By JBern
Reviews
Patches posted a comment on Monday 29th October 2007 9:54am
This is quite a busy chapter. Harry has announced his return to Hogwarts. He has confronted Hermione and Dumbledore to discover that Dumbledore has tied his hands again. What a mess. Now Voldemort knows that Dumbledore and Harry know where one of his horcuxes are. And the race is on. I look forward to the next chapter. pms
JBern replied:
As you can see, it's catch up on replies weekend here now that Darkness is just about wrapped. Next chapter of this one is coming soon, but I need to put out a chapter of Lie first.~Jim
Patches posted a comment on Monday 29th October 2007 9:21am
This is very good. Of course Harry Potter can't return to the home of his birth without a little fanfare! Just a major battle at Heathrow and 2 dozen Obliviators plus a personal talk with the Minister of Magic! All in a days work for our Hero. Getting to Hogwarts in time to save a friend is a good way to reenter the magical world of Hogwarts. Looks like Harry is back to school. We will see how it goes. Thanks for writing. pms
JBern replied:
And yes, I"m still catching up. Glad you liked the mayhem upon arrival in England. Hopefully, this is not a letdown from the previous story.~Jim
Matthew Blair posted a comment on Monday 29th October 2007 8:55am
damn I need to stop reading this for a while so when I do I will get a few chappters at once is much better then this, it is killin me. Great chapter just wish it was longer.
But then again i am greedy
JBern replied:
Greed is good. I'd write faster, but I do have a life outside of this. It's not much, but it's something. Next chapter coming after I write a chapter of Lie first.~Jim
MonkeyAxman1302 posted a comment on Monday 29th October 2007 6:32am
Great chapter. The action stuff didn't change all that much but the little changes made it flow easier.
The rest of the chapter was superb. Most of the stuff with Luna was also really great, especially all the broom stuff.
The stuff with Snape was also ver, very good.
As every thanks for writing.
Monkey
JBern replied:
Glad you liked it. I'm finally finished with Darkness except for last edits and posting the final. That means more time for other projects! Yay!~Jim
Terry Swain posted a comment on Monday 29th October 2007 5:24am
Great chapter. :)
JBern replied:
Thanks.~Jim
ben morris posted a comment on Monday 29th October 2007 4:34am
hee hee butt nugget, I like that.
Excellent chapter. Thanks, can not wait for the next installment
JBern replied:
Thanks. It was a childish insult, but trying to rile up my fans is even more childish. Next chapter coming soon, but I need to write a new chapter of Lie first.~Jim
Jim_xinu posted a comment on Monday 29th October 2007 3:56am
While a great fight, it seems really weird that LV (or just the Horcrux) would have that much power and just hang around the castle spying. It could have killed Harry when he was in detention any number of times.
McG dying is a bit of a surprise. Not pulling any punches, I see.
"The fur ends and scales begin towards the feet." Holy <expletive>! A jagu-lisk? :-)
"...adjusted to a life of conjuring and vanishing paper-based products." Heh. Nice to see a better reason for improved skill than 'read a lot of books and practiced reeeallly hard'.
Good scene with Hermione. All-in-all, I think he was very nice to her there.
The scene with Luna was good, but it was a pity they didn't get some time to talk. I like action, but I'm a sucker for good mushy stuff, too.
Very good chapter, thanks for sharing it with us.
JBern replied:
Would you want me to pull punches? I didn't think so. Still, I wanted to make the Horcruxes worthy opponents instead of just something to pickup along the way to the next deus ex machina that the actual books used. The Horcrux's power was limited in scope, and it needed a willing ally in Filch to carry it off.
I won't shoe horn Luna in and make it too forced. Both she and Harry are emotionally stunted, though Harry seems to be working his way out of it nicely. I fear there are rough patches ahead, but not nearly close to what I have in store for Harry and Fleur in The Lie I've Lived. I've been waiting to write the next chapter of that one for a while now. With Darkness all but done, I can finally get back into that one!~Jim
dogbertcarroll posted a comment on Monday 29th October 2007 3:12am
You don’t have to wonder how the Daemon blood affected you anymore.
More like a chimera by the day! Excellent setup. Since he was in animagus form when exposed he is primarily affected by the blood in that form with a little carryover and some traits from things he's run into.
