You know, in Greece we got the book somewhere between November and December so i had to stay away from everything Harry related thing, including Tlc. Anyway, i quite regret the way i finished the 7th book, it's just wasn't the way i wanted to finish it -well kinnda. I was alone at home, so there was complete silence (my way of reading the books, in my dark room having only a lamp turned on) and it was afternoon around at 6-7 o'clock and i had left only 3 chapters before finishing the book. I read the two of them and for some reason i stopped before turning the page to the epilogue. I just didn't want to finish it but after a few moments i did and then i saw this title "Nineteen years later". I was shocked (because i never look the titles of the chapters in the contents when reading Hp books for the first time) and jumped of my chair. It took me a few minutes to think whether i wanted to end it or not before i do it and well, i ended up readind about twenty times the line "All was well". I don't know it was weird, i just couldn't believe it was the end. I regret it because reading only three chapters (and having many problems floating in my mind at that time) didn't "put me" in the world as usually, which i hated. But hell, it was a great ride

Ahh, yes.. I remember lining up outside Borders on that fateful day at 6.00am. Mind you, I live in Australia, so DH wasn't released until 9.00am, and July is the middle of WINTER for us, so I froze my arse off!

The 'Morning Party' (instead of a Midnight one) consisted of few people dressed in costumes, but the majority were cranky teens/young adults who complained about being cold, and about how early they were up on winter holidays. Few people in the line got into angry debates, myself included with a H/Hr shipper. I also remember arguing (or shouting) that it was simple impossible for Harry to be a horcrux.. Heheh. If a spoiler were to come to Borders that morning, I think we were all unpleasant enough to kill them.

Things changed when the count down was almost over.. Until they decided to reveal the book at 9.00am for some competition winner, and they gave the kid an adult's cover of DH. Crankyness returned when the kid started crying.

Once we got the books, I was designated driver, and spent my time driving and screaming at my friends to close their books until they got home.

Once home, I locked myself in my room, and read 13 hours straight, with two toilet breaks and one lunch break. I even skipped a 21st that night I was suppose to go to so I could finish the book.

I remember throwing my Hedwig toy I got from Borders across the room when 'that' happened, sobbed where I saw Hedwig was described as lying still like a toy.

That same day after 11.00pm sometime, I finished, lay down in the foetus position and balled my eyes out.

I had the blessing and privilege of getting to read all the Harry Potter books to my son. We began the books after the first movie came out, though we waited to watch it after we read the book. We then read the rest and got to see the rest of the movies in the theater together.

As much as I wanted to go to a release party, I was terrified of being spoiled. I finally decided to watch the live reading shown on the scholastic website of JKR reading the first chapter. So at midnight I sat by myself in front of my computer screen and listened in total awe. Since meeting her is something that will only happen to a lucky few in this world, getting to see the live reading was the next best thing. I didn't have the book yet so I went to sleep that night after a pondering a long time over what happened in that first chapter. I cherish that.

By noon the next day my book arrived and I of course ate it up and finished it quickly. In the meantime I also began rereading it aloud to my son since it was tradition. Those are memories that I will never forget.

Book 7 was a big deal for me. I had found Harry Potter in late 2001, when the first movie came out. I thought the movie looked fantastic and had started working in a bookstore a week before and saw the Harry Potter display up to book 4. I have a strict "read the book first" policy so I brought home Philosopher's Stone and devoured it. I loved it. And saw the movie the next day. Life happened, I became pregnant, it was a difficult pregnancy both for me physically and emotionally because in that nine month period my aunt had a serious heart attack and needed care after a difficult open heart surgery, I lost my grandmother (my namesake) and my mother battled breast cancer. After I gave birth to my beautiful, healthy daughter in October 2002, I was given a tape of Philosopher's Stone which I watched nights I was up breastfeeding. I read Chamber of Secrets in 2003 and then became pregnant again with another glorious, healthy daughter who was born in 2004. Then life intervened yet again, my eldest daugher was disgnosed with a stomach disorder and needed frequent trips to the hospital for her specialist visits as well as nurse an infant. The next 18 months were a blur of sleep deprived nights, and days of me just caring for my two beautiful daughters. One dau a friend of mine happened to mention that a new Harry Potter book was coming out, I remembered just how much I loved the first two books so I went to the library and took out the first four books. That was when I really fell in love with Harry Potter. I devoured every one, read the four over a 3 week period, then renewed them and read them all again. My best friend laughed with me when she'd call and I'd tell her were I was, and she'd say, "just wait until this chapter". I loved Harry Potter. One day we were talking, and I guess she thought I knew enough about all the books, as I told her that I finished all the books and couldn't wait until the next one was released, in about 2 weeks time. I said "I need to see what happend to Fred and George, and the money that Harry gave them", I was met with silence on the other end of the line. After a few seconds she said, "Krista, you do know there's a fifth book right? And that the book being released is the sixth?" I swore. Being a frazzled mom, and someone who didn't own a computer, and whose library was a tiny one with only a small selection of books I just didn't know. I had seen 4 books on the library shelves, and not realizing how hugely popular Harry was, assumed that that was all there was. I called up my library, put OotP on request as well as put myself on the wait list for HBP. (at this time I didn't have much money, certainly not enough to be buying books for myself when I had two children in diapers and one on $400 worth of medication a month). After my call to my friend I knew that there were only going to be 7 books and I harboured a dream to not own any of them until I could save up and buy a boxed set of the 7 in hardcover. My friend had warned me that book 5 was difficult, information loaded and that I would have to read very carefully so I would know what was going on when I read book 6. The day I got book 5 I opened it and read very slowly, out loud at times. I loved book 5, I hated how Harry was feeling, and how he lashed out but appreciated that Jo was being real with this teenaged character. I despised Umbridge and that was hardest for me. The rest of it I loved. It was like an encyclopedia of the magical world and I drank in every drop. Then book 6 was released and I got it 3 days after it was published and read it over 2 days (an impressive feat for a mother whose whildren had yet to sleep through the night). I was devastated at the end. Being still unaware of the popularity of Harry and the internet I had no clue about spoilers, theories and the like. Then there was the long wait for book 7. I found fandom in 2006, and have made dear friends on one of the sites. I loved having a place to discuss my hopes and fears for book 7. I was never really into the ship debate, I stayed away from them after reading a few messageboards. Too negative. I became obsessed with the books, rereading each looking for clues trying to bide my time until July. I resolved to be at a bookstore for the midnight release, because I had never been able to before. When the book was released, I was at a mall, dressed in my muggle t-shirt with Harry glasses on. I had preordered, but still felt like it wasn't going to happen. The mall I went to had contests on and people walking around selling italian sodas renamend Gillywater, Pumpkin juice etc. It was great. When midnight came I grabbed a copy of my book and drove to my parent's house (they were away for the weekend and I knew I could read unintertuped, my husband having been warned to only call me if someone needed to go to the hospital). I managed ot get home without sneaking a peek inside, for fear of going off the road. I only made it inside the front door, where I sat on a bench and started reading. After Moody and Hedwig died I was crying so hard I needed a break and stood up and removed my shoes, put on pyjamas and went to read in bed. I wanted ot be completely alone for this last book. My friend and I had a plan, she would call me (she lived a 6 hour drive away so we couldn't be together). She would call and say the page she was on so that nothing was spoiled. I read until 4AM and went to sleep. At 9 I woke with a start, made coffee (I was too afraid to get in a car only to have it spoiled). I read all day, had a greasy, fatty lunch delivered and read until 7PM. It was a roller coaster of a day and I went home spent. After putting my kids to bed, debriefing with my best friend I went to bed and opened it again. The second reading took a week and htat was the way I wanted it, I read it out loud to myself to catch every word.

i could've finished it in 1 day. i was at my wife's house that she grew up in with her family. we all read it. of course we stayed up all night and all day, but i had to go to hobby lobby with my wife to buy a mirror. i thought it would be a nice break but that turned into about a 4 hour reading draught. read the last 2 chapters the next morning before church.

i have some awesome footage of being one of the first in line at books a million and starting the "HARRY HARRY" chant. i could watch a feature-length film of video footage of different people's Deathly Hallows Release experiences.

As I found myself standing in line on July 21, 2007 in front of Barnes & Noble, I reflected on the events that had lead me there and the actual "magic" that had ensued. And, shortly after, encountered yet another cherished moment brought about by Harry Potter.

My daughter, Becky, had first introduced me to the Potter books when she'd been recommended by another school friend in late 1998. In 1999, when Chamber of Secrets was released, Becky asked me to buy her a second copy of Philosopher's Stone so that she could give her old one to her friend at school, who didn't have the money to buy one, so I obliged, feeling that if anything could encourage kids to read, it would be this book.

Flash forward to 2007 Becky's Senior Year at High School, when that same friend signed her yearbook - just prior to the release of the Deathly Hallows - thanking Becky for introducing her to books. She told her she would be becoming a librarian. This was Harry's *real* magic at work - building lasting enthusiasm for reading through the wonder that only a book can bring.

My daughter and her contemporaries had, quite literally, grown up with Harry Potter, being so very close to his age when each of these books came out. Becky was 9 years old when the first book came out and 18 when the book describing his 17th year (Senior Year) arrived.

Reading this final Harry Potter book became a rite of passage. Moreso, even - she and some of her classmates felt - than High School Graduation. This was simply due to the reality of growing up and leaving some of the trappings of childhood behind, which had become evident in seeing Harry Potter's story come to a close during the summer between the end of High School and the beginning of College.

Becky and I read "Deathly Hallows" almost non-stop over the next day and a half and discussed it at length that Sunday. Like many Potter fans, we would we have bought and read a tome over twice as long. We were very moved, now knowing the entirety of what JKR had intended for Harry. Touched by the rows, reunions and losses in the book, we now found ourselves recognizing how much we would miss the experience of eagerly awaiting the next book. Something no other generation would live through again.

It was a wonderful, enjoyable ride through a world that was so lovingly and meticulously created by a remarkably gifted author. I'll likely read it many more times myself and I'll also share it with Jennifer, my other, younger daughter when the time is ripe.

The moments Becky and I shared that weekend and, particularly, that Sunday, remain very precious to me. It was one more opportunity to recognize the changing seasons of my daughter's life prior to "leaving the nest", as it were. One more chance to look back at a very special time in our lives together leading up to her having become an adult. For that rare gift alone, I'll always be indebted to JK Rowling for bringing us this wonderous world.

Thanks, Melissa, for letting me share a story so close to my heart.

Pax, harmonia,

Brian G. Philbin

I am one of the fans who has literally grown up with Harry. I started the series at age 10 and turned 19 in August 2007. The release of Deathly Hallows marked the first time I would be older than Harry, Ron and Hermione on a first read.

I remembered reading the pivotal end chapters of Prisoner of Azkaban in the car eight years ago while my Mom and I were lost. I wanted to re-create that (the reading in the car, not the getting lost) and asked my Mom to schedule our annual road trip so that we left the morning the book was released.

