Miracle of Miracles...

[Amber ?]

This past weekend, I went back home to Ohio to attend a wedding. I went 
completely without the intention of getting anyone "hooked" on HP. I just 
thought I'd have some time to spend with the 'rents, brother, and wedding 
friends. However, this didn't entirely turn out to be the case. So gather 
around, all ye Potterites, and listen to the fabulous tale of...

"How I FINALLY got my brother to read HP"
(Or a possible primer on how to convince stubborn 17 year old brothers to 
read Harry Potter when they profess that it's only a "fad")

So Friday night, I arrive in Ohio. My mom picks me up and brings me home. I 
chatter on and on to my parents and brother about various things and the 
conversation turns (inevitably) to Harry Potter.

My brother: Harry Potter is just a fad! I'm never going to read it!
Me: It is NOT a fad! Would it have been this popular if it was just a fad?
My brother: It is so a fad! No children's book could stay popular for long!
Me: It is NOT a children's book! You don't know what you're talking about!
My brother: I do SO!

Not exactly the most intelligent of conversations. *grin* Well, my mom tells 
us to take the argument into another room. I drag my brother into the 
computer room and show him a couple HP sites (FictionAlley, SugarQuill, 
Leaky Cauldron, etc.) to prove that the series is more than just a fad. At 
first I'm just happy that he's stopped arguing with me, but then I notice a 
bit of interest in his eyes. At some point we're looking at HP fanart and he 
points to a picture of Draco Malfoy and asks "Who's that? Is he a vampire? 
He looks kinda cool.". I nearly bust a gut laughing but tell him I won't say 
anything unless he reads the books.

Afterwards, I go into the living room to find my brother looking at the 
books on the bookshelf. I ask him what he's looking for and he says the 
first Harry Potter book. I stifle my yell of glee, quietly find the book, 
and hand it to him. He wanders off.

Later that night, I go to my room to get ready for bed. I peak my head into 
his room to find *gasp* that he's READING SS! He notices me standing there, 
grins, and says two words. "Dudley Dursley". I'm quite shocked, but merely 
grin back and say "I know." I leave then, even though I want to grill him on 
what he thinks of the series so far.

Saturday morning, my brother comes down for breakfast and I nonchalantly ask 
him how he thinks of the series. His answer? "Unbelievable". I say 
"Unbelievable good or unbelievable bad?". He says "Unbelievable good!". I 
nearly fainted on the spot. Then I started singing, "I was right, I was 
right, I was right". The conversation from there on out degenerated into 
insults and a minor scuffle.

I'm back in Florida now, but he was about halfway through SS when I left. 
And he asked me if my parents had the second book (yes, they did). I guess I 
have to be grateful for two characters: Draco Malfoy (who inspired the 
fanart that caught my brother's eye in the first place) and Dudley Dursley 
(who my brother found quite funny/despicable and kept him reading). I would 
never in a million years think that I would be grateful for those two 
characters but I find myself in that position. Although I must point out 
that he doesn't like Draco anymore, he likes Neville the best so far...

Furthermore, my mom is now finally showing interest in trying the books. My 
brother isn't exactly a reader and she knows that anything that grabs his 
attentions is usually pretty good...

Maybe I shouldn't be so excited that I got my brother to read Harry Potter. 
After all, it's only a "fad". *snicker*

~Amber

********
http://www.the-tabula-rasa.com
Updated 9/03/01...HP pages added

"If you are choking to death in a restaurant you have a better chance of 
survival than if you tell your best friend that you are thinking of killing 
yourself."
- B. Kopans
National Mental Illness Screening Project



_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp