Her sense of superiority?

 

Did she ever actually lose it?

I mean, personally, I just don't plain like her, though she's fucking fantastic for this story, and I honestly fear that the author will just end up pairing off Harry and Hermione, through some convoluted manner, as his other stories seem to imply he has a thing for H/Hr.

 

I think it's arrogance and desperation at this point. I mean she has made progress by leaps and bounds since she came to Hogwarts - from unknown muggleborn to a skilled magic user and leader of students in her year. That road was presumably full of blocks that she removed, be it obnoxious students, difficult magic, prejudice. Since she overcame all of that succesfully, it's natural for her to believe she can go even further, she only has to find the way forward. Even if it's paved with

Spoiler

dark magic.

As for pairings... I don't care too much one way or another, but I'd prefer no pairings in this story. I think it would detract from the plot.

 

So I just read through this whole thing (I should be studying...) and really like it for the most part. I agree 100% with the Hermione thing, I really like the "friend" dynamic she has with Harry. In some ways she's knows him more than anyone else, but in others she remains completely ignorant. I would be really disappointed if her and Harry got together because it would be totally OOC (imo) and you would lose some of the best character interactions in the story. For that matter, I agree that it would detract from the story if Harry got together with anyone long term, but I'll admit that that is my point of view for most of what I read/watch (not just fanfics).

But in general the biggest thing that came to mind when re-reading this from the beginning is the moral standing of Snape. On one hand he (like Dumbledore in canon) is doing whatever it takes to defeat Voldemort who is undoubtedly the biggest evil. But on the other hand he's indirectly tortured Harry, he killed Hermione's parents on pretty much a whim and admitted as such, and ruined students minds (especially Justin). I think when Harry inevitably figures all this shit out he would try to kill him, which given all the horrible shit Snape has done, that wouldn't be a bad thing.

Thoughts on Snape?

 

Is it really a given fact that Harry would side against Voldemort? We only see Voldemort in the story once, and so far, he seems to be a reasonable person.

If Harry learns the full extent of what Snape and (presumably) Dumbledore inflicted on him, then Voldemort would easily be the better option. There is something poetic about this choice, he is going to ally with the very person he was created as a weapon against. Of course, he could always work to take both sides down, which seems to be the direction the story's going. Either way, I somehow doubt there is going to a happy ending for Snape and co.

 

I mean Voldemort killed his parents so I don't think they'll be too chummy. Also, Harry isn't pure-blood nor does he even somewhat support that ideology.

 

Voldemort is a different person, now. Snape, on the otherhand, is not. That said, Harry doesn't know Voldemort is a different person.

It would be interesting to see Harry not side against Voldemort, even if it was only for a few chapters - Harry could learn quite a bit.

That said, I think the characterizations of Snape and Dumbledore are amazing.

Hermione, on the other hand... I don't think a Harry/Hermione would work out at all. They are too competitive, too different. They work with each other because it gives them a mutual advantage, not because they "like" each other.

That said, I doubt I'm the only one that feels the last few chapters have been a bit too harsh on Harry. Any normal person would have snapped by now. Wish the author would just get the actual inevitable "snapping" over with, without turning it into some H/Hr fluff, rather than spending chapter upon chapter building angst.

 

Is he though? The only thing we know with certainty is that he seems to be saner.

 

He certainly seems saner than Snape. Snape put the Dursleys under the imperius to physically assault him for thirteen years and killed Hermione's parents on a whim. Voldemort killed Harry's parents for reasons quite simple to understand, Snape and Dumbledore fucked up Harry's childhood because they thought it would make him a better weapon. If Voldemort gave Harry a genuine choice and a chance at revenge against Snape, it is hardly inconceivable that Harry would agree to work with him. Of course, there would still be the shadow of that Halloween night and the prophecy on their heads, so any true partnership is difficult to imagine. But a temporary one? Why not?

Agree with this. Harry should snap sooner rather than later. Also, do not want H/Hr. Hell, I don't even want true friendship between them. They are too different for anything other than a mutually beneficial partnership. A romance would be forced and awkward. No pairings for this story please.

They are surprisingly awesome. I generally dislike ultra-manipulative headmasters, but I love their mysterious conversations at the end.

The author should work on the character voices of Dobby and Luna. They don't sound like themselves. At all.

