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Hi, Mottsnave.
Perhaps you are wondering why I wrote all these reviews today. It's because I am laid up with a broken ankle and have a lot of time on my hands. Not much you can do when the doctor says no weight-bearing for 6-8 weeks.
But my loss is your gain. All these final conversations that really don't provide very many answers. Snape and Shacklebolt, Neville and his grandmother, Neville and Theo and Daphne. I am reminded of Harry's complaint that people don't tell him the real truth, the whole story. Well, it looks as if everyone could make the same complaint. Harry is not being singled out.
I think about Theo now, and what his life will be like from now on. I presume he will not be in the unregistered portkey business any more. Does he have any family left? He seems to have achieved some sort of calm by the end of the story. And Neville? I hope he decides to just cut himself free from the massive web of debts and obligations. Time for a Jubilee Year, when everything canceled and everyone starts afresh.
Vicki
Author's Response:Hi Vicki!
Yowch! I hope your ankle is healing well!
Yes, this last chapter can seen to be a reflection of the Harry/Snape conversation in the previous chapter. "Did someone teach you that? That you could have your answers, and resolution, and peace at the end of it?" I'm not going to pull a Dumbledore here and wrap eveything up in a bow and say "all was well." It's not. The wizarding world has a problem with prejudice and extremism, and how to humanely deal with prisoners who have the capability to wield immense magic power. All the characters have problems with trauma and how to recover from it. Theo has problems with how to earn a legitimate income in a society that may judge him on his family name. Neville has problems with feeling stuck in his employment and in doubt about his accepted family history. but at the same time, everyone here does have some tools to struggle along and attempt to deal with their trauma. I came down to ending the story with this one last choice for Neville and Theo together, because it is, once again, that theme of the internal cover up. When Theo asks Neville if his father saw 'himself' about to kill him, he's absolutley asking Neville to help him play the game, the one where you come up with an internal cover story to deal with trauma. Is the choice Neville makes to participate in the game the 'right' one? After all, he must always do what is right. What are the costs for Neville and Theo to keep playing? I very much wanted to leave this open for the reader to decide. The game here is something beyond black and white morality, it's something that has both costs and benefits. Playing the game isn't the right or wrong thing to do, it's a tool. It's used, just like everyone.
Thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews!
Mottsnave
Hi, Mottsnave.
Well, it's almost over now. Neville comes back into the scene of the battle, but I don't know that he contributed anything, and the imminent collapse of the tower threw a monkey wrench in the plan of separating the two antagonists, Mr. Nott and the owl lady, so it all became something like a free-for-all. I am not surprised in the least that Mr. Nott blasted the owl. He cared for nobody except himself, and anyone who though otherwise was going to face the terrible truth. An AK curse would have killed the owl lady without mangling her body, so I suppose it was just a blasting spell. And in the end it was Snape who killed Mr. Nott, truly in self-defense. I have no idea how Snape expected things to turn out, but that's what happened.
The conversation between Harry and Snape was surprising and fascinating. Harry naively thinking that Snape had finally decided to have a heart-to-heart with him, but it was nothing of the sort. I was glad that Neville did manage to be of use in his getting Harry and Snape to calm down and see what really needed to be done, other than to devolve into useless, pointless recriminations about the past.
Many years ago I was working in the ER and the cops brought in a couple of drunks who had been fighting in a bar and had injured each other. So we put the two drunks onto two exam tables and were trying to stitch them up, and all the while they were trying to leap up off the exam tables and resume the fist fight. This scene between Harry and Snape reminded me of that. Harry still has a long way to go.
Excellent chapter.
Vicki
Author's Response:Hi Vicki!
Since I was writing this story in part to be a kind of reversal of some of the themes in the books, this 'final battle' is intentionally very different. There isn't a heroic moment for Neville where he can whip out a sword and chop the head off a snake, because that's beside the point for his character (for all these characters... none of them need that sort of epic heroism). No one gets a heroic "action" moment here. Bulstrode and Daphne are support staff in the wings. Draco gets immediately cut down, and Snape's screw-up with his shoes precipitates the chaos, so even though he got the 'final blow' it's not exactly glorious. There is no glory in noir. What Neville contributes as a character is his ability to be a bridge. He is absolutely crucial to saving Theo's life, but it's not in terms of 'action' but in terms of having Harry take the credit so Theo's life is not completely destroyed by what happened.
The Harry/Snape conversation is the heart of the chapter. They are kind of talking two different languages until Neville can step in to be the bridge. After that, though it's not like they agree on everything, I think they really do have some important advances in understanding with each other, and they are able to work together and cooperate on a cover story. I think that's pretty big for these two. Can Harry really 'hear' what Snape was trying to tell him about finding his own peace? He may still have a long way to go at the moment, but I think even taking any step on that path is importat. Look how long it took Snape to get to his own shaky peace.
Thank you so much for the fantastic reviews!
Mottsnave
Hi, Mottsnave.
An exciting chapter under terrible physical conditions. Snape and company have a Plan A, but if it doesn't work, I'm not sure what Plan B will be Luckily the Unbreakable Vow doesn't prevent Theo from co-operating with the rescue team. Too bad that the rescue team didn't know that Goyle was already dead. Then they would not have had to try to rescue him.
I think to myself how I would have felt if I had been a member of that team. Scared stiff. Fully expecting to die. Is that how you envisioned them feeling also? And if not, then what do you think was going through their minds and why?
The scene of Neville in the alternate tower, watching over Theo's unconscious body and trying to suss out what Snape's plan is, was pretty convoluted. His thoughts are all over the place. And now he thinks he's going to disobey Snape's order to watch over Theo and go back in to the scene of the supposed battle to try to reason with his colleagues that they should rethink their tactics? That sounds like Neville all over.
Nice job.
Vicki
Author's Response:Hi Vicki!
The title of the story can refer to the several literal cover-ups that take place through the story, but it's also the internal cover-ups that many of the characters use to cope with traumatic events. As in Theo's grandad and Daphne's 'games', you can trick your own mind to downplay negative events by distancing them from yourself and treating life as a game. As in Goyle, Snape, and Harry's beliefs, you can believe you have a noble cause and the things you might suffer are necessary and good. These games/cover-ups can get you through traumatic events, but they can have long-term mental and personal costs. So... when you ask how the recue team is feeling, it has a lot to do with how people are playing their personal games. I think Snape is feeling grimly determined on his 'cause.' I think Daphne is excited, she's playing her game. Bulstrode is very no-nonsense, she doesn't really play the game, but she also doesn't have a lot of imagination or fear, so I think she's miserable at first because she hates flying, and then she's happy later because she loves demolition. I think Draco is absolutely terrified - he doesn't play the game as much as the others. As for Neville, we do get to see this from his view and we get some physical cues as he's waiting below the window. He cycles through determined excitement when he's in the middle of it, and wandering thoughts and anxiety when he's not. But even though they all are having slightly different reactions I did want to imply that all of them miss the war in some way, and when there's a chance to be back on a 'mission,' they all voluntarily take it.
