Hi, Alorkin. I'm getting a kick out of this fic - a fun read. The after-death creation of a real Star Wars milieu is a clever idea. Just thought I'd mention that there is a civil counterpart to the Victoria Cross: the George Cross. It can also be awarded to military personnel at the Crown's discretion (the Falklands conflict provided a case in point), but has generally been for non-military personnel in wartime or crisis situations. More often, lower rank awards (civil counterpart to the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross is one example) are used for 'off the books' recognition because their presentations aren't as visible. (I figure the real-world equivalent to recognizing a magical would be recognizing spies or special ops) The only reason I know anything about this at all is because I researched it for one of my fics where a similar award circumstance arose. Learned a bunch about Inland Revenue for the same fic... the things we do for fanfics, eh? ;)
Cheers,
Mike (FP)
Author's response
WOW! Full Penseive! One the biggies!
The funny thing is, this started out as a simple two chapter 'screw you' fic, with no continuation planed. I added Luna's "May the force be with you" simply because that's the kind of thing I can see her saying, and the story just took off. Now, more than a year later and with hundreds of hours of study I find I still have more studying to do.
I got part of the idea from Padawan Lynn's 'Chronicles of The Chosen One', series, (which despite the few minor inconsistencies in the last book, I thought was brilliant!)
It seemed to me that most of the HP/SW crossovers had Harry going to a galaxy far far away, and that didn't make much sense, so felt I had to have Harry bring the mountain back home.
Victoria -v- George Cross. I investigated this award thoroughly. Both can be given to civilian as well as military. the difference is degree. The VC is given for 'conspicuous gallantry (or self-sacrifice) in the face of the enemy', where the GC doesn't require the proximity of the enemy. Since Dudley faced off against the Deez, at hideous risk to his own life, he rated the higher award. It's also why I gave him the OoM 1st class, instead of 2nd or 3rd.
I understand the US has a similar award, but I don't think it's been given in quite some time.
Yeah, Inland Revenue is a recurring thread here too. (Snicker!)
Keep reading, Please tell your friends. (If you can convince Keith or Dorothy to have a look I'd appreciate it.)
Alorkin