QChronoD posted a comment on Wednesday 26th December 2007 5:13pm

Great chapter. This and Bungle are probably two of the most engaging stories i've come across in a long while. By the time the chapter is over, my heart is racing, i'm perched on the edge of my chair, and I'm trying to read as fast as I can. I love the imagery that I get when reading Harry's thoughts when everything goes pear-shaped on him (as it almost always does)
Can't wait for the next chapter!

JBern replied:

More entertaining disasters are on the way.   Probably in about 2 weeks.~Jim

Allos posted a comment on Wednesday 26th December 2007 4:57pm

I have to say thats pretty damn good, never expected that.

JBern replied:

Given the massive amount of fanfiction out there, that is a very nice compliment saying that I can still reach into my bag of tricks and get a surprise out of it.   Thanks.~Jim

Chris Williams posted a comment on Wednesday 26th December 2007 4:43pm

Hell yeah!! Worth the wait, real glad you kicked it up a notch or fifty. Keep going.

JBern replied:

Now I have to go torment HJ in The Lie I've Lived some, but I'll be back to this story soon.~Jim

delta16669 posted a comment on Wednesday 26th December 2007 4:41pm

Haha that is fucking amazing.

Well worth the wait.

But I am wondering if the magically reloading shotgun will make another appearance. I think it would be delicious irony for some death eaters to be blown apart by shotgun shells. And just plain fun.

JBern replied:

If I can work the Mossberg in, I'll get it there, but I won't shoe horn it.   If it does, most magical folks have runes sewn into their robes for protection from muggle weapons, but just like bulletproof vests, there's a difference in stopping a bullet from a pistol at close range and a twelve gauge if you know what I mean.~Jim

Musings of Apathy posted a comment on Wednesday 26th December 2007 4:32pm

You did an excellent job with this chapter. I am very glad to see the progress with Luna, and the twists and turns with Hermione. Perhaps one day she will learn to be a friend, or at least a decent Human Being.

Thank you for your diligent work.

Mike (MoA)

JBern replied:

Thanks.   That chapter was a beast to get out and I was tortured by an original piece there at the end demanding to be written.   I'll send the first 3k to you  for a looksy and see what you think.~Jim

Greg Johnson posted a comment on Wednesday 26th December 2007 4:32pm

Wow!! Just wow... I never saw that coming. A most excellent chapter! I'm very much looking forward to the next one. Keep up the good work.

JBern replied:

Like I said to a reviewer above, having reviewers admit that they were surprised by the twists is a high compliment.   Thank you very much.~Jim

Scott Sakraida posted a comment on Wednesday 26th December 2007 4:27pm

Brilliant chapter. The conversations between the Demon and Harry plus all the planning and flirtations made this chapter well worth the wait and makes the next chapter that much more to look forward to. Voldemorts reaction to Harry's plan seems to be most violent.

JBern replied:

Yeah, I have a few weeks to consider how to properly handle Voldy's reaction while I slip over to The Lie I've Lived to torment HJ a bit more.   Thanks for the review.~Jim

Fishburne posted a comment on Wednesday 26th December 2007 4:26pm

OH MY STARS AND GARTERS!

Brilliant!

I am sitting here with a numb mind, attempting to praise JB in a witty way.

Excellent job on Tonksie and interesting rapport with Won Won.

I so do love Loony, and Luna even more.

Fluer is as ever, Bold, Sassy and ever so delish.

Bill Rocks. Kwan is amazing and dear god I hope Rosemerta can look Harry in the eye after the Hack attack :)

Love the twists with the lucious malfoy...May Narcissa ever point the true path.

and a big hand for Chilotha making his millenial reappearance, dressed in the latest ambassadorial fashions!


Lookiong forward to the very next chapter,

Fanboy Fish

JBern replied:

Fish channelling The Beast?

Glad you enjoyed the chapter nice to see that I can still spring a new twist and turn on one of my most jaded readers.~Jim

mathiasgranger posted a comment on Wednesday 26th December 2007 4:20pm

Well here's to you Mrs. Malfoy....hehe.

Good chapter, several things brought a smile to my face on principle alone. Hack showing off his...endowment to Rosmerta, getting wasted and wrestling with Hagrid for starters.

