Every story is unique. They span two decades, with some memories more clear than others. But for Potterheads around the world, it's not difficult to remember the moment you were introduced to J.K. Rowling's wondrous world of Harry Potter.
My journey began Christmas Eve of 1999, almost 18 years ago. While many of my friends celebrated the holiday by opening their presents on Christmas Eve, the Stephan household had a no gift-opening policy until December 25th - with one condition. My mother had a long time friend who always gave me the most lovely Christmas gifts and her present was the only one that I was allowed to open on the night before. On that fateful night, a 12-year old Annabel unwrapped three books; little did I know the impact that this one gift would have on my life.
My journey began Christmas Eve of 1999, almost 18 years ago. While many of my friends celebrated the holiday by opening their presents on Christmas Eve, the Stephan household had a no gift-opening policy until December 25th - with one condition. My mother had a long time friend who always gave me the most lovely Christmas gifts and her present was the only one that I was allowed to open on the night before. On that fateful night, a 12-year old Annabel unwrapped three books; little did I know the impact that this one gift would have on my life.
“Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.” -Albus Dumbledore
I devoured the first three books (The Sorcerer's Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, and The Prisoner of Azkaban, for all of you muggles out there) and could not wait for The Goblet of Fire to be published. As I entered high school, I discovered that I wasn't alone in this feeling and that many of my friends shared my Hogwarts enthusiasm. As we waited each year for a new book, we would spend hours discussing theories with one another (Who was R.A.B.? What side was Snape on, anyway? What were the remaining Horcruxes? And the list goes on). We were sorted via internet quizzes (I'm a Ravenclaw) and went to pick up our new books at midnight. I vividly remember poring through the The Order of the Phoenix as a junior in high school; I was hopped up on pain meds after getting all four wisdom teeth removed and tears were streaming down my face as I learned the fate of one of my favorite characters. Alas, what enchantment could have been in the Harry/Sirius household! But I digress.
One of my favorite memories of my senior year of high school was going to Barnes and Noble at midnight with three of my best friends and picking up our copies of The Half-Blood Prince. The summer between my sophomore and junior year of college I was interning in New York; my friend Anna and I googled the nearest bookstore so we could get copies of The Deathly Hallows on release day - and then proceeded to spend the rest of her visit reading. From a junior high student to a college junior, these books, this world, had become a part of me; when I read the epilogue in TDH - which, ugh, don't get me started - it felt like I was saying goodbye to good friends. There were still a few movies to be released, but it just wasn't the same.
| 20 years from the release of The Sorcerer's Stone, the books are still celebrated widely; according to J.K. Rowling's Scholastic page, Harry Potter has been translated into more than 70 languages and nearly 500 million copies have sold worldwide. Just think about the impact that the imagination of one woman has had on generations - and will have on generations to come. It's incredible. As an avid reader and proud Fort Worth library card holder, I'm so grateful for the literary impact of this series, that so many people who would never pick up a book otherwise have been introduced and swept away by the beauty of reading. I will never forget my own friendships with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and I'll always like someone better if they tell me they are a Harry Potter fan. It's books like these that inspire me to write and that challenge my own imagination. |  (Rupert looks so much like Dobby that I just can't.) |
So all these years later, a big thank you to J.K. Rowling for inspiring the little wizard and witch in all of us. And as you reflect on your own experience with this series, remember these beautiful words taken straight from the pages of good old HP: "Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young."
Footnote: if you haven't read these books yet, do yourself a favor and get on it ASAP.
Footnote: if you haven't read these books yet, do yourself a favor and get on it ASAP.