Harry Potter and the Nightmares of Futures Past
Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
By Viridian
Reviews
bajab posted a comment on Sunday 2nd July 2006 3:15pm for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
Even though I loved it, I think the end of the previous chapter was an even better ending - more open ended and much happier.
This chapter could have been used as an action packed opener to the Dementors of Azkaban arc.
But don't get me wrong, it was still awesome. Best fanfic I have ever read. Can't wait for the rest!
Thanks
Crys posted a comment on Sunday 2nd July 2006 2:09am for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
Lot of serious character development, here. Great stuff.
MarinePotterfan posted a comment on Sunday 2nd July 2006 2:00am for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
Another Great chapter, The duel at the end added a nice touch to finnish off the year. It is going to be an interesting summer. Luna is a great character in this story, and poor Neville he has no idea what has hit him when it comes to her. You have done a great job mixing parts from the first timeline and new and interesting things form the new timelime. Keep up the great writing and update soon.
MPF
Patches posted a comment on Friday 30th June 2006 9:21pm for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
A great chapter. I'm so glad all of Harry's friends were so understanding about his keeping secrets until they were protected from Snape and Dumbledore. A really good complete chapter.
I really like the way Harry and Ginny are dealing with the fact that in Harry's other time line that they were more than friends. It looks good for that to happen again. thanks for writing. pms
brad posted a comment on Friday 30th June 2006 6:14pm for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
Thank you for another exciting, engrossing chapter.
Thanks also for the timing of your release ... I was one of the spineless whiners pleading for you to publish the chapter now rather than wait for your phoenixsong beta. With the very best stories I like to print out the chapters at work and bring them home for some dedicated reading over the weekend - sitting regally in the lounge chair, lunch on my right, drinks on my left. So I had my fingers crossed that you'd get this chapter out before I left work Friday afternoon my time.
(In case you're wondering - this chapter goes very well with oven-baked chips, hamburgers and diet coke)
Lots to like in this chapter. Harry's session with Ginny was the scene for angst and drama, of course, and you got a lot out of it, it was great. I'm glad you're still keeping her true to her young age; unsure of herself and not really sexually aware ("this might have been horribly awkward if she'd been a bit older, or maybe not"). I wonder if you'll ever address some of your Yahoo group members' concerns about how Harry is still - mentally - somewhat on the other side of pubescence from her? It probably doesn't even have to come up, I guess, since in that respect they're really no different from any pair of children of different ages, maturing at different times, and Harry hasn't pushed the issue whatsoever.
Just reading it through it again - that was a *very* good scene with Ginny. After allowing Harry to decompress - and giving we readers another look at the horrors of the future timeline - Ginny got Harry to start looking towards the future (his second time around) optimistically and planning for same.
I loved the comparison between the two versions of Ginny. I think that was one of the most unique and interesting facets of this chapter; I don't think I've ever read a 'time travel' story before where a character (Ginny) has openly asked questions about her other incarnation, and thought about same. Those couple of sentences where Ginny was thinking about her other self - *analysing* herself - were fascinating.
Having explored the serious depths of drama with H/G it was amusing to have a second go with Hermione. You gleaned some good humour from this second interrogation/interview. "Harry knew her too well not to believe there was a pattern to it" - I always enjoy your depiction of Hermione's intelligence (in *everything* she does). I would have bet that she would NOT have wanted foreknowledge of her and the others' romantic relationships, but I enjoyed how Harry told her about hers, with her 'blinking rapidly' and eyes bright.
Being prepared to endure three more lengthy debriefings I was surprised again when you eliminated them so ably. Ron was perfect, quidditch and all, and I loved his analysis of Hermione having a need-to-know. He really doesn't have the emotional depth of a tea-spoon any more, does he?
My gosh I enjoyed the action sequence, the gang's battle against the Slytherins. I'm not sure we've seen anything like this since the 2nd years' battle against the pixies? Excellent to see them working so efficiently as a well-trained unit. Damn invigorating stuff.
Very happy with the difference pointed out to Dumbledore between Riddle and Harry. It's the devotion between all six - although I guess we see mainly Harry's feelings for them all, although things like Luna's "because you love us" comment coming out of the Chamber amplifies everything by an order of magnitude, that was lovely - which makes this story so wonderful. The scene of them all flying for fun near the end of the chapter was a nice break to all the tension of the year as well.
