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• Harry's Heritage

  (#) Fuzzball 2006-08-25

  You have Andromeda and Hermione as Proxy for Malfoy.

  Author's response

  smile I know. Thanks. That mess-up was brought to my attention when I posted this over on fanfiction.net, but I'm planning to do a massive re-write and expansion, so I haven't bothered to correct it in any of its postings.
  
  Thanks for the review!

• Harry's Heritage

  (#) Ithilwen 2006-08-26

  It's a little tough to believe that Fudge would even suggest bringing Harry to trial for killing Voldemort, let alone think that he'd win. Harry just won a major PR victory. Even if he did violate the law, the wizarding community would call for his release. Even a yutz like Fudge would realize that he'd gain more ground by graciously pardoning the heroic young boy than by prosecuting him.
  
  Trial by Peers sounds interesting, sort of like a person in a US criminal court requesting trial by combat and finding a loophole by which it could be done.
  
  You repeat yourself a little. For example, you say "invoked" twice in quick succession.
  
  Harry Potter has never known family, and now all these relatives are showing up, so many that the tree fills the room. How does he feel about that?
  
  Why does Harry act with such confidence? Why isn't he as suprised as anyone else to find that he has no peers at all?

  Author's response

  This is one of the best reviews I've had for any of my stories! Thanks a LOT!
  
  > It's a little tough to believe that Fudge
  > would even suggest bringing Harry to trial
  > for killing Voldemort, let alone think that
  > he'd win. Harry just won a major PR victory.
  > Even if he did violate the law, the wizarding
  > community would call for his release. Even a
  > yutz like Fudge would realize that he'd gain
  > more ground by graciously pardoning the heroic
  > young boy than by prosecuting him.
  
  In a more sensible world, I would agree with you. However, I think a couple of factors come into play here. One is the extreme stupidity, and the paranoia, displayed by Fudge. Another is that Harry has long been seen as a supporter of equal rights for everyone, as witness the way he treats Draco for calling Hermione a mudblood. The purebloods are an aristocracy in JKR's world - no matter how democratic it may seem on the outside. We certainly seem to try to develop an aristocracy whenever we can - look to the behavior of Congress, with their special priviledges that have been set into law. Note that I mentioned that the audience for Harry's trial was carefully selected - it was all purebloods, those most threatened by Harry's stance on equality. And judging by the Weasleys' state, I have to strongly suspect that the pureblood families over all come down on the side of retaining their special rights. Even Dumbledore, when you look at it in canon, doesn't seem to be that strongly in favor of equal rights for other magical beings - he wants them treated better, but that seems to be as far as he goes. Most of the purebloods seemed to agree with Voldemort's general ideas of pureblood supremecy, they just differed in how far they would go in support of that idea, and how extreme they were about what status mixed-blood and muggles should have after the fight was over.
  
  > Trial by Peers sounds interesting, sort of
  > like a person in a US criminal court
  > requesting trial by combat and finding a
  > loophole by which it could be done.
  
  Actually, it was the US theory of trial by a jury of ones peers that came to mind, though this theory does evolve from a principle in English Common Law that developed from the Magna Carta, I think. Note, however, that under English law, "trial by peers" would mean that a commoner would not be sitting on the jury panel of a Knight or Baron. "Jury of Peers" only means everybody here in the US, where the theoretical principle is that everyone is equal.
  
  The purebloods sitting in the audience, eating popcorn, is the equivalent of whistling in the dark. They want Harry gone, because they're afraid of him. I don't really set a point in this story where it splits from the canon storyline, but I believe that at the very least, the purebloods would be aware that Dumbledore was on his way out, simply from age, and that Harry's stock with the common people was on the rise. Much of Dumbledore's power, in fact, comes from his presence at Hogwarts as a teacher, and then as Headmaster, for so many years. If they can get rid of both Harry and Dumbledore, then they would stand a fairly good chance of guiding the Wizarding World into a path to make it much closer to what they had at one time.
  
