(#) BenRG 2008-10-25
So we reach the end and what a wonderful journey this has been! I have been intregued and enthralled by this story from the beginning. You have had the courage to break clichés and go to new places with your characterisations and your events. Yet your characters are never so different as to become OOC. I can see Harry and his peers ending up in the circumstances shown in this last chapter.
I found the fate of Ginny and Tonks' reaction to Remus' death both poigniant and well-written without being needlessly sentimental. In a realistic world, not everyone has 'happy ever after'. We must never forget that our actions affect everyone else around us and sometimes an end to our suffering is not the end to that of our fellow victims.
I particularly felt sorry for Ginny in that she was, and always would be, a pawn to her controlling mother. In the end, she had failed to escape due to her own greed and lack of ethics. However, it is still a sad fate.
There are those who will be angry at Harry and Neville desecrating Dumbledore's grave. However, when you think of the total, unadulterated hell that he turned their lives into, all in the name of 'the greater good', then their hatred of him is all-too comprehensible.
A final mention must be given to your use of Hermione in this story. She is actually realistically written as a teenage girl. She succumbs to pressures that I'm sure many teens will understand. She does not find a 'schoolyard sweetheart' to marry her straight out of school. However, in the end, I believe that she is on the track to finding happiness in her own life. How typical of Harry to be still looking out for her after so long.
No 'happily ever after' but I let myself think that the majority of characters in this story will, at least, be happy.
Ultimately a realistic, gripping and original tale with plenty to recommend it to the reader. You find yourself caring what happens next and that is a rare gift indeed. Well done for this fine work and thank you for sharing it with us.
BenRG's Rating: 9/10
Author's response
- I saw the Ginny ending as a sort of full circle. The realization that in her heart of hearts she really did love Harry to be somewhat poetic...
- As far as Tonk's reaction to Remus' death, I can't really claim credit for that. The week before I wrote that scene my wife found out that a boy she had dated a few months in school had died. She hadn't seen him for more than thirty years, but he news brought her to tears. I just extrapolated that to Tonksie...
- The most important feature of Neville and Harry whizzing on Dumble's grave is that it made me smile just thinking about it... Selfish I know...
- I tried to keep everyone... normalish. I based Hermione's relationship with Ron on that of a pair of friends, and her reaction to his ending their relationship... I like to think that Hermione grew up to pursue her ambitions to save the world from its self...
- Thanks for the review... I've never gotten a 9 from you... Big leagues!