So, I'm at chapter 55 now.... Man the pacing is slow. There's some interesting things here. I like the no Voldemort setting, and the starting Hogwarts at 14 fixes some of the problems that year one fics have (mainly the 11 year olds talking too advanced for their age). But still... there are issues, the whole darker bit... darker is a really bad slur, quality-wise I'm surprised it lasted at all because it really doesn't flow in the sentences well. The guerilla warfare that was year one and part of year two doesn't track with Dumbldores character to let it happen, regardless of what family a student is from. Rose seems to be Fanon adult!Fanon!Daphne, I don't mind it much but as of now her past is being revealed way too slowly for how much is written.

Most of my issues come from the pacing here though and Harry's weird gynaphobia, which is a result of a curse. Also it feels weak that the maids were the reason he was miserable as a kid.

3/5.

 

I recently gave this a re-read and actually really liked it. Hopefully with this review some other folks discover it (and sorry to those who thought there was an update).

The negatives:

• As mentioned, Harry takes too long to get over the fear of women thing, which is eventually explained
• Long lead in before it gets good
• Some of the female characters feel written with lots of fan service in mind

And yet ...

In terms of plot, it's well done and thought through. Sure, it drags especially in the beginning, but there are threads the author hints at in some of the earliest chapters that become relevant hints 20 chapters down the line. The actual story is compelling: there's a overarching narrative it's driving toward. Just maybe needs some earlier cruft cut out and some apparently meaningless side plots pruned.

Character wise, unlike other Slytherin Harry fics, he isn't omnipotent. He screws up and faces consequences. His character actually develops and changes. The other characters are nuanced and have their own motivations, sometimes unexpected. Dumbledore, Prewett et. al aren't painted as idiots or evil themselves.

Comparing this to other Slytherin harry stories I think I liked this better than Den of Snakes. On the Way to Greatness still tops them both, just by being less over the top and by avoiding some slytherin/gryffindor clichés and bashing.

It's trope-y enough plus the flaws above that I can't 4/5 it, but I think a 3.5/5 is a fair, if optimistic, rating, especially if judging against the more recent chapters. I enjoyed it + hope it updates. The author has said it's not abandoned.

 

Just finished reading the whole thing, one of the most ambitious AU’s, I’ve had the pleasure of reading. The world building (especially the historical aspects of this AU) is top notch. It’s frustrating that we get more and more of it in dribs and drabs, I want all of it especially with some answers regarding Harry’s own history particularly why tragedy befell the Potters.

Don’t think I have encountered a concept such as the Pillars before but it makes a lot of sense to see a societal upheaval after a Dark Lord. Actually, it makes me curious as to why there wasn’t more of a Pillars esque movement in Canon after Voldemort’s first defeat. Wizarding Britain would have saved themselves a lot of trouble.

The story itself is written remarkably well, apparently the author’s first language isn’t English which is mind boggling considering I had to look up certain words in the dictionary. YakAge captures the voices of certain characters really well particularly Arcturus Black.

The characters all have depth to them even if you want to throttle some of them at times. Harry’s supporting cast is pretty enjoyable, they all have their shining moments and pitfalls, I get a kick out of lecherous Draco. The only one I couldn’t really stand (surprisingly not Hermione) is Daphne. For the first two years, her interactions with Harry are just kinda painful and though it gets better in 3rd year after their shared history is revealed, I still can’t behind her. As much as I usually love Haphne, I just don’t really care for this Daphne at all. Also, probably has to do with the fact that I’m fully on board team Harry/Aenor! Aenor’s a great OC even if she does seem a tad bit overpowered at times but considering what her origins may be, it could make sense.

As an aside, reading this I just realized that paired with a Defense Professor could work really well as a pairing. The closest I have seen (other than Black Luminary) is Harry Potter and the Half Blood Romantic but Fleur is teaching Duelling in that one.

Considering just how ambitious Black Luminary is and how much I enjoyed reading, I’m gonna go ahead and give this one a 5/5 with the fervent hope that YakAge gets back to updating soon.

 

AT LAST!!