  > You repeat yourself a little. For example,
  > you say "invoked" twice in quick succession.
  
  I need to go back and look at that, but you're probably right on this one. I do that occasionally.
  
  > Harry Potter has never known family, and now
  > all these relatives are showing up, so many
  > that the tree fills the room. How does he feel
  > about that?
  
  > Why does Harry act with such confidence? Why
  > isn't he as suprised as anyone else to find
  > that he has no peers at all?
  
  In a lot of ways, this piece was not a full-fledged story - it was really more of just a scene in a longer story. However, at the time, I had no idea where that story would go, and how it would relate to this scene. I've had several suggestions since, that have given me some ideas to turn over in my head.
  
  Why did Harry act with such confidence? That's something that I'll have to explore in the larger story, but obviously, he knew what the outcome of the test would be. He had obviously done some research on this subject beforehand, perhaps looking to see if there was anything in hereditary blood magic (the old magics that gave him his mother's protection) that might help in his battle against Voldemort. How did he feel about having all these relatives? That's something else to be explored in the expanded version, but I suspect that by far, the majority were of such distant relationship, that it really didn't affect him much at all. Those few that are particularly close (it's established in canon I think that the Blacks are just a couple of generations back), Harry has already had a relationship develop, and so he's had time to come to terms with it.
  
  I'm currently in the middle of a sequel to Kinsfire's "Family Matters", and once I get that done, I may sit down and plot the expanded version of this story. If I do, it's likely going to be published here primarily, since ff.net's position on "mature" rated stories can be hard to get a handle on. I intend it to be a bit of porn, but with a lot of plot - said plot being Harry turning into the pureblood's worst nightmare: someone with Harry's agenda, but with the legitimacy in their eyes to carry it out (but as always in these kinds of society - might makes right, so he's going to have to shove it down their throats mighty hard!). I'm thinking I'm going to end up with Harry marrying a whole batch of girls - the Patil twins giving him rights over the Indian subcontinent, Cho Chang and Su Li being offered as a way to bond him with the Asian region, Luna giving him a bond with the Nordic countries, Fleur or Gabby (I lean towards Fleur) binding the European countries, Ginny giving him the Light-side pureblood families, Tonks giving him the Dark-side pureblood families, Hermione perhaps having emigrated to the US and taken US citizenship to bind him to the North American continent... Still working on bonds for Africa, the Mediterranian, and the South American communities.
  
  Ambitious, I know, especially because I want the story to be both serious, and not-serious porn fluff. Which is one of the reasons I am thinking it's not likely to be my next story.
  
  You know, I think this reply is almost as long as the story! Thanks a lot for such a WONDERFUL review! I hope you'll have me on alert, so that once I get the formatting issues sorted, you'll be able to comment on my other stories, and eventually get to see this one fleshed out!

• Harry's Heritage

  (#) apr 2006-09-02

  An interesting and humorous story. It has potential but needs better formatting and improved/expanded writing as it currently reads like a long summary.

  Author's response

  Thanks. The formatting is a screw-up by FicWad - I've got a gripe about it in to the admins. I submitted HTML, I got garbage out. You can verify this at http://www.beau.org/~tara-li/Harrys_Heritage.html
  
  FicWad in general doesn't seem to like me, as this sentence should have a blank line between it and the URL. Betcha it doesn't.
  
  As for the telegraphic nature of the story - I will admit that is perhaps a failing from some points of view. It's almost more of a scene from a larger story, than a full story in and of itself. I do have plans to expand the story, and this will turn into but a scene in that story - one of the opening scenes, but just a scene.

• Harry's Heritage

  (#) yournombrehere 2006-09-03

  Interesting concept, but there's no real explanation as to how Harry was the proper head to all those families. I highly doubt that probability.

  Author's response

  No, there really wasn't that much explanation made. There was some - mention of the stolen heirships, but nothing too detailed.
  
