I don't think it's outrageous that Harry has put off telling his parents of his desire to transfer to this point - in fact I think that it's a more mature decision than what we should expect from an 11-year-old.

If Harry had told his parents that he wished to transfer in a letter, James and Lily's first reaction would probably be to assume that Harry wanted to transfer because he was having issues at Hogwarts. I didn't live away from home until I was in college, but I think that at Harry's age, his parents would assume homesickness or trouble fitting in as the reasons behind Harry wanting to transfer. A child of that age might claim wanting to transfer just to get home to a more familiar environment.

In other words, if James and Lily received a letter telling them about Harry's desire to no longer attend Hogwarts, they would assume ulterior motives. This way - telling them face to face - Harry doesn't come off as a homesick kid or someone who's simply having issues adjusting to new surroundings. For all James and Lily know right now, Harry is doing very well in Hogwarts. In fact, his grades will support it. The "seriousness" of how Harry has decided to break the news will make his request many times more legitimate than it would have been otherwise.

 

I actually don't know if Harry and Hermione would get along well anyway. HBP showed Hermione doesn't react too well to not being the best at magic/smarts (which was rarely an issue for her in the books since JKR made everyone else dumb as rocks). She might not get along with him any better than Ron, especially if he's intolerant of her not knowing things that he learned because he grew up as a wizard.

Anyway, this update was well done but it's annoying that we didn't get to the action when the Potters find out what Harry did. At least consider the point of scenes in the story: did an entire chapter about Harry being lonely and isolated just like every scene before it really add much? You've more than made a believable groundwork for a socially isolated but magically talented Harry. Now comes time for some plot developments. But I am definitely looking forward to moaaaarrrrr.

 

Looking forward to the next update. It's fast paced, but at the same time it doesn't feel like it is. This could turn out to be one of the better OBWL stories out there.

 

First let me say that this isn't the entire chapter 3; just the first two scenes. Hopefully I'll be able to post the next part of chapter 3 pretty soon.

@Vesvius: I didn't want Harry to have anyone close to him, I wasn't specifically trying to keep Hermione away. If it appears that way, it's not intentional. The scene in the second chapter where Hermione walks into the Library and Harry doesn't see her is just a 'there but by the grace of god' sort of moment.

@Bittersweet: I think I've come up with a decent reason for why Harry doesn't explain everything to his parents, but others might not agree. Getting feedback is one of the reasons I posted this here, so if you don't like what I've come up with let me know.

@Dirk: Harry won't be intolerant towards Hermione, but your point about HBP Hermione is a really good one.

 

I'm pretty sure that for a prodigy like Dumbledore or Riddle (and in this fic - Harry) avoiding an age line would pose no problem. And motivation is already there since Harry wants to be known for himself instead of being the brother of BWL.

 

Like the story so far. I think you did a good job on Ginny, as the typical fangirl. Looking forward to the rest of the chapter. Does that mean that the 'Reactions' is going to be in the next half?

 

You could argue it that way but regardless of how intelligent this Harry is, that level of maturity has not been displayed yet. Indeed, the cause behind his alienation from his House could easily be argued to stem from his immaturity dealing with the twin!wholived situation.

It is, admittedly, a bitch to be in the situation he's in but if he's mature enough to put off telling his parents about his wish to join Durmstrang till so late, then he's mature enough to understand that his Housemates are 11 year olds and bound to be fanboys and fangirls.

Also, even if we consider Harry to be mature and hence consider his decision sensible, Santi really should have shown the reader how Harry's mind was working. Maturity being the reason behind him not telling his parents is hardly going to be a mysterious event and so serves no purpose in not being revealed till later.

@Santi - ignore whatever I wrote above, it was merely for the sake of discussion. Like I said before, I'm withholding all judgment until you, the author, can explain yourself in the story

 

Saw a suck/stuck typo in there near the end. The thing that most caught my eye though was Ginny's name.

It's GINEVRA not Ginerva.​

 

I think that in WbA you're supposed to post the contents of chapters instead of links to them.

Other than that I can't wait to see how do you deal with James and Lily's reaction. So far, everything you wrote was reasonable and lacked usual retardness of non-bwl stories, but you have to consider the fact that even Narcissa Malfoy didn't want her son to go to Durmstrang.

 

That's a good point as well. Even if Dumbledore does that stupid age line which like HowdyU pointed out didn't make sense in canon since the Goblet would just choose the more prepared anyways even if the person was young. Harry would probably be able to get past it if they use it in thie story though. And your also right about the motivation. Being a Triwizard competitor or even winner would definetly get him noticed as more then just his brothers shadow.

 

That's because Narcissa 'couldn't bare to have Draco living so far away for most of the year', which seems strange considering she's perfectly capable of apparation and the floo network is working as usual.

 

Nonsensical analogy.

You make maturity sound like an absolute statement. What you're essentially saying is --> If Harry is mature enough to do A, then he must be mature enough to do B. Well, that's just not how things work with kids - one moment you see them acting with amazing thought and care, and in the next, throwing it all away for a spot of irrationality in whatever form.

Well, you don't expect the author to give everything away in the first three chapters, do you? Withholding certain information is a common enough rhetoric -- it gets your readers speculating (which is precisely what we're doing).

This.

Or maybe, handling the technicalities of a transfer, on his own, gives Harry a semblance of self-acknowledgement. He hates living in his brother's shadow and hence finds an excuse to demonstrate what he can accomplish on his own. Normally, you wouldn't expect an 11 year old to make such a life-altering decision without involving his/her parents.

