JK Rowling Just Presented a Fan With a Handwritten Spell

A fan who asked J.K. Rowling to help overcome the bullying and self-harm she'd endured over the years was rewarded when the famous author responded to her request with a handwritten spell for a tattoo.

Twitter user @AlwaysJLover, who goes by Kate, wrote the Harry Potter author to tell her that she planned on getting a tattoo of the "Expecto Patronum" spell — which wizards use to ward off the dementors in the book series — as a symbol of her own battles with depression.

"I've been through (and I'm still going through) so many things in life; from sexual assault, to bullying, to attempted suicide eight times," the note reads. "I'm not proud of these things, but it's who I am."

Kate explained to the author that she's in the process of trying to heal, and hopes a tattoo of the magic words on the wrist that she cuts most often, will be an incentive to stop hurting herself.

To her surprise, the author promptly responded with a photo of a piece of paper bearing the incantation in her handwriting, accompanied by Rowling's own message of encouragement.

"I love that you're working to heal and protect yourself. You deserve this. I hope it helps," the author wrote.

In her subsequent tweets, @AlwaysJLover appeared to be thrilled with the response. 

"TODAY I'M HAPPY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS," she wrote.

Though her world of witchcraft and wizardry might be fiction, the significance of Rowling's work in the lives of her fans is proof that magic is very, very real.

Read more: JK Rowling Posts Rejection Letters to Inspire New Authors to Never Give Up