Re read this after leaving Harry Potter fanfiction alone for a few years. I remember having some misgivings first time around and they feel much more amplified now.
The story is good. The pacing works; once the characters are established they don't break character; the writing itself flows naturally. And the decision to make the Weasleys anatagonistic but not villainous was damn brilliant and worked beautifully. But there's a lot that'll leave you feeling put off.
At the top of the list is Voldemort. In the bad future he damn near destroyed Wizarding England. But once the trio jump to the past he becomes completely ineffectual. He fails to recruit any worthwhile base, the minions he does claim are so obviously evil the good guys spot them a mile off, and his most triumphant moment is murdering an old woman in her bed. All he manages to be is an especially powerful killer.
Then there's the heroes themselves. Sure they're scarred war veterans so their comfort with assassinations and the like makes complete sense but why is Dumbledore going along with it? Or Sirius? Or Remus? They more or less give Harry and Co. a blank check to do whatever they want, ethics be damned.
And of course there's the other time traveller. Supposedly he sets the plot in motion but there's no reason why this new prophecy couldn't have done that on its own. It also ruins some of the better themes from the canon series (the importance of choice and self determination for example) and as the series has so few to begin with...
Beyond that the whole "Harry MUST be the Chosen One" thing just grated me but I realize that's purely personal.
None of this becomes an issue until the last third of the story so it's a pretty smooth ride. You might not even notice to be honest.
7.5/10
Re read this after leaving Harry Potter fanfiction alone for a few years. I remember having some misgivings first time around and they feel much more amplified now.
The story is good. The pacing works; once the characters are established they don't break character; the writing itself flows naturally. And the decision to make the Weasleys anatagonistic but not villainous was damn brilliant and worked beautifully. But there's a lot that'll leave you feeling put off.
At the top of the list is Voldemort. In the bad future he damn near destroyed Wizarding England. But once the trio jump to the past he becomes completely ineffectual. He fails to recruit any worthwhile base, the minions he does claim are so obviously evil the good guys spot them a mile off, and his most triumphant moment is murdering an old woman in her bed. All he manages to be is an especially powerful killer.
Then there's the heroes themselves. Sure they're scarred war veterans so their comfort with assassinations and the like makes complete sense but why is Dumbledore going along with it? Or Sirius? Or Remus? They more or less give Harry and Co. a blank check to do whatever they want, ethics be damned.
And of course there's the other time traveller. Supposedly he sets the plot in motion but there's no reason why this new prophecy couldn't have done that on its own. It also ruins some of the better themes from the canon series (the importance of choice and self determination for example) and as the series has so few to begin with...
Beyond that the whole "Harry MUST be the Chosen One" thing just grated me but I realize that's purely personal.
None of this becomes an issue until the last third of the story so it's a pretty smooth ride. You might not even notice to be honest.