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zelda_queenZeldaQueen: Hey folks, I'm really sorry about how boring this all has been. It's just...there is nothing to work with! This chapter is just more boredom, so I sent off Leah and Zyn for a bit of a break. Strap in, y'all!
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
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Chapter 26: Semper Fidelus (Part 1)
"I'm so sorry, Holly," Sirius put in as he finished his tale, silvery-blue eyes shiny with moisture. "You'll never know how truly sorry I am. I should've never trusted Peter." He exhaled wearily, obviously waiting for a response of some kind.
ZeldaQueen: *blinks*
*blinks again*
...
WHAT THE EVER-LOVING HELL, SUETHOR???
ZeldaQueen: I mean...did I imagine that? Am I nuts? Did the suethor not only spoil the epic plot twist from the canon climax, but also completely skip over telling us what it was?
I mean, we haven't been told who "Peter" even is! I'm not even entirely sure we are told! What is that? WHAT IS THAT??? Lord knows I hate it when suethors write a retelling of the story and slavishly follow canon, but for the love of God, if you're doing that, AT LEAST TAKE THE TIME TO TELL US THE STORY AND NOT JUST SKIM OVER IT!!!!
I... that just infuriates me, ladies and gentlemen. I don't know what to say. The suethor is fine with spending paragraphs upon paragraphs about Holly smirking at Fudge or threatening Lockhart or angsting over her bruises or staring at Sirius, but can't be bothered to devote five sentences to the actual frigging plot.
Let's just move on. Its too early in the sporking for this
Nearby, Tom was blank-faced. His eyes merely flickered back and forth between Holly and the Animagus as he quietly listened. He was suspicious of Sirius and still undecided about the truthfulness of the man's story. However, he trusted his own Mind Magic and Holly's, both of which were urging them to not be so hasty in passing judgment.
ZeldaQueen: Okay suethor, stop it. We know Sirius is a good guy. We read the book. STOP TRYING TO CREATE CHEAP DRAMA BY TRYING TO KEEP US GUESSING!!!
Sorry for that. But... that's exactly what Stephenie Meyer did! Bree Tanner? Hello? I hate that! Find suspense somewhere else!
Similarly, the girl remained silent. She stared into the distance, absorbing the information she had just been told and processing it carefully. Something in her urged Holly to believe Sirius, to trust him, and her instincts hadn't led her astray yet. But she wasn't quite sure what to say to the man. Truthfully, Holly was far too shocked by what she had just learned to form a coherent reply.
ZeldaQueen: A shocking revelation that we already know since we read the book, and thus it just makes the suethor look too lazy to actually explain it.
And she just can't form a "coherent reply" because she's dumb as a sack of bricks
Her parents, Lily and James, had been betrayed by someone they had trusted, by their friend. They had thought that the traitor was someone else… was Remus, though Holly couldn't fathom why they would think that. Her parents had wanted Sirius to be their Secret Keeper, but he had them choose differently. He had told them that it was the ultimate bluff, a feint to throw off Voldemort and his followers. Everyone would assume that Sirius was the Secret Keeper and would go after him, while the real one remained safely concealed.
ZeldaQueen: *blinks a few more times*
*huddles over and starts weeping*
I honestly have no idea what's worse. She's still skimming over stuff which ought to be vital to the plot! And once again, the author is trying to create "shocking" plot twists by using the same storyline, but switching names.
Why would they think Lupin was a traitor? He was always loyal to his friends! They were the few friends he ever had! Sirius was the one from a Dark wizarding family who kept trying to get him to accept Pureblood supremecy! He was the one who was originally Secret Keeper until it switched to Pettigrew! Lupin was never in that decision at all, God suethor make sense!!!
It was the perfect plan but with only one small glitch. While the Fidelius charm was powerful protection magic, it could still fail.
ZeldaQueen: Much like this fanfic
After all, it was only as strong as the Secret Keeper's will.
ZeldaQueen: And all of these dopplegangers have the spines of a worm
It was ironic, really. Her parents had changed Secret Keepers to the very man who would be their doom.
ZeldaQueen: Oh God, YES WE KNOW, SUETHOR! DON'T EXPLAIN THE TWIST!
And to think, she had discussed this very spell with Professor Flitwick. In fact, it had been the reason she had first sought him out.
ZeldaQueen: What?
When did she do this? Am I missing something here?
Actually, even if she did, how would she know about it? Harry didn't even know about that spell until midway through this book!
Fate had a way of coming full circle. As it had now with Sirius.
"I'm sorry, Holly," the Animagus repeated, now standing in front of her. "After Hagrid took you from me, I didn't know what else to do. Peter was still out there. He was a danger to you, and no one else knew it." Sirius gazed at Holly, willing her to look back at him. "He knew where Petunia lived. He could show up at any time… so I went after him. I hunted him down, but he tricked me."
