(#) DrT 2008-12-18
For some reason, the system shoots me to the homepage if I try and answer specific reviews. Let's see if this works.
1) remember, this is just a little 3 chapter thought piece, not an epic. At least for now, I am 'epiced' out. I've spent the last 7 months writing and editing a monograph, and didn't have time to finish the last one, but the epilogue will be out soon, at least on this site. since it's been so long, it will likely disappoint, but sorry, real life work needed to be done
2) Like many fans (although certainly not all, or maybe even most), the last 3 books left me going 'What the F. . . .' Those do not seem reasonable developments for Harry, Ginny, or Hermione. Ron, maybe.... She does do a nice job on Neville and Luna. IMO, Rowling knew where she wanted the ships to end, so she just shoved the couples together without developing the relationships. If you like what she did, great. I don't. If you like how she turned Harry into a brave but stupid near-wimp (see the review of this chapter by Fenriswolf -- I totally agree), great, I don't. Fan fic is for developing ideas or filling in holes we don't like. I've always fallen into the latter group.
3) to answer one specific question, Harry could beat the DE's because a) he has the power of his fourth year, not the near-squib power of book 7, and b) because he retained the skills he should have learned as chief auror (which Rowling claims he became in her interviews). The two should allow him to take the DE's and even volde by surprise and whoop them without being 'super-Harry'. I grant you, the Harry of the 'final dual' couldn't have done that even with the elder wand, but the Harry of book 4 should have been able to develop into this Harry easily.