Hi, everyone. I have been wanting to open this up for a while now. We've got a couple similar threads around, but I thought it would be nice to hear about your journey through Harry Potter as we are currently rereading it together. You don't have to limit this to the book we're on at the time, but it can be as specific or all encompassing as you'd like for it to be.

Just take a few minutes and tell us about your journey through the series, through the fandom, how it has affected you, what you have gained from it, what your future with the series looks like, hopes you'd had, hopes you still have. . .pretty much anything. This is YOUR journey, and so I ask that any responses be kind and respectful. If there's one thing that cannot be argued with - it is genuine personal experiences.

Thanks guys! VTM Forums wouldn't be what they are today if we had not always had such great members from the start through to what will eventually be the conclusion. These may be as long or as short as you like.

If you have questions, just let me know!

I vaguely remember the day I first read a HP book. My little sister brought PS/SS and GoF home from school and told me to read them because she thought they were great. So I did, why not right? I didn't stop reading til I'd finished it, which was in the early hours of the next morning. She wanted me to read GoF next but I figured if I was going to get sucked into this fabulous series I had to do it right. That weekend I bought all four and haven't looked back. It was also the same year I joined VTM so they've been a part of me for a very long time, it'll be sad to say goodbye one day.

Getting the next books was so exciting. You knew it'd be an adventure and you couldn't wait to start! Of course no-one ever expected the twists and turns and it was great coming on here and seeing what people had come up with.

For the first book I sat for ages trying to figure out which of the Potions Harry had to drink. I'm not that great at problem solving so I gave in and read what answer Hermione came up with, I was no-where near. Guess if it had been me in the book I would have been poisoned. But thankfully it wasn't!

In CoS I was furious at myself for not realising it was Ginny opening the Chamber. It was so obvious!!! Everything always is in hindsight. I wish they'd put the scene with Mr and Mrs Weasley sobbing and hugging her into the movie though, it would have been a nice touch.

PoA...Sirius and Lupin. At first I hated Sirius for obvious reasons and adored Lupin. I pitied him though with having shabby clothes and a broken briefcase. I wanted to give him a job so he could earn money, and a hug so he could feel loved. At the end I was so happy! Sirius was free and Lupin (despite Snape destroying his career) was able to deal with his furry little problem a bit better (because of Snape but I still didn't like him).

I wasn't much of a fan of GoF. When Harry's name came out I couldn't but think 'Of course it did' perhaps if in just one of the books JKR didn't put his life in danger I could accept that his name came out but since he's always facing some kind of peril I was really over it and didn't enjoy the book like I thought I would. The Quidditch World Cup was good but she didn't need to have Krum as the hero of the Bulgarian team and as a Tri Wizard Champion.

The Order of the Phoenix. Not my favourite book. There was a long time when I couldn't read about Sirius's death and blocked it out so that when I moved onto HBP I was like - where's Sirius? It didn't make sense that he should die. Yeah, Harry needed to lose anyone who could protect him so he would make the ultimate sacrifice but come on! Not Sirius! Anyone but Sirius! And I mean anyone.

I enjoyed Half-Blood Prince. I would have liked it even better fit hadn't have been Snape. Does anyone else not like how half these characters have something else going on all the time? Ginny in CoS, Hermione in PoA, Krum in GoF. Why can't she just give them a break? Or was she too lazy to bring in a new character? Why couldn't the HBP be an as yet unknown who killed tonnes of DE's or invented something great? But I suppose just like Voldy, Snape needed to feel special.

Finally, the very last book. The one we all dreaded to read yet would have killed to read. Deathly Hallows. Well I thought more people would die, like at least one of the Trio (my money was on Harry but of course after all the trials he's been through he had to have a happy ending :rollseyes: ). I didn't like that she orphaned Teddy, does she have some love of leaving kids parentless or something? Harry, Neville, Hagrid. Geez woman, let these people live happy lives! But of course it wouldn't be a good story if it was all sunshine and daisies. I won't deny I cried like a baby when Dobby, Fred, Tonks and Lupin died. Senseless deaths and unneeded. Why not kill useless characters like Draco, Seamus, Mundungus people almost nobody would miss? Makes no sense.

