Dobby is great! Hermione was right; he anticipated that Harry would amend the orders dealing with Snape and the Nibblers (the front band for Voldy and the Voldettes) and merely took care of buisness! I also liked how Hermione appropriated Harry's tea! Dobby once again showed how on top of things he was when he replaced Harry's tea! I liked how Harry teased Judith about his clothing for the engagement party, but perhaps at some point formal dress robes for jedi will be designed! A collaboration between Lavendar, Parvati, and Madam Malkin perhaps? I see that Voldy has found another supply for his little brown bottle: and he was even willing to pay for it! Hmmmm..... at least he'll have one good deed to put up against the epic pages of evil deeds that he's collected over the years. But really, killing the delivery boy, now that's bad form! And the guy got it there within 20 mins. That's a better delivery time than Domino's. Then again the DE should have picked up the eight bottle on GP. But no doubt Voldy would have snuffed him anyway for not buying nine or more. There's no satisfying a psychotic and sadistic leader, especially one with a massive drug addition. Will Voldy start sending his DE's out on potion raids instead of attacks? After all Harry and Hermione will be working on potential heirs with the same dedication that they've applied to their jedi training. I'd say Voldy hasn't begun to suffer yet! Couldn't happen to a more deserving creep...except for Snape, Dumbles, and the Ferret of course. But I'd say that Dumbles was suffering the loss of beloved socks. Are the Nibblers trying to intimidate other students into cleaning their clothes and stuff, or just having things owled to Hogwarts? Then again I wouldn't put it past them to steal things from the other students if they had the chance. I wonder if Prof. Flitwick has been swamped with requests for stronger locking charms? I thought that the engagement dinner was lovely, and the fallout for Dumbles and company was great! It's too bad that Dumbles has lost a few things from his secret stash, and even worse that his memory has slipped......snicker. Is that secret vault of his being accessed? If so, the goblins might find out some interesting things. I'm glad that Harry received advice from those two Aurors and will make preparations for councilors and so forth for his students. Actually, perhaps they should start running detailed battle scenarios, blood, guts, and all. I'm sure that Hermione and Stokes would love to work on a holodeck! I'm glad that Harry is taking steps to make sure his troops have everthing they need not only to get through the battle, but to recover from what the experience will do to them. And even the troops who don't go into combat should still talk to the mind healers and so forth. It would help them to understand their friends reactions after the battle, and after all they may find themselves facing another combat in the future. It's also nice to see that Yoda is keeping an eye on things. Sigh..... I'm glad that McGonagall and Flitwick saved Helen from being raped, and I'm glad that Harry kept her from the darkside. I just wish that Malfoy and his little pack could have had a nice drop off the Astronomy Tower! And then Snape and Dumbles accused Helen of "asking for it"........ It's a pity that pair can't meet Bubba and a few of his friends! Then again, they ran into a hacked off McGonagall so that was a nice start. I bet Snape's face hurt for days! Then the fool compounded the insanity by attempting to use his wand! Hmmmm...on the one hand, McGonagall would have fried him just for starters; and Flitwick planned on snapping his wrist. Between those two he would have been toast; burnt toast at that. Please let McGonagall and Flitwick have a crack at Snape again. I'm sure they could teach him a few things! I loved seeing Dumbles get the heave ho at last! I'm suprised that McGonagall didn't smack him, but then Harry took care of that nicely! You have to respect those old family spells! Will the beater's bat hang on Harry's wall with a plaque? When Dumbles ranted about being the master of Hogwarts and all that other crap I kept seeing him in messy clothing , wild eyed and raving, and wondered if Rita could used penseive memories to add a picture to her story. I also had an image of Dumbles as a weird cross between Hitler and the Wizard of Oz during the throne room scene. Oh well, the Ferret did get some punishment, not nearly what he deserved, but it was a good start. I hope that he, Snape, and his pack of rapists get plenty of Voldy's special treatment in the future, until Harry and company take care of them! Harry's discussion with the twins was great, and I'd suspect that between him and their parents Fred and George's ears will be ringing for a week or more! Thanks again for another great chapter, and as always the next will be eagarly anticipated! :)
Author's response
Heya Teresa!
Dobby: You can thank Robert58 for that idea. I would have missed it entirely.
I used to have a cuppa in bed before my late wife woke. Usually when she did, she'd steal my cup and drain it.
I believe I've had Hermione do this three or so times now.
Harry teasing: Too often a serious Harry is made far too serious. Can you imagine Hermione(or anyone else, for that matter) getting involved in someone with no sense of humor?
Eventually, when the academy is running, Harry will institute a set of dress clothing for his students. When Dudley is awarded the V C, he'll be in attendance, wearing his Jedi uniform and robe.