Harry acting as Chilotha...oooh what a cool twist. I like it when Harry can immediately put a lesson learned to good use. Getting the pokies from Narcissa...well that is just icing on the cake.

Ron's story is....reasonably believable and yet his explanation still rings hollow to me. Love potions are merely legalized sexual assault...kind of telling when a society shrugs off that potential stigma and treats the offending objects as toys.

Hermione....sadly her character here is more than a tithe canon and I say that with the knowledge that she is one of my favorite characters in the series.

Looking forward to chapter 9 of TLIL and the next of this little beauty.

Have a safe and happy holidays,
Matt

JBern replied:

Thanks.   I need to get over to chapter 9 of Lie and torment HJ some more.   I wonder whether I  should do a one shot of Hack and Hagrid's misadventures?   Maybe some other time.

I'd say more about your comments, but I don't want to tip my hand just yet...

Thanks as always.~Jim

Vongsawat posted a comment on Wednesday 26th December 2007 4:19pm

yey for HPLL! =P
the darklord ploy is hilarious though it certainly will be interesting how that works out later ^^

JBern replied:

Thanks.   Glad you liked it.~Jim

bigzj51 posted a comment on Wednesday 26th December 2007 3:58pm

Well worth the wait as always. /clap

JBern replied:

Thanks for the review.   Glad you enjoyed it.   I believe the wait period will be less for the next installment.~Jim

Jizzle posted a comment on Wednesday 26th December 2007 3:56pm

Dear God, I love this story. And what a chapter this was! Thank you so much for it.

Ron is surprisingly likable. I think your portrayal of an average bloke more incompetent than anything is just about right. He didn't want to do anything against Harry, but he was just a bit too useless to actually be of help. As you put it, Bill really is the only Weasley worth a damn.

The Harry/Luna flirtathon was absolutely worth it! Being a huge fan of the ship, I can't really gauge how good it was objectively. I can say that I enjoyed it immensely. I especially liked that Harry was able to reign in his inner animal and empathize with it being too fast for Luna. That made me feel really good about Harry's character as well as his and Luna's relationship. Rushed romance is not particularly satisfying.

The confrontation between Tonks and Harry was well done. I hadn't thought about it, but her animosity makes sense. Canon!Harry would have been all torn up at someone on the light side directing so much anger and hate at him. But canon!Harry was a bit of a pussy. This Harry is not.

And Harry pretending to be an ancient dark lord pretending to be Harry? Well, that's just brilliant. I wasn't expecting it or anything like it. It was a pleasant surprise and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it develops.

Speaking of surprises sort of brings up the only real criticism I have for this story and maybe your writing in general. It seems like things often just come up as having happened a while ago, and now they're important. The example I'm thinking of right now is the thing with leaving a journal with the statue. It's cool and it makes sense for Harry to have done that, but the way it's suddenly introduced is a little disconcerting. It's not a terribly big deal, but it is a little less satisfying than if these things were at least hinted at earlier. I know that's not always possible, but it just often feels to me like you're pulling this minor retcon in the middle of the chapter to set up a development. It works, but it's odd.

I hope that made sense, and I hope your writing goes well.

JBern replied:

Thanks for the review.   I try to avoid "Jealous Git Ron" where possible.   Everyone does that!  

Luna is a young woman still trying to figure herself out.   There's bound to be some problems down the road for them.

Technically, this Harry is a big pussy (pussycat that is)   :-)

As for your criticsm, at the end of Bungle Harry said that he had made arrangements to help protect him from meddling.   I left it intentionally vague on purpose, so I could spring something like picking up a set of journals for him and Hernando de Soto.   When you think about it Harry would be a fool not to utilize someone with so much experience in the body politc.   It gives me options if I want to explore this avenue, which I wasn't sure at the end of Bungle.

Hope that makes sense.   Thanks again for the long review.~Jim

ladyimmortal posted a comment on Wednesday 26th December 2007 3:50pm

Whoa!!!

That was totally chilling at the end! Harry pretending to be possessed by Chilotha... whatta ploy!!!

I loved Harry/Luna!!!!!!!!!

I'm wondering if Ron was sincere... I sure WANT to believe him... but I also wonder if Dumbles put him up to it (then again - is he REALLY that good an actor...???)

