Harry Potter is a lot more to me than most people may think. I started reading it in primary school at the suggestion of a classmate, Belle, and soon became hooked on the series. That was about a year before the first movie came out, before the series was so famous. I suppose it was odd, starting the books when I was eleven and Harry was eleven. And now the series has ended, as Harry is seventeen and I am seventeen.

As ends the series, so does a part of my life. And so I pay respects...

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was the first book I ever read of my own accord. The series is what got me so into books. And in waiting for the fifth book to come out, I used to write Harry Potter stories of my own. Thus was born my love of writing and my very first character, Haylie, whose name I still use today as both a penname and a false name on the Internet. Indeed, she is still my protagonist in many of my works.

From writing Harry Potter stories, I found HPFF - HarryPotterFanFiction.Com - a website for fans to post their own stories. I did so, and it brought about my meeting of two of my best friends - Heather and Alex.

Had it not been for J.K. Rowling's magnificent work, we never would have met. We never would have connected so well. But as it is, we did. All thanks to the series.

I've grown up with the books, and they've taught me a lot of valuable lessons about life and death, love and hate - and all those things in between. It has opened my eyes to the real world. Revealed to me the power of the imagination. And so, it has brought me to life.

I'm thinking of returning to fanfiction. Just maybe...but it's a good maybe..

And now I shall end this entry, with two of HPFF's most known quotes.

"The pen is mightier than the wand" and "What will you imagine?"

xoxo