ZeldaQueen: Yes, let's make this all about the Sue! Never mind the fact that Sirius's best friends were dead and he wanted to avenge them in a morally dubious manner. Nope, he was just being a sweet guardian angel to protect dear little Holly. How the hell would Pettigrew know where Petunia lived, anyway? Lily never met with her sister when they were adults. Petunia hated associating with wizards. They never would have met!
His face took on a far away look as his mind slipped into memory. Holly finally glanced up at him, while Tom merely listened off to the side.
ZeldaQueen: Pointlessness, ahoy!
"When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed Lily and James," Sirius said softly, his tone full of suppressed emotion. "Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back. Killed everyone within twenty feet of himself… and then sped down the sewer with the other rats." The man sighed heavily. "He cut off his finger just before and left it so that everyone would think that I killed him… that I killed them all."
ZeldaQueen: I'm going to kill all of you! Seriously, there was no build-up to this! No establishing of the emotional connections between the characters! Legolas by laura had more emotions!
He trembled then, faintly at first, but it only seemed to grow. His hands shook, despite his best efforts to rein them in. But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't stop shaking.
ZeldaQueen: Sirius seems to have been hitting the bottle a little too much. He's got the DTs
"I didn't do it," he whispered, even as he trembled. "I was always loyal to your parents. I never betrayed James and Lily. I'd have died before I betrayed them." He sniffed, eyes very bright. "Please, believe me."
ZeldaQueen: *sighs* Of course she will. She can read minds, but she's also a Mary Sue and thus has that uncanny ability to tell what characters are Good and Bad, otherwise known as "The Suethor Read Ahead"
Holly simply looked at him, reaching out with her mind. She gently ghosted his thoughts, which were clouded and shielded. Still, she didn't detect any lies or deceit. The girl only found absolute sincerity. She had been right about him earlier.
ZeldaQueen: STOP READING PEOPLE'S MINDS WITHOUT PERMISSION!!! Seriously, we need a fic where Xavier and Jean Grey beat her skinny butt up for all of this rude behavior!
Sirius didn't want to harm her at all. He was telling the truth.
ZeldaQueen: The suethor already had him completely whipped
Holly pulled her mind away a moment later, nodding slowly. "I believe you." She smiled at him, and he returned it.
ZeldaQueen: It wasn't the right size or color. Good thing he kept the receipt
"Thank you," Sirius croaked. He reached for her hand, grasping it within his own rough one, and he moved to sit down next to her.
Tom continued to watch from the side, and a strange emotion surged through him, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
ZeldaQueen: Now, now, it's perfectly normal for teenage boys to starting having urges...
He was sceptical, but Holly seemed to truly believe the Animagus. Tom knew he could trust her judgement, but still, he had several questions that needed to be answered.
The teenager rubbed his hand over his chin thoughtfully. "Why didn't all this come out at your trial?" Tom asked after a moment, and the other two glanced at him.
ZeldaQueen: Oh great, here we go
At Sirius' pained expression, Holly inserted, "Wait. Let me guess. You didn't have a trial." She gave his hand one final squeeze before releasing it.
ZeldaQueen: (Suethor) "CANON HARRY COULDN'T GUESS THAT! HE HAD TO BE TOLD!!! ISN'T MY MARY SUE JUST SO MUCH CLEVERER AND SYMPATHETIC THAN HIM???"
The man shook his head. "No, why would I? Everyone already knew I was guilty. They knew I was the Secret Keeper, so they just threw me in Azkaban. They didn't even bother to question me with Vertiserum."
ZeldaQueen: Um, yeah, Vertiserum could be tricked.
Although a few points to the suethor - apparently Rowling did say that Sirius offered to take Vertiserum to prove his innocence
"What about Remus?" Tom inquired, folding his arms over his chest. "Couldn't he have helped you? Surely, you told him… or better yet, why wasn't he the Secret Keeper?"
ZeldaQueen: Because they wanted to go with the "weak, talentless" friend, who no one would suspect! Didn't Sirus already tell them this?
Sirius' head swivelled to face the teenager, and he grimaced, rubbing at the crick in his neck. "You know Remus?"
ZeldaQueen: *rolls eyes* Now we get everyone to stare in awe at the Sue for being so kindhearted as to befriend the poor werewolf
His eyes returned to Holly. There was an odd flash of thought in his mind, but it was gone in an instant.
ZeldaQueen: !!! HA HA HA HA HA!!!
The suethor just admitted that it was odd for there to be a "flash of thought" in Sirius's mind! She just admitted that she mentally neutered all of these people!
"But you live with the Dursleys. How could you know him then?"
ZeldaQueen: Gee, it's not like Holly's been to Diagon Alley or other places in the wizarding world
The girl sighed. "I met him in Diagon Alley just before first year, but not many people know that… certainly not the Dursleys." His still confused expression, she elaborated, "I sort of recognised him, and we've been writing ever since."
ZeldaQueen: You know, why isn't anyone wondering how she's able to remember people from when she was one year old? It's not common!
Sirius didn't really know what to say to that, so he remained quiet. Tom, on the other hand, continued his earlier line of thought.
ZeldaQueen: (Riddle) "Duhhh, I like spaceships!"
"From what Holly's said about Remus," the teenager went on, "he seems far more trustworthy than Peter, so why not make him the Secret Keeper instead? You did say he was your friend as well."
ZeldaQueen: Well of course, because we know fuck-all about Peter! Suethor! TELL US STUFF! DON'T JUST ASSUME THAT EVERONE DOES IN FACT KNOW EVERYTHING!!!
On a less ranting note, erm that was kind of the point. Peter was cowardly and shifty. They figured no one would suspect him
The man shifted uneasily, his eyes becoming dull. "Yes, but I also mentioned a traitor. We thought it was him… was Remus," Sirius said with a bizarre hitch in his voice.
ZeldaQueen: And, the suethor completely misses the point yet again. Well done
"Why would you think that?" Holly asked, not really liking where this was going.
ZeldaQueen: I don't like where this is going either. Chances are, it'll be really stupid
The Animagus frowned noticeably, his skin pulled tight on his forehead. A torrent of emotions flashed across his face, going far too fast to be deciphered. His mouth opened and then promptly closed. He seemed to be debating himself about something, but his mind was too chaotic for Holly to determine what.
ZeldaQueen: GET ON WITH IT!
"Why did you think it was him?" she repeated, green eyes glowing.
ZeldaQueen: So...she now has radioactive eyes?
Sirius grimaced but eventually decided that honesty was still the best policy.
ZeldaQueen: Because no one can lie to the Sue
"We thought it was him because…" He hesitated. "You see, Remus… is a werewolf. Has been since before we went to Hogwarts," he added very calmly, like he hadn't just revealed something earth shattering.
ZeldaQueen: She just...she just ruined another plot twist. Just like that...
ZeldaQueen: And why would "he's a werewolf" be a reason for Sirius to think he was a traitor? Sirius would have sooner stuck a knife in his head than entertained that theory!
Tom and Holly both froze.
"A werewolf?" she repeated dazedly. "I…" she trailed off, blinking up at Sirius.
ZeldaQueen: You know, this is way less dramatic than in canon, considering that we were kind of denied the whole bonding and Hermione's dramatic reveal
Unexpectedly, Tom chuckled, and the other two turned to stare at him.
"You've the most unusual friends, Holly. I mean, first an escaped criminal and now a werewolf, not to mention the rest of us." He snickered to himself, actually sounding amused. "It's like the more peculiar the person, the more likely you are to befriend them." He continued to laugh for several more minutes.
ZeldaQueen: Yes, thank you suethor. Funny how canon didn't see fit to make a speech about how strange Harry's friends all were, just to make him look special
Holly blinked again, coming out of her daze. "Well… I suppose you're right," she conceded, thinking of her other unusual friends.
ZeldaQueen: Oh shut up!
There was Blaise, child of a supposed Black Widow, and Draco, a Death Eater's son. Plus, let her not forget Luna, a Mind Mage. Of course, there was Tom himself, who was an alternate version of Lord Voldemort. Now that Holly thought about her situation, she did find it rather amusing, too.
ZeldaQueen: Isn't she just super special? GAG ME!
Sirius merely looked at them, not entirely getting the joke. "So…" he began uncertainly, surprised by how well they seemed to be taking this, "you're not really bothered by it."
ZeldaQueen: Why would she? Wouldn't Sirius be disappointed if his best friend's child was?
"Er… it's a bit of a shock," Holly admitted with a shrug, brain still caught up on her parents to really register what she had learned about Remus, "but not really. He should be safe as long as it's not the full moon, and I assume that he locks himself up then. Plus," she realised a second later, "he's your friend, and you apparently knew and trust him. And besides, he did go to Hogwarts with you. That means Dumbledore also knows."
ZeldaQueen: Hello thar, Rose Potter? How are you doing this fine evening? Good to know the suethor took out any canon nervousness or misgivings, just to make her Sue look all loving and non-prejudice
Tom added ironically, "And if you can't trust Dumbledore, who can you trust? He obviously allowed Remus in school, so he couldn't have been too worried."
ZeldaQueen: Leave Dumbledore alone, you bastard
Truthfully, Tom was only a bit squeamish about the idea of a werewolf as an associate, but people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. He could hardly complain about a Dark creature when he was the Dark Lord. Besides, he was of the school of thought that Dark wasn't evil and a follower of the Old Ways to boot. Both were belief systems that didn't discriminate against lycanthropes.
ZeldaQueen: First of all, suethor? Shut up. Stop trying to make Riddle look sympathetic. It doesn't work, especially while you still have him go on about drugging orphans.
Second of all, you still don't know what "Dark" means in the Harry Potter canon. This isn't Fire Emblem. Dark wizards and witches are ones that like to torture, control, and kill people!
Third of all, what is this obsession with "the Old Ways"? Have you been talking with Disobedience Writer or something?