The plan was this: buy book at midnight, read as little as I could stand, go to sleep, get up, turn my phone off and spend the entire weekend reading on the highway.

I figured that unless a giant billboard was painted to read "_____ DIES ON PAGE ___" I was safe.

In the weeks prior to release I did something I had done before Order of the Phoenix. I succumbed to novel-length, well-written, fan-favorite fanfiction. Then, it was After the End, now it was The Shoebox Project. Those are still popular, right? ;-)

Don't tell my Mom, but I was really hoping for rain on our trip. We didn't get any. In retrospect I guess her cursing would have off-set the ideal, cozy white noise effect I was hoping for.

My Mom (my only companion while reading) has read the first four books and listened to five and half of six on tape. She says she doesn't have time to read them. I no longer try to force the series on her, but her alleged laziness still bothers me. She's a teacher! Honestly.

Anyway, at one point in the ride, she asked me if they'd gotten to school yet.

"I always like the different ways they get to school."
"Oh, they aren't going to school this year," I said.
"What??"
I shrugged. "They've got more important things to do. I mean Hogwarts is open and they might go back at some point but not for classes or whatever."
"Huh..."

We didn't discuss it again until the Battle of Hogwarts, when I asked not to be disturbed if possible- and then when I was done. She wanted to know who died, and though I gave her a general list I refused to spoil some things. (I wouldn't talk about Snape, and I said that Harry lived without mentioning that he also died.)

Then I found myself at my grandparents' house with NO ONE to discuss it with. Oops. All of my new PotterCasts were still prediction-filled and the internet community was still trying to be spoiler-free. Many of the friends I called hadn't finished and wouldn't have understood me anyway if I yelled "John Noe was RIGHT! OMG!" or went on about Michael Gambon and how he had also been right all along.

Has my life changed because of Harry Potter? Not particularly. I'm on the sidelines of the fandom. I know a whole lot more about the internet because of it. I'm also SO MUCH more encouraged to pursue writing as a career because of it.

I've gotten these books early and late. I've gotten them through the mail, at midnight release parties and had them delivered to me personally. I've read them alone and in groups. I have put them down wanting more, wanting to talk, feeling angry, feeling shocked and, in the case of Deathly Hallows, completely satisfied.

My story of completing the series is almost completely mundane. From an outside perspective I'm sure it is completely mundane. I went to a midnight release party with some friends. I was slightly dressed up. We decided not to wait in line all night because we wanted to do the games and crafts and events and watch the magic show. Of course, this put us at the end of the line when midnight rolled around, but we were okay with that. We got our books, went our seperate ways and I snuggled into my bed to read as late as I could. When I finally couldn't keep my eyes open I put the book down and got about three hours sleep. I think picked the book back up and began reading as fast as possible again. I'm not the speediest reader and I knew that if I hadn't finished by the time I had to be at work I would be miserable all night and I would make everyone around me miserable. I didn't quite finish before I had to leave for work, so I took the book with me and as I was sitting at the bus stop waiting, a girl and guy next to me were taking their copy of the book out of plastic bag. They had obviously just bought it and the girl was completely engrossed in the cover. I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, the guy gesture at me. He could tell I was right at the end of the book, probably in the penultimate chapter. A tentative voice came from the girl, "Is it good?" I spared them a brief glance and a curt nod and went back to the page. I don't know why, but that encounter has stayed with me over the years. I don't know who those people are or what they are doing now but somehow I made a connection with them. And I can still see the girl's face clearly as she held the book in her hand. As if she were looking at a handful of gold.

I was at my parent's house, sitting on the chair in the living room, about to begin the epilogue, when I got up and moved five feet over to the couch, so that I could finish reading the series in the exact same place I started, eight years before.

When book seven came out, I was on vacation in Syria(middle east) & we were just roaming around, never staying in one place more than a couple of days. Tourist attractions there are mostly mountains, & it was hard to find a library that sold English books & was so up-to-date as to have DH out on the 21st. I had already knew that I'll be in a situation like that before I left Dubai for the vacation, so I had arranged for the book to be sent to me on the afternoon of the 21st. When I got it, me & my family were taking a break from all the touring & settling for a week or so, & I spent two days sitting on the cold floor of an unfurnished room by myself, reading. I didn't waste a minute. I ate with the book, went to the bathroom with the book, I stayed up reading until much later than the crack of dawn, & I'll wake up & the first thing I do is get out of the noisy part of the house to that empty barren room to read.

It was the highlight of my vacation.

When Book 7 came out I was at basic training with the U.S. Army so I had to wait until august 3rd to read it. I remember borrowing my buddies copy she picked up at the army store and reading the fist few chapters at like 10pm on fireguard and then finishing it on my way back to Florida (an 8 hour car ride) because the next morning basic was over. It took me a while to finish the book because I didnt want it to end but didnt want to put it down so I just read slow. I remember when Dobby died I was crying and getting out of my car to go to seaworld at the same time. I read the book alone and then my parents wanted me to read the series to them so I did.
The books have completely changed my life. I made a lot of friends and see situations differently. I have been growing up with the stories so when I was like 9 I would just say oh I can relate but now I relize that the social and political issues in the novels are real in our world and have been more active and wanting to help get rid of evil and hardships in the world.
I hope that was short for you!

I had told you in the "other post" that I had found Harry through my little brother Nick and afte he died before the fifth book came out I was able to find some solice in Harry Potter when he lost Sirius. At the time I was 15; now I am 21 but when the 7th book came out I was 20 and my best friend Emily and I planned a Harry Potter party complete with mailed out invitations signed by Professor McGonnagal. Emily, my other friend Jon, and I decorated my house and I made little party favors for everyone. I included Liquirish wands (Twizzlers cut in half), jelly bellies, and other candies. I also made everyone a bookmark with their house on it. I used the one I made for myself (Hufflepuff) when reading you book! (Which was totally fabulous, by the way! Congradulations!)

We went to the local Books-A-Million and stood in line for about an hour. The whole building was decorated with Potter decorations and was muggy and hot from the hundreds of people mingling - or at least trying to mingle - between book shevles. I had on my wool Hufflepuff scarf and refuse to take it off even though I was sweating. Too much information? Anyway, when I got my book I waited until I was back home to read it. I stayed up until about 4am before I had to call it quits for the night. The next day I had to alternate between reading and studying for a spanish final for that monday. I was taking the class over the summer to catch up on college credits so I could graduate on time - so far its looking like I am! Mom was mad at me for reading Deathly Hallows but I compromised. For every hour I read I would study an hour. It seemed like a fair trade off. I ended up finishing Deathly Hallows in less that 24 hous which was a first for me with any of teh books. I had started out the first book being a vey slow reade and now I still am but I read a little faster now.

When I began each book, beginning with the 5th, I made sure to write a little birthday note to Nick in it before starting. Every book was his. He had left behind an incomplete hardcover collection of the series and I was going to make sure he had them all. With each new death in the books it always hit close to home for me. The hardest deaths were Hedwig and Fred. Both represented Nick to me. Hedwig represented Nick's loyalty to his siblings, Chris and me, and my loyalty to my brothers. Fred dying was almost too much in that the character was a brother and I saw my own mother in the grieving Molly Weasley. I was a wreck by the end of the book but happy that everything had tuned out alright for Harry. If he could get through it so could I. Of course, you never really do "get through it" though people think you should be over it. The truth is you don't want to get over it because as long as you feel a little sad you know you will never forget that person who loved so much. It's ok to be sad.

Melissa, your book brought all this back to me and I want to thank you for that. Your 911 story had me in tears but so many othe parts of your book had me laughin out loud. It reminded me of why I loved that books to begin with and I think I can say with certainty that Nick would have loved your book, too. Thank you.

I said in the "other" post, I just moved to a new town, I was in the middle of no where, I was at a new job. I had to wait in a long line in Walmart at midnight, and ended up with two copies because my husband didn't want to wait for me to finish before he could start reading. My husband and I didn't have friends in our new town but we had each other and Harry, we had our own spot in the living room popcorn and sugar cookies and read. My husband did have a co-worker who read the series and wanted us to finish so we could talk with him about it. But when I finished, it was over, so I had to start reading it again, then the entire series to pick up things little clues I might have missed, mostly Dumbledore things. All of our family and friends were over an hour away and with gas prices being what they were, we didn't see them very much. My husband and I worked different hours, I needed something to keep me busy when I wasn't at work. Between Harry and Leaky and keeping up with my friends on Livejournal and Myspace I got through a year in a small town.

I went to a Barnes and Noble release in Connecticut with my best friend. We dressed up as Remus and Sirius, our favorite characters, and we were in the first group to get our books.

I stayed up until seven in the morning reading, then took a nap and resumed reading the second I opened my eyes. I cried at the end, and had to deal with my best friend's grief, as well. (My favorite character had already died in five, so think about what she had to deal with.)

As for if I had changed.. I know I did. The Harry Potter fandom helped me gain confidence. It helped me grow up. And it introduced me to my best friend, who without Harry Potter, I never would have met.

I went to the Harvard Square concert/book release with four of my closest friends. We hung out there the whole day, and were actually on the Channel 7 News at 5:00 looking at stuff in a toystore. My friend wrote "The Weapon We Have Is Love" on her arm in sharpie and the newspeople thought it was a real tattoo.
We had reserved copies at the Harvard Coop but the line was terrible. They were selling it across the street at the news stand for cheaper, and giving away tote bags with the cover picture on them. We got our copies there and got picked up by my friend's dad.
We got to my friend's house at around 2:00 and read/napped until we finished. I took no breaks or naps and finished first at 8:45 that morning. Yeah, I read the whole thing in 6 hours and 45 minutes. That's like, one of my crowning acheivements. I only cried for Fred. I tried not to give anything away to my friends, but it was really freaking hard. I think I drove them crazy trying to keep my mouth shut. Mostly I was thinking, "That's it? That's the end? It's over? It's over. Wow."
The seventh book release is what really pulled me into the fandom, though. I read the books and went to releases before that, but I had no clue of any of the online stuff. The following internet splurge for information on Wizard Rock also introduced me to pretty much everything else. I kind of regret not going to the internet for answers before it ended, but I'm also happy being a part of it now.

I'm really happy about everything HP has brought me, aside from the part where I can't go to LeakyCon even though it's in my hometown, because my brother graduates from college that weekend. That part's not so cool. I wanna gooooooo D= so badly.

Also, I got Harry, a History for Christmas yesterday and read it on the drive to NYC. It was brilliant, I cried at parts, I absolutely loved it and I love the community this fandom has created even though I'm a late-comer to parts of it =D Thank you for writing it, Melissa.

