Wisdoms’s Mountain, DreamRed ~ Thank you for comments on the writing. I am glad you liked the writing in general. Yes, The Binding is a major exercise in avoiding cliché’s. Hell, I even touched and dropped the poisonous snake familiar cliché just as a lark Wonder if you guys noticed it?

The style of that story is inappropriate for this one, though I intend to cover the entirety of conflict in that story, it is still more or less the length of seven years, with this new idea it is several decades.

On subject of Grindelwald, anytime I have seen him done, he has either been in Hogwarts or somewhere in Germany vaguely. So I can use either placing, but in the end it is him as a dark lord threatening the world which I want to capture, but for now he is as many sub foundations in this story amorphous. But I agree with DreamRed’s thoughts that having Grindelwald outside would keep everything from being associated with Hogwarts. There are already enough connections.

The ministry has to go, at some point in the time line it will be destroyed, taken over than destroyed, either way put out of commission. It is very important for a new social order that the ministry ceases to exist.

I think Wisdom’s Mountain answered that fairly well. I will be trying to equate their need to stick together in the castle to their survival. If out of loyalty to their families outside of the castle they show themselves, they will putting themselves in danger and their families. With enough time gone by when they are the self proclaimed ‘guardians’ of the castle it will also breed pride and a sense that the expelled houses and wizards and witches taught outside the castle are magically inferior. And no, there will be more depth to the houses than just being loyal, brave, bright and sly.

Ah, I definitely do not want to do this. Dumbledore went to school somewhere around the 1860’s (quick math). Voldemort went to school in the 1940s.

On your other concerns about Gryffindor character, I am not trying to make Gryffindors noble. But they will be under Dumbeldore’s control via McGonagall, and he will not let them become as offensive as the other schools. Dimension Travel Harry showing up and his attitudes will definitely question the status quo established by the Order within the Gryffindors.

Secondly, I think I mentioned this in my initial post that the houses will be enemies, but there will be some cooperation amongst them as well. Now the militant ravens will not be cooperative, but in the initial expulsion there will always be those who weren’t originally Gryffindor but since it becomes the only surviving outside school which is not offensive they will join under a leadership which is de facto Gryffindor.

Now, I think it’s probably best to write the story, instead of answering all the very good questions. Otherwise, why would you read it

But all these questions do keep me wise to the potential problems, so I do appreciate it and frankly need it. I don’t know if I can manage it, but I will try and write two or three versions of the first chapter, starting the story in different points of time or maybe different points of view. I’ll post it in the WBA forum. Have a little break because of the holidays so I might be able to pull this off. Thanks again.

 

What about having Gryffindor severly weakened when Harry comes?

It'd give a lot more plot to your story. Say Dumbledore and McGonagall are killed, incapacitated, or badly injured. Gryffindor's a dying house. It's being ripped to shreds by the others like wolves approaching a sick lamb. You could even say that Dumbledore's absolute determinance to abstain from doing "dark" arts hurt Gryffindor badly. So along comes Harry to save Gryffindor and lead it to glory and greatness.

Or you could have Harry come from no house at all. Heir of the Founders, Dumbledore betrayed him before, or he got sent to Azkaban and all that jazz. The foundation's very weak due to the potential of cliches. But imagine how the story comes out. Harry's a very powerful wizard, and the four elite ruling clans of Britain are courting him. (In a conflict he wants to stay out of?)

 

Nice. Looking forwards to seeing how you're going to tackle it