That's a great line. Who doesn't like to laugh at the French?

Edit: Why hasn't the Hat gotten a tommy gun yet?

 

Me! but that may be because I am French

 

I'd not have compared it to you not finding a woman being beaten by cleaning spells as funny if I were taking it serious. I'll drop my dry humor from now on... -_-

And I agree about Hannibal Lector. But a lot of his aggression came from his nonverbal communication, something that's very hard to replicate in a book, especially when you're trying to write it to equal someone as established and qualified as Anthony Hopkins. And he IS the best comparison when you're attempting to write that kind of aggression.


Anyway... Jbern... done yet? It feels like the weekend...

 

I can't wait till we see the duel, but I'm more interested in the repurcussion of the bet HJ made.

Hell, Fleur might even try to claim interference to get out of said bet since the playing field wasn't equal.

*Shrugs*

It'd be amusing if he used the incantation for the cleaning spell but used a different spell altogether.

"Now that's how you clean up your opponent!"

 

Did you at least ask for pain meds?

Deep scaling is never comfortable.

Okay, a couple points here.

1. You're predicating him beating Krum with hiding how talented he actually is. That's a mistake because of #2.

2. Krum is older than Harry... but so effing what? Allow me to quote these spots to you.

and

So on his forth time really pouring it on... he's about half as powerful as James was at his peak... a trained professional duelist in the prime of his life.

Add in that he's been pouring on the training and the fact of what he said about being Jame's level by the winter holidays... that's a lot.

Krum may have the physical size and strength on him... But I think that Harry at 50%-60% of james at his peak would rape stomp the whole field and could afford to show it. IMO there's nothing Krum could do to "prepare" for him... short of cheating.

For example... let's say today, I told you, you have a day to prepare to face off against a professional 5th dan black belt Karate expert in an exhibition match. Or that you have to shoot skeet against a professional skeet shooter. Or maybe play pro football against a top ranked NFL halfback.

Only they've got a cold or the flu (downgrading their performance a bit)

Maybe you're a novice at Karate... or have shot skeet in the past... or maybe played football in highschool.

But how are YOU going to do against a pro? Probably not too well. This is a star highschool football player (Krum) against a proven NFL player (even if he has a cold)

Plus... need I remind you... Harry fought two death eaters head on... killed one and captured the other (Yaxley and Crabbe). And that was with sticking to 5th year spells and not tipping his hand.

 

Quick answers - I'm done with deep scaling. The left side was 10 days ago. My wife tells me that it should remind me to floss.

I have a fairly high threshold of pain. (Yet I still cant read slash.) OTC pain killers work just fine.

To Alucard, Fleur gets some licks in back at the English. (She's French after all.)

I mulling over halting the chapter at just shy of 12 thousand words. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to the second day of dueling yet (HJvsDurmstang). Lots of things happen along the way...It's a busy day.

I've sent it off to edit, but depending on the feedback from AFC is whether I'll tack on the next part or leave it there.

 

I've no doubt that in a heads up fight for his life, HJ would win. But there's several points here I'd like to touch.
1) Krum is from Durmstrang. How he is written so far (broom race being the perfect example), he WILL cheat to win if he thinks he has to.
Thus:
Krum knowing he needs to cheat to win will make him prepare (again, placing the Slytherins conveniently in that section of the broom race just in case is an example).
2) This isn't a duel to the death, it's a match between students. HJ has to both make it look like a match AND make it look like Krum has an advantage in experience and training while still winning, otherwise too many people (Dumbledore, Karkaroff and Moody especially) will ask too many questions HJ is neither prepared nor willing to answer.

With those strictures, the most strategic move is to let Krum underestimate him heavily.

Remember that it's not nearly as strong because it's Crouch Jr. and not Moody. The difference in ability between the two combined with Harry's innate ability allows him to easily throw it off, not the overwhelming increase in Harry's power because of James. While that is helping him, I'm sure being at 40% of James's potential, not being able to show all of that potential, and facing a Durmstrang student who is both vindictive and highly trained (as far as it seems), means HJ still has the chance of losing his duel to Krum.

Unless he decides to get pissed, says fuck the consequences, and goes all out on Krum.

