The Philosophers Stone
As strange as it is to think now, I had a lot of trouble finding this book in a bookshop, I searched for it for weeks and weeks. The reason for this was because my first knowledge of the series came to me through a friend of my mum who was visiting from England, she didn't have enough room in her suitcase and so gave me her copy of Chamber of Secrets because she thought I might like it, little did she know. Anyway, despite not really remembering the reading of this book for the first time (except being terrified and not being able to sleep after seeing the chapter title 'The Man With Two Faces') I do remember the excitement when I finally found it and Dad buying it for me at the MS readathon fair.
The Chamber of Secrets
This book terrified me. I didn't even get up to Harry leaving The Dursleys on my first attempt. I remember being so scared by Dobby saying something bad was going to happen, and then my bestie Greta being a few chapters ahead of me and telling me it was so scary and someone had just killed a cat. This cat death was far too much for 7 year old me to handle, so I put down the book and didn't pick it up again until I had seen the movie (and discovered the cat in fact does not die)
The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Goblet of Fire
These two go hand in hand for me, because I finished the third and started the fourth all in one car trip. We were driving back from Wilson's Prom, and had borrowed my grandparents van, which meant that I was sitting in a little seat in the front in between Mum and Dad. We read out loud for hours and hours, mum and I taking turns. It must have been the first time I was reading parts of them myself rather than being read to.
The Order of the Pheonix
2003. The first book I bought on the day it came out. The first time Greta, Tish and I were together sitting on the floor at Cosmos bookshop listening to the reading of the first chapter.
My other vivid memory of this one is sitting outside with mum. I was pretty young then so I still had an early bedtime, but mum and I were both SO engrossed with the story that we just could not stop reading, we stayed up hours past my bedtime reading to each other well into the night.
The Half Blood Prince
The first of my famous Harry Potter parties, we feasted on magical treats, went to bed with our hair curled tight into plaits to create next morning curls. In the morning 2 Hermiones, Fleur, McGonnagal, and Moaning Myrtle walked through St Kilda once again to Cosmos bookstore where this time it was Claudia's dad doing the reading dressed as Dumbledore. This book is also the only Harry Potter spoiler I've ever recieved. I remember sitting on the ground and crying at school when I heard Snape killed Dumbledore.
The Deathly Hallows
Another book, another party. Same girls, same bookshop. It was tradition by now. Claudia's dad was very controversially dressed as Snape for the reading this year. After the reading we went out to a cafe and did not speak a word to one another as we sat not taking our noses out of our books. This was the only book mum and I did not read at least parts of out loud to each other, we even bought our own copies. It took me less than two days to read. I didn't cry. I think I was in shock. It couldn't really be the end, the end of all those years.
These are just snapshots of the years of these stories. I'll never forget them because they introduced me to so many beautiful people and things. I love love love hearing about other peoples experiences of their wonderful wizarding world times, so please do share them.
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