I was quite surprised that I really liked this. I like Rep's other stuff, of course, but I quite religiously stay away from fics that are predominantly about the romance between two characters - I tend to like the romance to stay in the background of a story. I ended up finding this story hooking, though.

Just to be clear, I've only read the chapters that are up on fanfiction.net.

The first thing that really stands out is the fact that the characters are very well written. I could count on one hand the truly well done Daphne fics and still have fingers to spare. Their relationship doesn't feel forced or rushed. Now Harry does seem a bit out of character, as people have noted, but you can still see the 'core' HP of the series in him. I'm pretty sure as more is revealed we will come to understand why he's actually like this.

Secondly, the subtly world-building is great. Pretty much everyone's said that, so I'm not really going to expand on this point, except to add that I love the 'magical' world that he's created. The small mentions of how HP has grown magically is also pretty awesome. It's nice to see an HP who's come into his powers, and believably so - he seems to have a good grasp of the more esoteric parts of magic, that he showed at the end of the series.

Now, I understand the vagueness in HP's motives that Rep's trying to create. It's probably going to be a combination of this ulterior motive of his as well as the excuse he gave – his professed lack of understanding of her. However, at times, Rep seems to try and stick to this vagueness a bit too much. For example, during some of HP's introspective moments, he doesn't seem to even acknowledge a reason for his actions. He tends to consider the conflicting viewpoint from some other character, and wonders if they are right about him and his actions, and if he is doing wrong. Which is not wrong by itself, and I can see the benefit of keeping the reader guessing, but surely when you are given 'direct access' to the character's thoughts it shouldn't be quite so ambiguous. I could see it being this ambiguous if a character wasn't aware of his own motives, but in this situation I don't think that's the case. If he were unsure of his own motives, this HP would, in my opinion, believe he is doing it entirely for this ulterior motive of his and not partly because of a fascination for Daphne.

This one small criticism seems to have taken up a huge part of my review, so let me reiterate - I am really enjoying this fic, and find it particularly well-written. This criticism of mine is a very small complaint, and I'm sure it will be clarified sooner than later.

I would rate it 4.5, rounding down for now.

 

I was pleasantly surprised, and impressed.

Solid writing--it was grammatically correct and engaging without being pompous or too self-aware.

Yes, this Harry is quite a bit different from what we see in canon, but he's well characterized.

What I particularly enjoyed is that though Daphne is a pureblood, and a traditionalist one at that, she still has logical reasons for her beliefs, and even if you don't agree with them, you can understand them.

The romance isn't fluffy or sappy. On the other side of the spectrum, neither is the plot self-masturbatory, despite the premise.

The lack of explained reasoning about Harry's motivation for his actions isn't a large issue for me, except that I'm slightly skeptical about what they might turn out to be. It seems all too easy for the big "reveal" to be anti-climactic or silly.

Overall, 4/5.

 

Definitely deserves its place in the library and C2. It's a well-written, interesting take on Harry/Daphne, with excellent world-building and a unique plot. Up their with some of the best romantic fics in the fandom, for me.

4.5/5, hoping for sequel.

 

Very readable story.

The only thing I felt let down by is

Spoiler

that after all the hype "the plan" got, it was only to bump Harry up one step (from Head Auror to Director of Magical Law Enforcement)

I am referring to the way the plan was talked about, how much inner dialog was spent on it, how Harry goes out of his way to get international connections to further, and how it actually was referred to as "the plan".

Maybe I am to to used with fanfictions presenting world domination, or at least minister of magic, as a reasonable goal.

The amount of international support needed for getting the position as director seems strange to me and it looked more like Harry laid the foundation for future climbing of the political ladder for instance when mingling in Ciel D’Azur.
However I guess the story does clearly show how much international friends are needed to get a position ("Saving the Ciel D’Azur was the operation that had given him enough international clout and connections to make his early ascension to Head Auror possible").

Then again, as Bones put it, "Maybe he actually believes it, it doesn’t matter. I know Harry, and trust me, he is going places. Whether he wants to or not".

Maybe a (half) joking thought from Daphne about how Harry could continue to mercifully politically assassinate anyone he wants to replace until he is the minister of magic, during the end of the new years party.

Apart from that I don't believe I have anything negative to say.
The story expanded on the magical world, put a toe into a commerce and transportation, and two into politics.

4/5

Edit: added spoiler tag.

 

This is my first contribution to this forum and I am posting it here because I agree completely with everything ibskib said. I read the rest of the thread and it seems that the story is completed somewhere where I cannot go. So, fairly disgusted with the whole thread and the non-reasoning of the (probably) male readership, I'll try to move up from "muggle" so I could read on. That is, if I don't give up on the forum when I learn more about it.

 

It just updated.

EDIT: I just stupidly realized this chapter and the following chapter which is as of yet unposted on Fanfiction.Net, has already been posted as a WBA on this site. Tme for more reading then.

 

This has to be my favourite Harry/Daphne story these days. It is incredible well written and it seems to get better and better with every chapter. Daphne is great, Harry is little different from how we are used to see him in other stories but he still stays in character. I especially like that he is treated with respect not only because of his name but also because of his position. He is not weak and undeserving of his place in the wizarding society - I always imagined him to be like that in the canon afterwards (despite the Weasley influence). Not to mention how well the the society is actually created.
I don't really like marriage contract stories but this one got me hooked and I consider it as one of the best D/H fanfictions.

 

Probably one of the better romance fanfics I've read - though admittedly, not saying that much - but I'm kind of wondering why it's in General. It's kind of completely about two people dating. Either way, I'd give it a 3.5/5 for being the only readable take on the whole 'marriage contract' cliche that I know of.