Thank you so much!
Mottsnave
Hi, Mottsnave.
A top-notch chapter. All the dialogue was direct and to the point. I like that. Dodger and Phelps are interesting characters, competent in their business but maybe starting to get a little bit out of their league. I appreciate how Snape makes them see the light, and I see now that the decrepit towers out in the sea seem to be real structures from a previous time, World War !!, I suppose. I'll have to google them and find out more about them.
The long scene in the portkey manufacturing lab was outstanding. It covered so much, so many topics, so smoothly. It is plain that this moment was the end of the line for poor Goyle, the end of his usefulness, except perhaps as a short-term zombie. You depict poor Theo's mental state so well -- it would be a miracle if he could accurately craft a working portkey under these conditions. One would almost think that he is doomed to fail. It seems as if Theo realizes now that even he himself is expendible, that his father would happily kill everyone around him in order to escape. My Lord, what is Theo thinking about now, as regards parental love?
Excellent job.
Vicki
Author's Response:Hi Vicki,
Dodger and Phelps initially had a smaller role in the story, but I enjoyed them so much that it expanded a bit as I was writing them. I did want to portray them as very confident and competent in their little dark market world, but yes, they have gotten over their heads without realizing it. They are kind of antagonists in this story, but I definitely wanted them, like Goyle, to have internal logic for how they operate and what they do. I also wanted them to have one of the best relationships in the story. Yes, they are criminals, but they have a genuinely supportive relationship with each other.
Thank you so much! The portkey scene was a hard one to write, and I am pleased with how it came out. Yes, it has to depict both the events that are taking place and the horrible effect they are having on Theo, and also call back to his grandfather's game and the larger themes of the story. The 'parts and the whole' coming together can be read on a few different levels. And yes, I think Theo can absolutely recognize that he's expendable to his father.
Thank you for the wonderful reviews!
Mottsnave
Hi, Mottsnave.
The stuff about the Unbreakable Vow is fascinating. I do not recall any instance in canon where someone was compelled to make an Unbreakable Vow against his own will, so the considerations about that were creative and interesting. Apparently breaking a Good Faith agreement made the oath-breaker feel violently sick and in pain, so I assume that breaking an Unbreakable Vow would have even worse consequences. Would the person die?
It pleased me to see that Theo was able, at the last minute, to give himself just the tiniest possible "out" from the full force of the Unbreakable Vow. Could Mr. Nott have just insisted that they go through the whole ceremony over again, adding the omitted word, or is it a matter of "You only get one chance"?
I expect that the abandonded metal towers out in the sea are actual structures that did exist at one time, and you are using them to be a locale for your dangerous and exciting action.
The final scene between Theo and Goyle in the old tower was touching. I will assume that the pain of the breakage of the Good Faith agreement had lessened enough so that Ethoe coul marshall his thoughts about what would happen if he did or did not tell Theo that Mr. Crabbe was dead and that he, Goyle, had been lied to all along by Mr. Nott and the owl lady.
Another inspired chapter. Thank you for writing.
Vicki
Author's Response:Hi Vicki!
I think the closest we come in canon to a coerced vow is the anecdote that Fred and George almost tricked Ron into one as a little kid, but their parents caught them in time and Fred and George got into massive trouble. Sure, it's not that someone held a wand to someone's back, but the implication could be that the vow would be binding even if someone doesn't really understand what they're consenting to. So I think a coerced vow would be similar. Magic doesn't care. My understanding is that the consequence for breaking an unbreakable vow is death. That's what a I find really fascinating about the vow Snape took with Narcissa in canon. Either he was already expecting to kill Dumbledore, or he kind of had a twinge of wanting to use the vow to kill himself, refuse to carry it out and give his life to the cause. Back in those days, it might have felt like a relief to him. But Dumbledore had other ideas.
Yeah, my idea of the unbreakable is you don't really get do-overs in setting the vow. With a penalty of death, having two overlapping vows that might have conflicting perameters would be too close to a death sentence. Mr Nott needs to keep Theo around for at least a little while.
I wanted to play up the essential contrast with Goyle in this scene: he's not a good person, he's an unrepentant bigoted bully. But he's also very loyal, and he has an unselfish, noble cause. He wants to save his friend from a slow death in Azkaban.
Thank you so much!
Mottsnave
Hi, Mottsnave. Well, it's as was predicted. Theo has been kidnapped to make an unregistered portkey for his father to get out of the British Isles and as far away as possible. And Goyle is as thickheaded as ever, not realizing that Mr. Nott has no affection for him or for Mr. Crabbe, only for himself. It makes me wonder if Mr. Nott is willing to sacrifice even Theo, if needs be, to make his final escape. It wouldn't surprise me.
Suddenly the time pressure is greatly increased. At least Neville is able to contribute something useful to the discussion -- that Draco Malfoy has soil samples in his refrigerator and is probably the contact for Theo's portkey manufacture business. But I wonder whether Draco has any idea where Theo's lab is. WE shall just have to see. The business of Good Faith agreements and how you can get around them is fascinating; I am left wondering if they really are all that protective, faced with the skills of a person who knows how to get around them.
Thanks for keeping the mystery going!
Vicki
Author's Response:Hi Vicki,
Sigh, Goyle. Yeah, he just can't recognize Mr. Nott's purpose and selfishness, but it's not surprising, he couldn't see that about Voldemort either. He so desparately wants to be part of a united group, he'll ignore all signs that he's an expendable pawn just to be part of the game. To Mr. Nott, I think everyone is just a pawn.
Neville may not be heroic here, but he does have a special talent in this story. He is a bridge. He can find connections between people that others don't see.
Well, there's not exactly a way to get around a good faith so much just breaking it and suffering. Kind of like a muggle contract - there's nothing to stop you from breaking it, except that you'll suffer the consequences. But the folks on the dark market need to have some kind of agreement short of the fatal Unbreakable Vow, even if it's something that they just need to take on faith.
Thank you so much!
