Name: beyond the rain (Signed) · Date: 31 Jul 2018 06:38 PM · For: Chapter 1

Hey! This is a last minute entry for the hot seat - for some reason I was never tagged!! Anyway, here we go!

 

 

We don't see enough of Horace Slughorn in fan fiction. He's the perfect character to write about! He's clearly flawed, a complicated person - but has a good heart. I think these characters and these brilliantly written missing moments are what fanfiction is all about. 

 

You revealed some really interesting facts about Horace. The bit about the night cap really stuck with me. It's well within his character and it made me look at him in a new light. The war has deeply affected everyone - and Slughorn's no exception. What is he meant to do about his students, teenagers who were lost and confused and shouldn't be judged by their mistakes? 

 

That was the one thing that annoyed me, how Minerva put the slytherin house in one box. I wish that JK hadn't written that, but I suppose every character has their flaw.

 

The patronus summoning him was a nice touch, I really appreciated it. It was something we didn't get to see in the books that I'm glad we got to see through this little fic.  Basically that's how I feel about this entire piece - we were deprived of how the professors dealt with the war in the seventh book and I'm very grateful I got to read something like this! 

 

 

Author's Response: Hey love! No worries about being last minute. It makes me smile that you picked one of my odd moments from the Battle of Hogwarts. I will admit that Horace is a character that I am actually fond of. I know a lot of people find that weird but having role played him some I realized that he's given a bad rap and typo-graphed a certain way by Harry. I don't blame Harry because that is the way Harry is but honestly if Slughorn was able to 'collect' Lily Evans who was bright and she seemed to like him then that says to me Horace isn't all bad. Also I 100% get his methodology and why he does what he does and as a Slytherin myself - I can't blame him. He's making connections to better his life - it's actually kind of brilliant and honestly not as creepy as Harry makes it out to be. If it was no one would have liked him really but people did. Now that I've done my Horace soap box, I'll step down and join you on the soap box of how JKR gave our house a very bad rap and in my head cannon while not a Slytherin stood in the great hall according to the books a few snuck back which is very Slytherin like. Join the masses to keep under the radar and then quietly slip away so as not to garner unwanted notice. I'll stop with the soap boxes now and leave off saying thank you for such a wonderful review!

Name: TreacleTart (Signed) · Date: 04 Dec 2017 12:12 AM · For: Chapter 1

Hey there! 

 

Just popping by to do a bit of reviewing and/or snowball throwing. :) 

 

I really liked that you chose to write about this particular moment. I think so much of canon is spent making the Slytherins look as if they are all bad, but I think Slughorn really just shows that they're just more cautious about throwing their lot in with a particular side. I mean I understand his hesitation and his fear. Signing up for war is a mssive undertaking and not something that should be done lightly. 

 

It's nice that you show his internal thoughts. It really helps in building a relatable and sympathetic character for Horace. It's never that he doesn't want to help, but he has not only himself to think about, but all of the students as well. That's a lot  of responsibility and pressure and one wrong decision could plummet them all ti their doom. 

 

Of course, in the end, Horace decides to fight alongside Professor McGonagall and all the other Hogwarts professors. To me, that is true bravery. Overcoming his doubts, concerns, and fears and standing with a cause because he knows it's right. 

 

Great little missing moment piece! I'm glad you wrote this! 

 

Hugs,

Kaitlin

Author's Response:

Thanks Kaitlin for the review!  Slughorn is a character that I am actually fond of.  He gets such a bad rap becuase we see him from Harry's eyes but he really isn't as horrid as we are made to beleive.  He is a smart man, he knows his potions and he lives life well and to the fullest.  Yes he is a creature of comforts but I cannot realyl blame him for that.  I totally get it (thus my house) also his way of 'collecting' peopel is awesome.  His way about it might be a bit pronounced and creepy particularly when we are made aware of it by Albus telling Harry but really I think his work is a lot smoother for the unsuspecting eye.  I mean it pays to have firends in high places.  I don't go 'colecting' people like he does but making connections are invaluabel and I get it I would love to be the woman behind greatness.  I get the benefits and none of the blame - perfection.  (Clearly, I picked the right house for myself.)

 

Anyway, I like making Horace a relateable character becuase he is one I can relate to and I like showing that Slytherin is not what people expect and Horace is a good proof of that.  He is not the classic evil Slytherin, there is good in him it just takes a bit to draw him forward to stick his neck out for others and I get that too. I am glad you liked the story for what it was.

Name: Rhaenyra (Signed) · Date: 24 Jun 2017 06:22 PM · For: Chapter 1

I love these sort of "missing moments" from canon, when you get to see what people outside of the main characters were doing.  You have selected a very interesting scene to delve into more deeply here, where the events of the whole series were culminating in the big battle.

 

This was short, but you managed to bring a few minor details together nicely.  The patronus to send messages (which may be what happens in the book, I have forgotten!) that the Order used is a good touch.  Using part of the line, "The time has come for Slytherin House to decide upon it's loyalties" was also a brilliant move.  Just by reading the title I knew what kind of story I was getting myself into and the characters involved, without having to read the description or characters listed.

 

We know so little about Slughorn's personality other than his love of "collecting", so I like what you did to humanize him here.  Him being a bit of an insomniac older man, the kind who is set on his ways with a drink before bed but not actually sleeping that well, makes him seem a bit like somebody's grandfather.  I mean that as a good thing - he is obviously pretty old, having taught Voldemort in the 1940s, so it seems like him.  Playing up his waffling in the past - go into hiding? go on the run? defend his friends, collegues, and students? - helps add some complexity to a character who has seen so much.  Even as a non-Slytherin, it always bothered me that Slytherin characters were not humanized much in the main series.

