User blog comment:JoePlay/Wizarding World Giveaway/@comment-1351982-20110721185422

Harry Potter means many things to me. I could say that it was my childhood, it got me interested in literature, or even the friends I made because of it. While all of those things I just mentioned are true, that is not what I will be telling you today. Harry Potter to me is my complete evolution as a person. I had just turned 9 when I first read Philosopher's Stone, and by Aunt (who was and still is an avid Ron and Hermonie Shipper) made me fall in love with it. I have Asperger's Syndrome (it is currently considered a high functioning form of autism), so like Harry, in my early childhood I felt like I had no one really to talk to or could understand me. At times I felt very alone, but I had my fictional friends at Hogwarts to keep me company. As time passed I attended all the films the first weekend they opened, and I became rather fascinated by what goes on behind the scenes. I found that I had a deep love of acting and filmmaking, and I would continue to pursue this path. Through my intrests, I found friendship within the potter fandom, fandoms outside Potter, or just people with similar interests. I have come so far over the last decade, I hardly seem like the same person. However, I still hold the many ideals I share with Harry and his friends...Love, Friendship, Loyalty, and Bravery. I am starting my first semester of college this fall, and I will take all the lessons I have learned over the years and continue to improve myself. So Harry Potter is much more for me than a collection if books, films, a theme park, and numerous other things, it is the story of a girl, who's life was changed by "the boy who lives."