Welcome to the end of a book where the climax can be boiled down to "my characters are stupid but it's okay because that's in character." You can't imagine how often I wanted to bash my head into a wall after thinking of an idea for the last few chapters that Astra or Albus would 100% do and would clear up a problem with the narrative, but that was just inconceivably idiotic. Astra and Albus have such chaotic dumbass energy and I never realized how bad it was until this book. I think it's a fantastic plot device, but oh my gosh, is it ever torture to write. Especially when I knew what I was having to make their chaotic dumbass energy lead up to...

Anyway, I just want to thank all of you so much for your support! This series just passed the five year mark last month, and I never could have gotten this far without you guys. I am so grateful for each and every one of you who has invested enough time and emotional energy into this story to get this far. Every comment, every vote, it all means so much to me.

For real, your comments can honestly spark some of my biggest moment of inspiration. They're so incredibly helpful and entertaining and make my day. Countless people have commented theories of what they think is going on that give me ideas I hadn't thought of that I end up working into the story. Even something as huge as Wrames was the product of a comment about how Astra and James were way too similar to ever work, but James and Wren balanced each other well. I read all of your comments, and even the wild, out-there theories that aren't anywhere near the truth are super fun to see. I'm thankful for all of you that comment!

Anyway, I'm sure you're all ready to hear about the next book. It's going to be called Littered With Stars. The release date will be September 30, 2020.

Questions:

What the heck and why, Elli?
Uh... I feel like the only thing I can say here is sorry...

How did Astra not realize she was a seer earlier?
Well, to be fair, she hasn't really been in a lot of situations where divination is brought up. She's never been around a crystal ball, or paid attention to tea leaves. The only things that have ever happened are her dreams, which, while strange, didn't ever have anything to do with the future. Being a seer isn't the type of conclusion you jump to lightly, especially when you have nearly zero experience with divination.

Truthfully, though, it's because this was a more recent idea. I wanted a less wooly explanation for her dreams. I didn't want to just yadda yadda them away, you know? I'd considered this in the past, but had written it off pretty early on for being a bit too much. I'm afraid Astra is overpowered enough as it is, and I've spent a good portion of the series trying to balance her talent with spells and magic itself with other things, like her temper, lack of self-control, and complete averageness at other magical things.

But when I was planning for this book, I took a longer look at this option. I'd been talking to a couple of different authors who had read my guide, and were asking at exactly which point their OC went from having an interesting power that sets them apart to being overpowered in a Mary Sueish, annoying type of way. And I found I couldn't find a stark line. There are some things that seem like they should always be cliche and overpowered, such as random animalistic powers that run in families or being an animagus at the age of 12 or most of the other cliches Harry Potter fanfic authors tend to fall into. These things seem like they should always be a sign of an overpowered Mary Sue, because they generally are. But I realized, talking to these authors, that they aren't necessarily always.

The thing is, if you try hard enough, you can turn any cliche around and make it seem original, make it work. If you put enough effort into your characters and stories. That's the type of idea I try to give people. Have a solid explanation for whatever power it is you want your character to have. Have this power cause them problems, have them not want it, have it make their life hard. Sure, sometimes it will still come across wrong. As I freely admit, Astra is grossly overpowered when it comes to magic (I mean, really? Nonverbal magic with no training at the age of 11?), and I have to work hard to balance it. But you can play your cards right, and sometimes those things just work.

And having those conversations got me thinking. Because, really, these dreams of Astra's have to be worse than her skill with magic, right? I don't have any sort of solid explanation for them. They're incredibly convenient, too. Why? Honestly, my only reason was because I wanted Astra to be cool and unique. If that's your only goal with your main character, you're going to end up with an overpowered Mary Sue.

That's not my goal anymore. I want her to be relatable and real. And that opens up the door a little wider for what exactly I can do with her character.

As you can see, being a seer is not something Astra wants. It's not necessarily helpful; in fact, all it's really done so far is cause a lot of panic and annoyance and uncertainty. Even better, it has the potential to increase conflict with my villain. I have to work hard to balance this, but I like to think that I'm making it work for my story and my character.

We know who the characters think was at fault when Wren and James broke up, but who do you think was?
Honestly? Astra, Wren, and James all messed up. Wren perhaps bears the brunt of it, because it was something she did (or rather didn't do) that set it all in motion. Astra and James simply reacted poorly.

