Response to DoggStarr ....
Thank you for your enthusiastic comments about my writing.
This is actually my first fic - or attempt at any kind of creative writing.
I think the "lure" of HP fan fiction has drawn out many an "inner-author". Hopefully my writing style has improved along the way...
About the plural of Animagus ... JKR is very careful with the use of Latin words, plurals etc, and I have tried to follow it. Latin singulars ending in "us" have their plurals ending in "i". Animagus isn't a real Latin word, of course, but it has Latin roots (like almost all of JKR's spells).
Reply to Bex753 Thanks for your review! I think my account of that (Halloween) night is completely consistent with Harry’s memories of it. In fact, I have included all of Lily and Voldemort’s dialogue – as remembered by Harry in book 3. I think it’s fair to say that I have put a different interpretation on the events (like it not being Lily’s sacrifice that causes Voldemort’s Killing Curse to rebound). But in the Cannon, that is speculation, as so far (up to book 5) we have not yet heard from anyone who was there on that night – except, as you point out, for Harry’s “flashbacks” when he’s affected by Dementors.
Reply to Etched Chaos
I agree with what you say about Harry’s ... “courage under extreme pressure”. But at the start of this fic, things are more than extreme ... Voldemort is basically in control ... attacking at will. He’s got control of The Ministry of Magic (Fudge is Lucius Malfoy’s puppet). Then Dumbledore’s replaced by Umbridge and Lucius Malfoy has virtual control of Hogwarts. Harry is still unsure about how much he can trust Rick ... he’s feeling completely exposed ... and for good reason.
But it’s not personal fear that is obsessing Harry ... it’s his sense of responsibility ... unwillingly he’s been cast (by the Prophecy) as the only one who can stop Voldemort ... and if he fails, hundreds, thousands – his friends Hermione and the Weasleys included – will die. I think Harry has a right to feel withdrawn, depressed and oppressed at the start of our story.
Reply to Etched Chaos
Why doesn’t Rick just Squib Voldemort? Yes, the evil monster has a few secret protections we don’t know about yet, but also there’s another reason.... Here’s a dialogue that takes place a little later in the story ...
“I wish we could find out where he is and take the fight to him,” said Ron. “We’re always on the bloody defensive, waiting for him to call the shots and make the first move. If we could find him, we could attack him on our terms ... and finish the evil bastard off.”
“According to Dumbledore, the Order doesn’t have a clue where he is,” replied Rick. “They think he keeps moving about. When he summons his followers, using their Dark Mark, they have no idea where they’re going. They use some sort of Apparition-like spell, which takes them to Voldemort – to wherever he is at that moment. It’s a different place each time.”
“What about drawing him into a trap?” suggested Ron.
“I don’t think it’d work, mate,” replied Harry. “He’s completely paranoid ... remember. He’d immediately suspect something ... he’d never come.”
reply to etched Chaos
I think the problem with writing about Time Travel is that it doesn’t really exist – it’s imaginary. Your ideas about how it would work are different from mine – and JKR’s for that matter. Since it’s imaginary, you can’t really say one idea is right and the other wrong – I think a little poetic licence is required.
As long as you give a reasonable and plausible justification/explanation for your ideas, then a reasonable reader will go along with it – as they do with all your other fabrications – after all what is fiction – particularly fantasy – if not fabrication?
I did attempt (in chapter 26) to offer a plausible explanation which does address the objections you raised in earlier chapters....
“but the spirits who sent Mr. Godfry are not in time as we mortals are. To them, Time – past, present and future – is all happening at once. They perceive the entire road, if you will. Their decision and action in sending Mr. Godfry, changed the road. But, it was independent of time. It did not happen in 1996 any more than in 1981 ...
... The very act of sending him, ensured that this reality, rather than the Nightmare Reality, would come to pass. Hence, it was possible to send him into this reality – even though its very existence depended upon him appearing in it – and then going back in time to make it possible.”
What I (and Dumbledore) am saying is that the spirits are out of time – and even “out of reality” They perceive and relate to all points in time (just as from space you can see the whole of America, but on the ground you see only a small bit of it). Similarly, they see all (possible) realities - including “ours” from where Rick was “recruited”. They see the dreadful events that follow Voldemort’s triumph (in the Nightmare Reality). They see what needs to change in 1981 to prevent it transpiring. If they could act directly (and make Voldemort’s Killing Curse rebound) the Nightmare Reality would become a “potential reality” only – and the “Canon Reality” (which is only a “potential reality”) would become the “actual reality”.