As soon as Borders started taking pre-sales I placed my order for the deluxe edition of DH. However, I skipped the midnight release party since I had to go to work that day. Lucky for me a lot of my coworkers are Harry Potter fans and we were all speculating about plot pints and other aspects of the FINAL (yikes) book. Needless to say it was one of the longest days I've had watching the hours slowly tick by.

I had already told my the boyfriend (now fiance) that I would have to break our usual Saturday date for as much as I loved him I couldn't keep Harry waiting. He understood, so I called him on my way to the car after work and chatted about how his day was going, how mine went, told him I loved him and would talk to him when I'm done with the book. I raced to the store to get my copy of DH. I took only a slight detour home to get a Subway for lunch and dinner (there would be no stopping from the time the book opened till the last word was read) and once I got home I checked my cats food and water to make sure they wouldn't bug me.

Then I curled up and started reading and oh my god... Dudley being so nice to Harry before they parted ways...Hedwig's death and Mad Eye's too... I was crying before I knew it. I read on crying at different points in the book. It was just over twelve hour later that I finished the epilogue. I couldn't believe it. It was wonderful, and it was over! I was emotionally spent, over all that took place and the slow realization that this series I loved was over.

As I sat there letting it all sink in I texted my boyfriend and told him I had finished the book and was so satisfied and exhausted that I was going to bed.

As soon as I got to work the following Tuesday everyone was asking me what I thought about it. I told then I loved it but we had to censor ourselves. Not everyone had finished the book yet so we kept checking and seeing how far each had got. That way if we were talking about something they hadn't read yet we would find other ways to refer to things (kind of like when adults are talking in front of kids and don't want them to know what's going on).

The series as a whole has been a wonderful reminder that even a small number of people can do amazing things. And the communities that have built up around HP have been great. The HPA has been a great resource to become more aware of the horrors happing in Darfur and Burma. I've also become more active in various social out-reach charities. Some that I've known about and some I heard about through the HPA.

So that's my rant.

The summer the 7th book came out I was in Charlottesville, where I attended college going to summer school. That weekend all but 2 of my roommates were out of town and the 3 of us all had huge exams Monday. I snuck out at midnight to get my book and read until 2am. I got up at 6am and started reading again. At some point I moved into our living room. At 10am I heard a big thump on our doorstep and figured it could only be my roommates copies of the book being delivered by Amazon. I remember running up to their rooms and waking them up. One of them yelled that "it's like Christmas but better!" once she found out why I was waking her up at such an ungodly hour. The three of us spent all day on the three couches in our living room reading. One brave roommate tried to alternate reading with studying every hour. Needless to say, this didn't last very long. We sent two people out at each mealtime so we would eat during the day. I know I finished around 11pm that night. I have no idea how I did on my Monday exam, which I never ended up studying for.

I think the series has definitely changed me. I received the first 3 books as a Christmas present in 99. I remember I wasn't totally crazy about them at first, but by the time I opened up the third book I was hooked. I didn't get into the fandom until right after book 7 came out however. One of the most rewarding and wonderful things for me has been reading your book Melissa. It has been really interesting to read about everything that was going on in the fandom while I was reading the books but wasn't involved in the HP community. Reading Harry, A History has brought back a lot of wonderful memories for me. Additionally, I know the 5th book has made an imprint on me as I read it while I was suffering from depression and at the time it really helped me to overcome what I was going through. Sometimes I feel as I am the only person who really loves caps lock Harry. I think it's because I understand him quite well. I applaud Jo for writing a teen that is so true, honest, accurate, and, at least for me, easy to identify with.

I'm not quite sure where my life would be without Harry, but I'm positive it would be slightly less full.

I awaited Deathly Hallows with very confused feelings, excitement, at the coming book, sadness that it was the last book, and apprehension that I would know the ending before it came out. In the months leading up to the release, I was very worried about spoilers. Luckily I was not spoiled! :) I kept from being spoiled by only reading Leaky News and posting strictly in the Leaky Lounge. Melisa and her entire staff did a great job of keeping me spoiler free! I don’t thank I ever said thank you, but know your efforts were much appreciated. One thing, I was always convinced that Harry would be alive on the last page, it was the journey to that last page that was going to be interesting.

On the morning the book came out, the postman arrived with a single copy, unfortunately, my wife claimed it and started reading immediately. I thought she had ordered one for each of us! After going to 4 bookstores that were sold out, I was worried I would never find a copy to call my own. How popular was Deathy Hallows? Was it sold out every where? I hoped not. I stopped my search to go to the grocery store to pickup some things for my wife. I was so happy when I walked into the store and saw a Deathly Hallows display stocked with books. When I checked out, the sales clerk was exhausted, she had been reading all night, and she said it was great. She new enough to say nothing more.

I started reading as soon as I got home. I took it a chapter at a time, always taking a break between chapters. I wanted to savor this last book. Then I came to the Silver Doe, and was shocked. I knew immediately what it meant. Snape was in Love with Lily Potter and was on Harry’s side. That is where I stopped for the night. I had some rethinking to do before I continued. Before this, I was convinced that Snape was out for himself, and that Dumbledore was too trusting. I knew at that point I was wrong.

The end of the book was everything I hoped for. I found a character I thought I knew well, was much deeper than I thought. I even liked the epilogue; “all was well” was a great way to have it end. I could not wait for the Lounge to open up the following day so I could discus it.

But I was not done, Sunday evening, I went to Target and picked up the audio book, I spent the next 2 weeks listening to the book; this is my favorite way to enjoy the HP books. I highly recommend it! I started doing it for the reading groups. So if you have never listened to Harry Potter, go now and start listening!

I do not think Harry Potter has changed my life, but it did give me countless hours of enjoyment. That made the whole trip worth it. In fact, I still get hours of enjoyment from it.

Hmm.. I guess I sort of went overboard and already answered this question in my reply about the beginning. But I'll ramble anyway.
The whole lead-up to the 7th book was full of Mugglecast and a bit of Pottercast (I live in the middle of nowhere, so the various 'casters were my company that summer) and I paced around the living room with my dad theorizing all over the place. The release date coincided by a few days with my 18th birthday, so I couldn't help making the connection between my childhood/adolescence and Harry Potter.
Actually going to the release party was, well, lonely. I went pretty much alone and there were hundreds of people there and I didn't have anybody to talk to. On top of it all I was really nervous about the End because I had no idea how I was going to feel: would there be a sudden gaping hole in my life? Would the world end? Would I have to go into mourning for twelve weeks? At any rate I got home and dove into Harry's mind for the last first time. When I arose from the shimmering, shivering dream with my heart still pounding, I felt more ready to move into the next phase of my life than before. I also felt as if a door had closed on part of my life and tied up with a neat little bow while another had opened. For a moment I felt like I had taken part in some dramatic sweep of history, and I stood barefoot on the deck in the wet summer morning, watching mist rising off the grass into the sun. I knew that somewhere else, someone else was probably doing exactly the same thing: gasping like a fish out of water, having to relearn how to live in the world again. But it felt, too, as if this world was not the same as it had been before. So many of us, living in this story, sharing it, breathing it, devouring it... And it's still running around us. It all felt so big. It still feels big. And I keep coming back to it, and thinking, "this story is important to us. It is a new myth. It has changed us, and since we are so many, simply in living this story, we are changing the world." It's a kind of hope, I guess. :)

The circumstances around me finishing the last book is actually kinda strange, well first of all we had to reschedule our trip to Turkey the minute I realized it crashed with the release date of DH. And when I first got the book it took forever before I actually got the courage to open the book and start to read I read 15 chapters, I think it was... before my mother came and took the book away from me, litterary took it away and hid it, (later I found out she had hidden it where we keep the bread..) because I had said that I wanted to read it on the plane, to Turkey. Which I sooo regretted after mom took my book away. I suddently felt alone, I knew I couldn't go online in fear of getting spoiled, I didn't really have anything to do then wait, wait for tomorrow. When I finally finsihed the book it was 2AM on I guess, Monday night and I had read the last part of the book on a bus without lights and had used my phone as light. And I cried. Cuz, it was over and I was in the middle of nowhere without internet connection.

As for how Harry changed my life it was larger than I could ever imagine. Harry helped me to go from barely passing English to getting straight A's in the subject. It helped me go from a suicidal, lonely teenager to a girl who suddenly had friends (though in lands far far away) who suddently had something to believe in again after a rather bad divorce between her parents and her fathers new girlfriend I couldn't stand. Harry did more than change my life in ways I never saw possible. Harry saved my life, litterary.

I'll try and keep it short.

I had recently moved to Missouri, and didn't really know anyone, but my dad had pre-ordered a copy of DH at Books A Million. We got back from the airport on the 19th, and set out for the store around 10PM on the 20th; I had been browsing Wikipedia's Deathly Hallows page, and noticed something about Lucius and immediately abstained myself from the internet for the next few hours.

I was sort of into the fandom at this point, but not really, and I was still pretty surprised to see hundreds of people lining up at the store (and still am, in retrospect -- not that many HP fans around here). So I went, was amused by the crazy costumes and various diversities of people attending, and eventually got my copy around 12:10-ish CST. I remember I actually smelt the book as I entered the car, and I had this ominous sense of inevitable closure approaching.

So I read at a relatively slow pace, trying to absorb as much as possible (I wasn't into critical reading at the time though). I fell in love with the story and the characters once again, and I lay in bed reading in the crappy light for about 14 hours (2 hour nap of exhaustion not included!)

Finally, I got online after reading, and began discussing and taking it apart with a friend two states down; later I talked to a friend about 11 hours away about the book. Oh, and then I doscovered Mugglecast, and later found the much better Pottercast! Harry Potter changed my life drastically, mostly after DH. Somehow Deathly Hallows opened my eyes to the greatness of the books (more so) and the enormity of the fandom. It was one of the most epic periods of my life thus far.

When I read book seven, I had recently moved from CA to Europe. It was a story I was longing to read, to finish. Not only was it my last connection with Harry's story, but also my reconnection with English. I had to wait two extra weeks to start reading it in the American English version I was used to, because it took Amazon that long to deliver my book to me here. So between the date the book came out and the date my book arrived, I cut myself off from the computer, the news, and any communication with my HP knowledgeable acquaintances. Luckily, the Dutch translation that my family here in Belgium read was at that time not yet available. So reentering the story of HP was like breathing again. I let it be a long, slow breath, reading chapter by chapter until the last battle. When I got past the Gringotts episode, I gulped the rest down. Now my kids are reading the series, or I am reading it to them. We're on book 3 for one kid and book 4 for the other. Still breathing.

I read the final book with anticipation and trepidation in near equal measure. I wanted so much to know what would happen...yet it was the end. I hated knowing there would be no more. It was like I knew I was spending a few final hours with dear friends who would be leaving forever.

Utter torture. I cried with each passing and felt anguish as if I were there. Sheer joy. As the inner workings of the story would unfold I rejoiced.

