FeNo posted a comment on Friday 28th November 2014 6:13pm for Rue Britannia

Okay, that sealed the deal. Seems like Lockhart is Riddle's newest "Eggar Suit" (SCNR this little MiB reference ;)) and that would explain a lot, e.g. the pink, soft hands of Voldemort or how Locky could ever recover from having his brain fried up worse than Nicola's was... I just hope that the wizards will not need too long to get this information together, after all Heather all but accused him to be a monster!

As for Albus... he should really get a big kick into his bony backside. Again he punishes Harry for things outside of his influence. Does that hypocrite ever think about what he does? Harry was already on the brink due to the lust/love problem and the confrontation with Heather to finish it, then the distress about the overly strong reaction of the girl to the mass of people in the line and how strong their emotions washed over her, including the Dark Lord's ones was directly followed by another anxiousness... that if Heather would survive the obliviation without long term consequences...

And of course he couldn't be expected to be in best terms with Gilderoy after what the man tried to rip of in the chamber ever again... yet Albus doesn't even hesitate to dish out sanctions. Has he lost his last feeble rests of sanity? I really count on Lucia to take a pound of flesh from the old sanctimonious fool for this evening!

I can see how you arrived at the idea to this story... there is a lot of anger in Harry in the fifth book and it really should at least stay at the same level a year later. Especially with losing Sirius and having more reason to feel responsible for this death than a year earlier for Cedric's murder...

Still i've got a lot of problems with the absolute lack of positive aspects to this long and elaborate story. It's overflowing with anger and even rage and not just by Harry, but by next to every single character appearing. The only two that have not yet shown a real snit probably were Luna and Heather and this much shouting and frothing is just a bit much to stomach, all the more as the story reall IS a giant piece of prose. It's just that the longer this went and the more things heaped up to be angry about and the more bridges seemed to be burned it makes it all the less believable that the story ever can resolve this extreme mess... Which is truly sad as with 9 years of creating it and all these words, it would be a pity to never see it finished and closed (and yes i already know the epilogue/only drafted story parts as i direly needed a push in motivation and looked for the final pairing sometime around the big breakup with Remus about Heather).

I absolutely admire the creativity and versatility that has flown into this work. I just don't know if i could stomach the amount of disagreement and hostility for another quarter million words (or more). Everything in life needs some balance and even angry!Harry should from time to time get a chance to relax or talk in something below the noise level of a starting Jumbo Jet... For Godric's sake! Any time a talk seems to promise some small success in clearing a misunderstanding or bringing two persons to the same level of knowledge or understanding it turns into a competition who is more easily riled into throwing the first punch or whatever. That's an awful lot of suffering even if you just tried to portray the characters as moody teenagers who are a bit victims of their own hormonal fluctuations. Yet that would not excuse why the adults seem almost worse than the teenagers though!

Cathy Ann Walker posted a comment on Saturday 27th October 2012 11:48am for Rue Britannia

>>Heather locked eyes with Lockhart. "Wha… you… how… YOU!" she spluttered.

>>"I’m sorry? I don’t believe we’ve met?" Lockhart said jauntily.

>>"How could you… how could you do the things you’ve done?" Heather thundered. She pulled herself free from Covelli, shaking all the while. "HOW COULD YOU?"

>>Lockhart took a step forward. "Clearly something is troubling you, young lady. I merely wished to compliment you on your performance — Celestina is right to say that you are remarkable."

>>"HORRIBLE! HOW COULD YOU DO THOSE THINGS?" Heather railed at him.

Dumbledore tells Harry that Phasma Transluli was a ritual to transfer Voldemorts essense into another body to take it over and supress the other persons mind.

So Voldemor tookover Lockhardts body,because his mind was fractured from that failed obliviation in Harrys 2nd year downin the Chamber of Secrets. Lockhardt probably agreed to it, being the fraud that he is.

Kokuyo posted a comment on Sunday 31st August 2008 5:00pm for Rue Britannia

This may not be the last chapter there is to read, but frankly, if I don't give voice to this opinion of mine I'm going to burst.

First, let me congratulate you on your obviously very well organized mind. Not many people, myself included, could come up with such an entangled web of politics and keep going for what? Over 400'000 words worth of story.

And therein lies, in my not so humble opinion, your greatest weakness. While technically your writing is above reproach, I am sad to note that you suffer from the same ailment most other writers of this calibre seem to be sharing. You have lost sight for character development, suspense and flow.

Let me elaborate:

After around 400'000 words of story I have gotten a nice peek into the political dilemma that is your Potterverse. Unfortunately, it is becoming very boring. You've built up so many story threads around so many different characters that one would be hard pressed to find a moment to breathe among all the excitement. Unfortunately, NOTHING ever happens in this story.