As I said before the start of my journey brought me here. I've read many discussions about all things HP. I've entered into many arguments over it too. I believe that you need a place like this to come to during the HP experience. Where else would you find this many people as dedicated to these books as you are? VTM has also been my refuge. Many experiences I've had I've shared with some of the people on here and if it wasn't for HP I wouldn't know them or want to share my life, thoughts, opinions and whatnot else with them. I'm glad it's been a part of me for so long, just like the books. I wouldn't trade the last 6 years for anything. The fact that my journey has intertwined with so many others is priceless.

Harry Potter has definitely been one of the best things in my life!

First of all, Harry Potter was the first series ever to read! I had never done this before, waiting for more books to come, and I don't think I'll ever be so patient about a series again. I used to carry the books with me at school, even though it was forbidden, and even though the school was a Christian school, obviously against Harry Potter and anything else involving magic. But I didn't care!

You can't imagine how happy I was when I discovered that more people knew about the series...we would sit and talk about it for hours, make spells, or decide where each of our teachers would fit. Actually, I recently played a game with a friend of mine. We wrote down names of our classmates and sorted them. It was fun!

I always felt kind of sad knowing that Harry Potter was not real. When I first read the books I was around 11, so I thought I would definitely receive a letter because I was one of the few people to read the series, so I had to get a letter! So disappointing when the years passed and nothing came for me.

But the best thing about Harry Potter has been coming here, to veritaserum. Not so much because of the discussions we have, but because of all the people I've met and still do. It's amazing how one thing can bring so many people together! I doubt it if I could meet people like Vtmers in other sites, or because of other series.

Harry Potter will always be the best series for me, no matter what! I still pick up one of the books randomly and read a few pages, just to get away from everything, even for a while!

My favourite ones are the first few, like CoS because I read them when I was little and they really made me travel in a far away place, like no other book ever did before!

I'm sad the series is over...but then again, everything has got to end, so that we can all move on. But moving on doesn't mean forgetting. As long as people keep coming in here, Harry Potter will be alive and kicking!

Thanks to all of you!

Firstly, thank you, Passerby for opening this thread..

Well, to start with I am a die-hard fan of Harry Potter. People who know me sometimes address me as, "Ooi, Harry Potter, whats up?" People around me just happen to know somehow that I am a die hard Harry Potter fan. I am always eager to discuss more and morei about Harry Potter and this opertunity, I got here, in VTM... I remember one year, I roamed thorugh the whole city to buy a school bag with a Potter pic on it..! But I could not lay my hands on it.. I would cut any pic of Harry Potter from newspaper and magazines and store it... I still have the cutting.. :wink: I just Harry Potter...

I remember, I started reading Harry Potter series too late. I read the first book just before Order of Phoenix was released...

I think I was in 8th grade when I went to my library and asked the librarian for a new kind-of book. He told me that Harry Potter was really getting popular, so he gave me three Potter books.. At that time I didn't know which was the first part or the second.. I just looked at the cover of all the three books and chose Prisoner of Azkaban... And, I started reading but soon got bored and gave it back to the librarian. But he insisted that I read the Potter series, so I thought why not give it another chance? I thought maybe I didn't like the book because I just jumped to some ramdom part..(I was still not sure which was the first part.. ) So, then, I chose to read Chamber of Secrets.. But this time, dad also bought me the Chamber of Secrets movie too. So, I used to read some part from the book and see that part of the movie and thus, I finally completed reading the second part.

After reading the second part, I knew that I had to read the first part now(And now I knew which was thw first part, the second part...) .. So, I went to the library and got the Philosopher's Stone.. And I slowly started falling in love with Harry Potter.. After reading the frist part, I saw the movie and then, I fell in love with Daniel Radcliffe too...

After that I read the Prisoner of Azkaban.. (This time I read it with much more interest and I completed reading it in a few days) After that realised that Harry Potter has become a special part in my life... Then, I read Goblet of Fire and Order of Phoenix ...Soon I found myself waiting eagerly for the third movie.. I remember that when I went to see the third movie, there was a sort of contest about Harry Potter and we were needed to give correct answers to three Potter questions.. I was asked really easy question(because they thought I might not be able to answer tough ones.. ) and I won a VCD! Haha...


