Upon the release of the New Harry Potter book, the world fell back in love. We fell in love with the world J.K. Rowling invited us into years ago.

My mother and I have been reading the book together and calling each other to talk about it, and I realized that when I would bring up getting emotional at subtle things said in the screenplay, my mother would not, and the pattern seemed to hold up. With that I realized that while many people of all ages fell in love with the Hogwarts universe, my generation fell in love completely. While the older generations found things to love in the series, and the younger generation only knows Harry Potter from the movies, millennial's dove into the depths of the series and who knows if we will ever surface.

There is something so beautiful within a world an author has created for the rest of the world. Perhaps even more beautiful is when it captivates the world, that now there are multiple universes in which we as a people can identify. It’s truly captivating.

Growing up, the Harry Potter series has shaped my generation in ways that no one could have even imagined. We went on adventures we never could have imagined, for we are all witches and wizards. We learned valuable lessons about life, friendship, growing up, and even dealing with bullies. We learned to stand up for our friends, and maybe more importantly that we are all individuals and have our own skills and talents.

We live in a world where one of the first questions asked when you meet someone is ‘what house are you in?’(quick shoutout to my fellow Ravenclaws). That question is so defining of my generation that it’s almost hard to believe. We identify so much with various characters from the show, I mean who didn’t want Professor Mcgonagall to teach them transformation? Or anything really. Who wasn’t standing in line at midnight at the bookstore holding their parent’s hand, wondering who the Defense against the dark arts professor would be this year. Who didn’t get a little afraid that the movies would put the books to shame, but thankfully we were all relieved?

I am eternally grateful to J.K. Rowling for creating this incredibly amazing world for humanity to flourish in.

I grew up with Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and others attending Hogwarts. I went on adventures with them, as many people my age did. I went to school while they went to school. I dreamed- and still dream- of getting my acceptance letter through my non-existent chimney. I play Quidditch for my university. There is no one that can tell you Harry Potter is dead.

So for all my peers who grew up at Hogwarts, who are still waiting on that damn letter almost 10 years too late, who believe in the power of a single writer, here’s to us. Here’s to the child in us that will never die, because we are immortal.