Matt humanity being recent doesn't say anything about its moral value, and your question about when did our ancestors become morally valuable is not only a continuity fallacy, but one that could be applied verbatim to the sentience criterion, so even if there was any hint of validity to it, it wouldn't distinguish the sentence criterion in any way from the sapience criterion.

so... Attention Is All You Need? (im sorry. i couldnt help it.)

it's tragic, really, for Harry to resort to do a ritual because he refuse to have another important person in his life die without trying to do anything to keep them alive. It's sad. Because Harry only has few people who he considers important, and they're dying, one by one.

I find it quite disturbing that the author repeatedly spits on the value of any life other than that which has the single human characteristic of sapience. Our species is only a couple hundred thousands of years old at best. We evolved extremely recently from what we would now consider to be "animals". I'm curious, in the 3.8 billion year history of life, at exactly which point does he claim our ancestors to be useless?

Harry is like a partner in an abusive relationship. No matter how much they hurt you, or how many reasons they give you to mistrust them, you are still so blinded. I hate those people. How the hell can anyone ever let themselves be held mentally and emotional captive like that, to the point of fatal stupidity. I understand if you are threatened by them, but for those that won't even see what's right in front of their face. That's why I cringe at my friends who through around "I love you"s after knowing the guy a month.

Why is Harry so blinded by his affection for professor Q?

The professor has warmed Harry over and over and over and over that he would kill him without hesitation
Use him to achieve his dark goals and a whole plethora of other “bad” things...

Correct me if I’m wrong but the other characters innthe story seem to warning Harry that absolute power corrupts absolutely and that even said power may not be what it seems. That, the kind of power Harry seeks would doom everything he holds dear and yet- EVERY FUCKING TIME Harry takes in stride with a “a well” and a shrug
And a “I think I’ll do it anyway”

And then he gets mad when people around him die as a direct consequence of his foolishness...

I'm on chapter 102 and omg the My Little Pony refrences made me die from laughing. First a unicorn named Alicorn then literally Rarity, lol

The prophesy is shaping up interestingly. I hadn't considered the 3 brothers. So if death marked Harry as his equal, he would be opposite perhaps? He wants immortality, but NOT just for him, but for all of mankind. Death must have known he was destined to find the hallows. Death is immortal, therefore Harry must a!ready be immortal to have survived the killing curse. Obviously you cannot have have death to all as well as infinite life. So only one can survive in this world. Perhaps death is bored and finally found someone to challenge , I said her. Who's to say because we are born from a female, that we die from a decidedly male looking grim reaper? Well, I didn't sleep last night. Not sure where I'm going with this. Stayed up reading all night. Then ride horses all day. So tired. But glad to have option to read. Imagine having to wait for updates. The horror! The begging...I could go on. This story is having such a profound impact on me. Makes me wish I were smarter. Makes me want to learn for the sake of learning. I'm a Hufflepuff with Ravenclaw tendencies. Moments of Gryffindor, but I'd honestly say I'm least like them. I downright admire the Slytherin. Though I hate it when I sense someone manipulating me. Ok I need to shut up. And read just one more chappy before bed.

Huh... how on earth is he going to get himself through traps actually meant to stop Voldy?

Just love the way Quirrell speaks. There are often more than one interpretations to every point he makes and they are all true. This fanfic is some underground cultural gold.

If anybody is thinking Harry killing unicorn was evil, then what do you think about killing a cow for food? Why is it ok to kill a cow but not a unicorn? Anyway I personally find both activities evil. I don't approve of humans killing animals to eat because it is clearly unnecessary. I find it surprising that Harry with all his wisdom, doesn't see that killing a cow is wrong.

Oh, Harry! Why are you always blaming yourself?

Heh. "I don't really care."

And THIS unicorn is clearly a match for Rarity...

Yep

So the Philosopher's Stone is Harry's arguably last hope to save Quirrell... Harry is going to end up saving Quirrell only to find out he's just helped Voldemort. Oh, and I also didn't expect Rarity to die in a Harry Potter story.

Argh. So is Quirrel Voldermort after all? That makes no sense. Everything recently has been pointing into him not being Voldemort. No, I still don't believe he is.

Except, looking at it from, what if that's the twist, well then that's a pretty great twist. He did kill Rita Skeeter, after all, that was an important tell, and we know it, so is thinking it's not him just stupid?

I really honestly don't know at this point, which bothers me as I think the answer should be obvious. As of now... ah, I DON'T KNOW! This is ridiculous.

There is the prophecy. Not killing him seems dumb. But if he seems to be a gateway to power... okay. I'll say, 50% that he is. It's him. Too much evidence.

and the magical sex shop in Diagon ally now makes perffect sence! that holder make great hiding place for a wand or toys as well.

Harry just killed, indirectly, an unicorn...at least he tested it before to see if its sentient.

Why am I not surprised it's about the Philosopher's Stone

This chapter reminds me of the quote "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing". It seems like the killing curse operates on a similar principle.

It's hard to watch Quirrell die, even though he's morally ambiguous at best

Certain people aren't allowed into Muggle Britain because they are, quite correctly, perceived to be a danger to England. A predilection for screaming "behead those who insult the prophet" is kind of a big fricking hint they might be.

Hah. Now we come upon the final chapters.

"Not like certain people living in certain countries, who were, it was said, as human as anyone else; who were said to be sapient beings, worth more than any mere unicorn. But who nonetheless wouldn't be allowed to live in Muggle Britain."
For the record I would like to state that this is definitely not true. I don't know why the author chose to make such a declaration as I'm pretty certain he knows better.

So, there were TWO Dark words, one of them Harry vanquished. the second one is Voldemort-Quirell, who's already took all precaution (leaving only remnant etc) for the prophecy not to work on him and enabling them to reside in the same world.

How much longer till the next chapter?
Waiting with bated breath...

Hello! I just finished reading this, it was brilliant and I can't wait to see where you take it! At first I was disappointed that it was unfinished and now, having read the note as to when it shall update I find myself excited because, what timing for I to read this, it's early 2015! I sincerely hope to see this updated soon, it's such a good story and I loved that it was just different enough from canon that I didn't always know what was going on or what would happen, and your theories of magic were very intriguing indeed. I await your next update.

Hoping you are well,
Astra.

Oh, my goodness! I will never be the same after reading this story.

When I started reading the canon fiction I had the exact same thought that is the premise of the story: "Why does no one in the stories think of using the scientific method to understand how magic works, and do some REAL research? Are wizards THAT clueless, even the muggleborn? Why do wizards use Dark Ages approaches to learning, when the methods of science are well known and so much more effective?".

And now... I find the story I had always been dreaming of, written with amazing style and talent. I have been unable to put it down since I found it, and have read it all, losing sleep and loving every single minute devoted to this masterpiece.

Now I just can't wait to see the conclusion. Your story is the Harry Potter book I always wanted but never found. It went straight to the top of my favourites list, above the original canon.

I can only say... Thank You.

Self modifying AI will be the destruction of human value. Why the hell is it such a big industry? Two decades of competitive advantage while more and more jobs disappear. How will we redistribute the wealth? This shit should be banned

Agree with other reviewers - Harry did an awful job of testing for sentience. I've never heard of the test 123 method and if someone tries to lift my foot to tap stuff I'd probably freak out and kick them in the face because that's just weird. The unicorns are probably giving blank stares because they, like me, have never heard of this test and perceive Harry as being really weird. I'd argue that there is no definitive test for sentience because all such tests depend on the compliance of the subject and a sentient, non consenting subject likely would not be compliant, being more interested in whatever they were doing at the time. Harry is being incredibly careless with his tests because he lets his emotions cliff his judgement - he wants the unicorns to not be sentient, therefore, like Hermione in chapter six, he does a perfunctory test that will most likely support his conclusion and gives quirrel the unicorn because he is desperate for work to live.

Happy to hear you're writing the rest of it and posting in one go, so when it finally comes out, we won't have to wait in between chapters! Excellent strategy, methinks. Thank you endlessly for the BEST fan fiction of all time, I swear...

You actually changed my sleeping pattern with this fic. I had to stay several nights in a row to 4am just to read it! You are damn talented and I would have never seen Hermionies death coming. Especially in such a violent way! Well done

It's going well so far from what I have read. I'm saddened that there is no way this story can continue into later years (writing a good story about an older, powerful and even more intelligent and experienced version of this Harry is beyond anyone) but am looking forward to seeing how this year will end.
There have been times when I have disagreed (or face palmed myself) with what the characters have done but rarely (and this is a rare occurrence in any story) have I had a problem with what you have written. To put it more simply, you don't miss the obvious, you think about the implications of what is going on and then have your characters act in a believable manner from what we know about them. This is good writing.
There are a few grammatical incorrect sentences (like what is in this review) and a smattering of spelling errors too but no matter, the story is well told. Verbally, I believe this could be a great audio recording if you ever wish to consider it...
So, carry on writing it, finish it finally and then do something else. Unless you think of some really clever ideas, do not sequel this. All good things come to an end after all.

Oh, one last thing...
Could you make Harry reference Douglas Adams some more? This brand of magical lunacy fits well in line with his work.

Wow.
I started reading this four days ago. I am a fairly slow reader, so it has consumed every minute of free time I could find. Every night I read until I was unable to comprehend the words on the screen.
This is an amazing piece of art, written well with realistic characters, an interesting plot, and interpretation of the universe and our meaning.
That does not stop me from being really mad at it. Like, wow. It hurts to read this story, but that may be part of the reason it is so addictive. I got dedicated to the characters near the beginning, and now I am paying the price.
Either way, this is a great story, and, to me, every second that someone spend reading it is well spent. I eagerly await the continuation of it as future chapters are released.

Despite the fact that Quirrel most likely killed Hermione, this still makes me sad.

But if Quirrel actually is Voldemort, which this strongly suggests, then he survived the destruction of his first body and he's coming back.

At this point, I actually want him to.
He's about to die; is this genuine - his reluctance to have Harry go down his path? Or is he just trying to get Harry to trust him? Actually, he's probably still trying to save the world. That's a weird thought - the most fearsome dark lord in history is on his deathbed, and his last act might be to save the world. Most Good people don't have that sort of track record.

Also, Harry brought him a unicorn?! I hope he appreciates it.

The prophecy makes a surprising amount of sense with respect to Death.

Better than the original, and I would say so to Rowling herself. If she asked me, that is, not as a conversational opener. I am a huge Harry Potter nerd and I love the series, I have done ever since my siblings and I would crowd around our parent's bed to listen to them read it and pronouncing Hermione as Hermy-own for longer than I care to admit. Now that I'm (technically) an adult, there is a lot about the original world and characters that I never really saw before, flaws that I was too caught up in the magic to notice for a long time.

What you've done with Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality is amazing, the world is improved in so many ways, your Harry is far more likeable than the original, your Draco far more realistic and your Hermione absolutely perfect.

Even your magic is more magical than anything in the books, and the mysteries and the plots are all so delightfully twisted into a huge mess that just makes me so happy.

Also, final note. You acknowledged the existence of periods. Nicely done.

Loving the story, really. I appreciate the references to other works and I can't wait for the next installment.

I'll admit to being kind curious now lol tho my ax brain is pretty fried

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. You don't even make a profit with this sort of writing, and yet this is giving so much to your readers. I don't think i can express with a mere text box how grateful I am. This story was enjoyable, and yanked me wrists-first out of a cloud of apathy. I expect that I will read this several more times, and I eagerly await the rest.

This story is fantastic. This story concurred with everything I have ever thought. I read this story in three days.
Is it at all autobiographical, I wonder?
I eagerly await the next installment.
I need to go off and breath for a while.

As a non-native English speaker it took me about one month and a half to reach chapter 102...just can‘t stop reading！awesome！

I have just spent every spare moment of the past three days (and a few late nights) reading through this fantastic story. While I'm not one to normally give reviews (particuarly without any constructive criticism), I simply wanted you to know that this story is absolutely brilliant. I've never counted myself as a fan of the Harry Potter story, but this adaption goes beyond the mere storyline of a children's book and manages to explore topics eminently pertinent to the nature of human existence as well as the accepted construction of narratives. Magnificent job, and please do keep up the good work.

You can't do it. You can't write details on how Harry eventually restores Hermione. You can't publish details on how to conquer Death.
It might not be real or true or tangible or whatever word is accurate but it is inspiring and it is shattering.
Death is the natural next step there is an order to life that scientists especially understand
You. Cannot. Publish.
I don't care how you do it the story is fantastic and Hermione returning would be absolutely marvelous.
If you plan to end the story cruelly with Harry's idealism in rationality crumbling with the absolute finality of her passing then forget I said anything but if your plan is indeed to bring back Ms. Granger then I beg you with all my fragile existence please do it in a manner that is completely and totally glossed over.

One if the best stories I've ever read. I was on hpmor website, couldn't find your email. I was wondering if you were planning on doing any other fanfics. This story inspired me to write a naruto fanfic and I wanted to use the methods of rationality in the title

I really like your story, plot, and main characters, especially Harry and Hermione because they're kind of different from the original Harry Potter books and I can relate to them. Hermione's death is a bold twist in the plot and I actually like it in a morbid way, again because I can relate to it. Death of a friend teaches people that life is full of surprises, twists, and turns. I'm sure that Harry has done everything he could, and if he could have prevent Hermione from dying, then he would have done so. Honestly, I have mixed feelings toward Hermione. I think she's a great female lead character, but I'm not sure if she would be a good fit for Harry romantically. If she's dead, then she's dead. Harry can't to do about it, unless he can find some ways to revive her, and actually it would be interesting to see what he can do about the situation. Thanks for writing a great fic!

Wow. I started this a few days ago and it really is something special. I enjoy the character that you created for harry, and especially what you did with quirrel. Some scruples I had however, I wish that the story had spent more time on harry actually applying science to magic. This story deals with him dealing with his situation through logic, but I had hoped to see him create more. Spells potions magic machines. Anything

amazing fic, and thank you so much for your continued endeavours to keep writing it.

While this is entertaining, I'm a bit confused as to how this was grouped into the community of the side-splittingly hilarious. It's more interesting than humorous.

Sometimes I cannot understand Harry.
He's read a lot of books. Maybe he didn't come across Neuropolitics (due to age restriction), but... no mention of destructive cults and sects at all?.. I mean, here you meet a man, who (no matter his intentions or pedagogic skills) would be literally living by the book if Charles Manson wrote an autobiography. Let's adore him! Sure he's a good guy!