Lavender and Parvati: Not a bad idea. The Jedi Robes aren't all that dissimilar to the movie version school robes. Tunics and trews under a voluminous cloak. It works.
That really was a slapstick moment. I had to throw it in. But can you imagine Voldemort finding out his Death Eater was too cheap to make up four sickles and a knut and not killing him?
Yeah, Voldy definitely has.../issues/.
The drug addiction will come in to play...again. I started it too early in October, but was able to have Snape pull him out. This time, Voldy will sagely nod his head, and totally ignore Snape's advice.
He won't need to sent his troops put on raids. Each of them will be trying to improve their own position by sucking up to the boss.
Harry/Hermione: I don't think two days have gone by that they haven't given him a horrible headache. Now there's dedication!
Dumbley: He's lost nearly everything that made him.../'special'/.
He will be making an appearance in the next chapter.
Nibblers: With their primary and secondary protectors gone, the nibblers are going to find their tenure more uncomfortable then ever. Minerva won't put up with bullying, but given the attitudes prevalent in Slytherin house upper years, she might turn a blind eye to a bit of 'constructive criticism'.
There would be no need to have better locks. The nibblers take...the elves return.
Minerva will be asking the elves why they're avoiding the upper year Slytherins. When they tell her Lord Gryffindor ordered it, she'll understand. Perhaps she'll ask Harry to countermand that order, but I really can't see that happening.
She might post a couple of Elves in the Slytherin dorms to prevent just that sort of shenanigans.
The secret vault is still secret...until the end, that is.
The two French Aurors: It's frightening how often the psychological impact of killing is ignored by military higher-ups. It's like the US's insistence that there were no half American babies in whatever countries we've served in. That attitude was especially prevalent in both the Korean war and Viet Nam. "Oh, our boys would never do that!" It's short-sighted, hypocritical and basically stupid.
The same thing applies to the thousands of troops returning from whatever war with PTSD. the government refused to acknowledge it for far to long and when it was finally addressed, it was too little-too late.
OK. I'm off my soapbox now.
the problem here is they don't have the time to set something like that up. Harry has been and will be screening the volunteers very carefully to ensure they come back alive. It's a unfortunate fact of war that those who most want to come back alive are willing to do whatever they need to do to ensure it. It sucks, but there it is.
Battle scenarios. He's already doing that. all the melee fighting all the formation training all the Aurors shooting at them and all the dueling, is intended to make sure the ones chosen for the mission, will survive.
And I agree. All the students will be speaking to the mind-healers. Even those who don't go, because every one of them is and will be affected by the same requirement as those who do.
The Jedi academy is still in the planning stages, but Harry is gong to have to have a set idea before he begins. If his Jedi are to become Jedi in fact as well as name they will have to be autonomous, and that autonomy requires they must be able to defend themselves against aggression from any side.
Yoda: What would one expect? Certain he must be, that for good the force is used.
Saving Helen: That scene actually wrote itself in a matter of minutes. I merely typed it down. Imagine how a rape or attempted rape could affect a child with the ability to use the force, shake hard, heat to boiling, and you get instant Sith.
Bad juju, mon!
Malfoy&Co: There comes a time in every bully's life when he discovers a victim who won't be bullied. Draco has been raised to be a bully and is only now discovering the sheep are not as toothless as he thought. His end is coming. It will be meaningless and unregrettable.
'Asking for it': It's unfortunate that many older people still tend to think a rape victim was 'asking for it'. That kind of attitude was prevalent in the Victorian England and as part of that time-frame, Dumbledore would tend to think that way.
Of course that he's using pretty much everybody in order to promote his own agenda is another thing entirely.
Snape's face. Yupper! If her hand hurt, it's a sure bet his face did too. Still, it was long overdue.
Wand: I'm not so certain. Snape is purported to be an expert in Dueling. McGonagall might be, and Filius is, so there would be a short battle. It's likely Snape would have lost, but there would be a price to pay for their victory.
Letting them have another crack: Ummm, sorry. Snape gets t play for a few weeks more and then he'll come afoul of someoen he shouldn't.
~You have to respect those old family spells!~
Chuckle!
~Will the beater's bat hang on Harry's wall with a plaque?~
Naah. It belongs to the Weasleys. Harry just borrowed it.
Rita: I should have, but Dear Rita is going to play some more so it won't be a problem.
~I also had an image of Dumbles as a weird cross between Hitler and the Wizard of Oz during the throne room scene.~
A colorful and rather disturbing image.
The ferret will be punished.
~I hope that he, Snape, and his pack of rapists get plenty of Voldy's special treatment in the future, until Harry and company take care of them!~
Funny you should mention that...
I had a similar 'discussion' with my daughter when she did something utterly stupid this past Christmas. I understand car alarms went off. Needless to say, sh won't be doing anything like that again.
Updates as I can.
Alorkin