16 November 2001. I turned seven. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone opened in theatres in Canada. My dad got me a copy of the book for my birthday. This marked my entering of the Harry Potter Fandom.
My mum, my little sister, my best friend at the time, her little sister, my dad and I all filed into Cinema 1 at the Paramount on St Catherine Street (now the Scotia Back Theatre). This was second year in a row that I managed to not have school on my birthday – having had the day off after parent-teacher interviews – which was why we were able to see the movie during the day.
The four of us little ones were given light-up Mickey Mouse-shaped pendant necklaces so we could be found easily in the theatre if any of us wandered off – which is something that may happen when dealing with 2 three year olds, a six year old, and a seven year old.
Having not yet read the books, I had no idea what was in store. I giggled when Dudley was given a pig’s tail by Hagrid, was swept away by the Quidditch game, held my breath when Harry walked through the restricted section of the library, and cheered when Gryffindor won the House Cup at the end of the year.
The day ended with my dad giving me a copy of the first book as a gift. It was one of the older copies that had an eccentric looking wizard on the back cover, as opposed to today’s copies that have Dumbledore in his place.
I do say, this was quite a beginning for something that would become such a large part of who was while growing up and who I am today.
Piece out.
See You at BU 