I first discovered Harry Potter when I was around 11 years old. My mother was the one who introduced me to the books. It was quite an unconventional first meeting, but it left an impression. My mother and I were grocery shopping at Sam’s Club and were passing thru the book section. While browsing thru I saw a book that caught my attention and it was a Harry Potter book; the Chamber of Secrets to be exact. My mother in an excited voice began to tell me about how she read both books for her English 101 class and she enjoyed it. She is not much of a reader as she says “every book I read puts me to sleep”. So if she was able to finish the book, it has to be good. So I went home that day with the first two books and my Hogwarts journey began. When I began reading it, I was hooked! I enjoy fantasy but what I really liked was the thought of a boarding school for magic.
I have always had a fascination and a romanticized idea of boarding schools. I always wanted to attend one as a kid and the possibility of attending one was slim so the books satisfied my curiosity and craving to attend one. My attachment for the franchise was ignited by the books but solidified by the films. I think it was because I was about the same age as the actors. So in a way I feel like I grew alongside the characters and each film served as a time capsule of my childhood.