 

Ok...just so we are clear here...those people you just described....only Karkaroff is in the dark about HJ taking Crouch Jr. down if we used some measure of sense about the deal...

I don't foresee some advanced duelling techniques raising any more eyebrows than his two confirmed death eater kills. As they say, one is a coincidence and two is a trend...

I don't follow your reasoning for Moody and Crouch Jr. in relation to the imperius. I'd imagine Crouch could cast a better imperius than Moody....if for no other reason than that he cast it more. His ease of beating the curse is a mark in HJ's favor for his increased power...

Krum doesn't strike me as the type to be complacent, and he has seen HJ have his number in the broom race. He cheated to beat HJ there, but on the duelling stage cheating won't be as easy. I can't imagine Krum trying the old 'throw sand in the eyes' trick here.

~Matt

 

I got to agree with Matt here there is no reason for HJ to not hold back the second he steps up on the platform. Hell he even says somewhere in the story that the second he gets up there he's going to go all out. As for hiding his ability, well like its already been said he has taken down to death eaters by himself one of whom was a fairly senior one as well (Crouch Jr.) so if that didn't raise too many questions than whipping a 7th year student most definitely will not.

 

Remember that Crouch Jr. was able to turn the tables on his father and put him under the Imperius long enough to contact Voldemort and Wormtail. Then he kept Moody under the curse for a whole year and at the same time fool Dumbledore (in canon at least). So he was by no means a light-weight.

 

If jbern is so inclined, then HJ can blame any sudden magical knowledge on his staff advisor, Hat. Ignore for now the exact mechanics of how a hat would teach wand work. Harry can blame it all on training with the very old, sentient, magical curio. If Albus or Moody don't fully buy the story, so what? It's not like they could ever guess the truth without shoving veritaserum down his throat.

Yak.

 

First off... before I go any further here, let me just point out... I am not trying to say that Jim SHOULD do things at all as I'm describing in the post... just that I can see that he COULD do things in this way.

All too frequently we have a story where the protagonist has to try and appear weak to lull the people he's matched against into a false sense of security so that they underestimate him and he or she gets a leg up on them

And while Jim could have Harry do this... and gain advantage from it... I also see that in this story he COULD go the route of having Harry hide nothing... and thus could enable Harry to silence detractors (people in the story) who say he just won because the other people underestimated him.

Both options (hiding his talent and not hiding it) are viable in this story. It all comes down to what Jim feels is the right choice.

First off...Pardon me... but Whoop de do.. so he's from Durmstang. James was a pro dueler. Highschool vs Real world in the middle of a war.

If he was on the pro circuit during wartime anything that Krum might throw at him would still be small starchy tubers.

You can bet that duelists learn every dirty trick in the book... because at some time in history someone will have used them in duels at some point. Therefore pros would know all the sneaky shit you can pull or how to notice when someone it trying it on you.

My point is... Krum might come up with some way he thinks he can cheat... but chances are... James would already know it... and also know the counter... and the counter to that counter, and the counter to that.

As others have already pointed out... His killing B Crouch Jr. And Dumbledore questioning him on his skills (with showing him some of his skills) didn't raise too many eyebrows... And with the hat there's always the excuse of "The hat came up with the plan and taught me the spells".

Hell... The hat could simply say.

Hat: Of course I taught the little cum dribble those spells, what of it? I sat on Geodric's head for seven decades, if there was anything the bastard knew how to do, it was how to dish out asskicking... and how to teach it.

Dumbledore: Hat, he transfigured Krums small clothes into poisonous spiders. Mr. Krum is currently in the infirmary with what could have been life threatening bite marks covering ... ahem... certain areas.

Hat: Certain areas? What do yo-...HA!... Haha hahah! Oh Potter... you're learning! HA! HA HA HA HA!

Karkoff: Dumbledore, this it outrage! This evil hat has caused to be a most terrible insult to Durmstrang... and to family Krum. Already Victor's father worried is about him be able carry on family line.

Hat: *still laughing*

Dumbledore: I assure you... Madame Pomfrey will-

Hat: Oh... That's just priceless... Hey!, Old man, I have to know...who volunteered to try to suck the poison out first? Snape, or Karkoff?

Dumbledore :HAT, YOU ARE NOT HELPING THINGS!

