I really can't imagine what my life would have been like as a 12-year-old without Harry Potter. What other book and movie releases would I get excited about waiting for each year? Anyone who's read them can tell you, after the first few pages of the Philosopher's Stone, you're hooked. The next few weeks of your life will inevitably involve obsessive late-night reading and little-to-no human interaction. Actually, I can't imagine my life now without Harry Potter. If you're like me, here are a few signs you might be as addicted to HP as, well, every sane person who's been on the magical adventure.
1. You ace every Harry Potter trivia quiz on Facebook.
The spell for unlocking doors? Any amateur knows: Alohomora, duh. And you know how to rig the House sorting tests to always get the one you want. #Gryffindor
2. You unintentionally act like Hermione every time you watch the movies.
*spoilers ahead* You just can't help pointing out all the differences from the books. Like how Peeves isn't in the movies at all. And how the movies do Ron and Hermione's first kiss wrong. And how the meaning of Snape's title as "The Half-Blood Prince" is never even explained in the movies. And that Peter Pettigrew's untimely death in the Deathly Hallows is glossed over in the seventh movie...alright I'll stop now.
3. You've read the books multiple times.
You probably got your Harry Potter book taken away in fifth grade for reading during class. Or maybe that one was just me. The Order of the Phoenix was a little harder to conceal under my desk than the rest of the books.
4. You have Harry Potter-related places to visit on your bucket list.
King's Cross, Platform 9 and 3/4 here I come!
5. You day-dream on a daily basis how much easier life would be with magic.
What better way deal with annoying relatives than making them blow up like balloons and drift away? Imagine apparating. Or just turning off the light with the flick of a wand when you don't feel like getting out of bed.
6. One of your greatest wishes is to be able to forget the books so you could keep reading them over and over.
But you still read them numerous times anyway. And you have a Harry Potter movie marathon at least once a year.
7. You'll argue with anyone who disses HP for hours.
And you won't stop until you turn them into a believer or deem them a muggle.
8. You waited at a Barnes & Noble for the midnight release of at least one of the books.
As soon as you felt that $20 hardback cover in your hands, you were jumping for joy and preparing to get carsick on the way home.
9. You have a special place in your heart for all the characters.
To you, Luna and Neville aren't just supporting characters. You love them as you love your own friends. You always remember when a death of a character is coming up, and you cringe at the thought. You might hate the Malfoys and the Dursleys, but you wouldn't have them be any other way.
10. J.K. Rowling is your idol.
Who else has written seven books, each equally as famous and awesome as the next? Not to mention with movies to go along.
11. You've been to Hogwarts.
You put on the sorting hat your first year along with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. You were bullied relentlessly by Snape in Potions. You suffered through your OWLs in your fifth year. You faced off with Voldemort in what seemed like every other day. You helped Harry and his friends conquer evil. "Of course it is happening inside your head...but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"
12. You're not afraid to admit that Harry Potter changed your life for the better.
You love the feeling of restarting the adventure again every time you pick up the first book. You go into a full-on depression whenever you have to pull yourself away from reading and go back to the real world. And it's heartbreaking knowing you'll never find a series of books again that will captivate you the same way it did when you were reading them for the first time at 12-years-old to now, when you become nostalgic and decide to read them for the thirteenth time.
All was well.