JBern replied:

Harry wants to believe Ron as well.   We'll see...

See an above review reply for Crys' evil idea of just ending the chapter on Harry's proclamtion that he is Chilotha and not giving you readers any hint that it's a bluff.

Oh the flames would have been spectacular.   :-)

Jim

kain posted a comment on Wednesday 26th December 2007 3:43pm

another amazing chapter. I can't wait for the next chapter. I'm already frothing at the mouth ;)

JBern replied:

Gotta go do chapter 9 of Lie first, but I'll be back to this one soon.~Jim

Vesvius posted a comment on Wednesday 26th December 2007 3:35pm

I've gotta say that this was a chapter definitly worth the wait.

The H/L flirtation was very, very good, and I thought it was worht it as well.

Just so you know, there were several parts here that actually had me laughing out loud, not just in my mind. THat, in and of itself, is a good thing.

JBern replied:

Thanks for the compliments.   I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.   Next one in about 2-3 weeks.~Jim

Kaerion posted a comment on Wednesday 26th December 2007 3:16pm

Well, I finally have confirmation of two things I've been fairly sure of for a while...you're absolutely insane, coming up with stuff like Harry pretending to be Chilotha, and you're a certified genius as well, for much the same reasons!! :)

This story just keeps getting better with every chapter, and as far as my personal preferences go, you're keeping a much better balance between the action/maiming/killing and the plotting and personal interactions in this fic, than you did in TFtCD, at least so far. You're doing a very good job with the Harry/Luna relationship as well, keeping it both interesting and realistic, so I hope you keep it up. Watching Harry slowly seduce her should be interesting, and I'm very curious on whether or not (or for how long) she'll keep up her public mask, as well.

All in all, you're still making it impossible to decide which of your current stories I'm enjoying the most, since I seem to change my mind with every new chapter you give us. :)

-Kaerion

JBern replied:

Glad I can keep you readers guessing.   TFTCD was a learning experience for me.   Some things worked, some didn't.   Hopefully, I can apply these lessons and keep this one from losing focus.

You've caught on to my devious plot.   When chapter 9 of Lie is written and put up, I want you folks going, "Now I like this one better!"~Jim

Taegeous posted a comment on Wednesday 26th December 2007 3:08pm

Thats really a brilliant strategy...hope Harry pulls it off. Confused about the Daemon talking in the memory. So the Daemon foresaw that he might lose, so had a conversion with thin air, knowing that Harry would see it in the re-run? That's kinda spooky. Well done.

JBern replied:

Harry's pretty confused about the Daemon.   Glad it somewhat creeped you out as well.~Jim

Wonderbee31 posted a comment on Wednesday 26th December 2007 2:52pm

Wow, I have to say, that while there were some intense moments in this fic, that last part, with Harry and Narcissa, that took my breath away while reading it! Really does make sopme sense that Narcissa's as much a power junky as her sister, and that she may well have gotten hot for Harry, that just rock in a weird and strange way. The Luna moments were great as well, and really worked nice, though I felt almost sorry for Tonks, but then figured that she's so caught up in the cult of Dumbledore, that she wouldn't be much help anyway, unless it was to be the fun loving goof who gets pitifully killed off anyway. Well done chapter here, and can't wait for the next part.

JBern replied:

Glad I could get your blood pumping in this one.   Thanks for the compliments.   The wait for the next chapter will only be 2-3 weeks.   Hope it impresses you just as much.~Jim

bauer posted a comment on Saturday 22nd December 2007 12:45am

Congratulations on your improved state of health. Although it matters little, I love your use of humor throughout your works. Great quips and comebacks make reading a good story even better. Thanks for your hard work.

JBern replied:

Thanks for the compliments.   I have a massive chapter 4 just waiting for final edits before posting.~Jim

delta16669 posted a comment on Thursday 29th November 2007 12:57pm

WHOOT! That was awesome. It does strike me as amusing that Ron flipped shit over Harry and Hermione together and now he's dating Lavender.

Cant wait for the next chapter

JBern replied:

Well once Ron started dating Hermione, they had issues.   It'll be explained along the way.   I'm starting in on chapter 4 this weekend.~Jim