OR MAYBE, he's getting the technicalities out of the way to stop his parents from convincing him otherwise. Durmstrang isn't exactly the paragon of 'light' magic - the Potters wouldn't be talked into allowing their son to attend the school, atleast not without putting up a good fight. This way, Harry gets to attend Durmstrang with or without his parents' consent.

Dunno if that clears it up or not. Feel free to tear it apart.

 

I was bothered by that likewise.

Hermione's thoughts didn't even go into her snappish comment at him in the Library which I was surprised at. Her comment in the library the more I think about it the more I dislike it. Yes she may feel envious of him for being in Ravenclaw but why make a comment about not doing his homework? She knows he is a Ravenclaw who studies a lot she saw him reading on the train. Also if she is so smart why hasn't she come to the realization that everytime she has seen Harry in the Library he has been alone and not with Ravenclaws and also him sitting alone on the train might possibly kinda mean he has no friends. That seems like a very logical conclusion.

I think both parents will be somewhat understanding of Harry's reasons for transferring but still be worried about him going to Durmstrang. Lily because once he explains how he is lonely and feels like he is being held back in his studies. James will probably be a bit more difficult about it however he already has one son going to his school and playing as seeker on the Quidditch team so I think he will eventually be okay with Harry going to Durmstrang. I don't think it will drive a wedge in between them like Voldemort wanted.

Also if Harry tells them about how Hogwarts is driving a wedge between him and his brother because the rest of the students constantly make him feel like he is in Nathan's shadow it will cause them to approve very fast. They don't want them hating each other because of immature students. Harry deserves the chance to become his own man without always being in Nathan's shadow and I think they will understand that.

I agree with HowdyU as well about the way he handled it making it seem more legitimate. He took care of all the paperwork and is informing his parents of the situation. If he had just wrote home telling his mommy and daddy that he was lonely and friendless and he wanted to go another school they would have probably kept him at Hogwarts for another year to see if the situation gets any better. The way he handles it shows the seriousness of his problems at Hogwarts.

 

i think Harry trying to find a way pass the age line would be much better as it would also show his skills. the least thing he could do was to bribe someone older to put his name and that is relatively easy. the reason for him to come to hogwarts if there is an age line would be his grade. in canon others at the same grade with krum were having their lessons in hogwarts. so harry would come there with his peers and then would find a way to put his name in the goblet.

 

Well, where to start?

1) There might be other reasons for not telling his parents about the transfer. One of the reasons is that it just way to impractical to discuss a matter like this via owl. Come on. You have to talk these kind of things face to face where you can pour out the thoughts coming to your mind quickly. Also, in my country at the age of 11, we used to have secondary school entrance exams and you apply to secondary schools according to the grade from that exam. Basically you were deciding in which school you want to continue your education. Now the law changed to make it 14 to cut from paperwork and the stuff. So it is basically expected from an 11 old to choose which school he wants to go. You don't have to be too mature to do it.

2) About Hermione, well two know-it-all guys can never get along with each other so i liked them separated. I agree with the statements about the author forcing his way to show they won't be friends though. We got that idea so no need to push it any further.

3) The only challange Santi would be facing is creating Durmstrang. New teachers, new school, new surroundings, friends, traditions, climate....The author should give us all these tiny details in a way that shouldn't bore us OR he would fastforward those years up to TWT and then via flashbacks those things could be presented. I would like to see it in the first way.

4) about these two scenes, there is nothing important here but they were needed for a smooth transition. All i will say is that i want to read the arguments that are bound to happen at the next update.

 

You're telling me that the kids choose with absolutely no input from their parents? That parents are happy to let their smart kid go to a poor school simply because he hasn't researched all his options thoroughly enough?

We are speculating because I believed it to be a plot hole, not because the author has drawn us into his web. Definitely not a reaction any author would want. Information is very carefully chosen before being withheld. You want to withhold information that doesn't interfere with the flow of the story or stick out as a plot hole or contrivance. You want to withhold information which will make the reader think, information that'll make a reader want to come back for more - not make a reader wonder if he should continue.

I'm sure that suddenly being told that their kid has been given admission after going through the entire process essentially behind their backs will really make them feel a lot better about the whole thing.

True. Thought not in the sense you mean. Kids who are normally rational and think clearly are prone to random spurts of irrationality. It's very rarely the other way around. Considering that Harry has framed much of his life on his wanting to prove himself to the world - you can hardly consider that a spurt of irrationality.

Two words - Floo Call.

 

Floo call? From where? common room at midnight so nobody is around to eavesdrop even then you cannot be sure or calling from flitwick's office for a few hours? You are kidding right? This is not an issue you can do with an hour of floo call. It is something you discuss, sleep over it, discuss again and such. Would you prefer discussing it on phone or at home face to face just tell me that.

And about interference from parents, the schools that are best are known. Can you expect to enter Harvard with 800 points from SAT out of 1600. So basically the schools' reputations are known and they held special days where you go for their presentation. After that you make a decision, and then tell your parents. This was exactly what harry was doing. He learned Durmstrang reputation, he learned its inside workings from Quirell, made a decision and now he is gonna declare it to his parents.

 

Everyone seems to be assuming putting off telling his parents about his school change is a mature thing. How about the possibility that he is simply putting it off because he fears their reaction would be negative and doesn't want to really deal with it? The later he tells them, the less time they have to try to convince him. It's a simple "they'll be mad, I'll tell them later" reaction.

I'd guess if he could he would simply pull a "By the way, I've transferred to Durmstrang, my portkey leaves in two sec-". Since Flitwick is going to send a owl, however, that is not going to be possible.

 

yeah, that could be another reason although harry doesn't seem to that kinda of a child from the way author portrayed him.

 

I'd think it was common sense that his parents would have to consent in order for him to transfer.

Or maybe I'm wrong...