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Hi, Vicki! Here for our swap! :)
(Hope it's okay if I review here for now, I'll move my reviews to AO3 as well eventually... maybe leave me a request in my transfer review thread, if you want, so I don't forget :P)
This was another great chapter! Very interesting as always! Who wrote those slogans, I wonder? Was it Neville? Or someone else from the DA? Or maybe someone unexpected? Blaise or someone else from Slytherin? Or maybe a Professor? I'm not ruling anything out at this point... but I suppose you'll eventually reveal it to us, right?
Either way, I'm a bit worried anytime these public acts of rebellion come up... I mean, they are necessary to give the students hope, I suppose, but they are also bound to cause repercussions from the Carrows, right?
I can't blame Howard for not feeling any obligation towards Hogwarts or the rebellion... I wonder if that will change with time, at least in regards to the latter. But yes, he never wanted to go to Hogwarts, the school means nothing to him, he's only there because someone else forced him to, while he should've been helping his family back home instead... it must be so hard...
"I'm sorry about that." / "it's not your fault." / "But I am part of the mainstream wizarding community that's doing this to you. That's a depressing thought." I think that's a profound statement... and yes, sort of depressing... it's true for many of us in many contexts, isn't it? It's hard to accept to be part of a privileged group that somehow benefits from the suffering of others, even if we are not directly responsible for it, or even with any real power to change anything... Speaking of which... And yet I'm not so short-sighted as to assume that the issues that threaten people here now might not also threaten us on Skye eventually. This is another profound statemente that could be true for many real life issues. We are all interconnected, and just because something is happening far from us, we can't be sure that it won't impact us somehow eventually...
I have to agree with Tracey, the story behind that song was really so sad... it made me very emotional, too... and it matters little if it was inspired by real, specific people or not... it's just moving and painful in a sort of universal way, if that makes sense. But I also wonder if Tracey's reaction was because this story reminded her of something personal? Again, we'll probably find out later if that's the case ;)
Lovely job as always! Thank you so much for writing and sharing! <3
Big snowball hug,
Chiara
Author's Response:Hi, Chiara!
It's so nice to be back in the swing of writing chapters and posting reviews again! It's perfectly okay to post reviews here on Archive FFT. I really don't care if you never move your reviews to AO3, which seems like an impersonal kind of site, compared to FFT, which has always felt so much like a community.
Thanks for saying that this was a great chapter. Occasionally I write a chapter, such as the one in which Howard and Tracey break into Alecto Carow's office, where I know I've 'hit one out of the ball park,' but for the less dramatic chapters, I always worry at least a little that readers will find them boring. So thank you for saying "interesting as always." Much of what is in this chapter stems from my earlier, shorter version of the story on MNFF many yars ago.
Yes, eventually it will come out as to who and how the slogans were written -- in fact, I was compelled to jump ahead a bit in my writing beyond upcoming Chapter 35 to start sketching out the details of a bunch more stuff about the resistance activities. This really needs to be done because you can't just write that the slogans were painted and then not go into the reaction to it in some depth. This afternoon (November 9) I was raking dead leaves and pruning Forsythia bushes in advance of hard winter, and as I worked, I was outlining in my head how the Gryffies will have a breakthrough in their plan to turn all the Muggle Studies textbooks blank. They really get into the swing of it.
The song is very sad. I've known the song for years but never knew what it was about until fairly recently. It has reasons for fitting into the story perfectly. I told my daughter about that, and she approved. It will eventually come out why Tracey was so disturbed by this sad song. You can find videos on YouTube of Scottish singers singing it.
Hugs to you too.
Vicki
You set up a great dynamic between Howard and Blaise here. Blaise is trying to be the typical intimidating Slytherin (although I’m not sure if forthright is the best word. I envisioned him more aggressive than that) and Howe is completely ignoring it, opting for a more casual but logical approach. I appreciated how he reminded himself to use the facts. It’s so hard to stay logical when the other person is getting emotional, especially so negative.)
Then Howe quotes Patrick Henry (or perhaps it was the Book of Matthew.) Either way, he has confused Blaise, but is the headboy going to admit it. Of course not. He goes up with a rather weak comeback of weirdness. However, perhaps Blaise will take the advice to heart. Afterall, for a Gryffindor, Howe is very logical and cautious.
I always thought that the Room of Requirement was vastly underused. It has some much potential to do amazing things (and be misused too.) I like the cute little cat costume for Elise and you did a nice job with the songs. Those can be hard to get correct, combining meaning, rhythm and rhyme together.
The whole adobos thing is rather suspicious and now Reginald’s directions on how to return the letter. It all raises an eyebrow (but of course, Hagrid wouldn’t even consider how strange it is because he’s Hagrid.) Still, I wonder what the entire purpose of sending those to Hogwars was.
I can’t believe someone set up a barrier against Howard in the owlery. Was it McGonagall? Does it apply to the other homeschool students? Will it go over if another kid sends a letter for them? Why are they being targeted. It seems the other parents (who actually know what Hogwarts is supposed to be like) would be just as upset as the homeschool parents.
Excellent chapter. Keep up the great work.
Author's Response:Hi, Barbara,
Thank you so much for this long and thoughtful review. I see that you interpreted this conversation between Blaise and Howard as I intended it to be. Blaise intends to take control of the conversation forcefully, but, as you note, Howard ignores Blaise's aggression and steers the conversation in the way he wants to. This throws Blaisse a bit off stride, since he was expecting Howard to be a little intimidated (Blaise doesn't know Howard very well yet) and to just react/respond to Blaise's statemnts.By the end, I think that Blaise is beginning to get an inkling that Howard is truly not his enemy.
You can hear the tunes of the songs on YouTube videos. Google "Our sturdy golden bear" (University of California, Berkeley) and "Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame" (the chorus of the University of Notre Dame victory march) to learn how to sing the Sturdy Gold Lion and the drinking song. You're right, the Room of Requirement is not used much in the canon books, given its potential.
In one of the early chapters, Howard tells Neville and Seamus that the mail of the homeschooled students is being censored and that they are not allowed to use the owl post, and there follows a long speculation among the three boys as to how that prohibition could be enforced. It was not in effect in the pre-breakfast hours of September 2, when Seamus took Howard up to the owlery to mail his jumper order to Madam Malkin's shop, but after breakfast, when McGonagall informed all the homeschooled student that their mail would be consored, it was probably already in place. As the boys explain to Howard in that early chapter, the barriers would not be hard to set up, "like a ward to keep rats and mice out of your house while allowing your cat and dog to go freely in and out." As the purpose is explained to the homesschooled students by McGonagall at that post-brekfast meeting, it is to prevent their planning with their families to run away or somehow escapte from Hogwarts, since they didn't want to come to Hogwarts anyway.
It's surprising that Hogwarts didn't censor the mail of all the students, since they all could tell their parents about what was going on there, but apparently the school did not cesnor everyone's mail, since Neville tells Harry, Ron, and Hermione, upon the return to the school near the end of DH, about the correspondence between himself and his grandmother.
I'm glad that you think the chapter is excellent and the work is great. :) <- big smile on my face. <3
Vicki
Well, I had to come and check this chapter out and see what you were hinting at... :P And yes! They can be allies! Of course McGonagall would see through Howard's half truths, and of course she would appreciate his cleverness. And sending the broken fake wand to Ollivanders' for repair is a very clever move, too... I was wondering if Howard would just pretend that he somehow fixed his wand himself (after all Alecto might not know that fixing wands is not easy) but this way works much better.
Okay, I'll be that person (it just occurred to me now, while writing this review...) Isn't Ollivander prisoner of Voldemort at this point in time and his shop shut? Just mentioning this because I know you are usually very careful about canon compliancy... not really that important anyway, just being nitpicky... :P
I hope those two Hufflepuff kids will be careful as well and follow Ernie's advice. Ernie seems quite clever himself, but I suppose all these kids sort of have to be... especially those who are in a position of responsibility. I wonder what Ernie meant when he said that when you're a Prefect you learn stuff... there's clearly a lot he has to deal with he'd rather not... these poor children... :/
You were right, I really enjoyed this chapter! :D I really enjoyed the interaction with Ernie, and I absolutely loved the conversation with McGonagall, the way they understand each other even when they keep things unsaid, it's so cool! The scene in Muggle Studies class was so well done as well. Alecto is just as vicious as always, but that just shows how good you are at portraying her! So well done!
Lovely job! Thank you for writing and sharing!
