Magus posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 9:59am for Bartering the Truth

Great fic, but this little sentence made my freakin day.

"That’s right; I need you to make some contacts as well. At some point, if Voldemort returns and another war breaks out, I may need you to come back from Gaul like Julius fucking Caesar himself with every hired wand you can buy."


Ever since Bungle in the Jungle, your loyal Fan.

JBern replied:

Glad I could bring a smile to your face.~Jim

dc1 posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 9:58am for Bartering the Truth

this is a very enjoyable chapter to read. the fight scene was nice, especially Winky's death by her own master. about time hj reached the end of his tether with the twins. the deal you came up with was believable and you managed to pull it off in character. it was fun reading the chaser bitches learn that actions have consequences.

keep up the good work mate
dc1

JBern replied:

I'm guessing the twins are going to get it at some point.   We'll see how it works into the story.~Jim

Banner posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 9:56am for Bartering the Truth

That was great. I loved the combat with Crouch, the Really Nasty bargain with Skeeter, and the interactions with Sirius. The entire chapter was perfect. I appreciate the way Harry is *sensibly* forgiving some people and not others. Betrayed!Harry tends to be entirely too extreme for my tastes - either he condemns everyone, or he forgives everything indescriminately. This guy Makes Sense. Thank you.

JBern replied:

My goal is to make a fantasy world as believable as possible.   Should I succeed, it means that I can do it with my own original ideas and hopefully sell lots of books.~Jim

Jeff3 posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 9:17am for Bartering the Truth

Uh Ohh seems like shits about to hit the fan. HJ sounds like a commander at the end there.... Overall its a good chapter.... keep it up man.... Until next time.

JBern replied:

Well someone had to call the shots in the Marauders.   Remus doesn't fit the type, nor did Peter, so it came down to James  and Sirius.   James always seemed to be the leader of the Marauders to me, so it fits.   Sirius was always quarrelling against his dark heritage.

Next chapter in 2-3 weeks.~Jim

Cxjenious posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 8:54am for Bartering the Truth

This is my favorite chapter so far. Good Shit!

JBern replied:

Thank you.   Next chapter in 2 weeks.~Jim

Shawn Pickett posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 8:53am for Bartering the Truth

What an interesting chapter, funny how now that Harry's a certifiable hero again over the Moody/Crouch incident every body is falling all over themselves to kiss his arse. I was glad to see him lay into Johnson a bit, she certainly had it coming. I'm curious how Ron and the Twins will pan out, though I suspect that HJ will never be as friendly with them as he was in the books. Great story thank you.

JBern replied:

Everyone loves a winner don't they?   Look no further than last night's New Hampshire primary.   All week long everyone was saying that Hillary Clinton was washed up and that Obama was going to steam roll her.   Suddenly she pulls off a victory and she's a "comeback kid".   (No, I'm not a supporter either, but it just goes to show you how much people  tend to be  sheep.)

gadriam posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 8:18am for Bartering the Truth

A good stopping point? Dear Jim, there's no such thing. The perfect chapter never ends.

Ok. That might be a bit tedious, but damn, you write good fights. The scene with Katie gives me a bit of hope, really. HJ is an egotistical bastard, but he has style, and a certain concern for other people that's balanced rather well between PratJames and WhimpHarry.
{insert standard update plea here}

g

JBern replied:

(insert standard - it'll be at least 2 maybe 3 weeks before the next update response here)

Thanks for all the reviews.   Glad you can appreciate the blending of characters.~Jim

Crys posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 8:06am for Bartering the Truth

Wondered how Harry would trip Crouch Jr up. Well done.

> I send the mental image off a shrunken Hat with Dobby using it as a condom.
*laugh* There's the snarky sense of humor!

> or maybe a prick — there’s always been a rumor or two about Albus Dumbledore.
*snort* Wondered when I'd get to the first mention of JKR's little bombshell. Congrats, you're the first one I've stumbled upon.

Lots of plot building stuff going on. Fun stuff. Looking forward to the next chapter.

JBern replied:

Glad you liked it.   It wasn't as light hearted as the previous chapters, but that was unavoidable.   Couldn't resist the jab at book 7 any more than   I can resist jabs at book 6.   They're just that mockable.   Next chapter in 2-3 weeks.~Jim

mjc posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 8:01am for Bartering the Truth

Interesting...

Where to begin?

Hermy-fun-bags (oops wrong story)= Lily/RJ(female)? Umm..yeah, I guess that would crush any kind of romantic leanings.

The Hat as a rubber? Probably thought it was a good idea, if it wasn't being used by a demented elf...now if HJ wanted to be really mean, he could always threaten the Hat with a trip through Aunt Petunia's washing machine, with Dudley being the unclothed one nearby.

The whole Crouch/Moody thing...nicely played. Also a nice redirection there. The Map didn't lie, both Crouch and Moody were in the room, but neither one was the person HJ thought they were.

A couple of technical matters...

In the first half of the chapter there is a their/they're error.

And shouldn't the Galleon in "The blood seeps out of the Galleon sized hole..." be a capital G?

JBern replied:

Somebody pointed out that it didn't have to necessarily be a hetro dobby relationship which would leave the hat in a rather undesireable place.   Barty figured Harry Potter would check the map, so he brought the real Moody into his class and had him play Barty Senior.

