FicWad

Well, I was whinging last week about how sudden the relationship between the two (very young) principals of this story seemed to materialise; now you've explained why. But I can't help but feel the bond, and their relationship and budding romance, could have had a LOT more punch if you'd built it up a bit in the preceding chapters. A paragraph here or there on what Hermione was feeling, how much she admired Harry, etcetera (like a chapter or two ago where she told her parents she would never leave him). SHOW us what you said in a comment once about how, in the new Harry, she had everything she needed as a leader and friend. As you nicely had Dumbledore TELL us here ("needs to believe mightily in truth and knowledge ... she has placed that belief primarily in you").

It's good to have that very powerful (to me) concept articulated finally in the story, rather than in one of your out-of-band review comments, but I can't help but wish that we'd seen evidence of this incredible faith and trust in Harry build up over the last two years of the story.

Anyway, you replied last time that the story's pace had gotten away from you, so I shall say no more. And I'm glad Dumbledore summarised it here.

I can understand why Harry thinks he's 18 - that was his age when Luna sent him back, yes? - but why Hermione at 15?

I don't understand the logic at all about how Neville is included as one of the people who can handle the prophecy. Neville satisfies PART of the prophecy but is ruled out by the 'marking' section. The prophecy as a whole only relates to two people - Tom and Harry.

On the other hand, I've often thought of the potential of the prophecy (to my dying day I'll never understand why JKR deliberately emasculated it, essentially retconned it to nothingness, in HBP). Harry has been marked, sure; but the prophecy logically doesn't exclude another ALSO being marked. Nothing as to what the 'real' mark would be. Harry could die, Voldemort could 'mark' Neville in some manner, and then Neville would also satisfy the prophecy. But this seems too involved to explain Harry's comments here in this chapter, whose reasoning isn't detailed at all.

SO childish for Snape and Sirius to 'chaff' at being held off each other ... but that's 100% canon, I'll grant you!

LOUD CHEERS that you had Hagrid's ban on performing magic repealed. I'm not sure I've ever read a fanfic that did that, and you'd think it'd be the right, honourable and obvious thing to do once the facts of his frame-up were revealed. How public were the events of Harry's second year made, in canon, anyway?

Thanks for the chapter!