 

Like many others, I was pleasantly surprised by this fic. The interactions were on the whole, very well done. The development is interesting in the story. The marriage contract thing isn't my cup of tea, normally, but it was well done and everybody's reactions were reasonable enough. There's a surprising and intriguing amount of lore in the story, written as small adventures.

Spoiler

Harry's thought process was fun to read because of the correlation between his past accomplishments and his position/power. I thought it was reflective of Dumbledore a bit, actually.

My favorite part was

Spoiler

probably the Harry/Ron/Neville bar bromance. Felt natural and progressed the story interestingly. Especially Neville's insight, and I liked Ron's support.

The only thing that felt particularly off to me was

Spoiler

the 'dimensions' in the marriage contract. I mean, contract stories are already a stretch, and it's definitely the weakest part of the story for me. Difficult to wrap my head around Harry's parents signing a contract, but the whole body dimensions clause was poor. I'll admit it added some comedic value (I enjoyed the #1 Dad mug) but overall, story could do without. Even the mug could be inserted without the dimensions bit, with a bit of tinkering.

Overall I'd say 3.5/5, rounded to 4.

 

For once, a Marriage Contract fanfic where no one caught connected to the Contract actually wants it to go through...
From Harry's initial disbelief that his parents would actually do something like this to Daphne's irritation and annoyance - and the reactions from the Greengrass parents, this fic is certainly shaping up to be interesting.

This is also one of the first fics where I've seen a different (and interesting) explanation of why Purebloods abhor Muggles...

Looking forward to the rest of the story, but for now - would definitely rate this a solid 4/5

<This story is one of the main reasons I'm trying for accidental magic (i.e. overcoming my muggle status on DLP>

 

Following on FFN, left on a cliffhanger! As others have said, the strength of the story is perhaps not in the setup/premise (though it does do a nice job of turning the typical marriage contract cliche on its head) as it seems odd when looked at closely: Harry's motivations for not simply annulling the contract seem valid, but perhaps not suited to his character. Why exactly did his parents set up the contract in the first place? Seems a bit odd.

However, the strength of the story is in the forefront part of it: the interactions between Harry and Daphne, and beginning to explore how they are different people. Interesting bit about how Harry is falling prey to prejudice based on his self-perspective that he is inherently unprejudiced.

4/5 so far. Looking forward to seeing more.

 

I've really enjoyed this fic, and I feel a big part of that is because of what Draxx7 started to point out at the end of his review. It's not just that Harry and Daphne interact well, but its that their interactions explore a deeper idea of identity, politics/culture, and prejudice. While the cliffhanger of course has me wanting to know what's next, it's the exploration of this idea through the course of Harry and Daphne's dates that really has me invested. The idea Republic is exploring has the added intrigue of reflecting something really pertinent in American society, considering how polarized our politics and divided our people have been. Republic incorporates this well, not dragging down the story with it.

Plus, I've appreciated the imagination (the Ciel D'Azur for example) and humor (Neville/Ron) in this story too.

4.5/5 for now. I'm curious how the story continues in WBA. I'm hoping Daphne continues to be a strong character after she wakes up from Harry likely staving off the mercenaries.

 

On of the current stories I'm currently following on FFN. I really like how you took one of the cliché's in fanfiction and gave it an actual interesting twist. And it is also finally a fic in which Harry shows interest in anything Slytherin, while still being friendly with Ron instead of the most used "But she's a snake" or anything like that.

The only thing that I don't really like is how Daphne sometimes talks, Like her saying "I lay with you because I wanted too", I guess thats an old fashioned way of saying it?

4.5/5 for now.

 

As far as marriage contract fics go, this is probably the best one I've ever read. There is a plot, and it doesn't try to avoid the fact that Harry is a guy who wants to settle down, and this is the way to do it. It is a bit OOC, and after the initial bad parts with Harry bringing Daphne to a muggle restaurant, it picked up. The ending will obviously go right where you think it will-- Harry / Daphne. Still, it is a marriage contract fic, and it is still pretty tropey, without much actual imagery.

4/5

 

This is complete, btw. Dark Minion

 

That's a blatand lie. Republic never finishes anything. He is as bad as abandoning everything as Nuhuh and Jon.


[It's not complete on ff.net - and I assume he'll still edit the latest chapter before he publishes it there.]

 

Terrific work there, Rep. Spotted characterizations, plot and culmination. I felt lost in all the pureblood culture, but it's entirely personal. Not much to add, a 5/5 all the way.

 

I liked this a fair bit.

I don't like the premise. I don't like the actions of the parents involved. I don't even like Harry's character that much. I don't like the pureblooded politics, or the perception of muggles from the Greengrass side.

But yet I still enjoyed it despite those things. Maybe because of those things, even? That it took things I didn't like, and did them well enough that I could appreciate them.

I enjoyed their interactions as a whole, when not clashing about the muggle world. I especially enjoyed the bits from Daphne's point of view we saw in the later chapter(s). I enjoyed the slight ambiguity towards Harry's plan and character.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters in this. Ron. Hermione. Neville. Astoria. Even Draco Malfoy.

I had a good time reading it, and kept reading it despite some minor distaste at points. The goal was presumably to take a stupid premise and make it work well enough if you could suspend some disbelief, and it succeeded almost perfectly at that.

4/5. Only realistically not a 5 because of Harry's character and some of the stilted-ness of the politics that I can't fully articulate.

 

One of the best Harry/Daphne and marriage contract stories I've read. Sadly that isn't saying much.

Daphne is consistent as a character and her reasons and motivations are explained very well. She is still a bitch, but that's not detracting from the Story.

Harry on the other hand is unlikeable and his reasoning seemed trivial in the end. I don't care that he is OOC, but I can't tolerate Harry the arse.

It's well written and easy to read. There are no plotholes that I could spot and the worldbuilding enriches the story instead of bogging it down.

4/5.