Love your characters and plot twists!

I really like your story! Looking back to the first chapters, Harry changed a lot. And not only him, the story's plot twisted so much. I mean, at first it's about Harry trying to dominate the Wizarding world and applying rationality to magic. But then it concentrates more on Death, especially when the Dementors first appear. And Hermione's death was such an impact.

But even more shocking, is the alternative point of view of the Wizarding World. I mean, there are a lot of stories that try showing what canon got wrong, but few cover the most to show what is wrong or ridicule without risking their writing's 'awesomeness' or astounding powers/abilities/show offs (like Quidditch, love relationships, favorite lovable characters *Hagrid*). Another thing that makes a relief to read is Dumbledore''s lack of total evil personality. I mean, he may or may not be fully evil but it's inconclusive. Insane of course, manipulative also but he's not in an extreme way.

Finally the whole defeating Death is so cliff hanging. A lot of 'immortality' methods are being shot down by canon evidence. Horcruxes never showed a full self-consciousness just a preservation and even then, a risky one that's not worth the effort. The Philosopher's Stone was never actually proven as existent, effective or long lasting. Canon Dumbledore said himself that it's maker would die after it was destroyed. The Deathly Hallows are ways to get around Death, but never defeating them. Necromancy was never for immortality, more of gaining control of corpses (like the Inferi). Unless there's any other way, only two options are left:

1. Research more about the Deathly Hallows. How they came to being, how where they made, what are their full magical properties, if they can be used to improve a ritual/spell/potion (like Horcrux making), what happens when they're gathered.

2. If the Perfect Patronus defeats Dementors, can it be used to resurrect people? Can Dementors be used as some gateway or link to Death? Where do they come? How do they reproduce? Investigate all about them.
In canon, they could extract consciousness or the 'soul', like in the lake scene with Sirius bt it was seen as a glowing little bluish white would happen if it was contained? In another body or an indestructible carrier?

3. Is there a counter spell for the Killing Curse? In the story it was blocked by the Perfect Patronus. What connection is there?

The only way to defeat an enemy is to get to know them. Anything related to it might give away a clue for its weaknesses. Harry's got to start somewhere. But even if there was a way to resurrect someone, their body remains mortal. Unless it becomes indestructible or that person's consciousness can be placed in a non-mortal carrier. Like in Trascendence (good movie). It could transfer itself to a different carrier. But how would that be possible? Would it get destroyed?

Unless Harry finds out there really is a soul and an afterlife. What would he do then?

Sorry for the long rant-review, but I really loved your story!

So in your canon, the Patronus Charm and the Killing Curse are opposites. Interesting idea. I like it.

I enjoyed this story greatly, though I must admit that I preferred the earlier sections with Harry's excited and rushed explanations of rationality to the later, darker part of the story. Whereas earlier, Harry seemed enthusiastic and had plans to take over the world, he then turned darker and more focused on simply conquering death and Voldemort. I also enjoyed the more fun and comedic bits and the brief "lessons" on rationality, as opposed to now when Harry considers everyone too stupid to learn.

Anyway, I look forward to the conclusion of this story. Happy writing!

Ok, more theory time:

What if Voldemort wasn't the original?

That is, what if he were merely a horcrux made by a young Quirrell to act as a distraction while Quirrell went about trying to rule the world from the shadows? In this universe, the number of horcruxes you can make is limited only by the number of people you're willing to kill, it seems. Voldemort didn't succeed in world domination, of course, so maybe he was always intended to be a disposable horcrux, and Quirrell even obliviated him, just so he wouldn't be too strong.

At any rate, that's almost certainly what happened to Harry.

Also, I must rant on the matter of Snape.

I'm betting that he's now more loyal to Harry than he is to any other person on the planet, bar none. Why? Because Harry, the son of Lily, the woman he still loved, told him that he didn't need to atone for anything. That Lily's forgiveness wasn't something he had to earn, telling him instead that she was unworthy of him, something that had probably never once crossed his mind, in all the years since his school days.

But that's just what Harry helped him to see. What did Harry actually do for Snape, personally?

He forgave him.

For the way Snape treated both him and the other students. For whatever part his plotting may have played in Hermionie's death. And finally, for betraying Lily and James to Voldemort.

Unconditional forgiveness is not something he's ever had. Not from Lily, not from Dumbledore, and certainly not from Voldemort.

Whatever he's said about throwing his life away for vengeance, if an opportunity comes along to save Harry, Snape is going to take it, even (and probably especially) if it ends up getting him killed.

Oh no, not Rarity! But then again...

Rarity to Professor Quirrell: "Drink from me and be fashionable...FOREVER!"

This fic is incredible. I really love your Harry. Although I would like to say something along the lines of "Post the next chapter soooooon", I am aware that writing a story this complex and as well written as this one is not something you can rush. So I've decided to just declare that I would really love to read the next chapter as soon as possible, and that I understand that it cannot be as soon as I would like.
Keep writing !

Ferz

Ps: I don't want Quirrel to die TT (but of course a story which would make every reader happy about everything happening to its characters wouldn't be very interresting, so, well.)

So, guessed about the guard correctly. Wonder if this means he used Bellatrix to sustain himself? Is there anything left to Monroe or Quirrell or is it just Voldie and if Harry gets him the Philospher Stone will he still kill him if he can't subvert him. Did Dumbledore kill Hermione on accident or by negligence and what kind of world can Harry and Lucius put together for Draco to run? Seems Voldie would interfere with that scenario.

Well, thanks again for another enjoyable chapter. ...Pratchett once wrote if cats looked like toads we wouldn't like them so very much. I imagine that Harry will continue to struggle with the emotional battle versus his logical conclusions for some time to come.

Wow, I am all caught up again! Took weeks of reading to do it too, even though it was my second read-through! I am really looking forward to reading the rest now, even if there may yet be a long wait.

Darn darn darn, if I had realized that the ePub was actually up to date (lack of research on my part) I would've paced myself better. Now I'm done, and this book is too awesome. I usually try not to read great books that are still in progress, because I'll feel that anticipation of waiting for the next one to come out...but this is Harry Potter! Once I found out something like this existed, there was no way I could put off reading it...maybe I could've tried harder not to stay up until 8am the next morning and wondering if I'd be able to stay up through work... this sure happened many times. I'm so happy the author is doing this. I thought I knew the story, then the plot twists came, and I loved it even more for them...except the Hermione situation... It feels so strange to read an alternate version of a story I knew so well, one where everything is so flipped that you're uncertain about anything, because it goes in uncharted territory. Now I'll wait patiently until the next installment comes along... (Just signed up right now. I'm on my phone, so I didn't realize it could post anonymously. Thought I'd be asked to sign up once I hit submit, whoops)

Darn darn darn, if I had realized that the ePub was actually up to date (lack of research on my part) I would've paced myself better. Now I'm done, and this book is too awesome. I usually try not to read great books that are still in progress, because I'll feel that anticipation of waiting for the next one to come out...but this is Harry Potter! Once I found out something like this existed, there was no way I could put off reading it...maybe I could've tried harder not to stay up until 8am the next morning and wondering if I'd be able to stay up through work... this sure happened many times. I'm so happy the author is doing this. I thought I knew the story, then the plot twists came, and I loved it even more for them...except the Hermione situation... It feels so strange to read an alternate version of a story I knew so well, one where everything is so flipped that you're uncertain about anything, because it goes in uncharted territory. Now I'll wait patiently until the next installment comes along...