Snowball hug,
Chiara
Author's Response:Hi, Chiara. Thank you for this thoughtful review and for spotting my imperfection. I had been thinking that Mr. Ollivander was captured by the Death Eaters in the autumn of 1997, but when checking back in the book, I see that it was in July of 1996. Remus tells the Weasleys and Harry that Ollivander was gone and his shop was closed. He says that people who need wands will have to make do with other makers, though Ollivander was considered the best. So we know that there were other makers, but we are not told their names or if any of them were located in England. I also learned in the Harry Potter Wiki that Ollivander had retail outlets in other places than just Diagon Alley, staffed with middle-aged men titled 'wandkeepers,' who were well-trained wizards who could run these shops, sell wands to customers, and, I suppose, make minor repairs, though not to perfom major repairs or manufacture new wands. Fixing a broken fake wand would be classified as a minor repair; McGonagall says she could do it herself!
So I will change a few words in the text of the chapter to indicate that one of Ollivander's wandkeepers at a satellite shop would do the repair job. Alecto Carrow won't know the difference between wandmakers and wandkeepers. Thank you very much for picking up on that point. :)
I enjoy writing Ernie. His character was not very fully developed in the canon books. He was just this pompous kid who liked to brag about how much studying he did and how serious he was about thinking about his future. But in the end of Deathly Hallows, when the students are being evacuated from the castle, Ernie was the one who shouted "What if we want to stay and fight?" That was a major development in his maturity. He was no longer was thinking about his exam grades or his career possibilities or about making sure that everyone knew he was a prefect. In fact, fighting a war is a good way to cut your future prospects short in a hurry. So I like to envision Ernie as more serious now, less self-centered or trying to impress everybody, a boy who sees his prefect position as a means to help people, not as a means to show off. I wrote Ernie in the 1997-1998 school year in a much earlier fic, "Carried in My Heart," which is on my AP, a one-shot about the resistance in Hufflepuff House during this terrible year. You would enjoy it if you haven't already read it.
Ir was satisfying to write all the stuff about Howard's once-confiscated wand. Plan A and Plan B. Swinging back and forth between confidence and despair. Things getting more complicated by the minute. Being clever, and then ending up in a pickle. And in the end he is learning that he needs to trust other people and rely on their help, first with Tracey and getting his wand back, and now with McGonagall to ensure that nobody will know that the broken wand was fake.
McGonagall realizes that Howard's not telling her everything, and she's probablly dubious about some of the things he does say, but both of them are pragmatists, and if he's skating the truth a little, she is also doing the same by pretending that the broken pieces which she is sending for repair are Howard's real wand, and making sure that the staff (including Alecto) and the students are aware of that.
One thing I try to be careful about is not allowing myself to turn Howard into a Gary Stu. So in this chapter he's sometimes clever (in the short run) but sometimes he just makes more trouble for himself, and he ought to have reached out for help earlier than he did. I hope he will learn from all this.
Thank you so much for this lovely review, and for heping me fix my mistake.
Vicki
Hi Vicki,
I like the scenes with Ernie quite a lot - Ernie rarely gets a moment to shine in fan fiction, and you've done a fine job with him (even saved him from his usual pomposity to a large degree). Howe's showing his ability to adapt to the political (for lack of a better term) climate more and more as these recent chapters move along. You're doing a nice job of drawing out his character in a realistic way.
Nice progress in this chapter - the wand snapping was not a huge surprise but you executed it with gusto. Howe's internal monologue was excellent.
McGonagall is probably not buying Howe's story quite to the degree he thinks she is, but at least he recognizes her affection for him (I reckon he'll get to the full truth of it soon enough) and that might eventually reach actual trust - though with things as they are this year at Hogwarts, I'd be surprised if that trust ever reaches the level of his classmates who've been with her since they were eleven years old.
As usual, thanks for an enjoyable chapter.
George
Author's Response:Hi, George. Thank you so much for reading my chapter and leaving me a review so promptly.
I'm glad you like the scenes with Ernie. In the books he was a pretty flat minor character, marked by 'pomposity,' as you say, bragging about how many hours he spent in studying for his exams, reminding his fellow students about the need to think about one's future and career, and his frequent references to being a prefect (just to make sure nobody forgot that fact). But he was also the guy who shouted "And what if we want to stay and fight?" when the school was being evacuatd at the end of Deathly Hallows. Not the remark of someone who is obsessed with his future long-term. So somewhere along the liine, he had some major character development/maturity, and I like to use my 7th year stories to show this happening. Now when he mentions being a prefect, it's not to show off to other people, but just a matter-of-fact statement within the context of his conversation. He is featured in my one-shot story of many years ago, "Carried in my Heart," also on my AP, showing the resistance in Hufflepuff House during the seventh year. You might enjoy it if you haven't already read it.
Thanks for saying that I am drawing out Howard's character in a realistic way. That might be because, after all these years, I know him so well. I am curious about why you say that the wand snapping was not a huge surprise. Does that mean that you think it's just the sort of thing that Alecto would do, or is it just the sort of thing that Vicki would write?
I see both Howard and McGonagall as supreme pragmatists. He probably knows already that his story about what happened concerning his wand might not be 100% convincing, but he doesn't need 100%; he just needs enough crdibility to get out of the pickle he's in. So he gives a bare-bones account and says "I hold my cards close to my vest," meaning "That's all you're getting from me." She may be dubious about his implication that he anticipated Carrow's actions by carrying a fake wand into class (really?), but I'm sure she would never guess what he and Tracey really did.
Howard is learning that he can get help from other people, first Tracey and now Professor McGonagall. Some people at this strange school are proving themselves to be trustworthy. And if he is skating the truth a little, she is doing the same when she sends the broken pieces to be mended, pretending that they are Howard's wand and making sure that the staff (especially Alecto) and students are aware of it.
Thank you for following this story faithfully. I much appreciate that.
Vicki
Hi, Vicki! Here for our swap! :D
"Why do you think that?" Howard asked. / Joel turned his head to look at him. / "Because she likes you." Okay, I loved this! :) I bet it was the last thing Howard expected to hear, but I think Joel is right. McGonagall might have been wary of Howard at first, but I think she's coming to understand and appreciate him, and as I said from the very beginning, I have great hope for them to become... allies? Is that a good word?
Loved the opening scene with Blaise! It started off as very confrontational and I was a bit worried of where you were going with it, but I love that Howard and Blaise seemed to get to some kind of mutual understanding as well. Blaise is obviously trying not to compromise himself, but he isn't endorsing the Carrows' terror either, and he doesn't want people to get hurt, and it's great to see that! It's nice to see that "not all Slytherins are evil", if you know what I mean... and yes, Howard is challenging the status quo here, but I'm starting to think that maybe it's not just Gryffindor House that needs him, maybe it's all of Hogwarts... I loved that United we stand comment. I always love when the stupid house divide is challenged!
The Room of Requirements always gives great joys! :D Of course it would give them the perfect stage space! I'm very much looking forward to seeing the actual production going on stage... ;)
And I'm also very curious to see if the letter will get to Reginald and if the boys will get any answer... it is quite a long shot... I doubt this Reginald actually wants to be found, if he instructed Hagrid to send his letters back... it is typical Hagrid behaviour, just following such instruction without getting suspicious... the whole adobos affair is highly suspicious, and it gets more and more so the more you reveal about it. I can't wait for the mystery to be cracked, I'm just too curious about it, it's definitely one of the most fascinating subplots in my opinion! :D
Oh, I almost forgot the confiscated wands! I like the way Howard is keeping in touch with the other houses' prefects and trying to do what he can to protect all the students. I'm very curious to see how his conversation with Ernie will go and how they'll return the wands to the students.
A really great chapter! I enjoyed it a lot! Thank you so much for writing and sharing! And thank you so much for accepting my swap offer! <3
Big snowball hug,
Chiara
Author's Response:Hi, Chiara, Thank you so much for making the swap offer and for leaving me a review on Chapter 32 so very promptly! In these rather chaotic days as we all struggle to deal with the changeover to AO3, especially for the members of FFT who no longer have good acess to the FFT archive, it is so heartwarming to receive a review on my new chapter. At least something is working.
I decided that it was finally time to begin to thaw the ice between Howard and McGonagall. It's been frosty, in Howard's mind, since the first days of the school term, first with the mail censorship lecture on the first morning after breakfast, and then the disastrous (in Howard's mind) first Transfiguration class session in which they disagreed on the ethics of transfiguring animals and even worse, on the transfiguring of electric power tools. Howard's mind would be permanently stuck in the "She doesn't like me" mode until a neutral third party (Joel) could see and evaluate the interaction between Howard and McGonagall for himself.
