While I disagree with the fate of the cloak (it needed to stay in the Potter family regardless) and Henry Potter's decision about James (can we say "cop out"? How about "easy way out"?) this was still a great chapter.

For several reasons I am not at all a fan of "rape as plot arc". It's normally not used effectively at all in that the writer has the victim springing back from that devastation in an obscenely short amount of time or they have the girl decide that the best way to recover is to ride some guy's dick or...ugh, there's an almost infinite ways that immature and/or prurient wanna-be writers like to insult trauma victims by the way they handle rape in a story.

I like the way you handle the topic of sexual assault. You didn't sensationalize it (very much), you didn't feel the need to make it an "all the way" although it was well enough of a violation to "count", and you haven't had Lily brush it off like no big deal. Not bad.

Are Sirius and Reg's parents in Azkaban, freed, at home, what? *snort* For as 'brilliant' and "the Circle" are, collectively speaking, it's a bit beyond suspension of disbelief that none of them seem to seriously suspect James...

Ohhhh - thank you for clarifying why Remus' change was so difficult.

Ugh, the constant vilification of James gets old. My first reaction to being slapped would be to automatically slap back, too. Gender has nothing to do with protecting one's self. James was wrong in taunting and abusing Peter - absolutely. Lily was right to go after James for what he did to Peter. James slapping Lily back could very easily be explained and, given the fact she'd just done the same to him, I'd call them even...and I was raised with the "men don't ever hit women under any circumstances" general rule. But James seems to be settling down fine with this Mary person, he's not creeping after Lily anymore and hasn't since the spell was lifted, so what's Sev's problem with James on the Lily front NOW? Feels more like a vendetta from his previous life spilling over (and author vilification...).

I do think it's funny how Albus actually did something about James this time around when before he was too busy courting "The Marauders" (and their money, prestige, and family names...) to bother.

I don't get it - why was Remus in such a state at that particular time anyway? What was going on with him and why? That part hasn't been very clear.

This chapter seemed disjointed somehow. Was that on purpose? It's like the characters and their actions were all over the place.

I have yet to understand why anyone would want to be a Prefect - you're doing all this extra work, spending all this extra time, and taking on all this responsibility AND YOU'RE NOT GETTING PAID FOR IT. It's like you're doing a teacher's job w/o the pay. Cheap-shit of educational institutions, that's for sure.

Well of course the ill-prepared, not-really warned muggle-dad got offed. It's not like anyone thought to strongly protect the muggle parents...even though the paper is full of stories of muggleborn families being targeted... Poor guy...

great story. Well written and plot driven

I hope Severus is able to keep all his important memories intact not only for his talk with Lily but for the knowledge, too.

Oh, Reg...

I like that, even though they were bigoted fucks, Eileen's parents (or at least that one guy) did care enough about her to leave her and her "half-blood" son everything. That was oddly well-done of him/them.

So dear ol' Albus allows caretakers to abuse students. Nice to know...

Lily sure seems to think very highly of her absurd need for information. Basically, she's kind of a nosy bitch in a way but at least she's trying to be nice about it I guess.

Who killed James?