Man, this is a hella rough exam period. Hermione’s not sleeping enough, she’s bad with Boggarts, Harry’s surrounded by Dementors, fighting with a friend, Ron thinks his pet has been killed while dealing with Buckbeak’s trial, plus someone keeps trying to blow up one of their professors . . . and they’re expected to STUDY? This is outrageous, those poor kids. I am impressed by Ron stepping out of his comfort zone and taking some of the weight off Hermione. Then again, he seems to be going at it more from a strategic point of view than an academic one, so maybe not so far out of his wheelhouse after all? Poor Hermione; that Boggart is nasty, and I’m glad we’re hitting the end of the time-turner arc. Figures it would take her messing up some exams to finally realize her schedule was unhealthy . . . And kudos to Harry for quick thinking during that exam, but uh. Wow, an exam that potentially requires a student to bite themselves bloody to complete is. Something.

Hey, nice save on Crookshanks’s part! Ten points to Kneazlecat House! Incidentally, do Prince and Lily know Crookshanks is part Kneazle in this timeline?

—doctorlit is certain Hermione’s anti-Animagus runes won’t have any impact on the rest of the year’s story

I did appreciate how you've played Harmione's abuse of the Time-Turner more realistically - with the fatigue kicking in and causing her to have underwhelming results. And the IronChocolate Curtain between Draco and Harry was fun.

I love, love, love, that whole opening scene! I love the mention of non-European teams at the World Cup, I love Cedric trying to make things up to Colin, I love Colin worrying about his brother not having a way to quickly get acquainted with Wizarding World structures without taking an entire semester in Customs and Etiquette, I love Harry being confronted with the drawback to getting the New Blood program closed down (of course the solution isn’t “better indoctrination,” but “have fewer strictures), I love Liu obliterating the assumptions the British kids have about hair and gender, I love how much Liu and Jenni love each other, I love their shared speech about honoring oneself in addition to one’s family . . . It’s all just great!

I do not love seeing Hermione self-destructing over her studies. : ( GET SOME SLEEP GIRL And this definitely isn’t projection, because I definitely wasn’t accused of work addiction just yesterday by a coworker, while I definitely wasn’t visiting work on an off day. This is ALL about Hermione.

Oh, and we’re finally at the best part of any Harry Potter novel: the sports are done for the year! Yaaaaaaaaaay!

—doctorlit really thinks that Runes class is super-fun . . .

But it was worth it. Fine work weaving the important plot points of the original with the new world as usual, Lily! I loved the Ghostbusters reference in one of the ltest chapters (sorry, can't remember if it was on this one or the previous - I read them together)

I know I’ve mentioned this before on other chapters, but I still love how much more willing you are to let characters interact than Rowling was. Seeing Pansy attend Lupin’s Dementor class with Harry, and Luna and Draco just hanging out making snowmen together (which leads into them being part of a big plot discovery!) goes so far to making it feel less like Harry is the only character who matters, even as the focal character. And it makes Hogwarts’s student body feel much more alive, as well; yeah, there are cliques, but no kid observes that kind of social more 100% of their life. (Further reinforcing why the school houses would be super unhealthy for growing kids’ psychology . . .)

Man, Hermione is such a boss. Like, I know the time turner situation is way unhealthy in the long term, but I have to respect the “okay, Harry, I’ll take a nap,” and then waking up and immediately rewinding time to participate in the group work project anyway. Like, instruction fulfilled, but now we’re back to work . . . (Ever since I finished the original Prisoner, I’ve been trying not to think about the extra hours Hermione is aging compared to the rest of the student body, but now I’m going to look it up. Let’s see, third-year students take nine classes normally, and there are four class periods in a day . . . does that even work? Seems like all nine classes couldn’t get enough hours that way. Astronomy is only held after hours on Wednesdays, but that still leaves eight classes. Do they each only meet five times every two weeks? Anyway, putting that aside, if Hermione is using the time turner for every non-Astronomy class period, she’s doing eight classes a day, and therefore aging an additional four hours a day, 20 hours a week. That’s nearly a day per week! Assuming Hogwarts has 39 school weeks, like Muggle/real UK schools do, that’s 780 hours a week! Hermione aged 32.5 additional days this school year, not including any additional uses of the turner for naps or, you know, possible hippogriff rescues! And if she had continued that through to her seventh year, 162.5 days from the end of her natural lifespan would have been sunk into taking extra classes. Why would any version of the Ministry allow teenagers to make this choice?!)

