I arrived at the mall with a very heavy heart, went into the cinema with a very heavy heart. As I sat down on the comfortably cushioned armchairs, as the lights dimmed, as the music made its entrance, as I see Dobby’s tomb on the screen, as the very familiar “Harry Potter” intro scene happened in its equally well known lightning shaped font, I was just, sad.
Harry Potter is a big part of my life.
When I was 11, my mum threw me a birthday party, a very rare treat. I received many gifts that year, a DIY clock set from Lynnette, a really cute piggy bank from Eng Siew, but one gift stood out, it introduced me to a world that I had not known. Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix. Aunty Jenny bought that one for me thinking that every child reads Harry Potter. In order to understand the story better, I made an effort to borrow the previous 4 books from my friends and I had a magical year end holiday that year, casting spells, going for rides on a broomstick, fighting dragons but more than that, dreamt that I would too one day receive a letter from Hogwards :’)
I was truly heart broken when Sirius died. I never felt so much for a book before, so much so I was squatting on the floor crying to Lynnette on the other side of the dear phone, scaring her to death with my shaken behaviour. I even abstained for a week in order to mourn the death of this hero. (Imagine how wrecked I was when Dumbledore died!) I remember begging my dad day and night, over and over again to give me the money to buy Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince when it came out during my Form3 year. I recall having losing the money in school and crying to my teacher about it, wanting to die until she helped me got it back and therefore secured the book in my hands. (Thanks Puan Teh!) How about when the last book came out? I saved the money to buy that one on my own, and felt the worst withdrawal syndrome when it all ended.
Over the years I collected all 7 books. The first and second, gifts from my mum. The third, an accidental bargain item from Amcorp Mall. The fourth, a wonderful present from my friends. (Thanks Louise and Miaw Fen!) And these books, they are always sitting at the middle section of my shelf, in the outward row of books together with LOTR (another favourite :) because books that are placed there are the easiest to reach. Because since day one when I was introduced to the magical world of Harry Potter it has never walked out of my life. I will always be reading it, all year long, grabbing at random a book from the series. It doesn’t matter if it was the third, or fourth book that I happen to grab by accident, it doesn’t matter if I just randomly flip it open and start reading at perhaps, chapter 12? I know the book well enough to start anywhere and anytime, I understand the characters, they’re my mates, my bestest friends :’)
I fall in love over and over again. I almost detest this line because I don’t think I’ve ever fallen out of love when it comes to Harry Potter. In fact, I’m not even sure if I can fall in and out because it’s just, part of me, you know? Page by page, word by word, in the end the books contain not just the journey of Harry and his friends, but mine too. I grew with him, I grew with the story. As the story goes, as the characters develop and as things change, so did I! The story has me in it. In some ways, it’s my story too.
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to be continued
to be continued
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