I’ve had a lot of Harry Potter in my life. I grew up with my mom reading the early books to me and my siblings as we all cuddled up in the top bunk of my older brother’s bed. I remember watching the movies over and over. They were my parents go to movie to turn on when they needed to distract the kids because it was one of the few things all 4 of us could agree on without fighting. Finally, in middle school, I began to read the books on my own. By this point, I had already seen the first 5 movies, so I had a pretty deep understanding of the stories. I loved the books because I got a deeper understanding of the stories that I already knew. I especially LOVED the Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows because there were the first Harry Potter stories that were new to me. Since finishing the books at the ripe age of 13, I’ve read and reread the series many times. Theses days the Harry Potter movies are something that’s safe for me to turn on while I’m doing homework to have on in the background.
Last summer, I spent 2 months in Europe with my best friend from high school. My favorite part of the trip was the few days we spent in Edinburgh. The history of Harry Potter is so rich in the Edinburgh. I visited the Elephant Cafe, where JK Rowling spent much of her time writing the early novels. I went to Edinburgh Castle, which served as the inspiration for Hogwarts. I saw the street that inspired Diagon Alley and the graveyard that Rowling found names of her characters and served as the inspiration for Godrick’s Hollow.