Wow, an intense chapter, so, to start off: Loved how you had Tom meet his end, with no great battle, but basically a whimper, though really, it was basically like putting down a rabid dog at the end that had calmed down enough to let you get close enough to kill it quick. Next, Ron...I sort of did see this coming, much like a train/plain/gas main wreck(Think Calvin and Hobbes) and I felt much worse for Luna, as she seemed to have been very much in love, though she "knew" that things wouldn't work out. I have to wonder if she and the baby will be accepted by Mollywobbles or not, and if not, if Harry will be with her to help raise it? You know, it was weird to see Tracey as one of the DE's, as she usually gets put aside as a neutral, but in it's own way, really cool, and would imagine that she'd likely be one of the more competent ones of them. Enjoyed how Rita got in there, as well as Harry and his coolness in the face of doom. That and his talk at the start with Mac and Hermione, and Judith there, made me really feel the family dynamic that's been building here. As for Albus, well, to me the man is truly mad, but I still feel less sympathy for him than for Tom, and will wonder how long he'll live now that his magic is suppressed so much? Wonderful storytelling, and can't wait to see the next part, with all the fallout from this in it, and if it will mean that Harry might decide to walk away from Britain or not?
Author's response
Heya Wonderbee!
I suppose nobody ever told him: "If you don't know what it is...don't play with it!"
I like the mad-dog reference. (My thoughts keep going back to 'To Kill A Mockingbird'.
Ron: I left enough hints for those who wanted them and a few people guessed what I was going to do. It was still difficult to kill off Harry's first friend.
Luna: Luna took an interesting mindset. She saw what was going to happen...maybe not in detail, but enough to know Ron was going to die, so she took the necessary steps to ensure his legacy, as it were.
Mollywobbles: I cannot see Molly rejecting any child. Ron is the baby's father and Luna has been a friend for years. She was almost family anyway. Instead, she'll spoil the baby and he and the Potter's children will grow up together.
Tracy: Is one of the unused characters in canon, much like Padma or Anthony. You know they're there, but they sorta sink into the background. Here, I've set her up back in August, where Harry approached her, only to learn she not only agreed with Voldemort's stance but also his methods and was intending to betray 'any such group to Voldemort in exchange for her family's status to move from half-blood to pureblood'. It's not too far a stretch to see her taking the mark.
Rita was a lot of fun to write here, and in the next chapter you'll get to read her (abridged) exclusive.
Harry's coolness: He's always been, if not cool, at least determined, when facing battle. He' made his decision long before that one way or the other, Voldemort would die.
Family: That was intended. they have given Harry what the Dursleys refused to, and the Weasleys couldn't...a true family. I've had many talks with older veterans, and it seems that each of us is basically family. We may not like each other, but we understand each other all too well.
Albus: Yupper. He's always bee mad, but here, it's out in the open.
Less sympathy: I feel none. He is, IMO, responsible for the majority of the ills to befall the WW even in canon. If he'd been even slightly competent, he would have taken steps to eliminate Voldemort...not place all their lives on the shoulders of an untrained kid, and hope it works out.
Dr. Evil could have come up with a better plan!
Lifespan: Not long. His magic will allow him to live as long as any squib, but he's already well over a hundred. He ain't gonna last long.
Thank you!
Harry has a deep-seated sense of duty. Dumbledore induced yes, but there it is. He will remain at least long enough to ensure things are going well. As for leaving Britain, eventually, he'll have to leave. He wants his Jedi order to be independent of national control.
His hidden island will ensure that.
Thanks for the review.
Alorkin