Last of all, "didn't discriminate against lycanthropes" my ass. Voldemort used them as pawns, like the Dementors. Don't you remember how book seven was careful to point out that Fenrir Greyback was never considered a "true" Death Eater and wasn't considered good enough for their mark, even though he kidnapped and killed for them?
"Dumbledore does know," Sirius stated in his somewhat croaky and disused voice. "We did trust him… mostly. It's just that-" He shook his head. "We knew someone close to the Potters was leaking information, and it wasn't me. So that only really left two others after Lily's best friend died. It simply never occurred to us that it could be Peter; he just didn't seem the type. When we were in school, he practically hero-worshipped James and me."
ZeldaQueen: I still don't understand this. The reason they knew it wasn't Remus in canon was because he didn't know. The only people who knew who the real Secret Keeper was, was Lily, James, Sirius, and Peter! Sirius would have known that the traitor was Peter because he was the Secret Keeper and thus he was the only one who possibly could have betrayed their location!
The man's eyes dulled completely, and he ran a tired hand over his face. A moment ticked by and then another, but he didn't add anything else. Holly was about to interrupted the silence when he finally spoke again.
ZeldaQueen: And the purpose of that paragraph was...?
"Remus," Sirius stumbled over the name, "just seemed more likely, and not only because he was a werewolf. He was smart, the top student in our class, and rather sneaky when he needed to be – first rate Slytherin material at times."
ZeldaQueen: NO HE WASN'T!
*blinks* Sorry about that, folks. It's just...I hate how the suethor makes it like the non-Slytherin characters she likes could have been good for Slytherin. Lupin would never have been a good Slytherin. You know why? Phineas Black says in the fifth book, "We Slytherins are brave yes, but not stupid. Given the chance, we choose to save our own necks". In other words, they look out for themselves. Lupin always looked out for his friends. That's how he and Tonks died - they chose to fight in the final battle, even though they had just had a baby and could have stayed out of the fight.
And why would Lupin being smart mean he would be likely as a traitor? Peter joined Voldemort because he was a spineless idiot. Lupin and Sirius even point out that it was stupid to betray them. Remember? "You should have known that if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would". Even if Lupin was willing to betray his friends, if he was smart he ought to have figured that the others would come after him for it!
Tom and Holly raised eyebrows at this, but he didn't seem to notice.
ZeldaQueen: (Sue) "A-wah wah wahh? Someone has Slytherin qualities and you think that they're bad? How could you?"
"I guess he had to be to keep everyone from finding out about his condition," the man said very calmly, as though talking about nothing more important than the weather.
ZeldaQueen: Stop making out like it's so impressive that Sirius is going on about Lupin's lycanthropy! He's known about it for years. Why wouldn't he be calm about it?
Still, Holly had the distinct impression that even remembering this was very painful. There was something about Sirius' thoughts that puzzled her, though she couldn't quite figure out what it was. Regardless, the girl continued to listen intently.
ZeldaQueen: Maybe it's that Sirius actually has unconditional love for his friends. You know?
Sirius went on, "He was well liked among our group and was in the perfect position for a lot of information about all of us. Then, there was an incident a few months after you were born." He had the slightest hesitation before continuing. "Remus went missing on assignment. Nobody knew what had happened to him. But a week later, he just turned up again. He said that he'd been captured by Death Eaters but had escaped. At first, we believed him. However, several things didn't add up, and he started acting peculiar afterwards. We couldn't really blame him for the last part, but still, something just didn't seem right."
ZeldaQueen: *groans* And the suethor launches into her lame alternate conflict in 3...2...1...
Sirius ran his hand over his face again, rubbing at his temples. He then shook his head and sighed.
"I just… I can't believe we suspected him. I can't believe I suspected him," he added in a faint whisper that Holly barely managed to catch. "He was our friend. We shared a dorm with him for seven years. He was the mastermind of most of our pranks. Circe, we became Animagi for him."
ZeldaQueen: Who's "Circe" and why is Sirius suddenly talking to her?
Holly's head snapped up. "All of you were Animagi? Even my dad?" She paused, thinking it over. "Well, I suppose if both Peter and you were, he was probably one as well."
ZeldaQueen: DIDN'T HE TELL HER THIS BEFORE???
You know, suethor, if you actually explained everything instead of cutting away at vital points, there wouldn't be this much confusion!!!
"A werewolf is only dangerous to humans, so we kept him company as animals. As for James, he turned into a stag," Sirius said, coming out of his funk and smiling vaguely. "That's how he got his nickname Prongs."
ZeldaQueen: Yes, let's just tell the Sue everything. She's clearly too dumb to come to any realizations on her own!
The girl eagerly asked, "Nickname? Did everyone else have one, too?"
ZeldaQueen: Even this! Screw it, I want Harry back!
The man nodded, pleased by how interested she seemed. "Well, I'm Padfoot. And Peter," Sirius growled, all but spiting the name, "is Wormtail."
