I love Lego Harry Potter. Yes. I’m 51 years-old. And I love Legos. Specifically, I love Lego Harry Potter.

When the Harry Potter series was initially published, I refused to read the books. I refused to jump on the fan bandwagon and do what everyone else was doing. I felt so proud of myself. Here I was, on my little pedestal, looking down on the world because I wasn’t being a super mega fan. 

And then, my husband’s cousin insisted that I read the Harry Potter books. No was not an answer she was going to accept. She shoved the first book into my hands and I took it home and begrudgingly opened it. And I was hooked by the second page. I love how the book opens. The Dursleys are perfectly normal “Thank you very much.” Breaking that fourth wall on the first page nailed it for me. It really was like I was being told a story.

I consumed the first three books. Bought them in hardcover and gave them a sacred place on my shelves. And as each novel was released, I ate them up as well. Yes, I attended one of the release parties. I didn’t stay until midnight to get my book. I had a two year-old baby in tow. Couldn’t do it. But I was out the next morning to buy the book and just voraciously gnaw through the pages.

With the best of intentions, I bought my husband a Wii for his birthday one year. I really did think he was going to enjoy it, enjoy playing video games with our kids. Nope. Oh well.

But, darn, wouldn’t you know that the Lego franchise started making games. Like Lego Star Wars. Lego Indiana Jones. And then, Lego Harry Potter.

Oh my stars. I could wander around Hogwarts and cast spells and go to classes and fly on broomsticks. And on top of that, Lego is just so flipping sarcastic. I played through years 1-4 who knows how many times. And then, they released years 5-7. And I could go to Hogsmeade as well. And the Ministry of Magic. And the Burrow. And Luna Lovegood’s house. 

Love. Just love. 

Oh, and I totally beat Voldemort. That’s right. I saved the wizarding world. Take that you Muggles.

Growing up, I never played with Legos. They were never in our home, never even an option. My friends didn’t really have Legos. Or at least their little brothers might have but I wasn’t hanging out or playing with the little brothers. I played with Schlumpfe (Smurfs in American world), Barbies, plastic animals, and blocks. And Matchbox cars.

But not Legos. When I could get my hands on Legos, I really enjoyed it but didn’t feel the need or the drive to build and play.

Until my 40’s. When I discovered actual Lego Harry Potter sets.

Oh my stars. I bought up everything. Hogwarts Castle. The Hogwarts express. Hagrid’s hut. The Burrow. Diagon Alley. The Quidditch field. I spent hours on the floor, reading instruction manuals and squishing Legos onto their respective places. I swaddled Harry in the invisibility cloak and snapped wands into characters’s hands. 

With each little bit, I relived the novels and indulged in childhood and just enjoyed the beauty of life. I sat next to my friend and we chatted about life as we swapped out pieces and ogled the trolly witch in the Hogwarts express.

Shortly before we moved, I gave away everything to a dear former student who truly would love and appreciate what we gave her. I didn’t regret giving everything to her. But I missed the Legos. I missed those moments of sitting on the cold floor and snapping Legos into place.

This summer, my daughter and I were at Target when I saw the new sets. And the old yearning overswept me. I wanted to play once more. I wanted to just forget about the world as I followed the beautiful symmetry of the Lego universe. 

And so I indulged. I bought a couple of sets. Started doing my research. Found special deals. And then, the boxes started arriving. 

My husband and I reorganized one of the bedrooms in our house. We shifted around furniture, got rid of some stuff, and all of a sudden, I had space. Shelves. My daughter got me a folding table. We stuck a couple of lamps on the end and then opened boxes.

We devised a system. I did the building on the left pages. She did the building following the instructions on the right pages. This way, we could build together without getting in each other’s ways. 

Hogwarts grew once more. The Shrieking Shack and Whomping Willow helped Harry, Hermione, and Ron discover the truth about Peter Pettigrew. I still have at least five sets in their boxes, waiting for when my daughter comes home for university breaks. Together, we’ll build the Ministry of Magic. Grimmauld Place. Hogsmeade. 

I am 51. And I play with Legos. And I am a better person for it. Because it’s hard to take life 100% seriously when you’re making sure you’re not stepping on a Lego. Even better, it’s wonderful to build a world that I can inhabit briefly, a world filled with wonderful memories like the evenings when I read chapters aloud to my children.

Now, if you will excuse me, I need to see if there are any new sets out there….