It was great to see an update for this story. I liked seeing Erebus again, and liked that Severus is starting to realize the extent of Harry's abuse. I look forward to reading more when you have time to update.
I wonder how that will turn out for them.
| Title: Return to the Unexpected
| 17 Oct 2016 9:11 pm
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| Reviewer: rosina (Signed)
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Great to see an update - always worth the wait. Interesting explanation of the difference between Harry/Erebus thought processes. Looking forward to Snape and Harry's discussion. Oh, and raising my hand to rival Hermione - it was good to see Erebus again.
Author's Response: I have to admit that when I was initially thinking about this story, I put a great deal of thought into how Harry should behave, and my ideas ended up centering on the constraints an animal brain would put on a human intellect. So that explains his ability to learn potions. Then there's the different relationship he has with Snape in both forms. Its clear that the mind affects the body, but how much does the body affect the mind...Real life science is a bit less clear here, but I've decided to make it fairly significant, although at least some of that is because Snape is treating Harry differently than he does Erebus. (Erebus never had to study, and was more likely to get away with fits of pique, for example.)
I'm glad to see that Harry's out of his slump when it comes to Erebus. Now that he's changed to and fro, it should be easier for him to do on demand. Still, I have a headcanon that Harry didn't even know his name wasn't 'Freak Boy Potter' until he started first grade (Freaks don't get to go to Kindergarten). The dichotomy between Erebus and Harry... that's going to be fun to explore, now that he's going to be able to switch between the two more freely. And Harry's going to be able to get more comfortable in his human body, now that he has the ability to freely retreat into the body that he finds more comfortable when things get to be too much. Having that long jag in a human body after years as a parrot? A little too much to handle, but ultimately necessary to re-learn what being human is about. It's like going cold turkey for a bit, then working on weaning yourself off when it gets to be too much. I can imagine now, being able to take off and fly for a few hours being a reward for an assignment well done.
Author's Response: It's not an uncommon headcanon. Between Mrs. Fig and not completely hiding him away from everybody I'm going with the idea that he had to be introduced to other people from time to time. That way he heard his name enough to know it, but not enough for a parrot to pick it up. Of course parrots learn the words they want to learn and there's really no understanding which sounds they may choose to like.
I think everybody's pretty happy that Harry now has his safe retreat. I have a couple mental images of its use that may or may not make it into the story.
| Title: Return to the Unexpected
| 17 Oct 2016 3:49 am
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| Reviewer: Baghi (Signed)
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Yay, more Erebus, more story!! Also, I would be the worst kind of hypocrite if I got upset at all for an author taking a long time in updating, given how infrequently I update.
Author's Response: :) It's nice to have some company. I'm thinking of having jackets made. I just need a catch name for the club.
OMG! I love this! Parental Snape is always awesome.
I'm iffy on how defensive/defiant Harry is though, but that might be natural. I'm not so sure of the mannerisms of a child of abuse/neglect has.
Is it weird I miss Erebus? Especially the cuddly scenes with Snape XD
Author's Response: Not odd at all. Cuddly Cockatoo is fun. It almost makes me want to get one myself, only I know better. They have the capacity to go from cute to evil in 0.6 seconds with no warning.
The defensive/defiant thing has another aspect to it as well. At least it does in my head. Harry and Snape are basically forming an entirely new relationship from what Snape had with Erebus. Sure, it's founded on the affection shared between wizard and familiar, but Snape has to deal with a child differently than he would deal with an animal, and Harry has to adjust to these new rules and expectations. The defiance in this chapter, however, was mostly motivated by fear. He was rather traumatized by his transformation back to human and the passing of time hasn't dulled the fear.
So far, I cannot judge Dumbledore, for he has not actively done anything to sway me from one end of the spectrum or the other. (And believe me when I say that I've seen some spectacular Evil!Dumbledore examples. Then again, there are a lot of things in Canon that took me years to pick up on and realize that things were not being copacetic. But, in the end, he's human. I have no doubt that he'll have a moment of Genuine Reaction when he finds out what has Really Happened under his nose this entire time. I just hope that Dumbledore KEEPS his word when he finds out.
Author's Response: Human. I hope that you still think he's human at the end, because that's what I want all my characters to be. Not perfectly good or perfectly evil, but human. :D
| Title: Staff Meeting Redux
| 30 Jun 2016 8:03 pm
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| Reviewer: Fmh (Signed)
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I do not trust Dumbledore where Harry is concerned, although Severus has done a good job!
I can see him as a combination of the first three.
Don't make him evil, please dont. Make him misguided, a fool, but not evil. I don't think I can handle it, as I'm knee deep in this story. That chapter where Severus took control nearly did me in. I'm not in the mindset for an Evil Dumbledore.
If you decide to do it anyway, because one reader's opinions doesnt matter to an Author, can you shoot a note so I can stop reading. I'm not up for that disappointment.
Author's Response: I dislike caricatures generally, so I try not to write them. (Whether or not I succeed, that's another question.) And horribly evil characters too often end up as unbelievable caricatures. The question at the end was not so much a hint at where I might be going as it was an attempt to see if what I wrote was coming across the way I wanted it to. I'm trying to keep Dumbledore fairly close to his canon persona, or my interpretation of his canon persona. That is somebody who is used to being obeyed (thus why he reacted so poorly when Snape did not) and who has a tendency to consider personal sacrifice a reasonable price to pay for ensuring the good of the many. His actions may be hurtful, but they are not malicious.
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