Yummy chapter. I especially liked the "Did you really die?"

You know, the thing about the memory charms was really interesting. I thought that Voldemort using Occlumency against Harry seemed a little improbable in the sixth book. Excellent idea, and this story is really getting interesting!

The part about Harry not wanting to hurt Snape was a very interesting addition to the story. I seriously adore your version of the H-man. (Hmm, maybe you could have someone call him that later in the story??)

This is literally the only fanfiction I've ever read that actually makes me forget it's not canon. Are you QUITE sure you're not JK ROwling?

Author's Response: Yay! It\'s Schmergo! Hi. I\'m glad you found the chapter \"yummy.\" I, too found the idea of Voldykins using Occlumency against Harry just a little too neat. Of course, not having learned Occlumency may still come back to bite \"the H-man\" in Deathly Hallows, but anyway....

I\'m glad you approve of Harry\'s attitude toward Snape in this chapter. He still dislikes Snape, of course, but he feels pity for him, rather than blind hatred. That may change, of course, if Snape gives Harry a real reason to hate him, though.

I\'m very flattered that I\'m able to make you forget that this story isn\'t canon. And yes, I am QUITE sure that I\'m not JK Rowling. Although, as I\'ve said before, if I was JK Rowling, I\'d still write and submit fanfiction, just because I\'m weird like that. :-)

“The Weasley Twins, at your service. Guaranteed to be the life of any party, and to make a party out of any life.”


Brilliant quote.

YAY! THE STORY'S UP! I COULD DANCE WITH HAPPINESS! Oh no, poor Tyler! I love that bloke... I hope he's okay.

I also thought Fred and George were very amusing and true to character. The part where Harry turned into a canary right as Dudley was walking past was very funny, and I can see that this story's off to an interesting start. I also liked Ginny's letter.

Can't wait for more!

Author's Response: I\'m glad you\'re so happy, Schmergo. I absolutely love that quote you mentioned. I think it\'s the best one I\'ve ever come up with, and I\'m really quite proud of it.

Dude, Theodore Nott's commentating! What a great idea! (Sorry, but that was the first thought that came to mind about this chapter.)

The whole bit about Ginny trying to save Harry was great. She is definitely a strong female character, and this part really shows how well she and Harry are suited for one another.

I loved Ginny's phrasing when she said, "Would you happen to know anything about Snape suddenly becoming quite attractive a while back?" That got a few giggles out of me.

And of course, I always love Tyler. Puff the Magic Dragon, oh gosh... that's probably my least-favourite song because the verse about the dragon living forever 'but not so little boys' used to make me cry when I was little. But I can just imagine Harry singing that song and being punished for 'corrupting' Dudley. That's great.

The end of the chapter was definitely an unexpected turn, and it should be very interesting to find out about the outcome of the battle. You wrote this before you read HBP, right? So that's why there's no horcruxes?

Anyway, this is one of the best chapters yet, and I can't wait for more.


Author's Response: Thank you so much, Schmergo! Actually, Nott commentated the Gryffindor/Slytherin match too, and he was the one who tried to warn Ginny about Malfoy trying to knock her off her broom. I want you to know I think of you every time I write a little bit about Nott, since I know you like him so much. :-)

I\'m glad you enjoyed Ginny saving Harry from the Bludger. Harry\'s always saving her in fanfiction (including when he saved her from falling in the Gryffindor/Slytherin match in this very story), and I thought it was high time I quit making Ginny play the damsel in distress.

Sorry if Puff brought back distressing memories from your childhood, but you have to admit it would be a great way to goad Draco. HaHA!

I actually started A Stolen Past after HBP, but the plot bunny insisted on starting post-OotP, so I had to ignore most of HBP. I still included some little things, like Slughorn being the Potions Master when Harry\'s parents were at school, but for the most part it just wasn\'t compatible with my storyline. My explanation of Voldemort\'s immortality borrows the basic concept of Horcruxes (the soul is not allowed to \"cross over\"), but I decided to make it possible by a complex combination of charms and potions, rather than by hiding soul fragments in objects. There were really two main reasons for doing it that way:
1. I just wasn\'t up to writing two stories involving Horcrux hunts, and I\'m already doing a seventh-year fic
2. I felt like shifting into a Horcrux hunt might detract from the rest of the story.

So there you have it. I\'m really glad you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for reviewing!

Oooh, this is so beautiful. I really love your version of Harry... he's not shy about the fact that he likes Ginny, but he's not annoying about it, either. He's tough and sensitive, funny and serious... just like the regular version. I always leave the same sort of reviews, but every time I read one of your chapters, it hits me all over again.
The Parseltongue part was really sweet, and I loved the line about Fred's low self-esteem. The shoulder-Quidditch thing was also funny.

Author's Response: Thanks so much, Schmergo. You always make me smile, and I really appreciate that. I\'m glad you enjoyed the chapter.

(Yay.... I knew there was a reason why you emphasized the Chamber of Secrets scene earlier in the story, and why you didn't mention Ginny getting possessed. Like Harry, you are subtle!
Characterisation is still spot-on, which is why I tend to forget that this story isn't canon when I discuss the books with my friends.
You know, I think Ginny's actually making the right decision by not rushing into things, however much it may upset Harry. In the real world, it's better to do that... your Ginny is perfect, with both strengths and weaknesses, and a terrific personality. I can see why Harry's so fond of her.

