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It just gives us something to look forward to. (Although I look forward to your story anyway.)I'm sorry about the cliffhanger (mostly - next chapter will be up in a week, as usual) - there was just too much to fit into one chapter.
"She used ritual magic to kill every single marked death eater as well as the dark lord at the same time. Do you really want to tell her she's a "dirty mudblood" who isn't good enough to marry a pureblood like Potter?"If he confirmed the rumour, few would dare to offend her, or Harry.
the only problem with that is the 'stigma' about 'ritual magics' all being 'dark' and 'is a witch capable of such barbarism fit to be with a upstanding pure blood' ... Never underestimate the levels of human stupidity and pig-headed ignorance."She used ritual magic to kill every single marked death eater as well as the dark lord at the same time. Do you really want to tell her she's a "dirty mudblood" who isn't good enough to marry a pureblood like Potter?"
"She used ritual magic to kill every single marked death eater as well as the dark lord at the same time. Do you really want to tell her she's a "dirty mudblood" who isn't good enough to marry a pureblood like Potter?"
Annnnnnnnnnd DONE! Excellent wrap-up, with Voldemort's last grasp at Harry's head making a tense counterpoint to the ritual's apparent success.
Looking forward to the conclusion, and hopefully a Really Good Ending for our protagonist couple.
"She used ritual magic to kill every single marked death eater as well as the dark lord at the same time. Do you really want to tell her she's a "dirty mudblood" who isn't good enough to marry a pureblood like Potter?"
the only problem with that is the 'stigma' about 'ritual magics' all being 'dark' and 'is a witch capable of such barbarism fit to be with a upstanding pure blood' ... Never underestimate the levels of human stupidity and pig-headed ignorance.
Put like that it is possible that a number of people will consider her too dangerous to leave alive.
A number of people will be thinking that. More than those who object to mudbloods or dark witches being with Harry out of principle. But the British among those are the ones who'd think the same of Dumbledore, if he hadn't been around for decades/before some of them were born. This Dumbledore was powerful enough to change politics and policies, on a global level in some cases - he was Britain's Big Stick or Nuclear Arsenal after Grindelwald's War. Voldemort was on the same power level. He even managed to defeat Dumbledore in the Ministry. But then Voldemort was killed, apparently by Dumbledore's student(s).
Dumbledore on the other hand is still around. And Harry looks like to be shaping up to be another very powerful wizard, if his Patronus Charm is any indication. Which means that Britain looks like it'll enjoy being the big kid on the block for another generation or three. Coupled with the fact that most of the old guard of the Wizengamot is gone, and the rest will still be impressed at having been saved so closely, that means "lethal" opposition in Britain to Hermione and Harry will be very weak.
So, a lot of people will be thinking that Hermione is too dangerous to be left alive - but mostly in foreign countries. Like the Ottoman Empire, and Jamaica, and other places where the rulers disagree with Dumbledore's stance on slavery, raiding, or the Dark Arts.
Now I'm wondering if some won't want to "discover" that she's actually a pureblood, from a conveniently dead family, having been placed with the Granger's because "insert obscure reason".
That would only work if there was no magical way to prove parentage. And then Hermione could easily disprove the claim with a DNA test, before turning around and offering such testing to various family members wishing to prove or disprove someone's parentage to inherit more gold.
I thought that the Unspeakable, Saul Croaker, hinted to Albus that something like that could be done back in chapter 23, so that he could recruit Hermione as an unspeakable.
Of course, there is that Order of Merlin, First Class, possibility.
I was kinda hoping we'd get some explanation for this. One hypothesis I have is that this is what everyone perceives about themselves during their communion with the gods. Is that's what's going on?She had been surrounded by sparks then, almost glowing until the wine stopped falling. No one had commented on it though, not to her face at least. Another advantage of her reputation, since this was a topic she really hadn't wanted to discuss. She'd find out what caused this in good time by herself.
She sounds almost sad about that.As far as she knew, three duels had been fought over letters in the last issue alone. No one had challenged her to a duel though.
I must say that, early on, this story managed to gut-punch me with the injustice of Hermione's position- basically enslaved in a society that saw her as inferior, unclean, unworthy, no matter what her own accomplishments- so hard that I almost stopped reading. A review of your other fics- the knowledge that you were inevitably going to pull through and give us a well-written conclusion- kept me going. I forged ahead as soon as I realized you were the same guy who did The Marriage Law Revolution, and I'm damn glad I didn't drop it, because then I would have missed Hermione's growth from Harry's worried, repressed, self-doubting right hand to the true force of character behind the story.
