It’s hard growing up. Needless to say, if you’ve been bullied, you’ll have your own scars.
So when you reach out for some comfort to your favourite author, and receive this reply, we can’t imagine how this young man felt.
Scottish fan Johnnie Blue first reached out to Rowling on Twitter last June, and later met the author in July at a book signing for The Silkworm – a mystery written under Rowling’s pen name, Robert Galbraith.
The young fan presented Rowling with a handmade notebook, thanking her for her writings.
Blue told Buzzfeed that he told Rowling:
“Thank you so much, you’ve really changed my life. She replied, ‘Wow, that’s an amazing thing to say.’ ”
Clearly touched by the young man’s words, Rowling decided to work on putting together some of her own.
Blue received a letter from his favourite author.
Thanking him for his ‘beautiful gift’, Rowling sympathised with him for the torment he suffered from bullies, and signed off with possibly the best gift off of all time:
“I freely confess that I loathe bullying and the way it is still so often ‘handled’ in schools. Your experience is shocking and disturbing and that you have turned out to be a compassionate, moral, highly motivated person is high testimony to your courage. Gryffindor for you, my lad…
“Love from Jo”
