Bond not Blood by Taylor

Taylor's entry into Varsity Tutor's October 2025 scholarship contest

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Bond not Blood by Taylor - October 2025 Scholarship Essay

As a child, I always dreamed of a very, very tall man saying, “Yer a wizard, Taylor,” along with a Hogwarts acceptance letter arriving for me, but alas, that never happened. Harry Potter is a book I grew up on; the spines of all my books are cracked from how often I would reread them. I love the movies just as much as I love the books. I love Harry Potter, and every rewatch made little kid me want Harry Potter’s life more and more. Through him, I learned about the idea of found family, the idea that family isn’t about blood, but about bond. Harry Potter discovered his found family in the Weasleys and Hermione, and I found myself craving to have created bonds like that, especially when I was a kid.

There was always something so bittersweet about watching the Weasleys interact in the movies and the books, knowing my family was vastly different than them in every aspect. While the Weasleys were chaotic in a loving way, my family was chaotic in an argumentative way. The Weasleys all had their little kinks, but their family just made sense in a weirdly disorganized way. The Weasleys had their problems, but their love surpassed all of them, and that is something my family could never achieve, no matter how hard we try. My heart yearns for what the Weasleys had, and watching Harry welcomed into their family is bittersweet in a way. Harry’s bond with the Weasleys is a testament to the idea that family is bond, but it also hurts watching him being welcomed into the family I wish I had. I am Harry Potter when he first got introduced to the Weasleys in the Chamber of Secrets. My experiences are not unique; others have lived them, and they have been lived by Harry. I'm used to the awkward family dinners with my friends' families. For me, that sting never goes away, knowing my family doesn't have family dinners or interact in the same way as other families. I relate to Harry; I find solace in him. My parents are not dead, but sometimes, it feels like I have no family; sometimes, it feels like I am all alone.

But then, when I think about how Harry had no family, but his bond with the Weasleys was unbreakable, to the point that the Weasleys were his family, I feel a little better. My family is in the friends I have made, the people I have created everlasting bonds with. Family is not just blood; it is a relationship shared between people, filled with love. I might not have the typical family that loves each other wholeheartedly, but I have that with my friends. My friends are my people, my family, and really, that is all I need. My friends invite me to their Thanksgiving because they know my family doesn’t do anything for Thanksgiving. My friends listen to me rant because they know my family won’t listen to me talk about my struggles without comparing them to theirs. My friends invite me to go Black Friday Shopping with their mom because I don’t go with my parents. Harry taught me that I do have a family, and although it might not be the normal family, it still is one. My friends understand me and love me like Ron and Hermione understand and love Harry, and to me, that is all that matters.

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