The Boy Who Read

“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.”

I still remember the excitement I felt when I read those words for the very first time. When I was younger, I had always enjoyed reading and was reading ahead of the pupils in my class, but I was already looking for something to ignite my imagination. Then it was purely by chance I was given three hardcover copies of Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets and the Prisoner of Azkaban in the early 2000s.

My reading back then was much slower, but I was absolutely that kid who read late into the night, trying to get as much reading done as possible - before my mother reminded me I had school in the morning. Still, I was instantly captivated by J.K. Rowling’s writing, her rich characters and the fantastical world building. Whenever I got the chance, I had my nose in that book - often reading in quiet corners regardless of the occasion.

As a bookish and studious child, there were few characters in fiction I really identified with that was until I read Hermione Granger. Reading a character that in many ways I could identify with - outspoken, thrived to prove them self despite what others thought, had an unnerving passion for reading and actually enjoyed studying - made me feel more secure in my introverted nerdy self.

That year, my mum had bought me the audiobooks for my birthday - this was back in the day before audible, where CDs were expensive and all the range - and continued this tradition as I read further into the series. Almost every night I'd listen to the CDs on the small CD player on my bedside table, switching between listening and reading depending on how I felt that evening.

Stephen Fry was a marvellous narrator and honestly, the way he brought each character to life was just amazing. His voices for Hermione and Dumbledore were my personal favourites, but he made each character so distinctive that you'd know immediately who was speaking. As the films were coming out, I’d listen to the entire series yearly and then re-listen to that particular book in preparation for the film adaptation. People often wonder how you can read a book over and over again, but I found every time I read the Potter saga I noticed and connected with different aspects as I grew from childhood into adolescence.

I remember distinctively the night I listened to the Goblet of Fire for the first time. The audiobook was a Christmas present and this was the first time I'd listened to the book without having read it first. The opening chapter was chilling, not only deviating from the standard Harry narration - but it started with a murder, four in total by the end of chapter one. Rowling subverted my expectations and I think my mouth had dropped open at the sound of Fry's terrifying portrayal of Lord Voldemort. As the books progressed, so did the characters and it was clear at that point readers were in for a much darker story.

I actually had the chance to revisit the series last year when I began reading Harry Potter to my nephews over Zoom during lockdown. My voice acting was nowhere near Fry’s but my nephews constantly wanted me to read it - so my narration was better than expected.

This was a series I loved as a child and as a teenager. Its cast of characters and timeless stories continue to capture readers young and old. To introduce the magic of Hogwarts to another generation was wonderful, because it goes to show how much these seven books still captures readers’ hearts and imaginations to this day.