Dear Harry,

I met you when I was about 8 years old. We were one of the lucky few that heard about your books before they were a sensation in the US. My brother Josh and I adored them. I could literally feel the magic of your story seeping off the pages of my 1st edition copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I wanted so badly to be a witch and to go away to Hogwarts. It didn't matter that I didn't get a letter of acceptance - I already felt so much a part of your world.

I feel so privileged to be part of the Harry Potter Generation. My life seemed to mirror yours as each new book or movie came out. I was 11 years old (1st year age) when you headed off to Hogwarts in your first movie. I received my AP test scores literally the same day I read about you receiving your OWLS. I stayed up late reading about you - I went at midnight to pick up your books and to see your movies, determined to keep my place at the front of the line of HP fandom where I began. Every late night, every page, every second I have absolutely adored.

And now it is all coming to an end. It seems funny to me that this thing that has united so much of my childhood and adolescence is coming to an end as I move on from college out into the real world. I've watched you grow up, Harry, and I've grown up with you. I can't help but feel sad that my nieces, my nephews, and my own children will never grow up waiting for the next Harry Potter installment. They won't get to feel the excitement of opening one of your books for the first time before anyone else in the perceivable world has read it. They'll already know how your story ends when they begin it. That won't stop me from trying to create the same magic for them, though. Because guess what I've learned? Even though people tell me I need to grow up, get a job, move on, etc, part of me will always be a child. And that child will always be in love with the magical world of Harry Potter.

So here's to you, my old friend. Here's to a wonderful journey - thanks for letting me tag along. Now go kick some Dark Lord booty!