Oh, my gosh. The local Jenni just can’t keep her mind off the local “Snape,” can she? (Or is Severina the local Supernumerary, rather?) Either way, “Some things truly never change” indeed!

Ooooof, I know it’s lame to dunk on Peter when he was still a teenager, but “ . . . would like to remind her that she would be a lot prettier if she smiled.” Nah, Peter. That’s not cool, Peter. We don’t say that to people, Peter. No.

—doctorlit looks a lot weirder when he fake-smiles

Alternate title for the year: “Peter Pettigrew and the Non-Stop Series of Heart Attacks”

Ooooooh yes, Neville is leveling up fast in this timeline! I love how confident and outspoken he is already. And he fundamentally understands what too many folks today don’t: the only correct way to engage with supremacists is to NOT ENGAGE. I know that’s putting Harry and co. in a tough spot, almost having to choose between friendships, but Neville is still correct in general, and his sense of betrayal is completely understandable, in-universe.

Astute observation from Harry, that his largely calm and peaceful childhood leave it hard to distinguish what his nicest memories are. He obviously doesn’t have the benefit of knowledge of the original canon, like we do, to compare with the abused Harry, but it makes an interesting comparison all the same.

Oh no, it's the sex ed at Hogwarts! I love that Liu is using loopholes to educate the kids on important things, right under the Board’s noses. And I know observing that Hogwarts is missing a bunch of important classes is a cliché at this point, but yeah, anatomy! That’s not one I had thought about before! Wizards and witches don’t know how their own lungs work! They don’t know how blood circulates! Everything is fine and normal! Oh, but then we get to that bond-enhancing potion . . . “. . . it helps you create Matrimonial Bonds after you are fully grown.” “. . . when a mage has been dosed with a bond-enhancing potion, they’re capable of initiating Matrimonial Bonds through a kiss . . .” This is DRUGS. They are DRUGGING THSES CHILDREN in a way that manipulates their emotions when they get older! Forces them to pair up, and want to reproduce! I hate this! I am so angry now! How many poor ace/aro folks got forced into unwanted bonds when they grew up?!? Aaaaaargh!

Anyway, haha, Pettigrew got catted. Bold choice to kill him offscreen with no explanation; I’m sure the rest of the year will be nice and calm. >.>

—doctorlit finally gets a weekend with no social obligations

I loved the little detail about healers' manuals being actually anatomically inaccurate. That fits oh so well with this particular version of the Potterverse... and I suspect there would be quite a bit of mistakes in canon, as well, though I hope less glaring. I'm not sure I even want to know what a "wandering womb" is supposed to be...

As usual, excellent worldbuilding and flaweless execution of how the characters would act in this universe! If feels paining to see Neville act like this, but I can't help but feel this is how it would go down indeed.

Hey, there! I'm sorry I've delayed commenting so long. I'm still working on putting everything back where it belongs in my condo, and I've been reading this chapter during lunch breaks. As such, my notes and thoughts may be a bit more disorganized than usual, but I promise that's not a reflection on the chapter; it was an extremely good and engaging chapter, and I wish I wasn't forced to read it in pieces!

I was struck by how huge and fancy Godric's Hollow is! Partly because my brain keeps trying to convince me that the Hollow is actually Grimmauld Place, since that's usually the ancestral home full of magic traps and overly critical wall hangings that this canon winds up in. But yeah, it makes sense, with the Potters being a Most Ancient House, and Lily's potion-making, that G's H would be quite a mansion in this timeline!

Oh! Seeing Dobby in clothes, and willingly employed! It feels great to read! And I'm glad Draco gets to spend time with him again.

I love how you've characterized the town as a mix of Muggle and magical culture, something we never tended to see much in canon. And I like that it's a bit ambiguous whether there are charms blocking some things from Muggle view, or if the Muggles just don't care there's a different culture living alongside them. Almost as though cohabitation encourages tolerance or something! That said, even I was a little shocked at how brazenly Harry was allowing Rose and Gary to see things in the Hollow later on. As bad as things got, it could have been a lot worse, and I'm surprised Draco didn't protest more than he did. Talking openly about "the secret context" feels like it's asking for trouble, too . . . (To be clear, I'm more concerned about the Ministry coming down on Harry than about Gary and Rose.) That said, I did enjoy the conversations where the kids were all talking at odds around each other, especially the dragon discussion. On the other end of the spectrum, it's wild to read how naturally Draco expects his fellow thirteen-year-olds to physically attack him once things go sour, just because of all the propaganda he's been raised with . . .

