09/11/17: With all the attention on Irma, I was shocked this morning to realize that the significance of the the date had escaped me. The more so in that I have a longer history with the attacks on the Trade Centers than many.

I was a librarian in the Brookyn Public Library on 02/26/1993, when the first bombing of the complex took pace; indeed, children from schools served by my library were there that day. Thankfully, none were injured.

i was living and working in Ohio, near Cincinnati and Wright-Patterson AF base on 09/11/2001. As we got more information, I was stunned to learn that Flight 11 had gone through the office of a dear friend. The only consolation was that he never knew what hit him. He was at my wedding, at the baptism of my daughter, held a small party when we left for Ohio. In every way, he was the model of a Christian gentleman. Jonathan Randell, you are still missed.

We were lucky in that several others we knew could have been first responders, but weren't

08/11/17: Question for those cleverer than I. Did Robst every use the lyrics for the Stones' You Can't Always Get What You Want in any of his stories to throw Dumbledore off the track? Additionally, I want you to know that the next thing I'll publish a a teaser for chapter 2 of Lazarus Long. That hopefully will be real soon, then I intend to finish Sleep Walkers Mistake.

6/08/17: An update on how I see the summer playing out. I've finished an Omake for Lequin. Now teasers for 'Blast' and 'Long'. Then I will finish 'Mark', then 'SWM'. Finally, I'll finish 'Long' and work on the other two WIPs.

4/16/17: Today isthe fourth anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing. I'm sure the feeling will not go away soon. I suggest you look up 'Dream On Boston tribute' on your browser and watch Tyler's tribute to the four who died.

02/02/17: Just a couple thoughts. I once read a story where Mr. Patil taught Harry how to really play chess, with disasterous results for Ron. Also, I saw a description of a story where the Potters where suppose to protect the Longbottoms and failed. If you now of either story, please give me a PM.

01/28/17: I want to thank you, all my incredibly loyal readers for continuing to check in and reread my stories. I want to give you an update. One chapter is complete and ready to post. One chapter is 1/3 to 1/2 finished. The other two are barely begun, but I know where each is going. I want you to know that getting these updates is my top priority. I will be using my 'puter to write and for email, period. I hope to have them posted by Valentine's Day at the latest. In any event, I will let all of you know here, one day before updates begin.

01/08/17: Today is my Birthday and I'm 60 today! Suppose I should feel OLD, but I don't. I promise though, I'll make you a promise I'll have updated well before I'm 61!

12/24/16: In 2 1/2 hours local time, will be sunset and the start of Chanukah for Judism. In ten hours, it will be Christmas for the Western Christian traditions. Dec. 26 begins Kwanza. I wish all who will celebrate joy and peace. For those of you who observe other holidays, I wish the same when those times are upon you. For those who observe no religious holidays, may you find joy in every day.

11/2/2016: The Chicago Cubs, Baseball's equivalent to the Chudley Cannons, just won the World Series after last winning it in 1908. Having followed them for a big part of my life, I can say I'm happy.

01/04/2016 The 'Harry's Challenge' poll is over and You want the story to continue. I will offer it as an option when I'm down to one WIP and have you choose my next WIP. Thanks to all who voted.

01/01/2016 The birthday poll is over and Susan Bones' Birthday is May 2. Also, Amelia Bones' Birthday is Nov. 26. There is a new poll up, or will be shortly about the story 'Harry's Challnge'. Please take a moment and vote.

I know that vampires don't exist. If they did, they'd be running blood drives on my behalf.

I am 60 with varied reading interests. I like most genres of books, especially Sci Fi and Fantasy. Particularly, Harry Potter, both Percy Jackson series and the Dresden Files.

I've several ideas for HP Fics, Percy Jackson Fics (after BoO comes out) and HP/PJ and HP/ DF crossovers.

I have some wonderful Betas helping me, but I can use more help, particularly if you know Percy Jackson and the Dresden Files. So, you are an experienced beta, or know someone who might like the the job, please PM.

i think I should share a bit about preferences/prejudices. I like stories with an AU or time travel component.

I like the thought of incorporating ideas I find attractive in others' writing, but you may rest assured I will never fail to make appropriate attributions.

I absolutely hate reading stories that sound great, but were never completed. My pledge to you is If I publish a story, I shall complete the story If I don't, you may be sure that I have died.

Also, I will avoid run on sentences and particularly run on paragraphs. You all know, the sort that take up the whole screen with no breaks.

Like many writers on the site, I have my own spelling idiosyncrasies. I just like the looks of 'DeathEater(s) and TriWizard. So please don't bother correcting those spellings.

Compensation

As we all know, Fan Fiction is free in the sense that no one receives monetary compensation. However, I feel very rich, since as of this writing (2/1/15) my offerings have led to reviews, story followers, story favorites, author followers, author favorites, and community inclusions. Thanks to you all!

Harry's Magical Strength

Two assumptions made in fan fiction are that 1. Harry's magical power reaches it full development at age 17 (as does everyone else too) and 2. Harry is more than a match magically for any of the adults he meets. I'd submit that these both are false.

