I disagree with our good friend Seratin here. We need more Heur. But just for Seratin get the whole Harry/Padma thing over and done with quickly and let Harry/Daphne or Heur be the final shipping.

 

It'd be rather masochistic in nature to force yourself to read something you don't enjoy.

 

Though I have done it before - I read all the way up to half way through the last book of Lightning on the Wave's septology.

 

Just checked out Lightning on the Wave's fan-fiction account.

...

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 million words chronicle with HPDM slash.

...

I could gouge out my tongue with a rusty ice-cream scoop, then proceed to fellate a hot curling iron, and that would only be a quarter of the pain that I would attribute to reading something of that ilk.

Now that is masochism.

 

This is ridiculous. This has absolutely nothing to do with my taste for H/Padma. He could end up with Susan or Hannah or even Hermione and I wouldn't mind all that much.

The problem with 'Heur' as you insist on calling it is that it needs a certain setting. He's done it brilliantly in this fic but in the end she has a fiance. People need to put aside their Weasley hate for a little while and realise that she does love Bill. They have problems like everyone else but nothing that can't be solved.

People say that Harems are the tools of the virginous fanboy. I say Fleur is the tool of that same fanboy. I'm not bashing her, she's a great character, just one thats not right for Harry.

I know that H/Padma is slightly odd given what little we know of her but seriously, it's the same as Daphne or fem!Blaise.

If anything fanfiction has come up with stereotypes for Daphne and Su. Daphne = ice queen? She could be a loose twatted slut for all we know. Su = quiet as a mouse? I'm sure I saw her at a rave last weekend.

I respect the H/Fleur ship, I just don't cosider it right for this fic.

@Taure.

If you can't get into a fic then that means it hasn't captured your interest. I agree that at times the sentances can seem to blend into one another, but in fairness it's a damn big story.

 

Though Darren's version of Fleur is well-done here, I don't like it for the story. I myself would be happy with Padma, Hannah, Susan or Hermione involvement. To me, it has to be someone inside the circle of the DA. If this story heads where I think it should, he's going to be facing death on a weekly basis with these people. What better group to draw one's relations from?

Oh, yeah, chapter title recommendation for future use:

From Darkness There Springs Light, courtesy of Glorior Belli. Fits in with you only using song titles for chapter titles.

 

First I don't really hate the Weasley's or even feel dislike towards them as many do. I simply don't care about them.

I know Fleur has a fiance which to me just adds to the conflict in the story. If he were to go for anyone else apart from maybe Hermione, there would hardly be any interesting conflict that I can for see. That is why I want it a Harry/Fleur fic. We don't just have a war that is being fought by a couple 17 year olds. But the added drama of having a forbidden love on the side, if you know what I mean.

I did however assume you were talking about your impatience of the Harry/Padma relationship that will happen. Though I'm still sure you are eagerly awaiting your orgasm when it does happen.

 

/me agrees with VTN

The fact that he promised me a sex scene between them has satiated my taste for now.

For me the H/Fleur thing is over. It would be best left buried now. It's like when you're drawing a picture and you add in a little too much detail that eventually ruins it.

Oh and future song titles? Hunting for witches by Bloc Party is excellent as is all their stuff.

Or Set Fire to the thrid bar by Snow patrol. Again all their stuff is epic.

 

It's kind of funny that this story is titled Steps Towards the End considering the total lack of actual steps towards the end. I found myself skipping over large portions of the last chapter because it was just endless verbiage with nothing happening.

Harry ignoring obvious signs of love potion reference #414147 and more endless Fleur soap opera as she slowly becomes resigned to the impossibility of a hot chick marrying an earringed firecrotch.

I pray for action in the next chapter.

 

The new sub-plot was actually a continuation of the international situation. Just wanted to clear that up.

I enjoyed the update quite a lot personally. The author is handling this pretty well, especially considering the number of plots he's juggling at the moment.

The story could benefit a lot from some major editing however, but so do most fan-fiction works.

I still don't recommend a full rewrite at this point, completing the story should be a priority. Knowing the end will help with discerning the important of events.

I'll stop rambling now, before I say something I could regret later.

 

Firstly, yes, since I do know where I am going with this, I know why events or scenes are present, their purpose and why they are necessary. So, yes, most have been important. At the beginning, especially, I definitely could have written it better, which I will one day return to and rectify. I'm concentrating on completing SY first.

As we all know and have now read, the story is too slow but does speed up. The next chapter is the first I wrote after coming here, too. I doubt that means much overall, but something to mention.

@ Bucks - Of course I had to leave you on tenderhooks. It wouldn't do to end without something interesting to look forward to immediately. But yes, within the next fortnight if all goes well, the final two chapters for the first term should be posted.

Currently, I'm in chapter twenty-four which covers mid-Feb and early March. I think twenty-seven will be the Easter break, where you lot will finally start to understand exactly where this fic will go for the rest of the year.

@ Voice - That was my intention of sixteen. From what the response has been thus far, it has worked. Though, a few people such as Taure have disliked it.