But that's the thing, isn't it? It's all really complicated. There were people who would look at that and just blame Wren. She should have told James what was going on, and she shouldn't have lied. But none of the mess following would have happened if Astra hadn't lied to her, too. Astra broke a promise, lied directly to her, and told James everything. And James reacted with far too much anger, which was essentially what Wren had been afraid of the whole time.

So, personally, I think they're all three at fault, to varying degrees. It's complicated. That's why I didn't end it with Wren simply apologizing and them all moving on. I'll admit, that's how a lot of these types of situations end in the real world, but I'd like to argue that they shouldn't. I wanted to highlight the complexity of all of it, the parts each person played in the giant mess. More importantly, the part they each played in its resolution.

People need to take responsibility for their wrong actions, even when those actions are prompted by something someone else did. You can't always control if other people do something wrong, but you can always control your reaction. And reacting badly to someone (especially someone trying to fix their mistake) is just as bad as simply being wrong in the first place, isn't it?

Why did Ciara hate Astra in the first place?
Ooh! A very good question! Something I have tried to put a lot of thought into, especially because it's something I'm trying to solidify a lot more as I rewrite this story into an original series.

I forgot about this, actually, but Astra and Ciara's first interaction wasn't at school, and it didn't actually involve Astra as much as Albus. Because I was 15 and didn't understand that paralleling the original books so closely wasn't that cool, Astra met the Malfoy twins when she and Albus were getting fitted for their robes at the same time as the them. Ciara asked what House they were going to be in, and came across a little arrogant. One thing led to another and after Ciara said that she and Scorpius both wanted Slytherin, Albus said, "I wouldn't want to be in Slytherin. That's where all the Death Eaters come from."

I am absolutely floored that I wrote that, that I meant it to be a legitimate criticism on Albus's part, that I meant it to be taken as the protagonists destroying the school bully or whatever I was initially painting Ciara to be. In my defense, I was 15 and stupid and had literally finished the books for the first time the night before and hadn't thought critically about a single thing. I still thought Snape was a good guy!

Anyway, that's a bit of a tangent. I meant to point out that that interaction colored Ciara's perspective of Astra. There is also the fact that Astra was close friends with the Potters, who hated both Cira and Scorpius immediately, before she'd even given them a reason to (which, to be fair, they eventually had plenty of reasons to in the first few books). Astra was turned against the Malfoys almost immediately and hated Ciara just as quickly as Ciara hated her.

So, long story short, it's the fault of a lot of prejudice picked up from parents that was left over from the war. Kids tend to pick up on that kind of stuff completely uncritically and take it to the extreme, so I think that's more than enough of a reason to explain Ciara's bumpy start with the Potters and Astra, because for the first three books most people tended to lump Astra in with them (Haverna, anyone?). Then, of course, that gave them both free reign to devolve into hating each other based on both prejudice and a habit of being cruel to each other.

Was Colette relieved or sad when her dad kicked her out? She didn't betray much emotion to Astra when it happened, so what was she feeling?
This was a super early question, so I think it's been partially answered in the story, but I'm happy to elaborate!

Honestly, she was upset. As hard as she tries to act like she doesn't care what people think about her, there a couple whose opinions really do matter (namely Astra, Albus, Wren, and her dad). Part of it is a romanticized idea she had of him as a kid, that he would come and save her from her mother and be the perfect parent all her friends seemed to have and he would love her. And he did, or at least he really tried to, when she first moved in with him. The thing is, though, he didn't know how to be a parent, and Colette isn't the easiest child to raise. Neither of them are good at communicating, and ended up resenting each other pretty quickly. That was only heightened by everything that happened with Astra, when Colette's dad chose not to believe her and tried to force Colette not to, either.

So, Colette was a little relieved, I think. Anyone would get tired of living with someone who hated you for everything you believed in. But she was also incredibly sad. There was always a part of her that held onto a hope, no matter how ridiculous it may be, that her dad would love her and stop being so horrible. This final proof that he wanted nothing to do with her shattered that for good. She would never admit it, but she blames herself a little bit for the fact that their relationship is less than stellar. She recognizes her dad is wrong and has a lot of problems, but deep down she worries she caused many of them.

