Dear JK Rowling,

I have no right or reason to ever expect you to read this, but I’ve wanted and needed to say it for a very long time. Thank you. Harry Potter has been an extremely large part of my life since it came to theaters in 2001. I hadn’t been given any of the books to read yet because I was only seven at the time, but the movie got me looking for my Hogwarts letter while begging for the books. I think I was around nine when I finally got into reading the books, and I have to say, it was the first series I ever read without complaint…unless I was complaining that the next book needed to be out already. Looking back, I truly believe it was your writing that initially sparked my love of reading. It also in a way started me writing. At least creating fanfiction in my head, even if it never hit the page. I would spend hours reading, and figuring out how to fit my own character into the story…I think that’s a big part of why I started writing in the first place, because I found out I love making my own stories by adding myself to Harry Potter.

More than that, however, is what your writing did, and continues to do for me. I have depression and anxiety, and I’ve known it since I was young. Because of that I’ve never really felt like I fit in most places, it takes a while for me to find somewhere that feels safe, that feels right. Hogwarts gave me a place that I can always come back to - just like you said - by page or by screen, and I’ll be home no matter where I am. So this is a thank you for giving me a home, giving me – and countless others – somewhere to turn to when there’s nowhere else to go. Thank you for bringing Harry to the world and letting us share his journey.

Thank you also for the characters you created. When I was made fun of for being a know-it-all, Hermione showed me that it was something to be proud of. Thank you for Ginny, because I needed to see an athletic girl still be kind, and beautiful, and gifted outside of sports. Thank you for the twins, Fred and George were like older brothers to me when my real brother wasn’t. Thank you for Sirius, because he showed me that you can overcome any darkness in your life and still be a good person, if a little damaged. Thank you for Remus, for showing that it is not what you are, but who you are that defines you and that everyone deserves love, even if they think they don’t. On that note thank you for Tonks, I’m not sure I can express how much of a role model she is for me; all of these people are, but Tonks especially because she never let anything knock her down (except her own feet). Thank you for the Hogwarts Professors, as a homeschooler, they were my baseline of what to expect going into college, and I’m so happy you included some horrible teachers, because it truly prepared me to face anything. Speaking of professors, thank you for Professor McGonagall and thank you for not making her a casualty of the Battle of Hogwarts, no one would have survived that loss, we barely made it through Fred, Remus, and Tonks. Thank you for Luna, because the younger me needed to see someone that unique be accepted for who she is, quirks and all. Thank you for Ron, because we all deserve to know what a healthy friendship looks like, and to learn that family isn’t a term reserved for blood relation.

Thank you for Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. Because he lived, so did I. Even though it happened in my head, doesn’t mean it wasn’t real, right? This series has been everything to me, a favorite book, movie, friend, and always my “anchor to sanity” in the realest of meanings. You gave me a friend when they were few and far between, you made a world where I could escape and be happy, somewhere I could be safe and feel loved even when I didn’t, couldn’t love myself. There are so many facets of myself that I can trace back to beginning at Number Four, Privet Drive. In many ways - both figuratively and realistically - I owe you not only my childhood, but my life. So from the deepest part of my heart, thank you Ms. Rowling, for everything.

Also, happy birthday.

The Girl You Saved