Title: Back Again, Harry?
Author: Jedi Buttercup
Rating: T
Pairing: None so far
Genre: Time Travel
Chapters: 19
Words: 70,606
Updated: October 9, 2012
Published: July 31, 2007
Status: WIP
Summary: Harry makes a different choice in King's Cross and is given the double edged gift of a second chance. Time Travel AU, spoilers for DH. WIP.
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3693052/1/Back_Again_Harry

One of the better Harry-goes-back-to-his-younger-body fics I've seen with an interesting return point, good characterisation and realistic magical development.

4/5

Also, note that the author has said that this definitely isn't Harry/Hermione, though from the first chapter it might seem like that.



Checked by Minion, January 28, 2013

 

Yep, I agree, this is one of the better time-travel fics. The writing is solid. Still, I doubt it will escape the fate of all timetravel fics that sends Harry back to his first year- abandonment by the author before Harry reaches his fourth year at most.

Damn! Harry/Hermione would suit this fic. But how did it ever seem like it will be H/Hr from the first chapter? There's nothing in there to hint at such a relationship.

4/5. Still hope to read more.

 

Well, it's not bad. Somewhat realistic but what is the big deal with Snape? Why make him so important, why is Harry so fucking afraid of him and why so much apprehension about being good in class?

I like the fact that he is not going emo on all is friend that he lefts behind, all the dead yadayada.

I'll keep an eye on it.

 

Was there a point to this story? The author seems to have Harry trying to keep everything the same as it was last time. In 7 chapters nothing has really happened, Harry is still the lil bitch he was from cannon. Like Triptic said WTF with being scared of Snape?

Sticking with the bff with Ron and Hermione is annoying. What fucking business of Hermione's is who Harry is writing too?

The chapters are too short for this type of fic, if it carried on like this I think we can expect around 100chapters. Thats only if the author follows through with the story and doesn't just drop it at some point.

Why he doesn't just enlist Dumbledores help by showing him memories I'll never know.

Just seems this has ALOT to go through before it starts becoming good, and by the looks of it, its heading for a HP/GW ship the way hes talking about her.

 

I think the best thing about this fic is Harry's newfound mentality towards his studies and his subsequent improvement in his magical abilities. It shows a lot of promise, IMO.

But if it turns out to be Harry/Ginny, I'm dropping the fic immediately.

 

It's a decent fic and Jedi Buttercup is known for finishing stories... so I'm hoping this one won't be abandoned. So many fics with this same theme usually fail right around book 3 or 4 and fall apart.


I'm also more than a little concerned about all the attention being paid Snape here.

Also Dumbledore's comments about finding someone to confide in coupled with all the Snape focus seems to just scream out that Snape is going to be this "confidante" that we're being steered toward accepting.

Why not Remus, or Sirius, or even freakin' Hermione or Minnie for heaven's sake? Any one of them would be a more trustworthy and worthwhile confidant. They've all proven to be trustworthy in the past.

Also I'm not sure I like how serendipitous events are turning out concerning Snape. I mean let's look at the potions book notes, and how Snape just sort of fixated on looking at them in the potions classroom scene. I could just feel the author foreshadowing events. That Snape saw those notes and is now going all dewey eyed and thinking "He's just like Lily... Oh, Lily!" and now he's going to start seeing "Potter" as being a kindred soul. Someone who loves potions *snif* just like he does *snif*. Pardon me while I sick up over the image of Severus getting all maudlin over Harry.

All I can do though is hope that the author keeps up the quality and instead has Harry do the smart thing and place his trust in more than one confidant... Maybe build his own little cadre outside of Dumbledore's influence and snap up all the Horcruxes all at once.

 

And why not nobody? That's the most annoying shit that I found in every time travel story. Harry have to tell somebody everything and it piss me of.

I have also the same feeling about the prominent part that play Snape. Frankly I don't understand how he is not freak out by someone who is still in love with is mother when she is dead since 16 years.

I believe that it won't be an H/G story since the author seems to plan to forget a good part of "The Chamber Of Secrets" and he did point out that it will totaly change Ginny. So I have some faith.

About staying friend with Hermione and Ron, I found it a lot more plausible after the last book since they seem a lot more reliable and capable. I mean Hermione IS the Universal Magic Aid Band...
Had the story start after HBP it would have irk me.

So wait and see.

 

Okay, that's a reasonable point. Why would you tell someone?

Well, myself I can think of several reasons.

You could be hit by a car the next day and all your knowledge of where the horcruxes are would die with you... That right there is reason enough to have a confidante. So that should something happen to you, someone can maybe take your knowledge and do something with it.

Tack on being able to do something after knowing for a fact who the Death eaters all really are... and who are dangers within the government as sympathizers. Harry is a kid, but if the info is properly dug up... and presented by an adult... it could have impact.