Mottsnave
Hi, Mottsnave. Plenty of action here. Neville's adventures in the DMLE were interesting. It's his lucky coincidence that he runs into Ollie Bibwell who gives him the clue that he can use his fatherr's old badge to get into restricted areas, and it's lucky that Neville knows where that badge is located, after so many years, and he seems to be doing okay getting into the Records department, but, Neville being Neville, it's inevitable that he won't find what he's looking for. One can only hope that he will manage to perform heroically before the story is over.
I particularly liked the scene between Draco, Narcissa, Lucius, and Snape. That dialogue was top-notch. We must never underestimate Narcissa. Even Draco is still impressed with her.
And the final scene at Daphne's apartment. I had thought that she was supposed to be keeping Theo safe, but apparently a bedroom dalliance with Zach (of all people) was all it took to distract her from her responsibilities. How is she going to explain this to Snape and the rest of them: "I was too busy shagging Zach to keep an eye on a reaonably expectable attack?"
The stakes have suddenly gone way up. Good chapter.
Vicki
Author's Response:Hi Vicki!
As a noir story, I'm not sure that 'heroism' is something that you'll find in anyone here. I wrote this story as a sort of reversal of some of the themes of the books. I wanted to take the theme of the redeeming power of love and sacrifice, and turn it into the destructive power of love and sacrifice. I know you've read further in the story - even if Neville had perfectly executed his mission here and found out Coates' addresses, would that have helped them? Heroism is meaningless here.
I had so much fun writing the Malfoy section. I like to imagine such a long complex history between Snape and Lucius that at this point they're an old bickering couple. I feel like Snape may have intentionally sacrificed his nose to the noble cause of getting a favor out of Lucius and Narcissa. Narcissa does have a special power that I don't think I've seen highlighted in fanfiction. A deep and ancient power, the power of gossip. She knows simply everyone, darling.
As for Daphne's excuse, well, I think Daphne will immediately blame Theo. "I thought he would stop being an idiot for five minutes and not reach across wards. God, he's so TRAGIC."
Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews!
Mottsnave
Hi, Mottsnave. Thi is another enjoyable chapter. I like it when things are explained and I'm not stumbling around in the dark, asking myself, "What did this mean? What did that mean?" Sure, there are plenty of obscure references, and I have to stop and think a moment to recall what they are, but it's doable.
It seems to be, in a nutshell, that Edward Nott wants to get out of Azkaban and is willing to do anything, sacrifice anyone, in order to accomplish that goal. So, a willing suicide releases a whole lot of magical energy which Edward Nott can somehow harness and gather to himself in order to do prodigious featss of wandless magic, such as Apparating through the wards of Azkaban (and incidentally leaving behind the sheet effigy, which lasted at least until he was well away). I am reminded of real people who make lifelike dummies of themselves in their prison bunks to fool the guards while they themselves escape from Alcatraz. (Did you ever notice the similarity in names between Azkaban and Alcatraz?)
I had to smile at the beginning of the chapter when Shacklebolt sends Snape the message that E. Nott had escaped. "I wanted to let you know." What did Shacklebolt think Snape was going to do with that information, except to get involved in the very thick of it?
But the pieces seem to be falling into place rapidly. The 40-year-old old woman is identified, and everthing is explained, as far as it is known, to all the group, and thus we readers also know everything that Snape knows or suspects. Interesting that Snape already knows that Theo is in the business of making unregistered portkeys. (Was I supposed to have known that Snape knew that?)
It is interesting that the investigation is a combination of magical techniques and ordinary muggle-style gumshoe tactics, such as running all the addresses that are associated with Stephanie Coates. This is something I think we all have to deal with in our writing: how much stuff do our characters do magic-style, and how much stuff do they do Muggle-style?
Thanks for an enjoyable chapter.
Vicki
Author's Response:Hi Vicki!
I finally have a break in my work schedule to answer more of your lovely reviews! It will probably take a couple of days to get all of them.
Yes, from here on out, the plot will be moving along fairly quickly, since all the events that were taking place under cover are starting to be revealed.
Azkaban does have a few similarities with Alcatraz, including it's setting on a 'rock.' I think it's signifigant for what it tells us about wizarding society, that freaking Alcatraz was better than Azkaban in terms of human rights abuses. I tried to have the Ministry under Kingsley be at least a little better than the Ministry during canon by getting rid of the dementors and not incarcerating people without trial, but Azkaban will always be a miserable place.
Ha, yes, Shacklebolt has to warn Snape, but he can't imagine that Snap is just going to sit there with his hands folded.
I do want to say that Daphne is way off on her age estimation. Snape finds out in the next chapter that she's a bit older than that, a few years older than Narcissa. Daphne just lumps everyone over 40 together as 'old' and doesn't really make distinctions. We don't have a specific reveal in this story that Snape knows about Theo's business (there is a reference to this at the end of The Good Friend), except that there are a few references that Bulstrode and Snape are in contact and are 'as thick as thieves' so if there's some information that Bulstrode knows, Snape could know it too.
Yeah, exactly, in all my stories as mysteries, I'm trying to find a balance of what can magic do, and what magic might make "too easy" for the plot. In my stories I ended up giving apparition more limits than in the books just to make it a little less powerful. In this story, some of the biggest 'breaks' in the mystery are just through the very muggle method of simply talking to people.
Thank you so much!
Mottsnave
Hi, Mottsnave. Back again to comment on another chapter.
Well, that was a downer of an opening scene. Harry really can be whiney and self-centered. He sounds like his old fifteen-year-old self in Order of the Phoenix, thinking that everything is always about him. I was glad when Neville told him bluntly, "This isn't about us, Harry," and "Harry, I understand that the prophecy is important. But Goyle's disappearance is more urgent."
I appreciated the rest of the chapter a lot more because Harry wasn't in it! In fact, I kept reading and finished the entire story, so that a lot of the things in this chapter became clearer, and I therefore enjoyed reading this chapter more the second time around. You gotta love Millicent and Daphne. They are so efficient and capable. And I enjoy the technical aspects of your vision of things such as how Good Faith agreements works, why Draco is selling soil, the business of bribing the guard at Azkaban, and even the sudden, unexpected transformation of "Mr. Nott" into an old sheet. Now that was creepy, but after reading The New Skin, I should be expecting creepy from you.
Very enjoyable!
Vicki
Author's Response:Hi Vicki!
