I keep seeing previews for the new Harry Potter movie, (for which I am very excited) and every time I do I think of reading the seventh book.
My brother Ty and I went to Hastings at midnight with a few of our friends to pick up our pre-ordered copies. That night we went home and sat in twin recliners with our twin books and read until our eyes refused to stay open. Ty has always been a faster reader than me so I always knew when something funny was ahead of me by the soft snort of air we call his laugh. I loved that he was usually a few pages ahead of me so I could talk to him about what I had just read without ruining anything for him.
Thinking back on this I realized Ty and I have always been Harry Potter buddies. I can still remember a fall night when I was in 4th grade walking with Ty in a dry ditch bank to a neighbor’s house to borrow Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. This was before Harry Potter had really become popular and I hadn’t heard anything about the books yet. Ty told me enough of the first book to get me interested (I distinctly remember him telling me about Harry sleeping in a closet—something we had in common :) ). He brought the first book home from school the next day for me to read.
When Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire came out my mom surprised us both with our own copies. We read it together on the trampoline all afternoon, shaded beneath the willow tree with the leaves casting shadows while Harry cast spells on me and my brother.
While thinking of all of this I realized maybe the reason I love Harry Potter so much isn’t just because it’s an entertaining, romantic, and enchanting story. Maybe the reason I love Harry Potter so much is because of all those hours Ty and I spent reading and re-reading Harry Potter together, both silent and aloud. Maybe a small reason I love Harry Potter is because I love Ty.
7 comments:
1. This is so sweet.
2. Loved "with the leaves casting shadows while Harry cast spells on me and my brother."
3. We really need to see this movie together! Really.
I love this post. I remember you and Ty taking turns reading it aloud to me because you were sure I would love it. I loved having you read to me.
Ty is a grand brother.
Ande! I loved reading with you. We read a lot of books with each other, but we always went back to Harry Potter. I haven't even been able to make it through the 6th movie yet, but I'm sure I could if I watched it with you. Thanks for the great memories. Your the best sister ever (remember I can still say that for a little bit).
I too loved the sentence about the multiple "castings." You're a very gifted writer. Also, I laughed out loud when you wrote about the "snort of air we call his laugh." My laugh was audible. :-) Thanks for sharing those memories. I loved reading!
My claim to (un)fame is I've never read the Potter series. Now I know why, it wasn't that it wasn't my kind of book...I just needed the right kind of person to share it with. I'm glad you had Ty for that. I may have to tell Lyle to sit a spell and re-read it with me one of these days.
That was sweet Ande. Very fun to read.
Cali
I love Harry Potter as well, but I love the memory you have of it. I think for me, anything linked with family becomes infinitely better. I read the 7th one while painting my bedroom and being 8 months prego with Emree. I hated the bedroom after that, but i still love Harry!
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