Because not doing any of these things look suspicious as fuck, or could be used to great advantage by the Dark Lord.

She helped Harry through the triwizard tournament because if she hadn't, it would have looked incredibly suspicious.

She helped formed the DA because it put almost everyone who would in the future oppose Voldemort together for weekly meetings.

As said above, attempting to get Harry expelled would have brought attention upon her and put Harry in a difficult position when he was needed to go to the department of mysteries.

As for taking more people with them, when was the last time Hermione or Ron willingly let Harry wander into mortal danger? They followed him in PS, Ron went with him in CoS, they both were with him in PoA, etc. It would have looked really weird if Hermione had sent him on his own and the moment Ron and Hermione were going, Neville, Luna and Ginny were definitely going to go.

What's more, having all those children there who would grow up to oppose the Dark Lord was a perfect chance to kill them all in one fell swoop.

 

I can only agree with you in the case of triwizard tournament. LM did not need the DA to identify those children, who oppose Voldemort. He had already knew them (Gryffindors, Light Families, muggleborns etc.). And the DA enormously helps them both in "duelling knowledge" and emotionally (see canon!Neville or the DA as a symbol).

I did not say that Hermione should have get expelled Harry. Her role would only have been the informator for LM, who would has organized this feat. Do not forget that Harry has done more than enough "illegal" thing for it and plenty of people knew it. Finally Voldemort's plan to use Harry retrieving the Prophecy was not the original one, it was developed only in the late spring. But it is not the really important part of my arguments. I just wanted to point out that Hermione could have been used much more efficiently.

Before the DoM I am sure that Hermione could have persuased to leave G, L and N behind. It would not have been suspicious at all! And do not forget, that the task for LM was to retrieve the Prophecy and may be to capture Harry. Nothing other. Killing other three children would have not mattered, because they are not a real threat for Voldemort. In fact, they made LM's task more difficult.

Finally my main problem is the fighting scene. My argument about it see earlier. Furthermor LM should know that they had a limited time, because Harry were monitored by the Order!

 

The only issue I had with this, is that you gave Lucius Malfoy a little bit too much credit here. In short, without money I don't see Lucius Malfoy having any more talent or charisma than Pettigrew on a bad day. Canon even shows us, how he isn't even fully invested in Voldemort. Pulling a plan like this off, especially in the aftermath of the diary thing seems to be too much, even for an incompetent Dumbledore to sniff out.

While it wasn't explicitly stated, we know LM was in Fudge's pockets, and it was not because he was some grand political mastermind.

Aside from the LM issues it was a very novel idea and was pulled off nicely.

4/5 as a one shot, or as the start to a longer story. 5/5 if you have Harry torture and brutally murder the Malfoys for their role in the crimes mentioned.

 

Well personally I don't consider 'light families' and 'dark families' canon at all, look at Barty Crouch Jr and Sirius for instance. Also as far as I'm aware, Terry Boot's, Anthony Goldstein's and Cho Chang's (etc, etc) families are hardly renowned for their anti-Voldemort disposition.

But those people who knew 'illegal' things he'd done were those closest to him. What's more, on your line of reasoning one of the reasons that LM might have had in forming the DA might have been to get Harry kicked out by Umbridge.

I'm under the impression that it was developed after the attack on Mr. Weasley.

Re-read the end of OotP, there was no way Neville, Luna and Ginny were staying behind, Harry tries to dissuade them remember?

According to Vlad's interpretation the children didn't serve as much of a problem as in canon OotP and the Order itself suffered much more serious losses as well as the death of Luna. Also I don't remember any point at which Lucius Malfoy's goals in the DoM are discussed in detail in any of the books or in Vlad's fic.

 

I disagree with you in the most points. For example you have not answered my main problem: why did Hermione attack Luna instead of Harry? The battle could have finished immediately in this case. Or I think that several students ( may be exactly Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein and Cho Chang type children) became Voldemort opponent because of the DA, so it helped the light side. Or the students should have distracted the DEs for some time even Vlad's fic, because the member of the Order were able to rescue them etc.

But I do not think we can convince with each other so I would rather finish this argument.

 

Is it wrong of me to feel that the most entertaining aspect of this thread is Tinn's comments after each of Felur's posts?

 

LOL nope.

On topic: Vlad, while I think you could do a longer story justice, the decision to do a one-shot wasn't a poor one at all. Top-notch work.

 

In a long story, plotholes like Hermione's (well, Malfoy's) unexplained actions are a real problem; but in a one-shot, I overlook them easily. One-shots are good for single scenes, characterisation, atmosphere-building, and generally flaunting one's writing.

The problem is, this piece is hovering between chaptered story and one-shot. You packed a lot of information in a very limited number of words, and I'm busy processing it when I should be enjoying the rest. Harry's characterisation is good, Cho's is excellent, the atmosphere is great, but because of the complexity of the plot (which you are forced to tell in a long monologue, always a bit awkward) I couldn't appreciate them as much as I would've wanted to.

I'm not sure about the part Dumbledore plays in all this, either. You said too much or not enough about him.

Still -- the atmosphere and characterisations are great. Good job overall.