ZeldaQueen: Kind of loses the drama, you know. In canon, Harry had been using the map and considering them sort of friends before figuring out that his dad was one of them
"What does that make Remus?" Tom asked snidely, rolling his eyes at the names. "The Beast? Howling Avenger?"
ZeldaQueen: What do you want to bet Holly doesn't call him out on being a racist bastard?
And why is Tom Riddle, who was locked away in the fifties, using comic book names?
But it was Holly that answered, shooting him a displeased look. "He's Moony – for the full moon. Moony." She nodded to herself.
ZeldaQueen:...
How does she know this?
No, really. She doesn't have the map yet. She doesn't know all of the nicknames.
I shall repeat that, in larger font, so it might get through the suethor's head.
She doesn't have the map yet. She doesn't know all of the nicknames
This plot isn't that convoluted. I realize that you really want to make your character look super-smart, suethor, but please. For my sanity, for the love of God Almighty, remember what she has and hasn't already learned!!! Just because you know something doesn't mean she does!
GOD!
The older Slytherin snorted. "I think they could've come up with something better than that. It doesn't exactly take a genius to figure out he's a werewolf with that nickname, not to mention the fact that he was always gone around the full moon." Tom tilted his nose in the air. "I honestly don't see why more people didn't work it out."
ZeldaQueen: Is that supposed to be a jab at Harry for not figuring out earlier that Lupin was a werewolf? Because if so, that's rather rotten
Holly couldn't help but agree, but she did have enough tact not to point that out, immediately stifling her snigger and adopting a neutral expression.
ZeldaQueen: And why is that funny? She must be bipolar, swinging between "Oh poor me, I feel so sorry for poor Sirius" to "Ha ha, aren't they stupid idiots who come up with ridiculous nicknames!"
Meanwhile, Sirius shot a glare at the boy, clearly unhappy with what he had just said. The man was about to retort when something finally occurred to him, causing him to stop short.
ZeldaQueen: The suethor didn't want anyone to actually call out Riddle on his horrid behavior. That would imply that Slytherins have faults
"Who are you?" Sirius questioned, eyeing the teenager. He once more noted that Tom was partially transparent, though only barely.
ZeldaQueen: He only is asking this just now?
Holly and Tom shared a subtle glance along with a wordless mental exchange. She raised an eyebrow at him, while he frowned. She nodded, but he made a sharp slashing motion with his hand. Finally, he sighed heavily, and she smirked.
ZeldaQueen: This is painfully stupid.
And I swear, if I see the word "smirked" or "sneered" used one more time...
Sirius simply watched, wondering why it was so hard to answer such a simply question.
ZeldaQueen: I'm wondering the same thing, buddy
"I apologise for not introducing him earlier," Holly finally replied with a faint gleam in her eyes. "This is Tom." Her smirk deepened. "He lives in my diary."
The Animagus blinked. "Er… that's a new one."
ZeldaQueen: (Sirius) "Oh, is that what you kids are calling it these days?"
"It's a long story," Tom inserted before she could say anything else. "A very long story. All you need to know is that I can enter the diary at will and leave it much the same."
ZeldaQueen: So wait, they casually tell Sirius this much, but won't tell Dumbledore or McGonagall, when people are in danger of dying?
Sirius nodded, secretly wondering about Holly's life.
ZeldaQueen: Because everyone is obsessed with the Sue
"So… what do we do now?"
ZeldaQueen: Put your head between your knees and kiss your bum goodbye!
The girl considered the question. "Well, the day after tomorrow the Zabinis are coming to get me.
ZeldaQueen: They're coming to get you, Barbara!
Tom and I will spend the rest of the summer with them."
"Zabinis?"
She explained, "My friend Blaise and his family."
"What about me?" Sirius asked with bated breath. "I mean, I'd like to-"
"Come with us," Holly interrupted. "I'll just have to explain to Blaise after we get there."
ZeldaQueen: (Sue) "I mean, it's not like anyone would actually object to us bringing a smelly escaped convict over to visit!"
Sirius' eyes widened. "No, don't. Don't tell him anything." He shook his head emphatically. "It's too risky."
Tom snorted. "Well, she can't not tell him. That's like asking her not to breathe," he put in with a slight sneer.
ZeldaQueen: You know, he's kind of got a point there.
And I swear, when I'm done with this thing, I'm shoving this entire fic in a Wordle to see how large the word "sneer" is
Holly inclined her head. "True," she allowed. "That's very true."
ZeldaQueen: She just admitted that she's a little narc who can't keep secrets, even if the person they're about desperately doesn't want her to. How lovely
She turned back to the Sirius. "I have to. I know that he won't betray your secret; I trust him with my life. Besides, he can help," she finished.
ZeldaQueen: (Sue) "And if he doesn't, I'll rip his nuts off!"
After a moment, Sirius nodded rather reluctantly, but he remained silent. Truthfully, he wasn't really sure what to say. After all, what could someone in his situation say to make it all right? What should he say? How should he beg her forgiveness for being gone so long? For not being there when she needed him the most?