After that I waited eagerly to know the name of the sixth book and I was amazed when I heard that the book's name was "Half-Blood Prince"... I really wanted to read the book and soon I knew the release date.. But I could not lay my hands on the book the day it was released. And, by then I was habitated to discuss Harry Potter in school.. And one day a friend came to me and told me that she has read the book and started telling me what was in it and I didn't want to know much from her so I left without saying.. But my best friend came to me and said, do you know Severus Snape kills Dumbledore in the new book? And I was furious at her, not just for telling me the suspense but also giving me the bad news.. I was thrashed! I mean, I could still hardly believe Sirus dying and now, Dumbledore too?? Within a week I got the sixth part and I read it as soon as I can and while reading I experienced hell of goosebumps! And I cried like hell when I read Severus killing Dumbledore.. But I was sure that Severus was still on the good side.

Then, I waited even more anxiously for the finally part.. This time, I booked Deathly Hallows four months before it's release and when I finally got the book at 7 am, I ran home and locked myself in my room and read the book furiously.. I remember I didn't come out of my room the whole day and didn't eat or drink anything, just a cup of tea.. And all through the book I cried and cried and cried...

After that, I knew that the seven Potter books have become my seven horcruxes, without which I cannot live for a long duration.. And ever since I keep re-reading the books every two months or soo..

I think, Harry Potter is not just a "Magician's story", as many call it.. but I think it includes the most necessary qualities like love, faithfullness, the victory of good over bad, victory of truth over lies.. It has deeply touched my heart and I have learned a lot from Harry.. I have learned the quality of love and campation..

HAT'S OFF TO J.K.ROWLING For CREATING THIS BEAUTIFUL SERIES!!!

First off, I am a die-hard Harry Potter fan and I want to thank JK Rowling for creating this amazing world and providing us all with so much enjoyment throughout the years.

The first time i ever got a Harry Potter book was when my granny bought me GOF for Christmas one year. She knew i was big into reading and just picked it up randomly for me out of all of the books in the shop.
When i opened it (a couple of days before Christmas, i'll admit ) i didn't dive into reading it straight away. I clearly remember putting it in a plastic box full of random things at the bottom of my bed.
A few months went by and i completely forgot about the book. The first HP movie came out and i went to see it with my friends and i thought it was absolutely amazing - i fell in love with HP instantly.
It was only then that i remembered that i had the GOF book my granny had bought me for Christmas stuffed away in a box in my bedroom.
Naturally, i started reading it as fast as i could and became completely mesmerized by this amazing book.
I remember going into my school library a few days later and searching for the first 3 books. The SS in the school library was quite shabby looking and battered but i couldn't have been more happy.
And so, thanks to my school library, i read the first 3 HP books in their original order, followe by a re-read of my own GOF.
Needless to say, i was hooked, like so many other HP fans accross the country.
While i was waiting for OOTP to be released, i remember re-reading the first 4 books several times. When i went to get the books from my school library, my friends were like 'didn't you already read that one?' and i'd be kind of saying 'um...yeah' and blushing. No body else in my class like Harry Potter, never mind reading. I remember one class discussion and some of the boys in my class were completely slagging off Hermione, saying how much they hated her. I was really mad.
When OOTP was released, i immediately bought it, read it, and began reading posts and peoples theories on VTM.
Waiting for the sixth book was like watching the grass grow - it took so LONG. I think the next movie was released at this stage, so that kept me occupied.
One day i remember being bored and turning on the SS movie. I wrote down all of the HP spells that were used and others that i remembered from the movies, in an attempt to satisfy my boredom. It worked
I would be walking home from school some days and calling into my local shop on the way home to see if there was anything HP related in the papers. If there was, which was quite often, i'd call my dad and tell him to buy it for me on his way home from work. He thought i was insane.
I only knew one other girl who was as mad about HP as i was and when the sixth book came out, we spent hours and hours discussing ideas and theories about what would happen in the last and unfortunately final HP book.
After such a long and AGONISING wait, on the morning of the release of the HP book, i got up very early and went down to my local bookshop to queue with all of the other HP fanatics in my area (i wasn't allowed go to the parties at midnight because my oarents thought i was too young :-()
I remember the woman opening up the shutters of the shop; the shop was decorated from top to bottom in HP themed decorations and all of the staff were wearing cloaks and witched hats. I think i was about the fifth person to buy the book in my area
It took me about a day and a half to read the last book. I was devastated when it was all over and we all knew the outcome of the series.

