Author's Note:

I've been dabbling with fanfic for about six years, and I do mean dabbling. IRL demands often keep me from playing with some of my favorite universes, but I felt compelled recently to return to a Potterfic I'd been constructing a few years ago, and then abandoned when I had to spend too many hours working.

Some things you should know:

I write OC fics, mostly. I have an allergy to Mary Sues, so you needn't worry.

I break canon, but not too much. If you're a Potter-canon Nazi, my fics won't suit you. I do not, however, make substantial changes to the personalities and attitudes of major characters. I try to honor JK Rowling's imagination as much as possible, and try to keep Snape, well… Snapey, and Harry very much like himself. I may hint at slash, depending on how I feel about certain characters, but it will most likely not involve major characters either. If you want to gorge on Snarry mpreg fics, more power to you – but I don't go there.

What I endeavor to do is discuss Hogwarts from the perspective of very minor characters – and as they most often don't have 'ships to speak of, I feel free to be creative with their families, personalities, etc. My absolute favorite character to write (aside from Snape, Umbridge, McGonagall and some of the series stars) – is Theodore Nott. Rowling has suggested she knows a lot more about Nott than we do (of course) but as she hasn't really discussed her thoughts in the novels or on Pottermore, I feel as though I can take a bit of liberty with him. Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson are other favorites.

The fic that follows, "The Silent Path", is about Theodore Nott's experience at Hogwarts, and about my Original Character: Aziza Bahur. I won't say much about her, because I prefer to let the story illustrate my ideas rather than writing character sheets. It should be noted, however, that she's a half-Egyptian pureblood witch – and Blaise Zabini's cousin, from his mother's side. She is in the same year as her cousin, Theodore Nott, and Harry Potter. This fic started as a project on Deviant Art, and originally contained some other other OC's created by other writers. I haven't recently obtained their permission to continue using their characters, so the construction will substantially change as those characters will now be omitted.

I regularly use flashbacks, though major parts of the fic will take place during Order of the Phoenix. I'll also create events that didn't occur in canon, but might have. We don't follow around Slytherins and Hufflepuffs much (other than Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle) – so there are so many scenarios that could very well have taken place.

Further, I may not have written fanfics for a while, but I lurk here. Some of you do some truly stellar writing, really. I always feel nervous, because my style tends to be a bit different – my chapter lengths inconsistent and very character-centric. Bear with me.

Lastly, most of my fics (the ones that take place in year 5 and beyond, anyway) contain swearing, underage drinking or drug use, sexual references – without real vulgarity or porniness, and violence. I also tend to set chapters with song lyrics from time to time – as, despite his pure-blood, wealthy background, my version of Theodore Nott is in to muggle music. If any of these things offend or bother you, this fic is not for you.

Thank you for your time, on with the show!