I read the book on my own. I had guests in town when my copy arrived from Britain and I started it slowly...I did not want the tale to end.

It was not until after Deathly Hallows that I began to connect with the fandom. I knew of the sites and would follow some news on them prior to completing the series, but I did not participate actively at all. I would chat with close friends who knew the books--and those were few---and none whilst I was reading the final book. I would speak of it to no one.

My life had changed much since the beginning of the series. I had decided to make an attempt at being a grown up which, I might add, I fail at miserably nearly all the time :) I was living in a brand new place far from everyone I knew and loved. I had stepped out with the complete fact that everything would come together (I'd say it has mostly). I think I did this based in part that I have always been cursed with 'belief'. I have always wanted magic/wishes/everything unreal to exist. So much so, that often it did. I would wish on stars and those wishes really did come true. This has been a wonderful part of living...yet also difficult since real life (as we grow) is just a bit lacking ;) The wizarding world had become a part of me. I think that is the key that made the last book what it was for me...an ending. Not only of the story but a chapter of me as well. Yet...I think reading and re-reading the story up to that point had (in an odd way) given me the gumption to make put some commitment in my life. I began to realise I don't have to go it alone all the time. The folks who read Potter along side me--we related differently, in a very good way. A way that gave me 'real' courage.

When the book was finished, Voldemort vanquished and all living happily ever after, I felt as if someone had died. I grieved for quite some time. As I spoke to my friends who were finishing, they too reported this great sense of loss.

Since that time I've read through the series again. The last book has not become easier with time, though it is wonderful to know I can still fall into the story.

I work with youth-delinquent youth. There has been more than one occasion when Harry Potter has been the connection, the bridge that allows trust to begin and change to occur. This only one of innumerable reasons why I will always love Harry Potter. I don't think there will ever be a story to which I connect so holistically. So, I cherish it.

The emotional journey of reading the last book in this series is something I will carry with me all my life.

Always, this series was so personal for me. Even though I made a ton of friends through the books, and shared it with people I already knew, everytime I opened a new book on release night, it all went away and the personal journey with Harry's world would take over.

Deathly Hallows was a different reading experience than the others. I read it after purchasing it at midnight exactly like I did for four, five and six... but the experience was so surreal, so different.

I remember that I was oddly serene, as though I hadn't been waiting seven years for this moment. I went upstairs to my bedroom and changed into PJ's, brushed my teeth, pulled back the covers of my bed as I do every night. I had a compilation of instrumental music all set on ITunes, a collection I had spent weeks arranging specifically for this night, but I just didn't feel the need for it, so I didn't put it on. I opened up the book, and read the jacket and noted that there was no summary just the one sentence, something along the lines of, "And now we present the final installment in the epic journey of Harry Potter." I had an excited moment, a little thrill... but I didn't really feel it until the opening poems.

The poems were what brought the emotions out of me. The last line of the second poem - "Bless the children, give them triumph now" - made my heart begin hurt. Because I knew it was the end, and at that moment I feared for the characters that I had come to love.

And then...I let myself go, let myself leave reality for the night and half of the next day. I absorbed it all, I didn't hold back my tears, or my laughter, I didn't think about all my friends and wondering where they were and the fact that we wouldn't be able to meet for breakfast because I wasn't finished yet and I only stopped to send out one mass text when Dobby died - certainly not to spoil them but because I needed to reach out and let people know that I was NOT okay.

And when Harry walked through the forest, I believed that he would die, I let myself fear it, I did not second guess or think "no way, we still have a few chapters left," or let myself reason with myself in any way. And I am so grateful that I didn't stop to think... because that chapter was the pivot point of my personal journey with this series - much the way that Jo Rowling planned it, I think.

I actually started reading DH a week after it came out (I ordered it and shipping is slow in Canada) so I spent the week trying to avoid spoilers. However I did end up being spoiled about Fred & Dobby, though I refused to believe it until I read the book.

Once I got the book, I immediately shut myself in my room by myself and read it slowly over for 3 days (at least this seems to be slow for most of the fandom...)It was hard for me to do so.

I only had to stop reading a couple of times, notibly at Hedwig & Fred's deaths. Dobby's had me reread the page a couple of time before I really believed it and Remus's death had a few expletives thrown in. -__-;;

Tears...there were never any real tears but Fred's death had me the closest because it was so unexpected.

My dad came for a visit, only 2 hours after I finished DH and the first thing he said was, "Did you finish the book?" He then picked it up and read the last few pages before the epilogue so he could know what happened. I wouldn't tell him and he only watches the movies (My uncle [my dad's older brother] & I are working on this ^__^)

As for changing my life...I've made a few friends and became better friends with existing friends and although my dad and I are already close the movie releases (from PoA on, the first movie release after I started reading HP) gave us an a way to spend more time together. In fact he plans on calling me after he sees DH, even though he now lives half-way across the country.

I was in Hawaii when book 7 came out. I was so angry I was standing on a cruise ship at 7pm where I was and it was midnight where all my friends were getting the book. At 7:15 my phone rang. I answered it thinking that my friends were calling to do similar to what I did for 6 when i was an hour ahead. (You Know "HA HA HA I got Harry Potter and you don't." Maybe give me the first word of the book, in short mess around for fun, NO SPOILERS). I was wrong. Someone who I am no longer friends with(for reasons other than this) called and said "I flipped to the back of the book and read. You were wrong but you'll be happy." He Screamed this so fast I heard every word. I Cursed at him and hung up the phone. So right there I knew that Harry lived. Then I got the book and read it as much as I could. The aforementioned friend called and asked "Who all has died for you?" I said "The last death I had was Moody. I am in the camping part." He then said "Didn't it suck when Dobby died?" I screamed and hung up the phone. I read the book over 4 days in Hawaii. I was going to the air port when my sister took the book from me to leisurely look at the chapter art. When we sat in the airport I started in the chapter "The Final Hiding Place". A Boy about my age was at the flight at the gate next to mine and was on the same page. We read together taking turns reading aloud until his plane left. I finished on the plane which lead to funny looks from the random people sitting near me and the flight attendants. I was crying the whole time i read on the plane. I finished it and I sat with the book open in my lap rereading the last nine letters for a few minutes until I could bring my self to close the book and a part of my life. I took a deep breath and I closed the book without putting a bookmark in it and bawled so loud I woke up the man sitting next to me. I looked at my watch and saw that the time was 3:43 AM Hawaii time and my Life was changed forever. And like Harry at the end of the battle I went to sleep craving food.

The way I finished Deathly Hallows was radically different from the way I began the series. I began Harry Potter in extreme apathy while I was in high school. I got a gift certificate to Barnes & Noble for Christmas and had $15.00 left I didn't know what to do with. I'd been resisting Harry Potter because I am by nature extremely skeptical about books that are too popular--they often end up being along the lines of The DaVinci Code. But I thought why not? I could use something fun and light to read. I don't remember much about actually reading that book--I remember I thought it was well written and fun, but that was about it. I wasn't hooked until Goblet, which is when I began to see just how very tightly the books were planned, and how closely everything fit together.
When I finished Deathly Hallows it was in Iowa rather than Michigan. I was anything but apathetic. I was a college graduate rather than a high school student. And I read and finished with my then fiance. We went to the midnight party, and then drove an hour back to our apartment. We had the same rule that Melissa followed after OotP--no reading in the car. We did hear Jo reading the first few sentences at the official party in London on the radio as we drove, however. :) The two of us read in two separate rooms, occasionally yelling to each other "Are you on Chapter 6 yet?" or "Oh my God! Tell me when you get to page 75! I have to talk to you about it!" I, like many people on this post, read Deathly Hallows slowly for the first time since book 4 in an attempt to savor the moment, and my fiance finished before I did. He stood over my shoulder until I finished, being extremely antsy. Then we talked for hours about it. :)

Melissa -

I started reading 'Harry' roughly three months before 'Deathly Hallows' was released. I was never a reader. Not one bit. But I needed to find something - something that I could get absorbed into completely.

I was always a wee bit bigger than my friends on the block. And when I was younger I started Weight Watchers with my mother - it was great; I got to spend time with my mother and I lost 30 pounds. I was perfectly happy.

However, things changed:
My story really begins in late Spring, 2007.
I was 13 years old, and going through a rough time.
I was going through a rough time because I didn't see myself clearly; I saw myself as disgusting, fat, and ugly. I wasn't.
It went on and on and on. I was constantly getting into arguments with my mother, who didn't know what to do. I was always looking in the mirror, analyzing ever little thing about me.
Only eating one tiny meal a day...

I fell pray to pier pressure, which didn't make one bit of sense; I was home schooled, and had been home schooled my whole life. But things can happen, I guess.

To make this story short (which wasn't; it was horribly long. Or, it felt that way.) I got so bad to were I was gagging myself after my one meal. I never threw up (which was extremely aggravating at the time) I somehow couldn't do it. I wanted to. I guess I would have been classified as a Bulimic - because even though it never worked, I still tried.

Now, while going through this, I read 'Sorcerer's Stone' and was in the middle of 'Chamber of Secrets'. I loved them, I truly did. But nothing could get my mind off of how I looked.

I remember one day finally realizing what I was doing. I was...shocked. I couldn't believe what I had done with myself. I wanted to change, though I didn't how. I quickly found a way:

I finished 'Chamber of Secrets'.
I remember finishing 'Chamber of Secrets' and starting 'Prisoner of Azkaban'. I remember completely falling into the story of 'Prisoner' (which was silly, having already seen the movie and knew the whole plot and twist. Or so I thought...) I stopped, right then and there, my whole extreme way of living.
I read for hours a day, getting no where, with me being a slow reader and all. It prolonged my experience, though. My whole life was 'Harry'.
I was happy again.

I was getting along with my mother, my father and my two older brothers again - one of whom really got me started in 'Harry'. He said I should try it, because he knew I'd enjoy it. Oh, was he was right.

I look back to my past and am still shocked, though, oddly, I wouldn't change it.
I'm not sure, if none of it happened, I would have fallen in love with 'Harry'.

Now, I'm 15, happy, healthy and excited for the future. I want to become a writer - I feel like a found my true calling, because of 'Harry'.

I owe Joanne Rowling so much.
Thank you, Jo. For the world you created, for everything.

As I said above, I was a slow reader.
After I finished 'Prisoner of Azkaban', I started 'Goblet of Fire' right away, then 'Order of the Phoenix'.
But by this time, 'Deathly Hallows' was already out. I felt sad! I didn't want it to be over, having just started. So, to make my experience EVEN longer, I reread 'Sorcerer's Stone', 'Chamber of Secrets' and 'Prisoner of Azkaban'.
I got a lot of weird looks from my brothers for rereading before I was even finished with the series. Then, when I couldn't stall any longer, I picked up 'Half-Blood Prince'.
It was brilliant! It was also all new - I'd seen all four movies before reading the books, then seeing 'Order' in the theater while reading 'Prisoner', thus knowing a lot before actually reading.
Then came 'Deathly Hallows'. Good Lord.
I don't know how many tissues I went through.
I loved 'Deathly Hallows' so much.