I'm glad you liked the opening scene between Blaise and Howard. It is a favorite of mine, but I didn't know if other people would see it the same way, and both you and George did see it as I intended. :) I have always eeen Blaise as being very much his own man, not easily influenced by other people and not sucked mindlessly into the "Slytherins are the tulers" mindset that is so popular among much of Slytherin society. He is smart, competent, vsry self-controlled. It's probably hard for others to read his feelings. He is a private person and keeps a lot of his opinions to himself. But in this conversation he senses that there is some compatibility between him and Howard (to use one of Howard's statements, Blaise knows quality when he sees it.) so they come to an unspoken detente. Watch your step. Thanks, I will.
Very interesting what you say, that maybe it's not just Gryffindor House that needs him, maybe it's all of Hogwarts. You are beginning to sense some of his possibilities. I too have been disturbed by the emphasis at Hogwarts on rivalry between the Houses. Some competition is good and fun, but there seems to be a lack of situations or activities that pull all the Houses together as one. That could have happened during the Tri-Wizard Tournament except for the fact that Hogwarts ended up with two champions instead of just one, so the school was split into warring factions again. Changing a long-standing culture can be a huge job.
Here's hoping that Howard and Joel will get a reply from Reginald eventually, or at least that the owl won't come back with the letter as undeliverable. Or that the adobos won't simply die in their trays, wrapped in their towels.
Thank you so much for this long review and for being patien with the lont time interval (3 months) since the last chapter. I'll try to do better than that!
Vicki
Hey, Vicki. It's good to hear from Howe and Joel again - and of course the Gregarious Gryffindor Gleeclub (cause I can't think of a "g" synonym for actor!).
Neville showing off the room and its tricks made for a great scene, and Dennis is working out well for you, too. Always fun when you find a minor character's voice, don't you think?
The conversation with Zabini was well done, too. Blaise was trying awful hard to be intimidating and it just wasn't getting him anywhere. Howe did a nice job making him think about what he was doing, too. I like how he shut down the whole "we can defend our own" thing.
The bit with Filch was surprisingly civilized, and McGonagall made me smile a bit. Very nice chapter - worth the wait. Thanks.
George
Author's Response:Hi, George! It was so gratifying to see a review for Chapter 32, both because we at FFT are in the middle of something of a turmoil as we work to keep our stories and reviews accessible for everyone, and because you so kindly said ""Very nice chapter - worth the wait," instead of "Well! It was about time!" Disapponting the readers by being slow to update is distressing to this author, but during the growing season it is hard to prevent. My son keeps the documents of the chapters in a dedicated file, and he says that when the story is finished, he will read it all over again from beginning to end.
I love the Gregarious Gryffindor Gleeclub. The tunes to the two songs are, first, the chorus of The Notre Dame Victory March, from Notre Dame University, and second, The California Fight Song from the University of California at Berkeley. Both these tunes are available on some YouTube videos, so you can learn the melodies and get the full effect if you wish. (I should put that info in the chapter End Note.)
Yes, it's fun to see how a minor character slowly unfolds as the events go by. It's like watching a movie. I really think that my two college course in scriptwriting really made a difference in how I envision scenes. They just unroll thmselves.
I'm glad you liked the scene with Blaise. It was a favorite for me, but I didn't know if that was just me, or if others would see it that way also. It is fun to write Howard as steering the conversation, even though it was Blaise who initiated it for whatever reason/motive he may have had, Steering a conversation in the direction you want it ot go is a useful skill, and Howard does it from time to time in this story. In this instance he is not threatening to Blalise, but also not threatened by Blaise. They end up as sort of equals with some mutual respect. I have always seen Blaise as not completely dedicated to the new order; he is very much his own man and an independent thinker.
Intereting that you see Filch as surprisingly civilized. I didn't really mean to make him any more civilized than his normal grouchy self. Maybe he was more grouchy towards Harry Potter and the Weasleys, but since he doesn't know Howard from Adam and doesn't have any history with him, his grouch-lmeter is at a lower level.
Reviewers have been disturbed by the fact that the relationship between Howard and McGonagall (as seen entirely through Howard's eyes) has been stiff and frosty from the beginning. So at this point I used a neutral third party (Joel) to give a third-party opinion, since Joel has been acquainted with McGonagall for five years and counting, so he is accustomed to her manner and can see the waarmth/approval hidden under her stern exterior. Big surprise for Howard. Now he'll have to cogitate on that!
Thank you so much for the review.
Vicki
Hi, Vicki! Here for our swap! (Thank you so much for taking me up on it, and for being so quick, too! :D)
Loved this chapter! So exciting and full of action! I think you captured the tenseness and urgency of this little adventure so well! Brilliantly done! :D
Tracey was right... the Carrows might not be the smartest, but it would be quite obvious that it had to be Howard who somehow caused the damage to their wands... and of course they would retaliate... I wonder what Alecto was planning to do with the wand? Just keep it to make Howard's life harsher? Or did she actually want to esaminate it, maybe to find out what kind of spell Howard used? And whose wands were the other ones she stole? What is she planning? I wonder what'll happen when/if she finds out someone switched them... it's going to be interesting...
So, this is how the drill came back into play! That was so clever! And yes, of course wizards, and especially Death Eaters, would never consider the possibility of a Muggle tool to break their defenses, so they wouldn't care to guard themselves from that possibility, right? ;)
Using a kiss as a cover is so typical, but I still loved it! And I can't blame Howard, honestly, there wasn't much more they could do, was there? They were lucky it was Terry, and not Alecto or some Slytherin... but yeah, this is only going to build on the voices about them being a couple, and I'm a bit worried about the consequences... btw, I got a glimpse of your novel nest today (I should really stop by people nests and leave some comments at some point...) and now I'm looking forward to seeing the confrontation between Howard and Blaise!
Oh! And you answered my questions about Howard's plans for the Christmas holidays! Curious to see how that will work out as well... I suppose no one will really care if Howard boards the train or not... or will they?
Also, will Howard get a chance to talk to McGonagall about the Cruciatus curse and the wands' confiscation? And how will she react?
A very cool chapter! :D And I'm caught up again, yay! :D
Thank you so much for the swap!
Snowball hug,
Chiara
Author's Response:Hi, Chiara. You wrote me this lovely review, and now it's the 25th of May, and I'm just getting back to writing my response to tell you haw much I appreciated your review. :/ I'm so glad you liked the action and tension of this chapter. It was fun to write. To answer some of your questions: yes, Alecto did mean to examine Howard's wand, but we do not know, at this point, if she plannd to ever give it back to him. That will become clear pretty soon (next chapter or so). Hard to know what she's planning, other than making the sudents' lives miserable.
You are not the only person to say that using a kiss as a cover is so typical. I didn't know that, but maybe that's because I don't read romance stories, but it did seem to me, at the moment, that it was the ony thing that Howard could do, and yes, it would stoke the fires of gossip and rumors, but better that than to have someone find out what he and Tracey did. There was always a lot of romance going on at Hogwarts, as we read in the canon books, so I guess that the only really juicy piece of this gossip would be that the two people involved were from rival Houses.
I did make a very brief reference to Howard's having visited McGonagall's office the previous day (Monday) to drop off a coded letter in the mail drop box and to mention to her about what had happened in the abortive detention session that he had attended with the three younger kids, but maybe I should fill out a bit of his Monday afternoon conversation with her in more detail. I can fit that in.
The whole business with what happens to/with Howard and his family, begiinning and ending with his journey to and from his home at Christmas, will be a significant development. All written in my head. I just have to get past my yard work and get it down on paper. Thank you so much for the review swap! Very much appreciated.
Vicki
Hi, Vicki! Here for our swap! :D
Well, wow, what an intense chapter... and what a clever move by Howard... at first, I thought he would pretend to Crucio the kids and they would pretend to be in pain, but I suppose that wouldn't work, it would require a level of organization that couldn't be improvised on the spot, especially considering how terrified the younger students must have been... anyway...
It was nice to get a bit of Tracey's POV in this chapter! Poor Tracey... her plan for the essay probably wasn't the best, but Alecto's reaction was definitely unexpected... :/ And wow, Howard! That was both incredibly brave and incredibly foolish! But it is quite obvious he cares a lot about Tracey. And I think that sweetheart was a show of that... uhm, I'm a bit worried by the Slytherin girls' reactions, too... like it was said in the beginning, it wouldn't be prudent for Tracey to be alienated from the rest of her house... especially in Slytherin house... :/
I do love this idea that the crofters on Skie have their own magical culture and ancient spells that the "advanced" wizarding community knows nothing about. It's very cool and it really put focus on the silliness of certain prejudices. Also, the way Tracey is completely ignorant about Muggle stuff and she's realizing now how much there is outside of her knowledge... it's cool to see her opening her views a little through her friendship with Howard.
