The Perks of Being a Rowling

i. farewells and goodbyes

Dedicated to Starlightt (Daven) because of the amazing cover she made for me. 

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“Hurry up, twat, or you’ll miss your flight!”

“I’m coming, you slag!”

            Surprisingly, Phoebe was okay of the idea of me leaving to America to study at Brown University. She helped me pack all of my things and is even carrying my luggage to the car. I have never seen that girl carry a grocery bag, much less my heavy bag. I guess she is expecting to turn my room into a walk-in closet for all of her clothes- I will never understand why mum lets her buy her so much.

            I hop into our car, which is a cheap, rusted Honda Mini-Van. Even after mum went big with all of her Harry Potter books, she refused to get rid of this car. She says we need to keep something from our past so we can grateful for how things are now. When mum first got noticed and the money started piling in, she refused to let it turn us into spoiled brats. Well, she refused to let some of us turn into spoiled brats.

            “When are we going to reach the airport?” Phoebe asks Mum. There was a hint of excitement in her voice, like she was ready to send me off and just be done with me forever.

            “About half an hour. Phoebe, could you please calm down? If I didn’t know any better I would say we were sending you away to America, not Libby.” She lets out a sigh. Mum was never thrilled with the idea of having me go to school in the States, but after a huge argument and months of persisting that it will be better for me, she finally gave in. She was still suggesting universities like Oxford or Cardiff, but I refused every time. 

            The real reason I want to go to the States, however, is for freedom. In England I will always be known as J.K Rowling’s daughter, or as this one girl said to me once, “the lucky one”, and as selfish as I may sound I don’t really feel lucky. If I ever go out with my mum she is bound to get recognized by at least one of her fans, and when one finds us more come, and soon we have a Potterhead stampede on our hands.

            Harry Potter is not only a name I have been hearing every day since I was born, it is a name I absolutely dread.  Now don’t get me wrong- I enjoyed the Harry Potter series like everyone else, even though it was a bit awkward when reading the kissing scenes because I remind myself that my mother wrote that. It’s not that I don’t like Harry Potter; I just hate the attention that comes with it.

  All of my life I have always hated being the center of attention. In class I would rarely raise my hands due to my fear of getting the answer wrong, and I hate being in large gatherings that require me to socialize with people- this is probably the reason I grew up with only 2 or 3 friends. The fact that mum was famous didn’t really help my hatred for attention. Everywhere I went, people would always talk to me, and I dreaded going out in public. Phoebe, on the other hand, loved being in the spotlight. She would leave the house when she knew mum was going and even though she isn’t much a potter fan, she loved the fans anyway.

            I don’t blame Phoebe for craving attention- her petite figure, bright blond hair and dashing green eyes would make any girl from a mile away envy her. She looks a lot like Mum and everyone loves noticing how Phoebe and Mum could be twins. I, on the other hand, take after my father with my straight bland figure, wavy brown hair, and boring brown eyes.

            Looking out the window, I start to admire the downtown scenery of London. Maybe it was just the nervousness talking, but I am actually going to Miss England. When I first got accepted to Brown University I wanted nothing more than to hop on a plane and fly there right away because I was so excited to be finally leaving and going to a new place where I can start all over. Granted, Harry Potter is famous in the States, but I wasn’t famous in the States so I could hide my identity easily.