I finished in May of 2008. It was bittersweet, of course. But now I could go on Jo's website, and try to find fan sites that I liked - which turned out to be The Leaky Cauldron.
I learned so much more. Eeek! I was just so happy. Then, in June, I found Leaky's Poll Comment(er)s. I found Potterheads like me. It was wonderful! I was welcomed with love and kindness.
It's so nice to have a group of friends in this Fandom.

I've come a long way, I feel. I'm proud that I conquered my past. Though it would never have been conquerable without my family, Leaky friends, 'Harry', and, most of all, Jo Rowling.

Thank you, Melissa, for everything you've done for this Fandom. I raise my glass of Pumpkin Juice to you. Cheers!
(And congratulations on your book - it's so GOOD!)

Well personally, I could not have read the books with people that I loved more. The book came out on July 21st, which happened to be the same day that my camp ended which was bittersweet in it of itself. So a book store near the camp (I went to Explo which is a camp at Wellsley so there was a bookstore really nearby), and they came with maybe 10 giant boxes of the books, and when the clock stuck 12 they started giving the books to the people who had ordered. I sat on the quad with a group of my closest friends at camp, who loved Harry Potter as much as I do, and it still bonds us today. At around 1am the RAs told us that we had to go back to our rooms, and we did reluctantly. The next morning it was the same as the night before, but a lot worse. We were either sitting in circles reading books or saying our last goodbyes and feeling sad that the series was over, and camp was over, it was awful. And even though camp was over, we still had facebook, where we spent days talking about the books and how much we missed each other and i think that I would not be as close to my friends that I made that year without this book.

Book 7! I was a late comer to the fandom and so book seven was my first release party. Unfortunately it came the same weekend as my family reunion in Massachusetts. I was really hoping to go to the release party in NYC with my kids but that would have meant going to the party and then driving all morning after it to go to the reunion and no time to read. Instead we went to some random party in Worcester. It was just me and my boys (who were 5 and 7 at the time). Being so late to everything Harry Potter I've not been that big apart of the Harry Potter Community. I'm still flooded with regret that I never read them sooner. I had the feeling as I did crafts with my kids that I was still on the outside of something amazing. How had I missed 6 other experiences like this? I was sad because even though I had been reading Harry Potter for almost a year it seemed like the end to something I had barely gotten started in. My boys were exuberant! They were dressed as Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy and were sorted into their specific houses easily. They shamed me into getting sorted too. "When are you ever going to have the chance to really get sorted, Mom?" Who can argue with that logic? I was happily sorted into Hufflepuff! The boys got their picture taken with an employee dressed as Dumbledore, a suit of armor and even some random guy dressed as Professor Lupin. Even though we were among Harry Potter Fans, I'm fiercely protective of my kids and these people were still strangers. I was concerned about keeping my boys together and in my line of sight at all times. Despite my wariness everyone was extremely nice. Sirius Black gave up his chaise seat so my sleepy-headed boys could relax while we waited that last hour. You could feel the excitement mounting. Even my boys (who were practically asleep moments before the announcement came to get ready) were bouncing off the walls. When it was finally our turn to buy our books I was overwhelmed with an array of emotions. Excitement to finally know the outcome, sadness because there would be no more, happiness to have taken part of at least one of these releases with my kids (who will be able to say that they got to experience the Harry Potter Fandom first hand before there were no more books). Most of all I was trying to talk myself our of speeding all the way back to my brother's house so I could finish the book before I was stuck overseeing my kids at the lake where the family reunion was.

I read it swiftly. I did end up falling asleep and not making it through before the reunion. The reunion was fun but Ron had just come back and well isn't that enough said? Everywhere we went that week after, you could hear people talking about the book. Our waitress one night asked if I had finished it and I told her I had but I had to shush her before she spoiled it for the kids. We chatted off in the corner briefly before she had to go back to work. It was an amazing experience and even though I haven't made friends through Harry Potter the way most have, I'm glad to have gotten to have some small part of it for myself and my children.

I was very depressed the first seven hours after the Deathly Hallows release.
I was very depressed because I was stuck on the plane over the Atlantic ocean, biting my nails and glaring at my mom from the corner of my eye, furious. Outside the window it was mostly blue and cloudy. I sat in the insanely uncomfertable sit, my feet dancing tensely, angrily, impatiantly, waiting for land.
Midnight had gone. It was the twenty first. And I was on a bloody plane.
I've known about the release since the day after it was announced. I've told my parents. And yet...
And yet it was the twenty first, all my friends were shrieking in mile long lines at bookstores all over the world, and I was on a bloody PLANE!!
So I was very depressed.
The moment my feet were again on solid ground, the haunt began. I had to find a book store. I had to. If I didn't, I'd explode.
All around me, people were walking around with thier copies, reading, laughing, pondering. I was in a blind rage. I almost run down the air port's halls, pushing people with carts and large suitcases. My little sister tried to keep up, giggling at my insanity. But I had to get it. I HAD TO.
And finally, after long, tortorous moments of searching, I found it: A small book stand hidden among coffee shops and souvenier stands, mocking me. I didn't care. I sprinted inside, only to stop dead before the counter, jumping with nervs. A woman was stanidng there, talking to someone. I bit my toungue. Wait. Had to wait. Can't wait. CAN NOT-
"Yes?" She asked me sweetly, weariness in her eyes. My hair was a mess after twelve hours in the air, I was jerking around like a maniac, and my sister was still trailing me, grinning.
"Do- do you have the new Harry Potter?" I asked, breathless.
"Yes, it's right there, in the-" She pointed behind me. I didn't wait for her to finish because...
Because there it was. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The beautiful orangly cover I've been staring at online for the past few months. And Harry and Voldemort, and the wand, and it was there! I had it! Seven hours late, but it was there, on the shelf, winking at me like... like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
I screamed. I swear I did. I grabbed the nearest copy, threw the money at the giggling woman, clutched my sister from her laughing fit on the floor, and rushed outside.
I had it.
I opened the cover tentativelly, suddnly hesitant.
JK's poem greeted my tearful eyes. I laughed, ignorant of the people staring at the crazy girl giggling like some of lunatic in the hall as they passed me by. I muttered to myself, I chuckled randomly, I was hopping so high it's a wonder I managed to read at all.
But I managed, all the same.
I didn't stop reading when we stood in line to get on the second plane. I can't even recall who sat next to me during the three hour flight, I was so engrossed in the pages. I kept on reading nonstop the entire car ride home, and rushed to the room I was to share with both my siblings during our stay at my parents' freinds' house while they searched for a house, eyes devouring word after word, sentence after sentence.
And when I finished, I cried between the fluffy pink blankets for about an hour, with red eyes, a tight chest, and a whirl pool of emotion dripping as tears onto the pillows.
And that was how I read the last Harry Potter book.
Did it change my life? I think so. After that I started writing like a crazy person. I've always liked writing, but suddnly the stories grew longer- fifty, seventy pages each. Some of them I'm still working on. My Harry Potter fanfictions have progressed, too, and I've been watching the Leaky Cauldron religiously, even if I had to use the sucky computer they had at the hotel where we stayed for two weeks, still searching for houses.
Now it's died down, a bit. I only read the book related updates. I read other books, write other things. I havne't updated my fanfics in God knows how long.
But Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is still at my bookshelf. All the Potter books are, having traveled across the Atlantic right along with me. I'll never forget how I got the book... Not even when I force my own kids, decades from now, to read them.
-Leah

So my DH story is probably not all that original, or even that interesting, but because HP has been such a big part of my life I felt compelled to share it anyway.

I didn't start reading the books until after HBP had already been out for quite a while. Lucky for me I was able to read the first 6 books all at once and only had to wait agonizingly for the 7th -- I can't even begin to imagine having to do that for each book!

During that July, I was sort of "in between" homes, as I was relocating to a different city and my lease had run out two months before I could actually move. I was doing a temporary thing with an acquaintance of mine and living in her basement for two months. Those two months were kind of lonely for me -- I didn't really get to see the other person I lived with, and I was anxious to move to my new place, making the time drag slowly by. I didn't even really unpack my things, knowing that I would be moving soon, and so I never felt "home" there. So the release of DH came at an extremely good time for me, bc it gave me something to really look forward to and cling to as a source of comfort and happiness while waiting it out.

The night of the release, I didn't do the midnight party or anything, but I did run out to get the book first thing the next day and basically shut myself up in my basement room to read. Just like everyone else at that moment in time, I was torn between completely devouring it, because I was longing to know the ending, and dragging it out, knowing it was the last time I'd ever not know the full story. I ended up taking small breaks here and there at crucial moments, to kind of catch my breath and let the happenings sink in. I especially had to stop for a while when Dobby and Fred died. And then to finally reach the end, to gain the victory of not only Voldemort's downfall but also the achievement of Harry's long-desired and hard-earned goals of family and normalcy in the epilogue...well, I have to say I was really happy with it and made me tear up to know that Harry had finally gotten to where he truly needed to be, where Jo knew he belonged.

After reading, I was a bit in a daze for a while. Partly happy and contented that I ended up liking the book -- because I admit was afraid of the hype somewhat (how could anything live up to that?), but I trusted that Jo's plan for Harry would be satisfying. And partly a bit emptied out. Almost like a mother sending her child on to bigger and better things -- even though he will always have a place in my heart, Harry had left my nest, so to speak. Of course I'm really happy that the online fandom is still alive and well, and there are lots of HP things to look forward to (namely the movies, and for me The Tales of Beedle the Bard, because I'm waiting for Christmas to read it, as the Collector's Edition is my Christmas present!) -- but still.

All that to say that Harry has been a great friend to me through the few years that I have gotten to know him and his world. It seems so weird to me when I think of how it has only been since 2005 that I started this adventure, and yet it's definitely been a life-changing thing that feels like it's been a much longer ride. I'm grateful for what it's been for me and for so many other people, and I'm really glad I can say that I was a part of the "Harry Potter Phenomenom" while it was happening. :)

Book Seven was my Big Harry Potter Experience.

I'd read the first four over a few days shortly after book 4 came out, as a sophomore Elementary Education student in college. It was the first time I stayed up all night reading a book, though I don't remember which one it was. Probably #3. Initially I had mixed feelings - they were so engaging, but they didn't sit right with me, mostly because I'd been brought up to believe that witchcraft was wrong. I knew it wasn't real, but it still seemed dangerous. For a while I decided I should take a stand against them, or at least not read more of them, but eventually I found John Granger's book "Looking for God in Harry Potter," and was happy to find that his points made pretty good sense. In that time, book 5 had already come out and I'd found out who died, though :( When book 6 came out, I was changing careers and taking an intensive 4-week course and I knew if I stopped to read it, I'd get a lower grade and learn less, so I reserved my copy, went in Saturday morning to pick it up, then shoved it, still in the bag, waaay under my bed for the next couple weeks! I read most of it in 4 airports and on 3 planes going home at the end of the course, thrilled that I'd remained spoiler-free. I then re-read it that fall during my second week in China, when I had little else to do because I didn't know where anything was and had hardly met anyone to talk to!

