Banner posted a comment on Saturday 1st December 2007 12:56am for Chapter 5 - Year Six

That was long and terrific! I love the character development, and especially the way the main characters are developing (I hope I'm making a clear distinction - I mean, we're learning more about each individual, and each individual is growing and changing.) Everyone has colour - from Lavender thinking that she's a femme fatale, to Frances who's suffering some sort sibling rivalry, and especially Sirius-and-Cindy, the Amazing Cool Rebel Uncle and Aunt Show.
Thank You for having the Headmistress take down the bullies with one entirely legal action. The bullying situation in JKR's world was borderline criminal, and Dumbledore all but encouraged it. McGonnagall won't take that sh!t.

JaCee2u posted a comment on Saturday 1st December 2007 12:15am for Chapter 5 - Year Six

I find myself bummed out about the lack of a prospect of a 1/2 treecat 1/4 kneazle that would give Greebo a run for his money as the most vicious fictional beastie on paws. Seriously, I didn't mean for you to cut her walk on role short by pointing such a thing out. (grin)

Ah, well. Life goes on. Excellent chapter, and I like how you have bookspace not allowing them to get too intimate until they are older. Very nice touch. I was a bit disappointed that neither of them spelled out Hermione's fantasy, but oh well, it probably would have emotionally scarred some of the readers.

Have a great day, and I hope to read more soon.

JaCee

Wonderbee31 posted a comment on Saturday 1st December 2007 12:14am for Chapter 5 - Year Six

All right, very well done here. One thing, it seems that the wizards and witches are unable to learn when enough is enough. Draco and others shjowed that in canon, and Lavender is here as well, or is there some reason that she just will not let her little tiff with Hermione go. Ginny looks to be bad enough, and when Harry does show up again, I'd bet she's going to be just rushing to recieve her hero back to the wizarding world, while Hermione would get pushed aside. Ron will be a little jealous again, just because he has no maturity, and he showed that enough in DH to say, and looking forward to what happens with Harry and frineds next, as well as how it'll chafe the pure-bloods, especially the CoV when Sirius gets maried to a Muggle woman.

Michael Henderson posted a comment on Saturday 1st December 2007 12:07am for Chapter 5 - Year Six

The fact that one of you reads David Weber should come as no suprise as that at least he unlike JK Rowling is still able to write a good book. Thanks for writing these excellent fics its always a pleasure to read whatever your twisted minds come up with.

Mike

Dave McCombs posted a comment on Friday 30th November 2007 11:48pm for Chapter 5 - Year Six

Most of what I wanted to say, other reviewers had already handled. So, for most of my review, I'll just say, "Ditto!"

I'm only going to comment on one thing.

Voldemort the Musical?

And now it's
Springtime for Voldie and purebloods...

texasranger_10 posted a comment on Friday 30th November 2007 11:00pm for Chapter 5 - Year Six

i can't wait to see what you have planned for lavendar. she is getting to big for her britches again. time to knock her down. maybe have evan meet her face to face for a showdown of some kind. oh with lots of witnesses too. i love those sences.

as always well done. i do so enjoy your stories.

Amejisuto posted a comment on Friday 30th November 2007 10:45pm for Chapter 5 - Year Six

This is turning out to be such a lovely story! Your take on Lavender is refreshing and I really hope Hermione figures it out and hexes the girl into the next decade, although I think it's far more likely that she'll talk to Harry about it and Harry will show up and defend her honor.

I think it's rather funny that both Harry and Hermione still think of themselves as rather plain when they're turning into hotties. It just goes to show how a lack of self confidence can mess with your own body image.

Anyhoo, great update! I look forward to more! And I can't wait till you start posting that X-men crossover I've heard so much about! That's gonna be great!

~HUGGLES! Amejisuto

Quizer posted a comment on Friday 30th November 2007 10:06pm for Chapter 5 - Year Six

Yeah, I was a bit surprised that Harry took quite a few days to fully recover from the Cruciatus, but I realized that was precisely because it's always glossed over in fanfiction. It's called an Unforgivable curse for a reason, so it makes sense that it causes more damage than mere pain. Nice going!

