Contest Entry
I'm a little disappointed, but that's all right. I'm still new at this, so hopefully this community will grow and the next contest will be bigger and better.
Anyway, the only entry I got into the contest was from zibbycomix, so she wins :-) Congratulations! I'll be sending your $5 gift certificate and award icon sometime this week.
It was very good though. Please read below and let both of us what you think of it.
By
zibbycomix
Encounters With Radishes:
An Essay For Acceptance to Advanced Wizarding Academy
Written By Hermione Granger
Logical is not the first word that comes to mind in describing Luna Lovegood. Ethereal, dreamer, and creative, sure. But certainly not logical. Perhaps that is why we clashed when we first met. Even from the first time I saw her, with her wand behind her ear and reading a copy of the Quibbler upside down, she somehow offended my reasonable sensibilities. How could she be constantly off in her own world when there was so much work to be done? Why did she have such a determination to believe in creatures that had no scientific evidence proving their existence? I had not met a single person like her before, and I simply could not understand her. And so, in lieu of trying to get to know her, I turned my back on her. I made fun of the Quibbler and the sensational articles in it. I laughed at her radish earrings and her odd way of floating about the castle. I wanted to put as much distance between us as possible, and I succeeded.
Then, at the end of my fifth year at Hogwarts, my friend Harry confided something to me. He told me that Luna was forced to put up posters asking for the return of her belongings, as they had been stolen. In that moment, I realized that Luna and I had more in common than I expected. We had both felt like an outsider, we had both been teased about our personalities, and we had both been friendless. From that moment on, I swore to look at Luna in a new light. As I attempted to be more welcoming towards her, I found that I had started to admire her. She led her life without caring what other people thought of her. She had courage, perseverance, and most of all, faith in ideas that no one else dared believe in. She reminded me of how I felt when I first came to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry- excited about all the possibilities that magic had to offer. She always finds something extraordinary about ordinary life. She sees every day as an adventure waiting to be explored. Her unceasing love of life is an inspiration to me.
Getting to know Luna has changed my perspective. It is only by meeting her that I have been willing to turn the book that is my life upside down.
Thanks everyone! Keep reading! :-D
~*Liz*~