I feel like I’m a little late in the celebratory Harry Potter has been around for 20 years posts, but I just really wanted to talk about it!

Because Harry Potter, obviously.  How can I not talk about Harry Potter?  If you need to know two things about me, it’s that I like Harry Potter and yarn.  Yarn is a completely different post, but Harry Potter…that’s why we’re here today.  I’m almost positive I’ve mentioned some of this before, but it’s worth talking about again…because this is Harry Potter we’re talking about here.

I can’t believe Sorcerer’s Stone has been around for 20 years!  I’ve spent most of my life reading and obsessing over Harry Potter, and I can’t imagine life without it.  I started reading Harry Potter when I was in high school, and I honestly have a hard time remembering what life was like before Harry Potter.

I have a lot of memories of Harry Potter, and it’s had such a big impact on my life.  I’m totally taking a trip down memory lane here:

• I remember hearing about the books, and thinking they sounded a little stupid.  It wasn’t until I saw Sorcerer’s Stone on DVD one weekend that I checked out the first 4 books from the library and read them.  That DVD I saw?  A rental from Blockbuster…I can’t believe Harry Potter’s been around long enough that Blockbuster used to be a thing.
• I only went to the midnight release parties for Deathly Hallows and Cursed Child.  Deathly Hallows…it was the first midnight release party I could go to, since I had no way to get to the ones for Order Of The Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince.  I honestly thought it would be the only one I’d ever go to, until Cursed Child came out.
• I remember for Deathly Hallows, I went to the Barnes And Noble by my house, in a costume I threw together at the last minute, and then getting the book and staying up all night to read it.  I went into work that day tired, but glad I had done it, knowing it would be my last time staying up all night reading Harry Potter.  For a few weeks, everyone was reading it during their lunch break, and it was really hard waiting for them to finish so I could actually talk about it.
• And when the Cursed Child script was released, I found myself at Mysterious Galaxy, dressed up as Fleur Delacour, and feeling like the magic was back, even if it was a script for a play I’d never see.  I don’t think I ever did a review on the script, and I haven’t picked it up since then, but still, the magic of Harry Potter was back for a night.
• All of the time reading Mugglenet, and wondering what would happen next.  Also: all of the time I spent on fanfiction.net, and all of the fanfics I read.  Not to mention when I starting writing my own fanfiction.  Which I still do, and it’s the one thing I keep coming back to, at least for writing.  When in doubt, write Harry Potter fanfic!
• That time I was obsessed with A Very Potter Musical.  I saw that one, and the sequel, but I never saw the third one I know is out there…
• Really identifying as a Hufflepuff.  I always thought I was a Ravenclaw, since I LOVE reading.  But then I was sorted into Pottermore, and I was like, nope, I am not a Ravenclaw, I am a Hufflepuff, I have found my people.
• I will always remember waiting anxiously for the next book to come out, and all of time spent reading theories and discussions.  In a way, all of the people who are reading Harry Potter for the first time are really lucky, because they don’t have to wait for each book to come out…but I don’t think I’d want to give up all of the title hoaxes and JKR’s interactive website with clues and all of the hype surrounding each book.
• Being able to crochet some of the really cool things mentioned in the series.  I made the Luna Lovegood scarf, I have a Hufflepuff scarf, and I crocheted the hat and capelet I wore when I dressed up as Fleur Delacour.  There are so many other things I want to make, and one of these days, I will have to make more HP-themed things.

I do think a big reason why I really got into writing was my desire to write my own take on the series.  Would I still on gone on to write my stories?  Maybe, but I’ll never know for sure.  14-year-old me wasn’t very confident in her ability to write a story, but writing HP fanfic helped me believe in myself and feel more confident that I could write.

The Luna Lovegood Scarf

As evidenced by this list of Harry Potter podcasts, this post about reading Harry Potter with a sibling, a post wondering what would happen if Hermione had more female friends, Harry Potter tattoos, a wonderful post about reading Harry Potter as the series came out, and lessons we’ve learned from Harry Potter, a lot of people have been influenced by the series.  I know all of those links come from one blog, but…a lot of people have had their own experiences with HP, and I love that there’s such a range of thoughts and discussions, and things we’ve learned because of one series.

The Fleur Delacour Capelet (Left) and The Beauxbatons Hat (Right)

There’s something very special about Harry Potter, and it means so much to me.  I have a lot of really good memories associated with Harry Potter, and it’s something I’ll be re-reading for years to come.  My life would not be the same without Harry Potter.