ZeldaQueen: He was in jail!
And I notice that canon Sirius felt bad about not being there for Harry, but still didn't let the kid walk all over him!
There had to be an answer, something he could say to make it better.
ZeldaQueen: (Sirius) "You're a Sue and this isn't canon" *blasts her*
He just didn't know what.
ZeldaQueen: Because the suethor made him a total idiot
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Onward to: Chapter 26: Semper Fidelius (Part 2)
Back to: Chapter 25: A Sirius Situation (Part 2)
Return to: Table of Contents
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-17 09:59 pm (UTC)I just-- I-- what--
I don't even...
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 02:12 am (UTC)Ahem...anyways, I was thinking about something (namely, digging into the vaults of my brain about HP canon. I really need to re-read the books) when it comes to the 'Girl-Who-Lived' twist on HP. Do any of them turn Neville into a girl too? From the one's I've seen, they don't. Doesn't it kind of ruin everything that comes with the prophecy and everything? How would ANY of them explain that away if Neville isn't a girl too? Just curious.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 02:53 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 03:01 am (UTC)Maybe that's why Halycon stopped 'Rose Potter', didn't he stop at book 5? BWHAHAHAHA. Wonder how this suthor is going to do it? By how condenced she goes through canon, she should be coming onto the prophecy soon. It needs to be brought up. LOL.
(I am aware that many of these suthors wrote their fics before DH came out, but it would be HILARIOUS to see them squirm at this VERY important fact.)
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 03:42 am (UTC)We're probably not getting Holly's year 5 for quite some time. Apparently she's taking a break and won't update until about October.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 03:54 am (UTC)O RLY? Well, I guess in the way the story is written, you could say the prophecy will be coming up soon. I would say 'how much do you want to bet she will skim over the prophecy?' then I realized it's prime way for Holly to angst and I'd lose. So...I guess until October we can all guess on how she's going to ruin it :D. In the first chapter.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 04:24 am (UTC)“It means,” said Dumbledore, “that the person who has the only chance of conquering Lord Voldemort for good was born at the end of July, nearly sixteen years ago. This girl would be born to parents who had already defied Voldemort three times.”
“And I take it I was the only witch born in that month?” I asked, my breathing becoming choked.
Sirius: "You were the only hellspawn. That's for certain."
Gabriel: "For the bloody love of-- just strip Neville of one of his shining moments of revelation, why don't you, you little cuntsmear? Can't have that imperfect boy stepping in on your bloody moment of glory, eh?"
So yeah, she just ignored Neville. How lovely.
Holly will probably get it both ways. The suethor has some uncanny knack for revealing something in the most shallow and boring way possible, and then having Holly angst about it for the sake of angsting.
Still, I almost can't wait. Almost. And in the meantime, we can see how she ruins GOF (the Yule Ball...bloody hell shoot me!) *cracks knuckles*
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 04:40 am (UTC)OH DEAR GOD, NOT THE FREAKING YULE BALL!! NOOO!!!! I hate Sued up Yule Ball. It's just a freaking dance people...
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Date: 2010-08-18 04:53 am (UTC)I read that chapter just now and face palmed. Several times. I really don't want to spoil anything but...in some places, I think dear little Holly gets Sued WORSE than Rose was.
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Date: 2010-08-18 05:03 am (UTC)I hate the Mrs. Weasley bashing (especially in this fic). I would love to have her as an aunt or something (not mom because my mama is full of win in of herself). Who cares if she's a housewife? Hasn't HP taught us not to judge a book by it's cover?
OH DEAR GREAT GODDESS *DIES*
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 05:40 am (UTC)I agree with that. It bugs me when people assume that if someone's a housewife they're useless. I mean, my mom's a stay at home and she's a very strong and smart person! And it was firmly established that the entire Weasley family is quite formidable when it comes to magic.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 04:07 am (UTC)It seems (I'm going off of Mervin's sporking of it, and the prophecy proper seems to have been snipped) that it was specified as being a witch born as the seventh month dies:
“It means,” said Dumbledore, “that the person who has the only chance of conquering Lord Voldemort for good was born at the end of July, nearly sixteen years ago. This girl would be born to parents who had already defied Voldemort three times.”
“And I take it I was the only witch born in that month?” I asked, my breathing becoming choked.
Poor Neville...
Although I have to say that I really like the idea of having a female Harry and, as a result, female Neville, too! Nice little detail.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 04:28 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 04:48 am (UTC)How much you want to bet Halycon read DH and saw Neville get the crowning moment of glory, and got pissed?
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 04:51 am (UTC)Actually, DH in general probably pissed him off.
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Date: 2010-08-18 02:08 pm (UTC)For starters the Deathly Hallows themselves. Now I don't hate this idea, but in making the last book HP and the DH the book gets two half plots instead of a complete one. Our heroes go around stumbling between Horacruxes and Hallows without a clear idea of neither. Worst of all there are times that they are even stuck on limbo since Hallows "are myths so no use looking for them" and "where can we find next horacrux/thing to destroy it with." I believe DH would have worked better as its own book if this series had included one more year.
