Dear Mr. Potter,

I'll start off by saying...I am still alive because of you.

I grew up a baptist Christian and our preacher bashed Harry Potter. When my family decided to leave the church, my mom rented the Sorcerer's Stone. The next day I went to my school library and grabbed Sorcerer's Stone and read it for myself. I liked it, but I wasn't attached to the series yet. I had seen SS after it had been out for a while, so shortly after I read SS, Chamber of Secrets (the film) was coming out. I am the type of person that wants to read the book before I see the movie, so that brought me to start getting into the series again.

My mom took my brother, sister, and myself to see the movie once it came out and on the ride home told us that she and my father decided to get a divorce. My father was an avid drug user and my mom was completely neurotic. My home life became hell. Harry Potter books were my ESCAPE from the hard reality I was facing at home. I could hide in my room and lose myself in the book. Hogwarts became my home. I thank Jo Rowling everyday for allowing me into the world she created.

After my parents divorce was finalized, my mom couldn’t afford to buy me every newly released book because they were on the expensive side for us. My grandpa asked me if I was interested in this series right before OotP came out. When I told him yes, he bought me my OWN set of the 4 books and preordered OotP for me. I woke up at 6am on the release day and the second I heard the loud “PLOP” of the book on our apartment door step I went into my cave and read. I went through a really weird time in my early teens where I was messing around and hanging out with the wrong crowd. My mom shipped me off to Indiana to stay with my grandpa for the summer and thats when Half Blood Prince came out. I had forgotten of my liking for Harry Potter because I was so caught up in my anger and negative self image. My grandpa took a day off of work and we went to a museum and I saw some signs advertising the new book.

“You still like those Harry Potter books?”
“Well, I’m kinda older now…but I guess so…” — I was 14.
“Okay, we’ll go to Borders after this and I’ll buy it for ya”

My grandpa has this lake in his backyard so when we came home I took the book out there and read for hours. It started to rain heavily and I closed the book and just cried. For the first time in over a year I was able to express an emotion.

I still have rough times, but he reminds me to carry on. That I can survive the dementors in my life. Harry Potter was my happy place when I felt like I had none. I'm even getting a Harry Potter related tattoo for my birthday in two weeks. Harry Potter is permanent for me. It has been the only thing that always makes me feel okay.

"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. "
I am always thankful for that reminder.
And thank you Harry, for your bravery and strength.

Forever yours,
Natalie H.
20, Slytherin, Los Angeles California.