For as long as I can remember Harry Potter has always been a part of my life. I spent my entire childhood growing up with the Boy Who Lived. I spent every summer anxiously waiting for the day we would return for another fun year at Hogwarts.

He was by my side as I moved from elementary school to middle school to junior high to high school. I celebrated his every birthday, his every quidditch win, and his every happy moment. He was there as I discovered who I was and what exactly I was meant to do.

Harry has always been by my side, so it seems fitting I would make my transition from childhood to adulthood with him.

The summer before my senior year of high school, I journeyed to the most incredible, most magical place in the world. I found my new home at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida. The magic and wonder filled within the theme park is an indescribable feeling.

The world created from the pages of my over worn, over read books have come alive.

The end of a global phenomenon had finally come to an end. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” part one finally arrived. As I watched the beginning of the end start to unfold in front of my eyes, I realized something. I realize I’m just like Harry.

I’m not like Harry in the sense that an awesomely, cool, raving lunatic was trying to kill me but that we had grown up. Our crazy adventures and shenanigans were coming to an end. We have strength and courage to continue to push forward when it seems like it was no use. We fought long and hard to be where we were at.

Together we had waited and fought for this moment. The moment where Harry and Voldemort say their last spells against one another. The moment where my name is called and I receive my diploma. The moment we’re both so terrified of. The moment we’ve wished so eagerly for. The very moment that defines who I will be and who I’ve become.

Everything I’ve learned has led me to this moment. The moment where I step up to the plate and put my knowledge to the test.  Harry has spent most of his life training, preparing for the moment he must face Voldemort.

The thing I have realized about Harry and the world within the pages of those books is that it’s bigger than anything I can imagine. It’s bigger than anyone can imagine. J.K Rowling unknowingly created my best friend. She created something that will stay around longer than I will ever live to see. She created something that generations upon generations can lose themselves in and love the magic of it all. She created a place where I can always turn to no matter how old I get.

Darren Criss, Harry Potter in “A Very Potter Musical,” was right. There’s always a way back. “Back to witches and wizards and magical beasts, back to goblins and ghosts and to magical feasts. It’s all that I love and all that I need.” There’s a way back to where this story begins.