I just wanted you all to know that I did return to read all of your negative comments. I continue to be dismayed that, in a canon universe that included so many other nationalities and races, Americans are so universally unwelcome to a
certain kind of HP reader. As an American and an HP fan, I obviously find it sad and remarkably close-minded. BUT, to each his or her own. I worked extremely hard to maintain the feeling of Rowling's work while adding fresh new elements (rather than just rehashing the same stories and characters, as so much other fan fiction seems to do), but obviously no amount of variation-- especially if it includes an American-- is welcome to certain types of fans.
This is fine, but I doubt I'll return for more critique if it simply amounts to "Americans are bad and the Harry Potter world would never welcome them". This is a pathetically superficial critique. It may be good enough for you, but to dissuade others from reading a story based on such a personal predilection is fairly petty, especially for those who haven't even read the entire story in the first place. One cannot accurately critique anything from a position of ignorance, so I am increasingly impatient with people who sit on high and pass snarky judgments without having read past the first few chapters. I expected a bit more.
Hello George; I believe you and H&H have gotten off on the wrong foot. If you feel like our comments are attacking you, then my humblest apologies.
As an avid fanfiction writer and reader, I believe that critiques of writing, regardless of outlook or status, should be welcomed. As a writer it is my sorest duty to try and write what I believe other people are going to want to read; if someone doesn't like my work I want to know why, and see if I can't find a way to marry my concepts of the story with what people want to see. Negative comments are not usually directed at the author, but at the work disagreeing with the perspective another person has on canon and what should be what.
For example, I am currently writing a fanfiction for Labyrinth, but by no means is it the begin-all or end-all of what others might think of Labyrinth canon. There are possibilities and open ends that I might not have considered or even known about until someone pointed it out to me. Do I have to agree with them? No, but it's still good to know how everyone thinks.
I am an American; have been all my life. I have nothing wrong with Americans or fanfictions that involve Americans going to an English school. Nor have I ever expressed a dislike of all the different nationalities presented in the HP universe; I actually admire how race and country were dissolved by JKR to unite the Wizards as their own people. What I am is someone who likes to pay very close attention to the details of canon and interpret them. You can try your best to capture the same sparkle as another author, and do your best to copy it, but it will only ever be, after all, a fanfiction, and never up-to-snuff with what the real author might write. Regardless of our efforts we are only chasing after our own dreams and concepts weaved into someone elses imaginations, after all.
I can assume that in the HP world, if it had been important to the story, or was something that was done at Hogwarts, that JK would have mentioned it. A great example of this are students who also happen to be werewolves. As far as we know, there was only one, and it was so significant that she made a point of it. I don't allow students to be werewolves off the bat because several things that occur or are mentioned in the book would suggest that Lupin was possibly the first and last student to be a werewolf at Hogwarts, at least, under the eye of Dumbledore for the last half century. Why? Because the Shrieking Shack was created by Dumbledore to act as a place where Lupin could go during his transformation, and as stated by Hermione in the books, the house has been quiet for many, many years. If there had been another werewolf at the school during Dumbledore's term, you can assume he would have extended them the same kindness that he did to Lupin. The lack of evidence otherwise would mean that there were no students who were werewolves during Harry's time in school, or in the years leading up to Harry being in school. That is how I derive canon that is not explicitly stated.
That explained, consider perhaps why in this particular community any student who has not lived the majority of their lives in England would be considered 'wrong' in Hogwarts. (It's not just an American that rubs me or others the wrong way; I would feel the same about a student from China, Russia, or even Australia.) In the books, there is never once a mention of transfer students, or of people who were from other countries and simply attending the school. I would assume that transferring between schools is rarely unheard of for the fact that during the Tri-Wizard tourney the entire Hogwarts school was excited that students from another school were coming. I would think that if someone had transferred at all during Harry's time, or if it were possible, that it would have been mentioned. In the realistics of schooling I could say very well that it is possible, but not without also saying that when a student transfers from one school to another, especially internationally, there is always going to be a waiver in credits and classes taken, and especially grading, and some older people might be put back a year to complete classes that they didn't take or already took but said classes didn't transfer. I would imagine that it would be very much like transferring from one University to another in the middle of a Masters degree; not only unwise on the part of the student, but it will certainly screw credits up and cost more money. It would be unwise to make such a choice for a lot of people, and perhaps why there are no transfer students at Hogwarts; the switch might be much too complicated.
