The Resident posted a comment on Thursday 20th November 2008 6:14pm for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

Thank you for another fine chapter. I know Dumbles will try to wiggle around his oath and the conditions Harry has set. I just hope that Harry and Centi will be able to spot and cope with any of his attempts. Keep up the great work.

TxA_GunFighter posted a comment on Saturday 8th November 2008 2:29pm for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

Loved the chapter.

gunny

LKK posted a comment on Saturday 20th September 2008 3:39am for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

Great fic! I love it, you never see any good ones where Harry befriends a Slytherin and it's even more rare to see Millicent Bulstrode as a main character. Update soon?

Jimbocous posted a comment on Monday 1st September 2008 12:51pm for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

Looks like this is on hiatus, in favor of the other two streams, but I've got to tell you I'm really looking forward to where you end up taking this. One of the most parts of AUs is seeing implausable situations made not only believable but engaging, and this is a great example. Thanks for a fun read so far...

Anathema posted a comment on Friday 11th July 2008 11:06am for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

Okay, PLEASE tell me that you have more of this somewhere, already written and ready to be posted. Please? PLEASE? LoL Seriously, I must have more. Update soon!!!!!!!!!!!

timaynz posted a comment on Friday 6th June 2008 10:30pm for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

...
didn't I read this a few weeks ago??

Evan Mayerle posted a comment on Monday 21st April 2008 12:49pm for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

Meh, got a typo in an earlier comment, it should be Northrop, not Horthrop.

Anyway, I found it interesting that this version of Harry should have his own "Aberation Day" without all of the other Palladins being affected. It will be interesting to see how his growing power, here, and his mongering abilities further affect the differences 'tween your different Palladin universes. One thing that does surprise me is that there's not a universe where the Palladins, esp. the muggle-born ones, end up the equivalent of Jannisaries.

Evan Mayerle posted a comment on Monday 21st April 2008 3:24am for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

Oh, I loved the way Harry managed to manipulate things with Dumbledore to a degree that usually only Dumbledore uses with others. I really don't feel a bit sorry for Albus and I suspect things aren't going to improve for him once Minerva McGonagall parses through all that's recently occurred, esp. the points Harry's raised. It seems that Harry still managed an unusual growth period without the anomalous potion that shows up in your other two main stories. Methinks this is going to come as a great surprise for a lot of folk.

Evan Mayerle posted a comment on Monday 21st April 2008 3:11am for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

*laughs uproariously* Well, that sounds like the "normal" Harry Potter where nothing and no one is what most would consider "normal" as he seems to serve as a strange attractor for the unusual (I'd love to see the mathematics on for *that* abstruse bit of physics). I loved how he dealt with the different scenarios in this chapter and I was continually amused by how much his abilities and power were under-rated by his oppostion; I rather doubt they'll necessarily make the same mistake again (though one can hope).

*chuckle* Actually, according to historical records, Murphy was a mechanic, employed by Horthrop, and working on the rocket sled tests Col. Stapp conducted in the early 1950s; it was there that he coined his famous law. Now, he may also have been a wizard, but he's remembered in muggle histories as an excellent mechanic.

Christopher Estep posted a comment on Tuesday 15th April 2008 2:28am for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

Harry and Centi whack Draco and Pansy, then tag-team Albus Percival Wulfric Brian DumbAsADoor, so how much trouble is Dudley Dursley going to be? Turns out very little (as Centi flattened hm with one punch). Still, this is definitely going to be Rather Embarrassing for Dudley; first he got knocked out by a *girl*. Worse, the girl is a w-i-t-c-h. Worse still; said w-i-t-c-h is Dating Harry. (Oh, Harry could be Real Cruel and show Dudley a Crystal-Ball view of the AU in which Dudley and Centi are *married*.)

brad posted a comment on Saturday 12th April 2008 12:15pm for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

After discovering that Harry had grown up so drastically overnight, was now 6'2" and presumably much more physically desirable, my first thought was "Wow! I can't wait for Hermione to see him!".

Then I realised this wasn't the right story for that. :-)

I really am suspicious about Draco in your Paladin universe. You've got me wondering. Remembering way back to his meeting with his father in Azkaban, he seemed to have sincerely turned over a new leaf, but everything since then ... it's not simple, is it? All the factors. Draco's looking out for himself, first and foremost, being a Slytherin type. Hence the embarrassment with his father's position. And I can understand his animosity for Harry could be seen as something quite separate and detached from any vow to fight for 'the light'. But maybe a simpler, more direct way for Draco to profit would be to simply wrangle a way to get his father out of jail ... and back into the Dark Lord's favour. I don't know. I continue to be mighty curious about the whole Draco thread - and the Snape sub-plot - in your "Granger Defence" story.

Back to this one ... Millicent's protection of Harry was nicely done, it read as noble and sincere, and it was good to see the shoe on the other foot for once. Right from the start I was concerned for Harry, given his total vulnerability in the presence of Draco, so I'm glad you put in that scene - Harry's fear, Malfoy's threat - as it was totally in character for both.

I like the idea of Harry's life of magical 'resistance training' having strengthened his magical muscles. In fact, I would have preferred you use that analogue - 'magical muscles' - rather than have Dumbledore hypothetically muse that it was "as if all of your originally intended magic also went through the exercising and grew from the struggle also". The latter really doesn't make sense and it feels as if Dumbledore doesn't really know, he's just making it up as he's going along. Why would Voldemort's stolen magic from Harry still benefit from his continuing resistance to keep what he still had left? But if you postulate that a wizard's magical ability is due to both a storehouse/repository of power/magic, and a physiological 'muscle' that actually directs/exerts it - maybe some part of the brain, given the nature of spells and how many are linked to will power - then it makes sense that 100% of that physical component of Harry's magical profile was always extant and being 'exercised', fighting to stop more of his repository of magic/power from being leeched away by Voldemort. No?

