Ruskbyte is pretty even in terms of pairings. He's got 3 H/Hr, 3 H/G, 1 H/LL and 1 H/T. And some misc. pairing too. Whatever fits the story I guess.

For this one, the Minds really want Harry to go forth and procreate as much as possible so... This might be a tad complicated than just having 1 pairing.

 

I think they would like him to procreate with a member of the Culture, not with a random witch on earth.

Eh - for some reason I recall him as an avid H/Hr shipper, but he is rather balanced. So yeah, who knows, perhaps even some rare pairing(s).

 

While I liked some H/Hr stories in the past, I think this pairing would be completely wrong for this story. Remember, Harry is closer to a third year in physiology, pretty much above a seventh year on a rational-intellectual level and somewhere between those two in terms of maturity. I can't imagine him getting any satisfaction out of a relationship with a 12 year old. Not to mention that the Culture is very open-minded when it comes to sex while Hermione is almost always characterised as prudish.

Good chapter. Got a slight problem with the very neutral way of narration, I prefer a strong POV, even if it is 3rd person. We didn't get much insight in Harry's mind up until now.
The sorting wasn't really overdone, but I would have liked to see some reactions from the bystanders and the drones.

 

I dunno, the Hat thing seemed just as contrived as the troll one. Something that Rusk needed to happen to sort Harry's head out rather than letting it happen naturally but what do I know.
He writes a lot better than me but I do agree, more bystander interaction would have made the scene more 3-D.

 

I don't really care for this particular Ruskbyte fic, so far. I am not usually a fan of fics that start from Harry's first year of Hogwarts and work their way up, although this one seems somewhat unique. On top of all that, his updates are so few and far between, I doubt this will ever be completed, let alone make it to the end of Harry's first year.

 

13 to 12? A year's difference is really prudish to me. Also, Hermione definitely acts well above her age. Finally, the Culture is just open minded on damn near everything. If it feels good, do it. Besides, the potential for change is there since this is AU. Pairing might work, it might not. Ruskbyte is a damn good author, but unpredictable. It might not even be a Hogwart's pairing. Kinda exciting to wonder what he's got planned with a x-over like this.

 

I didn't say that 13 to 12 would be somehow wrong (and I also never said 13 years, but 3rd year). I said that Harry was too far ahead of Hermione in terms of overall development for her being a possible love interest. He has some kind of sex life while she probably wouldn't be interested in one for a few years more and even if she was, she is the kind of person who is very dependant on more or less conservative social conventions (what do you think she would say to him and Sma's relationship?).
To make it short: He would be bored with her, not only on a sexual level.

Yes, Ruskbyte could make it work, but he would have to walk a fine line there. Even making Hermione as intelligent as him would be pretty unbelievable - a fact that applies to nearly everyone on earth. For the sake of the plot I would believe Dumbledore, Voldemort and some of the school staff to be around his level, but no student.