There is only one mention of anything that might imply that if you're magical that you might go to another school, and that is of Draco's father wanting to send him to Durmstrang but opting not to because it was too far away from home. Since the Malfoys would have known that Draco was magical they had the option of sending him to another magical school and knowing that he would be accepted, because he's magical. Since we know some Muggle-borns don't even know they're magical until they receive their acceptance letter (with little time to consider other schools) I would doubt that they would be going to different schools other than the one that accepted them.
Now also consider this piece of canon from the first book; every body born with magical blood is written down in a book by an enchanted Quill deep within Hogwarts. There is no mention if it keeps track of people as they move into the country, if there is communication between countries and schools about the people who are magical, only that it writes down the names of those born within the area surrounding Hogwarts. We can assume since it wasn't mentioned in the book that anyone from another country moved to the UK and shortly received their letter to Hogwarts that such a thing might not even be possible. However, in defense of people who might consider transfers or people who suddenly move to another country, it is known that letters will be addressed to the person where ever they might be and delivered to that very spot.
Here at H&H, we assume that if you've lived in the USA, you're probably going to be accepted to a school in the USA. If you're only in the UK for a short stint from another country we assume the same concept as a transfer student, and the hardships and difficulties presented there. There is also the factor of parents, and how they would feel about dragging their kid around to different countries and possibly making a seven year education into eight or nine years. For the simplicity that was presented in the books we choose to keep to that, which might be another reason why some people here might not like it; that's the world we're immersed in and that's the canon that we follow.
I will read your story completely, but I want you to know that I will treat it as though it were posted on fanfiction.net, where hundreds of authors have written stories like yours, and in my opinion some of them might be better, and some of them might be worse, and be prepared for that and perhaps my holding your story against others that I have read. It's more than your plot and your characters that might turn people away, but perhaps your writing style; I have hated characters in fanfictions before but loved the style so much that I continued reading. Likewise, I have loved the characters so much that I ignored the writing style (such as Twilight, even though that's not a FF). I also might think that some of the role plays I've been involved in might be richer and more complex, with deeper connection to characters and a near-flawless execution of canon. I might love the story, and put aside my reservations about canon to simply enjoy the story. However, do know that when people read fanfiction they might discontinue a story that doesn't hold with what they believe is canon or simply doesn't fulfill what they want to read. That's freedom of choice and as fanfiction authors we have to accept that.
I would say that had your story not garnered the attention of the press due to your skills as a graphics designer it would have passed like the hundreds of other well-rounded fanfictions before yours; into the archives of the internet, dearest to you in your connection with the story and characters and perhaps admired by those who chanced upon it. I've read stories that are double in length to yours of numerous genres including Harry Potter, and have been very excellent indeed, worthy of publication were they not for the fact that they were based on copyrighted work.
What I would ask is that you remain humble in your roots as a fanfiction writer and tip your hat to the community that supports you as an author; our comments are intended to give you reflection on your reader base and where they are coming from in their perceptions. As that is, it is, within said community, very rude to be so unwelcoming of the thoughts of others when they are simply reflecting back to you what they think of your writing and their own experiences. If you are simply writing to seek encouragement of your own ideas and simply choose to ignore anything else no matter the argument presented or ideas discussed, then perhaps you should step back as an author and consider your objectivity. In the RP realm that we here are in, we encourage all forms of feedback so that we can continue to grow as writers so that as authors we please our audience, since without the reader, a story would be nothing more than some 0's and 1's on a harddrive.
Peace, and I will email you when I have completed the story with a general collection of my thoughts about the story without being based in canon (much like a movie based on a book), on the characters, then perhaps how I felt the story neglected canon and how it would be better. Since, as a reader of fanfiction, it is my goal to help people improve.