But because they cannot act directly they send Rick. They send him to a “potential” reality (in 1997), which will become the “actual” reality when he stops Voldemort’s curse with his Reflecting Shield. (Of course he doesn’t do that the first time he’s at Godrics Hollow – hence when he’s thrown back to 1998 he’s in the Nightmare Reality which is still the “actual reality”). The second time at Godrics Hollow he makes Voldemort’s Killing Curse rebound and so the “Canon Reality” becomes the “actual reality”.
It is worth pointing out that since the spirits are out of time they see everything simultaneously Effectively, the minute they decided upon their plan of sending Rick to get Godric Gryffindor’s wand and “do the business” back in 1981, the “Canon Reality” became “actual”.
Why was Rick sent to 1997 and not 1981 in the first place? Because while he had a key task to do in 1981 (saving Harry) he has a lot more to do in 1997/8 to stop the reborn Voldemort.
Reply to SiriuslyEnnervated
Many thanks for your very detailed reviewed of my story. The greatest compliment is your obvious enthusiasm and enjoyment which both shine through your words. Reviews like yours certainly encourage me to want to write more – if not a sequel, then certainly another Harry Potter fanfic.
So keep your eyes open for another fic by GoG later in the year! Thanks heaps for your praise!
Reply to tommywommy
Thanks for your many reviews – I’m really pleased that you enjoyed my fic so much!
Reply to Stuart
Sincere thanks for the very kind things you have said about my story. I think I owe at least 90% of the credit to JKR who created this wonderful world that we all love so much. It’s a real pleasure to be able to play in it. If I have developed something worthwhile, then I certainly owe the inspiration to her. I am very happy to have brought you pleasure.
Reply to Bex753
Thank you for your review, you raise a very interesting question (which I have puzzled over myself): how many witches & wizards are there?
The HP Lexicon has a couple of articles on it. There are arguments (from clues in the books) for as few as 40 new students a year (meaning only 280 students at Hogwarts) up to 1000 students (which would be about 140 new students in each year). So given that magical folk live well past 100, that would give Britain an adult wizarding population of between 4,000 and 14,000.
You point out that in GOF there were only 30-50 Death Eaters. True – but Voldemort had been gone for 13 years. Many of his followers at the time he disappeared had been killed by Aurors, imprisoned in Azkaban or had deserted him (like Karkaroff) and he could have inducted no new ones during those 13 years. I think it is safe to say that at the time he lost his body when he tried to kill baby Harry there may have been hundreds of them.
At the start of this fic Voldemort is ascendant – he controls the Ministry of Magic (through Malfoy and Fudge) and it seems only a matter of time until he triumphs. The opposition to him (the OOTP) is greatly outnumbered. I can imagine that in those circumstances witches and wizards would be flocking to him in droves – if only to be on the winning side and survive. He could have hundreds – if not thousands – of Death Eaters.
Reply to HPLiNKN92
Thanks for your review. You ask if Rick gets initiated as a Death Eater, will he still have the Dark Mark on his arm ... if he ever manages to get Godric Gryffindor's wand back and end the Nightmare Reality. Good question.
If he does succeed in getting his wand back and getting back to that Halloween Night in 1981 and saving Harry, then Voldemort (well, his body at least) will be destroyed. So the Nightmare Reality will never come into existence and things should proceed as they always did in the Canon. In that case, Rick wouldn’t have the Dark Mark, since in the “Canon Reality” he never got it.
Confusing, isn’t it? I think we might need Hermione to explain this properly. Mind you ... this is all highly speculative ... I’m not saying that he will get the wand back ... you’ll have to wait to find out!
Reply to soccastar267492
At the end of OOTP, Umbridge ended up in the hospital wing – apparently surviving the wrath of the centaurs. When she tried sneaking out of the school (hoping to depart undetected) Peeves (acting under Fred Weasley’s instructions) chased her, whacking her with a walking stick and a sock full of chalk.
I hope in book 6 she is punished for unleashing the Dementor attack on Harry (amongst all the other evil things she did). It was a pleasure to let the Ghost of Godric Gryffindor give Toad-face her just deserts in my fic.
Response to Querida:
For some reason I was unable to reply to your comment, so I'm posting this (as well as sending it to you as a message) to say how much I appreciated your thoughtful review.
