Title: Cold Blood
Author: DerLaCroix
Rating: M
Genre: Drama/Romance
Library Category: The Alternates
Pairings: Harry/Hermione
Chapters: 34
Words: 232,750
Updated: August 5, 2015
Published: March 2, 2010
Status: Complete

Summary: Sometimes, the tide of events really changes a person.
Link: FanFiction.Net

Surprised that this hasn't been posted before, although to be honest it does have a few things against it - Hermione is a major character in this which is enough to put many off, and the H/Hr pairing is a bit nauseating with a reasonable amount of fluff. It goes pretty into creature!Harry as well which might be a turnoff for some. And it has both a terrible title and completely inadequate summary. However, I think that it's reasonably well done overall, and it is one of the most reviewed/followed complete stories on FF.net so worth a thread to let others know whether DLP judges it worth reading. I am going to rank it 3/5 so I'm putting it up here rather than in the Almost Recommended thread, though I suspect that is where it will end up on balance.

The launching point for this alt universe is set up in the first chapter. Pomfrey has been careless in healing Harry after the Chamber, and left a bit of basilisk venom/phoenix tears in Harry. The story begins properly at the first task of 4th year, when a bite from the dragon somehow interacts with the remnant venom to alter Harry's DNA. Most of the first third to half of the story explores just what has happened as he slowly changes.

It's an unlikely premise, but the author uses this to set up some interesting ideas. An OC muggle scientist provides a good foundation for interrogating the question of what makes a human, and whether wizards are genetically distinct from muggles. There's a bit of magic theory thrown in later in the book as well. I think both could have been done a bit more but there's enough in there to be interesting. Of course, as it the way with this sort of fic, Harry gets some superhuman abilities with his new genetic makeup. The author doesn't make him totally overpowered (well, he is a little OP) but he is definitely no longer the recognisable and flawed Harry from the novels.

On a character level, there's a bit of Dumbledore and (Ron) Weasley bashing, but neither end up being important characters. Hermione is more of a book 1 than later Hermione, which makes her pretty annoying. Sirius is done fairly well, the OCs (Grangers and the muggle scientist) are ok.

There were a couple of unique things that I havent read in fan fic before that I would have liked some more of:

Spoiler

- Fudge is ousted early and replaced with Umbridge. Haven't read an Umbridge minister before, and while it's only dealt with quite late on in the book it's done well.
- Percy is the 5th year Defence instructor. The author could have made a lot more of this, it was a brilliant idea in my view but he bombed it in a rush to the end. Basically 5th year finishes (along with the horcrux hunt) in the space of a single chapter with all the major characters quitting Hogwarts by force or choice at the welcoming feast. I would have preferred less of the Bulgaria section, and replaced this with some Harry suffering under Percy's rule of terror.

Overall, while this is far from perfect, I found it a reasonably enjoyable read with a smattering of humour, bit of angst and some action scenes. The action scenes were not particularly well done, but for a fan fic they were bearable. Didn't love Hermione and there were a few plot lines and scenes in there which made me cringe, but not so much that I stopped reading. It's also complete, and relatively free of typos/grammar fails which are pretty big plusses in my book.

Let the judgement begin!


Checked by Minion, August. 14, 2016

 

I had to give up about chapter 5. Might do for some, but it lacks depth, believability, and it just seems a bit weak and uninspired. Writing is unprofessional and pedantic, grammatically 'sound' but flat and unoriginal, without style. Characters are shallow, motivations and actions likewise.

It just seems like a piece where the author doesn't care enough to really make it shine, or lacks the inspiration and insight to do so. That said I have read less than a third, but I saw no improvement ongoing.

 

This is just guilty pleasure level. If you can suffer the corny Gary Stu/Mary Sue romance and boring overall plot it has a few entertaining situations.

 

Dropped after Hermione tried to cuckold Harry with Krum to make Ron jealous even though she really loves Harry and hates Ron who would have told Harry which would have broken her true love's heart but Harry forgives her pretty much instantly(??). It's a whole convoluted mess.

 

capo327

You just saved me a bunch of time; thanks.

 

I read this a few months back, and the above posts are accurate. Some of the situations are amusing enough if you don't squint too hard, but the writing feels formulaic - some of the later chapters have serious problems with 'X [spoke], [random relevant action]' structures if I recall. I also never quite got the feeling the power-up that Harry receives is met with an appropriate counterbalance on the villain's side, and I've seen the Sirius-is-tamed-by-muggle-scientist angle done better as well.

2/5 because it's not completely terrible, but that's damning with faint praise.

 

That bit made me laugh, especially when she started 'howling'.

Yeah, this isn't library worthy.