But that's just the thing... Everyone knows he's been in two fights with adults... both were 2 on 1 against actual death eaters (Okay... the house elf was a DE collaborator... but still 2 on 1)... and he's beaten them both times.

Again... you're thinking inside the box. You're automatically assuming he can't show his ability. You're putting a stricture on him that honestly doesn't exist.

HJ has showed people that he's entirely capable of far exceeding what they thought he could do. As such... there's no reason he can't just go all out and kick some ass. If it raises some eyebrows... he's the fucking "Boy who lived" noone will bat an eye at him being able to pull shit like that out of nowhere. He's a national hero... they'd just say "see... Harry Potter really IS 'all that' after all. It wasn't a fluke he took down He-who-must-not-be-named, it was because even as a baby he was a great power."

If you can honestly give a REASON why he needs to hide his power... then I'd consider that you might have a point. But the cat is more or less out of the bag as far as him being a capable combatant. Now it's more a matter of driving the point home.

I mean you might say... He has to do it so that Voldemort underestimates him... but even if he DOES show all he's got right now... he'll still more than double that ability by the end of the year (He'll have doubled it by winter hols at least) And noone will expect that. So where's the harm?

The other thing he has working for him on that score is that they are not just teens that he's facing...they are (with the exception of Cedrick) privileged teens who are used to being at the top of their social cliques and apparently spoiled and have a high opinion of themselves. As such... they NATURALLY think that they're hot shit. And while the adults might be frantically telling them... "Potter is dangerous... he has already beaten several death eaters... adults. Do not underestimate him." What these kids hear is "Potter is... mwah mwah mwah mwah mwah mwah (cue the charlie brown sound effects)" Because they're teens... and teens think they know everything. If Harry stomps one of them in front of them, hard, they won't just adapt easily and start listening. These are ... for lack of a better frame of reference... Mini celebs and they're used to getting things their way.

Another poster hit the nail on the head about Krum.
Krum is Draco ... just with actual talent and personality.

Oh... and just to comment on this... I too find Jim's V. Krum to be far superior to JKR's Krum.

 

There is a small reason for HJ to hide his power, Karkoff. James should have known that he was a Deatheater. And HJ might think Karkoff might try to get back in the good graces with info on Harry.

Anyway its only gonna be a school yard fight. Krum is gonna try to make HJ look weak and foolish for entering the tournament. Even if HJ wins every match leading up to Krum, Krum will still be cocky. "Your not a good fighter if you beat weak/bad fighters"

 

Karkaroff has the mark, but he sold his rights to being a deatheater when he turned evidence to avoid Azkaban. I'm sure the dark lord has his own brand of justice for betrayers.

HJ is the best combination of Potters...James' experiences as a dueller and the power Harry brings to the fold. He is at the very least equal to a very talented 17 year old, so I will be interested to see how he tackles his duels.

~Matt

 

Looking at this chapter continue to grow, I'm probably going to spilt it down the middle. Chapter 11 will be the duel with Fleur and the aftermath of the duel with Fleur (it'll make more sense after you read it.)

Lie 12 will pick up with HJ's duel with Cedric and be released probably in 1-2 weeks after Lie 11 to fill the gap while I'm on hiatus. I may also put out a one shot or two that I've been holding onto for awhile to keep you folks amused.

Lie 11 should be up by Friday, without unforseen circumstances. It'll check in at about 7000 words.

Essentially, I'm already 6000 words into Lie 12, but I'm not fully pleased with a couple of the scenes.

Jim

 

I totally agree with you there. I'd also bet that the slap down will involve lots of blood and broken bones. After all James had a bit of a sadistic side in him when he was younger, while that has mostly gone away I wouldn't be overtly surprised to see that brought back out for some vengeance.

 

You raise a fair point, but would HJ want to raise both questions and ire of everyone?

How would HJ, a 4th year, know Auror-Level spells, that kind of magical power, etc?

*Ponders* The use of an unforgivable on a human results in azkaban. What if you aim to miss? Does the casting of it for a diversionary tactic results in the Azkabafuckup Prison?

Also gotta wonder if there are split personalities to emerge. You have Harry and the coddling, caring side of James, constantly asking if Harry's ok...

A male version of Molly...*Shudder*

 

Which fic did you get your quote from, Aerin?