User blog comment:JoePlay/Wizarding World Giveaway/@comment-4151120-20110715155238

When I was little, I always loved books. I would read anything and everything that I could get my hands on. Then one day, I was given Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone...and I wasn't impressed with the first few pages, so I put it down. A few months passed and I had no books to read--so I picked up the Sorcerer's Stone again. From the moment I finished the first book, I wanted the next one and the next one. It became a way for me to escape the reality of my life (constant bullying, no friends) and in the years after the first book, a way to meet new people and connect with them. I had never been outgoing, and the books gave me something to talk about, a way to connect with other people. I literally grew up with the characters -- Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Neville, etc. are all friends I wish(ed) to have--their loyalty and unwavering hope help me understand the true meaning of friendship. Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Professor Snape (especially in Deathly Hallows), etc. are all teachers that are motivating and loving, and they taught me so much about life and courage and love. This series is more than that--it is a learning experience, a chronicle of true friendship, of growing love, and of unwavering hope and courage--even in the face of impossible odds. I will forever and always remember the green-eyed boy with jet black hair, circle glasses, and a lightning shaped scar on his forehead.