Who would I be

Sometimes I think about who I would be if Harry Potter wasn't in my life. I know some of you might not understand and some of you will think it weird that a series of books is such a big part of my life.

But the world of Harry Potter has been so much more than books to me over those 15 years I've known Harry.

Without Harry Potter, what would've been my world of refuge when I was 9-15 and the world was so harsh? Would I have another if Hogwarts wasn't there to welcome me? Every day when I came home from school I went up to my room to find my refuge at Hogwarts. 4-6 grade I always had a blue R written on the back of my left hand. A blue R for Ravenclaw. I pretended to go to classes at Hogwarts, I had friends there, I was popular and important there. And during those years when I was 9-15, Hogwarts was more important to me than the real world. Even today, when I'm home alone and talk to myself I pretend that I'm talking to some character from Harry Potter.

There are so many people I wouldn't have met if it wasn't for Harry Potter. So many people online, whom I now consider my friends, that I would never have talked to, if it wasn't for Harry Potter. Most people meet their friends at school, through a mutual friend, or at work. I get to know people through a mutual interest.

Who would I be if Hermione Granger hadn't taught me that it was alright to be intelligent and take pride in it?
Who would I be if Hermione Granger hadn't comforted me when others bullied me for getting top grades?
Who would I be if Luna Lovegood hadn't convinced me that it's alright to believe what I want and be who I want?
Who would I be if Ginny Weasley hadn't taught me that it's alright to be a tomboy?
Who would I be if Neville Longbottom hadn't showed me that bravery is to stand up for yourself?
Who would I be if Arthur Weasley hadn't convinced me that it's not about how much money you make, it's about how much you love your work?
Who would I be if my admiration for J.K. Rowling's work hadn't inspired me to start writing myself?
Who would I be if Harry Potter hadn't been there to open the doors to the fantasy genre for me?
Who would I be if the first Harry Potter computer game hadn't open the doors to gaming for me?

Who would I be?

Harry Potter is the groundwork for everything I am. Take away Harry Potter and it all falls apart. The way things are now, I wouldn't be able to leave Harry Potter behind even if I wanted to. What I read, what I play, what I write, what I take pride in... If I disect everything about me to find out its source, more than likely that source will be that 9-year-old girl who decided she could read the first Harry Potter book herself, despite thinking it was huge with its 379 pages.

My life begun at Hogwarts.