It's July! And like every July, since forever, I go a little batshit crazy. You see, July for me signifies the end of all things muggle and the 31st marks the beginning of all things Hogwarts. It has been that way for as long as I can remember. Every July, I try to have a Harry Potter marathon (one where I watch all the movies back to back, at a go), include a friend into the fandom or even try to have a session with fellow Potterheads and talk about the fandom.
Before I go any further, hello there. I hope you're having a wonderful day, so far. As I had promised, I am here with something super close to my heart, the Harry Potter universe and everything it entails. For my first Harry Potter themed post, I choose to talk about how I came across this world of magic.
You see I was introduced to the Potterverse as a kid. The movies and the books have always held a very special place in my heart. And I still try to read/watch them at least once every month. You might think I am crazy, believe me, I have questioned my sanity on several occasions. But imagine this. You are four, you enter the theatre for the first time and you see all these wonderful and magical things happening right in front of your eyes. I don't think I would have had a better introduction to the magic of watching a movie in theatre than this.
That was how it was for me. I am not sure if I would have been so obsessed about the Potterverse had it not been my Didibhai. She would read a chapter to me, every night. And this ritual continued for quite some time. I remember I read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone for the first time on my eleventh birthday (don't know why I did it, but it seemed really special, back then).
Over time, every time I read the books, I would have a very different reaction. I would see the characters in a newer light, understand them better, some I grew to hate, some I learnt to love. Despite how many times I read the books or watched the movies, I don't think I will ever forget that very first time I watched the movie. Every time I go back to the books, even after all this time, I can clearly see a four-year-old me, sitting between my Moni and Didibhai, taking in every little detail, trying to store everything so I could think about it later. I remember I would tell what I had watched everyone who would listen how I loved "the boy with the broken glasses".
So that was my first encounter with Mr Potter's world. And I will forever be grateful to Ms Rowling for creating this world with so much love and care. Harry Potter and his company have seen me through all my phases in life. There was a time when I wanted to get Dobby tattooed on my left foot but I did something better. I painted a Dobby pebble for my fish tank. But that will be a story for some other day.
As I sit down with my The Harry Potter Complete Collection on my Kindle for a marathon read, I cannot think of a better way to commemorate what has been a major part of many of our childhood. I still turn to this wonderful read for comfort, encouragement and even inspiration. So when they ask, "Dia, after all this time?", no matter how cliched it might sound, I reply "Always!"
That was my story for the day. Thank you, dear reader, if you have made it this far! How old were you when you got introduced to the Potterverse? How was it for you? Hit me up with a text and let us just obsess over all things Potter! I hope you enjoyed this post of mine. Please watch this space for more stories. Drop a heart or a comment if you liked this piece.
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See you next time. Till then do stay safe and take care.
Love,
Dia.
Keep watching this space for some more Harry Potter related nostalgia and maybe some personal opinions and insights into conspiracy theories from the Potterverse as well. I hope you love these posts because they come straight from the heart.
P. S. A big shoutout to Dzenina Lukac from Pexels.