There hasn't been ONE single thing truly resovled up to this point. Gaskets have been blown, rifts have been mended but nothing has ever been fixed. Harry is still the same awkward boy thrust in a man's role. He still doesn't do anything toward taking control of his life. You just have him short a fuse time and again and seem to think that this is somehow still interesting.

I expect that you're one of those writers who will resolve and explain everything at one point or another, but frankly, I'm fed up with politics and I have no interest in Harry's temper tantrums anymore, no matter how understandable.

So my advice to you would be: Get to the point, any point, already and stop getting entangled in your own political schemes.

Disclaimer: As this is my personal opinion on the matter and not gods eleventh commandment you may or may not appreciate what I have to say. That is alright with me. Whether you like it or not, I offered you my point of view unasked and free of silly reservations. Make of it what you wish even if that would result in you ignoring it.

mathiasgranger posted a comment on Wednesday 16th April 2008 12:06am for Rue Britannia

I'm sorry but if Harry is outmaneuvered by Lockhart there is no hope for him against Voldemort.

Harru doesn't even act like a rash teenager, he acts like he was the one deprived of oxygen for a few minutes at birth...

MrRobertsIII posted a comment on Monday 3rd March 2008 3:16am for Rue Britannia

I like your little touches like Wabeck's hat and Ron being wowed ny Krum's changing teams but completely ignores his dating royalty.

Many writers handle Dumdledore well but you do a much better job of making him crafty and likeable at the same time.

Nice to see the PM included in a realistic manner.

Lockhart is getting strange and rather eerie. I hope you explain his complete change in character more fully further on.

Wow! Just what did Heather see inside Lockhart? That was well done. Great scene.

mathiasgranger posted a comment on Saturday 1st March 2008 3:42am for Rue Britannia

God Harry us a fricking moron, isn't he....and why didn't anyone ever deal with Heather? This all smacks of idiocy and negligence...everything is all about secrets and negligence in this story....its a frustrating theme that is ever recurring.

I am truly tired of Harry's inability to control himself at all....by right Voldemort should kill him with ease for that very reason. It seems a stretch to reach any other conclusion unless that changes very quickly. Yes Snape damaged him, but goodness he needs to have some sort of emotional restraint...instead he is often without inhibition or thoughtfulness.

~Matt

trailmix posted a comment on Saturday 16th February 2008 2:44am for Rue Britannia

I thank the gods of fanfiction everytime a new chapter of YoR comes out. :)

I feel for Harry. He has done well in his status as an apprentice and has been treated as an adult, even a colleague by most of his professors since his emancipation. To be once again relegated to the confines of Hogwarts and portrayed as a hot-tempered adolescent will cast a doubt to his quest to be taken seriously. And all this brought about by the sham that is Lockhart. That was one hell of a makeover. What happened to thim?

Harry's temper has been his downfall and his salvation for most of his years in the wizarding world. How is he supposed to save the wizarding world when situations like this tend to get the best of him? Dumbledore surely didn't make it easier. What's the all knowing Dumbledore's plan this time?

As always, that was brilliant Mike. So, I'm thinking the next chapter is coming in...what...five months? ;D

Full_Pensieve replied:

Go to my section of the FFA.net forum, and you'll find a fair bit of YoR 39 already there - it's an early draft, but I think it suggests that you won't have to wait five months.   LOL

Cheers,

Mike [FP]

jackstraw posted a comment on Saturday 9th February 2008 3:32am for Rue Britannia

Just finished reading Redux all the way through. Took a while. I have been a long time fan of YOR and think that it is clearly the best written HP fanfic I've come across. The depth of the characters are unmatched anywhere else (including canon) and the the plot is intricate without dragging down the action. It is a brilliant work.

However, I am not certain about the change in locale of the will-reading from Grimmauld to Gringotts or Harry's birthday party from the Burrow to the Shrieking Shack. I suppose that is an author's prerogative but the two changes don't really seem to add anything to the story. (There are the rare mis-references to the old locations that your betas missed, but they are very minor and don't particularly stand out.)

That said, I do agree with some of Highflyer's sentiments in her review that I hope you are not throwing out the baby with the water to bring the story to a premature close. There are many wonderful storylines that can still be explored: the Goblin's & Hermione, Ginny's violin, Luna's dreamy castle, R&L, HP's acquiring of elf magic, Covelli & Hermione, Covelli & DD & Grindewald, Detheridge's odd quirks, Snape's circumstances, etc.

