★★★★★

It is so hard to write a book review for a book you have known and loved all your life. I think that every praise I have to say here has already been said before. I remember watching the first Harry Potter movie with my family, my aunts and cousins in the cinema. In Macedonia at that time, this was a big deal. My auntie and cousin have already read the books, and they already had their collection set. And I knew I was also going to have my own collection when I grow up.

That is the beginning of how this series became a part of my life. 

Harry Potter followed me through my primary school and then in high school as well. I met friends that also loved the series and we formed a bond similar to what Harry, Ron and Hermione have. We weren’t too much of a trouble makers, but we did know to fight when we thought something was not fair. 

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From the very first scene, to the mention of each character, a shiver ran down my spine, of excitement and nostalgia of a world that was always part of me, even though I’ve never been physically there. A world that has accepted me and a place I could always call home when there was nowhere else to turn. 

Reading the book now again, I re-visited moments I never thought I have forgotten: 

• the list of books and items a first-year student needs. This time, I even made a list of all the fictional books mentioned, and will try to find and read those as well. 
• the engraved poem when entering the Gringotts Bank. 

Enter Strange, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn,
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.

• the family bond of the Weasleys, alongside with the love their mother has for them and their cheeky jokes. I wish I could visit them on a Sunday afternoon and have a Sunday Roast at their place – it would be such a warm atmosphere with lots of giggles.

‘Can’t stay long, Mother,’ he said. ‘I’m up front, the Prefects have got two compartments to themselves -’
‘Oh, are you a Prefect, Percy?’ said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. ‘You should have said something, we had no idea.’
‘Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it,’ said the other twin.
‘Once -’
‘Or twice -’
‘A minute -’
‘All summer -’
‘Oh, shut up,’ said Percy the Prefect. 

***

‘Now you two – this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you’ve – you’ve blown a toilet or -’
‘Blown up a toilet? We’ve never blown up a toilet.’
‘Great idea though, thanks, Mum.’
‘It’s not funny. And look after Ron.’
‘Don’t worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us.’
‘Shut up,’ said Ron.

• The Sorting Hat scene and the poem where the houses are explained.
• The train scene where Harry, Ron and Hermione meet each other for the first time. I was reading this scene and I was like: “You’ll all be best friends and you don’t know it yet!
• Dumbledore – how mysterious he is this whole book! It makes you want to keep reading the other books, because you know you will get to know him better! 
• Neville Longbottom and his bravery! 

There are all kinds of courage.’ said Dumbledore, smiling. ‘It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.’

Harry Potter will forever be part of my childhood and have an impact on my life as an adult. I will forever cherish this fictional world and I will never get over the fact that when I was eleven years old, I never got the mail from Hogwarts. Maybe they didn’t deliver mails to Macedonia 😀 

It will be my favourite children’s book forever. After all this time? Always.

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