Anyway, I'm not sure if I've come across the notion of Harry's *scar* being used to leech his magic before. Nifty idea.

Harry's assumption that every single member of the DA got an Outstanding OWL was a bit arrogant/presumptuous, wasn't it?

I can't believe you wrote several pages all revolving around a heretofore unsuspected inability of House Elves ... to 'create plumbing'. Good grief. Why that detour?

Loved the 'good Slytherin'/'bad Slytherin' distinction. And Millicent's observation that good/bad Gryffindors are equivalent was a good chuckle.

Likewise I always have a grin when you have Snape so over-eager to de-power Harry. "Headmaster, I have the Cancellation potions right here" -- heh.

Associated with the whole Draco quandry in your main story I *am* looking forward to Harry/Snape being settled one day. Perhaps counting how many walls the latter is bounced off.

Fun chapter, thank you!

Snowdove30 posted a comment on Friday 11th April 2008 7:34am for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

Wonderful update. Glad that Harry and Millicent have each other. Absolutely love Centi knocking out Dudley. LOL

Christopher Patton posted a comment on Friday 11th April 2008 7:33am for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

Great chapter, I really like how this diverges from the other two stories and then comes back to touch the major points before going back out into the great unknown once again.

I have to admit that I find this to be the most interesting of the three stories and I'm always looking forward to seeing that it has been updated.

Thanks for creating and sharing this with us...

wwwendy posted a comment on Tuesday 8th April 2008 12:11pm for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

My cousin looked at Millicent with obvious lust in his eyes and said, "Helloooo, Beautiful!"

That was unexpected.

come on, Harry...was it really THAT unexpected?

Great job! I look forward to the next chapter

atlantis-rob posted a comment on Monday 7th April 2008 11:08pm for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

Excellent chapter! I really dug the way harry and milly handled the oaths to deal with dumble dork and the snake tamers. Great dialogue between h and m. Keep up the awesom work, I love this story. Its a great treatment of a very unusual pairing.

Rebel Goddess posted a comment on Sunday 6th April 2008 6:51pm for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

Got to love the fact that Harry and Centi are now best friends and kicking everyone else's arse. The Draco scene was great but Centi attacking Snape was funnier. The winner goes to Dudley saying "Hello beautiful!" though. Poor Harry, 4% sounds right to me. Good chapter. More please.

Jonathan Langford posted a comment on Sunday 6th April 2008 12:16pm for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

I just want to say that although I like all the stories you've set in the Paladin universe, this is my favorite of them. I'm very pleased to see that you're continuing with it.

It seemed odd to me that after having disarmed Dumbledore, Harry simply released him when Dumbledore said he would be helpful--without even demanding any explanation, or any kind of oath, or anything of that kind. It's as if both he and Dumbledore are shadowboxing, and each of them know it--that Harry is pretending he doesn't trust Dumbledore, and they both know it. I've got to believe that's what's going on, because if Harry really doesn't trust the Headmaster, then his actions are very stupid--first to alert him that he distrusts him, then to back off from it.

Okay, I think this is what's going on: The real battle is over how much control Harry will have over his own life, and how much he gets to make his own decisions. Every time Dumbledore challenges this, Harry asks why. If Dumbledore says (as he pretty much always has up to now) that Harry should trust those older and wiser, then Harry responds with all the reasons that he really doesn't have to trust the Headmaster--not because he doesn't trust him Dumbledore's motives, but because he doesn't trust his judgment. By showing that he has good reasons for mistrusting Dumbledore's motives, if he chose to interpret D's actions that way, he disarms D's arguments for leaving all strategic decisions up to him. It's a very odd scene (and we've seen scenes like this in all the stories from this set), and it's not surprising that Centi finds it a bit puzzling.

On the other hand, I suspect that she genuinely does distrust Dumbledore more, perhaps, than Harry does. With her in Harry's court, I suspect his political education will be much more rapid and thorough than in the other Paladin stories.

I'll stop blathering on now...

Crys posted a comment on Saturday 5th April 2008 11:14pm for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

> "I've never had a house-elf to order around, pick up after me, and teach a lesson to when they make mistakes."
> That really bothered me, and Dumbledore displayed a look of triumph on his face.

The more I think about it, the more I think this sub-scene is absolute brilliance on your part. It proves that Centi, while honestly trying to change, still has to overcome her upbringing. It also shows how AD is looking for / willing to use any wedges he can find between them. He's not wanting to help Centi, he's trying to control Harry.

The best part is that it's such a small thing. You don't beat the message into our heads. It's just there, kinda in the background. The kind of thing our subconscious will remember, even if our conscious mind doesn't.

AD's about face regarding his attitude toward Harry after seeing Vernon. Not sure what to make of that at this point. Something that I suspect will be important later, but is merely confusing at this point.

Christina C. Keimig posted a comment on Saturday 5th April 2008 2:06pm for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

Great chapter, and you ended it on such a high note I had to laugh aloud.

jgkitarel posted a comment on Saturday 5th April 2008 1:13pm for Chapter Five - Plumbing, Pledges, and Potions

Well, I see that you are definitely portraying a rather damaged relationship between Harry and Albus, as well as adding so many new sources or conflict here.

Have fun with writing this.