It has been such a rollercoaster ride and journey and i know i will continue re-reading these books for many, many years to come.
Harry Potter has given me a world to escape to when i'm bored or alone and i simply cannot express in words how much i love this series. It was the first series i had ever read and i know it will forever be a part of me.

HARRY POTTER FOREVER!!!!

Oh wow. The first time I read HP. Well, I remember having watched the first couple of movies, at least I'm pretty sure the second movie had come out by then. Anyway, my daughter had received a bunch of books from someone who was cleaning out their collection. She loves to read so they knew she would enjoy them. As I was going through the books putting the on her bookselves, I found SS. I remembered how I had enjoyed the movie so thought I'd read the book to see if they were anything alike.

After reading SS, I immediately went out and bought every other book that was available at that time, all the way up to HBP if I remember correctly. I was thoroughly hooked. Of course, my husband thought I was crazy, especially after I joined VTM. Tee hee. But that's okay.

Since then, I've read the series countless times. Now I'm just eagerly awaiting the rest of the movies. Sure wish they'd hurry them up!

Life with Harry...absolutely amazing. Life without Harry...haven't experienced that yet as I have read the series 7 times, seen all of the films hundreds of times each (and can't wait for the next three - YEY!!!), I've got all the soundtracks, lots of posters (still in their cardboard tubes, all nice and safe), all the calendars except PS (thought of collecting calendars too late, and now the PS one is selling for sooo much money!!). I've bought Beedle the Bard, but not read it yet. I've got sticker and poster books too. I'm thinking of tracking down all the Top Trumps card sets too...

Well, I saw PS the film before I read any of the books. I read all the books that had been published (i.e. up to GoF) within a matter of weeks after I saw PS at the cinema. I really identified quite closely with Harry, chiefly because he had lost his parents at a young age, and the world could have seemed like a really hostile place to him, but apparently he was still willing to give it a go. I found the world a really hostile place after my mum died when I was thirteen (28 years ago now), and it took me a very long time to trust it again.

Having started reading the books, I found they offered a place to dive into - a place of fun and fantasy, but also adventure and wonderment. I loved the whole idea of magic school and flying, I thought Quidditch was the best invention ever, and I really wished it could be real!! I have found the series has been my saviour when life has got too tough for me: it saw me through my marriage difficulties (which thankfully have been completely resolved), it saw me through the extended periods of time that my husband was away at sea, it saw me through the tough times of my university degree as a mature student, and finally it came alongside me whilst my dad was dying of cancer, and then when he actually died.

My dad died the week OotP was released in the cinemas, and the very same week HPDH was published. That was hard. Really hard. I remember watching the film and feeling nothing when Sirius died. I think I had probably cried myself dry by then. Likewise when I read DH. I had to read it three times before any of the deaths really got through to me. I suppose my own defense mechanism must have kicked in: too much grief in too short a space of time.

But that's what's so great about books: you can pick them up and read them again and again and again. And I have! I recently read the Twilight series, and I have to say with all honesty that whilst I enjoyed those books, I don't think I'll be reading them 7 times like I have with HP. I doubt I'll ever find a series I'll read as much as long as I live.

Well done JKR. Well done indeed.

Well my experience on this forum has not been long.I signed up in 2007 but I had never used it because I was signing up to so many websites just trying to find the perfect one. When i got the email it really was a chance for me get back inot the game since the movie is about to come out. I enjoy coming on here and expressing my feelings as I reread the series. i love the deep response and how everyone is being serious and not taking this as some joke.

As for the whole expereince with Harry Potter. For me it has been great. I have been a fan since 2001 and I love it and will always love it. I was very sad when the last book came out but I felt complete you know? No more waiting and wondering what was gona happen and all of the rereads we would all do just to find some kind of hint that may tell us what's to come. I am sad to say that I only got to experience the excited og a new book coming out for the 5th, 6th, and 7th book. I only went to the midnight selling od Deathly Hallows which was amzaing. I had never seen so many fans in one place at the same time waiting for that moment to hold the book in your hands and to read the first word you see ont he book.

