Just finished the newest chapter and I'm a little conflicted. I'd forgotten the plot of Flowers for Algernon until I failed to find it in the storage area under the seat in our built-in bookcases, then had to Google it. Very good story from what memories are now jogged, so for scaryisntit, I'd take some time and give it a shot if I were you.

The chapter I expected to be pretty humorous and light-hearted, and when I finished it I was more sad than anything else.

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Padma has lost most everything, possibly including her will to live, and it's clear she blames Harry a tiny bit (although I could be misreading her despair and self-loathing). No one else knows what truly happened, and so most are blaming Harry completely, including Parvati. I think JBern did a great job of mixing humor with the sadness, and Harry's raging against "the powers" at the end was a nice touch.

I suppose one of the more pleasant surprises from this chapter was it's being completely different from canon OotP or just about any fifth-year fanfic I've seen, in that

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there was no trip to the DoM, Sirius lives but not in the cliched ways, and Harry still has to deal with buckets of guilt and loss.

Looking back, I suppose I/we should have expected a darker year-five installment, since that's what we got in canon, and JBern is retelling canon with the twist of Trelawney "raising" Harry. Plus, chapter 4 was also a little bit dark in the same way canon was, especially with the Pettigrew-possessing-Bertha bit.

I skimmed back through most of the earlier chapters and in each one there are clues to the next or later chapters, like

Spoiler

Padma wanting to "examine" Harry in chapter 4, although it seemed flirty/innocent at the time

and I'm wondering now about any possible significance of the oft-mentioned unicorns, Harry having disarmed Quirrel in chapter 1, and the fact that Ginny is described as "mousy" in chapter 5.

TL;DR The story is much more interesting and a lot more fun to read than anyone - especially me - would've given it credit for back when chapter 1 came out. Chapter 5 was a few grammar or tense errors away from being 5/5, and the story itself is at least a 4/5.

 

I prefer this story to some of Bernie's others. It moves quickly, doesn't take itself seriously, and yet allows for some really crappy things to happen to folks. Above average.

3.5/5

 

I balked at the idea of Harry raised by Trelawney, but due to having read his other work, I gave it a go. I'm glad I did; its bloody hilarious! I give it a well earned 4.5/5.

 

I really liked the story at first. I still like the story, but the latest few chapters just rubbed my a tad wrong. In the first few chapters, the story was obviously geared toward a humorous setting alone, and that was great. I laughed out loud at some parts. In the latest few chapters, jbern made a pretty big shift to making his fic darker and more serious. I just don't think that the serious stuff that's happening fits all that well into the fic.

 

Great twist on the usual AU plots. Divination is definitely unexplored. You seem pretty original and fresh, jbern. I think you'll go far as an author.