Flint's memories were *chilling*. Amazing how you had me wanting to see him punished (OK, killed) for what he'd done. Likewise Pansy's fantasy. I wonder if Harry has legilimence'd any of them, and if he did so, would anything be gained in warning Ron and Hermione that they have such a deadly enemy in Pansy?
Nice balanced 'team spirit' ending to the chapter, with the twins being equally responsible for the quidditch victory and Ginny beating Harry in the DA tournament.
I'm *still* curious about how the castle seems to be reacting to - or helping? - Harry. Was the door of Dumbledore's office opening 'as he reached for the doorknob' only the second occurance of such phenomena? I'm not sure I've seen anyone hassle you about this in your Yahoo group, but I for one am getting very curious about that.
Just because they're the good guys, and it's nice to see the good guys pay their debts and *be* good guys, I hope Harry is able to pay back Melissa in some way for her warning. And/or make a special effort to make a friend of Millicent in their 3rd year. I think thus far Hermione and she, for example, have got on OK in the DA (I think Hermione gave her a helping hand up after a duel, with no agression from either of them?).
When I started reading fan fiction a whole 2 years ago I thought the idea of a 'review' was to leave constructive criticism and the like for the author. As usual, I have none to give; all I can do is point out the bits I especially liked (which seems to be everything) and just say 'thank you!'.
Just another great chapter to a great story, and thank you again for continuing to write it. Thanks too for an excellent Saturday lunch!
Manatheron posted a comment on Friday 30th June 2006 2:39pm for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
^.^
Awesome! I can't wait to see what other changes will occur!
Please keep up the excellent work!
PS. Was Ginny's move a Jump/stunner? or did she get the stunner off before she dodged? also, how did Luna know how to make her spells bounce? and why hadn't she brought it up before? I'd think that it would be a VERY useful trick in a tight corner!
John Clark posted a comment on Friday 30th June 2006 2:20pm for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
This isn't John. It's the Mrs. Here's my two cents:
No matter what the other students motives were, Dumbledore was right to suspend Harry from the Quidditch match. Harry used too much force in retaliation to the attack. Just as Harry himself says later, "Part of the challenge is figuring out how to win within the rules." He should have realised that, even though the ambushers were malicious, they were still fellow students to be subdued rather than injured.
I really enjoyed this chapter.
elvin posted a comment on Friday 30th June 2006 1:26pm for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
good chapter, deffintley worth the wait, although im not sure why harry wouldnt have used wandless stunners unless he doesnt want to show the skill, or he isnt able to, i dont really remember which it is since i havnt read the begining in 4ever. keep up the good work
Viridian replied:
What are these wandless stunners you speak of?
MercuryBlue posted a comment on Friday 30th June 2006 10:17am for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
One: "This exam took place a long time ago for me." Sure it did. Exams got canceled because everyone was so happy that the monster in the Chamber was dead and wouldn't be Petrifying or killing anyone anymore, remember? (God only knows what they did about O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s.)
Two: I thought there was a reason Harry hadn't written anything down about the old timeline or his plans for the new one. So how come he's letting Hermione do it?
Viridian replied:
1. Yes, but it's the exam review that he needs to recall in order to pass. That still occured a long time ago. With normal variations, the odds of McGonagall asking the exact same questions (if the tests had occured) would have been vanishingly small - so he does need another refresher on all the material. (Which is why he didn't ask about the very specific test items.)
2. They are relaxing a bit with Snape gone, which may be a mistake. On the other hand, Hermione's notes may be in VERY cryptic shorthand. And with a suitably written preface and margin notes, the whole document could be dismissed as the outline of a short story she is planning to write for entertainment.
Bernd Jacobitz posted a comment on Friday 30th June 2006 9:49am for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
The chapter was well worth the long wait.
We readers would like you to post faster,however we apreciate the supperp quality.
Malimber ConDoin posted a comment on Friday 30th June 2006 9:38am for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
hail,
that was great. excellent fanfiction looking forward to the next chapter..
ConDoin
MonkeyAxman1302 posted a comment on Friday 30th June 2006 8:20am for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
I've been reading this story for a while and this is my first review, sorry about that!
Should have showed my delight at how absolutely GREAT this story is.
I think the way you deal with 12/30 year old Harry is amazing. The way you make him deal with that burden is really good.
On to this actual chapter, I really liked the way that you sort of increased the almost "romantic" aspect of Harry and Ginny's relationship! In a really believable way as well.
I liked Harry and Hermione's discussion as well, especially the way he tricked her. The joke about her marrying Gred and Forge was superb!
