Harry Potter fans hide inspiring notes in JK Rowling's books for new readers

Home Top

The unwilling suicide bomber: Teenager weeps as he is ordered to drive armoured vehicle filled with explosives - moments before he is obliterated in mushroom cloud in attack on Syrian village
NFL legend Frank Gifford leaves majority of his $10M estate to widow Kathie Lee and their two children and NOT his family from first marriage
How to block emails and unsubscribe from spam with a single click: Gmail rolls out simple tools to help you take control of your inbox
California police find two bodies in burned out cabin while searching for missing couple and their seven-year-old son
Mother-of-two, 19, hailed a hero for pulling pensioner out of path of oncoming train after his wheelchair became stuck on tracks
Father and brother of Hollywood film director Alejandro Gomez Monteverde have been found murdered after being kidnapped from their Mexican home
Pennsylvania priest is convicted of 'sex tourism' after he traveled to Honduras several times to molest poor street children during missionary trips
'I look forward to these days in your country. God Bless America!': Pope Francis speaks about climate change, world peace and religious tolerance in front of crowd of 20,000 on the White House lawn
Obama lavishes praise on the Pope (for the policies they share) as he thanks Catholic leader for support on Cuba, climate change and immigration
Is the Pope a Catholic? Reporter actually asks Francis the famous question while interviewing him about his economic views
'#BrianWilliamsPopeStories': Disgraced NBC journalist mocked on social media during his debut as MSNBC breaking news anchor covering the arrival of Pope Francis
What would Jesus have been driven in? Dwarfed by massive secret service SUVs, Pope Francis is a big man in a little car as he's driven away in a tiny Fiat 500 after arriving in the U.S.
Pope spent awkward minutes waiting at open door of his plane as Obama crossed the tarmac - but it was all because of protocol, White House says
From Stalin's 'my son can't even shoot straight' putdown for his suicidal boy to Gaddafi's heir hiring Beyonce for a night: New book reveals what happened to the children of the world's cruelest dictators
German government 'KNEW Volkswagen was rigging emissions tests but did nothing': Shocking claim by nation's Green Party as testing scandal 'spreads to petrol cars as well as diesels'
Revealed, the vital foods to eat at every stage of life: Drink gallons of milk in your teens, eat eggs and nuts in your 30s and switch to margarine in your 60s
'It ain't over until it's over': Legendary New York Yankees player Yogi Berra dies aged 90 after fighting in D-Day, winning ten World Series and coining countless phrases
Bug in Google Chrome causes it to CRASH when your mouse hovers over a simple link - so developers turn it into a game
Unlocking the origins of global warming: Scientists pinpoint signs of climate change as early as 1940...and it began in Africa
Revealed, the rise and downfall of Mexico's most powerful female Cartel boss: How 'La China's' hitman boyfriend became so horrified by the 'maniacal' murdering monster she'd become - he shopped her to the cops
Hunting for stars at the heart of the Milky Way: 'Cosmic sonic booms' hidden by dust could be spotted using radio telescopes
Hawaii Five NOOO! Wife of Maui cop accused of flashing women and children blames his behavior on PTSD after he witnessed horror plane crash
'She caused pain I never knew existed': Mother writes heartbreaking open letter a year after drunk-driver killed husband and baby son in car crash
EXCLUSIVE: How Whitey Bulger's politician brother still lives beside house where mobster buried three of his victims - and gets $200,000-a-year pension despite taking Fifth Amendment on gangster

The 'Potter It Forward’ social media movement was started by the MuggleNet fansite
Messages are being written on Post-Its and scraps of paper and left inside pages of the books in libraries and bookstores

Published: 16:18 EST, 22 September 2015 | Updated: 19:42 EST, 22 September 2015

View
comments

Harry Potter fans who have found years of happiness, excitement, and comfort in J.K. Rowling's mega-successful series are passing those feelings on to new readers by leaving touching notes hidden in the books' pages.

As part of a new campaign called #PotterItForward, self-proclaimed Potterheads are writing messages about their own experiences with Harry, Ron, and Hermione and leaving them for future readers to find in new and used copies at bookstores and libraries.

But before they leave their surprise notes behind, they're snapping photos and sharing them on Instagram to inspire other readers to do the same.

Passing it on: Harry Potter fans are leaving notes in library and bookstore copies of Harry Potter books for the 'next generation' of readers

Chapter one: The #PotterItForward campaign was started by the Harry Potter fansite MuggleNet, which first shared this photo

Respectful scribbles: All of the notes, like this one that called the series 'my best friend when growing up', have been written on scraps of paper or Post-Its

According to Seventeen.com, the movement began with an Instagram snap from the Harry Potter fansite MuggleNet, which included a yellow Post-It note inside a copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

'The world of Harry Potter saved me during my darkest hours,' the note read. 'Use this to escape reality & to let your imagination free. Never forget that you are amazing.'

Captioning the picture, MuggleNet encouraged other fans to follow suit, adding their own personal messages to installments in the magical series: 'Join our global movement and #PotterItForward by leaving a magical note in a bookstore or library's copy of #HarryPotter!'

The magic: This note, placed in a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, includes just a quote from Albus Dumbledore

Lit love: Besides sharing insight into what the story does for readers, the note-writers have included some of their favorite lines - like this one, in quotes, which is first uttered in Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban

Special connection: Most of the writers so far have shared the sentiment that the Harry Potter books feel like a good friend

Iconic imagery: Many have also included drawings of lightening bolts (like the one on Harry's forehead) or the symbol of the Deathly Hallows

And plenty of fans have. Using Post-Its or scraps of notepaper - and never, it seems, vandalizing a book by writing directly on its pages - readers have been slipping touching messages into copies of the books, leaving them for future readers to find.

'Welcome to Hogwarts!' wrote 94loveamy in a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - one of many notes she wrote. 'From my Potter generation to yours, I hope you find a home away from home in these pages like I did. On a bad day, I know I can still turn to Harry, Ron, and Hermione to make me feel comfortable with myself again. Enjoy the journey! It's a crazy one!'

Another fan, @willowmahogany13, left the message: 'Whether you're a seasoned reader or a fresh newcomer, I hope the adventures and messages this series brings provoke your thoughts in some way - or, at the very least, give you a great story to escape to. Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.'

Fiercely loyal: Most of the notes are written by the 'first generation' of Harry Potter readers, who read the books as they were being published

Worldwide fandom: The movement has expanded beyond the US, where it started; some fans have posted pictures from Russia, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Scotland

Popular fiction: The seven-book series, written by J.K. Rowling (pictured), has been published in at least 70 languages

'Harry Potter got me to read fantasy when I thought magic wasn't cool,' scribbled a user called @lavender_green_tea. 'It turned this Muggle into a witch (in the best sense!).'

And @jewelrybyps wished the best for future readers, writing: 'Let this book bring so much magic into your life that you lose touch with reality, if only just for a moment.'

Though the movement began in the US, it's now reached countries all over the world - as Harry Potter has been published in at least 70 languages. Fans in Russia, the Czech Republic, and Scotland - where Hogwarts is located - have also shared photos of notes they've left or found in books.