(Also, yes, trying to conquer Russia in winter is very stupid, lol. Loved the little lesson on Napoleon :P)
Great chapter as always (I'm almost caught up again, yeah)! Thank you so much for the swap!
Snowball hug,
Chiara
Author's Response:Hi, Chiara! I'm so glad that you're getting caught up on these chapters because i hate to think of any readers being left behind,and I know how it feels to realize that you're way behind on a certain story. Perhaps that's not as much of a problem with my stories since I'm so slow in pushing out chapters. :/ My son has said that when the story is finally finished, he would like to go back to the opening chapter and just read the whole thing all the way through at once. I now how he feels.
I put this chapter in Tracey's POV to show better her reaction to the unexpected fallout from her end-of-unit essay, when she suddenly realized that there was no way to get around writing the anti-Muggle lies that Professor Carrow required. Fear, anguish, guilt. Worry about what would happen to Howard, even as she feels there's no way she can talk to him about it before the detention. And then the night of worry and wondering, until morning finally comes and she can find out the worst.
Yes, Howard's split-second decision to stand up was brave and foolish, the sort of thing you can't let yourself think to much about, for fear you'll lose your nerve. But he simply couldn't let Tracey go to detention. The Gryffindors have already seen what happens when people go to detention. :/ He probably thinks he will be able to deal with the detention somehow because he does deal with emergencies on his croft from time to time, where you have to think fast and be creative.
Tracey's Slytherin might not be blaming her for Howard's noble gesture, but they do warn her about not getting mixed up with a Gryffindor, and now they have invented the tag 'farmer boyfriend' as a sign of disrespect for Gryffie Howard and a veiled warning to Tracey about how the disrespect might rub off on her. We shall see how Tracey takes all this.
By putting this chapter in Tracey's POV, we get to hear Howard explain to her what he did in detention, and how, and why, and all his thought processes. The events of this chapter were written lots of years ago, and I was able to use it now almost verbatim, because this scene did have legs. Yes, the crofters in the Scottish Isles come from a very long heritage, both Celtic and Viking, and they have a lot of very old lore, the value of which they fully appreciate. It's important to recognize and respect the intelligence and wisdom of our ancestors.
Thank you so much for this thoughtful review! <3
Vicki
Hi, Vicki! Tag! :D
This was another very interesting chapter! :) I had a lot of fun watching Gryffindor House keeping working on their small secret acts of rebellion! :)
Poor Howe... as someone affected by aphantasia, I feel him... :P It's hard to try to reproduce something, if you don't have it before your eyes... not that I would be able to in any case, my figurative arts abilities are practically non-existent, lol! But I bet magic would help with that aspect! ;) Anyway, I perfectly get the "not very good mental eye" part. (I'm sure Howard was been a bit harsh on himself, too, though... he does seem a but of a perfectionist, from what we've seen of him so far!)
The toilet paper idea was great, and it was very cool to see its realization! And Howard's idea of offering a prize for the dormitory who finds out how to put a picture on the paper first was a great idea, too! Such a clever way to keep everyone engaged! I'm curious to see how this contest goes! ;)
The play sounds so cool, I'm very curious to see that on stage as well! And of course the Room of Requirement would be the perfect place for reharsing! I immediately thought of that as well! :P I do wonder if Howard won't need to improve his defence abilities soon, actually... considering everything going on, he might need to defend himself at some point... :/
Ahahah! Gryffindor's own King of Transfiguration! Yeah, I bet McGonagall would have something to say about that... :P
They're a brave bunch [...] It would be so much easier for them not to do anything, just crawl into a hole. But they're taking a risk, just to help their fellow Gryffindors, to raise their spirits. Is this how Gryffindors are? How they've always been? I really liked this passage. I think it captures Gryffindor's spirit pretty well, actually. Their sense of justice and loyalty towards the people they care about are very strong and they'll always choose action, even when it would be wiser to just keep their heads low. Yes, Howe, that's how they've always been! ;)
A very cool chapter! Always a pleasure to come back to this fic! I'll try to be back soon!
Big snowball hug,
Chiara
Author's Response:Hi, Chiara! Thank you for this review! I'm glad that you had fun watching Gryffindor House working on their small acts of rebellion and disrespect for the Death Eaters.
I had never heard the term 'aphantasia' although I had learned about Francis Galton's survey of his friends on the subject back in the 19th century when he asked them to envision their breakfast table as they came downstairs for breakfast in the morning, and describe how vividly and clearly they could see it in their minds. (That was a History of Psychology course that I took at the university.) So of course I immediately Googled 'aphantasia' to read about it in a Wikipedia article. Scored 3 out of 5 on the little illustration of "How well can you envision a red apple?" So I guess I'm average. Definitely not as good as Tracey! :)
Howard does have his pride, and he doesn't want to hand out badly-carved little figurines, just as we cooks might not want to hand out badly-formed cookies, even though we know that the misshapen cookies taste just as good as the perfectly round ones! Or maybe he just sees it as a challenge to himself, to see how well he can make them. He does hold himself to a high standard and doesn't like to admit to himself when he has done something stupid, though he does do stupid or ill-advised things from time to time.
I'm trying to think of how the Gryffindors could put pictures of Alecto Carrow on the toilet paper. It's already established that it can be done (Howard did it). He might have to give some general Transfiguration lessons to the kids to make sure they have the basic skills for Creative Transformation instead of just the cookbook-style of Transformation that they teach in Years 1-6 at Hogwarts. Pixileanin remarked that the Gryffindors are all going to ace Transfiguration this year and that she would love to see the expression on McGonagall's face! That's pretty funny.
I liked your statement about the nature of Gryffindors : "...they'll always choose action, even when it would be wiser to just keep their heads low." That's where the "stupid or ill-advised things" sometimes come in. :)
Thank you so much for this lovely review!
Vicki
Wow so much happened in this chapter! I definitely loved how the electric drill came back into play here. And the whole "kiss me," omgawsh! I mean, I know it was only under the guise of 'let's disguise this hole we have in the wall,' but it was still an exciting moment. Even with Howe's thought of, "she knows what she's doing." I couldn't help but chuckle at that because there's definitely a double meaning there. She knows what she's doing in terms of the kiss and disguising the hole in the wall hah.
Anyway, I think the characters are progressing along so well in this story and I like their dynamic is progressing as well.
Now that I'm all caught up, all I can do is wait and see what you have in store for us next! Great job!
~ Courtney
Author's Response:Hi, Courtney,
I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter -- there's a whole bunch of stuff stuffed into it, and it was good to bring the electric drill back on stage for a cameo role. When magic won't work, we just open the door the old-fashioned way! It was all ominous, from Tracey's warning in the opening paragraph's to Howard's dilemma of how to rescue his wand to the climactic scene in the corridor outside the office door. I found myself comparing Tracey's instant buy-in to Howard's desperate plan with how Hermione might have reacted in a similar situation. Would she have gone along with the plan so quickly, without wanting to talk it to death? They're definitely not the same person.
And yes, there was definitely a double meaning to Howard's thought when Tracey snaked her left arm around his rib cage.
Yes, the dynamic between the crofter and the snake is finally progressing, though in some rather unusual circumstances.
I am glad you managed to catch up because I was kind of concerned there for a while when you were falling behind. But now I'm all smiles again. Will try to crank out Chapter 32 (I know what's going to happen in it) as soon as I finish doing my taxes. :/
Thank you for your encourqaging review! :)
Vicki
Ooh hey Tracey! So you like farming now? ;) No, I'm just kidding. But seriously how convenient that circumstance has led us to this part in the Tracey and Howe dynamic? Well done there. I really like that you arranged all of that to happen. This plot fits so well with everything else in the story, anything else that might develop between Howe and Tracey is just icing on the cake.
Argh, but of course Tracey's idea for an essay didn't work! And Howe standing up to her argh! I wonder what his punishment is going to be now that he is serving detention for her.
Also I do love that "sweetheart," is becoming like a "is this a colloquial thing" or an "does he mean something more?" It's fun to play with words like that hah.
