User blog comment:JoePlay/Wizarding World Giveaway/@comment-4185337-20110722045544

Ever since I read the first line of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I was lost in this world of magic that I, as well as every other faithful reader, wished existed and wished that I was a part of it. I know it's been said many times, but Harry Potter is my entire childhood, and even though I'm in college and am focusing on my future, not a day goes by where I don't think about this journey. I've reread the books hundreds of times, imagining what it would be like to be a part of that world. I've cried many times while reading the books (even after I've read them so many times and know what's coming, I STILL cry.) But it isn't the fascination I feel while reading about the magical happenings in the book, the sorrow I feel when a character dies or is suffering, nor is it the fear or jubilation I felt throughout Harry's journey of defeating Voldemort that I've taken away from this book. This entire series was about growing up and facing many hard choices and learning that, to quote Albus Dumbledore, "it is our choices that show what we truly are." I carry that quote in my mind and try to live by it every day, trying to better myself for my happiness and to become what I want, not what I'm expected to be. It's thanks to this entire journey that I've planned to live my life this way.