Kat's Favorite Potter Experiences

We've had our share of amazing experiences related to Harry Potter that we thought we'd share a few of them!

Harry Potter, The Exhibition: The first time I really got out to meet other Potterheads was at the exhibit in Chicago two years ago. We went for my birthday, and, despite some transportation issues that stranded us in Chicago for an extra day, it was amazing!

We waited around with a bunch of children and some other fans that seemed about our age dressed as Gryffindors (pfft). When they finally let us in, I was brimming with excitement, and the man walking behind us kind of made fun of me a little bit. Once we were inside, though, I wasn't the only one freaking out. That's not to say my excitement still didn't draw looks. In particular, I remember frolicking through the Dark Forest portion of the exhibit with all the Dark Arts artifacts. I almost started crying in front of Bellatrix's Azkaban robes and ran back to find Brae who was waiting in line to sit on the chair from Hagrid's hut. Some preteens followed me, laughing that anyone could be that serious about HP. I also was made fun of for being so horrible at quidditch when I tried to score a few goals at one of the interactive parts of the exhibit and for being so weak that I had trouble removing the mandrake from its pot. And then there was the lady in the gift shop who gave me an odd look when I said something about their lack of Slytherin and Dark Arts gifts. She asked why I'd want that, paused, and then added that she thought I must be a Slytherin...as if it was something to be ashamed of! Come to think of it, I was made fun of a lot that weekend...

The only problem I had with the exhibit was that they chose children to be sorted. This is fine, and I understand their reasoning. However, if they were trying to get these kids excited, they should have chosen actual HP fans and not toddlers who had no idea what was going on and couldn't appreciate the experience. One of the kids they chose for the sorting from our tour group was about two or three and when asked what his favorite house was, he answered with “Batman!” Really? Did they think that he'd appreciate being sorted more than the girl in the back hyperventilating on her freakin' birthday?!?!

Here's a video I did right after we got back (I'm not going to lie; it isn't that great, but I thought you guys might want to hear more about the exhibit. My videos now are much better):

The Ollivander's Experience: That problem with the exhibit was rectified at Infinitus last year during Night of a Thousand Wizards when they let us into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter after close. Brae and I grabbed butterbeers and chugged them while we waited in line for the Ollivander's experience because we'd done almost everything else in the park already during the day (incidentally, I would NOT recommend chugging frozen butterbeer as it leads to nausea and a brain freeze). I was not sure where we'd be standing when we got into the shop and, thus, unsure if I'd be picked for the wand ceremony. I am quite pick-able (just look at my picture...I tend to stand out in a crowd). Luck was on our side, and we were let in first for our group and Ollivander pretty much made a beeline for me! I immediately dumped everything I was carrying in Brae's arms and commanded him to take enough pictures to fill up the entire memory card in my camera. I've never felt such an interesting combination of excitement, luck, slight embarrassment (due to my excessive shyness), and the jealousy of others. Needless to say I bought the wand he chose for me to keep as a souvenir so I could retell that story every time someone spotted it!

Harry Potter and the Trip to the Emergency Room: One of the main topics of HP vlogs and blogs is to relive a few memorable experiences from your reading of the books. Most of my first readings of the books were pretty boring to retell (unless you find me stuffing my face with comfort food during some of the more horrible deaths in OotP, HBP, and DH to be super exciting) except for DH.

I ran out with my mother the night it came out and started reading it in the checkout line at Kroger. I don't think I took my nose out of the book until my mom came into my room the next morning to take me to the doctor.

For the rest of this story to make sense, you must understand that whenever I have had a physical ailment, it is always the oddest thing that could possibly happen to a person so that I need to see several doctors and specialists before anyone can figure out what it is. For the weeks leading up to the release of DH, I had seen about five different doctors to figure out why I felt like I had something painfully stuck in my throat, had a few X-rays, and some random tests. The day DH came out, I was scheduled to see a specialist so they could stick a scope up my nose and down my throat to see what was stuck there (a very fun procedure for those of you that haven't had it /sarcasm). We arrived early and sat waiting (me with my nose in DH like a few other people in the waiting room), then they took us back to the procedure room to wait for the doctor (I remember I was mid-chapter at this point and I detest having to stop in the middle of a chapter, especially if there's no change in scenes in sight as a natural stopping place, so I wasn't about to put my book down). When the doctor came, I read through almost the entire procedure (despite the fact that my eyes were tearing because of the pain...that stupid anesthetic spray doesn't do anything really) until they removed the scope. Again, for those that haven't had this procedure, there's an odd sensation when they remove the scope that sometimes prompts people to pass out or become lightheaded. I was apparently in the passing out group. When I came to, my first words were “Who took my book?” My mom said the doctor was slightly worried that I was confused and disoriented (or perhaps too obsessed with HP), but she knew I was back to normal when she heard me say that. The doctor then tried to explain that my lingual tonsils were inflamed and give me a list of instructions on how I'd need to treat this problem, but he made the fatal mistake of returning my book beforehand, so my mom was in charge of taking notes. I mean, really, what is physical health and comfort when compared to HP?