As always, I've very much enjoyed this chapter and I'm looking forward to the next. I'm guessing that rubified napkin wasn't just included in the story on a whim, was it? ;)


Quizer

kainboa posted a comment on Friday 30th November 2007 10:01pm for Chapter 5 - Year Six

great chapter as usual, loved the scene at the party where harry put hermiones cousin in her place.

keep up the great work :)

busted posted a comment on Friday 30th November 2007 9:43pm for Chapter 5 - Year Six

I think it was a good i idea to make the cruciatus curse worse. Its supposed to be unforgivable but the way Voldemort and his death eaters use it all the time people seem to get over its effects straight away. If it doesnt have any lasting affects i dont see why its so unforgivable since its only momentary pain unless used in the extreme. I would rather be under the cuciatus curse for a bit then hit by a sectusempra that mars me for life. So making it worse makes more sense to why its so unforgivable.

Harry and Hermione are portrade very nicely and have alot more realistic relationship than most fanfic stories.

I just have the usual things to say, great work and i look forward to the update.

Kimr posted a comment on Friday 30th November 2007 9:40pm for Chapter 5 - Year Six

Wow, another excellent chapter to an excellently written story.

The basic peer jealousy of hermoine is an excellent addition as well. Along with the attempted man/woman capturing on both harry and hermoine.

I'll be eagerly awaiting the next chapter, keep them coming

Darak1 posted a comment on Friday 30th November 2007 9:13pm for Chapter 5 - Year Six

Oohhh 9 chapters, forgets everything he wanted to say about the current chapter to think about the goodies contained in what is to come.

One of these days I'll have to compile all of your disclaimers and author notes into one big story I'll call the Bobmin collection that'll give me something to read for when I'm down :D

Ben Russell-Gough posted a comment on Friday 30th November 2007 9:11pm for Chapter 5 - Year Six

An interesting chapter. I loved the fate of Rita Skeeter. A little bit of Muggle technology and a whole lot of Karma takes you a long, long way, ;-)

I remain convinced that Lavender is going to be a serious problem. I don't think that she will resort to violence; she doesn't strike me as the sort. However, she is quite capable of the passive-aggressive bullying typical of her gender and might end up destroying some of Hermione's possessions.

The thing with Tonks was well handled. I liked the family magic at work. It makes sense that the Blacks, being traditionally Dark-aligned, would have spells to compell obedience.

Overall, this story is still worth the read.

BenRG's Rating: 8/10 <- Bonus point for the zapping of the Bug

Adam posted a comment on Friday 30th November 2007 8:50pm for Chapter 5 - Year Six

another great chapter, what happened to rita was so well deserved :)

I see that hermione is picking up 'enemies' in Lavender and her cousin. will be interesting to see how things go with them.

anyway loking forward to the next chapter.

UdderPD posted a comment on Friday 30th November 2007 8:29pm for Chapter 5 - Year Six

Very good.

Sometimes it seems a bit slow but then there is no doubt that the information will be required later in the story.

TTFN UdderPD

darthloki posted a comment on Friday 30th November 2007 8:16pm for Chapter 5 - Year Six

Philosopher's Stone? He made one?

J User posted a comment on Friday 30th November 2007 7:40pm for Chapter 5 - Year Six

Nice to see things continue to develop, and the expected Remus/Tonks relationship starting to appear. (There's definitely something to be said for being straightforward with relationships; it's one of the reasons Luna is so much fun, if written halfway well, in so many stories.) The Daily Prophet / Quibbler juxtaposition is amusing as always.

That seems an unusually brutal way to write Rita out of the picture, especially if she can't remember what she was investigating; after the intial zapping, I'd expected her to become another antagonist (yes, even though it was her own damn fault). Will she be appearing again at all, or is that it for her?

Japanese usage note: Harry, being male, should not be using watashi to refer to himself. That's for girls, and possibly also certain particularly formal situations (which are unlikely to arise here); he should be using boku instead. (There are a bunch of other options depending on the exact context, but they don't really apply in Harry's case - he'll be sticking with the formally-taught forms.)

Kalen Darkmoon posted a comment on Friday 30th November 2007 7:13pm for Chapter 5 - Year Six

Love the story and this chapter was truly great. It's good seeing Sirius settling down with a great match for him and the Remus/Tonks ship prepping to sail. Both deserve happiness as do their significant others.

