I will never have enough to say about Harry Potter and the awe-inspiring world that J.K Rowling brought to life nearly 20 years ago.

I started into the series when I was roughly 12 years old (2005) and have been an avid fan ever since. There are many aspects of the Wizarding World I could drone on about, but there are a couple things I want to mention first.

In September 2015, my sister Stacee and I traveled to the United States from Australia; first trips to the U.S. for both of us, Stacee’s first international trip ever. On my bucket list was visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, and of course, we did just that. While Stacee wasn’t as big a fan as myself, she still allowed me to revert to my inner child as we wandered about and neither of us could hide our excitement for seeing this world with our own eyes.

This was Stacee’s first and, ultimately, her last trip. In February, Stacee had broken her ankle in three places while I was in New Zealand. One week later, I was back in the country and by her side after she’d had two surgeries to correct the damage. Less then one month later, on March 20, she had passed away from multiple pulmonary embolisms, caused by severe deep vein thrombosis.

Stacee (Photo credit: Ross MacInnes)

Now I don’t mean to get depressing here, but bear with me. This hit me harder than anything you could imagine. In addition to being my younger sister, Stacee was my best friend. Her death is something I struggle with every day and may never be able to fully comprehend.

Recently, I re-read and re-watched the Harry Potter series. I had forgotten how deeply I could get engrossed with this non-reality. Harry is someone I can revisit over and over again, and never get enough of. It still brings me to tears, even after reading it dozens of times.

Harry’s grief is something I can relate to on a whole new level. When real life becomes too much; for example, September 7 would have been Stacee’s 21^st birthday, its comforting to know that I can dive right back into something familiar and safe.

Why am I telling you all of this, you ask? Well, Harry is helping me get through this insane journey that is my life. We followed him through his story, and now he is helping me through mine. I suppose the reason I wanted to write this was to let people know that things will get easier.

It’s the passion we have for these stories, whether book, television, film, etc., that allows us to find the small amounts of light in what sometimes feels like an incredibly dark world.

Thank you, Jo. Thank you for all you have given us over the last 20 years. Whether or not we like everything we hear or read, Jo has given us a world which inspires such passionate responses that I think we sometimes forget that without her in the first place, we wouldn’t have this world we can so freely discuss and debate.

Thank you to sources like Hypable and MuggleNet who bring us all together and inspire us each and every single day. You have certainly helped make this fandom what it is today.

Lastly, thank you, to anyone who has taken the time to read my story. I hope it helps those that need it, or just reminds you how lucky we are to be in the Potter generation.