Yeah, I definitely think that I love HP because of the huge fanfic potential, not the great quality of the canon story. And that's okay, you know? So many people get all upset about people saying that they are more interested in fandom than in the books, but I don't see anything wrong with people getting out of it whatever they want to get out of it. I'm preaching to the choir on fanfic, here, I know. :)

I always feel like i'm endorsing the source text if i say i want fanfic for something (like i'm implicitly saying "hey, this is great, give me more") but i keep reminding myself of what you said about JKR's worldbuilding vs. storytelling abilities, and i think, "JKR created great potential, and fanfic capitalizes on that unrealized potential."

I can understand people who really love the source text being frustrated by people basically saying "it's not good enough," though one hopes they are reacting against people who are honestly saying, "this canon isn't good enough for me" and not just misunderstanding the variety of motivations for why people seek out fanfic.