Hey!
This isn't a new chapter, but it is an update. I'd like to let everyone know that I'm going away for Spring Break, and I won't be back until next Saturday (April 7). So don't expect any update, as I'll have no Internet access (at least I don't think I will).
On another note, I'd just like to thank you for all your reviews. They've been a great encouragement and mean a lot to me. There are, however, certain reviews that just turn me off. And I don't mean ones that critique my stories - I absolutely love those, as they help me improve. I'm talking about reviews where people tell me, "You update slow," "You don't update fast enough," or ask, "Can you please update faster next time?!" In terms of the third one, no, I can't make myself update faster. It may so happen that I end up posting the next chapter faster than the last, but at the same time it may take longer. I must say, as an author, there's nothing more annoying than someone demanding why you haven't updated yet. I can't speak for other authors, although I think many would agree with what I'm about to write, but it takes time to write a page, let alone a chapter, especially if the ideas aren't flowing one after another through your head. You have to develop each and every idea until you have a plotline, in every chapter. I don't update quickly because if I did what you would read would be absolutely worthless, not only to you, but to me as well.
Furthermore, I said at the beginning of this story to expect slow updates. I know it may not seem like it, but I do have a life outside of Harry Potter. And I don't mean that sarcastically. As a reader, I myself often forget that authors don't live to write the next chapter of their fanfic (or at least most don't). However, I am repeating that now so that you'll understand: in addition to writing this story, I also have school, and school, as any student/past student knows, is not only demanding but also extremely stressful. It doesn't help that I'm a bit of a perfectionist, meaning that I do everything in my power to get as many As as humanly possible, and that I'm starting to consider to which colleges I will apply next year. I also have piano, which requires practice every day and, of course, I have my friends, who mean the world to me, and with whom I try to spend as much time with as possible.
So while I absolutely adore writing with all of my heart, my life doesn't revolve around it. Therefore, I will update when I update, and nothing will really make me update faster. Reviews often put me in a happier mood to write, but the truth of the matter is that when there's inspiration, there's inspiration. I can't push it, or else I'll either have absolute crap or I'll block myself in even more.
I hope that didn't come off too negative. I wasn't trying to have it come off that way, I just really want readers to understand that comments complaining about my lack of updates doesn't motivate me to update more. If anything, it makes me not want to write.
And on a final note, if you're reviewing to get Portkey points, please don't say things such as, "Good job! Apparently I need ten words to be able to get any points, so yeah…" or something of that sort. Write absolute rubbish if you want ("Good job! You know, I actually have to go do homework now, but thanks for letting me procrastinate"), but please don't tell me when you're reviewing just for points. No author wants to read it, as much as we appreciate the feedback (and we do - both positive and negative).
Thank you for reading my rant, and as a reward, here's a preview from a future chapter (and by future I mean possibly many chapters in the future)
As Harry continued his quest, the people around him began to countdown. Although Harry had always wanted to partake in such a tradition, he was much more concerned with finding his best friend.
"Ten…nine…eight…" people shouted in unison.
"Come on Hermione…" Harry muttered under his breath.
"six…five…four…"
"Where are you?"
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