Not only has it been the books but also the movies as well I mean they are what got me hooked to the series in the 1st place. I enjoy reading the book that corresponds with the movie to see what they will include and how everything will be portrayed. I'm very sad that the movie series is coming to an end soon. I think once the are done it really will be an end to all things Harry Potter. Well as far as anything new coming out.

I will always love and remember Harry Potter for as long as I live. It will be really interesting too read the books 10 years from now when they are all old and frail and to just go through the whole journey again. I hope and know that I will always reread the series. Maybe not every year because I love reading and I have to read different books all the time but I will find time to reread them whenever I can like now.

I love being a part of this amzing series, it has somuch to offer all people of all ages and I know so many people can relate to different characters or wish they knew certain characters. I would have loved to go t Hogwarts and just be swept up in all of the excitement it has to offer you know? I love it!!!

I am running out of things to say but I think I got the important things out and I'm looking forward to reading what everyone else has to say.

The first time i read Harry Potter, i hadn't heard anything about it. I got the third book given to me as a gift, and the second. Deciding to start the series with the first book i went out and baught it myself. The first chapter i hardly ever like, but as i moved on through the book i found myself unable to put it down. After reading the first book i was hooked, and the wizarding world is something that i feel i'v come apart of. These books where the first i'd read in my own time, as every other book was read for schooling.

I re-read each of the first four books over so many times i can't remember, and i can't believe how excited i was when the movie was about to come out. I loved the first seen seeing Dumbledore turning out the lights, the music that went along with the movie, and everything was as i had imagined. It was like watching my dreams and thoughts on the book come to life, to watch the characters move and act in the same way i had them in my mind whilst reading.

I finally joined Veritaserum right before the fifth book came out. The series was just becoming so interesting to me and more in depth and complicated that i felt it was good to become apart of a forum and share my thoughts and read others. I hadn't really thought about joining, it sort of just happened. It's good to come online and chat with everyone else, especially when the new books where coming out, and the buzz between all our members about what was going to happen, it was so exciting. I loved the fact that people online here shared the same views and enjoyed and appreciated the books as much as i did.

I feel as if these books, i will never get bored of. Each time i re-read them, even though i know exactly what's going to happen, i still feel excited and i still really enjoy the read. Honestly, i do find myself from time to time skipping over some parts of the books, but other chapters i find so thrilling they keep me engaged all night long.

I feel as if the magic in Harry's world has come out of the books and into mine.

Wow, some of your guys' stories are great. They made me laugh, and as it's 1 a.m. and I share a room with my 7 year old sister, you know it had to be great, and they made me tear up even. I wish I could say that my journey started earlier, but it didn't start until less than a year ago.

Last July, my cousin had come in to visit, and I was hanging out with her. She had finally decided to go through all her books and organize them (She probably had over 500, I would say, just in her room). When we came to finding the childrens' and fantasy portion of the books, that was when my eyes first stumbled upon SS/PS. We had stopped participating in our previous religion, which wouldn't have allowed me to read the books, so I was curious. I read the back, and then my cousin eyed me looking at it and told me I had to read it. She had the first 5 books there, and the other 2 at her place, so she said that if I enjoyed SS, I could read the other 5 just as quickly. Well, I ended up reading the first chapter that night. For starting out, it was quite boring. I fell asleep reading it, but I started again sometime the next afternoon...and finished it within a couple hours. That led to me running over to my aunt's house and asking my cousin for the next book.

I stayed up until 4 or 5 in the morning each night for the next week reading books 2-4, and even taking book 5 to stay away camp with me to finish before she left. When we got back, I went to the library and had to wait 3 weeks before I could read HBP (I about died; it was terrible xD). Then, I finished DH. I had finished the series, all through the crys during Dumbeldore's death and the heartstopping moment of Sirius dying and Voldy's comeback in GoF. I had threw the book at the wall numerous time while reading DH and sobbed when she killed off people, and showed us a different side of Severus we hadn't seen. The only thing I wanted was for both Harry and Voldy to die. (Aren't I terrible?) I had my opinion, of course, but I hadn't paid attention to the important details as much as I should of to make much of it.

