Dear Jo,

The Cabin of L-O-V-E, Wrockstock 2008, Potosi, MO

Twelve years ago my mother bought me my very first copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Bitchy teenager that I was, I refused to like anything that was too popular and vowed never to open its pages. Several hours later, I decided that maybe I would read just the first chapter... you know, to tell my mother how much I hated it.


Twenty-four hours later found me banging on my neighbor's door begging to borrow books two and three. Six months later I would start my own Harry Potter Fan Club at Camp Timber Tops awaiting Goblet of Fire to be FedExed to me. (I made my parents wait on line at midnight to make sure it got to me as soon as possible.) I remember the camp mail room was covered floor to ceiling with boxes. That first year was just the beginning of the life-changing journey I took with the Boy Who Lived.

Without Harry I might not have had the courage to travel alone, visiting different cities and states with people I'd never met. Without Harry I would have never been able to say "I have a friend who lives there!" when speaking of Germany, Vancouver, or Wales. Without Harry I would have never gotten the nerve to write Potter-related music and poetry and have the honor of performing them alongside such talented people as Kelly Foulds, Brian Ross, Alex Carpenter, Jarrod Perkins, Matt Maggiacomo, Stacy Pisani and more. Without Harry, my life would have been a lot quieter, simpler, and a lot less colorful.

And let's face it. Without you, Jo, there would be no Harry.

So, thank you for giving us the Boy Who Lived. Thank you for this wonderful family that you've given me and countless others. Thank you so much for sharing your world of words with us.

Though all seven books have been finished and read, the magic is still burning strong. And we who were there will never forget the anticipation we felt for so long. - Riddle TM, For Jo

Your most loyal Hufflepuff,
Ariel