Keep writing I can't wait for more!
Monkey
Terry Chang posted a comment on Friday 30th June 2006 6:37am for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
no annual draco hexing, what is thw world coming to???
Meteoricshipyards posted a comment on Friday 30th June 2006 6:32am for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
Very nice. I liked the dueling tournament.
Now I'm very interested in what you have scheduled for year three. It does give an AU author pause when they get there, and have already saved Sirius so he can't escape and drive the plot. I know I've just about reached that point.
Dumbledore might be learning. I'm glad that McGonagall is so supportive (or empathetic) to give DD Harry's view of events.
The lesson from the Quidditch game was also very good. Will Harry take it to heart, though?
Good job. Looking forward to more.
Tom A.
Nagol posted a comment on Friday 30th June 2006 5:18am for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
Another wonderful chapter. I truly enjoy it when fanfic writers rub Dumbledore’s nose in his own mess. Sometimes I wonder if even JKR realizes how horrible her creations manipulations and blind devotion to what ‘he’ considers right and wrong are, at least I’ve yet to she her touch on that thread really. Please continue with chapters like this. I for one would like to see Dumbledore humbled a little more.
Philip Jacobs posted a comment on Thursday 29th June 2006 11:24pm for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
Nice work with the story, but I do have one question. In the scene where Harry and crew were repairing the damaged windows, you stated first that Harry was with Ron and Hermione, the other three having split off as a second team to work on the lower windows. But just a bit later in the discussion, Neville, Ginny, and Luna are listening in and making comments back to Harry. Did the three of them finish up and rejoin the first group without mention in the paragraph, or did a sentence or two get cropped by mistake in the edit to the final draft?
Other than that, I really liked the way things were flowing in this chapter. Dumbledore seems to maybe be getting a clue about the flaws in some of his policies, Harry got to play a relatively trouble-free game of Quidditch, Hermione's gotten her info-fix on Harry's past future, and Ginny looks to be continuing to mature into someone who Harry will actually have a chance to make a life with sometime in the future.
Oh, and the Fred to George Bludger shot in the game ought to be something that will make professional scouts take notice, presuming that Colin's still the shutterbug this time around that he was in the first pass. Granted, the Twins likely aren't that interested in a pro career, but it would make the family proud to know that they had gotten offers.
As always, make sure you feed that Muse, and I'll be looking forward to the next installment.
Nementh
Quizer posted a comment on Thursday 29th June 2006 11:21pm for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
Whoa, this is a really great chapter. There's so much happening in this chapter that it appears even longer than simply its word count.
The part with Ginny at the beginning is done masterfully. It very nearly made me cry. That part was so filled it could have been a chapter of its own; you could have ended it right there and I wouldn't have complained because of shortness.
The part about Hermione is great, too. She asked the right questions, those that I expected her to ask and those I wanted to see put before Harry at some point. The Fred & George wedding joke was great!
I also loved that little tidbit about Neville channeling his grandmother. What will she say when he turns it back at her?
The part with Ron and Neville was a bit short. I'd have expected them to ask more questions. And I wonder what Ron would say if he knew about the Slytherin version of the Quidditch song...
I'm really looking forward to seeing a conversation between Harry and Luna at some point.
The face-off with Dumbledore was fun, too. I always love those. Now he finally got to see the light for a bit (or the darkness, as it is...)
The Quidditch match was very well done, too. I'm amazed how you can still create something unique with the abundance of Quidditch matches that are written out there. Same for the DA tournament. It didn't nearly have that clichéd feel that would be expected after the slew of such tourneys that are already out there. Congratulations!
I also loved the confrontation with the Slytherin students itself. We finally got to see how Harry's group would fight in a semi-serious combat situation. I'm also glad that unlike some other authors, you realize that it is indeed possible for Harry to occasionally survive such a confrontation without getting injured. Hope we'll get to see some more action some time soon!
Well, that's all for now. I'm looking forward to the third book! :)
Quizer
liquidfyre posted a comment on Thursday 29th June 2006 7:33pm for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
More soon... or else... YOU WILL BE SPORKED
grabs his sharpened spork and cackles maniacally
damn good story you keep up like this and ill definately keep reading what ya write Bunches
Lira posted a comment on Thursday 29th June 2006 5:07pm for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!
Brilliant chapter! :D Keep up the good work!
Bethany posted a comment on Sunday 2nd July 2006 4:06pm for Conversations, Confrontations, and Quidditch!