Well, just started the 3rd book.

At least a 3/5 imo, possibly a 4, with the work steadily getting better over time - with the occasional massive nosedive where it becomes actually hard to read...

Spoiler

Snape making Harry a "pariah" was just about the stupidest thing I've ever read. And then the justification for it.....

Also, as a pet peeve, I am a competitive Chess player and reading people talk about Chess when they don't know anything about it is painful. Especially any attempt (like Snape/Harry's convo) to use Chess as a way to tackle real life problems.

As it happens Chess CAN be a useful tool for a wizard IMO, but only in that the rigorous study and memorization involved are comparable to the learning methods you'd have to use to get good at Magic. Actual chess strategy and tactics have no application in real life (admittedly, I have never bothered to read Kasparov's How Life Imitates Chess).

 

Oh my God this story just got weird. For some reason there has been a dedicated and long term focus on Harry's sexuality, and he is blindly homophobic, although the story endlessly leans towards suggesting he is gay. And then the author does something to make it clear he's not gay, implying he might be asexual... All stuff that adds absolutely NOTHING to the story.

But what has really disturbed me into closing this fic forever, is Chapter 9 of the 4th book in which Draco is caught FUCKING someone pollyjuiced to be Harry Potter. Harry is actually fine with this and hardly finds it that weird.

?????

Also, the Headmistress of Salem has been introduced into the story because Reasons, and she is privately tutoring Harry at Hogwarts to get him up to scratch with how things are done in America, because reasons. And she calls everyone in Europe "Old Worlders" and basically scoffs at everything happening because: USA! USA! USA! I'm guessing the author is an American with a lot of national pride and very little historical or contemporary knowledge about discrimination in the USA.

Yeah I'm done.