  But of course, the probability is against it. Way, way against it. Then again, care to do the calculations that quantum mechanics would require to give the probability that someone could wave a stick with a feather from a mythical animal and have a feather float in the air? Harry's always been an odd-events attractor.
  
  When I get around to expanding this, I'll probably expand on the explanation somewhat, but not too much. It's magic - and it's Harry - the rules are kinda weak to be binding The Boy Who Lived. Note, too, that Harry glowed as he left the room - and that I left that unexplained. It was fun!

• Harry's Heritage

  (#) banner 2006-09-14

  Oh, that was fun!

  Author's response

  Glad you liked it! It was meant to be pure fun! I hope you enjoy my other stories, as well!

• Harry's Heritage

  (#) slashslut 2006-10-18

  very clever!

  Author's response

  Thanks! I hope you enjoy my other stories here!

• Harry's Heritage

  (#) koppe 2007-02-15

  Snort Great piece, although I would love it be expanded upon by you or others...
  It could (and should) be expanded in both ends, both to include the events prior to the final battle with Voldemort, the battle with Voldemort and Harry's subsequent arrest - and perhaps his friends (esp. Hermione?) scrambeling to mount a defence (like invoking the Heritance-right).
  Also perhaps Harry (with the help of Hermione - and maybe Ron and Ginny) researching his heritance and finding out more and more - and what specifically it would mean (like being head of family Fudge (eg. levrage), Azkaban (ie. Dementors), Wesley (eg. consequences for his relationship with Ginny) and Malfoy, and decendant of the Founders and Merlin), and what rights and privliges it would give him. As well as Harry's reasons for wanting to hide these facts, despite the Wizarding-world needing to be cleaned-up.
  I would also love something about what happens next... Harry is #1 in the Wiz,-world, and the head of most families - including his friend's, girlfriend's, enemy's... he possibly owns Azkaban and Hogwarts (and may be de'facto prinipal/head-of-board) - yet a student(?).
  The fact that some of his rightful inheritance had been usurped by others, should also have consequences for some familes.
  Finally, it would be very fun to see Lucius and Draco having to bow to him...
  Great story, hope you decide to run with this bunny (or let others do); the only thing I didn't like (apart from it being so short) was the "Ming Merciful" joke... I didn't get it (at first), and almost discarded the whole story as a xover-with-an-universe-I-don't-care-for and thus uninteresting.
  Keep up the good work,
  -Koppe

  Author's response

  You're right that it can use expanding in both directions. I do plan to run with this bunny at some point, but not sure just when - I've got so damn MANY bunnies nibbling at my ankles already! I occasionally want to shoot the people who pop up bright and cheery about "I have this great idea, now all you have to do it write it!" I've got plenty of ideas of my own! However, votes for the extension of this one do push it up higher in the queue. The story is a bit of a farce, really - I had run up, at the time, on a batch of stories that had Harry as heir to this or that family, and it always seemed to be escalating. I figured I would just jump ahead and take the thing as far as it would go, and make Harry heir to ALL of the families! Still, there's plenty of room to run this one out, and your suggestions will come in handy when I do write it up! Thanks much!

• Harry's Heritage

  (#) Cateagle 2007-06-15

  snicker guffaw ROTFLMAO Oh,that was good!! Fudge ended up provoking the kind of change in the Wizarding World that he'd fought so hard to prevent. I wonder that he never considered the possible ramifications of his actions. Though he likely was overly confident that -nothing- could touch him. Beautiful short story, I loved it.

  Author's response

  Yeah, karma can be a bitch sometimes!

• Harry's Heritage

  (#) ficbob 2008-06-28

  What no punishment for Dolores?
  No Fudge going insane and needing to be committed?
  Good story, maybe a bit more?
  
  Thanks

• Harry's Heritage

  (#) Voldemert 2008-11-27

  fun story :-) i felt it lacking in depth - no one's emotions were really explored in any way nor was the plausibility of the plot given even the briefest nod.
  (constructive criticism only, the story was a fun read :-) )

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