FIC: Inevitable 30: Middle Ground

[mhalachaiswords]

Inevitable 30: Middle Ground is up!

At TTH
(and if TTH is broken:)
At Pomme de Sang
At Skyehawke

In this chapter, I abandon all thoughts of subtlety in how this fic is going to go, and opt for the sledgehammer approach to storytelling. I like the way it turned out :P

Please, all comments are welcome.

Comments

[child_labor]

I read this chapter this morning and I must say that I think I took Nathaniel's interpretation of the prophecy far worse than Harry did, which is pretty bad since it, y'know, doesn't affect my life in any serious ways. The idea of Harry needing to die to fulfill the prophecy has been one of those things that I grudgingly acknowledge in the back of my head but hope and pray won't turn out to be true. Granted, I felt the exact same way about Sirius and Dumbledore, so it's probably pretty bleak hope. Poor, poor Harry.

I really want to know what Nathaniel's thinking throughout all of this. When he talks to Harry, it's always from Harry's point of view, and he seems a little ... closed off, I guess. I really want to see him react strongly to something that isn't either Anita freaking out or a grill.

And the sledgehammer was a good idea, unless you wanted slow people like me to get around to the last couple chapters and completely get sideswept by such a possibility rearing its head. Good chapter.

[mhalachaiswords]

Nate is very good at hiding his emotions from people who... well, everyone. He's upset by the idea of Harry dying, of course, but Harry isn't going to know that, or even see how Nate really reacts. We will, soon.

I think Harry's still in denial. After all, he's had two years of thinking all he has to do is off Voldemort, not to steel himself for dying.

:)

[catherinecookmn]

One interesting thing: Most every one of the adult decisionmakers in Harry's life sees him, first and foremost, as a means to an end.

Richard sees him as a potential asset to the pack. Jean Claude sees him as someone who would make a useful bodyguard for Anita. Dumbledore sees him as Voldemort's bane (though at the end of OoP he shows remorse over this, and how he distanced himself from Harry because of it).

Aside from Remus, and perhaps Molly and Arthur Weasley, who are the only two adults who value Harry just for being Harry? Anita and Nathaniel.

[mhalachaiswords]

You've made very good points, but I want to add someone else to your end list (to fill out the trio): Damian. All the adults you mention are on their way to being all the family Harry has. Sirus would also have been in that list.

What I find interesting is that Harry's family, if you want to call it this, has come to him after he was pegged by the Powers That Be (Voldemort, Dumbledore) to be Important. He wasn't valued for himself until before the beginning of second year, when he stayed with the Weasleys. Poor kid.

[catherinecookmn]

I want to add someone else to your end list (to fill out the trio): Damian.

A-yep. I thought of that, oh, about two seconds after hitting "Post Comment".

So, we've got people who care about him, simply because he's Harry: Anita, Nathaniel, Damian, Ron, Hermione (and possibly Remus, but he's offstage for now). And people who see him, either largely or totally, in utilitarian terms: Dumbledore (though this is changing), Jean Claude, Richard, Meng Die, and pretty much all the other adults not already mentioned. How Harry handles this should be interesting.