"Harry! You can’t let your troll wear Mrs. Norris as a pelt! It’s disgusting!"
LOL! I love that troll!
I like his interaction with Hermione. Tho' making her earn the title 'Head Girl' would have been more entertaining if not nearly as realistic. Of course he doesn't have to take her literal virginity, she has other holes.
I like the end scene. A lot of what he's there to learn he'll probably already know. I expect he'll need to find out what they are teaching in advance to see if he already knows it in the future.
JBern replied:
I think you'll like the direction I'm headed. I have to write a chapter of Lie first, but I'll be back to this one shortly.~Jim
Meteoricshipyards posted a comment on Monday 29th October 2007 3:08am
Poor Prof McGonagall. Still and exciting chapter. The parts with Luna were great. "randomly expel white fluid from all parts of his body" and the scene with the brooms :-) very good.
Thanks for the update!
Tom A.
JBern replied:
Glad you like the humor. I'm going to do my best to prevent this one from becoming as dark as TFtCD and Luna being "Looney" should help immensely.~Jim
Zvoni posted a comment on Monday 29th October 2007 2:56am
Errmmm... Head Girl as a sixth year?
Did i miss something?
JBern replied:
It was part of her "deal" for going along with Dumbledore's plan. Of course now you know why Dumbldore was so willing to offer it to her.~Jim
Wolf550e posted a comment on Monday 29th October 2007 2:47am
spelling and grammar notes:
Minerva’s knows where the real fight
No, you’re first instinct is right.
the fumes in the in the Infirmary have dispersed
You’re foreclaws rip at
fanged jowls lock onto
It was a paper thin at best
Snap pounces,
your hand?
beyond there reach
Room of Requirements.
review: good action. I wonder whether you're setting Hermione up for character growth or satisfactorily gruesome death.
JBern replied:
Thanks for the grammar patrol. I still need to improve. I'll add them to "the list". Good question about Hermione. Answers will come in ensuing chapters.~Jim
uthamm posted a comment on Monday 29th October 2007 2:15am
Look, just one thing - can you put up a spew warning before dropping a classic scene like HACK WEARING MRS. NORRIS AS A PELT!!! I wondered why Hack seemed to be contemplating something. Awesome. Just . . Awesome. 'Hack wondered why it was all sticky' (cut scene to Herms barfing). Then to top it off you have to casually drop a line like 'think of me every time you put it between your legs'. I love one liners, I collect one liners, but YOU are the Master.
I seriously love this story.
I really don't have anything to offer other than my thanks for sharing your talent. . wait, how's this? Get BN's address and we'll bag him for you. Don't let the haters get you down.
JBern replied:
If I warned you that a spew worthy scene was coming, it wouldn't be anywhere near as funny. Next chapter coming after I finally write the HJ gets to interact with Fleur in The Lie I've Lived.~Jim
Ravenclawchaser68 posted a comment on Monday 29th October 2007 12:57am
Wow. Another fantastic chapter. I had to stop reading for a couple minutes because otherwise I was going to burst out laughing in the middle of the law library. The bit with Hack wearing Mrs. Norris was the best.
I like how you dealt with Harry's interactions with Hermione and Luna. She's got a point that she's not the only one Dumbledore ever tricked, but Harry still didn't get convinced to directly harm one of his best friends. So I'm glad she's on the path to redemption, but I don't see any reason to hurry. Luna of course was wonderful too, especially when others were present.
So- top notch story. This is really one of the best, especially when you consider how consistently interesting it is. Almost every scene is either full of action or hilarious or both, and the few that aren't like the conversation with Hermione are still interesting and not so long that they really seem to drag. It was more like just a pause to catch my breath. Thanks for writing!
Jay
JBern replied:
Yeah, don't get in trouble for laughing in the law library. Hopefully, I will continue to deliver a quality level of story for the duration of this on and keep you on your toes.
Remember Fur is murder! So, bad Hack! No wearing Mrs. Norris! Then again it does make a fashion statement...
Next chapter after I write chapter 8 of Lie. See you then.~Jim
Eric4 posted a comment on Sunday 28th October 2007 6:01pm
He's Back!
Sequel to Bungle in the Jungle!!
