By Abraxan
Reviews
Prongsie posted a comment on Tuesday 12th December 2006 11:32pm
Hi! I really love your stories, and I've been rereading it for the 3rd time I think :-). I was just wondering: in this chapter McGonagall says that Pettigrew is still alive, but I thought he was killed by Harry during the battle in France?
Anyway, keep up the good work!
Abraxan replied:
Yeah, that's one of four real errors I made in Refiners and Time of Destiny - not bad considering JKR has made quite a few errors in her books and she gets PAID to write them!! LOL! Glad you're enjoying the stories! Be sure to check out my ficlets: "Hedwig's Tale" was just uploaded today!
Abraxan
Aronray posted a comment on Wednesday 29th November 2006 8:38am
Best Story I have read. Competes with Rowling!
Abraxan replied:
Thank you very much! I really appreciate that! Do look for the ficlets I've written since I finished Destiny. There are several, all of which fit into the epilogue of Destiny. "A Fox's Tale," "Beginnings," "A Very Harry Christmas" and "On Second Thoughts" are all on this site. Watch for a new one to be uploaded by Christmas (I hope!!!). Thanks for writing!
Abraxan
Papa MidNite posted a comment on Sunday 12th November 2006 9:27am
I always followed these stories in your yahoo group a long time ago, but i never read the epilouge. I finally got a chance to read it and it was great
Abraxan replied:
Thanks a lot! Glad you liked it! Be sure to read the ficlets I've written that fit into the epilogue: "A Fox's Tale," "Beginnings," "A Very Harry Christmas" and "On Second Thoughts." I have another one nearly finished. I hope to have it online by early December (I'm tied up in the National Novel Writing Month right now and racing to finish writing 50,000 words by the end of the month with not only a 10 day business trip interrupting my work - I'm just home from that - but also a 5 day Thanksgiving trip. So I'm 15 days short of a 30 day month - that means I'm writing 50,000 words in essentially two weeks! ACK!!!!!!)
Abraxan, who must be insane, but is about halfway through with her 50,000 words in spite of everything!
pglemba posted a comment on Sunday 5th November 2006 2:11pm
OKAY I read both of your stories and I have to say THIS BLOWS HPB OUT OF THE WATER
Not only are your characters beliveable but real
Seriously you should think about writing your own books(if you aren't already) and if i missed where it said you were SORRY!!!
But thank you for the lovly story. It usually takes me a day and a half to read one story. It took me 4 days to read both. Keep up the good work I'll keep an eye on you for future storys!
Abraxan replied:
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your kind words! And yes, I'm writing my own novels now. I've completed "Star Sons" and am nearing the halfway mark in it's sequel (still unnamed). I think these books are part of at least a trilogy, possibly a series. I love the characters and the world I've created and can't wait to see where they take me.
Stay tuned to this site - keep me on your favorite authors list. I'll post ordering info for my novels when (not *if* - thinking positively here!) it's available!
Abraxan
Deborahsu posted a comment on Thursday 26th October 2006 11:28am
I just got done reading through both stories for the second time. They're just as good the second time through! Some books are keepers--yours are. Thank you for taking the time to write them for our enjoyment.
Abraxan replied:
What a nice thing to say (that my books are keepers)! Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed them! Stay tuned for a new ficlet to show up here in the next few weeks! There are four ficlets on here so far - they all fit into the epilog of Destiny. Be sure to look for them, too!
Thanks for writing!
Abraxan
William Fowler posted a comment on Wednesday 18th October 2006 2:57am
Great pieces of fanfiction these are! I remember reading the original seven chapters when "The Refiner's Fire" had just started out, and then lost track of it!
It took me FOUR DAYS to read the "Refiner's Fire" and "Time of Destiny", but it was well worth it. And that was reading most of the day!
There are a few plot questions I had that I figured could wait until the story was over, if you don't mind.
Whenever Peter Pettigrew's Animagus form is mentioned, people would say, "look for the missing toe" or something. But, in the fourth book, he cut off that hand, I believe, to go into the potion for "Flesh Blood and Bone", so shouldn't it have been, "Silver Paw?"
:D
Also, I liked Casey, and was wondering if you felt it difficult to kill her off, because it seemed the relationship was... large, deep, reserved.
I know that when I killed off an origional character, I found it difficult to form a new relationship, even though it was a plot point.
Thank you for the wonderful pieces of fic,
Yours,
William
Abraxan replied:
Thank you so much! Glad you found my stories again!