Imagine having Auror's on hand in disguise in the bookstore when Malfoy tries to slip the horcrux onto Ginny. Bam... they've got him dead to rights... in front of dozens of Aurors. Also it could be grounds to confiscate large sums from the Malfoy vaults for attempts to harm Ginny with a dark artifact.

The possibilities of catching Death eaters red handed are manifold.

There are lots of reasons to confide that sort of info in another person.

Additionally there's the chance to bounce ideas off someone else. Having people to bounce ideas off opens up avenues of consideration that you yourself might not have thought of. You know the saying, two heads are better than one? It's generally true because a second person usually has differing views on things and can generally come up with points for consideration that one person on his or her own couldn't.

It's the choice of who he will tell his secret that's telling her. Snape would be a bad choice because he's an unimaginative fuck. He's shown he gets stuck in a rut and doesn't get out of it. (His hatred of James Potter carried on for decades to the point of carrying it over to his 11 year old son) Remus and Sirius would be prime candidates because they appreciate the value of creative thinking (as for pranks) and they're old enough to think maturely how to best use the knowledge Harry has to really put a crimp on Voldemort's plans.

Not saying your point is wrong... Because there are definite advantages to also keeping the info to himself... but the advantages of having a team who would back you, armed with the knowledge of the future he'd have... well... it'd be huge.

People underestimate what foreknowledge can do in a battle.

 

Yeah, I couldn't really get into this story. It had a LOT of promise, and it just seems like the author wasted it.

 

Needs more drama or conflict.
As is "I don't care what happens to these people" TM

 

I agree with you here. It does show a lot of promise, as long as the author will be a bit creative and change some facts... I don't want to read another rewrite of the canon books...

Things like Triwizard Tournament are already in motion, therefore they will happen sooner or later, but it doesn't mean that we'll know the outcome of it (perhaps Wormtail won't be able to find his master this time...)

There is also the problem of H/G here... we have to remember that Harry's friends might grow up into other personalities than we know from the books, therefore Harry might only wish to protect them but that's all... Don't forget about the fact that here he is mentaly a... I don't remember well.. 17? 18? years old? whatever. the outcome is the fact that he'd rather be attracted to older girls than those of the same age as his body is now...

So far this story is 3.5/5 for me... enjoyable read, but nothing exceptional, we'll see what the future will bring

 

Better than usual, but not a barn burner... yet.

Definitely has potential, but I'd say it's far to soon to give a definitive score to. tentative 4.5/5

 

I'm not sure why your "better than usual" is a 4.5/5, could you explain that?
I give this a 3/5, it isn't that great, but it has potential, hopefully the author chooses the good potential, and not the bad.

 

It's a 4.5 because up till now it's been a rather remarkably well written story. sadly it's too young yet to tell if the author can keep up the inspiration and drive to make a full story of it.

Edit: Also, I have yet to actually cast a vote on it so I don't have to try moderating it's current form to the hypothetical future of the story.

 

I've not read the chapter yet, don't know if I will but it has been updated.

 

The writing style is pretty good, although the orginality/ideas seem to be slightly lacking.

Still, this is only the expositional phase- Harry's still setting up contacts and laying out his plans.

I'm fairly certain it'll start getting better once Sirius becomes involved, and the story begins to drastically deviate from canon.


I'd give it a 4/5 for readability.

 

3/5

It is very well written, and that's the sole thing that differs from the other thousands and thousands of Harry-goes-back-to-his-younger-body (redo) fanfictions.

It isn't innovative so far (aside the method used to travel back to his younger body). The authors generally try to keep as close as possible to canon, maybe because it's easier to copy-paste from the original book and only give slight changes? So far I haven't seen many fanfictions where the the repercussions of Harry's actions would completly change what happens, and not just speed it up.

Maybe it will be interesting, but it doesn't look like it, at least to me.

 

One of the best time travel stories that I have read. It's realistic, does not have a super Harry immediately (though it should have one eventually). The characters are closer to their canon counterparts (save for Harry of course! which is quite good) and the best part is that there are no ships unlike some time travel fics where Harry hooks up with Ginny or Hermione as soon as he lands in his eleven year old body. Meant for those who have patience to wait for things to happen.

One of the better fics on the genre that I have come across and certainly better than many of the overrated ones circulating the fanverse.

 

It's very mediocre. This story adds nothing new that hasn't been seen in a dozen other time travel stories, and the logic behind it is not as well thought out as it could be. The only thing is has going for it is the fact the author has a good grasp on the english language.

2/5. Had the grammar and spelling within the story not been that good, it would have gotten an 1/5 instead.

 

Just out of curiosity, how many of you have left a review on FF.N or Twisting the Hellmouth to the effect of what you're posting? Because it's all well and good to sit here behind the author's back and complain about the pacing or discuss what you would and wouldn't like to see, but isn't it more than a little pointless?