I’ll be the first to admit it. I am a nerd.

I grew up with books in my hands, wildly reading anything I could find. I couldn’t help it — every story took me away into an adventurous fantasy, and it was often hard to bring me back to reality.

It comes as no surprise, then, that I secretly expected high school to be like Hogwarts.

I wanted a wise, old headmaster who spoke the most random of phrases.

I wanted teachers as strict as Snape and as compassionate as Hagrid.

I wanted trap doors guarded by three-headed dogs, Triwizard Tournaments, Forbidden Forests and two best friends who always stood by me.

I wanted adventure and spontaneity. I wanted magic.

Nevertheless, I can say today, as I finish my last year of high school, that I did not find magic in the way I wanted.

I did not find moving staircases, but a one-floor building.

I did not eat food graciously made by the house elves but bland lunches that soon made me lose my appetite.

I did not find any mythical creatures or precious stones.

Instead of taking OWL and NEWT examinations, I wandered through AP tests and countless finals.

I didn’t find exactly what I wanted to do — turns out you can’t be an Auror if you’re a Muggle. Instead, I discovered that I have close to no idea of what I want to do in the next few months.

In the midst of all this disappointment, I did, however, find magic in the friends I made and the adventures we went on together. As soon as I figured out I wasn’t going to Hogwarts, I decided to find magic even in the most Muggle things.

Homework assignments were more bearable if I established a certain parchment length requirement.

The dishes were done with a swish and flick of my wand.

Football games were Quidditch matches.

Anything and everything that I could change, I did.

High school wasn’t what I had hoped it would be, but I’ve learned to be OK with that. I’ve learned to make my own adventures. My imagination was the only thing that got me through all those AP classes.

I still find magic in everyday things, and for that, I am immensely grateful. Always.