User blog comment:JoePlay/Wizarding World Giveaway/@comment-4159171-20110717095555

I was in junior high when I started reading the books, they were like crack to me. I remember sitting in math class and the teacher was going over problems on the overhead projector when she noticed me reading one of the books in my lap. After she called me out and demanded that I put the book away, she then went to the librarian and told her about this incident and I was given a very sever warning. I loved to read, I had the third highest reading average in my class (one of my proudest accomplishments.) Out of all the books the character I most related to was Harry- the main reason (and most obvious) being that we were both orphans- more of a burden to those assigned to take care of us then anything else. Like Harry who was forced to read his school books by the light of his wand, I would read the Harry Potter books in the dead of night with a flashlight. I wasn't allowed to read the books at home, not because of the subjects of "witchcraft" or "magic" or whatever reason people think to argue against the integrity of the books but because they made me happy. Also like Harry, we both found refuge at school and away from a home where we felt unwanted, oppressed and denied the freedom of being who we really were. School to me was a temporary reprieve from having to come home and face the reality of my situation, I appreciated it so much but it was still very bittersweet. I got made fun of and picked on alot for being poor and for being different. I was dramatic, loud and thoroughly misunderstood so I acted out because I couldn't express my feelings any other way. I couldn't tell people what I was going through at home because I knew they wouldn't understand or believe so like Harry, I resolved to bear my burden alone. I'm not going to go into detail about what I happened all those years ago, aside from being irrelevant it's a long story and I want to do it justice. I will however scream about it in the middle of a corn field with NO corn during an air-soft tournament (private joke, you had to be there.) Suffice it to say that I had accepted the fact that no one was ever coming to save me, I wasn't getting a Hogwarts letter and no half-giant was going to burst through the living room to tell me I didn't belong here. So, I did the bravest thing anyone in that situation could have done- I told the truth (and it really did set me free as cliche as it sounds.) Do I credit Harry Potter for saving me? No not at all, it was by faith and prayer that I was saved, nothing more and nothing less. The Harry Potter series was a comfort beyond anything I can express in words; it was nothing short of a godsend. It was in this fictional universe that I found an escape and where I could be safe and happy. For the first time, I didn't feel like I was alone. Also, it sparked a love of literature that would prove to be useful years later when I would decide to make it my major in college. :) Although their will be no more books and after the 15th of July, no more movies- Harry Potter will never end. Author of the series J.K. Rowling said it best when she said "Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it." and "Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."     For that, I will always be greatful...