Damnit I wish I could see Harry trying to make a paradox with time. Future Harry travels back in time to teach past Harry a super spell and past Harry now knows spell and goes back in time to teach it to himself. Similar to his idea with arithmetic sheet in first chapters but less complicated. Or he could physically give himself a philosophers stone. Unfortunately though the dues ex machina would be too strong and that's why you made that paradox not possible in the first place. It would also be funny to see Harry getting the house elves to give everyone comed-tea at dinner and watch what happens. Given that they would all be drinking at different times, and refilling... Well its just a thought. Also I wouldn't mind seeing more of Lesage. Or the money trick with silver exchange. Or for that matter the duplication charm from canon that makes copies of things. But these are just suggestions and ideas from someone who would have tried the things your Harry is trying. Good story, keep up the good work.
-Lucifer

Please update soon this is so cool! It's very fun to read! :)

Hi,

How's the writing coming?

Looking forwards to the next chapter

I LOVE YOU VERY GENEROUS READER I FUCKING LOVE YOU YOU'RE AMAZING OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS ENTIRE STORIES EXISTENCE AND OP AND EVERYONEWHO INSPIRED OP THIS IS MY FAVORITE THING

Two things.

First, I reread the first few chapters again, and while I'm not sure if this is the third or fourth time, that really doesn't matter. My point is, I noticed the line about Harry taking Galleons to the Muggle world, exchanging them for unminted silver and taking that to Gringotts, minting it, exchanging it for Galleons, rinse and repeat for infinite money Action Replay style. Even aside from the sixty thousand Galleons he owes Lucius Malfoy, that could probably come in handy for him, and I don't think you wrote it in there for no reason.

I mean, it has been a while since I read the rest of the story, and I think there might've been something about the Gringotts goblins knowing if their coins are melted down. Or maybe that was referring to if they're minted by someone else without permission... whatever, moving on.

It becomes increasingly apparent to me, looking at what's happened so far, that there are exactly two ways this story can end. First, and this is the one that I thought of first, is that this story might have a downer ending to top all others. Harry dies, Voldemort wins, the END OF THE WORLD, etc. Because, as you've shown so far, plot devices which we take for granted in other fiction can be completely absent from rationalist fiction. The good guys aren't guaranteed to win, the ending isn't guaranteed to be happy, anyone can die.

But on the other hand, I've read a few times that, to quote one memorable example, 'Death is [your] least favorite thing.' So far, Harry has consistently shown the intent to completely conquer death. And there are some who call him, quote, 'Harry Sue,' because he embodies, to a large extent, your own outlook on life, death, and the world. So why would you write a 600k word epic about a hero pursuing those ideals, only to have him lose/die/blow up the universe in the end?

You've made clear that you intend to *teach* us readers with this story, to teach us to think rationally, employ the scientific method, and overcome stuff like the Sunk Cost Fallacy. So it's safe to assume that the ending will be another lesson, probably the most significant of all.

The only question is, what will our final lesson be? Is it that the good guys don't always win? Or that death can be conquered?

Wait. Wait... Nicholas Flamel is _the Count St. Germain?_

-Dave

I've benefited more from reading this than I have from reading published works of fiction. I live in a community that isn't receptive to any sort of rational thought, so just knowing that the ideas I have aren't unique to me personally is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I was starting to think I might be the crazy one. So thanks for proving me wrong.

Greater than canon award is presented to this story.
Truly incredible, I just can't sum up my thoughts Here's a sample: 7yearsendofworldcontinuedendhermionerevivedchaosincrediblegreatestharrypotterfanfictioneversequelorapocalypsemoremoremoreincrediblewhyquirreldyingmaybevoldemortnononovoldemortenemydeathpowerapocalypseorhappy
Yes, that is my crazy thought train regarding this masterpiece(mostly centered on what's next). Sorry I can't give a better review, but I promise I will when this is complete.

Long detailed and critical.

I truly believe that there may come a time when Death itself may die. This work surpasses the original in my opinion, and I eagerly wait for more

Woo boo!

If you need some more incentive for writing, you may check out Seventh Horcrux by Emerald Ashes, either on spacebattles or ffn. As of the moment, it had recently finished and has a certain humorous touch I've rarely seen (not dissimilar to what you put in hpmor, actually, only quite a bit more of it). Hopefully, your competitive spirit will see the next chapter even more awesome then the rest of your work.
Cheers, Farelios

Well.. A hundred and 2 chapters, and we are still at the first year... Makes me wonder just how this is going to go. Is he going to grow up REALLY fast, or is this going to conclude in the first year

So glad to read the update! And it doesn't disappoint :D Loved the alternate readings of Trelawny's prophesy and the horcrux, makes much more sense than the original in my opinion, but then so does almost everything in HPMOR xD The second level to the killing curse was nothing groundbreaking, but still clarified what had already been felt but never explicitly stated about its use. And I'm pretty excited about the hpmor version of and explanation for the philosopher's stone, I hope it gets discussed soon.

Now for speculations.
Quirrell's character is confusing me more and more, he just can't be evil can he? Like Harry I'm completely won over by his logical, self-reflecting, and open manner, and his conversation in the sick-bay seems to indicate that he actually has given up his plans for Harry as a heir, yet, he does pique Harry's curiosity about the Philosopher's stone, gives him hints about it, and then forbids him from seeking it, and Quirrell of all people would know that forbidding Harry to do something is akin to egging him on. So is he manipulating his subtly even now, did he expect Harry to get him a unicorn and so isn't as resigned to his death as he seems to be?
(btw how is the unicorn not dead yet? Isn't transforming a living creature taboo because it kills it? And in this case would trigger the alarm?)

And of course for the million dollar question, where the hell is voldemort? perhaps Harry's alternate interpretation of the prophesy is the hint, that in this story his real enemy, the dark lord, is Death. Perhaps voldemort figures only minutely or not at all in this universe. Or he could be hiding under Quirrell's cloak or even be Quirrell of course (though I'm inclined to think not). Something that came to mind that I don't recall reading about- does Quirrell where a turban in this story?

But a brilliant chapter as always, am loving the story so far, signed up at just to pen my appreciation.
I also must mention how kicked I was to read that a reader has volunteered such support for this story, kudos to whoever it is, you are awesome \m/ Thanks again Less Wrong for writing and sharing this amazing work with us, am looking forward to all that's to follow :D

This is an incredible fanfic - one of the best I've ever read. Well done! Can't wait for the next update!

Yay! What great news about the remote-house-writing! I look forward to reading the final arc!

Can't wait for the next chapter.

Haha, this addresses my previous review. XD
A bit more on unicorns - just some input: the MLP-ification of the unicorns was cute, Alicorn is definitely a cool enough writer to get a cameo, and I know that there are a couple other easter eggs from pop culture scattered throughout the story. That said, this one was slightly more jarring than the other easter eggs though. Also, it comes at a rather somber time in the story - which could be good or bad. Lastly, though, it complicated the morality of unicorn-killing; it's shown that wizarding culture believes them somehow sacred or otherwise off limits, we see centaurs during this very arc, so basically I'm saying "FYI the cutie marks add one more 'clue' that they're intelligent".

Does Britain really forbid nationals of entire countries from entering the nation? I hadn't heard that, and wasn't able to find that upon a cursory Googling.