I thought it was the most amazing series I had ever read. I was then delighted when I told my father I wanted The Tales of Beedle the Bard, and he got it for me for Christmas, thus leading to my obsession. I found HP fandom sites, and realized there was more to it than just the books. There was fanfictions (which I adore) and ships and Potter Puppet Pals, and oh, it was overwhelming. I started looking for books, spending all my money on the 2nd and 3rd just to be able to have something to read.

Now, I am always talking about it. I have a notebook I would carry everywhere with me at school just to write fanfiction during class that way I could 'keep sane' during the day. Half my pictures and documents and even some of my music on my laptop are all HP. I spend all my time on HP sites. But not only has this been good for as finding something that I can love and enjoy, I have met many people that I can talk with about my other 'obsessions'. And I have also learned to be open about my obsession due to being on places like here, haha.

If I ever get the chance to speak to J.K. Rowling, I know that I would definitely thank her for being such a wonderful author and person, and giving me something that I could enjoy on a daily basis. It's so much fun, and I'm now glad I'm a die hard Harry Potter fan.

My first contact with the HP books was rather strange! You see, I am an English teacher at a private school and one day we were sent a package of books from a colleague from England to update our school library. In the package there were HP books 1-2-3 and 4. No one had heard of them here so my boss gave them to me to read them and give my professional opinion as to whether they were suitable for our pupils. Needless to say I was hooked. I tried not to show it at work and simply said that the books are OK for the pupils. I went out and bought the rest for myself. My boss thinks they are nonsense but at least she appreciates the beauty of the language. I try to encourage my little ones to read them and I also use them as motive to have them do their homework. I tell them that if they all do tomorrow's essay, I'll tell them what happens next. I have narrated The Half Blood Prince and of course the Deathly Hallows to my class and it has been a pleasure for all of us, not to mention a fun opportunity to use English in class. We're now all looking forward to the movies now.

Honestly, I don't what you mean by we, but personally I have read them all once and now currently I have begun to reread them. I'm on the fifth one again. I first started reading Harry Potter was roughly when I was 11. Through the films and books, Harry was either one year higher or lower than me. However when the DH came out and I read it I was 17. So that was a pretty interesting journey for me and Harry together. Many times I felt his difficulties as well, well similar.

Finally, I decided to reread the books. Also I decided while I reread, I will analyze them, like take down notes. It is tedious, but it feels that it is worth the effort. When I reread the first book, it was surprising how young and innocent Harry, Ron, and Hermione are in this one. Even so they are barely in their first full year of Hogwarts and they had passed Fluffy, defeated a devil's snare that took up an entire room, found their way through a dozen flying keys, played their way across a giant chess board, outsmarted Snape's vials and riddle, and then Harry faces not just Quirrell or Voldemort, but them together combined. Amazing!

I remember that I was in Reception (so 4 or 5) when someone in my class who had seen the first film asked me to play Harry Potter with them. I was named as Hermione Granger ("Who?" I thought) and told to 'act bossy'. I did my best, but I just wasn't happy with the whole 'not knowing'. So, ignorant of the fact that there was a nice easy film that a 5 year old such as me could watch, I sat down and read the whole book all by myself (I'm quite proud of that) and that is precisely where my love affair with Harry Potter started.

I don't really remember reading the second and third books for the first time. I remember losing the fourth book when I was half way through it, buying a new copy, finding the old one, and then deciding, as it had been quite a few months, to start all over again. I only remember the fifth book being very funny, and I also remember that it had been rumored that a main character would die, and you know the bit where Hermione gets slashed by that Death Eater at the ministry? I thought it was curtains for her, and was happy when I was proved wrong.

I remember very clearly when the sixth book came out, and the anticipation leading up to it. I was away from home on the night it came out, so had to go to a local supermarket to buy it. I distinctly remember reading the bit where Snape let's Bella and Narcissa into his house and Bella says 'Snape, and he says 'Bellatrix'. I danced around the house for about a minute yelling "I knew it! I KNEW Snape was a Death Eater!"). When Dumbledore died, I put the book down and announced very solemnly to the room that he was no more. The second time I read that bit however, mere hours later, I wept buckets.

