Happy Birthday, Harry!

Today is Harry Potter's birthday (or it would be if he were a real person). It's also J. K. Rowling's birthday.

I still remember the first time I read Deathly Hallows and how shocked I was to realize that Harry was only a month younger than me. I'd never had any idea that the books took place in the 90s until Harry found his parents' headstone in Godric's Hollow and their death dates were listed as October 31, 1981. One of the beautiful things about the world of Harry Potter is that it doesn't really matter when Harry was born or when the books took place, but I found it interesting.

Of course, I didn't remember that today was Harry Potter's birthday until I saw this quiz on BuzzFeed. (I did not do as well on the quiz as I would've liked. I guess I don't remember the books very well.) BuzzFeed also published a list of 28 things that happened after Deathly Hallows. I knew some of the stuff on the list, but a lot of it was news to me. I think it's awesome that Rowling has thought about it, though.

Thanks to BuzzFeed, I really want to re-read all of the Harry Potter books. Like, right now. But I really ought to wait until I finish Team of Rivals. Maybe the Harry Potter books will be an effective bribe.