Howe's explanation of diverging and how he outsmarted them in detention was really clever! Seeing others interpretations of magical theory is really fascinating to me and you draw the connections to Howe's pre-Hogwarts knowledge, which is virtually unknown in canon, in a way that makes it intriguing! Also, I loved the reference to Moody's "you need to mean it." Intent means a lot and I think it was definitely a good idea to mention that in this instance!
~ Courtney
Author's Response:Hi, Courtney!
Thank you so much for continuing to read my story and review every chapter. :)
Tracey wanted to write her essay on Muggle farming just because she wanted to use accurate information on Muggle work techniques, and farming was one thing that Howard could tell her about. (Kind of like an early version of surfing the net.) But she badly misjudged how Carrow woukld react to an essay that didn't include the word "stupid." (Or many other insulting words.) Well, now we know how to avoid getting on Carrow's bad side.
I'm glad you enjoyed my description of how Howard used some antique magic that still exists in the Scottish Isles. When you get outside the boundaries of canon-specific magic into historical magic or exotic magic, there is a lot of scope for exansion of the parameters of the wizarding world, so long as you strive to stay logical nd believable (for the universe you are in. I have read complaints by fanfic readers who don't like it when authors make up plausible-sounding spells; they want the authors to stick to spells already mentioned in canon. But Ms. Goshawk wrote 7 textbooks full of spells just for use at the school, and there were books of specialty spells for specific professions, so we need to make up the spells we need.
i will assume that the Slytherin boys who were wielding the Cruciatus curse in the dungeon really did mean it!
Thank you again for reviewing this chapter! <3
Vicki
Again, back to one of my previous comments on balancing the many plot lines in this story, I think this chapter is proof that you continue to do an excellent job of that. We're getting caught up on some previously mentioned ideas for the resistance, like the toilet paper and then the play. Which both conversations definitely have that much needed humorous angle to them. The idea of a first year being Mrs Norris definitely made me chuckle.
As we can also see from this chapter, Howe is definitely a natural born leader. And while those things can be partially shaped by your upbringing, some people are also just inherently some ways while others are not. And he just is. It's been great to see him grow throughout the course of this story. And as always, I look forward to more!
~ Courtney
Author's Response:Hi, Courtney!
Thank you again for your steady and reliable reviewing of my chapters. I am glad that you think I am managing to keep up with the many issues that these kids are dealing with, without turning everything into a giant mishmash. And as serious as the events are that are developing in the milieu pf the casstle, the students are still just kids, most of whom are not naturally gloomy all the time and can be distracted from their troubles with some fun jokes or physical activities.
I am sure that Howard has not been looking around for moments and opportunities when he can rally the troops and command, "Into the breach!" But he and the other NEWT students see that leadership for the members of their House is vital, and so they do what they can, each in his or her own way. As you say, it's more a result of his innate personality than of specific training that he has received at home, kind of like the sheepdog puppies that are born with an instinct to herd animals. I'm alwqaays glad to get a review from you. Hopefully I will be abke to get back to writing soon (after doing my tax returns.)
McGonagall is really stuck between a rock and a hard place. To Howe's point, they could definitely be using stuff against each of the professors. And under autocratic/oligarchical rule, yeah, they probably do having something on the professors that keep them compliant. McGonagall is also not stupid. All it would take is one student saying "McGonagall doesn't want to do this but she was forced to," and someone in power overhears it and she loses her job or worse. Of course Howe is right to voice his concerns, but his understanding of the situation is limited by his experience. And McGonagall's understanding is narrowed by her own. I feel badly for her. She's like the parent of kids who are in an abusive relationship and think "at least if I'm here I can maintain a certain level of control over certain situations and protect them in some way." But you aren't really. But still, it sucks and I highly empathize with her character and definitely don't hate her.
Now Howe is getting the lay of the land and making a map. Well. Color me intrigued. I wonder if Howe's going to be instrumental in establishing the underground for The Order. I'm sure we'll see more on that later on ;)
Honestly the resilience of these kids is impressive. I can't imagine being this age and living through these circumstances. And I'm glad to see that Howe is back to writing to his family...I wonder if there's a secret message somewhere that we are unaware of ;)
Anyway, another great chapter!
~ Courtney
Author's Response:Hi, Courtney.
I like your comparison of McGonagall's position to that of a parent trying to protect her children in an abusinve household. A combination of helplessness and hope that she can mitigate the worst effects. I am reminded of Unbridge trying to sack certain professors two years prior to the present scene. At least at that time Professor Dumbledore was there to provide some protection.
Man, it's dangerous trying to carry on guerrilla warfare when there are children as young as 11 years old involved, who cannot fully understand the absolute necessity to "Keep Your Mouth Shut!" Well, even adults needed to be riminded that Loose LIps Sink Ships during World War II. This issue will appear again later, when the students need to be schooled that circumstances require them to behave like adults, and that one component of adulthood is having some secrets that you will carry with you to your grave.
I don't know about 11-year-olds in German-occupied countries during World War II, but it is certain that there were children iin their middle teens who were active in the Resistance, and some paid for it with their lives.
The letter that Howard writes in this chapter is in fact coded. It is a True-False letter, first described in the latter half of Chapter 6. If the True-False system has slipped your mind (likely, given how long I have strung out the posting of the chapters) review Chapter 6 to decode the letter.
Thank you so much for this thoughtful (and speculative) review!
Vicki
Oh gosh...well it was only a matter of time before someone was accused of something (whether for real or just for the Carrows getting kicks out of harming students) and an Umbridge-esque detention was served. I feel very badly for Belinda. Stinging hexes sound dreadful under normal circumstances, but in this context it's truly terrible.
The way you wrote all the kids trying to heal her and how it was fruitless and even more upsetting to her was very realistic. And all the Muggle options sound far better in this instance. That's definitely one thing I have enjoyed about this story of yours. You point out that while there are efficiencies in the magical world, there are deficiencies as well.
You've done very well with this story so far and we see that Howe has more than one reason to stay and help aid in the resistance further.
~ Courtney
Author's Response:Hi, Courtney!
Thank you so much for continuing to read and review. This was a chapter that was all written out in my head with the details developed before I put pen to paoer, so it went fast when I finally began to write. It ws the scene where Howard manages to push through his reluctance to be a leader among this House full of people who know much more about Hogwarts than he does and have much more experience here. The shortcomings of always doing things the way they've always been done before at Hogwarts is so clear to him, though less clear to the students who are schooled in the old ways. Howard has been faced with the necessity of dealing with medical emergencies, whether for animals or for human beings, on his croft over the years, so he is schooled in the methods of quick action and common sense. At home his family members would pitch in to help deal with the emergency -- they would know what needed to be done -- but here the Gryffies are pretty helpless.
Under his stay-calm-and-carry-on exterior, Howard is a little bit shaken by all this, not having expected to have to take charge, and angry about the whole episode -- what was done to Belinda and what he felt obliged to do about it. As you say, he now has more reason to stay at Hogwarts because he is gaining an inkling of what he needs to do here. Torn two ways.
Vicki
Tracey's rationale about dropping Dark Arts is actually really mature and forward thinking for her age. But she definitely seems like an introspective person to consider things in this way, so it totally makes sense. I was just really impressed by that. That and, she's sort of like to the younger Slytherins like Howe is to the homeschoolers. And god, I think about how these types of practices will affect these kids later in life and it makes me sad for them. Thankfully, we know there is an extended period of peace and healing will be an option for them.
Ooh and oops about the Carrows desk. I shouldn't be laughing...but I kind of am. Again, the humor is needed. :)
Back to the adobos! I enjoyed seeing Joel and Howe's research on them again! Joel's getting super into it, which I find endearing.
I think you're balancing all the different storylines very well in this.
~ Courtney
Author's Response:Hi, Courtney!
Thank you so much for continuing to chug along on this string of chapters! I hope that it is enjoyable for you to be able to read them one right after the other, as readers could do for the chapters of Tiramisu back in 2020, when they were all posted after the story was completed.
As for your observation that Tracey's rationale about dropping the Dark Arts class was mature and forward thinking, it struck me because recently I have been reading a lot of analytical material about the INTJ personality type (me being a bone-deep INTJ), and it mentioned that INTJ people are forward thinkers and plan thoroughly for their futures. I did not set out specifically to inject myself into the psyches of my characters, but perhaps it is not completely avoidable, since my own psyche is the osyche that I know best. INTJ is a rare personality type (2% of men, 1% of women), so if my subconscious is rubbing off on the characters I create, that would explain why readers remark on how they are subtly 'different' from other teenagers, such as Howard's concentrated analysis of what is going on in the Sorting Ceremony and his drive to learn people's names, his facility with a complicated code system, his fierce independence as seen in his dealings with McGonagall, his compulsion to do an excellent job when he transfigures something, his contempt for Snape and the Carrows (well, all the students who aren't Slytherins would agree with that last point). In fact, if you look closely enough, you could probably detect that subconscious rub-off on all my OCs over the years.
