That is so sweet Nicola!
I was 11 and friends of my parents were staying over for a few days when I read the 1st HP Book. They'd brought it for me as a gift and I thought it was stupid at first... Only read it cause it got me out of the sunday walk ("oh look at her, she just wants to know what happens next... Leave her at home! )
Needless to say that first impression didn't last...
My dad had just gotten back from a business trip to the states when I read the 2nd HP. He brought it back with him and my brother proceeded to confess he'd already read it from the school library weeks before... I was SO mad at him for not sharing!
Fast forward a few years (and volumes)...
I was just back from a holiday abroad when the 4th HP entered our lives. My mum came to pick me up at the airport but didn't even notice I had arrived cause she was too engrossed in it.
I had just finished passing the french equivalent of the A levels when HP 5 came out, which earned me the right to read it second.
I was working in a bookshop when HP6 rolled out... and I was alone at home for a few days so knew I'd have no competition when the package arrived. On the delivery (publication) date I only had to work in the afternoon so I had planned on digging into the first few chapters before leaving for work. But the postman was late (probably slowed down with the weight of all the books ). I remember sitting in the garden all morning, waiting for him to show up. He finally did, 10 mn before I had to leave. I then had to endure hours of staring at huge displays of the HP6 and cashing copies for excited customers who hadn't even realised it was coming out, and didn't really read english but just bought it on a whim thinking "I'l learn". Torture I tell you!
I was on an internship in India when HP7 appeared. I knew I wouldn't have the patience to wait over a month to read our family copy in France but I din't want to buy a second, overpriced, copy in India either. I had been told though that fake copies were aways printed and sold in the streets barely a day after publication date... So, shame on me, I planned on getting one. Unfortunately this time the Indian government decided to prove that they could prevent that from happening, and did massive raids on the illegal printing houses. I stalked the place where they were meant to be sold for a week but no copies ever appeared I resisted buying a legitimate copy and tried to protect myself from spoilers... until the front page of one of the most prominent newspapers threw it in my face:
was their head title...
After that I just threw myself at the first bookshop I came across.
... A tad HP obsessed, me ??? Not at aaaaalllllll!