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27 times J.K. Rowling was the hero we all needed in 2016

Not all heroes wear capes.
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Sam Haysom
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LONDON -- 2016 is not going to go down in history as many people's favourite year.

That doesn't mean it hasn't had its upsides, though.

SEE ALSO: One of J.K. Rowling's favourite 'Harry Potter' moments is a line you may have forgotten

J.K. Rowling, as always, was one of them. Anyone who follows the Harry Potter author on Twitter and enjoys watching her mercilessly crush trolls with her wand-sharp wit will know why: when it comes to shut downs, epic exchanges and just generally being an awesome person, there are few who can compete.

From magical comebacks to messages of solidarity and support, here are her most heroic tweets from the past year...

1. The time she sent a hand-written spell to a fan for a lovely reason.

2. The time she waded in on this discussion about authors "fangirling" over other authors.

3. This response to an enthusiastic fan.

4. This one, too.

5. This on-point summary of a businessman mansplaining history to a Professor.

6. The time she took on Donald Trump's former spokesperson.

7. The time she took on Trump himself with this well-worded, post-debate burn.

8. And this one.

9. Oh, also this one.

10. (Okay, just one more.)

11. The time she comforted worried fans in the aftermath of the US election.

12. The time she refused to be silenced.

13. This solid advice on how to deal with Slytherin mockers.

14. Her words of comfort to this fan.

15. And this fan.

16. This classic riposte.

17. This Chamillionaire-themed tweet, which may be one of her greatest ever.

18. This lovely Mother's Day message.

19. Her unflinching response to the theory that Dumbledore had Horcruxes.

20. The time she ended an ongoing argument with a Scottish politician in truly no-nonsense fashion.

21. Her curt response to the people criticising the Cursed Child casting choice of Noma Dumezweni as Hermione.

22. The time she staunchly defended Hufflepuff.

23. The time she corrected this YouTube video.

24. The time she shut down former Congressman Joe Walsh.

25. This brilliant response to an article about female orgasms.

26. And this resounding reply to a Daily Mail headline.

27. Finally, the time she shut down 2016 itself.

No matter what 2017 throws at us, here's hoping J.K. Rowling's Twitter feed stays the same.

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Topics Harry Potter JK Rowling X/Twitter Donald Trump Hillary Clinton

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Sam Haysom

Sam Haysom is the Deputy UK Editor for Mashable. He covers entertainment and online culture, and writes horror fiction in his spare time.

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