It is always sad to think of how horrible experiences, such as in war or famine or natural disaster, are affeting children. People might tend to brush it off, saying, "Oh, children are resilient," but I don't doubt that they suffer the same as everyne else. Luckily they have many yeaars ahead of them for the effects to slowly wear off.
Alecto Carrow's desk is just the first of the guerilla warfare strikes that will occur this year. (You notice that by Chapter 31 we are made aware that Alecto has a new desk.) Hopefully the strikes will all have their humor of "sticking it to the man."
Tou seem to be happy to get back to the adobos! They have been hibernating for a few chapters, but they're still definitely there!
Thank you so much for this lovely review and for saying that I am balancing the story lines well. It is a challenge because I have never written a story this long or with this many story lines. I hope I can pull it off!
Vicki
Ooh I love the commentary about the lack of accessibility for folks with disabilities in the castle. Though you'd think, it being a magical universe, you'd think the castle would just make such accommodations hah. Omgawsh the vinegar bucket...yup that would be, dreadful riddle solver. That was a very humorous bit though!
Anyway, I do like how the homeschoolers have an opportunity to bond and share their experiences of Hogwarts and how jarring it was for them. This picnic very nice moment in the middle of a very difficult time in the canon. And for sure, there's definitely some heavy topics being discussed here, but in spite of that, the general feeling was that they aren't alone in this experience. Which I really appreciated and enjoyed.
"She spread her arms too, and the three boys stepped into the circle, not knowing exactly how one did a group hug, but perfection didn’t matter."
^^ I really loved that ending!
Now Howe feels an obligation to them...which I mean...the more he integrates, the more difficult it would have inevitably become for him to just depart after turning eighteen. And naturally, he has to stay for our story to continue...right? ;)
I'll back for more!
~ Courtney
Author's Response:Hi, Courtney!
It was so super nice for you to catch up on all these chapters in one push of reading. I'm sure you've been very busy in all sorts of stuff, both here at FFT and in Real Life.
This wasn't an easy chapter to write because I was trying hard to make the conversation natural and realistic, while showing Howard's difficulty in knowing what to say or in being confident about his efforts. But Howard is a tell-it-like-it-is kind of guy, rather than a beat-around-the-bush-and-hope-they-will understand-what-you-mean kind of guy. And I think people respond better to honest frankness rather than beating around the bush. So there were positive and negative things said, but the kids could get it off their chests and know that they were not alone.
And the more you try to do the right thing, the more you get pulled into the situation and cannot just walk away, as Howard is finding out. The final little scene in the Great Hall just wrote itsself -- of course it had to happen like that.
Thank you so much for continuing to follow the story of my beloved characters.
Vicki <3 <3
Vicki! It's hard to believe I haven't been back to to this story since you have posted 8 chapters, but I'm happy to return to it! :) Congratulations on all of your finalist nominations, I have no doubt they are well deserved!
Even with the solemnity of all that is happening, I do appreciate the kids trying to come up with ways to amuse themselves. The toilet paper essays seems like appropriate teenaged humor hah. I'm glad they could all find a moment to laugh and enjoy themselves.
Ahh a picnic for all the homeschoolers! This feels appropriate timing wise in the story to bring them all together again! I'm so looking forward to that!
I'm also digging the dynamic between Tracey and Howe...very cute he wanted to share part of himself with the photos. And I loved learning about Mackie. And Tracey really wants to reciprocate her history as well, which is sweet. It sounds like she really needs this friendship. If I recall, it is very oppressive for Tracey in the Slytherin Common Room, so I imagine this convo with Howe was a breath of fresh air for her. At least, it certainly reads that way :)
It's nice to be back with these characters and I look forward to reading more!
~ Courtney
Author's Response:Hi, Courtney! Thank you so muc for coming back to my story. I was missing your insights and comments!
This chapter has a bit of a scattershot focus -- various ways of keeping up the morale in the Gryffindor common room and for the younger home-schooled students. The Gryffies are just feeling their way as this school year opens, and Howard is making tentative steps to thinking of ways to contribute to the effort.
Yes, the dynamic between Tracey and Howard is creeping along, slowly, slowly. Strange place, strange people, but I think that they both sense that there is something they both long for -- a friendship in the hard times that might lie ahead, a little flame of safety and support. Tracey needs it because she doesn't feel close to her House, and Howard needs it because he's like a fish out of water.
It cheers me when you ay that it is good to be back with these characters. :) Thank you so much!
Vicki
So there’s been so much going on within the walls of the Gryffindor Common Room, and so much going on inside Howard’s head, and he’s been putting himself out there, little by little, and last chapter he painted a big fat target on his chest.
I am guessing things are not going to get much better now.
Tracey seems to agree with me. I’m glad she’s explaining to Howard, because as good and careful he’s being, he might not see exactly what kind of danger he’s putting himself in. Neville saw it last chapter. Tracey sees it now, and she has every right to be concerned. But she shouldn’t blame herself. She really, really didn’t do anything wrong, even by Carrow standards. They’re just ugly toad-shaped people who pretend to be professors.
And through all of this, it’s really nice to see Tracey and Howard attempting to keep each other safe.
Oh? What’s this? Howard is starting another ball rolling with that letter. December twentieth… hmm…
Uh oh. Professor Carrow seems to have A Plan to get back at Howard, just as Tracey suspected. She’s all evil grins over there, and she’s going to exert her authority… and take his wand?!? This can’t be good.
Okay, so here’s the part where Howard has to learn how to accept help from others. Tracey is determined to help him. She’s got a wand, and she’s making sense.
So. Much Action. I loved all the movement and tension you threw in here and shook up. It popped so well! Seriously, though, I understood the whole thing and kind of blinked at the explanation in your AN because I didn’t need it at all. I know how an electric drill works, and I’ve used one of those bits myself. It’s not rocket science. And of course you can’t magic a door that has anti-magic spells on it. It all made perfect sense what you were doing. I followed your logic just fine. ????
But also, Howard is concerned about Tracey’s hand and whether she’s bothered by what people are saying, and that says a lot right there. Hopefully they’ll get a chance to revisit some of that hand holding when they’re not trying to steal wands from professors and patch up drill bit holes in doors.
Awesome chapter! This had all the things!
Pix
Author's Response:Hi, Pix.
Thank you so much for saying that this chapter was awesome. (My daughter said it was amazing. <3)
In this chapter I wanted to portray the two of them, Howard and Tracey, as pretty much equals in smarts and guts, so I started it off with Tracey telling Howard frankly that she thinks he's wrong in his interpretation of two important points. His understanding of how the Slytherins and Death Eaters think is still dangerously inadequate.
Yep, she hit it right on the nose, as he soon begins to realize, but in that exact moment, there's nothing she can do to help him, and Carrow grabs his wand.
During the rest of the class time, Howard is thinking about how to get his wand back, and, although the story never says so, one can guess that Tracey is thinking the same thing, and she's making her own plan, which he knows nothing about. To follow him, to convince him that he needs her wand, and to join forces with him. That's a lot of guts, and she won't take no for an answer. It's now or never.
While they are actually in the office, having found his wand, he is so deliriously happy, hardly believing that he's not dreaming, that he cannot think straight, and Tracey has to remind him what to do. Different from the scene where he treated Belinda's injured hands and kept his cool all the way through.
During the daring rescue of the wand, you wondered why I felt it was necessary to go back and add the End Note to elucidate my thinking behind why I constructed the scene as I did. I have had issues in the past with self-appointed fact-checkers raising issues with points in my stories that were verifiable (or not). I could see it happening here, and it's so annoying to have to give a review response that includes an explanation about why my story detail is correct. But your remarks in your review give me reassurance that maybe those details of the scene are within the readers' experiences, and maybe I didn't have to worry so much. (Of course, sometimes I really do get something wrong and am always glad to have the chance to amend it.)
I'm glad you liked this chapter. It was fun to write.
Vicki
Oh hey, Tracey! She’s thinking long and hard about whether Howard is disappointed when she doesn’t show, which tells me that maybe she’s hoping, just a little bit, that she might want him to be a little disappointed…? He seems to understand the risk she’s taking, in being his friend. Poor Slytherins seem to always need to be aware of their status and rank. It must get tiresome to always keep your eye on who is noticing what you do and with whom.