 

I think the story has hit it's stride again. There were a few chapters in the middle of the story that were a bit meh but, I'm enjoying reading about Harry losing it.

 

Amazing chapter update.


I would think Harry would feel more apathetic or defiant against the Tournament at this point. He would realize that the rush he gets when he goes to battle is simply the result of him being forged into a weapon. Like an addictive high.


Harry's only remaining qualm with leaving Hogwarts is the fact that there is no place for him to go to. But if Voldemort offers him a place... (which is a very real possibility - he stated he does not know what to do with Harry, now)


By the same logic, Harry could stay at Hogwarts if he knows Voldemort is back. Still, I see that less likely than him joining a "reasonable" Voldemort - why should Harry fight for people that don't truly care for him?


Harry has no "friends" left at Hogwarts, really. Tracey is the closest thing he has to a friend, but does not have enough emotional pull to keep him at Hogwarts. Cedric is more of an acquaintance. And Hermione, at best, is a rival he consorts with for mutual academic benefit. I truly doubt that any support that Hermione might offer Harry will be sincere, if she ever does offer any - it would be out of character otherwise.


I really look forward to seeing what happens.

 

I must say I feel really sorry for Harry. No one other than Tracey really gives a fuck about him. I was hoping he would snap rather than fall into a depression, but this works too. He has to gain his mojo back though, as much as I sympathize with Harry's plight in this fic, I would probably feel like strangling him if he keeps wallowing in self-pity for the next five chapters.

This is interesting. I hope he makes Harry a genuine and intelligent offer, not the "join or die" option he gave Harry in canon. An intelligent man should offer an intelligent sell. Harry is quite desperate for escape at this point. I doubt we will get Death-Eater!Harry, but greying of lines always makes things more interesting.

Voldemort is coming. This should be very good.

 

You make a good point here.

Fortunately, this is one of the few fics in which Harry's self pity is actually deserved. I would like to see that self turn into a thirst for revenge and power.

He and the newly-defined Voldemort would make amazing comrades.

About Tracey - I think Tracey cares about him, but she cares about who he used to be, if that makes sense. Harry is a different person than he was when he met Tracey at the manor. Furthermore, Snape and the others are exploiting him emotionally via Tracey - she is becoming an emotional liability for him, putting her own safety at risk.

It will be interesting to see if Harry will realize that.

If Voldemort shows Harry the web of manipulations though... the web of manipulations that stretches across countries, with him at the center... it will be good to see what happens.

EDIT: On another note - why is this story labeled "Romance"?

 

I don't think so. Partners? Yes. Comrades? With the prophecy, the murder of Harry's parents and thirteen years as a wraith? That would be quite difficult.

Either way, I would love to see this entire web of manipulations trap those who weaved it. Thirteen years of preparation, ruined. That would be beautiful. Of course, Snape and co. would probably have a back up plan. Several back-up plans, in fact. Snape, after all, does know Harry's deepest and darkest secrets and weaknesses. I'd be disappointed if he goes down without a fight.

Interesting viewpoint. I don't quite agree with it, although Harry's relationship with Hermione has definitely affected his friendship with Tracey. Plus, Tracey seems to like Harry romantically, something he cannot return. It would be a shame if they stop being friends, I like Tracey. Harry must have at least one true friend, it would be really sad otherwise.

Have Snape and Dumbledore talked much about Tracey? They (and the story in general) seems more focused on Hermione to me.

Gah. If this story turns out to be a H/Hr "True Love" story at any point, with love and forgiveness to everyone, I swear I would lose faith in fanfiction forever. I really, really hope that's a mistake; the plot of this story is amazing and the intrigue its biggest selling point, romance would only bring it down. There are stories suited to romance, this story is blatantly not one of them.

 

Yeah, that makes more sense! Voldemort isn't the type to have "friends" or comrades, but I can see a mutually beneficial partnership between the two - Voldemort helps Harry pierce through the web of lies, and he gains the partnership of one of the most powerful wizards in decades.

That would actually be hilarious. The very weapon that took 13 years to make is turned against them, by the very person that the weapon was intended to be used against.

However, Snape is very trigger-happy with mind-magic. Voldemort would have to find a more covert way of turning him, or something.

I wonder where the Chamber of Secrets dream plays into all of this.

