London Dreams… and a FanFic

This quote is written on my business cards. It’s typed into various apps on my phone. It’s written on post-it’s around my desk and in my backpack. It’s symbolic for me. I have this dream of becoming a world famous novelist. I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. There’s something about my thoughts being put into words and other people reading them that gives me this high feeling.

That quote reminds me that while I write little stories on the side, while I create these imaginary worlds in my head, while I hash out character backgrounds and details… I need to live. I can’t dwell on the dreams that I will bring to fruition in the future, I have to remember to enjoy the journey. The super special thing about that quote is that it was written by a person who changed my life. It was written by J.K. Rowling and put into Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

I know what you’re thinking, I’m some crazy Harry Potter fan who waited over night for book and movie releases and has HP memorabilia and multiple copies of every book and movie. Well, you’re right. But it’s so much more than that.

My 5th grade teacher read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone out loud to my class over the course of the year. That was how I was introduced to it. I immediately picked up books 2 & 3 in the series and read them in a day. I was hooked. I was enamored with the beautiful writing style and infinite creativity that J.K. Rowling possesses. She is a visionary and will forever be my idol.

While waiting in between book releases I discovered the world of fan fiction. For years, I read thousands of different versions of Harry Potter. I loved everyone’s creativity and some of them were really amazing. Once I was in high school, I got the nerve to release my own fan fictions. I wrote around 100 stories and grew to be more comfortable with my writing style. I also grew a fond appreciation of authors.

J.K. Rowling inspired me to be an author. A writer. A storyteller. A blogger. Call it what you want, but she inspired me to tap away on my key board creating new worlds and telling stories.

Like many writers, sometimes I lack inspiration. Years ago, I planned on doing a semester abroad in London but as fate would have it… I got pregnant with my daughter and had to forgo those plans. I still live and breathe England. I’m obsessed with the culture. I spent years and years reading stories in my bad English accent. You think I would’ve perfected it, but not at all. 😉

I have this feeling in my gut, in my mind, and in my heart. This feeling that if I could go there and experience just a teeny tiny fraction of the world that she experienced, I could be closer to her. I would finally have that spark of inspiration that would drive me to release this story that I’ve created in my mind over the last few years. I feel like I would be a better writer and finally be able to fulfill my dreams.

This probably sounds corny, but this is my dream. There’s no other place in the world that I’ve dreamt of traveling to. No other person, no other book, no other work of art has affected me in the way that J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter did. It altered my life. It helped me realize my talent and my ultimate dream in life, which is to become an amazing author.

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I’m hoping beyond hope that whomever is reading this is also a Harry Potter fan. Even though I haven’t done this in 8 years… I’d like to share with you a story. A Harry Potter fan fiction, actually. Enjoy. 🙂

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Hermione The SoFab Blogger

Summary: Hermione is pregnant with her first child and has taken up a new hobby… blogging. She has just been accepted into an amazing blogging community and wants to make sure her first blog post with them is absolutely perfect.

[box type=”shadow” ]SMACK!

“Ow! Hermione, what was that for?” Ron rubbed the spot on the back of his hand where Hermione had smacked him.

“Ron, I’ve just spent the last four hours working on these Snitch Cake Pops and haven’t been able to take a proper photograph of them. You are not allowed to touch them until I’ve gotten the perfect cover photo.” Hermione stared at the cake pops and wondered if she should switch the lens on her camera to capture the intricate wings on the golden balls of cake.

She had been baking, rolling, and dipping all day long and wasn’t about to let Ron and his bottomless stomach devour her hard work. She even managed to make them without the use of her wand. With the exception of an “Accio baking chips” and a Scouring Charm for her dirty dishes, but that was something she wouldn’t be mentioning in her blog post.

“But Hermione,” Ron whined, “I’m famished.” He looked longingly at the sparkly golden balls of sugar, frosting, and chocolate and thought maybe if he distracted her he could pop one in his mouth. Seeing the resolute look on her face, he thought better of that idea.

“Find something to eat, Ron. Just don’t spoil your appetite, I have a shepherd’s pie in the oven.” Hermione said as she contorted her body around the table trying to find the perfect angle and the perfect lighting for her photo.

Ron opened the cabinet and shuffled the food around until he found something that would satisfy him while he waited for dinner.

