I’ve heard a lot of rumors about what it is like doing it for the first time. Some describe it as a state of utter euphoria. Others warn of the startling pain and subsequent feelings of regret. At the age of 20, I feel like I am one of the few people left who has never experienced it. I’m tired of being out of the loop. Whenever I mention I’ve never done it, people around me are shocked, appalled, and even a little offended. Sometimes I feel like they don’t even want to associate with me even more. This is why I reached an important turning point in my life this past summer. I finally decided to do it for the first time: Read the Harry Potter series.
After many long years of waiting for the right moment, why did I finally decide on the summer of 2016? Honestly, it was mostly due to the peer pressure. While the decision was completely of my own volition, I definitely felt the need to get it over with as soon as possible. All my friends had already done it, so why hadn’t I? I eventually let my best friend convince me to do it this summer. She gave me everything I needed, so I would be fully prepared. The complete set of all eight Harry Potter books was now in my possession. I was ready to go.
Even though I was eager to finally do it, I didn’t just dive into my first time without any knowledge. I wasn’t completely abstinent from the world of Harry Potter. I did watch the first two movies a very long time ago with my only memories consisting of unicorn blood, a giant moving chessboard, a girl writing with blood on the walls, and a phoenix. Additionally, I already knew that Voldemort died, Ron and Hermione ended up together, and that one of Voldemort’s friends was trapped in a mirror somewhere (turns out I was just super confused about Horcruxes). So I wasn’t completely hopeless. If anything, many of my friends were excited about my lack of knowledge. No one had ruined my expectations. Therefore, my friends tried their best to shelter me from any spoilers. They wanted to avoid anyone barging in on me during my first time. While I applaud them for their efforts, I only received one spoiler during the process. RIP to Cedric Diggory.
When I first started, I wasn’t quite sure I was going to enjoy it. But oh how I was wrong. It started off sweet and gentle with innocent eleven-year-old Harry Potter who didn’t even know the world of magic existed. As the pace of the plot quickened, I experienced periods of both pure bliss and displeasure. It was like a roller coaster of emotions. The previous cute and satisfying moments suddenly took a turn down a darker path, one that was more intense and fierce. The events in the books suddenly became more riveting and thrilling. I was totally captivated at this point. I couldn’t slow down. I only wanted to go deeper and faster as the end was nearing. I was finally reaching the climax of the storyline. The initial rush of emotions was almost too much for me to handle. I didn’t think I had gotten attached, but I did. I surprised myself by crying both tears of joy and sadness. As things drew to an end, I felt like a completely new person. I had finally done it.
People always say you never forget your first time and I know I never will. There are absolutely no regrets. This experience surpassed all my expectations. I definitely had negative assumptions beforehand that were proven wrong by the end. Just because I finally did it does not mean my relationship with the world of Harry Potter will just end right there. I hear there’s more things I need to try to have the full experience. Pottermore. The rest of the movies. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. But I already know what my next plan of action is. New conquest: The Cursed Child.
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