Obviously the seventh book is fresh in my mind. I remember queuing up at midnight to get it, and there's a picture of me in our car on the way home at 1 in the morning, reading it with a bicycle lamp. My mum had to literally tear it out of my hands to make me get some sleep. Most clearly, I remember finishing the first chapter in the car, turning to my dad and saying "Someone's already dead! In the first chapter! This is going to be good!". It was a whole lot of fun proving me and my friends' various theories right or wrong (I knew Dumbledore would come back in some form, and my friend was certain that Munungus had the locket and had sold it to someone).

Ever since I was five, I have loved to play Harry Potter. It's about the only book where you can do that as far as I know, and it's something me and my friend share even now. First, I would claim Harry every time. Then, entering Year three, Hermione followed by Ron were my favourite characters to play. Then, in about Year 5, playing Harry Potter saw a sudden surge in popularity. One of my friends was stuck playing Cedric Diggory reincarnated. I agreed, having last pick, to be 'everybody else'. This encompassed chiefly Umbridge, Snape and Draco Malfoy (I will never forget one time when, acting out a Potions lesson being both Snape and Malfoy, I was forced to have a conversation with myself). In the end, I began to feel a magnetic pull towards the character of Malfoy, and he has since become one of my favourite characters, and is likely to stay that way.

Finding Veritaserum was one of the best things I've ever done. Now, I was not simply a lone Harry Potter Geek, but part of a whole community of Harry Potter Geeks, who had a forum so that they could talk about nothing except Harry Potter all day. I invited my best friend to join, and I immersed myself in the newly discovered world of fanfiction, which has now become an integral part of my life.

Once, a friend of mine openly criticised Harry Potter in front of me, and it hurt quite a lot. It felt stupid to say, "Well actually, it's not stupid and I do care very deeply about it," but it's true. Jane Austen started out by writing fanfiction, so why can't I?

Harry Potter is my life. My parents groan whenever someone mentions it in front of me, because they know they'll never get me to shut up after that. Everyone knows that I love it, and I cannot imagine life without it. No other books have ever come close to it in my eyes. It's not just the books, you see, but the whole world that draws me to it, and I have never found that anywhere else.

Ellie
xxx

I first discovered Harry Potter at aged nine. During Christmas of 1999, i received the first three books as a present from my Grandma, who lives in England ("There coming quite popular over here, and i thought you might like them."). So, i decided to read them. Best decision i ever made.

I precisely remember finishing PoA and thinking "That was cool, i want to read the next one now!". No one had a clue what HP was in NZ during this time until GoF came out, then itstarted getting popular. I remember buying the GoF and waiting until it was in paperback (It would be cheeper for Mummy, you see?). This was about when my mother started reading them too, and we ended up reading GoF at the same time. I remember begging her to tell me who Hermione with to the Ball with, as she had read just a bit quicker than me.

OotP came out when i was in Form Two, and i remember knowing that a main character was to die, and a boy in my class yelled out to everyone on the day it came out, "Dumbledore dies in the next Harry Potter book!!!" I actually started crying, because i thought it was true. As we all know it was Sirius, and i incredibly mad at him for that. My Dad origonally wasn't going to drive me down to the Warehouse on the day it came out ("Too many people, you can go tomorrow.") but my never-ceasing whining made him cave, and i bought it an hour after it was released.

I remember very clearly when HBP came out-i waited in line for about 40 minutes with my Mum and little sister (who by this stage, i read the books to as she's dyslexic and couldn't read them herself). I got a free HP hat for being one of the first 50! I think i've still got it ... I spent the entire day reading it.

It was about a year after HBP came out that i joined VTM, and i've loved every single second of my time here. The lengthy dicussions i've had down in the ships thread have been so funny, and it's been amazing to find so many people who love HP as much as me. I've made a lot of friends from VTM, and i remember our frantic speculating and freaking out just before DH hit us.

