AUTHOR'S NOTE (VERY IMPORTANT!):
I'm not saying this is the last update, but... this is the last update for the foreseeable future—on this site. You may already know, but I have begun a complete rewrite of this fic, and am posting it on AO3 (Archive of Our Own). If you have an AO3 account/use AO3, please go subscribe to my story there. :) The title and my username are both the same as here.
At first I had planned on simply replacing the chapters here with my new version, but I have decided I think it's better to leave this version as is, as a sort of archived version of how the story started. Unless I become too embarrassed of this version, which, to be entirely honest, is possible.
So, although I have no definite plans to continue updating this exact version of the story, I am by no means abandoning the fic altogether. I still love this story. And because I love it, I want to make it better. Everything I learned in the two years of writing it has gone into making it even better, and I'm excited to share that with you.
You might be wondering why exactly I can't keep updating here while revising and posting on AO3 at the same time. I'm not completely opposed to doing this, but a major issue is, when working on both simultaneously, I struggle with maintaining the correct attitudes of the characters at different points in the story. For example, I feel that my revised Chapter 2 depicts Tom as being a little too good at romancing (haha) for that early point in the story, because I was still in the mindset of writing him as I would much later on. Maybe I will figure out how to manage that and do both, but for now, AO3 is where you can continue to read this fic.
I could add to the story on this site by updating with certain scenes that I have already partly written. For example, Tom going to Little Hangleton, where he meets and murders his father and grandparents; a scene in which Tom and Charlotte have a confrontation, and even a duel, due to the Gaunt ring, because it has the Deathly Hallows symbol on it, which Charlotte associates with Grindelwald; learning to cast a patronus, which of course Tom can't do; Charlotte visiting Valeria. But it would be just those scenes and not what connects them, because I'd rather spend the time it would take me to write that working on the new version. Those events I mentioned are much more certain, and won't change too much, so getting a draft done of them would even be helpful to me.
I understand that some people will be frustrated, or find it less interesting to read something you have (kind of) read before, and I'm sorry to disappoint anyone. However, on the positive side, my revisions have led to qualitative and quantitative improvement.
As far as word count is concerned, the quantitative improvement: I have written seven chapters so far on the revised version, but these seven chapters correspond to only the first four chapters of this version. (I'm caught up to the Christmas party.) I've already replaced chapter one here, so that's messing with my numbers a little bit, but if we just consider chapter two onward, in this version that is 6894 words, while the new version, reaching the same point in the plot, is 18552 words.
In addition to minor changes, there are plenty of new scenes (I've included an excerpt a little further down!), which I hope will make rereading it more enjoyable if you decide to join me again over on Archive of Our Own.
Something that would be absolutely amazing, and I would appreciate so much, is if anyone wants to go back and leave comments on some of these chapters, pointing out anything that seem like it could have been done better. Since I'm rewriting it, that would be very beneficial. :)
One thing that has already come to my attention is Charlotte's inconsistent views about being pure-blood, especially the unrealistic delay in a conversation between her and Tom addressing the fact that he is not. (Now in Chapter 7 as opposed to Chapter 28.) I also now show Charlotte discovering and questioning her prejudice, which I think is really important. This also adds a super interesting dynamic to her and Tom's relationship that I am looking forward to writing.
The early development of Tom's relationship with Charlotte is also so much more complicated now (and allows for a better portrayal of Tom, I think). I haven't finished writing some of these parts yet, so this is still not on the AO3 version, but I've got it all planned out. What I've done so far involves more of Tom's thoughts than I included before. Here's an excerpt (Tom's POV) from the new Chapter 4, if you're interested:
"It's nice that our schedule today isn't entirely taken up by exams," Charlotte said.
"I would imagine they planned for us to use the time to study."
"I don't think they expect us to spend all of our spare time studying."
"And here I was thinking I would have you quiz me on dates from History of Magic," he replied, jokingly—although if she took the idea seriously he would not be opposed to it. She only laughed. After walking for a short time in silence, he noticed her pulling her cloak around her more tightly. "Cold?" he asked.
"Just a bit."
"I thought Valeria had solved that problem, or didn't she give you one of her latest creations?"
"Well after those third years accidentally set their robes on fire trying to duplicate the effects, Professor Slughorn suggested she not market those for now."
"You're serious?" He couldn't help laughing at the idea. "How did I not know about that...?"
"I don't know; it happened in the middle of the common room. You were probably in the library, since you practically live there." She smirked. And there was something about her tone.
He stepped into her path, facing her. "Are you teasing me, Charlotte?" Ordinarily, someone speaking to him like that would be cause for anger. But his feeling of success at having changed her attitude towards him so quickly won out over the annoyance and he was able to smile at her.
"I suppose I am," she said softly. There was no need to be very loud, as they were only inches apart.
"And what makes you think you can do that?"
"I didn't think there was a rule against it. But, if you insist on an answer, it's probably the same reason you didn't hesitate to put your hands on my waist just now." One side of her mouth curled up into another rendition of that smirk. Her eyes were saying a lot of things he didn't quite understand. Maybe because he was in such foreign territory, or maybe because he was distracted by how close her face was to his. Her lips in particular were drawing his attention.
He pulled her into a hug so that he wouldn't have to look at her anymore. "You won't be as cold now," he mumbled as an afterthought. He had been tempted to kiss her, but he didn't understand why he was having impulses like that. It was so beyond anything he was used to. It made pretending to love her easier, that was certain, but he wasn't exactly thrilled that somehow he was beginning to exhibit signs of loving her for real. The tumult of mixed emotions settled somewhat as he realized holding her still felt unnatural and uncomfortable to him. He held her tightly all the same, focusing not on the idea of wanting to be closer to her, but on how it made him feel in control.
Anyway, thank you SO MUCH again for your continued support, and I hope that you will keep reading on AO3!
If you are not interested in rereading everything you've read so far, edits or no edits, and would like me to let you know when the AO3 version reaches this point in the plot (i.e. Tom's stay with Charlotte's family), I would be happy to do that. It might be a while, but I will message you here, or notify you by some other means if you have a preference. (I don't own an owl though, so it will have to be through this Muggle internet thing.)
You can follow me, if you want, on Twitter ( topazrubyqueen) and Instagram ( chocolatefrogsandcauldroncakes), for more writing and Harry Potter content respectively.
Lastly, I know we're not supposed to post updates that are just an Author's Note, but I wanted to make sure everyone knew what was happening with this story, because it's sad for people to be waiting forever for an update that may never come.