It all began when we turned the first page.

That's when everything started, when we were first introduced to Harry - scrawny, bespectacled, eleven year old Harry - that everything began.

From the moment we started reading Harry Potter, there was added excitement in our lives, something that could never have been created by the Chronicles of Narnia, the Twilight saga or the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

We've been gripped to the series and we call ourselves 'true Potterheads' - we research the next generation, we stalk Harry Potter Facebook pages, we have re-read the books one time too many, we've seen the movies so many times that we can recite them if we want to - Harry Potter never gets old.

We've cracked Harry Potter jokes and debated Twilight vs. Harry Potter. We've zoned out from class to think about Snape's true affiliation and Dumbledore's true intentions. Some of us have spent hours and hours browsing Harry Potter fanfictions and participating in Harry/Hermione vs. Harry/Ginny arguments. We have drawn scars on our foreheads and worn long black cloaks, even on hot summer days.

We've searched and searched for Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them & Quidditch Through The Ages. We've thought about the identity of R.A.B. and who would eventually die. We've seen Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Draco grow up.

We've faced Quirrel and battled the Basilisk; we've befriended Sirius and watched Cedric die. We've fought alongside Dumbledore's Army and we've learned about Horcruxes. We've witnessed the break-in of Gringotts and we've watched Harry and Voldemort in the final duel.

The series has given a lot more to us than most than most believe. We've learned how to face our fears; we've been taught loyalty and love. We've learned from every Harry Potter character there is; and life has never been the same for us, ever again, after we started the series.

How many ever times we saw 'It All Ends', we never believed it - not for a moment. Because it hadn't ended and never would; in fact, it had just begun. We then obsessed over the next generation and checked our email inboxes for Pottermore.

We had been with Harry for so long that we always treated him as our best friend, and that would never change.

All of us, ranging from around eleven years right to twenty-one, we've been born in the Potter era, and when we grow old, we can proudly say that we did.

We read the books. We saw the movies.
We fawned over the last book. We stayed awake for the last movie.
We fantasized about Hogwarts, we dreamt about being a Weasley.
We ate, drank, and breathed Harry Potter.

Harry Potter has reached out to an approximate of 200 countries, has been translated to a whopping 69 languages, and has touched the lives of more than four million people. It is the phenomenon that ignores race, religion, caste, and has brought us together despite all our differences.

We can proudly say that we are the Harry Potter Generation.