I am an amateur writer who began to write fanfiction in February of 2011.

If you dislike fics where Dumbledore is stupid, manipulative, or evil, run away now.

December 19, 2012

Wow, but I've been on fire the last two and a half weeks. I've been averaging a chapter every other day!

A few details for the curious. All my Harry Potter stories (even the crossover) have a few things in common.

1) The animagi forms Harry and the other children (may) achieve, and their names:

Harry: Peregrine Falcon, Snitch
Hermione: Red-Tailed Fox, Sneak
Neville: Brown Bear, Baloo
Fred: Black-Footed Ferret, Rascal
George: Raccoon, Rogue
Ron: Honey Badger, Grumbler
Ginny: Bengal Tigress, Stripes

2) The magical world has laws and ranks based on feudal England, though this is stronger and of more import in some stories than others.

3) Potter Mansion/Castle. It is located on the Sleat of Sound, just west of Beinn na Caillaich. It is mentioned in every fic, and explored in a fair amount of detail in at least one. This link shows what the castle's exterior looks like. http://www.abdn.ac.uk/english/lion/images/layout.gif There isno moat or drawbridge, and the castle proper is detached from the inner wall, but the picture is otherwise accurate.

General Stuff

I am NOT a Dumbledore fan. Dumbledore is a manipulative jerkass at best and at worst outright evil. In the first chapter alone he perpetrates at least two crimes: Removing Harry from the scene of a crime without the approval/knowledge of the appropriate authorities, and LEAVING A KID ON A DOORSTEP. There is also, possibly, a case for kidnapping, if Sirius was listed as Harry's guardian. He knew Harry was abused, and did nothing. Did everything he could to keep Harry pig-ignorant of vital information until it was too late for the information to do any good, if Harry found it out at all. Putting the Philosopher's Stone in a SCHOOL? The traps, which first-years could get past, and most of which were rather suspiciously tailored to the strengths of Harry and his closest companions. The Chamber mess. There is no way that Dumbledore didn't at know where the 'creature', even if he didn't know what it was, came from, given Myrtle was available for Dumbledore to talk to, yet nothing was even attempted to block that area off. And a first-class Legilimens didn't know EXACTLY what was going on with Quirrell? Or Lockhart? Or MOODY? Or UMBRIDGE? He was the equivalent of the leader of the U.N. and the Supreme Justice, as well as the Headmaster of the foremost school. Dumbledore had more clout and political weight than he knew what to do with and he just let shit happen, regardless the damage it would do to his world. He knew about the horcruxes as of the end Harry's second year at the latest, had the information he needed to figure out the number of horcruxes, what they were, and where they were likely to be, but didn't bother to do anything about it until the summer after Fifth year. Then there's the bullcrap with Hagrid. Like he couldn't have cleared Hagrid's name? And WHAT was with the Marauders? They were horrifying bullies, and one of them thought it would be funny to try to feed a classmate to a werewolf. At worst, they got slaps on the wrist for this crap. WHY was James made Head Boy, when he hadn't even been a prefect, and had been a horrifyingly vicious menace for six years? He let Draco run around Imperiusing people and damn near killing people because he wanted to redeem the kid? Letting *anyone* get tossed into Azkaban without a trial when he had the power to stop it? These are not the actions of a good, kind, wise Leader of the Light.

Other things.

Favorite Harry Potter character: Severus Snape, with Sirius a close second. I will admit my fascination with Severus got jumpstarted by Rickman's portrayal, because he brought the character to life in a way that mere words couldn't. After that, the more I looked into stuff in the books, the more I saw the ... potential ... between the lines. There are about a hundred different ways to interpret damn near everything Severus says and does throughout the books, and it's fun as hell to play with those interpretations.

As for Sirius, well, He is insanely loyal and protective. Sirius bloody well broke out of Azkaban in an effort to protect Harry (yes, and to exact vengeance, but it was the fact that Pettigrew was at Hogwarts with HARRY that got his ass moving). He lived on the run for two years, one of them spent largely in a cave, eating rats, the other in a house he hated that was soaked in dark magic. He was willing to drop everything *again* and run to protect Harry when Harry headed for the Ministry ... he was one of only two non-Ministry Order folks there, as I recall (the others being Remus, Tonks, Moody, Kingsley, and Dumbledore). All this while just slightly off his rocker from twelve years of hell, and in poor health.

Favorite BTVS/ATS character: Tossup between Xander and Spike, for different reasons. Xander gets major props for being the token normal kid in the bunch who just plain does NOT know the word 'quit', and manages to contribute every bit as much to the fight as the souped-up/special folks around him. Spike gets the props for being possibly the only vampire in the 'verse to become a good guy without being forced to. The chip doesn't count. That just meant he couldn't bite. Didn't mean he had to become a white hat and fight the good fight.

Favorite SG-1 character: Jack O'Neill, hands down, though I will admit this has more to do with Richard Dean Anderson than the character himself. I've been a fan of RDA's since his MacGyver days. Although Jack is definitely made of awesome as a character as well.

Favorite HP Pairing: Remus/Tonks. They are just too cute for words, and in my head, they never died, and got to live a long, happy life together. Too bad I can't write romance for crap, or I'd actually write a Remus/Tonks story. Maybe I'll try one someday.

Least Favorite HP Pairing: Hermione/Ron. Sorry, but there's just so much wrong with those two hooking up. Ron did little else but treat Hermione like crap for seven books. He stomped all over her, resented the hell out of her for her smarts, and in general was an immature asshole for seven books.

Not that Hermione was much better, being a stuck-up know-it-all book-and-authority worshiper for most of seven books. She seemed to think that she was the only one in existence with a brain, and the only one who could make the right decisions at all times, and bossed both boys horribly. The two of them together is, quite frankly, a recipe for disaster.