I finished writing RF over a year ago and haven't read it in a long time, so I don't remember whether I wrote "silver hand" or "silver paw." If he was in Animagus form, it should've been silver paw. If he was in human form, it should've been silver hand. If I messed up, oh well!! Five or six betas (depending on which section this was) and I poring over the stories to get them perfect still made mistakes. I know of three or four real mistakes (such as JKR having Lily and James come out of Voldie's wand in the wrong order in GoF). If JKR can get away with mistakes, I figure that I, without a paid editor working on my story, can get away with a mistake here and there too! We did the best we could!
I'm glad you liked Casey. Nah, I had no problem killing her off. I had planned to kill her from the beginning. What I had trouble with was dealing with poor Harry's grief. THAT was difficult. But I knew that she was gone but not forgotten, even though he put his memories of her in the Pensieve to deal with little by little when he was stronger. *I* knew she'd play a part in the end of "Destiny" but Harry didn't, so he was tortured beyond belief by her death - and blamed himself for it, which made it worse.
Casey is so popular with readers that I've resurrected her for my original novels. She's one of the main characters in "Star Sons," although she's magical this time and has some other differences (strawberry blond now rather than honey blond - there were too many blonds in Star Sons for a while! Hazel eyes instead of blue - same reason. Changed her last name and her parents names, no sister, and they're Brits, not American. She also has some of Ginny's feistier characteristics - but in essence, that sweetness she has that everyone loves so much, that's there. Her name's Casey Sutton this time.)
I'm glad you enjoyed my stories! Be sure to read the ficlets that go with them, and watch for more to come! I have a ficlet in process right now, and am polishing my original novel and starting the second one in that series - I'll be sending the first one out to publishers as soon as it's as good as I can make it! Be sure to keep me on your Fav. Authors list so you'll get notices when my novels are published!
Thanks for writing!
Abraxan
jeffstrauser@yahoo.com posted a comment on Wednesday 4th October 2006 12:26pm
Outstanding Story so far, I will definitely be printing this amazing story out later on so that I can add it to my fanfic book. I love how your having Snape help Harry defeat Moldieshorts(Voldemort) and warn Harry when he suspects something is wrong. Both The Refiners' Fire and The Time of Destiny are very awesome stories and I see why your on this webpage and why everybody I know says your such an awesome writer and I agree with them:):):):)
Abraxan replied:
Thanks so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it! And thanks for your kind words about my writing!
Abraxan
Darkness posted a comment on Monday 21st August 2006 3:08am
Good lord, Harry really is thick-headed. The healers and the good people say no magic, but does he listen, no! He goes about doing it anyway and puts himself back in the hospital. Personally, I think he's subconciously fallen in love with hospitals. Ginny will be heart-broken.
Seriously though, Harry really has a big heart: wanting to help Snape even after all the horrible treatment he's received in Potions class. Its one of the things I like about this fic.
Abraxan replied:
LOL! "Hard-headed" is Harry's "other" middle name! heehee. And yes, he's big-hearted, bless him, so what else could he do??? He couldn't do nothing - it just isn't in his nature. Hermione has commented in canon on his "saving people thing" - and she's right. He's a born hero. And isn't that one of the reasons we love him so?
Thanks for writing! I'm glad you're enjoying my stories!
Abraxan
Darkness posted a comment on Saturday 19th August 2006 5:34am
Neville's grandpa flirting with Hermione! LOL! So he still loves her and apparently, it seems she still loves him as well. It was nice of the Longbottoms to settle their issues, though I did find the mental picture of their "making up" a bit disturbing.
I really feel for Ginny. Harry falls ill or injured so many times, Ginny should have permanent tear tracks and eye shadows on her face for all the sorrow and grief she goes through almost constantly. Yet she remains her passionate and lively self. She's made of real strong stuff.
Why is Harry having problems casting his Patronus wandless? I mean, is it harder than the Killing Curse since it is based on good memories? If not, then I remember Harry effectively casting the Killing Curse wandless in the battle in France so shouldn't he be able to do this as well? Or is it because he isn't in any life/death situations? I think I might have missed something...
Abraxan replied:
Yikes, it's been so long since I've read this (and longer since I wrote it) that I don't remember why Harry was having trouble (or even that he WAS having trouble!). If you re-read the chapter, there should be clues there. Maybe he was distracted or something. I just don't remember. Sorry. It's been months and months since I finished uploding it, and even longer since I wrote this chapter. And since then I've written five ficlets or so and a complete original novel - there's only so much my poor brain can retain about such details! ;-)
Hey, we old people enjoy a good smooch as much as you young'uns! The Longbottoms making up was sweet and awkward, IMO, because they've been apart for a LONG time and it will take some time to heal all the wounds there. But they're off to a good start! And I'm in my late fifties and was just snogging with my hubby of 35 years at an outdoor concert ("America" was playing) last night! We may be old, but we're not dead yet!! LOL!
