User blog comment:JoePlay/Wizarding World Giveaway/@comment-4140785-20110712212630

Harry Potter changed my life. Without it, I would not be the woman I've grown up to be. It was the foundation of my childhood, led me through adolescence (thankfully with a little less angst than OotP-Harry), and will stay with me for the rest of my life. I learned from the characters, lived through the books with them. I'm a proud member of the Harry Potter generation. I grew up with these characters, and they became my friends. They were there for me when I moved to a new school, when I lost my best friend, when I thought no one would like me because I had bushy hair and top grades. It brought me into the loving arms of the Fandom, got me writing, and created a bond with my sister who is five years younger than I am. JK Rowling created a world that I can escape to, that is so real I can almost touch it, and I don't think I can properly express in words everything it's meant to me.