Alright, alright. Any time an author specifically asks, I'll always give it a shot. I just don't think I've yet to ever enjoy reasonable!Bella, child!Harry, and Snivellus as anything but a whipping boy in any story. Even if I don't like those bits, I can enjoy the story overall in spite of those. Probably Snape's the hardest sell for me, but I will for sure read this one sometime soon. Certainly enough DLPers here seem to hold it in reasonably high regard. Need to finish up and post a new chapter just now and I'll give it a shot tonight if the NFL playoffs aren't good games.

Just remember you asked for this. :twisted:

 

I will, I will. Snape used to be a hard sell for me, too, until after I read HBP and stumbled on the better set of Severitus fics (*muses* plural, Severitii? It's something I think about occasionally :?: ), so I don't mind if you're harsh. Harsh can be good.

 

well written, and very very interesting.

definitely one to keep an eye on...

 

this was a VERY hard sell for me originally, but I REALLY liked it. Innovative, creative, and bold.

I don't like Severus, but I do think you should read this. It is REALLY well written.

 

I was steering around this fic for a long time, probably coz of that other "Bella raises Harry" story, that is pure crap.

But now I've finally read it and I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised.

Probably the best thing in this story is characterisation. All the characters are superbly constructed, well motivated and interesting to read. Harry is probably the best (save for him being a coward at times, but what can you do). Severus is also great, even though I usualy hate stories that redeem him. Bella is missing that crazy killer gleam, but her transition into a firm but caring mother is beleivable enough. In general, the author managed to make all the characters more or less OOC and make it beleiveable. Good job.

As for other qualities this story has, I'd say it's the superb writing style and interesting plot, with a lot of foreshadowing. This story is written so well that I was able to enjoy it even with huge amounts of angst incorporated into the plot (which I generaly dislike).

The only issue I have (besides angst and cowardly Harry, which are more author's decisions than mistakes) is that whole "wizards living like bums" thing.

I just don't buy Harry and Bella living in a gutter starving and freezing, when they could just go to the muggle world and charm their way to some food and shelter. Even without muggles, why is it so hard to place some heating charms (instead of freezing beneath blankets), transfigure a cave into a proper adobe, transfigure rocks into food, steal Muggles' wallets and oblivate them or create various stuff using magic and sell them to muggles. With magic, possibilities for survival are simply endless. I know that this is a problem with all the "Harry the street urchin" stories, but good author should provide at least some explanation why Bella couldn't use her wand instead her cunt to get what she wants.

 

I actually thought about that.


Dealing with Muggles is beneath her. That simple.


I also recall from HBP that there are whole divisions to stop people from fucking with muggles.

Hell, Arthur is head of a department to stop people from tinkering with muggle THINGS!!! I imagine that they are more stringent on people despite the pureblood factions protests.

 

Great Story! Your method of storytelling is very pleasant; giving us little tidbits here and there without disclosing the whole plot.

Btw, when are you gonna have Antares kick Malfoy's ass? The little ferret is very annoying... makes me itch to take my ice pick out of the freezer and do something... wholesome with it on the ferret.

 

I don't buy that for a second. What mother would rather have her and her child freezing (heating charms?) on a street, starving and sending the kid to steal, while she whore herself around, when there's easy life just on the other side of the Leakey Cauldron. No one is that daft.

As for Aurors monitoring the Muggle world... She was a Death Eater. They were regulary going on raids in Muggle World and getting away with it. She'd know how to get away with it.

Hell, if the problem is using her wand in the Muggle world, why couldn't she place Muggle repelant charms/dissilusionment on herself in the alley and then use that to steal in Muggle world? Or transfigure old newspapers into pounds and buy stuff?

No, magic offers simply too many possibilities for Bella the bum to be logical.

 

I agree with you.


I feel like as a wizard, you maybe poor in the wizarding world, but never starving (unless you're a squib or something) I was trying to rationalize her behavior. It seems stupid to me, but that's the best I could come up with.

 

Yeah, I mean, even Weasleys always have lots of food. Unlike them, most poor families don't eat meat every day. The only things they seem to be missing are those that has to be purchashed in wizarding world (unless you're great at transfiguration) - books, clothes, etc...

Heh, I can already see that fat cow taking a walk through that Muggle village (Ottery something) and bewitching people left and right to give her groceries... Hell, I bet even that Ford Angula wasn't purchashed at a car dealership. I just don't see them wasting money on something they don't need (floo/apparation), when their kids are using spare wands and second hand clothing. I bet Arthur simply oblivated some Muggle who had just bought the car and drove away...

 

The bigger question is WHY DID HARRY STEAL A BOOK IN THE FIRST CHAPTER WHEN HE IS ILLITERATE!?

 

Yeah, I was also thinking about that when she said Harry can't read.

Before that, I always assumed Harry was spending some of his time on the street reading books he had stolen...

Eh, probably a plot hole...

 

He's literate in the story. It's just the big words he can't handle. His written exams were satisfactory, remember? (or something to that effect)

 

The point of the stealing is so they have money for food and stuff. That book was valuable so he would have probably sold it to another shop. I thought that was pretty obvious :shrugs:

Don't forget that it wasn't like Bella didn't have a job, she worked at the seamstress's shop and at one point another job but the other job didn't pay enough to be worthwhile. You will also notice that when Antares talked about the beggars he didn't speak of them as if he was one but as if he were apart from them. Bella and Antares are the working poor not beggars and as long as Bella get still find a job in the Wizarding world her pride will prevent her from going into the muggle world. As for the beggars, we never see them using magic, for all we know they are squibs kicked out of some Dark families. In that case for them a gutter is a gutter, it wouldn't matter which one they choose.

 

This has just been updated. Very interesting chapter at the least. Good characterization with the twins and Quirrel. Go read it...

The twins' attitude was a bit of a relief, since most stories out there have an annoying tendency to have them worship Harry. The flying lesson had a good twist as well.

 

Why the fuck did he have to faint in the end? That's such a clished end of a chapter it made me sick.

Even canon!Harrt is less of a pussy than this kid, even though he was supposed to be all tough after living on the streets for 10 years.

 

This story sucks. I wish it didn't but it does. Bellatrix Lestrange reduced to groveling or STARVING?!

Why? Can't she conjure food? Can't she fake money? Can't she PUT A DISILLUSIONMENT charm on apples and walk out of the FUCKIING store?!

How about Apparating? She has no reason to starve. And hardened Harry faints. WOW. Canon Harry didn't faint EVER!



too dumb. I'm not reading this anymore.

 

Oh yeah, he did faint... after wrestling with Quirrel, chasing away Voldemort and killing Quirrel with his bare hands.

... which is NOTHING compared to flying a broom for 3 minutes. Wow! Antares is such a little hero for going through THAT torture.

Fighting Voldemort? Pfff, really...