@ Taure - Already replied to your review. But, yes, as MK said above me, the Tonks part was a continuation. The only new side plot was Megan Jones, who plays a part in the future, and instead of having her appear randomly, the three quick scenes I have written in the future help understand her involvement better.

@ Everyone - I never thought not giving a clear cut pairing would generate this much debate. Admittedly, I'm enjoying it. I'd say it should be done more often, but people would probably just get ticked off, as I'm sure is what will happen as this goes on.

The Harry/Fleur is not over. Sorry Sera, Voice, but I believe I've created a storyline between these two that hasn't been wrapped up yet. Also, the other three main females haven't even truly begun their close friendships/relationships yet. Hopefully, even if I don't end with whoever you lot individually wanted, there will be enough of each character to satisfy.

As Sera, said, I am planning on writing a sex scene for Padma. I have it pictured in my mind - the where and why (was tempted to add how, but that's kind of obvious) - though it is a ways off yet. I also plan to have one with Fleur (sorry Sera), but am less certain of where exactly to have that. The same goes with Daphne, except I know the circumstances, though not when in the story it'll actually happen.

@ Voice, again - Where you think it should head sounds like where it is heading from what I can determine. PM if you want to inquire.

@ Dirk Diggory - Yeah, it is slow. We've established that. Up till this point, I had written this before I came here, had a break, and then started writing again. So, from the next chapter, it does start to pick up, as I realized it was taking considerably longer than I had thought.

@ Voice and Sera - Thanks for the song title suggestions. I think I'll only keep this up for SY and not Seventh, as it limits the titles too much. I enjoy Snow Patrol and Bloc Party quite a bit, but have never heard of Glorior Belli. An unsual name. Is she (assuming) worth a look into?


I'm rereading eighteen for the last time now, and then I'm sending it to my beta. Not all the questions get answered in this one. It ended at a good spot, in my opinion, so the wrap up is in nineteen. Would you prefer the two together or separate, despite leaving a number of questions unanswered until nineteen?

 

Harry needs to end up with Hermione. That's how I feel anyway, though it wouldn't be too upset if he ends up with someone else. Just make sure not to pair Hermione up with a Redeemed!Ron or some rubbish like that.

I got to agree with Dirk Diggory and Taure though, the last three chapters have been rather dull and were a chore to read through.

 

I'm slightly disappointed with the Daphne scene. There's just no precedent for it. The other three I can understand but I just can't se Daphne competing for his affections.

 

I'd prefer the chapters to be spaced out. I'm patient enough to wait for concrete answers (as any obsessive Lost fan must be). Also, I find it more enjoyable to have shorter breaks between new material to read.

 

At the moment, I would have to agree with you. However, with what I have in store, both Harry and Daphne will grow closer. Let me know after the second storyline after leaving Hogwarts if you can't believe the possibility of it happening - as it is, amongst a more important other, an aim of the storyline. I'll just say that it wouldn't be a romantic relationship like I've done thus far with Fleur.

But your opinion is duly noted. I'll reconsider it when I get up there and see if I can make the jump without being too unbelievable.

Thanks for the answer, Voice. However, the majority will probably disagree. The peeps are anxious for it endddd! As am I, for that matter. I can appreciate disatisfied reviews, but I'm utterly sick of the H/Hr/G storyline mentions >_>

The next chapter - involving the confrontation - is about 14k words. It shouldn't change that much, as I'm pretty happy with it, after getting it back from my beta. Only the very end is a bit of a hit and miss, which I'm awaiting his opinion on. I made it this long because... well, I wrote 9,000 words of it in a seven hour span after coming home on Boxing Day last year and have yet to dislike what I read. At any rate, a short, quick end seems kind of anti-climatic after all this time... no?

If I ever write another story after this, I'm going to aim for more Perspicacity's style, if I can write that brief. I don't know why, but I enjoy the long-ish, detailed scenes, so, we'll see.

 

I agree with voice, long chapters can occasionally be a chore to read anywhere between 3-5000 words is a good chapter imo.

 

I don't mind long chapters at all, I just don't like multiple chapters to be posted at once.

 

Long chapters are great as long as they cover large amounts of things. When you've got a long chapter and you get to the end and realize the only thing you did in the past 5,000 words was explore one character's inner feelings, that's when there are problems.

I think part of the problem is the setting. Being stuck at Hogwarts naturally lends itself to the dullness of day to day school with characters interacting but nothing much happening plot-wise.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the resolution of the H/G thing, ideally with her painful demise. Pretty indifferent to who he ends up banging, although Daphne at least seems more interesting than Padma.

 

0_o....wut? Go home bitch you're not welcome here. Even Darren agrees with me Padma = the hawtness.

Daphne = 400 lbs of dirty blonde pimply goo.

 

Daphne doesn't make sense now, though I wouldn't really mind it at all if Darren can make it believable. I have no doubt he can pull it of though. Padma would be somewhat interesting as most authors make her just a ravenclaw Hermione. Though Fleur still gets my vote for being final pairing.