jedibuttercup

... you know what, upon reflection, I don't understand Harry's punishment over the Sectumsempra incident either. It makes about as much sense as Sirius and co.'s punishment for the werewolf incident-- in reverse. What, just because Malfoy didn't finish saying 'Cruciatus', even though a review of the incident should prove he was the first one to draw his wand and fire a curse, Harry is the only one punished? Just because Malfoy was the only one who needed the hospital wing, and his Head of House was the one who found them? Not saying Harry shouldn't be punished for his idiocy in using the spell; just that it's yet another severely unbalanced consequence that seems utterly unlikely to help Harry learn how to react to danger and responsibility like a normal human being.

(Oh wait ... *cough* Dumbledore. Continually grooming Harry to increase his feelings of isolation and self-justification in service of his eventual martyrdom at the hands of Voldemort ...)

Oh, and also: one student attempts to kill and torture another, his opponent slashes him bloodily across the chest, and detentions are the only punishment handed out? And no one else objects? Fucking seriously? I guess they really mustn't ever report student injuries and punishments in any official way, or else... I'm reminded of a Hagrid quote I also tripped across recently. "It's always been a bit of a risk sending a kid to Hogwarts hasn't it? You expect accidents, don't you, with hundreds of underage wizards all locked up together."

Not that JKR seems to have cared what she was implying about the alienness of wizarding culture with all of this, beyond cleaving to conventional tropes in isolating her hero ...

I'm not really sure how much of this will make sense for Harry to realize in backagainharry, but continuing to reinforce the beneficial effects of thinking things through is going to be a must.

In my review of HBP for backagainharry, I tripped over an interesting quote. After Remus lets Harry down about his not so subtle questions regarding the possible identity of the Half Blood Prince, he tells him to check the publish date on his used potions book. Harry does, and discovers "it was nearly fifty years old. neither his father, nor his father's friends, had been at Hogwarts fifty years ago."

How does it not occur to him that he once had his hands on another book, one which dated to Hogwarts in roughly the same timespan? That he knows the identity of a half blood (having just learned that information from Dumbledore!) who went to Hogwarts in exactly that time frame, and demonstrably thought rather highly of himself and the heritage he'd discovered?

If it had been me, I would. And where might things go from there? Obviously, we the readers would know Harry was wrong, that it was Snape using his pureblood mother's hand-me-down book who'd marked it all up. But what kind of an entertaining fic could you build out of Harry assuming it was Voldemort's book and, after debating whether to reject it, deciding to use it to learn more about his destined enemy? He'd be a lot more wary about the scribbled spells, for one thing (*cough* Sectumsempra); but what else might he learn and misattribute from the notes within its pages, and how else might that disarray the canon plot?

*thinky expression*

PG-13; Harry Potter.
Time Travel AU; branches off from Deathly Hallows. No pairings.

Harry makes a different choice in King's Cross, and is given the double-edged gift of a second chance.

(3800 words, this chapter. Sorry it's so late; hope it's not a let-down!)

( Chapter 19: An Unexpected Sighting ) | Story Index

PG; Harry Potter x Grimm, 1200 words. For Day 12. Rosalee Calvert + Severus Snape.

The bell rang over the door of the spice shop while Rosalee was in the middle of mixing in the last ingredient for a fiddly special-order Zaubertrank.

Supply, Demand, and Zauberer

(Linked @ wishlist_fic and AO3; written for treppie)

PG-13; gen; Angel/HP; 900 words. Challenge fic, from August 29.

Here was another whose soul yet burned: who hadn't checked his passion at the door.

( Double Twisted Fast With Wire )

(x-posted to twistedshorts and at AO3)

PG-13; Harry Potter. Time Travel AU; branches off from Deathly Hallows. No pairings.

Harry makes a different choice in King's Cross, and is given the double-edged gift of a second chance.

( Chapter 16: Fresh Perspectives ) | Story Index

(For the finishathon. 4400 words, this chapter.)

PG; Angel/Harry Potter. 1500 words, for beatrice_otter; 5th in Polaris Wyndham-Price series.

Wesley took a sharp breath. "Best we retrieve her and leave as soon as possible; otherwise, she might begin to develop ideas."

( Come Full Circle and Start Anew )

(x-posted at AO3)

PG-13; Harry Potter. Time Travel AU; spoilers for Deathly Hallows. No pairings.

Harry makes a different choice in King's Cross, and is given the double-edged gift of a second chance.

( Chapter 14: Sharing the Load ) | Story Index

Another entry from ye anciente Five Things meme. For thady, who prompted it, and kerravonsen, who asked for distractions.

SG-1/Various; 3000 words; late and post-series settings.
"Do you always greet new people with a kiss?" he couldn't help but ask.

( Four Times Daniel Jackson Was Kissed Unexpectedly, And One Time He Made The First Move )
~

PG-13; Harry Potter. Harry makes a different choice in King's Cross, and is given the double-edged gift of a second chance.

Time Travel AU; spoilers for Deathly Hallows. No pairings.

( Back Again, Harry? - Chapter 12: Responsibility to Act )

Or: Story Index Here