I've greatly enjoyed the story, and I agree it's time for it to wrap up. That said, if Harry manages to cure death in the next 4 chapters it's going to feel mighty rushed from my perspective.

Now I want to add some positive feedback here, but I just used up my slack-off-time for the day. Your work has in part inspired me to be more deliberate about such things, so I will just have to let that sit as my positive feedback - this has positively impacted my life. Thank you.

omg... what am i gonna do now...?!

Hurrah! And nice touch with 'indifference'- it is too true, sadly.

So, HPMOR was -great-. I loved it.

Perhaps most rapturous was the humor in this story. I loved the way you injected hilarity into virtually every chapter.

I have nothing against character death. I have nothing against tragedy. I have nothing against characters utilizing motivation from tragedy. But what it should NOT turn into is an endless angst-fest. One of Harry's strengths here is finding solutions where virtually none exist; and if all the characters that made this story worth reading are dead by the time Harry conquers the ultimate enemy, then there will not be much fun in continuing.

Warning to new readers - the story is GREAT, but don't expect it to be the happy and fun ride it starts out to be. This is a coming-of-age, with plenty of darkness ahead. That said, don't be a sook, and read it anyways.

To author: Absolutely LOVE your take on the Prophecy, Peverell Brothers, and the Ultimate Enemy. I *CAN'T* believe I didn't see it in canon! It's so incredibly obvious! SO FUCKING OBVIOUS NOW THAT YOU POINT IT OUT!

This has the potential to become so much more than the novels ever were.

Follow-up to my last review. I found the quote in your writings I was looking for.

Harry is going to find that magic doesn't exist and he will feel very stupid for believing it did, because "your strength as a rationalist is being more confused by fiction than reality" "if equally good at explaining any outcome, you have zero knowledge" and something about "you must not make up explanations for things you don't understand even though it's tempting."

And this: "...should have paid more attention to that sensation of still feels a little forced. It's one of the most important feelings a truthseeker can have, a part of your strength as a rationalist. It is a design flaw in human cognition that this sensation manifests as a quiet strain in the back of your mind, instead of a wailing alarm siren and a glowing neon sign reading "EITHER YOUR MODEL IS FALSE OR THIS STORY IS WRONG.""

Magic doesn't exist. The story is a hallucination, or a dream, or something induced by the Artificial Intelligence who has taken over the world and finds it amusing to play with Harry like this, for all I know.

I know those explanations aren't good. I don't know which one is true. But it seems to me that "Harry has something deeply wrong with his head, or is being manipulated by outside forces into experiencing weird hallucinations" is a simpler explanation (and therefore more likely to be true) than "MAGIC EXISTS!"

Anyway. Whatever ends up happening in the story and even if I'm totally wrong, I enjoy reading this, and your other writings. Thank you.

Interesting concept. Looking forward to seeing how far you can take it! Cheers for an excellent read.

Ah wonderful! Except for the part where we fed Rarity to Professor Quirrell, I enjoyed this very much. The bit about indifference being more deadly than hate was mind expanding. Thank you Sir, for this entertaining and enlightening chapter.

This story is so uniquely intelligently written, I love it! I definitely hope you are able to finish it.

Ahh! I'm caught up! Holy cow, this has been an AMAZING fanfiction. I can't wait for the rest of it!

Thanks dad

I don't know how to express how grateful I am that this story exists. I have a renewed passion for rational thinking and I hope to put a few of the skills I learned here to good use. You have also raised important philosophical questions that I will seriously reflect upon. My review is not very eloquent, but know that my appreciation is real and that I believe your fanfiction is one of my favorite literary works.

I look forward to your return from your writing month!

Typo:
"surrounding by Harry"

Hello,Eliezer Yudkowsky.
It's not a review on this particular chapter,rather on all thing.
I've recently read all of them (my brother strongly recomended me to do so) and I truly want to thank you for writing all this stuff.
Really, 's genuinely Funny, Informative and Inspiring.
Brilliant. I mean it. I never thought that it was possible for a fic to be better that the original.

One more thought on Unicorn Blood and its magical properties for other functions.
Since Unicorn Blood mirrors the emotions & memories of the creatures around it, it might also be used for two other important items in the Harry Potter Universe.

Magical Paintings.
Mix your Wizard Blood with your Magical Paint colors and Unicorn Blood (with the fixative to keep the current magically mirrored thoughts in place) and you could now "paint yourself" into a scene as a responsive character. For other Wizards & Witches in a scene, you'd have to mix their blood plus Unicorn Blood to paint their portrait. One problem is that since Unicorn Blood is fairly thin (in terms of microns of thickness), the total volume of memory quality would be very thin (brain volume to memory density). I doubt the memory mirroring storage is anywhere as efficient as a memory stick, but obviously in regards to a Pensieve Memory bowl, it can display a holographic replay of the entire known scene in the memory with full audio.

Ghosts and Dementors.
Now what happens to very sick Wizards & Witches that found Unicorn Blood to be a "cure all", but futile in the long run? Guzzling gallons of Unicorn Blood day after day, then hour after hour until they died. What happened to their corpses? Well if they were cremated, then the vaporized Unicorn Blood in their veins and muscles and fat would try to reassert itself into a humanoid mist with a humanoid personality. However, if they were not cremated and their corpses left to rot; well they have a whole puppet body to reanimate after the Witch's or Wizard's brain & soul are long gone. Those corpses rose as Dementors. Creatures seeking joy, life, and vitality at any cost.

awesome more please

I've just spent the last three days reading through this fanfiction (as time allows) and it is brilliant! i would spend paragraphs and paragraphs detailing the (both obvious and implied) deep psychological understanding of not only the characters themselves, but their interpersonal relationships, cultures, histories, and a thousand other not readily identifiable Marks-of-Existence, if i wasn't positive you either knew these things to begin with or have long since had them brought to your attention by, say, the ten or twenty thousandth review, so i will acknowledge my thoughts to you as i have just done and then skip it.

so i say this instead.

this fanfiction has kept my interest to its current end, and i am now following it so that i may see it to its proper end. this thing that you have created has made me laugh, seen me cry, and gained my ire only to swiftly return to my good graces.
that is not an easy feat.

i hope that you step over any legos in your path, that your favorite song comes on when you begin to tire from driving, that you happen to find an extra bit of change when you forget about the tax, that there is a clean, unoccupied restroom nearby and plainly visible when you need it, that the vending machine you found has exactly the thing you didn't realize you wanted, and that when you have something important to do you feel strangely rested in spite of lack of sleep.

i look forward to the rest of your story

If you bring back Hermione
after all this
after Dumbledore said she was dead
and Harry has blamed himself for everything

if you bring our heroine back
whatever the price
whatever the reason
I won't forgive you.

I really enjoyed your fic. I just read through what has been posted for the first time. I have to agree with your rules of fanfiction as well. I don't see very many FFN stories that keep me guessing, and then shatter those guesses, and make me guess again!

Excuse me, I have a comment to that not so subtle hint at EU immigration policies. Now, I do remember that you've written that opinions of the characters are not your own. However, your Harry is widely perceived as an equivalent of Ender Wiggin - whatever he thinks, is a part of author's message (aka the "truth").
So, here we go:
I beg your pardon but have you been living on Mars for the last forty years? The problem of EU is a too extensive immigration, not the other way around. Europe is quickly being filled by people who bear nothing but utter hatred fro western world, its culture and values.
In other words, you and your Harry have just lost a lot of browny points.