Yes, I have read the Earthsea books by Le Guin, which I thought were wonderful ... I did not deliberately set out to copy her style, but one picks things up from everything one reads. I suppose I have attempted to emulate JKR's style if any.
Speaking of good books, my favourites are "His Dark Materials" trilogy by Phillip Pulman (even better than Harry Potter IMHO).
If you enjoy my fic GoGG, you may want to check out my other one: "The Source of Magic", also on Mugglenet. It's a 7th year fic which follows on from HBP rather than my own fic.
I hope you enjoy the rest of GoGG (but don't forget to sleep along the way, it's a long story).
GoG.
Reply SeaIsleWitch
Thank you for all of your wonderful and intelligent reviews.
Yes, you are absolutely right in what you say about Dumbledore. He is the epitome of wisdom ... and compassion. He can see how much Rick is already suffering from his own guilt at “stuffing up”. Rather than add to it, he tries to make him feel better. That’s the kind of person he is. As you say, he can see very well that Rick has leaned a lesson and is determined to make the same mistake again.
Dumbledore is surely one of JKR’s most wonderful creations ... the archetypal wise, benevolent father figure – he represents all that is good and beautiful in the magical world.
Reply to SeaIsleWitch
Thank you for all your reviews! I was thinking about your idea of using the on-side Time Portal on Voldemort. He The Dementors, and anyone else ending up in the Timeless Dimension would be marooned there forever – everyone but Rick who has the ability to travel in time at will. But what about Voldemort? Who knows what powers and abilities the Evil One possesses? He might just be able to escape ... and to where? ... or more to the point - to When? No, I think it would be too great a risk to take. There will be no peace in the Wizarding world until he his dead – permanently!
Reply to phoenix_fire
Thank you for your A+ (blushes) and thank you for your many reviews. I think without readers who take the trouble to leave reviews there would be a lot less fan fiction written!
Just to get the "ball rolling" ... I am leaving my own review ... It's a lot of work going through 35 chapters and putting in the HTML tags required for MuggleNet. I'm sure *lots* of reviews will encourage me to go faster and get the rest of the fic up fast ... subtle hint. I will check reviews here and answer any questions (that do not give the plot away). If you like my fic, please tell your friends about it.
Reply to Etched Chaos ... Thanks for your review ... and I will certainly check out your fic. Your comments about Rick's enormous powers are valid. A couple of my betas made similar comments. But as the story progresses it becomes evident that Voldemort and the Dark Side have such a strong hold on the Wizarding world that nothing short of a hero like Rick will give the Light any chance at all. For all his powers Rick will find himself conflicted (by his attraction to a certain witch) which makes him lose site of the plot at times with disasterous consequences. And don't write Voldemort off yet ... he will not be easy pickings for Rick, Harry or anyone ... you may be sure.
Reply etched Chaos
No need for apologies. OK, you express your views strongly, but it wasn’t in an abusive way. I’ll accept the strength of your comments as a compliment reflecting how engaged you’ve become with the story.
As to the classification, I guess this fic could be classified in lots of different ways. Yes, there is Romance, but also there is Humour, Dark/Angsty chapters (to come). I would have selected Action/Adventure if it had been one of the Categories, but since it wasn’t available, General seemed the best fit – and I did include Romance in my main summary.
I guess it’s obvious by now that Rick is the main character/hero. That’s a departure from the Canon and I know some people don’t feel right about it, but I can’t honestly see why such things can’t happen in fan fiction. We fan fic writers are all playing in JKR’s wonderful universe, but I think it’s OK to play a bit differently sometimes.
Having avenged Sirius death – and stood up alone to all those Death Eaters at Hogsmeade station, Harry will become more confident and assured. He started the story under the cloud where JKR left him at the end of OOTP. Now he’s come out it we will see a more familiar, more heroic Harry.
Harrys Aunt has asked me to please hurry and update.... This fic is actually finished (I an just waiting for one of my betas to get the last 3 chapters back). The problem is that it takes anywhere between a few hours and a few days to get each chapter Validated. As each chapter is Validated I immediately put the next one in the Queue. But you can only have one in the Queue at a time. Chapter 7 has been sitting in the Queue for 2 days now ... sigh ....
Reply to HarrysAunt
Thanks for your many reviews and supportive comments for my fic ... it is most appreciated. It is readers like you who take the trouble to review that make writing a fic worthwhile. You may be sure that they will bear on my mind when I start thinking about writing another fic.
Oh ... and you win the chocolate frog for finishing the fic first!