“There are no pictures in it.”



Those were the first words that came out of my mouth when I unwrapped a brand-new, hardcover copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. At the time, I was seven and I was really hoping for a new Barbie. A heavy and rather large looking book was the last thing I expected to open when my aunt and uncle handed the Christmas present to me.



I didn’t know it then, but that book has become my most treasured possession and it is a gift that I cannot thank my aunt and uncle enough for giving me. They didn’t just give me a Harry Potter book or the gift of reading. They gave me the gift of imagination and creativity.



Harry, Ron, Hermione, and even Draco have been my best friends since that Christmas Eve in 2001. They have always been there for me and have never left. While other friends have come and gone, they have always been sitting on my bookshelf, waiting to comfort me. Even through those awkward middle school years, they never abandoned me.



I went on countless journeys with my faithful friends. I visited Hogsmeade, the Burrow, and even the Quidditch World Cup. They also let me tag along with them and attend a few classes at Hogwarts, even Potions taught by the infamous Professor Snape. All of this I accomplished without leaving the comfort of my own home.


Whenever I would read any of the Harry Potter books, I felt like I was right alongside the characters. Every heartache and triumph I felt myself, from a lump in my throat to butterflies in my stomach. My mind went to places I never thought imaginable.



It is amazing what Harry Potter did for me. I have more of an active imagination now than I did when I was three. The book series allows one to escape from the tough times going on around them and enter a world where anything is possible; a world where pictures move, brooms can fly, and an ordinary boy can do extraordinary things.



Receiving that book on Christmas Ever has motivated me and given me a dream. I realized that I want to make people feel the same way I did when I flipped the pages of Harry Potter. For anyone who is lonely or stressed out or simply needs to escape, I want to allow them to go to places they never thought possible. J.K. Rowling and her remarkable story have inspired me to become an author. If I make one person feel the way I did when I entered the world of Harry Potter, I would feel as if I made Ms. Rowling very proud.



And all of this happened without a single image. While some may say that a picture is worth a thousand words, in the case of Harry Potter, one word sometimes may mean a thousand pictures.