So for book 7, I arranged my Harry summer early! I was coming home already because my brother was getting married on the 28th. (SO relieved it wasn't the same weekend!) I went to see the movie with my one HP friend at home, and we reserved our books at the B&N where I used to work. It was fun to enjoy it with a friend, since most of my fan involvement has been online rather than in person. While we waited in line in the morning for our numbered wristbands, I found my 100-word summary of how I thought the series would end, printed in the newspaper! I read the other story endings while we waited, and really enjoyed them, especially one where Ron turned out to be a Death Eater (though I was NOT amused when he left in the actual book!). I made a house-elf costume out of a pillowcase and a beach towel, wore mis-matched socks, knitted myself a knobbly "Hermione hat," and pinned a Transcription Elf crest to my shoulder bag. I love costumes but rarely get a chance to wear them - bliss! I got interviewed by a TV reporter at the store, but honestly, did anyone see themselves on TV who was at release parties? Either we were still in the bookstore during the evening news, or we were reading or sleeping the next day! My friend dressed as a witch trying to look like a muggle, and we both made it to the last dozen or so people in the adult costume contest before being eliminated; we managed to finish the scavenger hunt together; we took pictures, made crafts, and read (I was madly re-reading book 6), and generally had fun being crazy fans. The store did a really good job with the party, and check-out was smooth. Then a quick drive home.

My mom had shifted positions over the last couple years from tsk-ing to grudging acceptance, even watching a couple of the DVDs with me, as long as I didn't go on and on about it to her (she's no big media fan to begin with, plus the magic...). So I was really happy that she was willing to let me read and sleep in peace. Still, once I had fallen asleep about 3/4 through and slept for a few hours, I got up and had a normal afternoon of helping around the house (sans computer for fear of spoilers), before finishing the book after dinner, out of respect for her putting up with me. :D

While I read I wrote down a few thoughts, including, at one point (after George's ear? or when we heard about bad stuff happening at Hogwarts), that Jo could NOT make Snape good now. In the end I totally understood, but man, putting him in charge and having kids tortured? As a teacher, that's beyond the pale.

Two other memories from reading are having to muffle my loud laughter and shouts of dismay since my family was of course sleeping just down the hall, and having a feeling of un-reality about it actually being book 7. I'd read some fan-fic, including "The Seventh Horcrux," during the spring... and now that I was reading the actual book 7, my mind was stuck in fan-fic reading mode, going: "That's an interesting idea/theory. I wonder if she'll have Harry pretend to be a Weasley at the wedding in the real... oh, wait, this IS the real book 7!" So I think it took a month or two before it totally sunk in that I had finished it and that everything had really happened (as much as fiction can "really happen") and it was all set in stone.

Hopefully I came out of the Harry era a bit more open-minded and able to look a bit closer at the worldview of the author as it shows in his or her writing. I certainly was able to enjoy book discussion online which at times was about the only intellectual stimulation I could get after teaching basic English pronunciation all day. I just wish there were another series to get into with as many hidden clues to wonder about, now that so many riddles have been wrapped up for HP.

Melissa, will we ever see video from ya'll's release-night reading parties? ;)

I went to a midnight party - and got the book about 12:30-ish (there were long lines) and stayed at Borders until about 1:30, when my friend Nina got her book, and Nina's older sister dropped me off at home.

I remember crawling into bed - the house was very quiet - and reading...and reading...and reading. The sun was just about to start coming up when I finished the book, at 5 in the morning. I'd cried a few times, and laughed, and just tried to relish every second.

Most of all what I remember about reading the last book was this constant feeling of "This is it. This is the last one. You're never going to have this again." Suddenly everything felt so real, so final - even though everyone had known it was coming, I don't know how many people it actually struck that, yes, this was it.

I'm 15 now, and the first time I read a Harry Potter I was six, and my mother picked up the first one and started reading it to me. I didn't get into the fandom until three years ago, and I'm grateful for it every second.

Harry Potter really changed the way I looked at books. It changed my perception of writing, and of true friends, and of all the huge moral themes - love, friendship, courage, honesty. I think it's changed me for the better.

What I think is cool about my "circumstances" when I finished DH is I ended the series right where I started it. So first, I need to tell you about that experience…
I read Sorcerer's Stone the summer before 3rd grade in Holden Beach, NC, because I was forced to read it by my mom. To make it interesting she had my cousin and I, same age, compete as to who would finish first. She never finished it - I was hooked.
Fast forward seven years…I was in Chicago on the day before Deathly Hallows came out, with a flight scheduled for North Carolina on the 21st. I did the whole release party, stay up ‘til 4 am reading thing, but I read really slow for the first time pretty much ever, hoping to cherish the last time I would read a fresh Harry Potter adventure, and not wanting to say goodbye to the series that had defined my life since that summer before 3rd grade. I read it by myself, in my own little bubble, just how I like it. My family knew better than to talk to me. I don’t really remember that day at all – nothing about the flight or the hour drive to the rental house. I was immersed in my Harry Potter bubble.
As we pulled up to our rental house in Holden Beach after all the waiting, the flight, and the drive, I ran up to the bedroom that had been mine for so many summers, and finished Deathly Hallows with tissues strewn all over the bedspread in the same place where I finished Sorcerer’s Stone. So everything kind of came full circle for me. I remember having these flashbacks, like the ones you hear about in movies, and I realized then for the first time just how much Harry Potter had influenced my life.
I was a kid when I started Harry Potter, not even 8 years old, and I finished it when I was 15, a sophomore in high school. Now I’m 17. There’s a lot that goes on in those years. In many ways my story was like Harry's, and I feel like I grew up with him. I’m such a different person now than I was then, and a lot of that has to do with Harry Potter. I’m a bookworm now, when in 2nd grade I barely touched a picture book. I have friends who I probably wouldn’t even have met if not for Harry Potter.
What I’m most grateful for I think is that it brought me super close to my aunt. She read Sorcerer’s Stone when my mom told her how much I loved it, and somewhere along the way she became my “Harry Potter confidant”. We swapped theories, went to release parties together, and she was the first person I talked to when I finished Deathly Hallows. If we didn’t have Harry Potter to bring us together, I don’t think I would know as much about her, and how alike we are.
I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without this series and the fandom surrounding it, and I still can’t believe how lucky I was to be one of the “Harry Potter generation”. Something like Harry Potter, that connects the whole world in the most unbelievable ways, is definitely an once-in-a-lifetime thing, and I’m still in awe of it.

I was going to be on vacation when the book came out, so I pre-ordered it in Newport News, VA. My mom drove me to the bookstore for the party. I was wearing my Muggle t-shirt, so I got some comments directed towards me during the games, like "she doesn't know what's going on." It was quite funny! I got a decent ticket in line and got my book about 12:45 along with a box! I went back to the hotel and read, but I accidentally fell asleep! I woke up a few hours later and kept reading. That day I got to sit in the front seat, so I wouldn't be distracted while we picked up our friends from the airport and drove to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. So I read the book in two states! I didn't beat my 16 hour record for HBP (it was 18 this time...). I didn't actually shed tears, but I think Hedwig touched me the most. I'm not sure why. I think she was the least expected for me. But after that came Dobby, and then just general shock with all the others.
I was sad that the series had ended, but it didn't have the finality I thought it would. I just went into the kitchen and said "I finished." And that was that. I think it was because I am so involved with the fandom that it didn't feel like the end to anything. And then of course I called my friends and left them messages of how I'd finished before them... :)

Me and Deathly Hallows. Okay. I was 16 when it came out and because it was during the summer I was in Israel as is tradition in my family. I got the book the day it came out which was as Saturday so it was a huge deal. You see in Israel stores aren't allowed to be open on Saturday so it was really hard to get a book but stores opened just for DH so i did end up getting one at 10AM that day.
I read DH in my grandma's apartment by myself and didn't let anyone talk to me or disturb me until I was finished, my family thought and still thinks that I am a bit insane.
I was surreal for me to finish the last book. The first one had come out when i was just in first or second grade and I have been reading the series since I was 8. In a sense i grew up with Harry so he has been a part of my life throughout my transitions both from elementary to middle school and middle school to high school as well as my very hard transition from private school to public school. I changed a lot in the time that I have read book 1 to the time that I read book 7 and Harry was a huge part of that change, he helped me grow up!

I've posted before that I had gone to our local bookstore's midnight parties since the advent of Book 4 and the midnight parties... For the last one I had decided to volunteer to work the party. I had to participate in some way, and this seemed the way to do it.

I had warned my boss that there was no way she was going to see me that day, and I took the entire day off to sleep (so that I could stay up all night), and prepare my costume and props. I was the ONLY non-employee volunteer our B&N had for the party, and I was posted back in the childrens area to read fortunes as Trelawney. What a hoot! I read Tarot cards, had a magic 8 ball and my light-up wand; lots of fun. I remember the most common questions the kids asked the 8 ball were: "Is Harry and/or the Trio going to live?" and "Is Snape good or bad?" Oddly enough, I remember the ball being on the side of Harry surviving, and 50/50 on Snape.

Standing in line, waiting for the book, was torture - but a delicious torture, and within 15 minutes of midnight, I had my booty of 3 copies and 1 set of audio CD's. What can I say, my family refuses to share.

My husband had already taken my daughter home and when I got there, I set up my little nest in the family room of book, snacks, comfy chair and blankets and by 12:45 am I was cracking open book 7 and settling in to read. I read it all alone through that long night, taking a break around 9:30am for a friend who dropped by. She left an hour later and I finished the last 2 chapters - crying the entire way.

A week later my daughter finally opened book one to start in on her marathon first read of all seven books. She kept her promise not to touch them until the last book was out. Nerves of steel, that one!

Thanks for letting us share, Melissa - it takes me back to a very magical summer.