Author's Response: Thanks so much! You have no idea how good it makes me feel to know that somebody agrees with me on that. Ginny knows she\'s got some issues to work through, and she doesn\'t want to mess things up, so she\'s content to just be friends for however long it takes. Wow, I just realized that she\'s really mature. :)

I\'m glad you picked up on the whole CoS thing earlier. Nobody mentioned it in the reviews, so I wasn\'t sure if I had been TOO subtle. Anyway, Schmergo, you flatter me but I enjoy it. Until next time!

AMAZING JOB. Very powerfully written and fully characterized. You made me feel like I was sucked into the story.

The picture of Padma that you painted was amazing. I've never seen such a complete characterization before. The fact that she has an identical twin in the Order is enough to make a compelling plot bunny on its own. Her eerily logical mind makes the story fascinating. She's almost sociopathic in her cool, total logic.

I wasn't expecting the ending. Truly incredible work.

Author's Response: Wow, thank you very much! Padma\'s characterisation was something I had to work on. I built most of it on her House, and why she was in Ravenclaw while her sister was a Gryffindor. The logic came from that, but as you can see she goes a bit overboard.
I actually planned to do more about the identical twin part, and the bracelet was also to play a bigger role, but with the Gauntlet it\'s almost impossible to plan ahead!

*Applauds* fantastic job with characterization and description! I've always been a huge Lucius fan (may have been *cough* slightly influenced by Jason Isaacs's excellent portrayal and the brilliant Malfoy fanart at http://acciobrain.ligermagic.com), and I'm so glad that someone wrote the gauntlet about him! I actually thought about writing about him, and now I'm glad I didn't. Yours was far better than mine could have been!



Author's Response: Thanks a lot, Schmerg_The_Impaler! I\'m glad you liked the story, and I totally agree with you on the Lucius-fan thing. I\'ve loved him as a character since I read CoS, and yeah, Jason Isaac\'s portrayal definitely helps in that ;) I\'ve written all three gauntlets about him, and I can definitely say that I was thrilled of the gauntlet\'s theme this time. Writing him through this one was far easier than the others, mostly due to the fact that I was basically getting to write a canon-like response, rather than trying to make someone like Harry become a Death Eater. Again, thanks for taking the time to read, and thanks for leaving a review. I appreciate it. ~Megan

Rats, I just messed up your review page with my faulty html. Sorry!


Author's Response: Hmm... Lets see. I think that might have fixed it.

Oh my gosh! You definitely deserve to place in this competition.

When I first saw this story, I thought, "How could this character possibly be made likeable? I have to see this!" Well, Dolores was the opposite of likeable. She was sneaky and selfish and underhanded, and as deliciously nasty as always. Oh, wow, she was perfectly characterised, and she just made me gasp every two seconds at her latest repulsive deed.

You are just as good at writing Umbridge as JK Rowling herself, and this is the first gauntlet story I've seen that truly portrays the character as they are, without romanticizing them or making them wimp out in the end and refuse to kill their target. (I'm guilty of that one... I just couldn't do it.)

Amazing job, in any case. This is a story that's made an impression on me. The scene with Rita and Dolores was particularly memorable-- put them in the same room, and Harry's bound to be doomed!

Author's Response: Wow, thanks a bunch for this review. I honored that you think that the my writing is good, but if I was anywhere near the skill of Rowling, on any of her characters, I\'d be writing my own novels not fanfiction. Though I\'m glad I managed to keep Dolores in character. I never even considered not having Umbridge kill her target. The problem was trying to figure out someone she would care for enough to make her hesitate. I sure if you had Nott not killhis it was for a perfectly good reason. I definently check yours out sometime this weekend (I\'ve got a 6am flight tomorrow morning and I need to pack). Glad you liked the scene with Rita. Dolores + Rita = lots of fun. I had a blast making that article as far out their as humanly possible. Thanks again for reviewing, and good luck to you in this challenge.

Hmm, this looks promising! The beginning was definitely interesting-- I don't think I've ever seen a story introduced like that before-- and I also found it interesting how doting and loving Remus's parents are. I wonder where they are now?

This fic has a 'storytelling' tone, and I think that's what makes it sound so interesting. I look forward to reading the rest.

Author's Response: Wow, a review from the great Schmerg. I\'m honored that you stopped by to read this, and even more honored that you left a few reviews to boot. How kind of you!

I\'m glad you liked the beginning of the story. It was really kind of an experiment based on a few techniques my Humanities teacher had taught me prior to writing it. Probably one of the biggest things I was trying to do was set the scene well and describe it with just the right touch of detail. I guess it worked!

As far as Remus\'s parents go, I tried to make them both combinations of my parents. My parents are very supportive and caring of me, and thus I figured they would be the same for Lupin (he and I have quite a few common traits). I\'ve often wondered, as have you, what exactly happened to them. Surely they didn\'t die of natural causes, as wizards live a long time, and Lupin is fairly young by wizarding standards.

That\'s interesting that you say my fic has a \"storytelling\" tone. I\'m kind of curious as to exactly what you mean by that, and how you would describe other fics (as well as the original Harry Potter series) in relation to that idea.

Thanks so much for the review. I really appreciate you stopping by and taking the time to leave a few for each chapter! Can\'t thank you enough.