Happy Birthday To The Boy Who Lived And His Creator! Five Reasons To Love J. K. Rowling

Happy birthday J. K. Rowling! Happy Birthday, Harry Potter! Today the author of the world’s favorite series about an orphaned boy wizard there ever was turns 48, while the boy wizard himself turns 33 (yes, we know it’s not real, hush now!). In honor of this momentous occasion, we have compiled a list of our Top 5 favorite things about the author. It was certainly difficult, because, outside of her very strict policy on copyright, there really is a lot to love and admire in Rowling. Still, here goes.

Rowling is certainly a role model.

5. She wrote a book under a pseudonym. After Harry. Freaking. Potter. Seriously, imagine the money Rowling could have made announcing and promoting the book months in advance. Ok, so she did actually make all that money when the hoax was revealed, but it wasn’t intentional! And anyway, according to USA Today, the charitable author is donating the worldwide royalties from the book to The Soldier's Charity, a British charity that provides support for soldiers, veterans and their families. Which leads us to…

4. Rowling is charitable. And we do mean seriously, heart-warmingly charitable. Recently, Forbes made the announcement that due to her many donations to various causes, including Amnesty International, Lumos - an organisation benefiting underprivileged children across Europe - and MS Society among others, the writer has been downgraded from a billionaire to a millionaire on their records. Yes, the woman is still rich, but can you imagine how many charities have benefited from her generosity?

Perhaps even moreso than Hermione.

3. Rowling once told a young and troubled Evanna Lynch that if she beat her anorexia, she would be allowed to audition for the part of Luna Lovegood in the film series. Best casting decision ever or what?

2. Rowling pays her taxes. Multiple sources have confirmed that the author is a diligent taxpayer and she herself has stated multiple times that she does not intend to leave the UK for an offshore tax haven. Why? Well, the millionaire author was once on welfare herself. She knows how much state welfare can benefit people and help them get back on their feet and is now attempting to do right by the country that supported her. Yes, the overall theme here is “Rowling is an upstanding citizen.”

1. Because she wrote the favorite fantasy series of a generation. Come on, what else could it have been? The woman inspired countless children, teens and even adults to find meaning in their lives, to choose love instead of hate, to push past the difficulties. Cheesy, we know, but we bet any Potterhead reading this can relate to the experience of escaping to Hogwarts whenever the real world got a bit too heavy… and then coming back and fighting off the dragons in real life. Also, because she spoke the words “Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.” Ok, this is getting too sentimental, we know. So before we all get teary eyed (don’t pretend like you weren’t going to), J.K. Rowling, we salute you!

Now that really is saying a lot.