Of course, for a while I was concerned that the whole YOR project had been abandoned so I am thrilled that you have succumbed to the pressure of your fans to keep at it. And certainly, the last 2 chapters have been wonderful. I particularly thought that the personalization of MacLeish's political agenda through Nicola's circumstance displayed a depth of sophistication that is simply not found anywhere in fanfic. For those of us that felt let down by many of JKR's choices, YOR is more than a breath of fresh air, it is a display of everything that could have and should have been.

Jack

morriganscrow posted a comment on Monday 4th February 2008 3:28pm for Rue Britannia

Brilliant!
What a chapter! So much to think about, so much going on.
Lockhart was excellent, the politics enthralling and the character interactions wonderful. I'm all agog to read the next chapter.

apr911 posted a comment on Thursday 31st January 2008 12:40pm for Rue Britannia

I just finished reading from start to finish all you have so far and I must say, I am quite impressed

Your story is very emotional and does a very good job of immersing the reader in those emotions.

I had considered writing a review around the mid-way point regarding the Harry's strange behavior (even for a teenager) but I am glad I waited. The reason for his behavior was quite intriguing and make one wonder what they would be like if their emotions were swayed and/or built upon by those of others...

Marvelous job! Keep up the good work, I look forward to your next update.

Jimbocous posted a comment on Monday 28th January 2008 10:50am for Rue Britannia

Excellent story, well-plotted and with unusually believeable OCs. Thanks for the recent update; certainly one of my favorites right now. I do hope this will be continued; lot of potential here. Thanks!

ClaMiAl posted a comment on Monday 28th January 2008 7:58am for Rue Britannia

Wow! What a cool story! I love it and enjoyed reading it. The plot is well thought-out, brings new surprises and twists all the time and never gets boring. The characters are three-dimensional and seem very real. I liked it very much that they all have their faults, and that you did not make Harry and Dumbledore and all the rest the perfect good guys with no faults or difficulties. I hope that if/when Voldemort and the Death Eaters appear again and if/when we get to know them a bit better, that they are not just generic bad guys either.

I also liked the romance aspect of this fic...normally I try to avoid romance if I can, but you actually made me look forward to it. It's not too muchy and only comes in spare quantities, sort of like good spices in a jummy meal.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this fic and hope I won't have to wait too long for the next chapter. Very good job so far!

Highflyer posted a comment on Friday 25th January 2008 6:46am for Rue Britannia

First, to save myself from a lot of keying, I would like to endorse the insightful comments from 'twinheart' who noted the out of character treatment of Harry in this chapter. I have enjoyed this story immensely - but the Harry(and his treatment by others) we have seen up to now is NOT the Harry in this chapter. I know it is your intent to bring this tale to a short/compressed end but it would be tragic to toss everything 'out with wash'. For example, the 'Goblin Hunt', with the teaser on Hermione's relationship with the female leader - and there are many other wonderful setups you've established - this chapter's tone combined with your wish to truncate this effort. . . frankly, for the first time, I'm worried.

For the story up to this chapter - I offer my heartfelt praise and appreciation. I am in awe of the sheer labor and dedication required to produce such an epic. I'm sure I join with all your other fans in hoping that the 'wrap-up' is just as satisfying.

Highflyer

Full_Pensieve replied:

Highflyer,

Thank you for your comments -- and thank you to Twinheart as well, to whom I've not had the opportunity to respond.

Please keep in mind the position into which both Lockhart and Harry put Dumbledore.   Also please keep in mind that Harry's part of this event didn't happen in an empty tent - a fair number of very prominent witches and wizards saw Lockhart responding in (what a lot of purebloods would consider) a reasonable manner, to which Harry responded by partially dismantling Lockhart.   Related to that is another consideration, something that happened a long time ago in the fic but not a long time ago in the chronology: the Board of Governors meets in October, and they haven't approved Harry's presence in the castle as an apprentice.   Dumbledore merely used the loophole in their dismissal letter to take action.

I think you have to wait for CH 39 to have a context for what happened.   Now, with that being said, I would also say that reading Kinsfire's comments on Lockhart and MacLeish in the YoR 38 thread at the FFA.net Forum might be a good idea.

Cheers,

Mike [FP]  

Patches posted a comment on Thursday 24th January 2008 1:44pm for Rue Britannia

Finally the grand party with all the notable members and a few surprises. Poor Harry a pon in some hands. At least the Prime Minister treated him faily well. Of course something had to happen and it did. Poor Heather. Her legilimency is growing and the huge crowd did not help. Then to have Lockhart obliviate her! That was the worst. I hope Heather recovers. I hope Harry isn't raked over the coals too harshly although he is doing a pretty good job on himself. Thanks for writing. I look forward to more of this story. pms

Andrew Niehaus posted a comment on Thursday 24th January 2008 11:42am for Rue Britannia

You know, this would be a good time for Harry to say Fuck it and just take off for a while. Go to America, or Austrailia or New Zealand. Some place where he can take a nice, short vacation and let Britian handle its own affairs for a while. And when Voldemort gets too bad, and they beg him ot come back, he can just look at them an ask 'Why?'.