REVIEW FOR CH.99
I can see that you wanted to take a break. This was certainly unforeseen: ( you wanting to publish a 13-worded chapter. Still, I award you a Quirrel point for the unpredictability.

REVIEW FOR CH.100
Thanks for explaining the memory charm very well. It gives confidence that magic is intent and follows some sort of law of conservation. In canon, only the Patronus charm and the Killing curse were explained properly.

REVIEW FOR CH.102
Setup for a subquest ,too right it was! The way you put forth the second level to the Killing Curse was flawless and sublime.

Wow this is amazing. I'm so glad I started reading this in May and not from the very beginning. To all of you who had to wait for every single update, and not read 100 chapters straight; You're the real MVP.

Why did harry help lestrange get out of askaban?

The chapter of omake files with the idea to go to bed was very useful. Perhaps it should become standard for well-written long pieces of fanfiction like yours. It would need to be included about every 10 chapters, so that it would have been of use tonight as well as last night. Despite surfacing from your crafted world at a late hour, I find myself incredibly impressed by your work and suggest that of you do not already write for a living that you consider doing so. You could make a killing turning all those concepts thought up by intelligent people into stories through which average people could learn to be intelligent.

Finally, I caught up, this took longer than I expected but it was totally worth it. I like the subtle call outs to MLP in the last couple of chapters and This Quirrell is so much more interesting than the cannon version. I look foward to being able to see the end of Harry's first year, hopefully soon. Also killing Hermione, I did not see that coming.

It's great to see this update. The twist on the 2nd level of the killing curse is thought provoking and makes you wonder about the other unforgivables. Thanks to your benefactors.

Thanks for writing and sharing.

damn, that was long. just reread all of it and awaiting for more... :D

also, poor Twi and Rarity, they didn't deserve it u.u
also also, seems like Negi didn't reform evangeline as much as he wished...

Nice to see an update.

Another great chapter

and ive finnally reached the end of the current fic, I cant wait to see whats next! you mention that youve got the rest of the fic planned out, will there be a sequel?

I like your other take on the potter prophecy, and how you tie in the alternate killing curse with this fics overall message: far more evil is commited mindlessly out of indifference then is burned in the fires of hate

First: Welcome back!

Now, a second Level to Avada Kedavra? Not the only interesting hint in this chapter, and more Canon dismantled. Well done, cannot wait for the next one!

So, I have spent that last 4 days reading this story. Countless hours and many sleepless nights later, I finish.

It wasn't easy. In fact, it was damn near impossible to continue at some points. The writing is dull at places, yet becomes intriguing at others. Another point against you is the pacing. It is just utterly slow and I have come to the conclusion that you are never going to leave the 1st year from this alone. That's fine and all, but it does leave one with a sense that you are just dragging this on and on.

Part of the reason for above, I believe, is your lack of general plot. That is, to say, you don't seem to have an idea where you're taking the story for the first 60 or so chapters. In fact, it is less of a story than it is one long rant against the HP universe and its lack of logic. Indeed, entire chapters seem to run on this idea alone.

Apart from this, dialogue is also stilted. It feels dry and even robotic at some places, like I'm reading a dictionary or a scientific journal instead of a story.

Some characters are well written and portrayed. Most, unfortunately, are one dimensional.

That said, I'd rate the story at 4/5. It's better than the majority of fanfictions in the HP fandom, which really says a lot of the quality to begin with and it does have interesting ideas but this doesn't really seem like a story and more a way for you to espouse your ideas to a large community. It just seems that it will always be your ideas first and the actual storytelling second.

...at least partially humanoid.
But we have sentient snakes! They are certainly NOT humanoid! And nobody except a Parselmouth could ever suspect that (for the first time)!

Finally an UPDATE!

Brilliant, as always.

I loved your work but recently i find that harry is trusting quirell way too much and wouldnt it be better if harry researched on unicorn blood than philosphers stone

Hi, I am fine again, got help now :) still your sleep recepe would be great, for the future :)

wow. This updated.

So..a live horcrux, like Harry, can bypass the interdict of Merlin?

Also, this fanfic has a more logical setup for Harry to retrieve the Stone from the Mirror then the canon version does. In canon, there is no particular reason why Harry wishes the Stone from the Mirror; but in this chapter, Quirrellmort has given him a very good and unselfish reason. Also, the Mirror has been foreshadowed by the weasly twins getting wardbreaking monocles after their Prank, which they use to visit the Mirror.

Voldemort DID have a few faithful followers/ friends/ disciples. Snape, Bellatrix, and now Harry. They followed him because Voldemort truly was empathic to them. "An exceptionally insightful tutor" as Snape said to that girl in the dungeon. Not Lucius, that was ever only a political alliance.

Voldemort may truly not care much about the majority of people, but he did care greatly for these three, Snape! Bellatrix and Harry. The proof: Snape and Bellatrix are still alive. So my best guess is that in this 'verse, it would be uncharacteristic for Quirrelmort to sacrifice Harry.

Is it me or is this whole new chapter about Gaza? The deadlier-than-hatred indifference that flows without limit and causes unlimited deaths? The way a whole country can turn its back on hundreds of dead women and children because, after all, they can tell themselves it's all Hamas's fault? The loss of conscience.

It's ALIVEEEEEEEEEE!one!

A Negima reference? I must say, I wasn't really expecting one here of all places. Then again, with the pony references and the fact that Merlin's Interdict sounds suspiciously similar to the Manton Effect, I suppose anything is possible.

The snake was hissing laughter, strange sharp laughter, almost hysterical. "You tell me of that sspell? Me? You musst learn more caution in the future, boy. But it matterss not. I learned of the horcrux sspell ssince long ago. It iss meaninglesss."

"Meaningless?" Harry said aloud in surprise.

"Would be pointlesss sspell from beginning, if ssoulss exissted. Tear piece of ssoul? That iss lie. Missdirection to hide true ssecret. Only one who doess not believe in common liess will reasson further, ssee beneath obsscuration, realisse how to casst sspell. Required murder iss not ssacrificial ritual at all. Ssudden death ssometimes makess ghosst, if magic burssts and imprintss on nearby thing. Horcrux sspell channelss death-bursst through casster, createss your own ghosst insstead of victim'ss, imprintss ghosst in sspecial device. Ssecond victim pickss up horcrux device, device imprintss your memoriess into them. But only memoriess from time horcrux device wass made. You ssee flaw?"

The burning sensation was back in Harry's throat. "No continuity of -" there wasn't a snake word for consciousness "- sself, you would go on thinking after making the horcrux, then sself with new memoriess diess and iss not resstored -"

"Yess, you do ssee. Alsso Merlin'ss Interdict preventss powerful sspells from passing through ssuch a device, ssince it iss not truly alive. Dark Wizardss who think to return thuss are weaker, eassily disspatched. None have perssissted long by ssuch meanss. Perssonalitiess change, mix with victim'ss. Death iss not truly gainssaid. Real sself is losst, as you ssay. Not to my pressent tasste. Admit I conssidered it, long ago."

A man was lying in the infirmary bed once more. The Defense Professor breathed, then made a wretched coughing sound.

