Just so you all know: this fanfic is being discontinued.
Reasons, in no particular order:
- I wrote this many years ago. Only four HP books had been published, and now that we're on the brink of reading the 7th book, this story is way out of date. I like to stick to the canon, yet combing through this fic to make the necessary changes would be too much work.
- I don't like the way I developed many of the characters here. Although I used Snape's mannerisms most of the time (ie, he sneers a lot, etc.), Snape would never act as he does in this fic. Ron would also not completely turn on Harry the way he does here. Those are the two most prominent examples, but I'm dissatisfied with most other characters in my fix for smaller reasons. I probably wrote like this because a) I was much less mature than I am now, b) I had not yet read the 5th and 6th HP books yet, and c) I had probably not examined the characters in the existing HP books very carefully.
- Related to the previous reason: after Snape's final act in HBP, and in reflection on his behavior throughout the series, I don't find it appealing or interesting to read or write about Snape being Harry's parent or guardian, with some exceptions - see Enahma's series, in particular.
(Of course, this doesn't stop Snape from being an interesting character to read or write about; I can't wait to see how he turns out in Deathly Hallows.)
- I hadn't completely planned out the rest of the plot for this story. I had vague ideas, and I knew what themes I wanted to write in, but I think this lack of planning drove it into a brick wall.
- The writing style in this fic, while decent, isn't quite up to par with what I expect from myself now. As I mentioned above, I wrote this many years ago, and I believe I could write a much more polished fic right now. However, it would be too much work to rewrite the whole story when I don't particularly like the premise anymore.
- Some of the author's notes I've made are completely immature and uncalled for, especially ones which are embedded in the story (gulp). Of course, I could just take them out, but I don't feel particularly motivated to do anything with this story.
So, anyone who liked this fanfic has my regrets and apologies.
Anyone is welcome to finish this fanfic if they want. I just say this because unfinished stories are quite dissatisfying, but I also don't want to throw away many hours' worth of writing.
If anyone wishes to do this, you can contact me through review or email, and I can fill you in on what I had planned for this fic (it isn't much, and of course you aren't obligated to use it.) Also, should anyone do this, you are welcome to change the previous chapters. Kudos to anyone who can do better characterizations!
I'll be leaving this fanfic up since I think it has a few merits. I the creativity in this story and the way it embraces the magical world. And it might be worth reading to a few HP fans who like this kind of thing.
Thanks to all who have read this story!
Urania