I was truly not intending to turn Harry into an insufferable brat in this chapter, even though he isn't coming off really well at the moment. He is right that Neville starts out this meeting lying to him and avoiding him, and he is right that he and Ron were kind of humoring him. I think it is reasonable for him to be a bit hurt about that, even if he's doing it in a self-centered way. I was trying to show him in this story as being very 'stuck' after the war, as are many of the other characters in one way or another. He was used pretty terribly by the 'Cause' but it's really all he's known for years. To go from that straight into being an Auror, I feel like it would be very hard for him to deal with what happened and to move into a different mode where there is no 'Cause' anymore. Plus, he's now having some doubts creep in due to Snape's opinion of the prophecy, so that threatens what he thought he knew about the cause and his role in it. He's desparately trying to cling to his worldview, a little like Goyle clinging to his faith in the Dark Lord.
I have a lot of fun with Bulstrode and Daphne. I wanted to imply that they have done this kind of thing at least a few times before - they know their roles and tactics without having to discuss it. The wizarding world is just so... tiny. I think you've read my previous story Inconclusive Evidence. Dodger and Phelps are housemates of Bulstrode and Daphne, just a few years below. They've known each other for YEARS. The ladies are pushing around their old classmates. Can't let the lower years get above temselves.
Thank you so much! I love a good creepy scene.
Mottsnave
Hi, Mottsnave.
This was a interesting chapter. I would not have thought of using the Pensieve to recover a memory that went so quickly into long-term storage that the person (Theo) couldn't consciously remember what he had seen. But apparently Millicent is well acquainted with all the things one can do with a Pensieve.
The whole atmosphere of Hogwarts seems very grim. Even though Headmaster Snape is long since departed the premises, his gloomy mood seems to still pervade everything. Generally fics concerning the year (or the first few years) after the death of Voldemort depict the castle inhabitants as being more cheerful. Interesting that Millicent Bulstrode is still employed there as a sort of office manager; she seems to have been put in that position during Snape's final year and has retained it under Headmistress McGonagall. Is she a sort of power behind the throne?
Obviouslly there are plenty of chapters to unravel this nystery, which seems to be tangling itself up more and more. No point in speculating so early in the game.
I will keep reading.
Vicki
Author's Response:Hi Vicki!
Since Theo did skim the letter, I thought it would be neat if the pensieve could pull up the specific details that he saw at the time but can't consciously remember, like someone with a photographic memory. I feel like Bulstrode spends some of her free time lurking around the archives checking out things she might be able to use to her advantage in her inexorable rise to power.
I wasn't necessarily going for grim here, but that kind of eerie feeling of a large crowded public building after it's empty, closed up after-hours. After all, Hogawarts is all dark and closed up for the holidays, I'm guessing it feels a lot more cheerful when it's bustling with students. Right now, the only people around are the dour Madam Pince, Bulstrode who's a freaking troll, and some ghosts.
Yes, Bulstrode is definitely the power in the shadows. She started out just as a simple office admin, but has slowly been consolidating her power. Long-term-goals: take over the world.
Thank you so much!
Mottsnave
Hi, Mottsnave. For the Review Drive.
This was an interesting chapter. To start off, were there really Yule customs (pre-Christian, I presume) that involved dead crowned wrens, and a Wren Song and a Wren candle? If so, it's interesting to know about ancient customs that have survived down through the centuries.
And I liked the conversation betwee Neville and Draco at Draco's house. Informative, nobody being snarky.
The business with the three letters to Theo's dad that Shacklebolt questioned Theo about at the DMLE office was mystifying to me. We are aware that Theo wrote two letters recently to his father, but where in the world did that third letter come from? It's on paper different from the other two letters, but paper that could have been his. It's in handwriting that looks like his; could it be an excellent forgery? And it has the signs of being coded in his personal code. What a mystery! How is he going to get his hands on the letter that he doesn't remember sending, now that they are all in the possession of Kingsley Shacklebolt? Great plot twists.
Am I surprised by the final section of this chapter? Not really. I can believe that Benedict Crabbe had nothing to kive for anymore.
Good story. I am enjoying it.
Vicki
Author's Response:Hi Vicki,
Yes, I did borrow a bit from some paganish traditions. There are old folk traditions in the British isles of caroling with a dead wren in december or early January. It also pops up in some areas in Spain, so it might possibly be a very old celtic tradition. The wren is the king of the birds, or the king of winter. You can read more if you look up "Wren Day" on wikipedia, and there are some nice links of a few versions of the wren songs. I particularly like "The King" by Steeleye Span. The wren candle is my own invention so that Neville's grandmother would have more things to burn.
I feel like Neville and Draco would have a different dynamic alone when Harry's not around. Draco loves using information to lord over other people, but Neville is one of the winners in the war, and he's very much not, so they have a kind of shaky even footing in this scene.
There won't be answers on thie letters immediately, but I like how you're laying out the clues and possibilities here. I'm glad you're enjoying the mystery aspect!
Thank you so much!
Mottsnave
Hi, Mottsnave. For the Review Drive.
I enjoyed this chapter because the dialogue seems to be moving forward rather than looking back or just establishing the status quo. Neville is taking initiative again, standing up for himself in conversations. And Harry and Ron seem properly humbled by the failure of their Polyjuice "solution" to the parole check problem. I liked Neville's grandmother's saying: "If you grasp at enough straws, you'll have the makings of a broom." Good to remember that.
I had not known (or had forgotten if I did know) that Neville had spent time in Brazil at the Universidad do Amazonas. The scene at the laboratory there was brief, but it made me happy because I have good memories of that place from the time that Snape was working there several years ago -- the scenes, the people, and the events, some of which were very funny. Today, Snape seemed adamant that he did not want to help Neville and the eyes in finding out what had happened to Goyle, but I would not be surprised if he thinks better of that decision later. He was so grieved by what had happened to Vincent Crabbe that it is hard to believe that he cares not a fig about what happens to Gregory Goyle.
And we close with another coded letter from Theo to his father, saying that Gregory is gone. Will the incarcerated fathers have any way to make any difference in the fate of that young man? And yes, that letter did sound more stilted than the previous one. As an aside, are prisoners allowed to write letters to their families?
Vicki
Author's Response:Hi Vicki!
Yes, we're back to some plot progression here. Neville's time at the lab is mentioned at the very end of The Good Friend. I did have fun of bringing back the lab setting and Grossman for a little cameo. And yes, I think you're right about Snape's feelings towards Goyle. Of course, he's not the kind to go around revealing those kinds of feelings to an outsider like Neville. His point at the moment is mostly that there's not much he can do beyond what Neville and the eyes can do, especially since Snape is not really safe going to either Britain or the dark market.
I think Theo is hoping that either his dad or Crabbe might have some information on where Goyle could have ended up. I do think there must be some kind of communication allowed between Azkaban prisoners and family, but I bet it's heavily scrutinized.