-

Except we know already that the Horcrux's were made. And what is a "Blank Clone" aside from an infant? Which was already foreshadowed, of course, but Harry Potter is not realizing this yet in the story so far. And again I bring up the Proteus Charm which allows you to link objects which then physically-reshape itself remotely into a perfect copy of the original. How about linking brains using the Proteus Charm from the Master Copy? Obvious flaw, all copies repeat the actions & thoughts of the original unless portions of the Linked Brains are left untouched and when the original dies, all the copies remain fixed in that final dead state.

There are also two Copy Spells in the Harry Potter Universe which are used for a variety of effects ("Everlasting Potions" and security in Gringott's bank vaults).
The Gemino Spell (imperfect Copy Spell) and the Proteus Charm (a magically-linked remote object changes the enchanted substance of itself into a copy of the original).
You could uses the Gemino to make an imperfect degrading-over-time copy and then the Proteus Charm to link that imperfect copy to the original to remain perfect as long as the original does. However, this would not make the copy any younger or healthier. But you could use it to provide a fresh supply of necessary nutrients to a Wizard's body indefinitely (by using the "Everlasting Potion" magical setup to make endless copies of a preserved perfect original and feed it into the bloodstream). You could do this with a droplet of Unicorn Blood or a perfect blood cell (rendered with Impervious Spell from damage) set aside from damage.

The thing about mythical unicorns is the they appear to be psychological mirrors.

If you are walking near a unicorn with anger, the unicorn becomes angry and will attack you.
If you are near a unicorn and afraid, it will become afraid and run off (until it removes itself from your emotional proximity). If you walk towards a unicorn with love in your soul, it will be lovingly reactive toward yourself. This is why "Virgins" are only usually allowed toward unicorns, because the psychological mirroring survival factor would result in the unicorns causing great harm to anyone wishing to capture or kill a unicorn.

That is why Unicorn Blood (the silver mirroring liquid) is a key component in the the Pensieve Bowl and the Memory Vials and the Rememberalls. For the Pensieve & Memory Vials, logically the Unicorn Blood has to have a fixative substance added to it (in the same way that the "Moving Pictures" of the Magical Newspapers have a fixative which cause a short-time loop to be replayed like an animated GIF file) or it would be overwritten by new memories every time someone got into close proximity to it. GOOGLE[ Mercury Fixation ] for more information.

When consumed, the Unicorn Blood becomes part of the eater and imitates vital organ processes until excreted, but it is also neurotoxic to a degree (mercury ions for example, destroys the fatty axon insulation in nerve cells especially in the brain leading to critical neurodegeneration effects like Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, and Autism (which is primarily genetic psychopathy, but the mercury neurodegeneration reduces the cognitive functions dramatically so you still have a violent psychopath yet they are very moronic).

In some sense, you can think of Unicorn Blood like a poisoned very imperfect healing potion. It will help you at first, but then poison you on its way out of you. Of course, if you could get it in you then have it begin to heal you, then fixate its function with a second potion then you might be fine.
However, in this Variant harry Potter Universe, since Magic Potions only act as Power Capacitors of a sort, then you'd need something that is more of a hard-function healing fix that continues to operate from ambient magical power sources. In that case, the main character of Harry Potter should chase down the key functions of how the "Bone Regrow" potions and other permanent one-fix magic potions work at their core. All of the elements of a magical healing computer of sorts are there to be assembled, they just need to be put together in the right manner. For example, the Protean Charm is used for long distance communications (Wizarding Wireless Network as one example with an enchanted speaker mimicking any broadcast station's configuration when the network password is verbally spoken) because it acts like a linked Quantum Duplicate of the original object.

I'm very impressed, the prophecy and the Potter motto fit even better into this theme than they did in canon. Curious to see where the resolution is going.

I love your story!

Please, please, stop killing My Little Ponies. Or at least use the earlier generations.

Why does Harry still not realise that a grown man with the strength of a horse would have had no trouble killing him if that's what he wanted?

I must say, Harry really did a poor job of testing unicorn sentience. He let his assumptions cloud his testing method. He didn't try speaking to the unicorn in any language at all. If some stranger came up to me and tapped 1-2-3, I would just look at them blankly too.

the horcrux can still be useful you leave a shadow of yourself behind and you send it into battle
over and over again as even a shadow on the dark Lord is better than most of his followers?

There must be a way to in real time backup your consciousness into a magical thing
Eg every hour you download your memories into your portrait
then when your horcrux comes along it can somehow download from the portrait still wouldn't be you just a copy

Quite a shame Hermione has not yet been recovered or at least demonstrating some effort in recovering her

As an example
Harry Potter should by now have made a lab with her body laid out and every day he comes up with new ideas and new equipment
to connect to her okay every few days if the headmaster's spying
I seriously would like to see somiddle steps instead of a super quick once discovered recovery Hermione

Brilliant update
just a thought the philosopher's Stone could just maintain a permanent transfiguration affect?
E.g. trying to figure yourself and you don't age except your brain of course

If I can't figure an atom into another atom why should after a set period it return to its original state ?
Where does it gain the excess energy

Energy used to transfer the object "A" into "b" so where does it get the commencing to change back
it seems when a wizard transfigured he changes 100% of the object it is not an illusion it's actually 100% changed
so what effect makes it return

Brilliant unicorn transfiguration one of them should be included in every potions kit

Brilliant update I don't want to see this story ever end
it is sad to think there's not much left

Astounding as always!

Well, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you, but this was a great chapter.

Incredible work, I'm very happy that you've managed to continue the story! Extra thanks to the generous reader whomever you may be!

Successfully made me wish Voldemort could live. Even after Hermione's death.

Wow.

Great work! If it doesn't turn out that Quirrell isn't Voldemort or similar, couldn't you let him live, by having Harry discover cryonics the day after - if he hasn't already (no mention of 'cryonics' in the book, nor of Ettinger) - when making a last effort on finding any good muggle-science to save the day? Harry ought to talk to at least some professors on any new, crazy idea that just might work.

good

YAY an update! I was worried you'd died or something and we'd never know the end

Very intersting chapter! Thanks for the update :-)

Holy cow, I've never seen so many reviews for a story in my life. I was excited for the update and I finally had a chance to read it tonight. It was GREAT, but I'm sad that Quirl is dying. I've had several suspicions about who he really is but I'm both anxious and dreading finding out the truth. Once I know the truth then the mystery will be all over, and then I'll go through the story all over again to look for the hints. Anyway, it's off to sleep for me. Thanks for the update and congrats on being the #1 most reviewed HP Fanfiction. :)

Yay, glad to see an update. Definitely still interested in where this story is going.

It's been a week I have been reading your amazing work, and as a Harry Potter fan I have been most impressed by the way you are using our knowledge of the story to trick us : playing with our expectancies, having us foreseen the plots and issues, and then twist them completely... I am bewildered !
Moreover, I am extremely fond of the way you are bringing knowledge to your reader through an attractive reading ; and rising questions that are usually being avoided and fled. To put it simply, this is so much more than entertainment : this truly trigger a research on how one's mind actually works.
This does not, nevertheless says that I take for granted the main character's point of view, but that hearing it is worth !

I have just been through four years of your hard work and feel the rush to thank you for a work of such a quality. I may not be the first to do so, but I wished to stress this nevertheless : thank you and I wish you all the best for the final arc !