The first idea fall apart if you have any knowledge of human development. Witches and Wizards are simply humans who push the limit of variability in the direction of use of a certain form of energy. Just like all other humans, most women reach their physical and emotional maturity in their late twenties to early thirties. Most men reach their physical maturity in their early-mid thirties and their emotional maturity somewhere in the next ten years or so.

It is reasonable to think that a combination of physical, mental and intellectual (that is, knowledge and experience) maturity only starts somewhere between a Wizard or Witch's 40s and 60s and then continues until a decade or so before their natural lifespan, when a decrease is noted. Personally, I think Harry is in the 99-100th percentile for his age, Hermione in the 92-95 percentile and Ron in the low 80s. By the time Harry and Hermione reach their full maturities, there will be only a relative few in the world who will match them, and no more than a handful who surpass them.

The second idea is simply not canon. When Harry fights an adult anywhere in canon, he is outmatched, think of the "battle" with Snape at the end of HBP. There is always a reason that the adult doesn't end Harry then and there. Voldemort has ordered them to bring him alive so he can kill Harry personally. Because of the way Voldemort has stupidly followed the Prophecy, he has ensured that Harry will always have an equal, if not superior chance against him. If Voldemort had simply assigned a DeathEater to hit Harry with the Killing Curse on the platform, the Prophecy could have been avoided. Maybe. In any event, some of the adults who could have killed Harry don't want to because they're on his side and those want to (DeathEaters) are hampered by their master's orders, ultimately the Prophecy.

Pairings

On the matter of parings, I am not a fan of canon in HP. I always found Harry and Hermione to be so in sync and supportive of each other, that I was shocked when she fell for Ron.

Ron, as many have said, was always borderline abusive at worst and highly contentious to Hermione at best. Yes, there were make ups, but full-fledged apologies? Maybe once or perhaps twice. (In fact the lack of true apologies in canon is a really odd thing, particularly in a 'J' to 'YA' series). Neither Harry nor Hermione should ever have let Ron come back in DH. They should have heard him out, stunned him, taken the Deluminator and left.

I am not a Ron hater, the (very) few times he showed to his potential, he was magnificent, but in the end, he was too immature to really keep up with Harry and Hermione. I believe that JKR struggled in PS between having Neville the third in the trio and Ron. The more I've thought of it, the more I think she choose wrongly.

I never found Harry/Ginny believable, never. For four plus books she is this little nebbishy girl in the mid-ground or background and then she becomes courageous? And then Harry falls in love with her? The final proof for me is she doesn't fight when Harry breaks up with her, so she won't be a target. If she truly loved him, she would have told him she'd be at his side come what may and if he didn't like it, he was SOL!! She didn't and so couldn't ever be his girlfriend, his lover, his wife, mother to his children. And, just like Ron, she simply was too immature to have kept Harry's attention, excepting brief moments.

I don't mind other pairings for Harry and Hermione so long as they don't cause one to have to suspend disbelief, such as Hermione and Snape, Draco, Tom Riddle, etc. I don't like Hermione with any of the Weasleys. Or Harry and Narcissa, Bellatrix, or McGonagall. I've read some good same sex stories, but generally, I don't seek them out and I don't expect I'll ever write any. All I ask for in other pairing stories is that neither Harry nor Hermione be bashed, nor marginalize and that both end up with someone good.

Alternate Stories

Alternate stories will always involve time travel, dimensional travel or changes to canon (and I adhere to the books as canon, not the movies) beyond that which, IMHO canon can support. Currently, four of my WIPs are in that category.

My Review Policy

I love reviews! To me, reviews tell me that I am reaching my readers. further, I've met some wonderful people at FFN. I don't care if you post a negative review, I learn something and often the resulting dialogue has improved my writing. But, if you flame me as a guest, I'll moderated it out. Own your criticisms or I've no time for you.

Last Day to enroll in Hogwarts

I've had this discussion with a number of readers. Harry is the youngest student in his Hogwarts cohort (that we know of). Neville Longbottom is the second youngest. It quite clearly is stated in canon that the acceptance must be in by 31 July. We can be confident, I think, that his earlier letters he received said the same. If that wasn't the last day to enroll, a different date would have been specified.

Harry entered Hogwarts with very little time to read his texts (thanks Dursleys!) and with absolutely no socialization into magical culture. Any non-magically reared person would have the same problem. Any parent of a non-magically reared person would reject sending their child on only a such little notice. Even for the magically reared, a few days time to get the wand (one assumes their parents would have bought all the other supplies earlier, knowing about Hogwarts) would seem to me to be real brinkmanship. So, July 31 as the last day to enroll makes a lot of sense to me, if not considerably earlier than that.

Now, I also know that Ginny's birthday is August 11, 1981 and that by my reasoning means she should be two years behind and not one. Perhaps for those raised in magical households the cutoff is August 31. Perhaps there is a special dispensation for those with siblings already in Hogwarts. Really, I don't know other than it couldn't extend into September, as Hermione could have then been in the year above Harry, Ron and Neville.

In the end, I think this is just one of the details about her reality that JKR didn't settle on when writing and clearly one she hasn't bothered correlate between canon and her extra-canonical pronouncements. How writers handle it then should be how it is. For me, non-magically reared witches and wizards have a deadline of July 31 and the magically reared have a deadline of August 31.