Inula Helenium

Hi, I'm currently a student who reads and writes fanfiction in my spare time. I like learning the names and uses of plants, and so I have an herb garden, and when I go hiking, I identify, and sometimes bring home edibles. I love poetry and singing.

Current Projects:

-A New Understanding: Before the order comes to collect Harry in the summer after his sixth year, Aunt Petunia is killed in a car crash. The protection is broken, and Harry grabs Dudley and apparates away before the Deatheaters catch them. I want to cover the relationship between Dudley and Harry; Harry coming to terms with his past, and Dudley--well, he doesn't become brilliant and suddenly gain magic, but trials like the ones he undergoes can toughen a person up, and force them to use their mind. Also, he starts to get a sense of what Harry's life is like.

-The Fifth Friend: Harry's finally beaten Voldemort, and the Wizarding World is celebrating. Harry, however, is realizing that going back to normal is not as easy as he thinks. He can't get over the many deaths the war has caused, and he feels guilty for not having prevented them. He tries to pretend while he's around his friends, but at night, he goes out to drink. Everybody looks to him to rebuild the world, and he feels that he can't do it. However, one day, after having a good too many drinks, he stumbles onto somebody's front porch, and harry meets the Potters. Harry and the Marauders become comrades in the first wizarding war.

Likes:

-Sarah1281's list of pet peeves on her profile. They're a good guide for evaluating fanfic quality and fun to read!

-I've created a C2 for all my favorite stories that have been finished. Check it out!

Dislikes:

-When Lily is portrayed as bookish or uptight. She's smart, but she's also charming, with a sense of humor, as J. K. Rowling wrote Slughorn's memory of her. She doesn't like James, but that's because he's so cavalier about his feelings for her, at least in public, and because he stuck up and bullies Severus, who she's friends with. I feel like there are too many James fans out there that forget his less pleasant side, chalking it up to high spirits (now who does that remind me of...Uncle Vernon *cough *cough--not that James was worse than Dudley or anything, but still...) and so have to make Lily uptight to explain her dislike of James.

-When Harry gets all emotional and cries (especially in Severitus fics). Harry cries only once in the whole series as far as I can remember, and he's been through a lot. It's not realistic when Harry breaks down.

-How Sirius is often written out of character. I'm taking this from another author's profile, but he's not a sugar-high kid. When he first met James on the train, he was pretty serious, and from the way he acted, it wouldn't be surprising if his home situation wasn't great, even before Hogwarts. He might be reckless, and have a temper, but he's not stupid and silly, or at all like Ron, who is rather insensitive and blundering. (I'm not a Ron basher; just pointing out a few of his tendencies.)