Expecto Patronum.

My patronus is something I discovered just over a year ago, but I can no longer imagine my life without. A year ago in October, I became a nerdfighter. And this past July, I joined the temporary staff of HPAFTW, a Harry Potter Alliance campaign, and became part of the Harry Potter fandom. These two communities changed my life and made me more comfortable and happy and proud of myself than I ever have been in my life. Comfortable, because I’ve come to realize that being a nerd and being myself no matter what is not something to be embarrassed about, but rather something to be proud of. Happy, because I love who I am now, and I love the amazing friends I’ve made and the wonderful people I’ve met in these communities. Proud, because these communities have made me realize how good I have it and help reach out to people less fortunate. I’ve never been one to reach out or do any kind of charity work, but since getting involved in Nerdfighteria and the HPA, there have been so many charity projects I’ve been involved in, and it makes me feel so good to know that I can have so much fun doing something for other people instead of for myself. I won’t even start in on the friends I’ve made and the people I’ve met and the role models I’ve discovered, because I’ll be going on forever if I do. But these people, these moments, these communities, and the way I feel now that I’m a part of them are things I will never ever forget, no matter how long I live or what else happens in my life. I will never stop being grateful to Nerdfighteria and the HP fandom, and never forget what they’ve done for me, and I’ll never stop being a part of them. I thank God all the time for bringing me to them, or them to me, when I needed them most. They are my patronus and I wouldn’t have it any other way.