Title: The Boy Who Dreamed
Author: justcallmefaye
Rating: K+
Genre: Not sure... Drama?
Status: Finished
Library Category: General or The Alternates
Pairings: None
Summary: Harry often thought that Hogwarts was too good to be true...and maybe it was. An AU epilogue of DH, if you will.
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7400385/1/The_Boy_Who_Dreamed

4/5 from me. I liked it better than the original epilogue of the series.

 

If someone explained the premise to me, I'd assume it'd be shit. But I really enjoyed this.

4/5

 

This reminds me of like Awakened Sleeper, but instead of Awakened Sleeper used the "all in your head" to be good and further the story. This just uses the "all in your head" to be shit.

1/5

 

I'm inclined to believe it was brain damage from losing the Horcrux that drove Harry insane, and for the duration of the story he's rolling around in Saint Mungos.

1/5, hated it

 

Gets it wrong right off the bat. Complete massacre of a very interesting and underused plot device.

I do like the ending which has the right idea, but the way the main story works was no good.

 

That would have been a good ending, saving the story.


Still, as I read it, I liked the whole. Yet, at the same time, I felt like there was something missing. I would have given it 3.25/5 yet SmileOfTheKill mentioned "Awaken Sleeper" and that reminded me of a few Sentry issues, and I realized that this is worse than I thought.

So a 2.5/5.

Spoiler

and then it reminded me the mark of the weeding ring that helped him remember, and that reminded me of Sherlock Holmes movie and that reminded me that I'm yet to see the second new one, and that reminded that I probably should when I find time, and with that resolution I realized that writing this wouldn't make sense as it didn't lead to any Harry Potter related issues, and that helped me focus back on the subject of realizing that it was quite bad it that regard. So I moved these thoughts down here. And maybe expanded them even more. Still, I give this fic Weasley and the explanation for quidditch. Awaken sleeper should steal that and make Harry doubt himself more. (A broom using janitor Ronald, but probably not a Weasley. ;D) And now I'll probably go and reread a few chapters of awaken sleeper.

 

Totally average in every way.

 

So, far, the only good this story has done to me is it got me reading "Awaken Sleeper" again.

 

To be fair, that is quite a positive.

 

I actually thought it was quite a decent one-shot. Wouldn't make a good longer story, but I thought it was succinct and read nicely. The idea of incorporating the custodian as Ron was a nice touch as well. I'd say 4/5

 

As a one-shot the only thing it had was the 'it was all a dream' mechanic. Such a horrible cliche to begin with. However, there were smaller touches in there that redeemed it quite well.

Not sure exactly what to rate it. Average story, good ending. 3.5 won't do, but I don't feel right with a 4. So...

3/5.

 

The execution was pretty decent towards the end and I liked reading it, but the whole premise was quite meh, and I honestly don't see myself reading this story ever again, which is why I can't really rate this higher.

2/5

 

I thought it was very good, and I'm not sure I see what Andro means when he says it was killed early for him. If you mean it jumped into the AU too abruptly I might agree, but I don't have a problem when a one-shot gets down to business quickly.

I could see the explain of Hermione and it was really well done, but the most inspired part was Ron's. It makes almost perfect sense, and actually is what puts this story up there for me. My only nitpick is that I don't think Harry would want to have dinner with Ron's family when he'd essentially be a side-show in that situation.


4/5 from me, and probably the only magic-isn't-real story that didn't make me die a little on the inside.

 

I don't like that it tried for a "there's magic in real life if you know where to look" kind of ending when Harry's life is beyond fucked up. You show me a 21 year old with no job, money, or education beyond 5th grade that has a decent life and then tell me there's magic in the world.

Also, Hermione's delivery of the news is a little odd. Especially when she tries to inject some humor into it with her comment about being shrill, moments after telling him that the world he has lived in for 7 years has all been in his head. It was probably very reassuring.

1/5 for legibility.

 

IMHO, the plot was a let-down. It could be expanded, perhaps, by replacing the idea that HP fantasy wasn't the entirety of the Wizarding World, but a simple idea - that HP was not a squib. As in, he knew about magic, which was real, but due to more relevant psychological trauma, falls into a coma, and imagines what life would be if he actually had magic. HP would need different guardians for this to work, but it's possible to improve the ending. Probably.

Anyhow, I liked the writing style, and all that. Gotta agree with Churchey about Hermione (and the rest), but it was, on the whole, a pretty good read. Apart from the ending, that is.

 

So what you're saying is, this has some real potential if you gut the actual plot arc and sub in something completely ass-backwards from its original intent.

Got it.

 

More or less, yeah. Didn't mean to come across as such, though - I do like the fic as it is, after all.

To rephrase - I just had an idea 'bout how the plot could be twisted and stretched until it becomes completely ass-backwards from its original intent, but gives more content. Dunno if it'll work, but I figured I might as well throw it in.

Thanks for the correction.

 

The last part of the story was great, the rest was solid.

Nevertheless the a/n ruined it. 3/5

 

I remember reading it a bit ago when it was linked on IRC and I think it's rather mediocre, but it's still good. It is written in a nice way without drawing out the simple idea poorly.

3.5.5 rounded up.

 

I found this story to be well written. However, the plot in and of itself sucked. 1/5