I do noticed that you've now taken the same conclusion- the end of blood prejudice hidden in the cracks of the darker interpretations of JKR's work- in two methods: revolution and annihilation in The Marriage Law Revolution... and politics, societal change, and a shared cultural unifying experience (the Blood War) in this one. I've already read through your updated Marriage Law Revolution all in one go, and I'll have to pull Patron together and take it at a run again sometime in the near future. (As soon as I can afford the time to read more than half a million words in a go. That's what, five full-size novels? How do you do it?)
Thanks again for the wonderful trip this fic has taken us through. I look forward to rest of The Dark Lord Never Died and your next 'fic with great anticipation. Is it going to be another doorstopper like Patron, or a shorter one like Spygirl? Anyway, off to see what this 'Divided and Entwined' this is about. Cheers!
Thank you very much for sharing your story with us.
I love the richly complex political and magical landscape you created that goes so much further than canon. I love that wizards (and witches) on all sides of the conflict are portrayed as competent. And perhaps most of all, I love the characterization that went into the story.
And, it's a wrap... Good fic, Starfox5. Thank you for sharing it.
I was kinda hoping we'd get some explanation for this. One hypothesis I have is that this is what everyone perceives about themselves during their communion with the gods. Is that's what's going on?
Thanks!Also, I like the speeches you wrote for Harry and Hermione. Speeches in stories rarely come out well, but yours did.
This was an amazing ride from start to finish. I also think it is safe to say this is one of my favorite HP Fanfiction and even better then the original in many places.
My apologies. I wanted to reply on Sunday but life happened.
Thank you. I'm glad and sad that this story ended. I'll probably re-read it now, since it's definitely worth a second read.
Your world building, the customs and attitudes, how magic is used, the enchanting of items and the use of rituals, the prejudice and the positives of England and what was revealed of the rest of the magical world felt as if it should be real. As if this story should be.
Your point of view characters felt real, with real strengths, weaknesses and quirks. Harry cares, Hermione is smart and Dumbledore is not a caricature. Their actions were, in my opinion, consistently plausible, which, while it may sound like faint praise, is actually very rare in fanfiction and not too common in printed works of fantasy and science fiction either.
You even (intentionally or not) showed that when people, even one of the "good" guys, make "evil" (hard) decisions for "the greater good", innocents are affected, negatively. Something that a lot of published works never do.
Given this, it has now become the standard by which I will judge any 'serious' Harry Potter story.
One slight thing. Very slight and it in no way reduces my pleasure in the rest.
While a small part, the werewolf orphans hit one of my spots. One of my issues that I have with books. (I know this is fanfiction but in my honest opinion it's better than a number of printed books I've read. In other words, if the original didn't exist, I saw this on a rack while browsing and had the money I would probably buy it and look for fanfiction about it.)
My issue is that of the good guy's actions, even when doing something evil, whether it is seen as necessary, whether it is done through ignorance or whether it is done accidentally is never shown to have negative effects on those who do not "deserve" it. In fact, often the action suddenly becomes not evil/hard at all, robbing the decision of the weight it had. Perhaps whoever is being affected being shown afterwards as deserving it or perhaps the affected are suddenly being shown as no worse off than before, because some other person/situation would have done as bad or worse to he/she/them.
However, you used the orphans to show, intentionally or not, some of the consequences of Albus Dumbledore's orders to his brother, Aberforth. Why did it still bug me? I can see Dumbledore being all grandfathery and Remus would need to have some skill with children as a teacher, so it is reasonable that their fear could have been calmed after Aberforth left. Then, after looking at it again, I asked myself, if they aren't terrified, why aren't they, or the elder at least, heartbroken?
Currently, to me, the orphans are the only characters in your work that feels thin. No fear, no sorrow, only a sudden new life that has to be better than the old because their new father has more money than their original parents.
Thank you! I'm very flattered.
Well, the kids would have had fear and sorrow, and some conflicts. But... they pretty much arrived right before the final fight at Hogwarts, and the story skipped the years to the Epilogue right afterwards, when they were past that already. Since they were raised in Scandinavia, Mats would have already learned not to annoy the pack leaders with "whining" and to put up a strong front.
Like I said, evil (or hard if you prefer) actions actually having consequences are one of my things. And considering the rest of your story, and that you actually tried to show something, it's a small thing in this story.
With the short time between their parents killing and Voldemort's defeat I can't wrap my head around them getting over it before Voldemort's defeat. (At least, not without a spell or potion dulling their sorrow, and that's not actually getting over it.) And I don't believe a three year old is discipled (if that is the right word) to keep such a sorrow hidden if he feels save.
But, it is your story and I'm very grateful you shared it with us.