It seems that their meetings don’t seem to be bothering anyone, so that’s good. It’s really sweet that Tracey wants to write about farming Muggles and asks Howard for his help. This way, she gets to learn a little more about him under the guise of homework. What a clever girl!
Ooooohhh, the translated texts are still around! I do wonder what Tracey’s says. I hope it will be helpful in some way.
Oh no! Tracey’s Muggle Studies essay was not rubbish enough for Carrow afterall. And she gets called out on it in a big, big way! This is truly horrible! Ahhh, but Howard steps up! Good on him! He’s got a solid head on his shoulders, and he’s going to try to take the pressure off of her. Unfortunately, Neville is all too aware of what is going to come next.
Haha, poor Millicent can’t even throw an accurate insult. I’d say “poor thing”, but it’s as sad as it is funny, so I’ll just point at her and thumb my nose in her general direction. And poor poor Tracey has to leave without knowing what’s going to happen to Howard!!
I wonder, too, what the endearment means to Howard. Interesting that Tracey isn’t reading anything into it, since she also doesn’t know which way he really means it. From Tracey’s perspective, all she gets are Howard’s words as to what happened during detention. But this is good, because Howard gets to explain what he did and how he did it, and perhaps Tracey can use that herself in some way. But Howard took a very big risk. Eventually, someone is going to find out what he did, and they’re going to get him for it.
But for now, he gets a small reprieve. It sounds like Howard is taking steps towards a confrontation. This could go so many ways.
Pix
Author's Response:Hi, Pix!
Thank you so much for another lovely review. I love how you take the tiniest hints of details in these chapters and try to discover the implications of them, such as whther Tracey hopes that maybe Howard is disappointed on the mornings when she doesn't come early because that would mean he was hoping to see her. Ah, we can drive ourselves mad with these speculations. When Howard first arrived at Hogwrt, he didn't have a clue about these rules concerning social groups and ranks, but he's starting to get the picture.
I wonder which would be worse -- to be a Slytherin and always be worried about status and rank, or to be a Hufflepuff and have to put up with micro- and macro-discriminations on a daily basis?
We will be getting back into the subject of the adobos soon in the upcoming chapters as Howard and Joel try to use the faintest of leads and ideas to see if they can scrape up any more information.
I see that you detect in Neville's body language that he is dismayed about what Howard has done. In the first appearance of this scene in 2013, in "Greenhouse Seven" (told from Neville's POV) , we're privy to Neville's thoughts as he sinks his head into his hands: 'Merlin, Howe, I told you not to say that."
I don't know exactly what Howe means by the endearment, but he did use it a couple of times in Chapter 27 when he was treating Belinda's injured hands in the Gryffindor common room. But of course Tracey doesn't know that, so she is left wondering. I used the Tracey POV in this chapter because I wanted to show the depths of her distress about what was happening, and by presening the events in the detention as Howard's after-the-fact story, I could narrate the events and his description of his thinking all in one tell, instead of piecemeal.
I see that you don't hold out much hope for Howard getting out of this one scot-free.
Thank you so much for this fun and detailed review!
Vicki
Picturing Howard making little wooden statues out of the firewood is so sweet. He’s trying his best to keep up the spirits of the students around him, and he’s feeling the pressure now. It’s been a little while. Of course they’re going to get tired of things if their ceremonies don’t get changed up every once in a while. He’s probably right about the artistic nature of the spell. I’m sure all the pressures he’s put on himself are making it difficult to focus on the shapes of animals.
It’s also heartening to see the other students helping him with the prizes by painting the sculptures to make them more interesting.
“What color is an octopus?”
Lol! Wouldn’t we all like to know! Ah, but Pavarti speaks truth. So much has changed since last year. She’s feeling the strain, like they all do. Funny how much effort he’s putting into the toilet paper. Howard really wants to keep this special for the other students. There’s an added bonus to this: they’re all going to ace Transfiguration this year! I can see the look on McGonagall’s face!
The students are really getting into the spirit with casting the characters for their play. It’s realistic that they would hesitate after that horrible incident with one of them getting into trouble, but they’re starting to see that this is one thing they can do in quiet rebellion, making them not feel helpless in a situation where they have very little power.
Ah, and the Room of Requirement comes into play, here! It’s fun to see a different perspective on it, and how Howard has never heard of such magic before. He’s learning more and more about what happened at Hogwarts before he came, and how so many things have gotten worse, and how, even before him, someone else was helping the students to prepare for the worst.
Seamus has the right idea, but poor Howard is too tired and worn down to consider one more thing. His thoughts about the sentient castle and how it haunts him tells me that his mind is way too full of churning thoughts right now. Hopefully, he will have a better perspective on things in the morning.
Pix
Author's Response:Hi, Pix!
Thank you so much for leaaving reviews on all my chapters.!
I think you are right in your perception that Howard is tired and feels like he's under a lot of pressure, though maybe not more than the other students. But as you say, it's heartening to see the girls helping him with the little wooden sculptures. If they stick together and help each other, the day-to-day burden might be less. These older kids are taking on so much responsibility for the younger kids. That was always true, even in the good old days, but much more now.
When I was castiing about in my mind for a suitable venue for the play, I was as clueless as Howard was. I wrote a list of possible but unsatisfactory locales, and then my daughter said, "Why not use the Room of Requirement?" Well, duh, Vicki! I do feel a necessity of not using the Room of Requirement as a automatic go-to for an easy solution to all problems, but it is quite suitable for this purpose. Howard is a little creeped out by the idea of a sentient building. No buildings on Skye (houses, barns, sheds, public buildings, etc) are sentient, and it feels vaguely unsafe to him to be inside a sentient building.
The mention that Harry Potter used the R of R to hold trainings in defensive spells two years previously was a convenient segue into another plot element that I wanted to include -- the specification that Nevile and Seamus offered to tutor Howard in defensive spells, but he didn't take them up on the offer right away.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and analytical (as always) review.
Vicki
Since the story was nominated for Best Friendship between Joel and Howe, I thought I’d start when Joel enters the story. Joel comes across as a nice guy (after all he is a Hufflepuff) and a good study partner. I like the subplot you’ve included about the mysterious creature. I’m surprised that the Ministry sent them to Hagrid with no idea what they are (and as I recall, they aren’t the harmless little things they pretend to be) but then again, this is the Ministry, who once again demonstrates a complete lack of critical thinking and consideration of consequence.
Neville and Seamus’s conversation was a bit strange. Why would they need plausible deniability when loaning out textbooks to a classmate? Is it because they aren’t supposed to share them or because they don’t want to admit that they could become friends with him?
Author's Response:Hi, Barbara!
Thank you for taking the trouble to go back to the chapter where Joel first appears to refresh your memory about his friendship with Howard as they work together to try to solve the mystery of what the mysterious creatures are that Hagrid has bestowed on them. Joel is a good-hearted kid, inquisitive, practical, friendly, level-headed, serious-minded but with a sense of humor -- in short, a good match with Howard, so I am glad that they found each other to be partners in this class. I don't know who made/sseconded the nomination, but I am happoy that they did it. :)
Yes, Neville's and Seamus's conversation about the Magical Creatures textbooks would have sounded strange, on the face of it, to a bystander, but they were reacting to the recent knowledge that Howard's mail was being intercepted and censored, and that he was forbidden to ask any other student to send letters of any sort on his behalf. Exactly how McGonagall or the Carrows could have known if Howard had asked Neville and Seamus to send a letter for him or if they had offered to send a letter for him, it isn't known for sure, but Nev and Seamus don't discount the possibility that something could arouse their suspicions and could cause them to interrogate N & S. So they are just being super careful in their arrangements to have the second-hand textbooks sent to them for loan to Howard.
Thank you so much for writing a review on this chapter!
Vicki
I loved the idea of toilet paper, especially with Muggle Studies and Carrow’s picture on them. I was very disappointed that he nixed that idea because it was getting too complicated. I hope it comes back.
Oh, okay, now it’s a competition-perhaps it will come back.
Howard is such a good big brother. I love how he corrals and checks on all the little (and even bigger kids.) Gryffindor’s never hit me as focused on camaraderie and teamwork. They could certainly use the likes of him, especially this year.
I’m surprised that he doesn’t know how Harry Potter is. I understand that the magical people keep to themselves, but aren’t there a few magical families on Skye. Harry Potter is BIG news, like celebrity status. I’m shocked they hadn’t talked about him a bit.
