My sympathies and best wishes to your sister; I'm dealing with some of the same ilk myself and they are not pleasant to deal with.
I enjoyed the ruined Deeter attack on Ollivader's and the various aftermaths. I do hope the dragons enjoyed their snack (though I wonder how long it's going to take anyone to figure out what happened). I wonder how long Tommy-boy is going to retain his tenuous grasp on what sanity he has with all the headaches, in multiple ways, that Harry's giving him. It will be quite interesting to see just what special and useful information Ollivander can impart to Harry and company; I'm sure there's a lot he can't tell but there's always the useful bits that can be told.
The training sequence was good and most of his troops seem to be adapting nicely. I suspect that Ron, Seamus, and Ernie will need more than one round of re-motivation; perhaps Ginny could be assigned to "mentor" Ron; I'm sure that'd impress upon him just how much of a slacker he's been. Frankly, I'm not convinced Harry will end up taking all of these troops into his first battle after they're all ready; if I were him, I'd follow the example of Gideon, from the Old Testament, and select out a smaller cadre of true warriors (if you'll remember, Gideon's final "downselect" to "only" 300 was by seeing who, though exceedingly thirsty, maintained situational awareness while drinking from a river).
All things considered, 'tis a very good thing Harry has HErmione to help him deal with his stresses and doubts, and vice-versa. I'm inclined to think that anyone who tries anything with her, especially a Deez, will find it exceedingly unhealthy even before Harry gets to them, and exceedingly hazardous to continued life when Harry gets to him.
Author's response
Thank you cat, and the sympathies are appreciated. We wouldn't have as much problems if they'd only take what we can afford to send, but no, they have to demand more and more. their excuse of the bank not accepting the amounts is ludicrous. The bank handles money and is not supposed to involved in any other manner.
I intend to have the Deeters draw back a bleeding mitt each time they strike. Continual losses are going to undermine morale and that makes them less than effective. Add to that Voldemort's increasingly erratic behavior, due to both his addiction and the 'outside influence' from H&Hr, and they are in for a nasty ride! Unfortunately, I can't have it all one way. The next time they strike they will be a bit more effective.
Ollivander will be a walk on, from here on in. Since Harry already knows about the wands, he really doesn't need any new information on wands. On the other hand, Ollivander does have a unique heritage and perhaps he will be one of those 'guest-speakers'.
I used to love to run an O course very much like that in BUD-S. After the first few weeks it's less challenging and more fun. Here, they've been running it every third day for about two weeks. They still have a ways to go before they feel comfortable, but in time, they will.
Ginny would drive Ron insane within a few days. They'd have to balance the commission from Harry against the 'little sister' factor. Simply put, Rn wouldn't listen. Still, Neville will straighten him out.
A hint...In December, he'll be getting his last tutor.
Harry has no intention of taking all his troops into battle. As he told Mr. Weasley, he intends to take the twenty or so most prepared, into battle. While i did not consciously use Gideon's example, I am aware of the story.
Hermione. Unlike Rowling, I have a reason to make Hermione Harry's equal. She's earned the spot. Anyone attacking her, will have to survive, her before Harry, Mack, or any of her friends arrive to sweep up whatever's left.
Alorkin