“I still don’t understand why you don’t just come up with a spell to make these projects of yours. You’re the smartest witch to ever walk the halls of Hogwarts.” Ron stated matter-of-factly, as he shoved handfuls of crisps into his mouth. “Surely, you could come up with something that would make this bogging thing easier.”

“It’s called blogging, Ronald.” She huffed, surely after hearing Hermione mention her blog “Bewitching Kitchen” dozens of times, he might’ve picked up on the term. Ron wasn’t exactly in tune with the world of muggles, though.

“And, of course, I could use my wand to make things easier but that would be like cheating. I’m not a cheater, Ron. All of these other bloggers can do just fine without magic and I want to do the same. They take the most delectable photographs of their sweets, I just need practice,” Hermione said longingly.

Hermione started blogging a month after finding out that she was pregnant. She discovered an entire world of knowledgeable women on the Internet, each with their own blog. She wanted to make herself into a better wife before she truly became a mother, so she started a blog about cooking and baking. She was quite proud of herself for her double entendre blog name. Bewitching Kitchen, her readers never suspected a thing.

She enjoyed the challenge of coming up with new recipe ideas and writing about her trials and tribulations in the kitchen. She had gained a following and enjoyed connecting with her readers.

She even enjoyed the challenge of learning about all of the different social media channels that muggles use. They really do love to stay in constant contact with each other… She’d grown quite fond of Twitter. Who knew you could say so much in so few characters?

She found Vine to be particularly interesting. The Wizarding World had been using their own sort of Vine app for centuries, in the form of moving photographs. Those muggles were really starting to catch on.

Hermione had recently become a part of an exclusive community of bloggers called Social Fabric. She wanted her first post with them to be a major success. That’s why she was stressing over her photographs being absolutely perfect.

For her post, she was to create a delicious dessert using Country Life British Butter and would stop at nothing to do just that. While Hermione stared at the perfectly round little balls of cake on a stick she wondered if maybe she could use a Lumos charm to get the proper lighting. No, no, no she thought that wouldn’t be right.

She began fiddling with the ISO on her camera; she hoped that would solve the problem.

Ron watched his wife chew on her bottom lip as a familiar determined look crossed her face. He tried to think of something that would help her get her mind off of her work. He looked down at the golden snitches perched perfectly on the wooden stand.

“Hermione, why did you make Snitches? Won’t the muggles be confused?” Ron asked truly admiring his wife’s skills. He’d always miss having his mother’s home cooked meals and desserts but Hermione was doing a damn fine job in the kitchen.

“No. Well, yes, they would be if I called them snitches and tried to explain quidditch. I plan to pass them off as fat little birds.” Hermione smiled at her husband. She appreciated his concern for her readers.

Ron plucked a cake pop off of the wooden stand and pretended to fly it over to Hermione.

“Ron! Be careful! I still haven’t gotten the perfect photo,” she said, as she started adjusting her camera lens to get back to work.

“Oh, Hermione c’mon. Can’t I eat just one? I promise it won’t spoil my appetite.” Ron coaxed as he threw her a lopsided grin.

Hermione smiled and nodded at him signifying he could have just one. Ron broke into a full smile and brought the snitch up to his mouth. Hermione snapped a few photos of her fiery haired husband as he did what he did best. Eat sweets. As he savored the moist cake ball, Hermione smiled at him and looked through the pictures she had already taken to see if there were any she could edit for her post.

“Ron! Oh, Ron it’s perfect! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Hermione exclaimed jovially as she ran over to her husband and kissed his crumb-covered mouth.

“Wha-?” Ron tried to swallow the ball of cake he had in his mouth.

“Look,” Hermione said, “It’s perfect. Your bright red hair, the smile, the angle of the cake pop. It’s perfect! I’m going to go finish my post.”

“It’s just a picture of me eating,” Ron said as he stared at the tiny photo of himself on the camera screen.

“It’s perfect, trust me.” Hermione started to walk towards her office, then added, “Enjoy the rest of those cake pops! Tomorrow I’m making Butterbeer Cupcakes.”

“You’re mental Hermione, but I love you,” Ron said before taking another big bite of the snitch on a stick.

Fin.

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If you’re interested in seeing why I #LuvSoFab or why I’m Lucky To Be a SoFab Member, feel free to check out those posts. I’m grateful to be a member of such an awesome community. There really are no other communities out there that even compare.

*Collective Bias is holding a contest for one lucky SoFab member to win a trip to the the Cybher conference in London. This is my entry. Wish me luck. 🙂