I really think you're spot on when you say the Harry Potter stories are..."witty, adventurous, and profound. The writing was beautiful and the word choice was clever."
I think you're also right when you say..."this amazing series helped me greatly to grow up". Even at my, ahem, "advanced age", I feel the stories have also helped me to grow up in many ways - go figure! :))
Yep, for a whole lot of people the Harry potter series has given us insight into both ourselves and people in general. There's definitely something to be said for living vicariously!
Kind regards, Trevor M.
P.S. Thanks for commenting on all those other stories too. That's what this site is about - joining in and sharing :))