Yeah couple errors.   Thanks for mentioning them.   I'll add them to my list.~Jim

Wolfric posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 7:13am for Bartering the Truth

That was a well staged fight with Moody and Crouch jr. You continue to hold my interest and enjoyment. Thanks for writing. W.

JBern replied:

I pride myself on delivering "real" feeling fight scenes.   Thank you for the compliment.~Jim

GinnyLover posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 7:08am for Bartering the Truth

Love the story so far! Cant wait to see all the tasks and the other competitions you will run. Very few authors have anything other than canon tasks and none of them have other competitions going on(which only makes sense to have going on)

Please update faster! :)

JBern replied:

Sorry, we'll only post chapters when they're ready.   I'd rather be known for quality than quantity these days, but the next installment should be done in 2-3 weeks.~Jim

Voldemort is Dead posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 7:08am for Bartering the Truth

Great chapter! I really like this HJP! Keep up with the good work!

JBern replied:

Thank you.   I'll do my best.~Jim

jgkitarel posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 7:05am for Bartering the Truth

Well, you definitely have a way with words. The sarcasm of this Harry is nice as well

JBern replied:

I have to credit IP82 with rewording the Hat's insult about Dumbledore and his dubious transfiguration skills.~Jim

Jon Cottrell posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 6:56am for Bartering the Truth

i look forward to the next chapter (of anything by you) with bated breath

JBern replied:

Turn Me Loose 5 in 1-2 weeks.   Lie 10 in 2-3 weeks.~Jim

Muad'Dib posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 6:51am for Bartering the Truth

Once again you keep us wanting for more. I'm not going to cry like a 12-year old who has too much spare time and thinks grown ups are the same but I'm sure you catch my drift (though sometimes I find myself hard to understand).

The plot thickens. Egging on Hermyo-nin-eee is always good for a laugh or two and 'anal seepage' goes in my booklet for drunken nights down at the pub. Too bad you didn't get round to bringing in some more Fleur and her haughty squabbles or the actual start of the tournament, but we can probably expect it next time.

Now that you have mentioned it, Pettigrew does indeed seem a tad Abba-esque. No idea why, just one of those things that are better left unsaid.

With Crouch Jr and Winky out of the way, you are making things increasingly difficult for yourself. At least HJ now has some ammunition against Hermione when she starts S.P.E.W-ing again. Can you make Elven welfare a topic during th Triwizard debates, pretty please? I do wonder if your sticking with canon on the portkey in the maze thing or if ol' Tommy-boy will show his ugly mug in some other insidious way.

The Sorting Hat with Myrtle idea deserves more in debt pondering. I reckon it's definitely into that kind of stuff, so maybe a good prank when it runs its mouth against HJ?

Cheers!

JBern replied:

Of course I like Abba too, but yeah, Peter does seem like an Abba fan doesn't he?   There was actually a long debate on Alpha Fight Club before we settled on anal seepage.   I'd have loved to put Fleur in this chapter, but that would have added several thousand words to an already long chapter and would have delayed things until the weekend.   She'll be all over next chapter.

I'm sure Hermione will debate creature rights at some point.   No portkey in the maze.   I'll have something better lined up.   I promise it'll be violent too!

Next installment of this one in 2-3 weeks.~Jim

b sands posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 6:48am for Bartering the Truth

Sir, you are a credit to fanfic writers around. This is such a great tangent to the canon stories, I find myself waiting for your installments than waiting for mail on deployment. thanks for your contribution and keep the flow going!

JBern replied:

Thank you for the compliments.   I hope whereever you are deployed you are safe and well (8 and 1/2 years in the US Navy for myself).   I will do my utmost to keep impressing you readers.

Regards,

Jim

Jearom posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 6:45am for Bartering the Truth

I smell win. This just gets better and better. Keep it coming JBern!

JBern replied:

I smell other things, but that's the price of having a big lunch.   :-)

Thanks for the review.~Jim

Louise Postlethwaite posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 6:34am for Bartering the Truth

Love this chap, it was a great deal of fun to read.

JBern replied:

Thank you very much.   Hopefully, I will continue to impress you.~Jim

drewz05 posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 6:24am for Bartering the Truth

Awesome story. I wish you'd concentrate solely on this one because I think it has the potential to be your best yet. Keep up the great work!

JBern replied:

Nah, can't leave the Turn Me Loose folks in a bind, but I am holding off putting up new stories to prevent me from getting distracted from these two stories.~Jim

MonkeyAxman1302 posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2008 6:07am for Bartering the Truth

Awsome chapter! I can't believe that this fic is so good. You have two fics that are just awesome.

I loved the line about Dumbles couldn't love his own voice more if he transfigured it into a pussy or maybe a prick. The way that all worked just had me such stitches.

The fight with Moody was superb and killing of Winky was cool. She can get annoying with so many fics having her marrying Dobby and coming to work for rich Harry.

Liked Harry's story for dumbledore. The reunion with Sirius at the end of brilliant to. Absolutely wicked.

Thanks for writing, can't wait for more!

Monkey

JBern replied:

Wow between you and rune1806, Winky isn't getting any love here.   Credit goes to IP82 for the Dumbledore/transfiguration line.   My original was too wordy.   He cut it down and put it into final obnoxious form.

Glad you enjoyed the chapter so much.   TML 5 in 1-2 weeks Lie 10 in 2-3 weeks.~Jim