(#) brad 2006-06-28
Interesting. I'd never thought that Ginny may have already been corrupted by Riddle before she even got to Hogwarts. So she was a nasty/snide/brash little bint in her first year [like her fifth!] hey?
I understand what you're saying when Harry feels that he was 'a little used' by the old Ginny; she could certainly fit that mould, from what we saw of HBP. However - unfortunately - Harry was just as bad, I think. There's a line where he thinks, in the days before the funeral, that his path is clear, but he's reluctant to take it because it would mean 'forgoing his source of comfort'. Funny how I forget Harry (or his chest monster) and instead prefer to believe he's worthy of my favourite character, Hermione.
Nice that you bought in Sir Nick's death day, clever to connect it to the prison camp scene.
Well, you did it again - emasculated Voldemort. In canon and most fanfics one gets the idea that he's the biggest and worst boogie-man there can be. Here we have Harry shrugging his shoulders and making him out to be 'just another terrorist'. I'm not complaining; that's one of the interesting characteristics of a 'Dr. T story', and you've mentioned before (when I make the same observation about Voldemort's own personal power rating) that it stands to reason that such things belong on 'a curve'. Makes you wonder why SOMEONE doesn't just do something, though, if he's just a terrorist. Of course, that's been a thread in your other stories, with the International or Druids forcing the issue with the domestic authorities. And here in the real world we've had problems looking for the top dog terrorist of the times as well, so it all makes perfect sense.
Author's response
Yep, that's my take on Ginny. Sorry, Orange Crushers. I liked her until HBP
And I'm sorry if it bugs people, but the whole series has the flavor of an old English (as opposed to British) prejudice -- 'Fog in Channel, Continent Cut off from Civilization', that is that the only things that really matter are those that happen in Britain. Until Book four, it would be easy to think that 'The Ministry' governs the entire magical world, not just the UK or perhaps (as in my stories) the UK & Ireland. There is very little if anything in the books which suggest that the rest of the world really cares about Voldemort, unless we believe that EVERY Ministry on earth is as incompetent as the British. There were all of 2 dozen or Death Eaters at the rebirth ceremony and another dozen in Azkaban, plus Snape & Karkaroff. It's difficult enough to believe that the British Ministry couldn't take care of 30-40 wizards (not counting Voldemort), when we have such leading lights as Crabbe & Goyle in that number without believing that the entire WORLD was terrorized by them.
No, as far as I'm concerned the British magical community is is a large town of 30,000 being terrorized by a very powerful bully, and write accordingly.
I know the reviewer I write this in response to (Brad) knows all this already (he should, as he said I write this way in every story, I have written perhaps too many, and he's read them all), so I wrote this for those who don't know the reason for my outlook.
"T"