 

(Is it bad to say that the description of him running up the stairs and being all out of breath and in pain reminded me of myself?  Because it kind of did.)

Author's Response:

Hey lovely, sorry for the late resposne.  Life got the better of me, but I am here now!  Anyway thank you for your kind words regarding the exceptionally old story.  It was written about 10 years ago and I've not gotten around the cleaning and improving it yet.  (I posted it for the purposes of CtF).

 

Anyway, Slughorn's character is a fascinating one to me, and I love looking at the human side of the characters we don't know well, particularly the Slytherins, the stories are told from Harry's eyes and some people are not put in the best light and while some of what they did may be wrong or less than favorable from where Harry stands it might be more human and natural from another stand point.  I mean there were people who liked Horace and didn't just simply play to him like Harry did.  

 

As for the small touches like the patronus that was from the book.  :-) Also you are not alone with hit comes to huffing and being in pain after stairs that is my life too.

Name: nott theodore (Signed) · Date: 23 Jun 2017 01:36 AM · For: Chapter 1

Hello!

 

This story really caught my eye because I've seen you write about Slytherins before, and I always enjoy reading your work because of the way you manage to dig into characters and explore their motivations and motives in moments like these. I loved the way you used the quote from the book for the summary and took that to inspire this story, which explores Horace Slughorn's character and his decision to stay at Hogwarts and fight in the final battle. It's a fascinating concept.

 

I thought you captured Horace really well in this story. His bewilderment at the beginning of the piece, and the way that he liked sleep and wasn't sure what was going on, seemed to fit his character really well. It made me laugh that he was considering another nightcap to get to sleep while there's a battle about to start for the school. Imagine if he'd slept through that :P

 

Even your language choice here seemed to fit Horace as a character - I really liked the use of the very "lumbered" because it conjured up an image that is exactly how I imagine Horace Slughorn.

 

I really enjoyed reading this story and seeing the way you built it up from Horace waking up and arriving in the Great Hall, not knowing what's going on, to making the decision to stay and fight, even though his main mission in the last few years has been to stay away from taking sides and stay alive. It's a good reminder that there were Slytherins who chose to do the right thing in this battle - and not just because they loved someone and were working undercover to bring Voldemort down - because I think that's often forgotten. This was a really interesting story!

 

Sian :)    

Author's Response:

Sian,

 

I am sorry for the late reply, life had me swamped.  Thank you so much for the kind remarks.  Your review did make me smile.  Characters are my passion and I guess that reflects in my works apparently.  I like to say I'm an amature pychologist, I like looking at and determining what makes people tick an why.  Admittedly Slytherins are the most fun and not becuase I consider myself one, but I find them to be the most divers and with the ones that are 'evil' I like looking at what makes them think they are in the right, becuase usually a villain is not one to themselves (of course there are a few exceptions).

 

Anyway Horace is particularly fun with his jovial and kind nature and his penchant for the background.  I am glad you liked the story though admittedly when I got your review and the few others (I'm assuming for the HPFT finals) I cringed becuase this story is far from my best work.  It was written about 10 years ago and could honstly do with a clean up of grammar and maybe a bit more of an expansion of details for the story.

Name: melian (Signed) · Date: 22 Jun 2017 10:54 PM · For: Chapter 1

Hi Marshal! What an interesting story!

 

I have never really thought about what must have been going through Horace Slughorn's mind the night Dumbledore was murdered. And yet now I see that is a very silly thing for me to have done, to not think about it. Because as you have so very beautifully portrayed, it's very conflicted. I do feel for poor Horace - he just wants a nice quiet existance surrounded by the good things in life, and this darn war just keeps getting in the way. First it was back in the eighties, as he refers to it,when James and Lily were killed - I imagine that if he was still teaching then, he would probably have retired shortly afterwards. And then he gets talked into coming back and that sodding war rears its ugly head AGAIN! And all he wants is some good mulled mead and crystallised pineapple.

 

Horace really is a true Slytherin through and through, though, isn't he? Waiting in the wings to see which side will come out on top, and then going with the winners. That will of course secure his own wellbeing and those of his "friends", for whom he has done so much over the years. Always behind the scenes, moving the levers no one else can even see. You've portrayed that really well in this, I think. It's not long but you managed to fit so much characterisation in there I'm really very impressed. And it segues into canon so perfectly too! Going from his nice comfortable bed - where he just can't seem to get comfortable - to that meeting with the staff after Snape disappeared without a hitch. Nice job.

 

cheers Mel

Author's Response:

Hey Mel,

I'm a month late in responding but life has finally let up enough for me to take the time to respond.  Horace admittedly is one of my favored characters.  I kind of identify with him a fair bit and he's the type of Slytherin that I see my self as at times.  I don't think I'm quite as creepy and I don't set on the mind set of 'I want to collect that person to benefit my life' but I am fond of being the organ grinder in the background pulling leavers and directing things unseen where I get a nice cut and have a nice life but none of the blame falls on me becuase I'm not the face.  Of course vanity gets me and I'm like 'no let me be the face' but that is something else entierly.  Again I don't collect people to take advantage of their friendship but life works that way some times oddly enough.

 

Still what I like best about Horace is he knows what is right and eventually can be talked into it.  I'm more apt to do what is right on principle rather than have my arm twisted like him but still he is a fun character to explore and if I had more ideas I would love to write him more once again.