User blog comment:JoePlay/Wizarding World Giveaway/@comment-4198068-20110725032626

Although it sounds cliche, Harry Potter has been and will always be my escape from reality. From a very young age, I've struggled with very intense depression, constantly going through spells of sadness and alienating myself from others. Harry Potter always helped me feel better and more connected, no matter what kind of a mood I happened to be in. It was almost as if I was truly there for each moment, each laugh, each tear, each hug. I cried with Hermione and felt her grief as I remembered my trouble making new friends while I sighed a joy of relief with Ron and Harry to be rid of something I wasn't fond of. These characters instilled themselves into me at an extremely deep level and I don't think that they will ever be able to leave. Whenever I think of Hogwarts, I immediately start to smile and think of everything that has happened there. The ties formed there are nearly unbreakable, and I truly wish I had something like the bond that Hermione, Ron, and Harry share. The other feeling I have is a gut wrenching pain, I would give anything for Hogwarts to be real and to be a student there. It is magical, I wouldn't give the time I've dedicated to Harry Potter up for anything. Without this wondrous series, I wouldn't be the person I am today, and that scares me. As Harry said, Hogwarts is my home. I wouldn't want it any other way. It's my key to happiness, my extra hug when I'm having a bad day, and that little push I need to make it through the week.