"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." And so, our story began.
No, not the story of Harry Potter and his journey at Hogwarts and his ever-long battle with Voldemort, but our story; the story of the fans of these magical books and films. From the moment our eyes read these first 22 words, we were strapped in for the time of our lives. These 22 words impacted our lives so greatly that it is impossible to think about what the world and our lives would be like if they never existed. If Harry never existed. Or Hagrid. Or Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, Snape, or Sirius. So we owe one woman a tremendous debt of gratitude:
J.K. Rowling.
Thank you J.K. Rowling for blessing us with a world that we can always rely on whenever we need comfort, happiness, or even a good cry. Your unending dedication to this world has me (and probably the rest of the Harry Potter fan base) flabbergasted. The amount of information and backstory you so graciously provide us with is more than any of us could have asked of you...well, actually we did ask, you just actually responded with the answers...and an entire website dedicated to all things related to the wizarding world. You're basically the best ever. And now you've delivered Fantastic Beasts to us which is just a whole other level of amazing. You never stop giving us more. Just when we think it is truly over and there is no more left, you give us more magic.
These books and this magical world have given us so much to believe in. You've proved that love does indeed triumph everything and that good conquers evil. You've given outcast kids the confidence to be themselves. You've sparked such creativity and imagination in the minds and hearts of children and adults alike. There are kids all over the world who probably create little spell books made from markers and printer paper and hand them out to their friends so that they can duel with the wands they made from twigs they found on their walk to school. And no, I'm definitely not speaking from experience.
We will never stop believing. We will never stop waiting for our Hogwarts letters to arrive and I know I am perfectly willing to forgive the fact that it is nearly 10 years late. As long as Snape has loved Lily, we will love this story (Always... the answer is always). You could say that we'll be there for Harry "until the very end". And I'm not just trying to make witty use of iconic lines, I truly do mean it. Harry has meant so much to all who love him, we couldn't just abandon him.
J.K. Rowling, thank you is all that can be said and those two, tiny, seemingly insignificant words don't even begin to cover what we really feel. Thank you. Thank you a million times over. Because without Harry, I don't know what the world would be.
