“Being in middle school, knowing that despite any troubles I have at my actual school I could escape to a magical world where everything makes sense because nothing does.”
“HL was a crucial part of my life during my toughest moments. I was able to meet some of my closest friends on HL — people who are literally like real life family to me. It is my safe place when I just want to be me.”
“The friends I've made. It's a familiar place I know I can always return to. I don't have many avenues for socializing but this has remained a constant for over two decades.”
“I met my husband on HL.”
“It's just a cozy little bit of nostalgia — both for the Harry Potter universe, and for the early internet/gaming in general. The text format reminds me of things like 'Zork', and then what the text is describing is an old-fashioned British atmosphere but with magic, weird humor and darkness. That's why I come back and play again, every now and then. It's one of my comfort games.”
“The day I joined and becoming part of a family on there. Even though it was years ago I still talk to them all here and there.”
“All of the friends I've made over the years, some of which I still talk to on a regular basis.”
“Coming home from school and getting some time to just relax in the world I loved.”
“The witty, clever messages whenever you defeat a foe!”
“When someone gifted me points to become a prefect, I felt so happy and so grateful — I wanted to hug whoever gifted them to me.”
“Meeting my HL family in person!”
“Managed to get the phoenix one time. Sad I lost the ability to play for a while and the account as a whole, but it's still a cool memory to think back on!”
“Being new, when everyone was still around.”
“I used to play when I was younger and yesterday I found it again. It's just amazing to get back here, to train my English, to remember HP — I just love it.”
“Both chatting with other players and the leveling/VE journey.”
“Defeating Voldemort for the first time.”
“Meeting friends and being a lively server. It was a big part of my teen years.”
“Meeting my family.”
“Having been on HL for the last 17 years, the most memorable part was (ironically) awaiting the daily boot so I could log in because the site was too busy. I also loved the prefect system.”
“I've been on HL since 2013 and the most memorable part for me is meeting a lot of people and becoming really good friends with them up to this day.”
“It's been a long time since I've played regularly, but this brings back such sweet memories and I'm glad it's still here and familiar.”
“I met some great friends through HL. Even if we no longer talk, I will always treasure those memories I made with them.”
“The families created and the bonds a lot of us still share.”
“Met some lifelong friends.”
“The competition between players for the house cup.”
“Probably all the people I've met.”
“The friends I've made here.”
“chasing VEs to get my castle”
“As someone who has been around since the early days. I really enjoyed the community around prefects, the more competitive house competition in becoming something more of a help to the site. The always having someone to talk with or roleplay with at any hour of the day.”
“I've met a lot of people on HL during my roleplaying time there.”
“Making some incredible friends who have improved my quality of life.”
“all the duels with Zack and Maddie I had as a wee lad. Being Married in game and having the longest last marriage on the server.”
“The friendships and being a part of the Harry Potter community.”
“The friends I made.”
“After finishing the books, I had an uncontrollable longing for a letter from Hogwarts. While that never came, the next best thing happened: I found Hogwarts Live. It fascinated me just as much as walking into the Great Hall for the first time.”
“Reconnecting with friends, playing through the fantasy in a cool, interactive, and efficient way.”
“The Golden Days, probably 2011 or 2012, when leveling was competitive with lots of people playing the game regularly, when holiday events between the houses felt like a war with everyone chipping in, and when there were 50+ people online at any given time with frequency.”
“The friends I've made, the beta testing I've done, helping new players, leveling. I've loved it all.”
“The friends I have made over the years, as well as the role playing stories that have been created along the way.”