Yup, Ginny's made of strong stuff. I like her a lot. She's a great character.
Glad you're enjoying the fic! Thanks for writing!
Abraxan
Darkness posted a comment on Thursday 17th August 2006 6:11am
Cool idea with the Rupert/Trevor thing. Though the thought of my granpa living with me for 7 years as my pet kinda creeps me out!
I really liked the part Harry where discusses his career plans with Remus. I mean, it would seem logical for him to want a life outside fighting Dark wizards after the whole Voldie stuff ends.
PS: I hope posting this review is ok now that the story is already over :)
Abraxan replied:
Reviews are the only way I get paid for these stories, so they're ALWAYS welcome! I'm glad you liked the Rupert/Trevor idea, and Harry talking about his future with Remus. Thanks for writing!
Abraxan
Darkness posted a comment on Thursday 17th August 2006 6:04am
Well, just when I started thinking Ron was beyond his pettyness, he goes and proves me wrong. To be frank, among all the fanfics I've ever read, I like your Ron the best, but in this chapter he was trully despicable. It was nice of him to admit to his mistakes in the end though.
Abraxan replied:
Hey, everybody has a bad day - this was Ron's! Glad you like my Ron. I like him a lot too, but like every other human in the world, he's not perfect -- and that's part of what makes him interesting. Learning from our mistakes is how we grow, and Ron is particularly hard-headed about some things, so his mistakes have to be a bit "bigger" before he learns from them, than the mistakes of some other people.
Glad you're enjoying it.
Abraxan
Bob Joyce posted a comment on Sunday 6th August 2006 3:15am
Well done Abraxan well done.
Abraxan replied:
Thank you so much! I hope you'll enjoy the stort stories taht go wtih the Time of Destiny epilogue: "A Fox's Tale," "Beginnings" (which was just published this week), "A very Harry Christmas" and "On Second Thoughts." Be sure to leave reviews when you read them!
Thanks for writing!
Abraxan
Grukal posted a comment on Saturday 1st July 2006 11:57pm
You know, you are an extremely talented writer, and i am really impressed by your stories. Keep up the good work
Abraxan replied:
Thank you very much! I have some ficlets on this site as well as these novesl. They're made to fit into "Destiny's" epilogue. "A Fox's Tale," "On Second Thoughts" and "A Very Harry Christmas" will soon be joined by a wedding story I'm writing.
I've been busy working on an original novel ("Star Sons") which is now being beta'd. While I'm staying away from it (so I can have fresh eyes while revising it), I'm doing this wedding story and starting the second novel of the "Star Sons" series (it's a trilogy or a series, I don't know which yet). When the novels are published (positive thinking here!), I'll post ordering info on all the sites hosting my stories!
Thanks for writing!
Abraxan
Alternator posted a comment on Monday 12th June 2006 5:21pm
Wow. Another insanely large fic, well written and meaty, that will demand to be re-read later this summer. My characterization compliments from The Refiner's Fire remain true, so I won't bother to repeat them here, and just leave a few more:
1) In many instances, the start of a new chapter indicates an important shift in action and a jump ahead in time. Shifting like this is common in novels, but I thought I'd mention it since the shifts weren't as smooth as they could have been. That's my one criticism.
2) Dumbledore as Harry's grandfather seemed corny at first, and I even wrote a note to myself to comment on it, but you managed to carry the impossible off well and made it believable. Bravo.
3) Harry's habit of saying "I'm fine" when obviously maimed adds a lot of verisimilitude to the fic, so good job there.
4) Harry and Ginny were clearly meant to be a "perfect couple", but Ron and Hermione having relationship troubles--and Hermione not wanting to get married immediately--contrasted nicely and threw Harry/Ginny into sharp relief as unusual.
5) Sebastian dunking the murderous students was pure awesome in concentrated form.
6) The ficlets adding to the epilogue are excellent, nicely expanding the afterstory. Don't stop writing more when you need breaks from your book trilogy!
Abraxan replied:
Glad you liked it!
1. Ah well, I did my best! Without professional editors to look over my shoulder, and with me being a self-taught writer, you're lucky it's as good as it is! LOL!
2. GREAT-grandfather! Or was it great-GREAT-grandfather?? I've forgotten! Glad you think I managed to make it work! I thought Harry needed some REAL family, and Dumbledore filled the bill nicely. In canon, he's much more involved with Harry than a normal headmaster would be, even with an orphaned student. He admits he LOVES Harry at one point (when he's confessing to Harry all the things he should've told him - end of OoP???). So it seemed a natural extension of that to make him Harry's great-great-grandpa.