Thank you!
Mottsnave
Hi, Mottsnave. For the Review Drive.
This is an atypical chapter. It doesn't seem to be advancing the where-is-Goyle plot. It backtracks a little bit, describing Neville' chalenges in teaching the first-year students, and his standoff with Millicent in the administrative office during the first few weeks of the term. As you depict him, Neville seems clueless, always one step behind. I don't really know what he was like in 1997-1998 (the book seems to depict him as being a leader), but I had assumed that he was less clueless then than he used to be. Now he seems to have backslid.
Later in the story will he always be the person who is one or two steps behind everyone else? I hope not.
Back in real time, Millicents bullies him and Daphne teases him for his caper gone awry. And Daphne gives him an update on what some former Slytherin students are doing now. In this chapter we seem to be marking time. Has everyone run out of leads?
Vicki
Author's Response:Hi Vicki!
I wasn't intending to have Neville come across as clueless, but a little naive and idealistic. Looking at past Hogwarts' staff, I have a feeling that there is very little training for teachers. Neville's been tossed into the deep end, but at least he has Sprout for advce and experience. I feel like his backsliding comes more from anxiety, not from lack of intelligence. He gets unsure of himself when he has a chance to overthink things.
Yes, the plot doesn't move forward much in this chapter, but it's actually a very important one thematically. Back in ch 2 we had an introduction to some of the internal cover-ups that the main characters will take part in, especially as explained by The's grandad. In this chapter, Daphne is laying out another cover-up, similar to Theo's grandad, presented as a game. Both Daphne's and Theo's grandad's games have a similar effect of allowing you to 'cover up,' to move past bad things that are happening without them destroying you, at a cost. Other characters in the story have similar games and cover-ups, but Daphne and Theo's grandad may be the most self-aware of what they are doing.
Thank you so much!
Mottsnave
oh my god ‘in my experience potter has always been extremely unobservant’ serving as a defence for harry’s (snape’s/neville’s/theo’s/ cover up story in a way that makes it seem like snape is still just being super mean for the sake of being mean to harry potter made me cackle. i don’t think kingsley believes him but he’s not going to admit that or pursue it. it wouldn’t be a good look for the auror department if they accused harry potter of lying about something like this…and it’s a sort of a win situation for the ministry, isn’t it?
the conversation between snape and kingsley made me think that the auror department should definitely learn dark magic. like i mean properly. not to cast it but to know how it can be used…then kingsley wouldn’t have to wonder how exactly edward nott managed to escape from azkaban without a wand. and people dealing with dark wizards should know what they’re dealing with i feel like. this entire case does a great job of making that super clear.
and then kingsley’s reaction after snape finally told him what happened was just…funny. i can just imagine him facepalming himself lololo
i can’t believe this is the last chapter but it’s a great one, things tied off nicely, and i think neville is probably right in his line of thinking about why his parents were targeted…especially because his grandmother refused to talk about it any more than the standard lines of stuff we’ve heard before.
neville’s musings about debts and payments and ledgers and how it’s a sticky web and how for him, harry, hermione and ron it’s just friendship…well maybe for slytherins it’s also a form of friendship, who knows, like he said after enough years of that, who can keep track? nobody’s mind is perfect and in the end…it all comes down to that.
i really really loved devouring this story, it was great and engaging and super original and your characters were fantastic! another thing i really loved was the dialogue, especially when daphne would talk with anyone, you really gave her a unique voice and made every conversation with her positively enthralling and i enjoyed it very much!
i'm so happy i found your story and read it, thank you for wiritng it and sharing!
kris / ss voyager
Author's Response:Hi Kris!
Look, just because it's vital that Snape stay in character and try to sell this cover story to Shacklebolt, it doesn't mean he can't enjoy himself and tear down Potter at the same time. I'm pretty sure Snape knew EXACTLY what he was doing when he had Neville bring Harry. A cover story works best when it's something everyone wants to believe. Yes, it's absolutely in the Ministry's best interest to go along with it.
It's definitely canon that the Defense against the Dark Arts classes are absolutely horrible. Nothing in Hogwarts seems to teach anything about the actual mechanics of any magic, much less Dark magic. Since it's the only school in the country, where would the auror dept learn? I do go into this a little in my other story, A Short History of Magic. Yes, the auror dept would have had a better chance if they'd had some of Snape's expertise.
Yes, the Slytherins have a differnt culture, maybe a kind of transactional view of the world, but there is some kind of real bonds and friendship underneath.
Thank you so, so much Kris! Iloved reading all your reviews, and I'm so glad you enjoyed the story!
Mottsnave
Hi, Mottsnave. Here for the review drive again.
Now everybody's fanning out, looking for Goyle in their own ways, and not having any luck. Of course they can't have any luck yet, because the story is still young, and you have many more deveopments to present in this convoluted maze of a situation. I like your description oif how Knockturn Alley has changed since the war.
The meeting between Draco and Theo was intriguing.. So the packets in Draco's refrigerator really were packets of earth from various points around Europe, which he is supplying to Theo, but for what?
Poor Neville. His friends who coached him so extensively about impersonating Goyle at the parole check didn't know about the drug test! What an omission! I was impressed by Neville's spur-of-the-moment phony explanation that at least didn't implicate any other specific people and did buy time -- two weeks until the next parole check. I wonder if Theo and the eyes will learn the details about how this caper went down. When Neville realizes that he was going to have to report this, I presume you meant "to Theo and the eyes."
This is pretty noir, all right.
Vicki
Author's Response:Hi Vicki!
This was one of my favorite chapters to write, because I got to describe and explore a few different settings, and at the same time explore most of our different major characters and how they approach their missions. I also got to use a lot of humor, which I really enjoy.
Yes, that was a big omission - when the Trio are working together, they are capable of coming up with some pretty good plan, and jumping in feet first, and sticking with their friends through thick and thin. Ron and Harry are great with the jumping in with your friends part, but they're not good with details. Hermione is great with details, but unfortunately she didn't know the details of parole checks, so that's where it all fell apart. Neville as I'm interpreting him, has trouble with second-guessing himself and anxiety when he has time to think, but when he's up against it, he'll just get through it. He's actually better at thinking on his feet than he gives himself credit for.
Thank you so much!
