I was absolutely etranced by your plot points and world views, along with the way you presented them. This is a FANTASTIC story.

Best Harry Potter story I have ever read. Period.
Bravo.

Sometimes I felt that your characters behaved too-precisely, consistently in such an honorable and wonderful way that I just couldn't find them wholly believable. Also, while this may have been due to it being in Neville's point of view, and thus not objective, I disagreed with your treatment of Snape.

That being said...

I laughed long and hard. I bawled my eyes out... something fiction hasn't done to me in years! I devoured the story and may read it again some day. You didn't treat it as "just fanfiction," and for that I am thankful. It would have taken very little effort to turn this into a publishable work, which means I can only imagine how much time you spent writing it.

My brother's in the military, and I want to thank you for taking war so seriously. You didn't romanticize deaths, you didn't hide bloodshed, and I was amazed by it all the way through.

This was far more interesting than the 7th book, and I thank you for it.

I've read you story in about 2 days (the same it took me to read HP 7) and I absolutely loved it. The characters that were just background in the books became so alive to me and I love your takes on their relationships and personalities. I almost wish they hadn't been so good because losing so many in the end did make me cry. I am very emotional right now. I was talking and talking about it to my poor friend who has no idea what I'm on about becaues I love it so much. The level of writing is also so much higher than most fanfiction. Even the best ones aren't this well written. I commend you for that. I can't get past a few pages before I get stuck and everything turns awful. this actually gave me some closure even though it isn't what happened exactly it's close enough to make me feel better. I can't wait to read more of you fanfics and check out your art. Great job!

Clever. Moving. Impeccably constructed. Funny. Thought-provoking. Quite simply, incredible.

Aw man, I absolutely love Krum in this chapter. "I'm the best seeker in the world. Let's see how good I am at being snitch." Brilliant.

For some reason I can't type my email into the main body paragraph of my comment...














Wierd.

accidentally forgot to type out my email fully!
matthewa.

If you want to return a response, contact me at matthewa.
This work, honestly, changed my view of Harry Potter forever. In the early years of te series, I focused on the prominent names. Harry, Dumbledore, and the like. This work reminds me that those in the limelight are not always the most important...and that the worst casualties in war really are the ones that you don't hear about. As I read, I laughed and cried and occasionally very nearly yelled out in anger. I believe that this story should be declared canonical, and though the characters are fictional, I have new respect for the hardships and horrors the students faced... and I imagine all too well what the public's response to such atrocities once they were made public would be.
I was on the "Snape is good now" side of the fandom for a while, but what happened at Hogwarts would be unforgivable. By the time only their fall break had arrived, the seeming peace and happiness were a startling jolt...and that had been before what was to come later. Though I loved every oment of the story, I cannot deny that it was unseemingly dark, even given the warning of the title, and the hints dropped in Deathly Hallows. Even early on, I thought Neville Longbottom was a joke much as the characters had, and was shocked at his abrupt transformation... Now I see that Neville, and the students as well, were put through far, far more than could be expected, and there were even times where it crossed my mind that Harry, Ron and Hermione had almost had it easy in comparison. I don't know if you will think this is wierd, but i certainly hope not. I give this as a die hard fan of the man with the lightning scar, in the hopes that the one recieving it shares the sentiment.
Long live Harry Potter.

That was a truly amazing story. I don't believe I've read any that actually tell the seventh year from Neville's Point of View! I have to say it's an amazing story and I truly loved it!

Only thing I missed is the Harry/Ginny shippiness! I love that Ship! You had to kill Ernie didn't you? Both couldn't live could they, :(

Great job though!

It’s funny how fate works. For ages, I have been looking for one fic that covers this part of DH and does it so with justice, and failing at it. And I came across DAATYOD (sorry for shortening it) when I was least expecting it. And I was supposed to be finishing some work for office, but I never even got down to it. For two days, I sat glued in front of the laptop, unnerved, yet moved to a point from where there will be no return, and by the end of it, I knew I will never be able to think of Deathly Hallows the same way again.

As someone who writes fanfiction, I know what it takes to keep another author’s character, well, in character. Neville, Ernie, Lavender, Parvati, Seamus, Hannah – we know so less about these people that it should have been a bit diffcult to even give their personalities a credible finish. It would have been difficult for me, at least. But you did it with such a natural flair that they never once wavered from the image I had of them. In fact, they expanded beyond my ideas of them, so much so that they began to feel as real to me as those who Rowling paid much more attention to. Forget them, it was the Ravenclaws which I loved the most. Terry Boot and Michael Corner will be etched in my mind as long as Potterverse stays with me.