Seriously. Lockhart was clearly in the wrong and, in light of his past and present misdeeds, deserved what he got. That Harry got in trouble for decking the bastard is just wrong.

Glad to see this updated, but please update again soon! I actually forgot what story this was!

ahsun92 posted a comment on Thursday 24th January 2008 6:17am for Rue Britannia

Yay you updated! Nice plot twist!
Keep up the good work!

Erik Wiggins posted a comment on Thursday 24th January 2008 4:09am for Rue Britannia

Wow, what a great story, I am captivated. Hurry up with the next update!!

twinheart posted a comment on Wednesday 23rd January 2008 4:11pm for Rue Britannia

I read this chapter - Rue Britannia - last night and I'm still reeling from it. I was so stunned I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.(The ultimate compliment to an author!) I keep asking myself WHAT HAPPENED??

The reception scene was terrific. I loved Harry's interactions with MacLeish and all his important guests, and the subtle political manoeuvrings.

Then that whole thing with Lockhart explodes in our faces and I don't know what to think. Lockhart is clearly not who or what he seems - I have no idea what his agenda is but I'm sure you'll reveal more when you're ready. The fact that he's managed to make contact with Harry, Ron and Hermione - not to mention Heather - just gives me the creeps. And the whole scene oblivating Heather looked orchestrated: deliberately contrived by someone - I'm not sure who or why.

Harry's response was completely predictable. Everyone knows by now if you hurt Harry's friends he will beat the crap out of you. . .end of story. What threw me off was everyone else's response to the altercation. In the blink of an eye, Lockhart manages to spin the whole thing in his own favor, making himself the victim and Harry the bad guy. And Harry's adult advisors and "friends" (I use the word with considerable skepticism)let Lockhart get away with it.

The astute, influential young man who has formed powerful alliances: who has spent the evening being courted by celebrities and diplomats, wealthy tycoons and Prime Ministers - is suddenly reduced to a naughty, errant schoolboy, publically dressed down by his Headmaster and forced to shake hands with that Creep as if he'd been brawling in the halls after class! I found myself outraged on Harry's behalf.

And for Dumbledore to take advantage of the situation to confine Harry to Hogwarts was beyond despicable. I wouldn't put it past Albus to have arranged the whole scene in order to get what he wanted: Heather oblivated and Harry under his thumb. The glaringly obvious tactics to diminish Harry - to "put him in his place" and regain control over him was pure Dumbledore manipulation: the whole public scolding; sending Harry back to Hogwarts with his tail between his legs and "grounding" him; banishing him back into the boys' dorm -PULEASE...he might as well have transformed Harry's tux into short pants and handed him a lollipop, for Merlin's sake.

What I don't understand is why Harry put up with it. I would have expected him to tell Albus to get stuffed. And why didn't anyone take Harry's side? Even MacLeish and Covelli bailed on him, which disappointed me. I guess it's true...poor Harry can't trust any adults. (Have all these people forgotten just how powerful and deadly this "boy" can be?)

Anyway, I hope Harry doesn't take all this crap lying down. I just can't see the shrewd powerful young man who matured over the summer, allowing anyone to force him back into the clueless obedient schoolboy routine. He knows now that Dubledore and his Order aren't the only ones opposing Voldemort....I think Albus needs Harry more than Harry needs him.... and if Covelli quit her apprenticeship in the past, so can Harry.

I can't wait to see what happens with Harry and what's up with Lockhart, et all. Looking forward to the next installment!!

twinheart posted a comment on Wednesday 23rd January 2008 3:18pm for Rue Britannia

Wow. First of all - let me say I think this work is astounding. It's addictive - brilliantly plotted, with rich, fascinating characters. You've developed an amazing, maturing Harry who is deep, complicated, a little scary and endearingly flawed - a very human blend of epic hero and awkward teenager.

And I am enchanted by the characters you have surrounded him with. I don't always like OC's in fanfic - too often they are contrived and incongruous. Your characters are quite the opposite. They are perfectly developed and completely believable, blending seemlessly into the HP world as if JR herself created them and just didn't get around to introducing them to us. Your OC's enhance Harry's story rather than intrude on it.

I am mesmerized by your story and look forward to more. I also want to comment on the last chapter, but I don't know if this comment field is limited in size so I'll send a second comment on that.

Brilliant work! Keep it up!

Casey299 posted a comment on Tuesday 22nd January 2008 9:02pm for Rue Britannia

Good chapter, i hope heather doesnt forget who harry is. . . please update soon