I loved the magical, imaginative HP universe that we saw in the early books. I became fascinated by our favorite Potions Master, but I didn't really get active in the fandom until DH came out. I read it, and I was so severely disappointed, I was actually depressed for a couple of weeks afterward. A friend told me, "If you want to get over it, read fanfic until your eyes bleed." I took that excellent advice. I feel so much better now that I know that Severus lives, and he's having many excellent, imaginative, well-written adventures (as well as a lot of really hot sex!).
I'm shy, and this is the first time I've ever written anything, but I wanted to do something to honor Severus on his 50th birthday. So I took the plunge, even though I felt pretty angsty about it, and it's turned out to be a lot of fun. I may have to write more.