Mottsnave
demolition being bulstrode’s specialty made me laugh, it really does sound awfully like her with her always clenched fists and threats of thumping people haha
oh wow at first i thought that neville just couldn’t kill not-goyle with the killing curse because i thought that not-goyle was something like an inferius and so he was already dead and the killing curse couldn’t do anything to him, but snape apparently is able to kill both theo’s father and not-goyle which…i mean…it’s something. by something i mean at least neville isn’t dead and he was getting very close to that state at the hands of not-goyle.
but not-goyle fell into a disturbingly small pile of…something which is also super weird but dark magic is just a weird branch of magic that is often disturbing so i’m just going with the flow. like neville :P
ah wait was that another effigy?? is goyle dead or alive :o
i am also laughing right along with neville because the whole thing is morbid and just out of this world and if he didn’t laugh i don’t know what he would do. the fact that snape asked for harry to be the auror dealing with the case makes it all so much funnier!
that whole exchange between harry and snape hurt and i can see both sides kinda but ahh…it’s a difficult situation for harry and i guess he’ll forever be traumatised from everything that had happened to him and nothing can help that, and there can be no real resolution. things happen, you get the life you’re dealt with and you have to figure out the rest. i love how neville saw the issue of harry and snape talking about completely different things and how harry would never be able to understand the way snape and the group of slytherins think and how he managed to turn the tables by presenting himself as the one who needs help and just asks for help from harry, who is his friend and who would do that for him, no questions asked, no ledgers, no nothing…and that’s also amazing.
kris / ss voyager
Author's Response:Hi Kris!
Yes, the not-Goyle thing is a little vague, since we are seeing things from Neville's POV and he's not sure what he's dealing with at the moment. You are correct to an extent that Neville's killing curse isn't working because the thing he's fighting isn't alive. When Snape kills Theo's father, it collapses because it's something that Theo's father created and was powering. I don't spell it out, but we do have a couple of clues from the previous chapter when Theo sees it. In his thoughts he's wondering why his dad bothered to create it, except as a warning of what they might do with him if he decided to kill himself by the unbreakable vow. I was trying to imply that the not-Goyle was an effigy powered by Goyle's death, very much like the sheet was an effigy powered by Crabbe Sr.'s death.
The conversation between Snape and Harry is the heart of the chapter in a way. I think I said before, when I have two characters arguing, I really want to make them both "right". Snape and Harry both have good reasons for feeling the way they do, but their world views are just so far apart. Neville has been acting as a "bridge" since chapter one, though, and he's the one person in the room who can effectively communicate to both sides. And yes, Harry is an amazing friend to Neville, so if it's him who needs help, then he's going to help.
And of course now we come to the real theme of the story: It sure would be great if the wizarding world had therapy.
Thank you so much!
Mottsnave
snape taking charge and everyone listening to him and following orders makes sense but it’s still so so weird seeing neville do that same thing, but in any case, at least they managed to land into the room where theo is working. i doubt things will go that easily though.
ahaha snape and hermione having in common the fact that they ended up carrying vials of polyjuice potion on them made me laugh, but they’re both cunning enough to know it’s a super useful potion. especially when you need to impersonate someone who the other person thinks is bound by the unbreakable vow…that’s just brilliant!
aw poor neville hasn’t realised yet that to break an unbreakable vow was to kill the person it was made to…right? that’s what snape meant? …and he comes to that same conclusion which of course bothers his conscience because neville is definitely not used to the sort of killing snape is. him deciding to go back in is super admirable and i wouldn’t have expected anything different from him, i’m just doubtful he’ll be able to do the thing he wants to do :o
kris / ss voyager
Author's Response:Hi Vicki!
Well, we do know from previous chapters that Neville is good at following orders ;).But then of course it turns out he's not so good at following orders when he's not sure that those orders are right.
I was kind of calling back to the third chapter here, where Ginny and Neville and the Trio are debating about overt vs covert resistance during the war. Neville is used to the light way of doing things, open resistance, pitched battles. This kind of predatory stealth killing feels wrong to him, even if the results might be the same. An owl swooping down silently in the cover of darkness to pick off small prey. A camoflaged snake lying in ambush. Slytherin methods are not something he feel good about supporting.
Thank you!
Mottsnave
i find it interesting that snape would ask draco to break his good faith at some future point since these seem something of a slytherin thing? or just dark market thing? in any case, at least he warned him. i suppose breaking a good faith (and judging by theo’s reaction when he broke his) isn’t as bad and with as dire consequences as the unbreakable vow but still…it’s not fun. and it’s unclear how long the effects last :o
love that draco so casually kept bargaining for the commission, and i bet the others were all like oh get on with it but at the same time they also know perfect casualness and seemingly nothing out of order is the way to go.
thinking back to how many times during the course of the story draco told multiple people that he has nothing to do with all this and he will have nothing to do with all this….and yet haha he can’t not do it, eh?
i love that neville is just along for the ride with all these slytherins, wherever it may take him…he owes them but also he doesn’t give up and that’s one of the things i love about him!
btw the whole magic you created behind the creation of portkeys is amazing and love how you weave your own ideas and headcanons into the canon wizarding world seamlessly.
theo retreating into the humans-are-ants theory his grandad talked to him about at the end of this chapter was kinda heartbreaking…and goyle. well. he stopped being useful <.< i hope neville & co manage to save theo!
kris / ss voyager
Author's Response:Hi Kris!
In my conception, the Good Faiths are mostly a dark market thing. Yeah, it's quite unpleasant to break, but Snape doesn't want him dithering about it if it comes down to it, so he's warning him now.
I feel like Draco is a fairly good actor at this point in his life. He does need to stay very casual so Dodger and Phelps don't get suspicious, but also he might just be enjoying himself a bit. In terms of writing the chapter, I definitely wanted the bargaining in there for a little comic relief, since there's going to be some fairly heavy stuff coming up. And yep, Draco really cant stay uninvolved.
I'm so glad you saw the connection here between Theo and his grandad. Again, it's tying into the larger theme of the cover up.
Thank you so much!
Mottsnave
Hi, Mottsnave.
Here again for the Review Drive.
Back to Neville again, going to see Harry, hoiping for privacy, but the whole fam-damily shows up -- Hermione, Ron, Ginny, all insisting on knowing Neville's private business in a pushy way that is far beyond simply annoying. Yes, Neville should have Floo-called ahead. They didn't even have the courtesy to ask him why he was there before dragging him into their raucous party. And when he finally tries to ask to speak with Harry privately, they all horn in on the conversation. "The not-giving-up look...they would not let him go..." The insistent, illegitimate invasion of privacy. And knowing Neville as we do, I knew that he would fold under their prying remarks like a wet paper towel. Really, that bunch infuriates me. They did have help to offer, but there were so many better ways they could have handled it.