I especially like the realism you've portrayed in Harry's neglect and abuse issues and Hermione's poor self-esteem. Such things leave wounds and scars that last a lifetime and it takes a great deal of strength from both parties in a relationship to help each other heal some of those wounds.

I have had a similar life to Harry's though with a great deal more physical abuse. Though sadly I have yet to find my Miss Right, I'm heartened to see that at least some authors actually address just how severe the damage really is to a person who has faced such and portrayed it in real and meaningful manner. Rather than glossing it all over as most do, including JKR herself.

I know JKR was trying to portray a Merlin-esque Dumbledore ensuring a humble King Arthur-esque kind of childhood for Harry. The problem is that although King Arthur's upbringing was indeed humble, he never lacked for a loving family. JKR piled on the abuse and neglect issues with the Dursleys being very hateful towards Harry but then never did anything to even remotely portray Harry realistically/believably as if he had actually grown up in such a hostile and hateful environment.

Ultimately, the Harry Potter of canon was no hero but all along nothing more than a brainwashed puppet/weapon that was made to suffer and then sent to die for the mistakes of others. There is no hero in the world of Harry Potter. Only monsters on two sides of a conflict, one out to kill a child (among others) and the other... huh, guess what? also setting up the child to die as well - it just had to be at Voldie's hand and his alone.

While I was an early fan of HP, as canon progressed I found that I had to turn to fan-fiction because of my growing horror and utter disgust as I realized what was being done to Harry. That he was being used as nothing more than a weapon by the so-called good guys with no consideration whatsoever for his happiness or well-being. I saw since books 5 (and especially the beginning of HBP where Dumbledore revealed he KNEW about the Dursley's cruelty towards Harry all along) that there was absolutely NOTHING good or decent about the wizarding world that deserved Harry's continued suffering. In fact, if they are unable to stand up and fight for themselves, they certainly do not deserve the help of a child their so-called "leader of the light" subjected to 16 years of cruelty. That same leader then as his final manipulation MARTYRED himself in front of Harry. Rather than 'stupefy'ing and hiding Harry, he petrified and hid him in a position that made Harry watch as Snape killed him. Don't think for an instant that wasn't intentional. There was no reason not to stupefy Harry rather than petrify him unless he wanted to ensure Harry saw what Dumbledore knew was coming.

Dumbledore in my mind showed that the wizarding world truly deserved everything Voldemort was bringing down upon them for their own apathy and WILLFUL ignorance. For, any society or its leaders who see brainwashing children into suicidally taking out their enemies deserves not only utter contempt but whatever destruction is rained down upon them! There is NOTHING, there is NO so called "greater good", that can ever justify subjecting a child to 16 years of cruelty and virtual slavery and then manipulating them into suicidally taking out an "enemy".

That is perhaps why I've liked so many of your stories the most. You two are easily my favorite HP fan-fic authors out there because you've dealt justly with Dumbledore for his crimes against Harry. Not giving the old-b*stard a heroic and martyred death in Harry's glaringly sycophantic eyes.

How is what Dumbledore did to Harry any different than Islamic extremists who brainwash young children, strap them full of explosives and then send them off to blow up a crowded store or bus? Hmm? Dumbledore believed what he was doing was "right" and "just" and "for the greater good" just like those same extremists believe the same thing when they send innocent young children off to be blown up. Children deserve our utmost protection and love, NEVER to be used as a weapon in a conflict.

Those un-addressed issues along with the travesties of the Harry/groupie... err Ginny pairing and, I just want to vomit when I think, Albus Severus Potter have rendered an otherwise great creation on her part into a steaming pile at the end. Long live fanfiction!!

May your ink-wells never run dry and your quills remain forever sharp. Long live Bob & Alyx!!

Infin1x posted a comment on Friday 30th November 2007 6:43pm for Chapter 5 - Year Six

*Gets out petition for Bob and Alyx to be made president and chief torturer* I don't know why but it felt weird reading something with Lavender as the antagonist. Like learning Crabbe was the brains of Slytherin.

Gareth posted a comment on Friday 30th November 2007 5:29pm for Chapter 5 - Year Six

Original,gripping story.Looking forward to the next chapter.