You guys are such a bunch of slashers!

Seriously, I didn't expect Anna to be the number one choice!

Just in case I didn't make it clear enough, that poll was totally tongue-in-cheek. I don't actually care what anyone else wants, because I've already decided the trajectory of Alexandra's love life (such as it may or may not be).

Yes, I know you didn't think you were actually voting on what I should write. But obviously, with all the predictions people have made (about Alexandra's love life and everything else), some of you are bound to find out you were right (or at least close). So enjoy your "Aha!" moment when it comes. ;)

Now, on a semi-serious note, I will make the following observations, which you can take as you will. These are really not meant to be Big Meaningful Hints about what will happen with Alexandra specifically, so if you read more into them than you should, that's your fault. :P It's just more rambling about how I think, which may tell you something about what is or is not likely to happen in my stories.

1. Very few people end up marrying the first person they ever date. Or the second or third or even fifth. Nowadays, most people don't even end up marrying the first person they have sex with (or the second or third or even fifth).

2. Many teenagers have multiple relationships before they are eighteen. I would say nowadays this is the norm, rather than the exception. Anyone who subscribes to the Slut!Ginny theory because she (gasp!) had more than one boyfriend should GDIAF. Likewise, what the hell is with all the Cho and Lavender hate?

3. I don't believe in "soul mates," and I certainly don't believe anyone meets their "soul mate" at age eleven.

4. That said, while the "everyone marries their high school sweetheart" theme of Harry Potter was a bit annoying, I didn't think it was actually that unrealistic, given that for most people in the British wizarding world, the vast majority of people in your dating pool are going to be people you went to school with. The American wizarding world is somewhat more diverse, but it's still relatively small, so even there, marrying a school sweetheart is probably more common than in the Muggle world.

5. One of my grievances with how Rowling ended her series was that the entire seven book series was essentially a vehicle to deliver her predestined happily-ever-after ending. All that world-building, all those social issues, two wars against a Dark Lord? That was just to get Harry and Ginny together. You may infer from my tone here that I don't like that kind of storytelling and I was very let down by it. This is not to say that I am necessarily a better storyteller than Rowling, or that I don't like love stories (or romantic subplots, at least), or that I hate happy endings, but I'm not writing a shipping story. There will be ships, but they're not the point of the story.

6. Not everyone has to get married. Not everyone should get married.

7. I think that most kids know pretty early on whether they like boys or girls (or occasionally, both or neither), but some have more ambivalent (or ambiguous) feelings that may not be resolved until adulthood (if ever).

8. I use too many parentheticals when I ramble.

You guys are such a bunch of slashers!

Seriously, I didn't expect Anna to be the number one choice!

Just in case I didn't make it clear enough, that poll was totally tongue-in-cheek. I don't actually care what anyone else wants, because I've already decided the trajectory of Alexandra's love life (such as it may or may not be).

Yes, I know you didn't think you were actually voting on what I should write. But obviously, with all the predictions people have made (about Alexandra's love life and everything else), some of you are bound to find out you were right (or at least close). So enjoy your "Aha!" moment when it comes. ;)

Now, on a semi-serious note, I will make the following observations, which you can take as you will. These are really not meant to be Big Meaningful Hints about what will happen with Alexandra specifically, so if you read more into them than you should, that's your fault. :P It's just more rambling about how I think, which may tell you something about what is or is not likely to happen in my stories.

1. Very few people end up marrying the first person they ever date. Or the second or third or even fifth. Nowadays, most people don't even end up marrying the first person they have sex with (or the second or third or even fifth).

2. Many teenagers have multiple relationships before they are eighteen. I would say nowadays this is the norm, rather than the exception. Anyone who subscribes to the Slut!Ginny theory because she (gasp!) had more than one boyfriend should GDIAF. Likewise, what the hell is with all the Cho and Lavender hate?

3. I don't believe in "soul mates," and I certainly don't believe anyone meets their "soul mate" at age eleven.

4. That said, while the "everyone marries their high school sweetheart" theme of Harry Potter was a bit annoying, I didn't think it was actually that unrealistic, given that for most people in the British wizarding world, the vast majority of people in your dating pool are going to be people you went to school with. The American wizarding world is somewhat more diverse, but it's still relatively small, so even there, marrying a school sweetheart is probably more common than in the Muggle world.

5. One of my grievances with how Rowling ended her series was that the entire seven book series was essentially a vehicle to deliver her predestined happily-ever-after ending. All that world-building, all those social issues, two wars against a Dark Lord? That was just to get Harry and Ginny together. You may infer from my tone here that I don't like that kind of storytelling and I was very let down by it. This is not to say that I am necessarily a better storyteller than Rowling, or that I don't like love stories (or romantic subplots, at least), or that I hate happy endings, but I'm not writing a shipping story. There will be ships, but they're not the point of the story.

6. Not everyone has to get married. Not everyone should get married.

7. I think that most kids know pretty early on whether they like boys or girls (or occasionally, both or neither), but some have more ambivalent (or ambiguous) feelings that may not be resolved until adulthood (if ever).

8. I use too many parentheticals when I ramble.