Harry and Ron, my loves...

You know, the last few days I've just been thinking about Harry Potter quite a lot.

I have to admit, I am a huge Harry Potter nerd. There are few things I enjoy more than convincing someone to read the books, or talking with someone who has just read them for the first (or 2nd, 3rd, 20th, whatever) time. I know the series is over now (sniff), but thinking about the books just makes me smile.

When I first heard about the books, I thought the world had gone a little crazy. I wondered, "What is the deal with this Harry Potter thing?" after watching the news and seeing the crazy lines around the time Goblet of Fire came out. I was kind of against it for a long time...Then the movie previews started for the Sorcerer's Stone. They looked semi-interesting, and a bunch of my friends were going on opening day. I decided I wanted to try to read the book before the movie came out...I got to chapter 2. Ha ha. The movie was pretty good, so I decided to pursue the read. I had a little bit of a hard time getting through book 1, since I knew the ending already, and it moves a little slower. But when I started Chamber of Secrets, oh boy! I was hooked.

So now, I just think of all my fond memories reading the books, etc. You fellow Potterheads understand:

• Just about dying of shock after realizing that Sirius Black is not a bad guy
• Finding out that Harry can talk to snakes, even fake ones to enter the Chamber of Secrets
• Almost crying from excitement when Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup (I wasn't as emotional then as I am now...)
• Firebolt dreams!! (I miss those)
  
• Reading the Half-Blood Prince at work, hiding the book in the drawer and getting SUPER-ticked if a patient came in
• Forcing myself to STOP reading just before the cave chapter in HBP so I could enjoy it at home instead of being continuously interrupted
• Locking myself in my room to remain undisturbed and crying my eyes out when Dumbledore died (actually during the entire last five chapters or so)
• Laughing out loud reading, even the same chapters multiple times (the movies are wonderful, but just not very funny)
  
• Endless conversations about HP with my wonderful sister and Mom (but mostly Rachel, that still haven't stopped :)
• Actually visiting Platform 9 3/4 and being around all the crazy other psycho fans that were waiting in line to take pictures there
• Standing in line for three hours and seeing the guys who had the books already, walking back through the line trying to sell theirs to us, "Fifty pounds, fifty pounds..." :)
  
• Starting to read Deathly Hallows on the cab ride back to the hotel at 3 am
• The Gringotts/DRAGON chapter?! Just about the most amazing thing I have ever read!!
• Running downstairs to the pay phone (in London) to call Rachel (in Phoenix) and talk about stuff that had happened (I've never spent so much on long-distance calls...)
  
• Skipping London sight-seeing for a whole day to read the book, and finishing on the plane (not to mention the elation of reading everything for myself and not having anyone ruin it for me!)

These are just a few memories, and I wish I could find more of the hidden pictures in my computer to share! But here's a little trip down memory lane... :)

My ticket to HP and the Sorcerer's Stone

My first (and only I think) Harry Potter scrapbook page
(it took a while to draw and cut those letters!)

Goblet of Fire movie premiere and our awesome shirts

Platform 9 3/4 and the cover of my FABULOUS British version

Ahhh. Need I say more? Besides, Wizarding World of Harry Potter, here we come...next year! (That post will be much longer...)

:) :)