw that Harry Potter was popular in young adult
fiction, but I didn’t think much of it at the time. I had five young children and
didn’t have time for reading except when I locked myself in the bathroom.
My
fourth grader decided to dress up as Harry Potter for Halloween that year.
Since Hogwarts cloaks weren’t as available in stores as they are now – and we
didn’t have much money – we improvised a costume with a black graduation robe
with a hand-drawn paper Gryffindor crest pinned on the chest, and we drew
glasses and a scar on him with eyeliner. He looked legit.
When Sorcerer’s Stone hit theaters
in 2001, my husband took my sons to see it. It again flew under my radar. We
rented the first movie when it came out on DVD and went to see Chamber of
Secrets in 2002 as a family. I went back to see Chamber of Secrets again by
myself during the day when the kids were in school and preschool. I realized then
I needed to read the books on my own. I also started reading the series aloud
to my kids. You don’t realize how long the books are are until you start losing
your voice about 25 pages into a single chapter.
Being an author myself, I was a bit
disappointed in the first book. I could tell JK Rowling was new to writing. She
had a great idea and was creating an interesting world, but some of the scenes
seemed not well thought out. (Example: Harry overhears Snape and Quirrell’s
argument by following them into the dark forest on his broomstick – no
invisibility cloak. It would have been impossible for him to get close enough
to hear them without being seen.) It didn’t surprise me that many publishers
turned her down (I’m sure they’re kicking themselves now) on Sorcerer’s Stone.
The movie presented the plot more logically, in comparison. (Harry is under the
cloak when he eavesdrops on Snape and Quirrell.) Book two was better and by
book three, I was hooked.
When Order of the Phoenix was
published in 2003, I dragged my older sons to the midnight release party. We
didn’t dress up, but I seriously considered it. I sat up and read Order of the
Phoenix that same night, until I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I was one of those
people who waited with bated breath for each book to be released.
I liked the movies well enough (I
went to see them more than once in the theater) but I loved the books. I read
and re-read them when I probably should have been doing other things, like
making dinner.
I knew I was besotted with Harry when
I started writing fan fiction. I created an American school of magic (long
before Rowling wrote the screenplay to Fantastic Beasts) and new characters who
used the same spells I knew so well from the books. I never published any of
it, but it was fun to write. It rekindled my love of writing, which I’d put on
hold while I had babies in diapers and toddlers determined to destroy the
house.
I couldn’t help but admire JK
Rowling’s tenacity in her quest to publish and her endless imagination. I like
fantasy but science fiction has always been my favorite genre. Naturally, any
author would love to be as popular as Rowling, but to create a cultural icon on
several continents is definitely a rare feat. With her work as my inspiration,
I got serious about my own writing. Whenever my ideas run dry, I pull out the
books and read them again, back-to-back. Last summer I read the set in three
weeks. My family didn’t get many home-cooked dinners during that time. Or clean
laundry. Nada.
Over the years, I have come to know
Harry Potter intimately. In 2010 when Deathly Hallows Part 1 came out in
theaters, my husband was able to get two tickets to an IMAX pre-screening. I
took my oldest daughter to see it. Before the movie, they held a trivia contest
with various T-shirts and knick-knacks as prizes. The grand prize was a
complete set of the books. My hand was the only one in the air when they read
the final question: What was Snape’s mother’s claim to fame when she was at
Hogwarts? I shouted out that she was captain of the Gobstone’s team. I knew the
answers to the other trivia questions but waited to answer the last one to get
the grand prize. My daughter was embarrassed by how excited I was to win the
books. Yes, I’m a total Harry Potter nerd. I own a wand and lots of Ravenclaw
apparel – the house I belong to – and I have a Pottermore account.
The books have also helped me
connect with my youngest daughter, who has learning disabilities. She has no
reading comprehension. I had the idea to read the Harry Potter series to her.
Since she had seen the movies, I thought she might be able to envision what’s
happening as we read the books. It took us three years to get through them.
Many details not in the movies were hard for her to envision, but her eyes
would light up whenever I read a scene that she remembered. We would often pull
out a DVD and watch the scene again to jog her memory. She now owns a wand and
a Gryffindor T-shirt, but she doesn’t go crazy for Harry like I do.
In 2017, my husband had a work
conference in Orlando, Florida. Although Orlando is home to a huge number of
theme parks, including Disney, I wanted to go with him for one reason: the
Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We went and I had the time of my life. My
husband’s never read the books and hasn’t seen the movies past Chamber of
Secrets (he didn’t like Dobby) so I had to explain many details to him, but
that didn’t diminish my thrill at being in the park. Yes, we paid $7 for a
butter beer, but it was worth it. It was a wonderful experience and I highly
recommend it to anyone who loves Harry Potter. Even waiting in lines for the
rides is entertaining as you get to experience Hogwarts castle and Gringotts.
My five oldest children are grown
now and roll their eyes whenever I mention Harry Potter or suggest we watch one
of the movies. They know I’m hopelessly in love with a cast of fictional
characters and the fictional world they live in. The universe JK Rowling created
inspires me to be more creative in my own work, and for that I will be forever
grateful to her.
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