Harry Potter and Spring Storms

Yesterday I finished reading these books with the boys - Ty, the Prisoner of Azkaban and Briggs, the Deathly Hallows. They were both so excited to hear the endings of the stories, both begging for turns to read with me. Ty only had one chapter to finish. As soon as we finished he insisted on watching the movie (because I'm a purist like that and make my kids finish the book before watching the movie). We actually all sat down together and watched it. We don't usually watch movies like that on a school afternoon, but yesterday was a busy overcast day and it felt good to sit and watch a little HP. The cozy, snowy scenes of Hogwarts always make me crave the same kind of weather.

 After dinner, it was Briggs's turn to finish his book. As we curled up to read, a storm gathered outside. So as we completed Harry's journey with him, the windows were being lashed by rain and the sky was filled with lightening. It was the perfect spring storm that is unusual for these parts, but made the reading even more cozy. This is my second time reading the series out-loud, and so far, each time I finish that 7th book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I still get emotional. It's such a beautifully written story, with a great overall message. (I might have shed a few tears, but I disguised them as "Hagrid's" tears...) Seconds after reading the last sentence, the storm caused the lights to flicker, ever so slightly, and I told Briggs that it was caused by the magic of the book. He knew it wasn't real, but it's still magical to pretend with your child.

We've been working on these two books with the boys for the last 6 months. I'm going to miss reading them. I guess that means it's time to start looking forward to our summer reading books!