HOUSTON - A Texas girl who survived a recent attack in which her parents and four siblings were killed has drawn the attention of "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling. Rowling's publicist, Rebecca Salt, confirmed Friday that the British writer sent a letter and package to 15-year-old Cassidy Stay, but she declined to describe their contents, saying it was a private matter. Rowling spokesman Mark Hutchinson also said the gesture "and how it came about are private and between her and Cassidy." Despite a gunshot wound to her head, she spoke a few days later at a public gathering at a neighborhood school and paraphrased a quote by Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the "Harry Potter" series. "Happiness can be found even in darkest of times, if one remembers to turn on the light," Stay said. Cassidy was the only member of her immediate family to survive the July 9 attack at their home in the Houston suburb of Spring. Cassidy survived by playing dead as her parents and four younger siblings — Bryan, 13, Emily, 9, Rebecca, 6, and Zach, 4 — were gunned down. She then called police and identified the gunman as her aunt's ex-husband, Ronald Lee Haskell.

Despite a gunshot wound to her head, she spoke a few days later at a public gathering at a neighborhood school and paraphrased a quote by Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the "Harry Potter" series. "Happiness can be found even in darkest of times, if one remembers to turn on the light," Stay said.

This part hit me hard. I got chills.


Rowling is a wonderful woman, a true inspiration. I can only imagine what she had to tell her.

Smart girl.

This is really sad to hear, honestly. I hope she realizes later in life that not everyone is like this and hopefully she'll learn to trust people again.