I believe Snape and Dumbledore were fine with Tracey and against Hermione. They didn't want Harry consorting with Hermione for a long time, and take the place of Tracey.
Then again, Snape later mentioned how Harry should not trust anyone, as trust could be a weakness.

Or maybe a Draco/Tracey/Hermione/Harry love quadrangle! Right? Anyone? Hello?


On another note, I'm not sure how I feel about Hermione undergoing rituals. She's already plenty smart to make up for it. If the author is angling this towards romance by making Hermione and Harry "equal" in terms of power etc as so many terrible fanfics have done before, I'm not sure what I'll do.

That said, I don't see this happening any time soon. At the moment, Cedric has far more affection for Hermione than Harry - as it should be.



EDIT: And why is Hermione more in the moral grey area here? Harry's the one that almost killed someone, Harry's the one with the most screwed up life, yet he refrains from doing Legellimency while Hermione is doing dark rituals?

 

This latest chapter is kinda disappointing. Harry has subpar performance and reasoning throughout the chapter. Previously absent savior-guilt complex crushes his reasoning. Hermione kicks ass because of a power ritual Harry didn't do. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang somehow manage to provide a challenge to a battle school. Harry happens to be the only one on the team with the same blood type as Hermione. I hope it's not going where I think it is.

To be honest, this chapter wasn't much of a fun read - even the battle scenes.

 

We can all hope all we want, but look at his other stories, it's nothing but Harry/Hermione without fail. Even this story is listed as "Adventure/Romance" and the characters listed there are Harry, Hermione and Snape. Now unless one of them pops it off with a man literally uglier than a gargoyle, chances are more than fair, sad to say, that it's gonna be H/Hr. Ugh.

But yeah, the last chapter was disappointing. Not only does it give off the impression that despite Hogwarts getting turned into boot camp does shit all when other schools come to visit, schools that aren't nowhere near, or so the story gives that impression, battle magic and tactics oriented, they're still apparently not quite up to par with the rest, Harry's 'I must save everyone' still pops up. I don't know.

Here's hoping the next update is significantly better, in terms of Harry's characterization.

 

This sums up my thoughts. The whole concept was that Hogwarts is now radically different and totally focused on battle and war. But somehow the other two schools, which two best Canon Students (Fleur and Krum) would have lost against Canon Harry, are at least on par, if not better than the Hogwarts students.

 

The fact that the other schools are half decent makes it interesting. Having Hogwarts just stomp everything would be completely uninteresting. It's an AU anyway where everyone seems more competent, I see no reason why that wouldn't include the other schools.

Besides, Harry even notes that each schools have their specialties.


I loved this chapter to be entirely honest, even if Hermione's tattoo proved to be underwhelming.

 

Woof, forgot my password to this place. I responded to xvector in a PM on fanfiction, but thought I could give some justification in the set-up for the most recent chapter. I'll just copy and paste it below.

To be fair, Hogwarts did better in almost every battle scenario despite being outnumbered each time.

Consider Roger's group - six versus all thirteen of Durmstrang's Champions + four Beauxbatons Champions. Despite Durmstrang being in the advantageous defensive position, Hogwarts still whittled their numbers down to five. Eight Durmstrang + four Beauxbatons taken out by six Hogwarts students. Those are impressive numbers regardless.

Even Hermione's group, outnumbered eight to four with the weaker spectrum of the Hogwarts Champions facing them (despite Hermione's sudden prowess), wiped them out.

I think that Durmstrang and Beauxbatons are allowed to have strong students of their own. Even Harry, the best of them all, was caught off-guard by Krum's expertise in Transfiguration. It's a branch of magic that Harry was not nearly well versed upon and highlights a potential weakness in Hogwart's curriculum.

As for Harry's savior complex, though it is not as present as it is in canon, it is still there. The most obvious parallel would be Chapter 11 where Harry offers his hand to Justin to lift him up while Justin is dangling on a ledge. Despite the dangers it might present, Harry still offered to help him. Other examples would be saving Luna in Chapter 7, saving Tracey in Chapter 22, and even saving Hermione in Chapter 36 when he could have just retrieved the Golden Egg. Each scenario had different motives, but I think I have established that Harry still has the smallest bit of his savior complex.

As for Hermione's sudden increase in power, I can only refer you to Flamel's lesson in Chapter 35. All magic has a cost, especially Dark Magic.