I waited in line for over an hour when DH came out. I was so excited, it was insane i even brought a camera-i still have those pages in my scrap book! I wore my Gryffindor scarf, and practically ripped the book out of the sales lady's hands. I started reading in the car on the way home (the first thing i yelled happily about in the car was "Whoohoo! Lupin and Tonks got married!" getting a rather hasty "Shut up!" from my Mum and sister). I didn't stop reading until about seven thirty at night (when Mum dragged me away for dinner. I was up to the part where they get to Xeno's house) then carrying on until i finally finished at about midnight. Best day of my life, seriously.

I was another who played Harry Potter as a little kid. Me and my sister put a rather different twist on it, however-as my sister was deemed 'too little' by my good friend (who mostly just acts like our older sister), she wasn't allowed to attend Hogwarts and had to attend "Hog-Junior", which was basically a primary school for wizards. I was Ginny, my older sister was Hermione, and my younger sister's character we made up-she became "Abby Potter", Harry's little sister. It was a really fun game, though and we even moved on to create a "Hog-Junior" out of the Great Hall lego set and a lot of blu tack.

I was the first of my friends to fall in love with HP, and it was because of me talking excitedly non-stop at school when i was nine, that the teacher in the classroom opposite my class (two classes shared a room at my old school) decided to read the books out loud her her class. My class weren't even listening to our own teacher, and she eventually told us to just go join the other class already.

Harry Potter has been an amazing journey for me-i can't imagine growing up without it. I love the stories, i love writing fanfiction, i love VTM and all the people here, and i love the fandom. I'm sure HP's going to be something we'll never forget and who knows? Maybe it'll be like a fairy tale in the future? Instead of "Cinderella and Snow White, Once Upon a time ..." It'll be, "Phillosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Mr and Mrs Dursley like to think they were normal ..."

JKR is a genius, and if i ever meet her i'll certainly tell her so.

awww the first time i picked up and read harry potter =] i was in third grade and i needed to pick a book that i was on imn my reading level. well id read all the ones i wanted in class except one which was harry potter and the sorceres stone. id heard of harry potter from the movies and i thought it sounded dumb and scary. but since i was required to read it i did obviously. i absolutely adored it and i aced the test on it i had to take afterwards. a year later when the school book orders came i asked my mom to buy me the pack of the hp books. it was 1-4 which were the only ones out at the time. o man the second they arrived i started reading the second one like a fiend lol. i remeber specifically debating with myself whether or not to reread the first one but in the end i couldnt suppress my urge to know what happend in the chamber of secrets so ya. ive probably read these books a billion times lol honestly definetly more than 15. when sirius died i was so sad but when dumbledore died i literally cried all night. i was reading hbp and i decided to look ahead to see what the next few chapters were called and what the first paragraph said (i tend to do that when reading). anyway so i saw the chapter the white tomb and i started to read the first paragraph which said something like, the day after dumbledores death..at that i was like OMG my heart went into overdrive lool. so i continued from where i was reading like a maniac until eventually the nex day i realized what happened. =[ i loveeee the last book i think jk rowling did a fantastic job on it but at first when i finished it i thought it was terrible but i realize now that i what was disappointing to me was not the story itself but the fact that the series was over. it felt like i was depressed lol i wouldnt touch the books or even look at them. i honestly felt like someone had died. im over it lol and i know the books are so great that even though jo isnt making new ones theyll last. harry potter is a classic

Well my sister the one called iamRoYaLtY( most likely she is the one above me) kept telling me how the good the series is she kept trying to make me read them. After a while I tried to it didn't seem intristing. a few months later I tried again I forced myself to read it. Eventually I loved it. The books just connect to you it's like your in there. When Sirius died I was shocked, when dumbledore died I actually shed a tear or two. The worst part of it all is that poor snape had to it. Strangely the death that really got me was that of Mad-Eye Moody. He was favorite character!!! I was saddened that J.K. decided to kill him in the last book. My favorite was the fourth because they introduced Moody, but it had the death my house champion(sad face). My least favorite however was the following book OOtP I don't know why but I just hate, not dislike, but actually hate that book. I really love how Jo made Spae the good guy, but he never get's credit. I just feel really sorry for spape because of what happened in his sad life. Well really that's all I have to say on the subject.