Parseltongue being a power stated in canon but Rowling just disregards it by having Ron just imitates it. That contradicts the canon, lowers the intensity of the connection between Voldy/Harry. This was a big deal back in CoS, the fact that Voldy gave that power to Harry but here is not a power, it's a language. Also when was the last time Harry spoke Parseltongue in front of Ron? When was the last time Ron actually heard (which is different from listening) Harry's Parseltongue? How many times has Harry spoken Parseltongue in front of Ron? And yes, it matter. I would love to take JKR, tell her something in Spanish and ask her a week later to repeat it perfectly. Even as something to mimic, it still doesn't make sense.
Also, wasn't the CoS caved in in that book. Did JKR forget that?
The raid to the Ministry. Guys, really, there was no other way to get the locket? Couldn't you guys found out Miss Snooty pant's home address lure her outside for a moment or got invited in via polyjuice, have Harry in the invisible cloak stay, wait until she's asleep, take the necklace and get out? What, too safe? And don't tell me he had to go there to free the moogle borns, that was not his original intent but something that happened along the way.
The rules of wand ownership, just the rules of wand ownership. (facepalm) So does this mean that all of Lockhart's wands belong to Snape. He did kick his butt on the dueling club. How come wasn't this in the dueling club? How come "a wand chooses his owner" except when he loses. And again, it was such a big deal when the wand chose Harry because it was the twin of Voldermont's, it was something especial. But with this convenient new rule it looses the power of that scene.
And I could have accepted that rule as an Elderwand rule only, since it would mean that the ambitious wand's mind is very Slythering seeking only the most powerful master and thus appealing to Voldy's nature, but no it's all wands. They are fickle sticks like that.
And I will explode if I go on to describe the sheer fuckery that to me is the whole locket/cup horocuxes thing. Knowing me I'll end with two full comments minimum. Honestly this book's saving grace, for me, was my dear sweet Neville. He was so awesome that it lowered my hate and head desking to mild dislike with some likes here and there. I could go on, but I won't. This is super long already.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 02:23 pm (UTC)"Also, wasn't the CoS caved in in that book."
Not entirely, no. As far as I recall, part of the one corridor leading up to it collapsed, but Ron was able to dig a hole through it by the time Ginny was rescued. And I remember some mention of the Basilisk crashing into pillars and stuff. Other than that, I think it was mostly intact. I could be mistaken though. I haven't read the books in about forever. ^^;
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Date: 2010-08-18 02:44 pm (UTC)And one of the things I'm willing to give cookies to the book for is the fact that romance doesn't drive the plot. There's plenty to grab onto besides just one thing like in Twilight. There are things that I don't like and like about the series and I don't regret buying those perfect condition hardcovers at $5 each (and they still smell like new and everything, best deal ever since at Borders they sell them for $30).
I don't blame entirely JKR. As the series goes along the editing gets worst and worst. It's like the publishers figured "Why bother since whatever she puts out will sell!" Which is true for the most part. XD
That point I'm willing to revise since I also haven't read it in a while, but from what I remember the tunnel leading to the Basilik was what caved in and they had to escape via phoenix because the way out was closed. I still stand by most of what I've said though.
I'm sorry if I feel very argumentative. It's just that I found a couple of uber fans who believe that every single thing JKR does is glorious and she can do no wrong, not even math. The woman is good, she's great at plot twists, world building and creating interesting minor characters, but she's far from the greatest writer ever. (She's better than Meyer and Noel, but anybody is better than Noel and Meyer XD)
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 03:55 pm (UTC)It's cool, I'm the same way. My mom always gets annoyed when I get passionate over something, because I keep talking about it. That's why she makes a face whenever I even mention Twilight. ^^; But yeah, anyway, they even excused the math? O_o What? Even Rowling herself said that she sucked at the math.
And what did Noel write? Or is that Noel Coward?
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 04:20 pm (UTC)And yes, even the math. I've been stumbling into HP fights everywhere and this series is already over. How do I manage to find some? This isn't even my fandom. XD And I'm so open about it, even posting a good point for every bad one. The series is actually equal in good and bad when I make mental list about it. I can attribute some of the blindness to the bad points to nostalgia and growing up with the series (something I never did) because I have things that I know they suck on some levels, but because I grew up with it I can't help but love (like Power Rangers).
With each book I came in neutral and so I think that in a way it stripped the romanticism some people have with the series. (Which, again, it's not a bad series and surely among the best magical YA novels out there but not very high on that list). It didn't have the fangirl sweetness other series cause in me that lets me slide certain aspects. XD
And my best friend makes a face too when somebody mentions Twilight being good around me. I have no problem with lulz fans (in fact I love them and envy them because I prefer laughing at stuff that hating on it) but the fans that say this is the best series out there? Bitch, please! I think the only have decent thing about this series is Fred, Leah, Gay!Diego (he's canon in my book) and... nope, that's all I can think of. 4 books, a novella and a short story and that's all I could think of. Oh, wait, I like Forks since it sounds like a cute little town with lots of fresh air, if only Bella would stop hating on it.