Who is the Mom Friend™️ in the friend group?
Albus, definitely. Which... is a little bit weird? Considering his friends are all girls (and his brother...). However, let's be fair, he managed to make friends with the three kids at Hogwarts with the most screwed up childhoods (besides Nico Jasper, I suppose), and those kids just happened to also be the three girls most in need of a mom friend. Astra? Obviously needs a mom friend to keep her safe and stop her from being impulsive (though Albus is getting worse at that, I'll admit). Colette? Needs a mom friend to remind her it's okay to have emotions and not be entirely self-sufficient. Wren? Needs a mom friend to keep her from slipping into self-hatred and to comfort her when she does. While the girls all sort of help each with this as well, Albus does all of these things above and beyond, up to Mom Friend™️ levels.

I suppose you could argue that Wren is a mom friend, too, and you're right, she definitely can be. However, in my thinking, a Mom Friend™️ is protective of their friends, gets them to slow down and think things through, while still being aware of her own needs and being responsible enough to take care of herself. Wren doesn't really fit that last part. She struggles to find the balance between taking care of herself and taking care of others, and that's where Mom Friend™️ Albus comes out.

Why did Astralbus not happen?
Honestly because my biggest inspiration for their friendship was Jo and Laurie from Little Women but we don't have time to unpack that.

There was a point, early on in this book, where I talked about a decision I'd made about the future of the storyline, and how that might cause some shifting dynamics and things that never got fulfilled. I mentioned that I was making this decision because I want to write the story I needed to hear, not the one that people are used to. I wish I had managed to make this decision earlier, really, because I had heavily hinted at Astralbus happening in the future (even when I'd reached a point midway through the last book when I'd realized this might not be what I really wanted) before I decided to change that. As it is, though, I stand with my decision not to go through with it.

As most of you might know, I was originally going to make Jastra end game. I got over that idea very quickly (in the third book, if I remember right), but I seriously considered no other options until that point. It was around this time that people started shipping Astralbus, and gave me some very convincing ideas about why Astra and James simply wouldn't and shouldn't work together. However, I didn't take the time to think "Well, what is the actual best option for this scenario?" Instead, I simply jumped on the next bandwagon.

I'll admit, Astralbus does make a lot more sense to me than Jastra did. I can see where they could work, if I had gone done that path. I could definitely have made it seem natural and not forced. I think that the characters would have been compatible. They are already such good friends, and most of the time those close relationships absolutely have the potential to grow into romantic relationships, too. But...

They also have the potential to stay platonic.

When I started writing this series, I was in a "relationship" (I was 15, and neither of us were allowed to date, but we liked each other, so we were a thing). We didn't work out; I stopped liking him and didn't have the guts to tell him for months. I handled it badly (texted him the night before his birthday, which also happened to be Valentine's Day, and "broke up" because I knew he'd ask me out for real the next day), he handled it badly (wouldn't accept the breakup until a friend of mine yelled at him to leave me alone a few weeks later, then spent months hating me and telling everyone about it). But, somehow, and I don't even remember how, we managed to get over our hurt feelings and pettiness and be friends again.

He's actually a really great guy, if I'm being honest. We're really close now. I got him a job (that we've both since left) at the fast food restaurant I worked at in high school, so we were coworkers for nearly two years. Over the past few years, we've gotten really close. We vent about work together, hang out in one of our cars and just talk for hours. We literally go to each other for dating advice. And the thing is, our relationship is totally platonic.

When I started this series, and for the first year or two I was writing it, I didn't have any close friends who were guys. The only real relationships that mattered between guys and girls in the YA books I was reading were romantic relationships. So, to me, that meant that if a girl and guy were close, they had to eventually start dating. But now I know better. And I wish I had known back then. I really think that the reason my first relationship didn't work out is because we took our platonic feelings to be romantic, because why on earth should a boy and girl just be close friends? That doesn't make sense. But now, through my friendship with this same guy (and several others), I know that that is completely not true. And I wish I had known it back then. I wish I had known that a guy and a girl can have as close a friendship as two girls or two guys. I wish I had known that a guy and a girl don't have to like each other just because everyone else sees their friendship and thinks it's romantic.

I totally love romantic stuff, too, don't get me wrong. Scenes with Wren and James have been some of my favorites to write. But I know how old most of you are. Middle and high schoolers, reading the same type of things I did a few years ago. I just want my younger readers to know that it's okay to like someone of the opposite gender platonically, and it's okay to have close friendships between boys and girls. Having deep conversations doesn't make a relationship romantic. Heck, hugging doesn't make a relationship romantic.