What I think is cool about my "circumstances" when I finished DH is I ended the series right where I started it. So first, I need to tell you about that experience…
I read Sorcerer's Stone the summer before 3rd grade in Holden Beach, NC, because I was forced to read it by my mom. To make it interesting she had my cousin and I, same age, compete as to who would finish first. She never finished it - I was hooked.
Fast forward seven years…I was in Chicago on the day before Deathly Hallows came out, with a flight scheduled for North Carolina on the 21st. I did the whole release party, stay up ‘til 4 am reading thing, but I read really slow for the first time pretty much ever, hoping to cherish the last time I would read a fresh Harry Potter adventure, and not wanting to say goodbye to the series that had defined my life since that summer before 3rd grade. I read it by myself, in my own little bubble, just how I like it. My family knew better than to talk to me. I don’t really remember that day at all – nothing about the flight or the hour drive to the rental house. I was immersed in my Harry Potter bubble.
As we pulled up to our rental house in Holden Beach after all the waiting, the flight, and the drive, I ran up to the bedroom that had been mine for so many summers, and finished Deathly Hallows with tissues strewn all over the bedspread in the same place where I finished Sorcerer’s Stone. So everything kind of came full circle for me. I remember having these flashbacks, like the ones you hear about in movies, and I realized then for the first time just how much Harry Potter had influenced my life.
I was a kid when I started Harry Potter, not even 8 years old, and I finished it when I was 15, a sophomore in high school. Now I’m 17. There’s a lot that goes on in those years. In many ways my story was like Harry's, and I feel like I grew up with him. I’m such a different person now than I was then, and a lot of that has to do with Harry Potter. I’m a bookworm now, when in 2nd grade I barely touched a picture book. I have friends who I probably wouldn’t even have met if not for Harry Potter.
What I’m most grateful for I think is that it brought me super close to my aunt. She read Sorcerer’s Stone when my mom told her how much I loved it, and somewhere along the way she became my “Harry Potter confidant”. We swapped theories, went to release parties together, and she was the first person I talked to when I finished Deathly Hallows. If we didn’t have Harry Potter to bring us together, I don’t think I would know as much about her, and how alike we are.
I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without this series and the fandom surrounding it, and I still can’t believe how lucky I was to be one of the “Harry Potter generation”. Something like Harry Potter, that connects the whole world in the most unbelievable ways, is definitely an once-in-a-lifetime thing, and I’m still in awe of it.

Wow, reading DH was definitely an experience. I'm going to try to relate it without ramblign, but I make no promises.

So, I was in the Poconos for the summer, and completely isolated from civilization. The only midnight release party was at a Walmart half an hour's drive away. Well, I was gonan get to that Walmart. It took a lot of pleading, begging, and trembling on the verge of tears before 2 old ladies I played Bingo with every week (just to clarify, I was fifteen) took pity on me and agreed ot drive.

The Walmart Party wasn't quite what I'd imagined. I was basically the biggets fan there by leaps and bounds. Their most clever trivia questions I considered ridiculously easy (ie. What's the numbers to get into the MoM?). Not many people could back up their theories the way I'd go tused ot on forums. But it was still fun. I even got interviewed for the local newspaper as the ultimate fanatic.

I got the book about two minutes after midnight. The second it was in my hands, I pressed my hands over my ears and ran to the car. Then, I read. When we got back to the trailer, I ran into my room and continued reading. Finally, at 7am I had to concede defeat and go to sleep - I believe that was the part when Ron returned. Then, I woke up, and was dragged off to the pool. But even though it was one of the hottest days in recent memory - must've been like 40 degrees - I didn't put the book down until I was done. I cried after Dobby's death. And after Fred died, I cried from that point on. I finished that evening, utterly in tears.

Harry Potter and the fandom had seen me thru some very dark times. When I went to a different HS from all my friends and became completely depressed, I'd go home to chat on the LL and flip through my trusty books looking for clues. I'd loved this series ever since I was 9, back when I'd been dragged to see the 1st movie, and then my dad fetched me the books from the library. I'd grown up with Harry. And I'll never forget that sense of finality, of an era ending and a new one beginning, the post-DH era.

Talking of which, I saw the original copy of TBB at the NYPL today!!! OMG, it was so unbelievably magical! I took loads of pictures, admired it from every angle,a nd just stood there for a while taking it in. It was magnificent. You all HAVE to see it, no HP fan's experience is complete without it!

I read DH the same way I read SS, alone. I went to the midnight party at Barnes & Noble and I felt really lonely not knowing anyone, but that had been my HP Fandom experience since 2002. I remember being really sad that after all those years (lurking) in the fandom, that now that it was over, I hadn't made any friendships. (But this year, thanks to wrock shows and conferences, I've made a ton of friendships!)

Anyways, I got home at 1 am and started reading. I remember taking my time, since I had the whole day to myself, and since it was the LAST book, I really didn't want it to end. I was also extremely nervous throughout the whole thing. I cried many times and cheered and at one point, had to put the book down because I was too nervous about what was about to happen. I also videotaped myself after every chapter (except for the end) with my thoughts so that one day I could look back and relive that day :)

I do have to thank Leaky and PotterCast for getting me through all those years of waiting. Especially PotterCast, since you guys felt like the friends I didn't have.

Thank you!!

I'm Jewish- so like, every Harry Potter book, Deathly Hallows came out on the Sabbath (when I can't use electricity, spend money, or tear paper, to name a few restrictions) so I couldn't go to a release party. I was sort of depressed about it- I started to reread Sorcerer's Stone but put it down pretty quickly because I was too restless to manage it. I watched the clock strike midnight, and then I went to bed.

I preordered the Deluxe Edition from Amazon, so in the morning I sat around waiting for the mail to arrive, and once it came, I just walked around with the box containing my book for the rest of the day. The box was next to me while I ate and prayed and hung out with friends (I got made fun of a bit).

I started reading the moment the Sabbath ended Saturday night, and didn't stop until I'd finished at 4 A.M.

I was SO happy when Beedle came out on a Thursday...

My life has definitely changed since I read Sorcerer's Stone. I was nine at the time, and when DH came out I was fifteen, so obviously my outlook on life was very different. HP definitely helped me manage- it helped me through times when I was feeling depressed, and I have great friends that I'm not sure I'd even have talked to if it weren't for Harry Potter.

And of course, I visit far too many fansites nowadays, when I barely knew what the internet was before the books.

I finished the series as I began it: on my own. I waited outside all morning for the book to come, and the mean old mailman was all "oh, you want this book, eh?" and I was "um...IOTYFVBJYES!" I ran straight up to my room and didn't move save to use the bathroom. I had food and drink in my little corner and I sat and read until I was done. I shut the book and allowed myself to cry for a few minutes before venturing downstairs to get some dinner. My family laughed a bit at my bloodshot eyes and tear-strewn face, but I didn't care. I had just said goodbye to a dear friend and would mourn for the entire weekend. I reread the book almost immediately, and haven't touched it since.

My life upon finishing the book was very different from when I began the series. I was in 5th grade when I started the series, and it was the summer before my freshman year of college when I finished it. Harry had been there through so much and I always knew that if I was having a rough time, he would be there to help me forget about it, at least for a while. I met friends through Harry Potter and found a group with which I felt I belonged. Even if the series is over, Harry will always be waiting on my bookshelf, should I ever need him.

Throughout my obsession with Harry Potter I had only one other person with whom I could completely open up with about it, and that was my brother.
Being four years older he would laugh at my nerdish behaviour, but I know that he loved it.

In the lead up to DH we had a competition. Firstly we wrote down what we though the title would be and what we think it would relate to. My brother was boring and said it would "Harry Potter and something to do with the Horcruxes". Fairly self-explanatory.
I cannot rememebr where I found the name ( I think it was an art history book) but my title suggestion was "Harry Potter and the Temple of Antioc", which referred to whatever was in the locked room at the Department of Mysteries, like a portal back from the death room. I gasped in shock whilst reading DH when the Three Brothers were named, and there was Antioc Peverell.

The competition continued and we had to write down our theories and swap them to see who's was closest to the truth. My theories were wildly specific and therefore by default of my brother's general and quite obvious theories, he won.
But it was a lot of fun and his theory that Tonks was the spy was a definite favourite and I think I had managed to convince a few forum members of its validity. But, as we know, this theory was shot down in flames quite quickly in DH.

So it was with my, slightly unwilling and mildly embarrassed brother that I lined up for the bookstore to open. We stood, five people from the door and watched the kookiest bag lady walk out with the book, speak to the man holding the microphone, then walk about 2 metres away and open the book to the back and start reading. Needless to say the queue of people started to get VERY antsy about this and I asked the microphone man to not give her a chance to spoil our fun. But she merely read the end, smiled at us smuggly and walked away.

This was 9am, on the mistiest morning I could remember (Dementors anyone?) and for the rest of the day I sat curled up on the couch whilst at his house my brother did the same. Every so often we would trade SMS messages, usually saying something along the lines of "*gasp* p335" .

My life has changed completely since my time reading Harry Potter and now that it is finished I am surrounded at work by teenagers with whom I could have shared this obsession and who now laugh whenever I bring Harry into classroom conversation.

Hello!

I live in Chile (South America) so English is not my native language. I must say that the HP series "forced" me to read books in English. The first HP book I read in English was book 4. A friend sent it to me as a gift when it was released (I hadn't read the first 3 books) and after the first chapter I decide I had to start from the beginning. I run to buy PS, CoS and PoA that by then were available in Spanish. I devoured them and then I started reading GoF. It took me a week to finish it, mainly because I wasn't used to read in English. But after that I was hooked! Now most of my books are in English because they are released earlier and there are more titles available.

I bought Deathly Hallows the day it was released worldwide. Several Chilean bookstores imported the US and/or the UK versions of the HP series since book 5. This time, after owning all the series in English, the companion books (and now TTOBTB and Melissa's book) it took me less than a day to finish it!! All I did was reading since the moment I arrived home.

[SPOILER ALERT!!!!]

I cried my heart out from the moment Dobby died and by "The Prince's Tale" I was sobbing so hard that it was difficult for me to read. I had never loved Jo so much. Snape was my favorite character (besides the trio) and the one that always seemed most real to me. When I read his story I felt I could relate to him more than ever. He died a hero as he deserved and I will always be grateful to Jo for that.

The last 5 chapters had my heart racing so fast that it was as I was running a marathon! I was so scared and nervous!!! I totally loved that Expelliarmus was the spell that defeated Voldemort!! =O) I could see Jo winking at us!! LOL =O)

I'm one of those who loved the Epilogue. After all the emotions from the previous chapters it felt wonderful to have some domestic happiness at the end. Especially because it was what Harry always wished for.

I think that Harry Potter changed us all and more importantly to me, made us part of a community that has members everywhere which means we are never alone. We find Potter fans in the least expected places and moments!!

Harry opened many doors for us. Whether reading in a foreign language, using the internet, traveling to places you never imagined you would go, making on and off line friends...even writing your own books!! I think our lives changed the moment we opened our first Harry Potter book.

Jo and her little dark-haired wizard changed the world.
They made it better.

I had been waiting for book seven for 6 years, so you can imagine how devastated I was to learn that a summer church program I was going to had it's last day on July 21st. I decided to go anyway. I had been really pumped about this program and the down payment was already paid. I was assured by my family that there would be some sort of midnight outing planned so I could get the book. I said okay and didn't worry a whole lot about it.

The program starts and I hear that there would be no outing planned. I go to the local bookshop and hear that they have only ten copies and they are all preordered. Another girl I'm grouped with is obsessed and both of us are beyond depressed. We NEEDED that book!