Alyson Noel, she's the author of Evermore. You know, the other book I'm tearing apart. XD
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 04:45 pm (UTC)I have to agree about Twilight, it's like Cleo said, how it's the Twinkies of literature. If you want something of more substance, you know where to get it. And "apparently some people think Twinkies count as fine dining, but hey, live and let live". ^^
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 05:08 pm (UTC)Plus without Twilight we wouldn't have Twilight the musical, sporkings, Growing up Cullen, Twilight in 15 minutes, ____ reads twilight, YAB and so on. As much as I hate Twilight I have to admit it has earned its stay with me since I can't fully hate that which makes me laugh. And I just get argumentative when they bring the argument to me. XD
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 05:44 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 04:01 pm (UTC)I think the major problem with it, though, is that a lot of its most important factors -- wand ownership, the existence of the Hallows, etc -- had no prior introduction. The horcruxes have been seen since Book 2 (well, seen and kind of understood, since Harry was introduced in Book 1...), but wand ownership was never explained until it was necessary, and the Hallows just came right the hell out of nowhere when we were already in the middle of a plot about destroying horcruxes. If there had been some indication of them earlier -- like Hermione reading Beedle the Bard from the library or something so she could appreciate wizarding myths or whatever -- then it would have worked out much better.
I know the invisibility cloak was obviously introduced early, but that's one of only about three cloaks that we see, and none of the others are noted to be tattered or damaged or having their spells wearing off, so there's no way to appreciate how unique Harry's cloak actually is. Rowling is pretty good about leaving clues and indications about what is to come in much, much earlier books, but the Hallows always struck me as a rather abrupt addition, as though she thought of them a touch late. Not that they truly factor in to the storyline, either, except for Voldemort's quest for the Elder Wand; Harry becoming the master of death was basically accomplished when he marched up to Voldemort and allowed himself to be killed without fear; 'uniting the Hallows' didn't really matter.
Regarding the Chamber of Secrets being caved in; no, it was not. The entrance tunnel was caved in, and Ron cleared it fairly well by the time Harry returned after fighting the basilisk. They required Fawkes to take them back because they would have had to climb a steep, slimy slide in order to get back out, and trying to drag a very befuddled Lockhart out of their as well-- well, it would have just taken a lot of time, and Fawkes was there and all. If a phoenix is offering you a free ride (after you just exhausted yourself fighting a huge-ass snake that could have killed you by looking at you), you're not really going to say 'no'.
But for its problems (of which I clearly have less than you do, but to each his own) I have to say that I appreciated above all that DH did not give Harry all of the glory. In fact, if I recall properly, he didn't destroy any of the horcruxes during its length; it was all his friends. Everybody of real importance that he'd met over his journey wound up contributing to the destruction of the horcruxes, with Harry himself only deal the 'final blow' (indirectly, at that) to Voldemort. Ron, Hermione, even Crabbe (I... think? I keep getting it mixed up)... and, of course, Neville's transformation into an absolute badass (beautiful). That climax, I think, makes up for a lot of the camping filler.
So...
I... lost the point of that...
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-18 04:41 pm (UTC)And hey, as I told Zelda, I'm willing to give in to the cave thing if somebody with a fresher memory comes along. It's been a while but not to everything else. Parselmouth I do not give in for the reasons I said.
You pin pointed the main core with most of my complaints: it comes out of nowhere in this book. Lots of my complaints had no prior introduction to the book and wand ownership should have been introduced in Book two with the Dueling club. The wand ownership thing went around to plot convenience.
Horacruxes I don't mind, since as you've said they've been around before. It's the Hallows what should have been dropped off and concentrated on creating one story about that. How to find them? Who's guarding the? How to destroy them? That alone could have been the plot and made it tighter instead of just everyone stumbling around. The hallows are a good idea as a plot for its own book though.
And double on the cape. Show, don't tell. This book had so much telling.
I actually consider my problems reasonable since it really pulled me out of the story just too many times asking "WHY?!" Especially the locket/cup thing. That alone made me so pissed because she negates the whole locket ordeal with the cup. The locket was unnecessary drama made to create some tension into the camp filler.
And as much as I adored Neville when he shows up after all the annoying plot raping, camp filler and annoying event telling how about him and the awesome rebellion back at Hogwarts just made me shout "ROWLING, YOU COCKTEASE!! WHERE'S NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM AND THE AWESOME REBELLION AT HOGWARTS?!" It made me so mad for an hour before I could go back to reading again.
I do agree with the fact that it's cool how everyone helped destroy the Horacruxes, double for Neville who stabbed a snake with being on fire. Dude is badass! That at least gave me some good memories. And Luna being Luna.