Okay. Um. I probably don't need that enchanted bookmark. I mean, how often do I need to mark multiple points in a novel? That's silly

. . . But we wants it, yesss, Precioussss, we needs it, we—

Oh hey, a reference to the Fawley family! Nice for Wizards Unite to get a nod.

Draco isn't a character I tend to sympathize with often, but in anti-denim solidarity, we are in accord: jeans suck, they're too tight and restrictive of movement. Draco is objectively in the right here.

I'm liking Regulus quite a bit more after this chapter. Previously, I disliked how attached he is to social expectations, but I really enjoyed seeing him loosen his standards and party with some "disgraced" families, freely and easily. He's certainly a much better role model for Draco than the boy has had previously, and I'm glad to see Regulus displaying an element of humility to go along with his social status. Plus, even removed from the Pureblood society weirdness of this setting, it's impressive to see a grown man lose graciously to a thirteen-year-old!

My favorite thing out of this whole chapter is the contrast between Charlus's warning that "enjoying yourself here" is dangerous, and all the fun Draco experienced throughout the holiday. Doesn't get much more explicit that you're in a cult that wants to control your behavior than that!

Oh my gosh, peafowl HATE rain, they always duck into the hay barn about 20 minutes before it starts coming down. I can't imagine how they would react to snow! Poor peafowl . . .

Draco: suggests a veterinarian for Scabbers
Ron: says he can't afford it
Pettigrew: bites Ron
logical conclusion: Pettigrew wants health care, based Pettigrew

Heh, my last note is "kill Pettigrew," which I wrote in between the penultimate and final scenes, on the assumption that the one painting lady saw Pettigrew's human form, and assumed it was a still-living Charlus. But I guess it really was Charlus in the painting who tricked Gary and Rose, so "kill Charlus" I guess. woodchipper intensifies (Except I suppose the painting people are pretty hard to kill, since they can just step into another one, huh?)

—doctorlit is about to refresh the Board for the first time in over a week, and learn just how far behind he is at reading and reviewing . . .

I really like the way you've remixed canon so that the fic hits the main plotbeats but with new causes and outcomes. Things feel familiar in a way that lets the main point (that is to say the new and improved worldbuilding) to shine. You're also doing a good job with explaining the AU. I mostly know the fic genre you're referencing by reputation but I'm able to keep up with things without issue.

This chapter started very nice and fluffy which was a nice way to get our guards down before the second half hit. I hope Rose and Gary will be okay, I like them a lot and want to see more of them. I'm also very curious about the poisoning, that was unexpected considering how well things were going before then.

Started nice and fun, then it kicked into high gear. The plot thickened, and even more nastyness happened.

However, Draco seems to have made a decision! (Or, at least, he's further down the good path) And it is simply beautiful that it was sparked by him witnessing Pureblood abuse of Muggles in first person, which for the Circle of Gits is pretty much warranted. Well played, Lily!

All in all, an excellent chapter!

Wow, this news article! (“News”) There is a lot to take in here. I should have seen it coming, since I think Neville has mentioned living with his grandmother before, but with the Longbottoms being a Pureblood family, I totally assumed they were fine and normal. When will I learn that nothing in Purityworld is fine and normal? Of course they couldn’t escape their canon fate, of course Bellatrix and friends still got brutal on them. Poor Neville. Some of the metaphors in here are way painful, like Gaunt complaining about equalization schemes and defending tradition against an outgroup (not to mention “Lying Longbottom” being a very Trumpy style of nickname, to my ear (Ears: that thing we read words with)). I also can’t help but see the lines, “. . . and to work harder to secure a future for my Pureblood child and her peers. To safeguard the right for magical blood and culture to exist,” as basically being the “14 words” transplanted into a magical fantasy setting. I also find it interesting that this Rita, a middle class white woman, used to be in favor of championing progressive causes, but is now acting deferential to an authoritarian figure and acting as a mouthpiece for his restrictive views, and is finding an audience in otherwise perfectly nice and reasonable middle class white women, like Molly Weasley, as a result, helping to shift the views of the general public against an oppressed minority. Gosh, I . . . I feel like there’s . . . something there, tying this in with real world meta, surrounding the Harry Potter fandom? I just can’t think what that would be, exactly. Oh well!