Apart from characterization, which I think is arguably your biggest strength, I also loved the knowledge which I gained from your fic. It is evident that you did a lot of research for the fic – from Gaelic and Celtic legends to yoga and Bollywood heartthrobs, you made sure that each of your DA had their own specialties, their own gifts, their own quirks. (Although, I confess I was utterly flummoxed by some of the Latin, French and Latin there. : ) ) It was thrilling, and completely scary, to find out Seamus had placed a curse upon Snape’s head, that Padma knew how to control small snakes, that Romilda could tell it was a girl in Susan’s womb with her gypsy-skills. Those small things set your fic apart from the others which I’ve read.

As for the plotting, I was so happy that you kept it close to canon. I confess I don’t like authors escaping into the realm of AU (alternate universe) when they can’t work their way around something (unless the entire fic was AU), and it was humbling to recognize the apparent ease with which you worked your own version so flawlessly into Rowling’s. There was never a moment in the entire 25 chapters when the story’s pace slowed down – if there was laughter, there were tears waiting next; if there was a bit of fun, then tragedy was just waiting around the corner; if there was romance, then it was quickly replaced by action.

The reality of war can never be taken lightly, because a battlefield does not recognize favorites. I must have cried myself stupid over those three chapters which covered the war. I was angry for some time – how can an author be so heartless and finish them off like that? But I realized something. Cho, Terry, Michael, Colin, Dennis, Rowan, Katie and all the others being picked off one by one, without mercy, without sympathy, without glory – it opened my eyes. This was war. Either you killed, or you died.

I do have a question though. Your portrayal of Snape was intriguing, as well as confusing. No matter how much Severus Snape loved Lily Evans, he would be a bitter, envious, vindictive man inside. He was a double-agent while he was the Headmaster, and he would have to keep up his act during the Carrows’ presence. However, there were many instances when I felt his hatred was almost real. That he did enjoy inflicting pain on the DA members. So, what was he doing, really? Did he detest them for questioning his authority and making his job difficult for him? Or was he forced to show that he reveled in the pain while he was suffering inside? When Dumbledore asked him, “How many men and women have you watched die?” (DH, TPT), he answers, “Lately, only those I could not save,” which leads me to believe a part of him had changed. I suppose we could still argue it didn’t turn him into a kind and generous person, but absolute evil (or absolute detachment) is something I don’t think defines Snape. Also, when the war ends, Neville’s feelings about Snape has still not been resolved. Or did I miss something?

There isn’t any way of praising your work to the extent I want to. I could try and write pages on it, but even then, my admiration couldn’t be captured fully. So, I suppose I will end this monstrous review with the honest declaration that I have become a huge fan of yours.

wow. this story was simply incredible. everything i imagined was here, plus so, so much more. i laughed, and i cried, through this amazing story. thank you.

I just spent the entire weekend reading this novel and I constantly wanted to stop and review every few chapters just to tell you how amazing this is. This story blew me away. You did not pull in any punches and that surprised me. From the moment when Renny was killed, I knew this would be a difficult story at times becuase I had grown to care for these characters. However, I was not prepared for the tragedy that was the final chapters. I fully expected only a few DA members to persih, really only the ones mentioned in canon. The final scenes with Ernie and Susan brought tears to my eyes. You made me laugh, cry, think, and tear up some more while reading your author's notes. I may not have gotten much accomplished this weekend, but I did read a remarkable story. Thank you. Now, I am off to stalk your art on your LJ...after I stop crying.

Great story so far.

This was an amazing story to read. Not only did you make it funny, sad, happy, horrific, etc. but you made it seem so real. I felt as if this was a Harry Potter book. It fit in with DH perfectly and I can understand exactly why you did every single detail you did. The changes in the characters, the relationships, etc. were all so believeable.

I truly thought while I read this, and thought in a way I've never done before. You made me realize how hard it is in the field of battle, and while I've always known in some way, you've made it more real for me. I've always repsected soldiers and what they do, but you've given me a different way to see them and shown them in a different light. Thank you for doing this.

I'm very glad I found this story. Not only does it seem realistic, as I said before, but it also shows us the people of the great Harry Potter books in a new light and in ways that J.K. Rowling was never going to do. These characters were there, a few of them quite important, but otherwise they were just THERE. We never saw the strong sides of them properly, or the caring sides, or any side but the student side. This story truly did that.

This was an excellent story that made me definitely think, even if it never made me cry. I laughed a lot during the story and I felt the pain and saddness you put into it. Thank you for writing and posting this amazingly well written story that seems to be just as good as the original books, if not better.