Olivia

Backstory

As a Half-blood witch with a lot of Muggle influence growing up, I was fascinated by the differences and similarities of both mundane and magical worlds. I often liked to think of myself as a bridge between the two, explaining jokes and references made by the Muggle-borns. I was quite disliked by the Pureblood aristocrat children and favored by the Muggle sympathizers. My ability to posses logic and wisdom and apply it to even the most confusing piece of magic is what landed me in Ravenclaw. I had a blast at Hogwarts and wrote home frequently, using notebook paper and pens instead of parchment and quills. They were expensive and difficult to use. It wasn't an unusual occurrence to see my professors shaking their heads at my messy and unreadable handwriting.

Which is what prompted me to open my own shop in Diagon Alley called Leatherbound. I studied to become a Healer, but when I turned in my final essay, the professor took one look at it and gave me one big zero because he couldn't read what I had written. That zero is what ultimately lead to my unemployment, since I failed the exam and it hurt my grades. I used my anger at the teacher and used it as fuel to create many inventions. Quite adept at charms, I made a line of products ranging from Guide Quills, to parchment that had notebook-like lines that disappeared with a tap of a wand. I sold them at Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment first. Then my line expanded, and Flourish and Blotts picked them up.

Eventually, I had come at crossroad. I could either sell them at Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop in Hogsmeade, or start my own business in Diagon Alley. Seeing as how I wasn't too fond of Scrivenshaft's policies, I opted for the latter. Leatherbound opened on August 20th, right in time for school. I didn't get many customers at first, but when last minute shoppers started appearing, most products sold out in mere hours! I expanded my products even more, selling used textbooks, my charmed quills and parchments, regular Muggle paper and pencils, to even starting up a side hobby where I make custom ordered things. Those puppies could range from books with special covers, a specific type of quill with a specific set of charms, to even monogrammed bookmarks!

I love seeing so many people with different stories walk in and smile at the array of things lining the shelves. I've had a few Muggle-borns come up to me personally and tell me that my products is what saved their grades. And every time I run into problems or hit a bump in the road, I just remember the anguish I had felt when St. Mungos refused me because of my own grades from my bad handwriting. And seeing everyone so thankful warms me inside out.

So, I guess you can consider this as a thank you from the bottom of my heart! I know now this is what I was meant to do.

THANK YOU!!!

~Leatherbound Manager, Olivia