Hermione is losing her books budget to a hair product? Truly the most degenerate timeline! And of course, when an arbitrary social stigma makes a product artificially valuable, the market is always there, ready and willing to generate a profit from it. Fun! But hey, the alternative would be forcing Draco to view scandalous ponytails against his consent, so. What choice is there?

Oh, wow, I keep forgetting the Knight Bus exists at all! Definitely one of the least fantastical and interesting elements of the canon, honestly.

—doctorlit is dismantling his desktop today in preparation for replacing his floors, but will try to continue reading and reviewing from his cell phone for the immediate future

And also show Mr. Gaunt why they stuck-up Purebloods still live in hiding from Muggles. Avada Kedavra? Please, we have "metal wands" that spew them at hundreds per minute.

That aside, there's no way the Christmas festivities at Godric Hollow's aren't going to end up in disaster.

Also, nice way to drop in the Knight Bus! With, of course, Draco being disgusted by it. I'm afraid his first impact with a Muggle vehicle won't make him like cars much, will he?

I find kinda hard to believe that a version of Pettygrew would have the metaphorical balls to do that, but the rest of the chapter does kind of work well. I'm curious to see how you'll play out what you've set up with this chapter!

Hm. “. . . she hasn’t had any further misadventures since Crooky started sleeping in her quarters . . .” A housecat/kneazle wouldn’t keep Sirius away . . . was it actually Pettigrew in Prince’s chamber that night?

Okay, wow, this chapter brings a lot of sad for me. Remus still trusting Pettigrew over Sirius feels so very yucky. And the abandonment he must have felt all those years, with Sirius in jail, Pettigrew and the Potters all appearing dead . . . I can’t imagine what this past decade has been like for him. BUT NOW he needs to mention that his school friends were unregistered animagi. I get wanting to protect the memories of the (allegedly) dead ones, but the adults are SO CLOSE to stringing the puzzle together we all solve puzzles using string right without needing Harry and friends to fall into danger. Come oooooon, adults, you can do it, just this once! I mean, frankly, Lupin should have informed the Ministry of Sirius’s dog form the second Sirius escaped, but now he should be informing the other people at the table to help them find Sirius, and the second Prince hears that Pettigrew had a rat form, she would be like, “Oh, how weird, the Weasley family’s extremely long-lived rat, which is missing a finger from a forelimb, blew up my cauldron earlier this year, and my cauldrons have stopped blowing up since my cat moved back in . . . HHHHMMMMMM.” Oh, well. I guess it wouldn’t be a Harry Potter story if the adults could figure things out on their own . . .

Pettigrew. Pettigrew? Peter Pettigrew? Killed? James? Pettigrew aimed his own damn wand at James in this timeline? Okay. Okay, Lily, I’m going to need to borrow your version of Pettigrew real quick. Just for the day! I need to punch him. I need to call in sick to work and spend the day punching him. Eight hours of punching. Hell, maybe it will even turn into one of those eleven-hour work days, if you know what I mean.

—doctorlit would think Aberforth would appreciate a goat-themed present, but maybe the twins did something weird to it

The films, at least, showed Lucius Malfoy at the match, so I thought it was only fair to let Lily go to a match or two as well. Lily was at the Gryffindor-Slytherin match last year, too, remember? She yelled at Lockhart for de-boning Harry.

(Really, I just think the students' families should have a little more involvement in things, which includes things like attending Quidditch matches!)

I've actually plotted out Sev's radicalisation and deradicalisation. Idk how much will end up on the page, but I know why she went full darkside and how she got out. So... yeah!

Actually, the PPC version also suffered an extinguishing of his cultivation sect. It's how he got to HQ, too--the "portal array" that sent him to HQ was meant to evacuate him. Something something there's a backstory interlude that I haven't finished yet...

Yeah, Draco's still a little shit and hasn't quite warmed up to respecting Ron just yet (lots of bad blood between their families, his snotty classism, etc). He will kick the "calling Ron Weasel" habit! But not this year :P I think Harry's doing what he does with Aunt Sev and just ignoring the insults to try and focus on other things, but the "why doesn't Draco accept Ron" thing will come up eventually, promise.

Gotcha! Thank you for catching that. And thanks for reading!

...because he's out here undermining the status quo! Or something.

Just watched a video of someone doing 0-160mph on a Hayabusa and wow, my driving anxiety just kicked back into gear. Yeah, there's no way Lily's willingly buying Harry something like that. Luckily for Harry, Sirius is the ~fun~ godparent!

Thanks for reading!