What was your first Potter experience?

[pinocchio]

Tell us how you realized there was something called "Potter" out there, what book you did read as the first one, which Potter movie made you a fan and so on.Did a friend tell you: You must read that book, it's just so great? Did somebody drag you into a Potter movie and in the end you thought: Wow, that's great I must read the book?Tell us how your own, personal Potter journey started...

[acsc1312]

I read the first book when it was first released and saw the movie opening day. After that, I kind of let it go for a while. Read the third book, skipped the second and didn't watch any of the movies until last year when my friend dragged me to the midnight premiere of DH1. After that I read all the books and watched all the movies in time for the DH2 release. I'm still kicking myself for letting it go for all those years.

[Totem]

I remember my cousin telling me about them. I can't remember if I saw Philosopher's Stone before getting into the book but I'm pretty sure I got my mum to buy me the first three when I was about 9. I read them through a few times, then on my birthday my aunty bought me the hardback copy of COS and chocolate frog cards and a pack of berty bott every flavoured beans and some Cards....This merchandising shit gets you hooked at that age. I bought Philosopher's stone on Gameboy and played that non stop. Between the release of GOF and OOTP I honestly read each book 20+ times, I knew the story in and out from top to bottom. OOTP came out bought in on opening day and stormed through it in a few days. Then I sort of lost interest, I was getting into girls, troublemaking, socialising alot more so I missed the book release of HBP and didn't read it until a year after it came out. I saw OOTP in the movies and bought DH opening day and read it in a few hours. I was pretty excited for HBP, saw the trailer and I was hooked all over again.Guess that is my HP story.

Edited November 12, 2011 by Totem

[Phil in the Blank]

My parents kept trying to make me read the books after Chamber of Secrets and I kept refusing thinking 'silly adults trying to make me read a childrens book!' My first experience was watching the first movie in the cinemas for someones birthday and came out thinking...well thats ok but why all the fuss? Finally I was bed ridden with the flu in 2005 and thought I'd give the books a read for the lols, and well, became instantly hooked.

[SchumacherFTW]

My dad forced me into reading the first book back in the summer of 2000. Hated him for it at first, but ended up loving it.

[Noctis]

I remember when I was seven or so, I found the Philosopher's Stone book in my shelf. I never read it, but I remember being really afraid of the drawing of the Three-Headed Dog, so I never bothered reading it. During August of 2001, I remember my mother brought me a Harry Potter bag for school. I was like, why did you do this? What is this? But, I used it. So then comes November. I remember I was in Dubai. The hype was insane and I think my parents were really hyped about it, particularly my mother. I begged not to go with them to the film. But then when I went to the theater, I saw the poster. I remember looking at Hermione's face, and thinking to myself that this might be good. Five minutes into the film, and I was beyond hooked. There's a point in Sorcerer's Stone where Harry walks in the snow, with Hedwig on his arm. I was thinking it would be the end of the film because it had already been 90 or so minutes, but when I saw that there was clearly going to be more scenes, I was ELATED. Once the film ended, I was never the same boy again and my life would change a lot. I remember dueling with pretend wands with my sister. God, the memories with Potter are endless.I can't even begin to continue about my Potter experiences in the future, so I'll stop now. I might mention them later. But that's how everything STARTED.

[AniNate]

When I was in 6th grade my school was really pushing the Potter thing on us, and at a book fair I decided to buy a paperback of Sorcerer's Stone to see what all the fuss was about. Safe to say I got hooked.

Edited November 12, 2011 by tribefan695

[pinocchio]

In 2001 I was in Berlin and knew from the press there was a new phenomenon called *Harry Potter" out there. Bought a cheap ticket for an afternoon showing of Sorcerers Stone. Thought it would suck anyway, but he, it was just 4.50 EUR. It had a cool laser show, something I had never seen at movie theatre. And to my surprise I really loved the flick.Bought the first four books mainly in airport bookstores, whenever I was flying from Berlin back to Zurich and vice versa. Devoured the first four books and just loved them. Last book I had devoured like that was Matt Ruffs Fool on the Hill, by the way. Another great fantasy novel.

[Totem]

I always pick up books at Airports.

[CJohn]

The hype around the first movie release. I had never heard of Harry Potter before. I went to see the movie and I loved it.

Edited November 13, 2011 by CJohn

[rockNrollaDIM]

I think I saw the first 2-3 movies in theaters before I even started reading the books. Then I read them all one summer.

[Electric]

I read the first book and it seemed really generic and childish, like a poor man's Roald Dahl novel.Then 4 or 5 years later I saw the third movie and started reading all the books.

[Robertron]

My first Potter experience was my Dad taking my two brothers and myself to see The Philosophers Stone back in 2001.Since then I've been hooked to the movies.

[JohnnyBravo69]

Seeing the trailer for SS on tv. I told my grandma I had to see that.

[Noctis]

My grandma took me and my cousins to PoA. She enjoys watching films, but mostly Arabic ones. So this was her first time watching an English film in theaters (she watches English ones at home) since Titanic.Anyway, when the film ended, I asked her what she thought."I had absolutely no idea what was going on, but I couldn't stop staring at the visuals. They were magnificent. Oh, and the female character was a hero!"AWWWWWWW.

Edited November 15, 2011 by Noctis

[CoolioD1]

Saw the first one at the cinema on OW. didn't really like it that much. Was dragged to see the second one on OW as well. Didn't like that one much either. Was dragged to see the third one. Thought it was OK. Decided it was worth watching the rest of them.

[pinocchio]

The books you did never read?

[CoolioD1]

I read the last two.

[JamesFord92]

I think I was 6 when I first read Philosopher's Stone, right after it came out in North America. I loved it pretty much right away but the scene in the Forbidden Forest freaked me the hell out.

[Water Bottle]

I was in third grade (so, about 8) when my teacher pretty much forced the first two Harry Potter books on me. By that, I mean he made the class read them aloud. I didn't get hooked, though. Sure the books were exciting and fun, and I liked them. And I did pretend I went to Hogwarts, but that was less of me being a fan and more of me having a huge ego that, yes, I would indeed go to Hogwarts. I was always more into Star Wars.Nonetheless, I did read every single book. I loved the first six, hated the seventh (with passion). I saw all the movies in theater (which is hard when my parents thought all the films were of the devil), and I like the first three, hated the fourth, thought the fifth was an improvement, didn't care much for the sixth, and loved the seventh and eighth film. In fact, the law two films are the only ones that are better than the book in my opinion.Now I'm in college, and thence know more. I realize that J.K. Rowling didn't create a completely original world. There have been magical schools in books before Harry Potter, all her "original" character names were stolen from great authors like Thomas Hardy, and the books themselves weren't written very well. This isn't to say the story is no good: I think it is. I mean that in general, her prose isn't very good.