Hey guys,

As you might have guessed, I'm not updating this story any more.

I feel really bad about it for three reasons. Firstly, I hate not finishing things. Secondly, reading through parts of the story again I remember how much fun I had writing it. Finally, I know how much it sucks for someone to suddenly stop updating fics. It sucks. Majorly.

ButI've changed a whole lot since I last updated this fic (and definitely since I started writing it). I started writing fanfiction when I was 13, and I was 17 and just finished high school when I wrote the last chapter of this fic. I still read lots of fanfic but I don't ever really feel like writing it anymore. Especially when most of the stuff I write is from the worldview of essentially a 15 year old (when I started writing this fic, and tried to keep the same voice throughout). Obviously not that there's anything wrong with a 15 year old's voice for a fic (clearly – I wrote heaps when I was 15). But a lot has happened in the last year where I don't feel like I would be able to continue this story along the same lines as I planned it (or would want to for that matter). I essentially just don't want to write any more fanfiction.

But because I always want to know what happens in fics where the author stops updating, I'm going to briefly outline here what was going to happen in this fic, if I was to continue writing it. Who knows if it would have turned out this way, because I changed things reasonably frequently when writing this, but it'll still give you a general idea.

Storylines will be in bold, what I was planning will be underneath.

Lily and Alex – will they get back together or won't they?

To be honest I never came up with a definite answer to this.

On one hand they were really cute together and it would have been nice to see them try again – I definitely know it was what the reviewers of this fic wanted. I also kind of wanted them both to have a cute happily ever after bit at the end of the fic.

The larger part of me didn't want them to be together. I didn't want to be cliché and have a group of four friends end up in two couples. I also didn't really want to minimise the reason they broke up (although to be honest I can't remember why that is – I wrote it so long ago) or insinuate that all couples should get back together.

What I had planned for them so far was this:

- As indicated by Jacob's letter to Hugo in the last chapter they were going to become friends again (I always had this planned because they're best friends and I wanted them to become close again – it's a nice thought that they can still be close after everything)

- On the side, Alex dumps Isla because she's cheating on him

- Alex then begins dating Jasmine (as I'm sure lots of you guessed)

- Lily continues to date Andrew Jordan for quite a while but neither can cope with long distance

- By the end of their time at Hogwarts though, they're both single

- I was going to end it on a bit of a 'maybe they will get together later' sort of note

Beth and Hugo – well they obviously end up together

If you hadn't guessed it yet, Hugo and Beth were my main pairing in this fic (although it actually didn't start out that way – my original plan, way back in 2010, was a Beth/Alex situation but I liked the way Beth and Hugo interacted better)

- They end up together at the end of seventh year (because duh, it had to end with a cliché)

- It takes a long time to get there though

- Hugo becomes increasingly obvious with his feelings

- Beth guesses

- Hugo works up the courage to ask Beth out just before or just after Christmas seventh year

- Beth tries to dodge him asking her out for the week leading up to it

- Hugo asks her out – but before that, he makes her swear that they have to still stay friends no matter what he says

- She agrees and they do stay friends even after she turns him down

- Alastair Walton asks her out (either before or after Hugo, I hadn't decided) and she originally declines, but accepts later

- They date for a few months – Hugo tries to play the 'happy for you' friend and does a reasonably good job because he's Hugo and he's nice

- I don't think I'd ever decided on exactly how Beth and Hugo get together but suffice to say, they do

- Beth originally doesn't want to go out with him because he's her best friend and she doesn't want to ruin it. She also doesn't want to be a cliché - I swear this entire fic is me trying to avoid clichés and then ending up with them anyway :)

Beth's dad

In the last chapter Jacob told Hugo that Beth had gone to see her Dad in prison.

Now I don't even remember what I was planning for this

I think I was going to try and show the difficulty of cutting family out of your life, even after they'd done something terrible

I was always really cautious with this part of the fic because I never felt like I'd be able to do it justice

I think at the most Beth and her Dad were going to begin a tentative relationship again – but again, I hadn't decided because I've never been in a comparable situation and didn't actually know how Beth would react to something like this happening

Future careers

Alex does, eventually end up being a healer

Hugo does end up as a teacher at Hogwarts, although that's a good 10 years after leaving school. He does various Runes stuff in the interim.

I never decided what Lily or Beth ended up doing – at the time of writing the last chapter I probably would have stuck Beth with curse breaking (what she wanted to do when she had her Careers Consultation with Professor Longbottom). But if I was writing this now she probably wouldn't have been – just due to future careers being a big focus of my life this past year (what with uni and all) and me realising that lots of people don't end up liking what they decided they would like when they were still at school.

Rose and Scorpius

Well they get back together

Hugo doesn't care

The wedding

Dom and Harrison have their wedding and I was actually really looking forward to writing it

Hugo takes Beth and I think this is possibly the time she starts noticing Hugo's feelings towards her

Hugo spends the time pining

Family makes lots of jokes re: Beth and Hugo, with Hugo being his Dad (which Hugo obviously hates)

Lily takes her boyfriend Andrew Jordan

Germany

I wasn't going to write much more on Hugo's Germany trip

He basically has a lot of fun

He keeps in contact with pretty much everyone from the trip (especially Kyle)

Josh and Ethan

Josh came out as gay a few chapters ago as a side note

There is absolutely no drama on his side of the storyline, but it sheds light on Ethan struggling with his own sexuality and potential feelings for Josh (his absolute best friend in the world)

Hadn't quite decided how this would end up – it ends happily though, because that's the theme of the rest of the story

Mr Weasley

Continues to deteriorate in health

Doesn't pass away in this time frame of this fic, but is eventually heading that way

I can't think of any other story lines.

But on the off chance that someone reads this and wants to know something else – please let me know!

Sorry again for not updating at all/never finishing this.

People reading and reviewing this has been amazing, so thank you all heaps and heaps.

TTFN

Dork-with-glasses

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo