The life-giving light of Celestia’s sun shone down upon the land. Once again, it was nearing the end of summer, and a beautiful day graced Ponyville and the surrounding countryside. As befitted the mood of the parents in that provincial town, nature itself seemed to be laughing. The twitter of birds was unmistakable, with their calls coming from trees near and far as the little scamps flitted from branch to branch. From the ponds, the bass rumbling from the frogs evoked memories of hearty chuckles.
Meanwhile, lying in the grass, there were three fillies, their barrels rapidly rising and falling as they took quick gulps of air. They were three industrious fillies, determined to meet their destinies. To achieve their goal, they were determined to use every resource, every scheme on which they could lay their hooves. They were persistent. They were clever. They were ambitious. But most of all, they were sticky. They were desperately in need of a bath to rid themselves of the tree sap that coated every hair on their bodies.
“Aaaaand,” the first little filly, an orange pegasus named Scootaloo, said, “scratch Cutie Mark Crusader Lumberjacks off the list.”
“I can’t believe we didn’t see that one coming,” the white unicorn filly of the group groused as she rubbed her white pelt. “With our record, why would we think that taking a saw to a tree was a good idea?”
“Ah still say it was a good try, Sweetie Belle,” said the final filly, a yellow earth pony named Apple Bloom. “How’n were we supposed ta know that a tree could be so aggressive?”
“A good try?” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “The tree shot out a stream of sap, ten trots in length. We barely nicked it, and it started playing target the pony.”
“Well . . .” Apple Bloom untied the red bow in her mane, annoyed by the way the sap’s weight was causing it to sag into her eyes. “. . . it does stand to reason that it would be a mite mad. We were trying to cut it down, after all.”
“Trees aren’t supposed to shoot sap like that,” Sweetie Belle clarified. “Trees aren’t supposed to be good at targeting dodging pegasi who avoid the first squirt, either.”
“Yeah, it sure had good aim for an overgrown stick without eyes.” Scootaloo sighed. “Though, considering all the times we’ve ended up covered in sap, I’m sure it’s normal tree behavior.”
“But,” Sweetie protested, “trees aren’t supposed to be sapient. They’re just supposed to be trees!”
“Ah don’t rightly know what sapient means.” Apple Bloom gloomily shook her bow before giving it up as a lost cause. “But it has sap in it an’ Ah can vouch that trees have sap. It stands to reason that they must be sapient.”
“That makes sense.” Scootaloo quickly agreed.
Sweetie Bell wisely let the matter drop; after all, the tree had been aiming at Scootaloo. Then, there was the fact that they did live near the Everfree Forest. “That was a lot of sap to get out of a small nick,” she said, attempting to rein in the conversation.
“It’s not like they have better things to do than stand around all day making sap to shoot at ponies,” Scootaloo noted.
“Enough with the sap talk.” Apple Bloom abruptly stood up. “We’re wasting crusading time; let’s go get cleaned up.”
“Can’t we wait a while?” Sweetie Belle asked. “I’d like to give Rarity a little more time to get engrossed in her dress making. That way, she won’t notice I'm covered in sap, again.”
“Y’all don’t need ta go home yet.” Apple Bloom smirked. "Before we got started, Ah asked mah sister ta set the washtub out behind the barn. Should be there waiting fer us ta get cleaned up.”
“That works.” Scootaloo also stood up, did her best impression of a dog shaking itself, and started in the direction of the barn.
“Wait. What?” Sweetie jumped to her hooves, facing Apple Bloom.” You knew we were going to be covered in sap?” she demanded.
“We war planning on taking a saw to a tree.” Apple Bloom shrugged, before following after Scootaloo. “How could anypony not see that coming?”
Bringing up the rear, Sweetie reflected that there was something really wrong with the entire conversation; however, she was unable to put her hoof on exactly what that might have been.
A short time later, they were in a wooden tub, industriously scrubbing the sap out of each other’s coats, tails, and manes. It went unvoiced, but they were all amazed and grateful that they hadn’t received their sap removal cutie marks. After all, no matter how proficient they became at that particular chore, none of them wanted to wear that accomplishment on their flank.
“Well,” Apple Bloom sighed around the scrub brush in her mouth. “School’ll be starting next week. That means less time fer our crusading an’ we still haven’t got our marks.”
“Yeah, I’m not looking forward to putting up with Diamond Tiaraaaaa! Hey! Watch my wing there, Sweetie! That hurt!” Scootaloo sent the little unicorn a baleful gaze. “Anyways, I almost wish we were going to a different school just so we won't have to deal with her.”
“Sorry, my brush slipped.” Cutely, Sweetie's cheeks reddened. “I almost wish we were going to Celestia’s school in Canterlot. Not that I wouldn’t miss Miss Cheerilee, but there would be sooooo much more to do and learn.”
“That there school is fer unicorns only.” Apple Bloom shook her head. “An’ Ah’m an earth pony. Thar ain’t no way they’d let me in.”
“That’s not true,” Sweetie corrected. “I overheard my sister talking to Twilight. They’re gonna start an earth pony program and a pegasus program this year.”
“Really?” Apple Bloom brightened. “Hmm, that’s not so far; we could be home fer the weekends. Think of all the new ponies we’d meet.”
Sweetie Belle let her ears droop. “The problem is they’ve closed the enrollment for this year.”
“Then why’d you bring it up?” Scootaloo scoffed.
“I don’t know.” Sweetie sighed.
“That’s okay Sweetie,” Apple Bloom said, dipping her brush in the water before attacking Sweetie’s flank again. “We’d probably have ta pass all kinds of hard tests an’ follow all kinds of rules jus’ ta get in.”
“Still, it sounds cool,” Scootaloo said. “I’ll bet they have an advanced flying class. Pity about the whole rules thing.”
“Wait a minute!” Sweetie perked up.
“Ow! My wing!”
“Sorry. But wait a second, girls; who do we know that practically makes it his mission to get around rules?”
There was a moment of silence as the fillies traded glances with each other. A wordless communication affirmed that they were all thinking the same thing. There was tacit agreement that this was an idea they’d regret not attempting.
One caveat had to be acknowledged, and it was Apple Bloom who broke the silence. “Thar ain’t no way this is gonna end well,” she stated.
After finishing their collective bath, the three fillies went looking for trouble, and everypony knew that trouble’s name started with the letter "D".
There really was only one logical place to start their search. The path to Fluttershy’s cottage was a familiar journey for the trio, leaving plenty of their attention available for them to squabble over the approach for their attempt to convince the object of their endeavors to help them.
“I still say we should offer him cupcakes,” Scootaloo contended. “You can’t go wrong with cupcakes from Pinkie Pie.”
“Nah,” Sweetie countered. “That won’t work. Let’s face it; he’d prefer it if we tried something sneaky. That would appeal to his trickster nature.”
“Thar ain’t no way we’re going ta hoodwink anyone.” Apple Bloom put her hoof down, proving that some traits were genetic no matter what some other ponies may assert. “It wouldn’t be right.”
“Well, we’d better make up our minds,” Sweetie said as their destination came into sight. “We’re almost at Fluttershy's. I hope he’s there." She sighed. "What are the odds of him actually being here right now?”
“Oh,” said a smooth voice from behind them. “I don’t know? What are the odds of who being here right now?”
Squeaking slightly, the three fillies turned to behold a familiar outlandish figure. Floating in the air, with a serpentine body that sported mismatched limbs, Discord grinned down at the children. When he had their attention, he flashed a brilliant smile and wiggled an eyebrow suggestively. Of course, he may have taken ‘flashing a smile’ a little too literally as the world went white for a second.
“Gah!”
“Mah eyes!”
“Bright light! Bright light!”
Giving in to instinct, the three fillies threw their hooves over their eyes and dropped to the ground.
“I’ve been using a new toothpaste,” Discord commented absently as he watched the three blink the spots out of their eyes.
“All right,” Sweetie Belle deadpanned. “Everypony who saw that coming, raise your hoof.”
Four hooves raised to the heavens, three being the right forehooves of the fillies. The last was on the hind leg of Discord, being the only hoof, he actually possessed. Though, in truth, that wasn’t actually a limiting factor.
“Am I getting predictable?” A pout flitted across Discord’s lips. “How could you say such a thing? After all, I thought you wanted to have a conversation with little old rule-breaking me.”
“Yup,” Apple Bloom muttered. “Thar ain’t no way this is gonna end well. Ah wonder if it’s too late to run away screaming at the top o’ mah lungs.”
“We do!” Scootaloo chirped up, eagerly plowing forward. “We wanna go to magic school. We just need your help getting in.”
“You three want to go to magic school? Hmmm.” Discord rubbed his chin as he scrutinized the girls. “Well now, I must say, this is rather unexpected. Most fillies your age want my help avoiding school, not the other way around. I must say, this is delightfully inverted.”
Scootaloo looked at Sweetie and mouthed. “Inverted?”
“I’ll explain later.” Sweetie sighed.
“Still, credit should be given where credit is due.” Discord said, ignoring the byplay. “I shall be happy to outfit you for this little quest of yours.”
“Going to school is a quest?” Scootaloo tilted her head to the side, confusion visible on her face.
“Oh, my my my. Yes, it is. More so, the older you get,” the draconequus answered with yet another smile, albeit not quite as bright. “I will leave you to discover the truth behind that at your own pace. For now, let us proceed with the outfitting for your upcoming quest. We do have to give you every possible advantage so you can get all of those hidden achievements later.”
Three lost stares met that declaration.
“First things first: the acceptance letters.” Discord reared back to his full height, dramatically stretching out his lion’s paw. “Simplicity itself,” he said snapping his claws. There was a mild flash of light and a startled owl appeared. It was only by reflex that the bird managed to perch firmly on the proffered limb.
“The talons!” Discord called out in pain. “The talons! Watch the talons!” It was Discord’s turn to act reflexively as he shook his injured limb. This only caused the owl to latch on tighter, flapping its wings to maintain its perch.
“Ooooo.” Discord snapped his claws again, causing a heavily padded sleeve to appear where it would do the most good. “Remind me to introduce you to a pedicurist.”
“Who?” the owl hooted, looking more surprised than any owl had any right to.
“Do not change the subject,” Discord scolded. “It is just I.”
“Who?”
“Me.”
“Who?”
“The one and only Discord.”
“Who?”
“The spirit of chaos.”
“Who?”
“Never mind, this is getting old, fast,” Discord said untying three letters from the bird’s leg, while the three fillies watched the exchange like cats observing a tennis match.
“Here you go.” Discord floated the letters down to the waiting hooves of the fillies. “Now then, we need to send back an acceptance so the school knows you are coming. Since the deadline has passed, someowl is going to have to make a trip through time as well as space.” Another snap marked the appearance of a new letter tied to the owl’s leg.
“Who?” the owl managed to hoot, looking worried.
“I think you know who,” Discord stated, snapping his claws. The owl disappeared in another dazzling flash of light.
“Argh!”
“Not again!”
“Remind me to bring my peril-sensitive sunglasses next time we plan on talking to Discord!”
“Hmm.” Discord studied the digits he had used for snapping. “Maybe using that toothpaste on my claws wasn’t such a bright idea. Or rather, it was too bright of an idea.”
“You used toothpaste on your claws?” Scootaloo asked.
“One needs to maintain proper hygiene.” Discord nodded. “Lucky for you, I am ambidextrous. Now, where were we? Ah yes you will be requiring funds for tuition and supplies. That is not going to take much magic to accomplish.” He snapped and a gaudy cabinet appeared.
“Is that one of Rarity’s work cupboards?” Sweetie asked, squinting.
“I do not think she will mind contributing toward your education,” Discord said as one of the drawers opened and some gems floated out. “These will do nicely,” he commented, loosely holding a pouch into which the jewels floated. “You will need to take them to the bank; then, you should have more than enough.”
*Snap!*
The cupboard disappeared.
*Snap!*
A tightly rolled scroll secured by a red ribbon appeared. “This is your ticket home,” Discord said, floating the scroll into the pouch, which should have been too small but wasn’t. “Once you learn enough magic that is. Now then, is there anything I am forgetting?”
“Apples?”
The other two fillies gave Apple Bloom dirty looks.
“What?” Apple Bloom said defensively. “Mah sister always says it’s a good idea to pack apples.”
“There will be plenty of food where you are headed,” Discord replied. “Which reminds me.” He snapped again and three pendants appeared, only to make their way into the pouch. “You will need these to fit in at first, not that you won’t make friends fast.” He tied the pouch shut before tossing it in the general direction of the fillies. Somehow it ended up on a lanyard around Apple Bloom’s neck.
“Thank ya kindly,” Apple Bloom said reflexively.
“That should cover it,” Discord said. “You are all equipped, except for the wooden sword. And thus, begins your grand quest. Off you go!”
There was one final snap of his claws and then the fillies were no longer on the path leading to Fluttershy’s. Blinking their eyes, the young adventurers found that they were in an alleyway, a particularly dirty alleyway, right after they had taken a bath.
“That went better than I was expecting,” Sweetie Belle said around the letter she still held in her mouth.
“Less than two minutes after asking Discord for a favor an’ we find ourselves in a strange alleyway?” Apple Bloom shot her a look. “Actually, Ah’d say that’s about average.”
“Don’t let him hear you say that,” Sweetie warned. “He might decide to get creative.”
Meanwhile, Scootaloo had given into her curiosity and was reading her letter. “Girls?” she asked. “What the hay is Hogwarts?”
When it said 'School' and 'Crossover' I immediately thought of Hogwarts
Yas! A Harry Potter crossover! This is going to be awesome!
The bad news is, you get absolutely zero points for originality.
The good news is, you're writing the characters very well. That's loads more important.
Well first time author, time to follow Ryvaken with more bad news. You've made two rather common first time author mistakes so far... well, two that really jump out anyway. First, incomplete understanding of dialogue formatting. To wit; unvoiced thoughts are in fact dialogue, which you got right, but they have a different formatting to distinguish them from spoken thoughts. If the Dialogue comes out the character's mouth, it gets quotation marks. If it stays inside the character's head, it is put in italics... though if you are worried about the italics tags getting eaten you can also add something other than quotation marks in addition to the italics, like an apostrophe. All the other dialogue rules, which you used properly, apply normally.
Secondly; you failed to go back and read through all your sentences to make sure you actually typed all the words you thought. If it's what to run away screaming? Too late? Too soon? Time? This missing bit is actually integral to the humor of this sentence and its absence makes it just flop.
Remember, people make long involved criticisms because they care! People who don't care just throw short/vague insults... usually riddled with misspellings and terrible grammar.
I love this fic for the following reasons, in order:
The characterization.
The humor.
The writing.
The premise.
Please don't let this die after becoming amazing like Wizard and the Lonely Princess.
Just wondering, do you have an editor yet?
If not, I can do it if you want. I am one of those strange people that actually like editing.
Just PM me if you want some extra help. And if you put everything into a Google Doc, I can edit faster, easier, and give wording suggestions without permanently changing anything.
(And I definitely understand the "first story" thing. Trust me, my first fic was much, much worse.)
Now, for some preliminary advice - like others have said, your formatting is bad right now, but that is mostly due to not knowing what the correct format is. There is some strangeness of wording in the first paragraph as well.
Still, you do characters really well. Something that I had to learn through a lot of practice (I probably wrote 5 or 6 stories that I scrapped because I didn't really create any interesting characters to go along with the events.)
On what Ryvaken said: you can do a situation like this. The type where Discord sends people somewhere for a crossover. But crossovers are hard to get right. You can't just mash the worlds together. You have to add something new. Something interesting other than just the interactions between them.
Either that, or you need to create a complex and intriguing plot of adventure and excitement within that combined world. Something a lot harder that takes a lot of work. Really, it depends on the type of writer you are.
And now that's over, I just have to say...
I can't wait for more!
Hogwarts... what Hogwarts?, oh you mean that smouldering ruin that used to be a school?
Darn, not the crossover I was expecting (and yes, I know I'm terrible. But at least I didn't provide the actual scene :P)
*Reads description*
*Barely contains laughter*
Dis gonna be gud
So it is a Harry Potter crossover.
You know it's been a few years since I read the books, (and I never did finish that last one) let's give this a whirl.
Actually, that starts with "T" and it rhymes with "D" & that stands for Discord
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Music+From+Music+Man&&view=detail&mid=D2D91BA723B2354A5A46D2D91BA723B2354A5A46&FORM=VRDGAR
OHHH wel just read the first chapter and I’m hooked! Let’s see where this rabbit hole goes.
8445022
This is getting good!
Scootaloo. Double o, not triple. Pretty interesting though.
8856104
Stare Master, the infamous "that's not how you call a chicken!" scene.
And thus, I re-read.
8902152
2nd or 6th?
I know that people are saying that Discord is acting out of character, but he isn't following his natural tendencies here. Discord seems to be both helping someone else, and trying to make chaos at the same time while trying to fix wrongs, and keep track of those who can mess with his plans. Remember He is getting help from someone who is more inclined to orderly plans then he is.
8163533
unless they was pulling an "Oops, did i just accidentally a war?" from abridged series'
Dangit Discord, really?
img00.deviantart.net/1c90/i/2015/054/f/e/discord_grayscale_01_by_baron_engel-d8j95oe.jpg
Really.
muggles have no magic.
9073649
<.<
>.>
"no shit?"
Hm... Well I can't say it's the best prose I have seen, but it certainly isn't the worst; grammar is upheld to the point where I did not outright spot obvious mistakes, and the characters and setting seem within normal deviancies, so no OOC's. I do think going back now that you learned your new tricks wouldn't be a bad thing, but I wouldn't worry too much about losing an audience right out the gate.
Third time through!
Can't believe I hadn't commented on this page yet.
Trouble doesn't just start with a 'D'. It ends with it, too.
I've had some issues with getting into the HP crossover fanfics on this site for various reasons. So far, this one at least appears more interesting than some of the others. Discord seems capricious here, and it's difficult to nail down if this is Season 4 here or Season 5 prior to Crusaders of the Lost Mark, therefore whether he's had his heel-face-turn with Tirek or not yet. Still, I doubt he'd just send three fillies off to another world like that just for the hell of it. He's mean, but not that mean. So there's probably a lesson to happen here.
Considering how often you three get covered in sap this should be done before every trip
It wasn't funny when Spike did it. It isn't any funnier now!
Annnnnd liked.
Now on to the next chapter.
9321394
agreed
Dang, I am joining this party late. But I will catch up REALLY soon...
9451436
It's worth it. Enjoy the roller coaster!
Um, XD, first of all, a few innuendos in the tub. Then, discord being awesome as always. I mean, MMMMMMMM, gotta love discord.
Only read your begining notwle about dumbledore getting called out on his transgressions and all i gotta say is... CAN'T W8 TO READ IT HEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHA and i hope the new one that gets ripped in him (either physically or verbally) is as legendary as the basilisk in tcos
IMO, Dumbledore was extremely competent & also a screw up who lost track of details. In the end, it got him killed
I understand the arguments for Dumbledore being horrible/incompetent, but I do have one counter-point: his established philosophy. "For the Greater Good" guided all of his actions, even if he didn't take it to as far extremes as Grindelwald did. The best protection that Harry - the boy prophesied to be the one to destroy Voldemort - could get was from the blood ward provided by Petunia. What are years of suffering as a child compared to the fate of all of Britain? Lamentable, yes, and not the choice that most people would have made, but I do not believe that it was maliciousness or incompetence that guided Dumbledore's decisions; he kept his eyes on the bigger picture, and paid any price necessary (short of the death of others, but not short of his own) to achieve the grand objective. Ethically, his actions were entirely sound. Morally, though? There's the question upon which critics of Dumbledore hang him, and I believe he would agree. I imagine that Dumbledore was perfectly willing to suffer in Hell (or equivalent) for his means so long as the end of Voldemort's permanent demise was achieved.
But enough philosophical debate; I'm here for the CMC getting into trouble along with Gred and Forge! I look forward to reading more. We need more HP crossovers!
9879332
not ethically sound, mathematically sound.
cold, logical, mathematics, dictates that sacrificing 1 for the sake of many is a net positive.
ethics, like morality, doesn't concern the ends. just the means. the wrong thing done for the right reasons is still the wrong thing, basically.
9936982
However without ethics mathematics and net positives would be pointless. We would be unable to enjoy the mathematical positive, just as a computer feels nothing doing its tasks. A computer has no ethics because it has no emotion. If you live a life without ethics you will eventually condition your mind to a point were the emotional centers of the brain will be less exercised and therefore begin to weaken. Or you will based on your circumstances simulate ceartin emotions rather than a balance, causing you to feel some extremely and others not at all, which is very unhealthy and increases chance of creating challenges or being unable to successfully overcome challenges in your path in such a way that is progressive and net positive to your overall growth and overall adaptability and therfore overall success.
This comment is not a direct response to yours, but more of an additional continuation of yours in the same scientific matter. This comment is not meant or written to be argumentive, but factual conjecture, like your comment, which is also factual and true.
In short, what you said is true, but there is more to be said on the topic, and I love to share more. Its an obsession really. I just felt if you had to mention it, you have to mention the rest to, or it feels like an incomplete sentence. I just felt the urge to complete said sentence. You probably already knew the rest and didn't think to mention the rest. In fact the only reason I noticed it is because of my obsessiveness. If not for that I wouldn't have noticed it either
Sorry for this philosophical little ramble. Just got off talking for hours with a friend about their moments of psychosis and my own mental moments and witnessing my parent have a moment of physcosis. It was very deep and quite hyperlogical, which is why I am writing like that, and if you were to see my other comments you would see the more normal stuff I say as these unique situations do not happen every day.
With all this said, have a great day/night!:)
9786943
I am at the point where I just say it takes bad writing. It is why so many people can write harry potter better than the author.
10396177
It's more of an issue that people don't seem to understand morally complex characters (a good person can do bad things for good reasons) if they do something bad that automatically makes them a bad person. In reality, Dumbledore was a good person who had to make the best choice from a list of bad choices. Yeah, Harry often suffered as a result but the alternative was risking everything else just to give Harry a better life and if you were in Dumbledore's position needing to choose between the one or the many could you honestly say you wouldn't do the same?
10409034 If it were Dumbles making the best choice in a bad situation I would mostly agree. However, it was not. Dumbles did the Fidelus charm. He knew who the secret keeper was. He let Sirius go to Azkaban in order to prevent him from contesting Harry's placement with the Dursleys.
Sirius would have been eminently capable of taking care of Harry and protecting him, avoiding anyone who wanted to harm him, based on the way he evaded capture. However, a Harry brought up by Sirius Black would not be the humble, easily led doormat who could be moulded into the Voldemort seeking missile Dumbles needed.
It is backed up by his action, or rather lack of action when Harry reached Hogwarts. He continually failed to provide Harry with any of the training or knowledge that would have ultimately helped him defeat Moldyshorts, or use his multiple positions of power to prevent the same Datheaters who killed so many in the first war from entranching themselves even deeper in the magical government, to the extent that when Voldy did come back, he already had a ready made powerbase.
Harry was always supposed to die, hopefully taking Voldemort with him, or at least completing the prophecy so someone else could finish the job. Once 'either had died at the hand of the other', the one who remained wouldn't have any further prophetic protection after all.
10429817
Dumbledore did not know who the secret keeper was or at the very least was told it would be Sirius he was not the one to actually cast the spell.
This is where that Dumbass argument always falls apart, if Dumbledore always intended to use Harry against Voldemort then it made no sense to keep it a secret, he would have told Harry at the start and began preparing him to face Voldemort. The reason he didn't was that he wanted to Harry to have a normal childhood. Dumbledore did not know if Harry would actually need to face Voldemort because as explained in the book Prophecies don't always come true and it wasn't until Voldemort returned that he was certain that the prophecy would happen. Even then he still kept Harry in the dark because he'd rather the adults deal with Voldemort rather than sacrifice Harry. The plan to sacrifice Harry was literally their last desperate attempt after all else failed.
Also while Dumbledore held positions of power that did not mean he had the power to do whatever he wished, maybe if he had been Minister but the positions he held only allowed him to do so much without drawing too much scrutiny from others.
Also, Voldemort did not have an army ready to go when he returned, he only had a handful of followers willing to answer his summons. It's why he kept his return a secret, he needed time to rebuild his forces.
Sequel's up! That gives me a valid reason to re-read this for the i've-lost-track time. I would have done it anyway, but now I have a reason. Don't judge me.
Just a question on your canon, in the books Dumbledore left Harry with them and gave the below reason. Is this still the case in this story or did this Dumbledore just lie to use Harry or whatever?
"While you can still call home the place where your mother's blood dwells, there you cannot be touched or harmed by Voldemort. He shed her blood, but it lives on in you and her sister. Her blood became your refuge. You need return there only once a year, but as long as you can still call it home, there he cannot hurt you. Your aunt knows this. I explained what I had done in the letter I left, with you, on her doorstep. She knows that allowing you houseroom may well have kept you alive for the past fifteen years."
"She may have taken you grudgingly, furiously, unwillingly, bitterly, yet still she took you, and in doing so, she sealed the charm I placed upon you. Your mother's sacrifice made the bond of blood the strongest shield I could give you."
10503772
Yar, he did say that. IMO, partial justification.
IMO, Dumbledore is the equivalent of Gyro Gearlose. Combo of genius & Utter Screw Up.
NOT a detail oriented guy. & IMO he expected it to be bad, but not as bad as it turned out.
Came here to compare how it differs with "If Wishes Were Ponies". And because that Sex tag is mysterious.
Nice start with the CMC and sap! And even a logical explanation this time! Lumberjacks!
----
Ha!
Hehe.
...
Ahh, Owl Whos!
Discord doing time magic. This story is full of surprises!
I was wondering how they were getting there.
----
Typo:
canon
Since the deadline is past, someowl
adventurers
As a PARTIAL defense of Dumbledore, I point out that he faced a damned harsh choice.
Which ever kid was chosen, Voldemort would go after them. Harry was better defended. Which would YOU choose?
Per the books, Pansy was already crazy jealous of Lilly. There is no suggestion that Dumbledore strengthened that antipathy.
Yes, he damned well ought to have kept a better eye on Harry. D was not a detail oriented guy. I point to his death in The Half Blood Prince He ought to have delegated someone to watch over Harry.
+ There's no evidence that D thought Harry would die, or that D planned Harry's marriage. Seems an odd thing to do if he thought Harry would die.
Although I understand that you're technically correct, it sounds odd to the ear for both letters to be called acceptance letters.
For exposition's sake, of course.