So, long story short: Astra and Albus would have been a fine couple, but writing isn't always about that. Sometimes, I write things to prove a point, show a theme. And the most important theme in this series as a whole (besides hope, since I always seem to hit everyone over the head with that one) is the importance of friendship. Friendship with both genders. My decision to keep Astra and Albus platonic was a product of my experiences, and it's what I very desperately want younger readers to know is okay. We need more male-female friendships in media. Not every close friendship is the sign of a budding romance.

Does this rule out Astralbus in the far off future, after this book is over? Of course not. I will let the story lead where it will, and try to give all the characters thematically appropriate ends to their arcs. This story has surprised me before! But I think it's fairly safe to say that it won't happen within the series.

In your opinion, which character experienced the greatest shift (whether for good or bad)?
Oooooh, I love this question! There's a couple of different angles I could see this question coming from, but I think it's pretty clear which characters have experienced the greatest shift in the perception of the reader, whether they themselves changed that much or not. A prime example is Haverna, who has definitely mellowed a little towards Astra & Co. but was never actually as evil as everyone thought to begin with, or maybe even Mackenzie, who was always as kind and smart as she is now but was hated unnecessarily because everyone shipped Jastra back in the day.

Another way to look at this question, which I think is an objectively more interesting way, is literally which characters have shifted the most within the story itself, even if they haven't had as drastic a turn around in popularity among readers. Because especially in the past two books, that's been something happening with a lot of people. The kids are growing up, and the adults are facing a war, and all of that forces people to look into themselves and evaluate what they believe and what they stand for.

I think that if you were to ask me this question at the end of the next book, my answer might be different, because there are several characters who are nowhere near the completion of their arc and might end up in a much different place than they started. For right now, though... Gosh, that's kind of hard. It's easy to think of someone like Ciara, who started out as a bit of an antagonist to Astra & Co. and has now become one of their friends. I don't think she's actually changed that much, is the thing. Sure, she's grown up a little, given all these kids she hated a chance, tried to make amends. But she never had horrible morals to begin with, so she hasn't had much of an actual shift.

Personally, I feel like the person who has had the greatest shift in this series is Hestia Carrow. Absolutely crazy, I know. I just think about how she went from ready to throw a fourteen-year-old girl in Azkaban and denying that Stillens existed and actively working against the DA to risking her job to surreptitiously fight Stillens with the DA and that same girl she nearly threw in Azkaban and definitely thought was a terrorist. That's a huge shift in viewpoint. Obviously, she was never evil per say, but she was extremely misguided. I appreciate that she tried to make things right before she got arrested and thrown in Azkaban herself, at least.

Honestly, though, I haven't had any real redemption arcs play out fully yet. Just another thing to look forward to in Littered With Stars.

If you could ask Stillens a question, what would it be?
I'm going to admit that I feel like I don't understand him completely. I'm trying to write a villain with a very skewed moral compass, and sometimes things seem in character for him that I simply can't understand. It's like he exists as a fully-fleshed out person in my head, but I can't actually see into his head (unlike most of my characters). I think I would ask him when he will be satisfied, though. If control of the entire MACUSA isn't enough for him, what will be? (If you guys want an answer from Stillens, maybe I'll manage to get one in the comments)

Do you think the Predatels love their daughter?
They definitely think they do. I think they do, too. To them, their mission comes before her wellbeing, which doesn't seem loving, but I think even that is motivated by their love. Which doesn't make sense, I know. Let me explain.

I think we all know both Isaac and Katreena have wildly skewed morals. They've been fully on board with Stillens' plans since they were young teenagers. But you have to remember that they are fully convinced that they are working towards a better world. Tensions between muggles and wizards are much higher in America, and they dream of a world where wizards don't have to live in fear. They want all magical children to grow up in loving and nurturing homes with people who understand them. They think Caymus Stillens is the best person to make those things happen. Those aren't necessarily bad things, either; it's just that they're willing to do way too many evil, terrible things for accomplish those goals. They're coming about them in the wrong way. However, they have an "ends justify the means" mentality, so they think that everything they're doing is completely good and right.

Where does that leave Wren? Well, obviously if they think that they're fighting for a better world, then they truly and deeply believe that they're fighting for a better future for Wren. Everything they've done since having a daughter has been motivated not just by a idealistic desire for a utopia; it's a much more concrete desire now, for a utopia their daughter can enjoy. They believe that this is the best possible thing for her, and they also believe that she can't see that. They're in the same mindset a parent might be who discovered their child was falling into hardcore drugs. The child might protest, but the parents know that this is very bad for them, and they'll do anything to get them away from this lifestyle, even if it means sending their kid to rehab and going through a very painful process of relapses and withdrawals and progress.

