By guest blogger Amanda Livingston
In honor of the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter, we held a social media sweepstakes asking Harry Potter fans to send in pictures of their well-loved copies of the books.
We received so many lovely and sentimental photos via the #AlwaysSweepstakes and #HarryPotter20 hashtags— of pages torn and dog-eared from years of wear and tear, of books passed down to siblings and children, and covers and bindings falling apart due to incessant page-flipping.
When I was younger, I liked to record when I finished reading each Harry Potter book in the inside cover. Then I would pass the book down to my younger sister Carly, who would do the same thing (see below). 
It’s weird to think about how I finished Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for the first time 14 years ago. Reading book 3 as an elementary school student was the best because I got to grow up alongside Harry, Ron and Hermione and go with them on their fantastical adventures as a kid. The 20th anniversary of Harry Potter inspired me to reread my worn down copy, allowing for some extremely sentimental moments that reminded me how much I love the wizarding world and the series.
Even though the sweepstakes is over, you can still experience the magic by checking out your old copies of the books and reminiscing, just like some of these folks!
With me since 2000. There’s sparkly pink gel pen in the table of contents. The front cover is barely holding on. The bottom right corner has been bent too many times to count. But I’d never replace it!#HarryPotter20 #AlwaysSweepstakes pic.twitter.com/i5iRk5NhgH
— Hayley Hoffman (@hayhoffman) January 27, 2018
I'll probably be needing a new copy when it's my son's turn to start the adventure... #AlwaysSweepstakes #HarryPotter20 pic.twitter.com/v9NvYwwpFk
— Vi Figueroa (@teacherfig) January 28, 2018
My Harry Potter books are well loved. They have been read many times. #AlwaysSweepstakes #HarryPotter20 pic.twitter.com/inNXvkfJfr
— April Walters (@awalters02) January 28, 2018
@Scholastic I love my US paperback copy the most because it wasn't just loved by me. 2008, my grade school closed, I got it from the library (I now own 4 copies!) Although most of the wear and tear has been from the decade of rereads #HarryPotter20 #AlwaysSweepstakes pic.twitter.com/LFHUzcU6D0
— Ro (@holmessyndrome) January 28, 2018
My well-loved Harry Potter books- some of the pages are even falling out. They have provided years of (re)reading enjoyment for me & my son & daughter. Year 3 is missing because my son is rereading it now. #HarryPotter20 #AlwaysSweepstakes @Scholastic pic.twitter.com/Y7OsO31KKI
— Denise Hudson (@LibrarianDenise) January 29, 2018
Bought the boxed set when he was in my belly and I’ve been waiting seven long years to start reading it together! (My original is so well-loved and in my 3rd grade classroom library.) @Scholastic #HarryPotter20 #AlwaysSweepstakes pic.twitter.com/0jMUATwi2B
— Vanessa Allen (@vanessaallen625) January 29, 2018
@Scholastic Just some of my collection. Pre-ordered almost all of the books for myself. Passed down my love of HP to my 4 kids, 2 of whom read each book 7-8x each. They loved them well as you can see by the covers that are off. #AlwaysSweepstakes pic.twitter.com/UlxmOVuQvi
— Deborah DuBritton (@DDubritton) January 29, 2018
My Harry Potter books are my absolute favorites. Torn pages, worn spines, and so many annotations. My Harry Potter books are even more special bc my fiancé proposed last year with a note in Fantastic Beasts #HarryPotter20 #AlwaysSweepstakes pic.twitter.com/WPXeN6mzg5
— Emily Nicole Gray (@emily_n_gray) January 29, 2018
Very well-read and well-loved by the Schilling sisters. #HarryPotter20 #AlwaysSweepstakes pic.twitter.com/XaXyfLK2aU
— Shannon (@ShanShanSchill) January 29, 2018
@Scholastic My copies of books 1-4 are especially loved, since they spent several years in my mom's 5th grade classroom before they were handed down to me! #AlwaysSweepstakes #HarryPotter20 pic.twitter.com/R1eyVMYecx
— jewelsjoy12 (@jewelsjoy12) January 29, 2018
This book brings back so many memories..anxiously waiting for the next book, reading it in one day, repeating until the last book was released, and crying when it was all over.Reading it aloud to my class allows me to share the HP #harrypotter20 #AlwaysSweepstakes @Scholastic pic.twitter.com/kzPsKvNBM2
— Rian Mitchell (@GESMitchell) January 30, 2018
A gift from Grandmom to @kbarr_07 and @oliviabarr02 around 2002. Broken spine, tattered, well-loved, and read too many times to count! @Scholastic
— Jennifer Robin Barr (@JenniferRBarr) January 28, 2018
"I believe they will increase your imagination and hopefully your fun in reading." #HarryPotter20 #AlwaysSweepstakes pic.twitter.com/E9n9lwrhM3
I gave my well-loved copies to my goddaughter so she could re-read them on her own (after I read the first five aloud to her). We read about Sirius passing through the veil not 2 weeks before her mother died & the books have helped her grieve. #HarryPotter20 #AlwaysSweepstakes pic.twitter.com/MnE5P0GQG6
— Nicole Panteleakos (@NicWritesBooks) January 28, 2018
@Scholastic #HPCelebration #AlwaysSweepstakes #HarryPotter20 pic.twitter.com/nKZPFhQFTH
— Talli Gay (@SraTLG) January 28, 2018
Do your copies of Harry Potter look like these? We'd love to see. Share your photos with us using #HarryPotter20.
And remember, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.
