More joy and I had forgotten how much I relish reading chapters of your epics back-to-back! I'm happy that Draco noticed the little conversation between Nusante and Harry and will follow it up. Draco's observational skills in this novel are superb and I want to believe that he will relieve Harry of some of the guilt or duty he feels he owes.
Lucius was quite correct in finally discerning Draco's original motives, though I'm wondering how much Narcissa had to spoon feed him the Draco wants more freedom thoughts, before they sunk in? “I am not the man you thought I was,” Lucius whispered, and his eyes glittered like river stones. “I am cleverer, more perceptive.” Sorry to quote the entire line, but this just made me guffaw hysterically. Yes, Lucius, you were following a maniacal and homicidal dark wizard that you knew was a half-blood all along, right?
I'm quite unsure if Lucius was only giving signals with his wand movements or was it a non-verbal spell, though Draco's observations seem to make that unlikely? Of course, it could have been both, for all we know. If Darco starts mooing over Alice (yes I know it's a terrible pun-thingy), I guess we'll have an answer.
Harry's spell casting was marvelous! Turning the attackers naked and their markings glowing for better identification, not to mention mortification, was brilliant. Therris taking a page from the Colin Creevy book of candid camera was glorious. The mind-reading Caroline images were downright scary in a therapeutic way and quite hysterical, though some of the perversions revealed were deeply disturbing! thanks goodness it was all being captured for posterity. And it was wonderful how you described Harry's magic getting a little exercise, "He had his magic, surging and seething around his shoulders as if it were excited to be used for something beyond Transfigurations and glamours."
And then Ron, though this line hit something base with me, "But Harry had long since become resigned to the fact that his life would never deserve the adjective easy, whatever else he might choose to call it." The spell was bad enough, but Harry's inner turmoil was what came to the fore for me. The reason he created Metamorphosis in the first place and the need to choose between his childhood friends and his choice of passion, let alone occupation was so contextually reverential (if that makes sense). It was tragic that he had to slip back into the Brian persona, but not entirely without justification. The sleeping spell was so de minimis in impact and yet Harry had to throw up. I'm not sure exactly why and I hope it's not an imposition to ask if you could explain what exactly was the cause? I can see a lot of either proximate or actual causalities, but there was something about what he did or more precisely, what he had to do, the choices he made at that moment, that the finality of it, the turning of a page in his friendship with Ron, that made him lose his lunch. Gerald coming to the rescue, was equally helpful and concerning. I'm not going to excoriate Hermione, yet, at least until I've heard her explanation, but I'm not feeling for her right now, either.
And then Harry starts falling back into old patterns, "lying to Draco by omission was a necessity." rationalizing this away is precisely the kind of thing that will get him in trouble and only make matters worse in the long run. Trusting Draco has been forgotten and that's not good!
And then you tease us with that almost forgotten mystery, "There had been one disastrous year with failure after failure. There would be no more." I really want to know so much more about that because it seems to be the linchpin of all the neuroses that make up this Harry.
Simply put, I adored this chapter and will read it again in the daylight to make sure I catch more of the nuance! Thanks for sharing with us again!
CotG 36 (aka Tales from the Front)
Lucius was quite correct in finally discerning Draco's original motives, though I'm wondering how much Narcissa had to spoon feed him the Draco wants more freedom thoughts, before they sunk in? “I am not the man you thought I was,” Lucius whispered, and his eyes glittered like river stones. “I am cleverer, more perceptive.” Sorry to quote the entire line, but this just made me guffaw hysterically. Yes, Lucius, you were following a maniacal and homicidal dark wizard that you knew was a half-blood all along, right?
I'm quite unsure if Lucius was only giving signals with his wand movements or was it a non-verbal spell, though Draco's observations seem to make that unlikely? Of course, it could have been both, for all we know. If Darco starts mooing over Alice (yes I know it's a terrible pun-thingy), I guess we'll have an answer.
Harry's spell casting was marvelous! Turning the attackers naked and their markings glowing for better identification, not to mention mortification, was brilliant. Therris taking a page from the Colin Creevy book of candid camera was glorious. The mind-reading Caroline images were downright scary in a therapeutic way and quite hysterical, though some of the perversions revealed were deeply disturbing! thanks goodness it was all being captured for posterity. And it was wonderful how you described Harry's magic getting a little exercise, "He had his magic, surging and seething around his shoulders as if it were excited to be used for something beyond Transfigurations and glamours."
And then Ron, though this line hit something base with me, "But Harry had long since become resigned to the fact that his life would never deserve the adjective easy, whatever else he might choose to call it." The spell was bad enough, but Harry's inner turmoil was what came to the fore for me. The reason he created Metamorphosis in the first place and the need to choose between his childhood friends and his choice of passion, let alone occupation was so contextually reverential (if that makes sense). It was tragic that he had to slip back into the Brian persona, but not entirely without justification. The sleeping spell was so de minimis in impact and yet Harry had to throw up. I'm not sure exactly why and I hope it's not an imposition to ask if you could explain what exactly was the cause? I can see a lot of either proximate or actual causalities, but there was something about what he did or more precisely, what he had to do, the choices he made at that moment, that the finality of it, the turning of a page in his friendship with Ron, that made him lose his lunch. Gerald coming to the rescue, was equally helpful and concerning. I'm not going to excoriate Hermione, yet, at least until I've heard her explanation, but I'm not feeling for her right now, either.
And then Harry starts falling back into old patterns, "lying to Draco by omission was a necessity." rationalizing this away is precisely the kind of thing that will get him in trouble and only make matters worse in the long run. Trusting Draco has been forgotten and that's not good!
And then you tease us with that almost forgotten mystery, "There had been one disastrous year with failure after failure. There would be no more." I really want to know so much more about that because it seems to be the linchpin of all the neuroses that make up this Harry.
Simply put, I adored this chapter and will read it again in the daylight to make sure I catch more of the nuance! Thanks for sharing with us again!