I know it sounds absolutely crazy to compare Wren Predatel to someone doing hardcore drugs, but that's literally how Isaac and Katreena see it. They're willing to let Wren get hurt because they truly believe it's for her good. They want her to come around, to "see the light," essentially. They're willing to trust Stillens when he says that torturing her is the best way to do that, because in the end they believe that everything they've done up to this point is for her.

How do you think Wren, Colette, and Astra would've turned out if they had had stable childhoods?
What a fantastically deep question! Thank you! They would have all been so incredibly different if they'd had stable childhoods.

Let's start with Colette, who to me seems like the most obvious answer here. If her parents had been emotionally stable themselves, if they had been prepared to have a child and love and support her, I think she would have been completely unrecognizable as a character. Still incredibly smart, and still probably only motivated to work at things she cared about or excelled at (maybe even more so, if her parents were supporting those interests and pursuits). I could see her also being equally disrespectful to teachers she didn't like and sarcastic (though maybe not borderline cruel) to peers she had problems with. However, she definitely would be much more equipped to handle her own emotions, and by that I mean equipped in any way whatsoever. She probably wouldn't be so closed off emotionally. She wouldn't bottle everything up and refuse to feel things. She wouldn't be overly emotional, most likely, but she also probably wouldn't deny her own emotions in the name of being "strong." She wouldn't be so consumed with not being a failure. She wouldn't have felt the need to power through Welling's torture, and probably would've written home about it immediately. On that note, she wouldn't be as self-destructive in any way whatsoever, whether in her pursuit of perfection or her adamant stance against Stillens and his ministry. On the other hand, there's a good chance that a Colette who had a better relationship with her father might not have been as close with Astra and Wren and the Potters anymore, because she might have misguidedly trusted his judgment.

On to Wren. She had a fairly stable childhood until she was eleven, so I feel like she might be very similar as a person if her life had remained stable, just without all her mental health issues. She would still probably try to see the good in everyone, though she might not be as passionate about it without the perspective her "unstable childhood" gave her. She would still be kind and smart and very hesitant to break rules. She would still be respectful of teachers (even ones who didn't like her), just because she learned good manners from her grandparents. So what would be different? She would be much less easily frightened if she had never been affected by her parents and her uncle. She wouldn't have PTSD or depressive episodes. She wouldn't be plagued by guilt and self-loathing and insecurities. She would be more confident, but in a quiet way. Honestly, she would just constantly be what she was like at her healthiest moments in this book: happy and sensible and caring.

Astra... oh boy. I don't even know where to start with her. The Lewises messed her up in a way that she's not even consciously aware of, you know? She would be a completely different person if they'd just loved her and taken care of her like they were supposed to. She wouldn't have plot-convenient problems trusting authority. Instead, this would be a much more boring story with her passing off a lot of things to Mr. Potter instead of recklessly running into danger herself. Speaking of, she might be a lot less reckless and impulsive if she knew people actually cared about her. While she does know she has a family who loves her at this point in the story, the impulsive mindset of "no one will care what happens to me if I get hurt" (and not even in a self-pitying way, just a statement of fact) is so ingrained in her that she doesn't even consciously think that anymore. She just runs off to do things like rescue all the children without one thought to what might happen to her and how that might affect her loved ones. If she'd grown up knowing she was loved, she wouldn't be half as reckless as she is now. I think she would also be much better at processing her emotions. Stillens plan to get to her in this book with her "episodes of insanity" probably wouldn't have sent her spiraling if she'd had proper emotional support as a child, because she would know how to deal with emotions and she wouldn't have such a hard time talking things out with people.

I know I left things out here, and I'd love to hear what else you guys think might be different in these three characters if they'd had more stable, supportive childhoods.

Why did you kill Harry Potter?
The short answer is that the story called for it. However, I know that when I said that in the comments, it didn't satisfy anyone, so let me see if I can explain this any better without spoiling anything.

Basically, we've reached the point in the story where I have to raise the stakes. We've reached a lot of points like that. Basically, every time something hits too close to home for Astra, the stakes get raised a little, like when it turned out the mystery attacker was actually her best friend or when a sweet little first year got murdered (first impactful death) or when the entire ministry got taken over by Stillens. The story has grown darker and more mature and more serious over the course of the series. Part of telling a good story that is actually compelling is making situations look absolutely impossible, so that when the characters finally find a way to victory, they have to fight for it. It makes for a more satisfying ending that way. No good story can exist without characters losing something, and I guess I'd just reached the point where they'd lost every unimportant thing they could lose, and it was really time to just destroy them.