And here I thought that Tom didn't actually care about the stone. Seems I guessed wrong. And Harry actually checked unicorns for sentience! Progress!

Though this chapter was a sad one I couldn't be happier. Finally the next chapter! I love this story so much!
Thanks for writing it.

Good to see you updating again

So logical, apparently. :)

Noooo! I don't want this to end!

It most definitely wasn't published in Harry's time, but I'm almost positive Eliezer is referencing the book "The Four Hour Work Week".

"Bear with me. What is the opposite of happiness? Sadness? No. Just as love and hate are two sides of the same coin, so are happiness and sadness. Crying out of happiness is a perfect illustration of this. The opposite of love is indifference, and the opposite of happiness is-here's the clincher-boredom."

-"The Four Hour Work Week", Page 51

Incidentally, while 4HWW is good, it seems to be a rather specialized version of the concepts taught in "The Lean Startup". If you have to choose only one, I'd go with "The Lean Startup".

For my attempt at loopy predictions, here's what we know:

- There have been dark hints about destroying the sun.

- We are told that throwing a single dementor into the sun is insufficient to destroy it.

- Harry wants to destroy Azkaban, which has a lot of dementors, not just one.

- Harry wants to kill Death.

- Dementors represent Death.

- Hermione, Harry's best friend has died. He is desperate to revive her.

- He believes Quirrell will die if he doesn't prevent it.

This suggests that Harry might be sorely tempted to kill Death by throwing every dementor in Azkaban into the sun, somehow. Seems far-fetched, but who knows? If something like that does happen, it probably won't be straightforward. It will be twisty and symbolic in some way, and the details might make the actual events appear more sensible in context than the short summary does at first sight.

Not bold enough? Okay, maybe Mr. Hat and Cloak is Death himself, and he will be tossed into the sun.

This was a fantastic chapter. I am impressed that you can return to working after a break and mannequin sale style of writing, a weakness of mine.

I loved the limitation to the killing curse. It makes sense, and is pretty awesome.
Nor sure I fully understand the Horcrux... Is the implication that the memories stored within the horcrux fully override the memories and personality of the person who finds it?
If so even changing it to affect a blank clone is not trite resurrection... It creates a separate consciousness, a second distinct individual.

Very clever work.

I feel guilty for thinking it might never appear...

I'm confused. Why isn't Harry suggesting Muggle ways of helping? I mean Quirrell is open to Muggle ideas by reading "Thinking Physics" (great recommendation by the way) and while magic is better than Muggle healing, isn't there cryogenics? Even if Quirrell would prefer a status charm or something similar...

Great story and I never saw the bit about the Killing Curse coming, even if I had spent a long time trying to think of spells with extra levels like the Patronus Charm.

Ah, indifference.

And so again, the Grey Lantern Corps is proven to be the most powerful.

If Early Day, or Late at Night,
It's not my problem, I'll be alright.
No cause you name is worth the fight,
But if I'm bored, then yeah, I might.

The first section feels somehow less-edited than usual.

One thing I notice is that we're given a very explicit recap of "Quirrell killed a unicorn" without first having a point of view established to tell us that the narrator is someone who should know that. On first reading, it made me wonder whether his unicorn-killing had become common knowledge. I had a similar perception on Quirrell yelling that he was dying. Potter only figured it out a few days ago and was stunned by the news, and now he yells it in front of the whole school, and _no one reacts much_? I feel like a wave of horror should have rippled across the students, or something. And the "medical regimen" comment doesn't really get explained (Harry's responsibility for the interruption) until much later in the chapter - which is OK except the phrase "medical regimen" is unfamiliar - I hadn't thought of Quirrell's unicorn drinking as a "medical regimen" so again, not enough context was established for the narration, events, and phrasings.

I don't know what to say except that I cannot wait for the next chapter.

Oh. my. gods. I can't believe this updated AND IT WAS AMAZING.
I especially love all the subtle little, silly-sounding hints you've put in about certain things Harry is training himself to do :D can't wait until the next update!

This is blowing my mind on so many levels...

Yay, more HPMOR. :D

You do a great job of setting up what comes next. I envy the readers that start the story when it is completed!

Woohoo, it's back!

Shame we now have to wait till October, but hopefully your remote getaway somewhat accelerates the process.

How many chapters do you expect the story will be at, when finished? And also, once complete, is there *any* chance of spinoffs or later years?

It's good to see this story back. It's unfortunate to see Quirrell in such a state, and I still find myself grieving over the loss of Hermione in this story. Congratulations for coming so far with the story, and I will look forward to hearing more from you.

I must admit I miss your earlier, long chapters.
I do hope you haven't run out of ideas for the story, but they're beautiful nonetheless.

well, that was fun, its cute to see Harry figure out life's little quirks that normal people realize quietly without much fanfare.
a dramatic one no doubt.
loving Voldemort lying but so EARNEST truths that have showed up for later, because its crafting the story well enough for TRAGEDY later rather than just boring good hero bad villain type deals.

smart of old Tom to figure that stuff out, the one chance he has is to change the genere of the fight to something that he has a chance to win, because potter is a hero, which means the only way to win is to force himself to fall into a TRAGIC one.

your story is always written well and interesting, especially when one looks at it with some wonderfull cheer, and all.
so thanks for taking the time to make this story, its always entertaining.

The Stone is insufficient; it cannot resurrect Hermione. Besides, Trelawney's second prophecy must still be fulfilled...

I was hoping horcruxes would do something like that.

I have to admit that I had just written the Stone off as a little inside joke by this point. Hopefully he'll ask Draco before wasting too much time in the library...

What what what? Ending. This is year one less wrong! You can't just leave us like this!
I'll let you stay in my house indefinitely if you write out his whole life.

Interesting setup to the Philosophers Stone. I wonder if the setup for it offering both immortality and gold production is to do with it being an amplifier, a resource or a catalyst to long endurance or permanent transfiguration? Would seperate from the elixer of life, it would be a breakdown in the transfiguration permanently keeping the body healthy?

Also I hope the unicorn doesn't have friends on the other side of that deadly infested by magical creatures forest that go to get her back...

I wonder what the secondat level of the cruciatus curse is

I think that you writing adds more to the world than some of your other projects, LW excluded. Good writers are few and far between. You must satisfy your readers as the only proper source of written joy, as you have raised the skilllevel to unreasonableness.

I'm a bit biased towards you spending your time writing. Just slightly.

Pretty please.

MOAR!

First: You updated!

Second: You updated!

And this is getting exciting! And I am excited! And we're back to the Philosophers Stone! More than 50% percent probability is a good thing... I think... It's probability, it's like maybe. I will stay tuned! Good luck Eliezer! And best wishes about finishing in 2014!

Rarity! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Do not make the mistake of pitying Quirrell, this is all part of his plan, his fake disease, sudden interest in science and reverse psychology in order to get the stone.

The stone probably requires a test of morals that Quirrell would fail, like in canon, and he needs Harry to want to use the stone for others.

Also dear god Eliezer stop it with the fucking pony references.

So any nonhuman intelligence that can't instantly read human body language
isn't really intelligent, huh ? There are humans with various mental impairments
such as autism and dysnumeria that would have flunked Harry's little test.
Too bad for Rarity, I guess.
Of course, the logical implication of McG's statement is that muggle lives are
worth less than wizard lives, so as wizard's go he's pretty standard for this.
Nice.