I am very late to this party, having just stumbled across this series a week or so ago! I am really enjoying the characters, the spin on Harry's thought processes, & I can't wait to see what you do with them next!

You have surpassed all of my expectations with this chapter. That was a beautifully written scene, and you *still* are patient enough to wait for things properly.

The Shield Charm does not reflect spells. That would be a *horrible* liability in real battles. And besides, I would think that the Memory Charm would be relatively delicate in general.

The backfiring of Ron's wand was because faulty wands could do almost *anything* strange.

I absolutely love the little details (like Lily believing that her rejection of Snape caused him to become a Death Eater, etc). Things that make each character just that little bit more realistic. More so than canon, while keeping them consistent *with* canon.

Realistic will. Nice. That doesn't happen very often.

Harry "suddenly" realizing something is a shortcut - something that fanfiction writers use as an excuse to write a Harry that otherwise would have no other reason to act like he does.

In order to do it right, you either have to slowly change like you do here, or create an AU where his circumstances were a little different. (Which isn't actually all that hard, and I wonder why people don't do it more often. All you need is a little creativity and at least a small understanding of psychology... now that I think about it, that second thing might be a sticking point for some people.)

Draco thinking he is the Heir is absolutely hilarious.

If you are talking about which punctuation mark to use, commas will always overwrite periods. And while you should probably avoid this situation in general, question marks overwrite commas. Since periods always indicate an end of a sentence, and questions should always be marked for understandability. (And of course, you should never use two punctuation marks in a row.)

If you are talking about which side of the quotes the comma ends up on, that is a topic that is debated, and it really depends on personal preference and style. Probably because in physical writing, the comma goes *under* the quotation mark, and it is only with computers/typewriters that you have to actually decide that sort of thing.

(I could be wrong and the UK does have an official answer, but this is what I have heard from others and observed in other writing. I do know that fiction sometimes has different rules than something like essay papers.)

Huh. Lockhart being in Ravenclaw (which I didn't know about) paints an interesting picture. Instead of someone incompetent at anything but a certain spell (the Memory Charm), it shows that raw magical power being different in wizards who *don't* participate in dark rituals really is a thing. And Lockhart might be magically weak, and adept at fiddly spells, like the Memory Charm, while lacking the power to use real combat spells, etc.

The "magic oath" thing does have one instance in canon that does exist. It is called an Unbreakable Vow, and it is considered super serious, and not at all something to do lightly.

It is also a lot more restrictive than the fanon version. It requires two people to cast, rather than one, and three statements that the person vows, rather than one. (At the very least, the only Vow ever made in a scene used three statements, and the number is both magically significant and seemed integral to the spell when it was used.)

Oh, and you die if you break any of the terms. I don't think there is any precedent for losing your magic except for the Triwizard Cup. I understand those two examples being used to create other magical vows that are less severe than the Unbreakable Vow, but those are the non-canon ones that are often seen in fanfiction. (Normally for convenience purposes. They can be used well, of course, but usually it is due to laziness.)

Hi,

Another year finished. Congratulations.

As a rule, I'm not a fan of multi-year/book fanfics - they take too long and are essentially retellings. Specifically, they have too little original content. That said, yours had loads of new twists and turns.

In this tale, I enjoyed the letters back and forth between Harry and his mentor. Shades of gray are usually far more interesting than black or white. The advice that Harry has been given seemed to be beneficial.

I also enjoyed your Harry's negotiations with Lockhart. They offered a nice twist on the tale, as well as giving Harry a useful life experience.

Finally, it is nice to read a tale where Harry interacts with someone besides a very dull Ron character. I hope this trend continues and your Harry meets up with the badgers.

In balance, I wish that the stories moved along faster. Your year one was sixty some thousand words. Year two went twice as long that appears to be an ongoing trend. Then again, personal preference is just that - one persons opinion.

I look forward to starting your year-three.

cheers

Old-Crow

Great story and great chapter.

I am just re-reading the series ready for the next part of the series, "Unprecedented Competition" and came across this "After a disturbing carriage ride to the castle (skeletal horses – really?)" And I need to know who and when has this Harry seen death and understood it?

Well, I certainly hope Harry tells Ron where to go when the red-headed git comes sucking back up to him after everything’s over with.

Dental checks for children in UK are free. As are eye tests and glasses unless you want more expensive frames.

imagine seeing a note at the beginning of lockhart's next book: "My thanks to Teenage-You-Know-Who for proofreading the early drafts of this book."