That sounds cruel, I know. But just remember that this is not the end of the story. Now that they're broken down, they have more to fight for. The stakes are higher, and the story can get a lot more tense. Huge, important things are happening, and this is made clear in moments like this, when major characters die.

In a more practical sense, within the story, I knew I would have to kill someone important in this book. After all, I keep talking about this war, how dangerous Stillens is, but he hasn't actually hurt my characters that much (besides Wren, but that's a little different). It wasn't personal for them, which meant they didn't have any super deep and driving reasons to be fighting. It's all well and good to fight because it's the right thing to do, but that's not a very interesting or compelling character motivation to read about.

Really, I'd just reached the point in the story where I needed to rip away Astra & Co.'s safety blanket so that they would be forced to step up and fight this war themselves. This series is about them, so they need to be central in the conflict. By killing Harry Potter, I was able to give all of them a very personal reason to fight. I was able to raise the stakes for them all, as they all realize how serious this is. This isn't some schoolyard bully. It's going to take suffering and loss and fighting and hard work to defeat him, and Astra & Co. finally understand how much is at stake if they lose.

Have you planned the ships that will be canon for the end of the series?
I have planned a few of them, yes. One of them has main characters in it (guess who). There are a couple characters that I have committed to the hands of this story, to see where it will take them. I don't know that those questions will be answered by the end of the last book. Maybe I'll just leave things open to interpretation.

A few questions for the characters:

To Albus: Why don't you tell Astra that you like her already? Don't deny it!
"If you'd asked me this question a year ago, I'd have said something like 'I don't know, I care too much about our friendship,' which, while true, is code for 'I'm scared.' However, now, I have to admit that I really don't have a lot of romantic feelings for her anymore. Some are still there, of course, because you can't get over a crush of four years overnight. But on the whole, I like Astra as a friend. Besides, I know Astra doesn't like me back, and she won't. I don't want to put her in an awkward situation, or make her think we're only friends because I'm interested in her (especially now that I'm not. I mean, hello, have you seen Poppy?)."

Basically, he's not telling Astra he likes her because he doesn't anymore. The story I need to tell is the one I needed to hear, like I said above, and it's also one I think a lot of younger teenage boys need to hear too. Albus has become the example of how I wish guys handled the "friend-zone," because if a guy really cared about a girl's feelings he would try to make her happy, even if it meant just being her friend, as well as eventually moving on. Albus's story is one of unrequited love, not the friend-zone, and I want people to know that 1) they're not entitled to someone's affections, and 2) if someone is clearly not interested in being more than friends, it's time to move on.

To James: Why were you so afraid Wren would say no to you asking her to be your girlfriend?
"Well, she's really amazing, and I'm not. She's so good and kind and caring, and also a little scary sometimes, honestly. I was just afraid that she knew she could do better than me. I'm a bit of an idiot sometimes, you know, and she's super smart. And I thought she would say no because I'm impulsive and stubborn and really not a great person. I made such a mess of things with Mackenzie, too, and I knew she'd heard all about that. I was a little afraid I'd do it again, too. I still don't know why she said yes, but I'm really glad she did."

So, this question was obviously sent in before the climax of this book happened, and the James who answered these questions is not the James who just lost his girlfriend, doesn't know whether she's even alive or not, and has sworn to find her and protect her.

Anyway, I think I've talked about this in the comment section on the chapter where Wren and James got together for the first time. James and Wren are really different, but have two very striking similarities: their biggest priorities are to protect each other, and they both suffer from pretty major self-doubt and self-esteem issues. Granted, this doubt stems from different things and tends to be directed towards different aspects of who they are, but they both struggle with thinking they're not good enough for the other. I've made that a little more clear this book, I think, especially since I've been able to dive into Wren's POV. Though it's clear to everyone else that they're both wrong, neither of them can see it. I've been able to use that to drive conflict in this book, but also to help them grow as characters and build the dynamic between them.

To Wren: How do you feel about your parents? Would you be ready to admit to them that you're a spy?
"Absolutely not. Are you crazy? I... I don't really know how to explain what I think about my parents, honestly. They're horrible people. Completely immoral, and selfish, and evil. They're terrorists. They've hurt me a lot, and forced me to do awful things. I don't think I could forgive most of that. But I also find myself trying to make them happy. When they tell me they're proud, part of me gets excited. I want them to love me, even though I know who they are and what they've done. And that's bad, of course. I shouldn't feel that way. I shouldn't want their love. It shouldn't matter. But it does. I wish it didn't, but it does, and I'm sorry."

