Hmm . . .I respect your opinion, but I have to say that I don't agree with all of it, perhaps I need to be clearer on certain points, so here goes.

First, this is an AU fic, which means, at least to me, that I redo some critical points and introduce new plot twists and characters into an exisiting timeline.  It's a what if type of story--what if Severus were Harry's Dad and Lupin had a neice that came to Hogwarts and became Harry's friend, ect.  With that in mind, I have made my major characters different from JKR--they are Snape, Harry, Aria, and Remus.  The rest are supporting characters, which is why you don't see too much of them--sorry, otherwise I'd be rewriting POA and that's not what I want to do--it'd be pointless since JKR's done it already, I take the major incidents in her book and alter them to fit my own universe.

As for Aria, I feel that perhaps I need to clarify a few things:

1) she is A major character, so she shares the spotlight with Harry, Sev, & Remus and is one of the things that make this an AU fic.

2) she is NOT fanatastically beautiful, if I gave that impression i will do a rewrite, because what I wa sintending was that she was ordinary but her smile made her a pretty girl--which to me does not mean a model.  Her looks are secondary, which is why I do not really mention them beyond ch 1.  All the guys were like "oohh a new girl!" they did not fall in love with her. Yes, harry likes her, that IS intentional. 

3) the only boy who tries to go out with her is Draco whom she dislikes because he's an arrogant bigoted snob, there is no mention of anyone else trying to date her. The parallel here is James/Lily/Severus, where Lily rejects the popular James and chooses Sev it's the same with Aria rejecting Draco and choosing Harry.  History repeats itself.

4) Aria's past is similar to Harry's--she can empathize with him the way no one else except Sev can, he needs that.  Like Harry as well is her will to overcome what has happened to her. 

5) Remus should defend Aria, she is family as Sev will defend Harry because he is family.  Sev treats Aria the way Remus treats Harry, as a relative, but he will get on her ass too in future chapters when she steps out of line, it simply hasn't happend yet.  And Sev is hard on Harry because he is his son and that is how he is, especially because Harry was favored by Dumbledore and the rest of the staff the previous years.

6) Aria's powers are more curse than blessing--people hate her for being a slipper, it is a disadvantage, unlike the Marauders Animagus gifts, so I wouldn't consider her powers such an asset, she is an outcast her only friends are Harry and Mandy. 

7) Aria is not sweet-tempered, she is feisty and that temper will get her in trouble soon enough, and she will pay for it like Harry.

8) the tranfer student, what's wrong with it? I didn't want her to come from britain--JKR's characters all do and I wanted mine to be something different--hence America, with wandless magic, since I'm American and I can relate better to certain things, references and background.

It is my understanding that a Mary Sue character is one that is flat, a cardboard archetype, with no background or is missish or perfect.  James fits that persona--rich kid, handsome, ultra popular, all the girls want him, is an Animagus, gets away with murder cause he's Dumbledore's pet, is Head boy, walks off with the most popular girl, and then dies the perfect hero's death. 

Again, you are entitled to your own opinion, and as another writer once said, you can't please everyone.