 

lmfao this fic is so long that between every update i would forget what it's about

 

I've just completed a re-read of the fic. There are some contradictions (sometimes as soon as the subsequent paragraph) and cliches (mostly in the earlier chapters), but it's highly enjoyable overall.

The characters are rock solid.

If I were to judge it on its merit, I'd put 4/5, but this fic has redefined my taste in fanfiction. I'm no longer able to enjoy some of my previous favorites because I'm always comparing it to this fic.

So I rate it 5/5.

 

Here we go! The next chapters for book 3 should each be dropping once a month or so as well : )

 

I quite liked the recent chapter, although it’s more about the buildup before the incoming climax of the book, which I expect to be the next chapter or the one after that. Something terrible is also going to happen to Daphne, since she and Harry had their big moments of fluff

Spoiler: Chapter spoilers

and the ministry got the knowledge of her contract, through Hermione, at the end.

Sad days ahead, for Harry.

 

This just updated after almost a year. Great chapter too. The story’s still a little weird with some of the relationships and characters but the plot pace, mystery and action make it great.

 

Good story, I give it an easy 4/5.

A bit of a rough start thought. The first chapters are pretty cringe, especially the humour doesn't gel with me much.
I'm also not a fan of the universe bending to the author's will just because. A lot of the premise felt inorganic and forced, and unnecessary.
Such as the age change, and the hot OC professor being barely 5 years older than Harry in his first year. I don't see the point, especially since it doesn't even go the romance route (which I am grateful for).

But once you get over that, and over the cringe, the story really just keeps getting better. The author puts effort into making mysteries and unravelling them, and into making events and decisions matter and cascade off each other. One could argue it's not done extremely well, but for fanfiction I am pleasantly surprised. I got caught offguard by a lot of developments.

I enjoy the local politics, the internal politics, the geopolitics and the over-arching politics spanning thousands of years. Secret societies working against each others through proxies and all the complexity that involves. I love that there is a real drive behind everything going on, and while every pawn have some agency, and Harry's point of view and knowledge is limited, everything is gradually traced back to some higher conspiracy.

Year 3 just finished and things got properly fucked up, although not as bad as the Lethifold catastrophe. I really am interested to see how far this will go.

I'm a huge fan of the last few mentions of Draco before he randomly disappeared during the climax. It seems he's been hiding his game all along. There was one scene like a year ago where no one was named but it was very likely Lucius berating him. In the last chapter, it was reminded that he's never talked about his home life. Then the little tidbit where he identifies what Harry did just from some powder remnants, and the general tone. He's definitely tossed Hermione to the wolves on purpose when he hired the teachers. Who's side is he on? No clue. I love it.

Spoiler

I have a theory that this is not actually a no-Voldemort AU.
Considering how the Ministry and ICW operates, and the different factions we know off, I am almost convinced Voldemort is out there, working his own pawns in the game, and proof of his actions/existence have been swept under the rug.

Harry is still special, we still don't know why the Potters were killed, but we know Dolohov was part of it. We know he wanted to kill Harry after his release fifteen years after the fact. We know Dolohov still thought of Bella as his ally until she killed him, and it's pretty clear Bella herself was part of the raid on the Potters. This all happened far after Grindelwald's loss. Even though we learned now that he had escaped long ago, and was working on his own plan (Rose being his grand/daughter is pretty obvious), there is still no cause we heard off for him to go after the Potters.

That's why I'm pretty convinced Voldemort did show up, Bella and Dolohov were part of the Death Eaters, and they did go to kill all the Potters due to the prophecy. Whatever happened there, who knows. Dumbledore probably knows all about it. I assume Grindelwald too. Whether Arcturus knows, I am unclear.

 

I finally got around to reading this and I have mixed feelings. Year 1 is slow, boring, and the missing backstory is more annoying than intriguing. But somewhere around the end of year 1 or the beginning of year 2 it really does pick up and turn in something good.

The wizarding history, the hints of conspiracy's and Grindelwald, and the political play actually starts to work after a bit. Even the characters (primarily Daphne and Harry) change a bit and become more interesting. If this story ever continues I'd be glad to read more.