Wren's conflicted, as you can tell. The way I see it, Wren recognizes her parents for the horrible people they are: terrorists who have hurt thousands with no remorse whatsoever. But they're still her parents (more so Katreena, of course, who had actually been a part of Wren's life before she was eleven, but it applies to them both), and part of her, something deep and raw and hurt at the core of who she is, just wants her parents to love her and keep her safe. It's a desire everyone feels at one time or another, regardless of who their parents are. It's something Wren hates herself for, but really shouldn't.

And let's not forget that they've shown great love and care for her, specifically. They're awful people, but they love their daughter, and want what they think is best for her. Wren's been receiving mixed signals from them since she was eleven years old, if not before, and it's not surprising that she has mixed feelings now.

To Colette: Are you ever going to make up with your father? Not that you should; just asking.
"Considering he disowned me, probably not. He's small-minded and controlling, and I want nothing to do with him."

The truth is, Colette would like to make up with her father. However, it will probably never happen. She's right that he's small-minded and controlling (though the controlling aspect tends to only come out when he's drunk). He will take far too long to change his mind and admit he was wrong. By the time he does, Colette will have fully moved on, or at least convinced herself she has. The thing is, she's as stubborn as he is. If he ever were to try to apologize and make amends, she wouldn't be able to swallow her pride enough to accept it.

To Astra: Do you think that'll you ever get a boyfriend?
"I mean, yeah, probably. Someday. I'm not hideous, and I think I've got an okay personality. If someone can get past the fact that the Ministry hates me and Stillens wants me dead, that shouldn't be hard at all, right?"

I don't really know if Astra will get another boyfriend before this series ends. I don't believe she'll end up alone, but she seems like the type who would want to accomplish her goals before settling down. She has some pretty big ones, too. Reworking the wizard legal system, getting her father freed, introducing the wizarding world to google... she's got her work cut out for her.

To Ciara: Why do you still hate Wren so much?
"She's not so bad, I guess. At the beginning of the year, I hated her because she just... she gets whatever she wants. She's forgiven just because she said she was sorry and didn't mean to. I've never done anything horrible, just being friends with Nico—a friendship I immediately ended after what happened to Astra—and I'm still hated for that. I guess I didn't like her because of the double standard. But I was wrong about her, I think. I know I wasn't happy about it at first, but I'm glad Eris made us patrol together."

Once again, it's obvious this question got sent in a little early. I think it was around Chapter 25, which was long before Ciara and Wren started getting along. But I think Ciara's summed it up well here and even better in the story.

To Orion: How much is Astra like her mother? Any specific details?
"Astra is a lot like her mother. She's brave, beautiful, kind, and stubborn. She has the same laugh as her mother, as well. And the way she can generally see the good in things, she definitely got from Isobel."

To Teddy: Do you ever miss your parents? Do you wish you knew them? They were pretty awesome, after all.
"I wouldn't say I miss them, exactly. I never knew them, and it's hard to miss something that was never a part of your life. But I wish I knew them. I wish they were here. I love Grandmum, of course, but I wish my parents were still alive. There are just some things you need your parents for, you know?"

Harry and Teddy are similar, of course. Harry didn't miss his parents because he hardly knew what there was to miss. Teddy has heard about his parents, but only as people he'll never know. And he's got it a little better than Harry did, since he has a loving family. That gives him the opportunity to be more well-adjusted.

To Marcus: Why are you such a prick?
"Why are you such an imbecile?"

I don't really know what you expected with that one.

Marcus is a prick because he was a spoiled brat as a child and never really grew out of it until maybe just recently. When he doesn't get what he wants, he gets upset. Add to that the fact that in the last book (the pinnacle of his awfulness) he was being egged on by his dad.

To Nico: What's up with those snakes?
"Humans are generally prats, and I can talk to snakes, so why not?"

Nico keeps a bunch of snakes around because he doesn't have any friends anymore.

To Astra: How do you feel about being a seer?
"I hate it. I'm clearly not even that good at it. It's annoying and scary and exhausting. I would pay actual money to have it stop. I wish there was a way to block it out. I think there is, actually, but Trelawney won't tell me."

I think I've covered this pretty well in the story, so I'll leave it here.

