Have you ever fantasized about Harry Potter kissing Draco Malfoy, or maybe going down on Professor Snape? Dozens of people who do gather at Quimby’s tonight to listen to writers from all across the nation (and one from Copenhagen!) spin their Harry Potter smut.
Three dozen people flock through the door and sit down, some dressed in wizard robes. Out of the fifty or so people who show up, only six are men. Though first names are cordially offered in a group introduction, Internet screen-names (as most of the people here gather on Livejournal communities) are the preferred nom-de-plume. Organized by Cecilia Tan, a professional erotica writer who goes by “Ravenna,” the night gets off to a racy start. “Draco was jerking off in front of him, and if it wasn’t for, well, everything, Harry would be extremely eager to join him,” one writer offers.
J.K. Rowling’s original intention this is not. Chicagoan Nick Hornsberry, who randomly decided to go with his friends, says the HP slash fiction is “a guilty pleasure and kind of silly, but usually really fun.” But the more dedicated fans aren’t just in it for the dirty writing. Erotica artist twilightsorcery (who came all the way from New York) says, “To some extent it’s practice and improving your skill, but it’s about becoming part of a community and a specific group of people.” She won’t give her real name, but everyone can understand why. (Jeremy Gordon)