Author's Response:Hi, Barbara!
Thank you so much for continuing to read and review my chapters. :)
Putting the pictures on the sheets of toilet paper has become a Transfiguration challenge, which is much more instructive that just producing the rolls already illustrated. We'll have to see how the OWL-level students solve this puzzle, and if they teach it to the younger students. I hope so:)
Interesting about wht you say about Gryffindor never striking you as being particularly focused on ccamaraderie and teamwork. Now that you mention it, that may well have some truth to it. If they are by nature individualistic, even impulsive, and valuing fast, powerfu action over slow, careful planning, then they might truly score rather low on the Major Teamwork scale. AS opposed to the Hufflepuffs, say, who know the safety of numbers.
I may have not been adequately communicative about the wizarding culture on Skye. (See Chapter 10.) Witches and wizards in the Scottish Isles are very pragmatic. They use their magical talents as very handy skills and tools, but they do not immerse themsesves in an entire parallel magical culture the way the Hogwarts-trained magical persons do. They live with and interact freely with the Local Muggle society, whom they regard to be, as Tracey wrote in her essay, competent, hard-working, and honorable. They own and use textbooks of magical knowledge and skills, but they don't immerse themselves in wizarding culture, such as by following the latest gossip in The Daily Prophet, or Ministry of Magic politics, or celebrities and awardees of medals and decorations, or Quidditch sports news. They read Muggle newspapers, watch television and listen to the BBC, but not to wizarding radio stations. All the red-hot news about what Harry Potter has been doing for the previous six years has gone completely under their radar. Neville and Seamus were greatly surprised that Howard didn't know about the wizarding wars, just as he was surprised that they didn't know about the history and geography of the Scottish Isles or about Napoleon Bonaparte and the Napoleonic Wars. The members of the Elite Twenty-Eight families in wizardry would have turned their noses way, way up at the wizards in the Scottish Isles, if they ever met any of them, which would be unlikely.
This quality of having one foot firmly planted in each of the two cultures is one of the qualities that gives Howard his particular strengths and makes him such a pleasure and challenge to write. I don't recall having read another fanfic writer who takes this particular approach to the wizards in the Isles, though there might be someone.
Thanks for yoour consistent support. <3 <3
'Vicki
While Tracey’s idea for an essay but kindness, it was also a bit naïve. I think she missed the point that Professor Carrow doesn’t care about truth (and she doesn’t seem to have the brains to do something as complicated as infer that they are “stupid.” I wonder what she thought about Howe’s report on Napolean Bonaparte?
Howard is such a gentleman-taking the attention (and the detention) from her. I wonder if he truly feels guilty for giving her the information or he’s just a gentleman (or maybe he likes her a little bit.)
Again, I was trying to determine how he’d get out of this trouble, but the spell was ingenious.
I’m always amazed how chivalrous Howe is. He’s complaining about two Slytherins trying to curse him and then he apologizes to Tracey for using the word Slytherin so slanderously. Snatch him up, Tracey. He’s a keeper.
Author's Response:Hi, Barbara! Thank you again for another review on my story.
You are correct in what you say about Alecto Carrow and the Muggle Studies essay. Tracey was being naive about what Professor Carrow wanted or would stand for. For sure, the professor doesn't care about truth, and it might be a bitter pill for Tracey to swallow, that she herself must learn to disregard truth when writing these pointless and rubbish essays. You can't wrestle with a pig in the mud without getting dirty yourself. Howard probably did better with his essay because he really did think that Napoleon, brilliant as he was in other military campaigns, really did 'blow it' with his winter-time invasion of Russia, and history was not kind in its judgment.
As for whether Howard felt guilty for how Tracey's essay turned out for her, I would say not exactly guilty, but he did express his concerns about whether her plan was a safe one, when he said, "I hope this is going to work for you. The Carrows may not be very bright, but they seem vindictive and unpredictable." But he allowed her to make the final decision of how she would write her essay. When he saw how it turned out for her, I think he had a strong, immediate impulse to protect her by defending her, and also maybe he was feeling insulted because Carrow was denigrating Tracey's description of how he and especially his fellow crofters on Skye conducted their crofting operations. And I have a sneaking suspicion that he likes Tracey a little bit too.
Thanks for saying that the spell was ingenious. It had dropped out of use among mainsstream wizardry a long time ago because of the perception that it was risky, but sometimes, in some situations, the old ways are best, and it is wise not to allow old wisdom to be forgotten.
As for Howard's chivalry in belatedly realizing that he was insulting all Slytherins, including Tracey and her family, I think it is so easy to make that kind of mistake -- to talk rapidly and thoughtlessly, saying things without realizing how those things are going to sound to some of the people who are listening. At least he did notice pretty quickly how his words were sounding, and he was man enough to apologize for it. Yes, that's good manners. A good life lesson -- if you screw up, immediately apologize, and it will all blow over, but if you insist on barreling on through, you just get in deeper and deeper.
I like your advice to Tracey.
Thanks for this nice review.
Vicki <3
Hi Vicki! You mentioned how not many people had made it to chapter 31, so I thought I’d work backwards and start here.
Tracey is right. The Carrows might be stupid, but they are also devious. There is no doubt they’ll suspect them. Once Professor Carrow took his wand, I was trying to determine how you would get him out of this one. I love the little adventure that Tracey and Howe went on to get his wand back-a very creative way to get into the door without magic. (Thank goodness, Tracey was around to do gemino. He’s rather adept on his own but I have a feeling he wouldn’t last ten minutes without this Slytherin. He just isn’t wily enough. When her hand go stuck, I was just cracking up at his solution—so classic. They might have gotten away with this heist, but the rumors have just gotten started.
PS I can't believe the research you did for this. Did your coworkers think you were crazy?
Author's Response:Hi, Barbara!
You are so right when you say "Thank goodness Tracey was around to do Geminio. He's rather adept on his own, but I have a feeling he wouldn't last ten minutes without this Slytherin. He just isn't wily enough." I have a feeling that you are perceiving the situation exactly correctly. It had to be a joint effort between the two of them. In this chapter, both of them are smart and brave, but neither one of them could have done it alone. I wanted to avoid having either of them slide slowly into a status of Mary Sue or Gary Stu...no Supermen or WonderWomen here.
Yeah, I guess that was a classic solution, but in the heat of the moment, you go with the obvious. Distract his attention so that he doesn't see the hole in the door. Whenever there's anything technical, geographical, or historical in a fanfic, there might be readers who appoint themselves as fact-checkers and troll through the paragraphs, looking for things they can challenge you on. So I have learned to be as meticulous as I can about facts that could be verified (or not). That's why I did the research about the sizes of people's hands and the size of the standard hole drilled by the standard bit. Luckily it all meshed. I did ask the guys at work if they thought my request to check their hands was crazay. Bruce said, "No, you explained clearly how the matter of the hands and the hole fit into your story, so it didn't seem crazy at all."
I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter. It was fun and exciting to write. Thank you so much for this review.
Vicki
hah, i'm not at all surprised that howard ended up in gryffindor -- with the way he felt protective of his fellow formerly-homeschooled students and the way he generally feels about the whole setup, i think gryffindor is a good fit for him. i very much liked how the sorting hat decided to put him in the house that needs him the most, it just felt like something the sorting hat would do, if that makes sense..the thing seems to know more about the wizarding world and current events than most wizardfolk :D
i also really like reading howard's inner monologue and how curious he is about things that interest him, like him thinking there might be a speaker below or inside the sorting hat or when he's trying to figure out a pattern to the sorting ceremony -- it really adds nuance to his character and it's interesting to read!
looking forward to the next chapter!
kris
Author's Response:Hi, Kris.
I'm glad you approved of the Hat's placement of Howard into Gryffindor House. And I loved your remark that the Sorting Hat seems to know more about the wizarding world and current events than most wizardfolk do. Ever since I conceived of Howard, he has always been a Gryffindor in my mind, and not just because Harry was one, but because that was the kind of person he seemed to be.
I enjoyed writing Howrd's inner monologue because for most of this chapter he wasn't doing much but thinking, and if we didn't know what he was thinking, it would be pretty boring. But he's a problem-solver in a practical sense (as opposed to the Ravenclaws, who puzzle over questions in a theoretical sense), and he very much wants to understand the culture of this place and the norms for how things run, as quickly as he can. Is there any logic to how things are done in this place? What are the unspoken rules?
Thank you so much for continuing on in Howard's story. I am very grateful for every review people leave on this story. <3
Vicki
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