YAY!!!
JBern replied:
Thanks. Next chapter coming after I write chapter 8 of Lie~Jim
Puck posted a comment on Sunday 28th October 2007 4:49pm
Good work. And thats a nice twist... He was a Jag when he drank the blood so its as a Jag that it effects him most. I am guessing that in your universe Phoenix song effects Dark and not just evil beings... Or is it the Demon blood that is making Harry cringe..
JBern replied:
Glad you liked it. Sorry for the delay in replying. I've been extremely busy. Phoenix songs affect those not pure of heart. What does that tell you about Harry?~Jim
AK posted a comment on Sunday 28th October 2007 3:57pm
This is a nice chapter, I can see why it would be delicate, the previous one left us hanging with some questions. The one point that I found annoying (last chapter) is that Harry, Bill and Kwan wouldn't have found problems with the wording of the oath "Within his power" they all know how strong Harry is, shouldn't they have negotiated more to change that wording?
But in this chapter we get Harry confirming that he needs Dumbledore, which cn explain why he would have accepted said oath.
All in all a good read and nice follow up in the spirit of what I've read to this point. Any idea when the next chapter of "the lie I lived" comes?
JBern replied:
Now that Darkness is all but finished, next up is chapter 8 of Lie. I'll be starting it after I catch up on all these backlogged reviews.~Jim
morriganscrow posted a comment on Sunday 28th October 2007 3:03pm
Brilliant chapter - as always!
Don't bother your head over the butt nugget. We, your fans, ignore such things, and know where to go to find out how you are really doing.
This was a very nicely paced chappie, with much information provided to chew on.
Poor Minerva - yet her death,and the pallid response from Dumbledore, did so much to highlight his character.
Harry and Hermione was perfect, as was Hack and the Norris skin.
The fight scene was wonderfully choreographed and quite nail biting.
Stay well, and keep up the excellent job!
JBern replied:
As you can see, it's still catch up on the review backlog night here at my house. I'll be writing chapter 8 of Lie next, but now with Darkness all but done I'm free (or at least more free) to devote time to this story. Thanks for the review.~Jim
deb posted a comment on Sunday 28th October 2007 2:10pm
An absolutely brilliant chapter. So much going on... so much interaction that was just great! There were so many great parts that I am on my third reading and I still find more to love. A chapter well worth the wait. I can't help feeling that JKR should have consulted you and your support group and then maybe the last three books wouldn't have left such a bad taste in my mouth after devouring. It would also have saved me from re-plastering my wall from where I threw the book(s) in disgust.
JBern replied:
Why thank you. With my other story just about to wrap, I'm finally able to catch up on my backlog of reviews. Thank you for the compliment. After I post the Darkness finale, I'll be writing chapter 8 of Lie before I come back to TML, but I have some interesting things up my sleeve. You'll want to stick around for them.~Jim
Fishburne posted a comment on Sunday 28th October 2007 1:40pm
Imagine my amazement, when I turn to my computer and see a VERY interesting post about the lamentations of JBern and his amazing illness!
Woah, I think, so I turn to my handy dandy FFA.net page and BAM! there goes JBern posting and showing what a buffoon this other person may be.
Unless of course, you may be feeling a tad ill? Any coughs or erupting boils?
So, on to my review of your chapter.
If I may, please dear God in Heaven, please please have Harry embarrass Snape in such a fantastic manner to have the bastard screaming bloody murder!!!!!
Excellent chapter, and the phrase "Hack wondered why it felt all sticky." which was preceded by "Blofniar’s syndrome." Amazing sense of comedic timing.
Had me giggling and then gagging. Nicely done my good author. Thank you for another fantastic chapter, and dude, when the chapters are baked, they are baked. Bring em on when you think they are done!
Fish
JBern replied:
I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much. I'm finally catching up on my replies. Next up after I post the Darkness finale is Lie 8 followed by TML 4. Thanks again for the compliments on my comedic timing. It was a tough chapter to write with a dark tone and I had to work pretty hard to change the tone towards the end
Either way, I'm proud of the finished product although one of the reviewers above was kind enough to point out the slew of gramatical errors.~Jim
Chuck posted a comment on Monday 29th October 2007 10:49am
JBern replied: