Do you remember the first time you read the Harry Potter series, swept into the adventures of the highly unusual boy who lived under a cupboard?
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Twenty years after the world was first gripped by the tale of Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, the beloved series is consumed as eagerly by new readers as old.
Launceston’s literary community has always celebrated Potter events, with the now-closed Birchalls bookshop’s Potter-themed book launches going down in history.
Now, new Hogwarts-themed editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone have been released to mark the passing of twenty years.
At Petrarch’s Bookshop, oddly enough it’s not the Gryffindor edition flying off the shelves.
“The Slytherin edition is the most popular, we’ve almost sold out of that,” Petrach’s bookseller Clarissa Mills said.
Ms Mills said the generations of readers who grew up with Potter are still hungry for more, with lines out the door for the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child last year.
Your Stories
The Examiner’s readers also shared their stories of what Harry Potter means to them.
Readers frequently said Harry Potter helped them through difficult times in their own lives, overcoming adversity alongside Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
“I found home in the pages of Harry Potter. I pick up those books and feel like I'm returning home, or to my childhood,” reader Fiachra Joyce-Frye said.
“It's the place I escaped to from my own life after my own biggest tragedy.”
For Miss Joyce-Frye, the magic of Hogwarts was the big attraction, as well as Hermione’s character arc – and, of course, Quidditch. “A sport that doesn't actually have a lot of physical exertion!”
Grace Campbell, who once featured in The Examiner at the Cursed Child launch, said she went to America in 2015 to visit the world of Harry Potter.
“The first time that read the Harry potter book series was three years ago, when I was in grade 3,” she said.
“I instantly fell in love will the book. I have now read them four times since.
“My favourite part in the series is right at the very end, when Voldemort and Harry have their final battle. I just love the suspense of who will win, what will happen, and is it really over?”
Share your memories of Harry Potter on The Examiner Facebook page.