Ron does not come off well in the subsequent conversation. In this chapter he is judgmental, quick to condemn, seeing everything as black and white, throughout almost all of the conversation, and I wondered why you depicted him that way.
Finally, thank heaven, the whole mob doesn't insist on going to Draco's house, so it's just Harry and Neville, as it should be. Of course we wonder what the strange substance is Draco's refrigerator is. I gave it some thought but can't imagine. Surprised that Neville didn't describe it more fully to Harry. Of course it's not really dirt.
Here's hoping the parole check switcheroo works out. If Nevilee doesn't morph into Goyle, what the Plan B?
Thank you for writing!
Vicki
Author's Response:Hi Vicki!
It seems to me that the Weasley family is, well, a little boundary-challenged. Harry and Hermione married into that mess (and I could see Harry leaning into that atmosphere, since he grew up very neglected, and he's also as nosy as heck.) so they are on board with it too to a certain extent. Now, hustling Neville into staying for dinner, I think that would be pretty normal in some friend circles, especially if they haven't seen him for a little while. But yes, they are ovebearing too. One of my themes in this story is the lingering effects of the war on the former participants, in ways big and small. For the trio, we've got a lot of dogged stubborn nosiness left over.
I definitely was setting up a little contrast here between Ron and Ginny. Out of this group both Ron and Ginny had arguably the most severe recent loss from the war (the books aren't very clear if Hermione might recover her parents from the memory charms). So you might expect both Ginny and Ron to have potentially harder-line viewpoints as a reaction to losing their sibling in the war. I had Ginny carry some of the same B+W views as Ron until she was challenged by another person and was able to see things from different points of view. Ron, however, is in the auror department. I have a feeling that in that environment he would have his B+W views reinforced rather than challenged.
Thank you so much!
Mottsnave
bah i really do feel sorry for goyle. he’s so damn oblivious and for some stupid reason actually trusts theo’s father, he obviously hasn’t learned anything. but then again it’s not like he had much of a chance in his life with no one who cared, or at least it seems that way? or the people who did care were the same as him, good at being used but bad at thinking with their own heads. it’s just sad and also makes me angry because i also doubt he will believe anything theo tells him, if theo tells him anything which i doubt.
i would love to know how good faiths work, it’s a thing you invented and it’s a brilliant thing and it’s so important to his story and it keeps propping up and just,,,i am intensely curious about your thinking behind them!
draco just going along with snape…i’m kinda laughing at how he ignored lucius but yeah, slytherins and their debts and mental ledgers, no one can stand between those
theo having to actually think through telling goyle abou mr. crabbe and how it wouldn’t help and so it might both ruin goyle and also ruin theo because of the unbreakable vow is kinda mindfuck-y but i mean that in the best possible way. i really love this story!
kris / ss voyager
Author's Response:Yeah, Goyle's... a problem. In his own twisted way, he's an idealist. Again, I was setting up a parallel, in this story, Goyle is kind of the anti-Harry. His cover story, what he has to believe to hold himself together is very close to Harry's similar beliefs. Goyle trusts Theo's dad and his plans the way he trusted Voldemort, and how Harry trusted Dumbledore. The plans HAVE to work, and the Cause is just an good. It HAS to be, or all they suffered was for lies.
I don't really go into the technical aspect of the Good Faith. My idea is that for an Unbreakable Vow, you are essentially swearing on your life, so if you break that Vow, your life is just... over. You break the vow, you forfeit your life. The Good Faith, you aren't swearing on your life, you are swearing on your own internal sincerity, faith or intentions. So if you break your faith, your body goes into a sort of internal revolt against you.
Yet another recurring theme of the story - so many of the characters were deeply effected or traumatized by the war. But here, five years on, they are stuck in their lives in various ways, having trouble moving on. When they are presented with an opportunity to jump back in, following orders, sneaking around on missions etc, they are right back in. Despite the trauma, there are ways that they miss it.
Yes, Theo gave himself some wiggle room by leaving the end of the vow vague, but now he has to calculate if he is going to break it. A mixed blessing.
Thank you again!
Mottsnave
oh god whattt???? goyle was in on the whole thing? really? godd and to think how much trouble all the slytherins and snape and neville went through to find out what happened to him. was it all just an elaborate ruse to get theo’s father out of azkaban? that seems kinda far-fetched…there must be something more to it!
though some of narcissa’s comments make a lot more sense now that apparently stephanie coates is actually an animagus who transforms into an owl?
poor goyle doesn’t realise once again what exactly he got himself into, thinking mr. crabbe is still alive and well. ugh.
oh okayyy now we find out what the first is for, maybe i should have realised earlier but i’ve just been wrapped up in the mystery of who took goyle that it didn’t occur to me that the first was for portkeys. snape mentions first principle again so does that mean portkeys are kinda dark magic-y?
bulstrode’s ending statement being that goyle is only good at being used is just,,,kinda sad actually. ughhhhh i can’t believe i’m feeling sorry for goyle now wow
kris / ss voyager
Author's Response:Hi Kris!
I know you've read further, so you probably know a little more about everyone's motivations. Of course, getting out of Azkaban is probably a pretty strong motive for most folks, but yes, there is a little more to it on Goyle's part. One of my original motivations in writing this was to be a sort of answer or reversal to the original books' theme of the redeeming power of love. I wanted to write a story about the people who are not redeemed by love, and the ways in which love can destroy, rather than save someone's life.
Yes, exactly, portkeys use the principles of Dark magic to work. But that's ok, so does everything. All magic is kinda dark magic-y.
Yeah, Goyle is, as Daphne would say, tragic.
Thank you!
Mottsnave
ahah neville getting accosted by his father’s old friend who goes on and on and on and makes neville feel just a little uncomfortable but then it turns out it might have actually been a useful thing that he met him haha. that bit of extra clearance does seem to have handy, especially if nobody bothered to decommission his father’s badge :o it was sad that he didn’t manage to get much from his visit to the archives even with that badge :|
the showdown between lucius and snape was kinda hilarious, reading it from the point of view of draco and narcissa just being all casual like and almost..chirpy lol, it was really great. i’m in the same boat as draco, not sure i understood all of her snarky remarks about stephanie coates but i got the gist…i think. i wonder how snape will manage to wrangle all these things that have suddenly been set in motion?
oh wow that woman and goyle and just!! she found theo awfully quickly and then managed to apparate them all away so that’s not great <.< can’t wait to find out what happens next!
kris / ss voyager
Author's Response:Hi Kris!
