one of the nicest things...

...that's ever happened to me.

I was reading my friend Katie's blog and discovered she recently read for the first time all of the Harry Potter books. Several times I have thought that people who were late into the Potter game are so lucky. They get to gorge themselves on 7 straight books and 5 movies. I started reading them after the 3rd one came out so I waited impatiently with the rest of the world for the last 5 years for books 4-7. (the wait between 4 and 5 was a painful one. three years? come on J.K.!) Anyway, I'm lamenting over the fact that I will never read the books again for the first time and I decided to dig out Harry Potter and Sorcerer's Stone for old time's sake.

I was first introduced to Harry Potter by my best friend Katie (not to be confused with the above mentioned Katie, different gal). She convinced me to see the first movie over Christmas break our sophomore year of college. I responded to this with a resounding EYE ROLL. Little kid movie? Fantasy? Pshhhhh..... But she made me go.

And that was all it took. I was in love. I was taken with this brave boy. Has there ever been anything more endearing when the 10 year old says with total innocence: "I'm not a wizard. I'm...I'm just Harry"? The answer is no, there has not.

So I settle in bed to read the first book and by about the fourth page I realize I HAVE NEVER READ THIS ONE BEFORE! I remembered with sudden clarity that after I saw the movie, I went and bought the first 3 books, but since I had just seen the movie I started with the second book, always meaning to get back to the first one, but I never did.

I was enthralled with the first mention of Mrs. Figg, Uncle Vernon's day at the drilling office (who knew this is what he did for a living?!), Vernon seeing all the wizards celebrating after Harry semi-defeating Voldemort the first time, the fact that Harry and Ron are so mean to Hermione for the first few months at Hogwarts, Ginny begging for a glimpse of Harry and crying when her brothers left on the Hogwarts Express, all of the times Harry used magic and didn't know it as a child.

It was pure joy. I finished it within a few hours. Now maybe I can hold off on seeing the 6th movie until it comes out on DVD just to make it last that much longer. Or maybe not.