So on the night of July 20 we face the fact that we're not getting the book that night. That night however, we have a service outside. The entire service is about hope and the power of love. I really couldn't think of a better topic for that night. Although I wasn't at the bookstore, the themes of the entire series were present that night.

The next day one of my leaders hands me the book. He had driven miles away to go get it that morning! I want to start reading it as soon as possible. I remember my other obsessed friend though and knew I had to share this book. So on the eight our bus ride home we read Deathly Hallows together. When Hedwig died all we could do was look at each other stunned and then fall to pieces. And when Ron left we both just wanted to slam the book shut.

It wasn't exactly how I had imagined my book 7 experience, but surrounded by friends and so much love made my reading that much more powerful.

I went to a Borders party with two friends of mine. We had never gone to a HP release party before and knew this was our last chance. Since we hadn’t pre-ordered, just before midnight we ran over to a local grocery store (!) that was selling the book and got in line. The guy behind me had never read HP before but was so caught up in the hype machine that he decided to wait in line at midnight. I was horrified when I saw him reading the last pages of the book after he made his purchase. The memory still makes my blood boil.

All three of us gathered in my friends living room where we promptly sat down to read the first chapter together. It was a powerful experience and I think we bonded more than we had ever before. I read the rest of the book by myself at home over the next few days. It was a painful, nerve wracking, exciting, emotional experience. Mid-way though, I actually tossed the book across the couch with tears streaming down my face and didn’t pick it up again for a day or so. It was too emotional to deal with.

Throughout reading I’d call my friends to discuss what we had read, our thoughts and ideas of where it may all lead. When I finished, I was shaking and drained. You’d have thought I’d raced in the Olympics or something.

It was a truly unforgettable experience that I doubt will be repeated in my lifetime. Without trying, Harry Potter brought me closer to my friends by giving us shared experiences that can’t be duplicated.

Deathly Hallows came out at 20.00 on the 20th of July. It was the first book that was released simultaneously with London time.
I live in Argentina, and the 20th of July is a very important holiday: Friend's Day.

I had had a rough year so far, and my friends were accusing me of neglect. Before I found out the book would be released the evening of the 20th, I promised one of my closest friends, who was organizing a party at home, that I would help her with all the preparations. Later, we would all go out clubbing.

I had to watch my Harry Potter friends on TV getting the book at 20.00 from home. I was on the verge of a hysterical attack- I had received an email with the scanned and highly illegal version of Deathly Hallows two days before, some of my LJ friends had already read it, spoilers were everywhere- and I couldn't even read it at the same time as the rest of the world.
I did had a great time that evening, had lots to drink with my friends, and at about 08.00 am I parted from them and went to McDonalds to have a coffee, wake myself up, and go get the book (the bookstore opened at 09.00). One funny little detail, when I got down the train that took me down town, I saw a girl dressed as Tonks.
Now, picture me, half-drunk, stinking like a nightclub on the crowdest night of the year, in fits of enthusiasm that could have passed me as high, waiting in line outside a bookstore in a morning of the coldest winter in, I think, fifty years. Now picture other thirty people who too thought that coming to buy Harry Potter straight out of a night club was a good idea.
I started crying just by reading the quotes at the begginging of the book (I was in a subway station then). Then, instead of taking the train home, I took a bus (longer commuting, more time to read). I was so enthralled that I of course forgot to get down the bus and had to walk several blocks back.
When I finally arrived home, I already had been 24 hrs awake. But I didn't had time to eat or change my clothes, or even sleep- So I sat down in my bed, still wearing night club clothes, still a bit drunk, still smelling awful, to read.

My family teased me to no end. My sister stole the book when I finally got hungry and decided a slice of bread would do. My dad entered my room, running and screaming "VOLDEMORT IS HERE" and "HERMIONE IS DEAD" several times at random intervals. When I got to 30 hrs awake, I decided I needed a shower and a couple of hours of sleep. What was worse, my family was getting together to celebrate Friends' Day with their own old friends, who are my surrogate aunts, uncles and cousins, and who now we don't see as often as we used to. I wanted to go badly, so I had a shower (finally) and decided to sleep a couple of hours before going to get dinner with them.
I COULDN'T SLEEP. My mind was racing with theories, and the new information, and WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT? until I decided to use occlumency to sleep. Yeah, I was trying to empty my mind of all thoughts. Which of course sent me into fits of giggles because I was using occlumency.

I slept something like half an hour, went to the dinner party, and arrived home at midnight absolutely exhausted. I decided it was just not healthy to try to keep on reading- I still had a long way to go, and had been awake for nearly 40 hrs (save half an hour of nap). The next day, I started reading when I woke up, my family went for Sunday lunch at my grandma's and I stayed home, sitting by the fire, finishing the book. It took me another six hours, but I was wide awake, rested and did not smelled like tobbacco and sweat, so it was a much better experience than the day before's.

The second after I finished the first water fall of tears, I went online to catch up with all the new fic that was already there, discuss it in forums, and read reviews. That very night I started working on the translation my dad and my best friend kept telling me that it'd better be ready soon. I was terribly nostalgic- I started reading the books when I was eleven, I was 18 then, had finished high school a few months before and was stumbling into adulthood (still am) very clumsily. It did felt like my adolescense was over, that this was childhood's end. I loved the book much more than I loved all the others, but it will always have a bittersweet taste for me- not only because of all the deaths, but because it was a turning point in my life; the days I cannot go back to, and the days that will come.

Starting Deathly Hallows was extremely difficult as I knew it would be the last time to read a HP book for the first time. Many a times I opened it and couldn't start and had to take a few minutes to calm myself down.

Upon reading the epigraphs, inparticularly More Fruits of Solitude, my first tears fell while aply listening to a song entitled "Famous Last Words". I read the book alone and surprisingly my family left me vastly alone to let me do so as I wished.

My favourite memories of reading DH were of the dream I had when I took a nap during reading - it was just so filled with HP ideas it was the best dream ever. My other favourite memory is of how I literally broke down during Snape's Memories chapter whithout having to read the entire page I could forsee what Dumbledore was about to tell Snape! Finishing the book at 5:09am is something I will never forget.

After completion, well after some sleep first, I went to look for a new PotterCast and to contact my online friends in the TTW Club on HP IMDb Boards so are still some of my best friends in the world and I love them to bits, just like I still love PotterCast and the whole fandom. Obviously without HP I would not have meet these wonderful people nor become part of something like this fandom which I trully love with all my heart and which has irrevocably changed my life and me as a person.

(On a side note Melissa, I just manage to catch up and watch all your BlogTv stuff and I love how Ireland came up in the PC #3 video from BTB day! You guys really do have a lot of fans over here that get majorly forgotten sometimes - we can't even get HaH here I've had to order it online and me and the TTWs are going to get one book to send around to all 20 or so of us around the world and we're all going to sign it to show how much we love HP Melissa! Oh and I've started a FB group to get you guys to come visit ireland: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1432510737&v=feed&story_fbid=44080557815#/group.php?gid=26137498278&ref=ts)

I read the last book by myself. By the time I got towards the battle of Hogwarts I was sobbing through the rest of the book. I was also watching my little brother at the time and he couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I told him I was just sad because it was an emotional book in addition to the fact that I was sad that it was the end of the series. He looked at me, shook his head and told me how crazy I was.

I finsihed the series with 3 amazing people only a text message away. Always keeping eachother posted. We all went to Barnes and Noble together at midnight to get Deathly Hallows. One was my cousin, who I have become even closer with because we have something amaazing in common. And I met two people, who are now my closest friends because of Harry Potter. I remember I had just met one of my friends at work and I mentioned watching Sense and Sensibility. I said "I love Alan Rickman," and she says "oh, so you like Harry Potter," and then she introduced me to a friend of hers who liked Harry Potter. I had known her for maybe a week and the other girl I didn't meet until a few hours before midnight during the Half Blood Prince release. Harry Potter's done a lot for me and these people were just icing on the cake.

I read the 7th book by myself. It was just me and house was dead silent. Just the way I wanted it to be.

I think it would have been nice to have read it with a few other people around, but at the same time it was a moment that I wanted to cherish and have to myself. I figured I could always talk about it later on with other people. I wanted to allow myself to be completely absorbed into the story and not to have to think "What page are they on? Are they reading it faster than me?,etc." And I did.

I am glad I chose to celebrate it that way because reading the book was an emotional
experience for me. Tears were shed multiple times throughout and I was able to feel the emotions and not hide them.

I remember thinking to myself "Wow, this is the last time I will ever read a Harry Potter book as a fresh and new adventure" if you will. The excitement building up to the release and the few weeks after, is something that I will never forget.

What was surrounding me when I read the Last book?

A complete feeling of finality.
I was 17, had been readng the books since I was ten. I was in my last year of school, about to move away to Uni once school was over in November.

I arrived back in the country the day before after a two day flight.
My friend who I had become friends with due to our love of the books, it was our first common ground. At the bookstore I also met up with some friends who I had only ever talked to online and it was so wondeful, we still get along fantasticly.

We began reaeding the book one page at a time. We would read a page, discuss it, theories, read the next page and it continued in that vein until the end of chapter one. Chapter two we waiting further between descussing it, Chapter 3 we didn't interupt at all...it was so captivating we could not put it down.

I remember the bookstore gave us a small Toy Hedwig with our book for pre ordering...Which understandble we yelled as competly tackless once we were half way through the book.

I also remember being so incredibly thankful to PotterCast. Without it I absolutly would not have gotten so much from Harry Potter. I would not e a involved in the fandom and I deffintly would not have enjoyed the books as much.

Thank you!!!

Wow am I first? yay! Anyway - I read the entire series in about a month the summer that #7 came out. Not entirely sure why I finally decided to pick the books up - I'd been intending to for years and just hadn't gotten to it. I'd seen the first two movies with a friend of mine who was very Harry Potter obsessed - but I'd not been all that impressed (she told me the books were better and I didn't believe her at the time...needless to say she's still saying "I told you so!")

But - one thing I will always remember about book 7 is that I had read 1-6 from the library and ended up borrowing book 7 from a friend (this was about a week or two weeks after it came out - I didn't plan to start reading them early enough to have been ready for the release) and I had been reading it - but I had to go to my friends wedding - and with the bridesmaid dress in my carry on there wasn't room for the book. So I was halfway through the book when I left. So I ended up buying it while there, because I just couldn't not finish it (and besides I was expanding the suitcase and planning on checking it on the way back so I'd then have room for the book) Nothing outstandingly interesting about that - but I'll always associate book 7 with my best friend's wedding =)

(Also - interestingly enough - I was extremely in love with the movie Music and Lyrics at the time I read the books - and I will always associate the song "Don't Write Me Off Just Yet" with Snape and with the first harry potter fanfiction I ever read!)