Neville is seeing Daphne's game in action: if you consider your entire life a game, you can see anything that happens to you as a possible advantage. Only if you don't end up squandering it, though. Oops.
Snape and Lucius' relationship is a bit... complicated. I have a lot of fun writing them squabbling. I didn't want to get into all of the backstory here, but Lucius does have a legitimatte reason to be annoyed with Snape. If we look at this through Daphne's theory of debts and balances, Snape had to 'pay' a little to get back on an even footing wih Lucius. I have a feeling that Lucius getting a chance to bop Snape in the snoot is going to snap him out of his depression for a while.
Thank you so much!
Mottsnave
oh wow i think i missed something in the last chapter and didn’t realise theo’s father wasn’t just poisoned or cursed or something like that that caused him to transform into…whatever that was, but now reading the letter snape got from shacklebolt it seems he went missing which is also super suspicious and weird and what in the world is going on??
hopefully bulstrode and daphne manage to figure out who that blonde woman is from hogwarts class pictures.
with theo in custody…man. this is tough, i wonder what the other eyes will be thinking about this whole situation. if they even know because i don’t think that the information even about crabbe’s supposed suicide was made public yet so this disappearance might also be unlikely to make it to the papers or wherever…though slytherins do have their ways.
:oooooooooo
yes that is my reaction to crabbe’s father being a willing life sacrifice for theo’s father to make up that effigy, get out of azkaban and…do what? save goyle? was that it?
i think it’s super interesting that dark magic works in the ways snape described, your world building on that part is really brilliant.
stephanie coates as yaxley’s personal assistant and…what are theyy doing i’m dying to find out!!
kris / ss voyager
Author's Response:Hi Kris,
Yes, since we're seeing that moment with Theo's dad strictly from Theo's POV, so it's actually by design that the reader doesn't know what's happening at the time. Just an overwhelming collection of sensory impressions. And yes, Shacklebolt's letter is a little misleading, because he also doesn't know what is going on. Everyone is floudering a bit at the moment.
As I was writing some of my earlier stories, I realized that I needed to come up with some actual rules/mechanics for how Dark Magic works. I was basing it on various folklore traditions, but it mostly fits with canon as well, so I kind of ran with it. If you're interested in the magic theory of it, I laid it out in more detail in A Short History of Magic.
Thank you so much!
Mottsnave
Hi, Mottsnave.
Here again with a review for the Review Drive.
I very much enjoyed this chapter, especially the parts regarding Gregory Goyle. We do not see much characterization of him in the seven books beyond the fact that he was dimwitted and oafish. But in this story we are obliged to see much more of him -- his contempt for Muggles, his adoration of the Dark Lord, his dedication to the Dark Lord's agenda, his blindness to how much danger the Dark Lord represented for him. And his self-pity. Now he has some money and has disappeared.
I also very much like your development of the the character of Theo Nott. Again, in the books he is pretty much of a blank, blending into the woodwork, not expressing opinions or taking action. The symbol of neutrality. Now you have shown us that he was working for Snape, flying under the radar, wrestling with his relationship with his father, missing his grandfather, reluctantly giving Goyle a place to live because nobody else can.
The letter code that Goyle had devised with Mr. Crabbe while they were still together in Azkaban is surprising for its functionality. I wonder if Greg devised it himself, or if he just proposed the idea of a code to Mr. Crabbe, who came up with the mechanism of it. I'm using letter codes in my current WIP, so it was fun to see this code here.
So when you say "Two weeks later, Goyle was gone," I presume that means he absconded, not that he rented a flat and moved out. I wonder if Theo will get in trouble for losing track of his unwelcome flatmate.
I'll keep reading!
Vicki
Author's Response:Hi Vicki!
Thank you so much!
Yes, a major aim for me in writing this story was to get past the black and white morality of the books, and to flesh out some of the characters who were essentially two-dimensional cutouts. Goyle was a hard one for me at first! I really wanted to keep him as a bigoted bully, but he had to have a internally consistent and rational viewpoint. His reasons for being the way he is had to make sense to at least himself. I didn't want him to be likeable, but at least understandable to the reader.
Theo was much easier, because he was such a blank slate in the books. Exactly - I used his trait of being in the background, under the radar, as a kind of kernal to build up the rest of his character and motivations,
I have a feeling that it was't Goyle who came up with the mechanics of the code. I wanted the code to be fairly simple, but just complicated enough that somone could't easily spot it as a code by reading the letter. And it was essential that it was absolutely non-magical. I think that the Ministry has all sort of tests for hidden writing and magical parchments etc, but they just don't think of someone simply writing in code.
Yes, this chapter is a flashback from the first chapter, which dumps us in after Goyle's disappearance. The 'two weeks later, Goyle was gone" refers to his disappearance which led to Theo calling the bridge meeting.
Thank you so much! More replies soon!
Mottsnave
ah poor harry, he always did hate when things were being kept for him and a lot of people did that to him and that must hurt a lot, and obviously it hurt him a lot - we know that and he outright tells neville here. but i also agree with neville that sometimes people just can’t give you what you need from them and that’s something you need to learn to live with, which is not great and often sucks but…hopefully harry does manage to live with it and enjoy the rest of his life without obsessing over the prophecy and snape :|
i am still wondering why in the world theo needs dirt/soil?? i really hope that particular question doesn’t go unanswered during the story because i will die of curiosity :P
daphne and bulstrode are a magnificent duo and i fucking love that they just strode into the back room at helix and daphne casually plucked dodger’s wand and bulstrode thumped phelps and both of the men were wait, what????
but omg what the hell happened to theo’s dad? wow that was …something. i don’t think it was a stroke :o
kris / ss voyager
Author's Response:Hi Kris!
The chapter is moving the plot along in a few ways, but, yeah, Neville and Harry's conversation is probably the most important part thematically. Whenever I write an argument between characters, I try to have it as evenly stacked as possible, or even weighted a little away from the viewpoint character, since the reader naturally tends to side a little more with a viewpont character. Neville and Harry's discussion doesn't necessarily have a right answer or any real resolution, which is one of the themes of the story. And we can also see some of the cracks in Harry's interal cover-story for himself. Neville is a pretty self-aware character, but he has just a touch of that himself - in order to comfort yourself over people who can't give you what you really need, you just have to create your own belief deep down inside. But of course, there's no guarantee that that belief is true...
I definitely had some fun with Daphne and Bustrode. I wanted to sort of imply that they've had history of working together similarly before - they know their roles and tactics with much discussion ahead of time.
Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews!
Mottsnave
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