I'm a fifty-something mother of four grown children and I'm married for the second time to a man with three children. My younger sister bought me my first Harry Potter book for Christmas one year and I've been hooked ever since. My youngest daughter and I stood in the lines at major book stores at midnight to get the latest books, and I'm sorry that part of my life is over now that the series is done.

My older sister introduced me to Fan Fiction a few years ago with a story by Fern Withy about Lupin/Tonks, and I still love that ship. I love good Harry Potter stories. I read them constantly. I even created my own spreadsheet to keep track of the ones I've read. If I knew how to do it, I'd put a copy of it here. My husband just fed my addiction by buying me a laptop so I don't hog the family PC. Now I can sit in a comfortable chair to read.

I finally wrote a story of my own. My younger sister, Sarah, is my beta and she does a great job.

I found this on Brian64's site and copied it here because writer's who make these mistakes make me wonder how they got through school. I'm with you on this one Brian.

You're: contraction of "you are". Your: belonging to. "You're right of course, and here is your prize"

They're: contraction of "they are". Their: belonging to. There: location. "They're over there with their friends!"

Vile: nasty. Vial: small container for liquids. "the potion in the vial tasted vile"

Lose: misplace. Loose: free, unrestrained. "Your grip on your wand is so loose you're going to lose it."

Accept: take. Except: exclude. "I accept the blame for all pranks except vanishing Lav's underwear. I think she did that herself."

Threw: tossed. Through: into, beyond, across. "He threw the quaffle through the centre hoop for 10 points."

Allowed: permitted. Aloud: audible. "He wondered if he would be allowed to leave, then asked the question aloud"

Cloths: pieces of material. Clothes: items of clothing. "Harry's old clothes were barely suitable for use as cleaning cloths"

Forth: brought to. Fourth: number-related. "The consolation prize for coming fourth in the race was brought forth"

Canon: rule, standard. Cannon: a heavy gun on wheels. "According to canon, Ron's favourite Quidditch team is the Chudley Cannons"

Complement: goes well with. Compliment: praise. "That dress really complements your hair" she said, complimenting her friend on her fashion sense"

Definitely: certainly. Defiantly: with defiance. "I most definitely will not!" She screamed defiantly.

Bare: expose, naked. Bear: carry. "As his Occlumency failed, his mind was laid bare. 'How do you bear such burdens?' she asked."

s: used for plurals. 's: apostrophe of possession, eg, belonging to. s': plural & possession. "Ron Weasley's home is full of Weasleys, while the Bones' home usually only has Susan & Amelia in it". (With thanks to TheatricalBarrister for a needed correction. :) )

Another one I hate that Brian64 missed:

Dinning Room: a room where you make loud noises? I think you meant Dining Room: a room to eat in. "They ate in the dining room."

I was going to add a comedy routine by Taylor Mali on spellchecking, but it's a little crass, so if you want to listen to it you can find it on YouTube.