To Astra and Albus: When are you going to get together?
*awkward silence as they turn to blink at each other, confused* "Get together? Are you insane? Albus is like my brother."

"Honestly, you might as well ask when I'm getting together with Lily."

I think I talked about this enough earlier. I'm afraid Astralbus is just not meant to be, friends! I'm sorry.

To James and Wren: When's the wedding?
"Okay, Wren is like sixteen, so..."

Another question asked before recent events. Though I think if you had asked James by himself, he would've said he hoped it was within the next few years.

To Colette: What's the spell you're proudest of?
"Definitely the one that reduces anxiety. I don't have anxiety, of course, but I think it's helped other people a lot."

What are everyone's favorite movies?
Quick reminder that these kids were eleven and twelve in 2017, before they got stuck at Hogwarts for most of the year every year which severely limited their ability to see movies :)

Albus: Up (he cries) (multiple times)

James: Ant-Man (he was finally old enough to actually understand what was going on in the Marvel movies his older cousins loved when he saw this movie for the first time and he loved it)

Astra: one of the Star Wars movies (probably The Force Awakens, because it's about a girl and she was an excited nine year old when it came out)

Colette: hasn't seen a movie since she was a child, but her favorite back then was Frozen (she was like seven when it came out, so give her a break)

Wren: had literally never seen a movie before moving in with the Potters (her grandparents didn't own a TV and Stillens doesn't have time for that Muggle nonsense), but Rose introduced her to the world of Jane Austen novels and movies, so her favorite is Sense and Sensibility (the one with Alan Rickman in it)

River and Luke also got asked this question, so I'll add them here.

River: Frozen II and Moana (she loves belting out Disney songs, if you haven't noticed), Captain Marvel (girl power), The Hunger Games (a classic that she grew up watching), or that Men in Black movie that came out a couple of years ago, in like 2019 or something, with Chris Hemsworth (dreamy!) and Tessa Thompson.

Luke: Star Wars (yes, all of them) (except Attack of the Clones) (what kind of question...?)

What are everyone's favorite books?
Astra: It was probably The Hunger Games before Elmer Poe came on the scene. Now, it's The Book Thief, which was her second favorite before.

Wren: As a kid, reading was basically the only thing she did for fun, but for whatever reason she hasn't had a lot of time to read in the past few years. She really loved all the American Girl books her grandmother bought her as a child, though.

Colette: A Theoretical Look at Spell-Making. Are you surprised?

Albus: Astra forced him to read The Lightning Thief when they were younger, and he actually really liked it.

James: This has been asked before for James, and he said The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe then because he hasn't read a book for fun since he stole that one from his aunt at nine years old.

Face claims:

First up we have the lovely River Towning, being as cute and quirky as always. Surprisingly, it took a ridiculous amount of time to find a picture for her because it took a ridiculous amount of time to realize I have never actually given a very good description of her. (This is Luca Hollestelle)

Next is Luke Castel, who I definitely once pictured as blond but I definitely don't anymore. I think it was that whole Star Wars reference that got me, or maybe the fact that I high-key stole his name from Percy Jackson's Luke Castellan (what? I was like fifteen, give me a break). Anyway, did you know how hard it is to find a picture of a dude smiling? I literally put that in the search and in nearly every picture it was like showing the tiniest bit of emotion would immediately make the guys un-masculine or something. So weird. (This is Raury Rapper)

Here we have the lovely Poppy Stevens, who I've had to describe so many times in the comments that I figured I should probably just find her a face claim and be done with it. She's normally more smiley than this, of course, but she was trying to model for instagram, so give her a break. (This is Teah Otomewo)

Finally, we have Zaria Hempsey. She and Magnus were both actually requested, but I wasn't sure if I would be able to find something fitting for either of them. However, I feel like this picture is literally perfect for her. (This is Jordan McEwan)

As for Magnus... I spent a very long time trying to find a picture of a guy who looked scary or evil or intimidating who wasn't super hot (or insanely old), and I came up with nothing. That's a little worrying to me, and since I absolutely do not want any of you thirsting after Magnus Caldwell, I decided to refrain from giving him a face claim. 

I looked for a couple others, too, like Haverna and Stillens and the Predatels, but finding face claims for adults (especially middle-aged or older) is very hard and I wasn't able to do it. Sorry! If there are any more kids/young adults you want a face claim for, though, let me know, and I'll try to throw them in the publishing announcement for Littered With Stars.