3. "I'm fine" is Harry's mantra, so it seems. One of my characters in my original novel has the same attitude, and I have to be careful to avoid letting him say "I'm fine" under similar cirucumstances! Glad you liked that, though!
4. Glad you liked the way the relationships turned out. I can't see Hermione and Ron as having a "smooth" relationship the way Harry and Ginny will (in canon). They're just too prickly with each other, whereas Harry and Ginny aren't the bickering types (which is great - I hate to be around couples who bicker!!!) Glad you liked that.
5. I just LOVED that scene with Sebastian!! "Pure awesome in concentrated form" - what a fun way to put it! Glad you enjoyed it! It was GREAT fun to write!!!
6. Glad you're enjoying the ficlets, too. They're fun for me to write, something easy to do when I get too bogged down in creating a new world, new characters, working out the kinks in the various situations, etc. They're ALMOST restful for me to write, a familiar landscape to relax in. So I'm glad you guys are enjoying them, because I do enjoy writing them!
Thanks for a nice review!
Abraxan
John Burrage posted a comment on Thursday 11th May 2006 3:56pm
You have written two fantastic novels which are on par with the best of the canon and much better than The Half-Blood Prince, in my opinion. I hope you continue writing fanfiction for us to read. Thanks!
Abraxan replied:
Thank you so much! I'm busy working on original novels now (seems to be a trilogy so far) aimed at real-life publication. I have written several ficlets (some are on here, all are on my Yahoo group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPRefinersFire) that fit into the epilogue. The latest one, "A Fox's Tale," takes place a month after Destiny ends. I just uploaded that one to the Yahoo group today. Asad may upload it here soon, I don't know - I don't have time to upload to a lot of sites now that I'm trying to devote my computer time to these novels (the first of which is nearly complete in first draft form, YAY!). The novels are hero-quest magical fantasy stories like HP and Lord of the Rings, so they should appeal to the same audience. When (not *if* - thinking positively here!) they're published, I'll post ordering info on all the sites hosting my stories. Thanks for writing!
Abraxan
UdderPD posted a comment on Tuesday 25th April 2006 7:18pm
Firstly I love the story.
When I am enjoying somthing I try not to pick but saying that Fulham is near London is rather like saying that Manhattan is near New York.
TTFN UdderPD
Abraxan replied:
Since I'm not FROM there, I don't know how locals refer to it except for sources I found that saied it was "near" London (Dan Radcliffe is from Fulham, and I believe I read a quote of his saying it was "near London" -- other sources I checked used the same terminology). I've never BEEN to London, although I'll be changing that statement after next week (YAY!) since I'm going to England for the first time ever and staying in London for 8 days! Fulham isn't on our travel itinerary, but perhaps I'll have a better idea of it once I've been there. If that's your only quibble with my story, it isn't a big deal. And people who live on Manhattan say that - they don't say they live in New York - so perhaps they're doing the same thing as Dan was, keeping that "separation" between the two entities. People from Queens and Brooklyn certainly do that. I'm originally from the Washington DC area - lived ten miles from DC, and that area is now swallowed up in the DC metroplex - but those of us born there will still say we're from Virginia (or Maryland, if that's the case), not DC, so I can understand Dan's saying he's from Fulham rather than from London.
Abraxan, whose going to see London next week!
Robin Westerly posted a comment on Thursday 20th April 2006 12:34pm
Thank you. You have given us an amazing gift. You have help set my mind free. I've been suffering from a long illness and these stories have helped draw me out of it.
Thank you.
To tell you the truth, the Harry Potter universe seems to be more yours than J.K. Rowling.
Anyway now I'm crying, whether because its the end of the tale or because its a happy ending, I don't know.
Once more Thank you.
Abraxan replied:
I'm so sorry about your illness! I hope you're better now! Been there, done that with long illness, and I know what a blessing it is to find something to occupy your mind while your body simply will not cooperate with you. I'm glad I was able to help you through it!
Thank you for your kind words about my stories! I do have some ficlets in mind to fill in gaps in the epilogue, so be watching for those! Two are already online: "On Second Thoughts" and "A Very Harry Christmas." I'm currently working on one called "The Fox's Tale" that should be ready to publish in a week or two. I'm also working on an original novel aimed at real-life publication. When (not *if*! Thinking positively here!) it's available, I'll post ordering info on all the sites hosting my stories.
Thanks again, and I hope you're healthy and strong now, or will be soon! Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Abraxan
jayley posted a comment on Tuesday 11th April 2006 1:29pm
i thought ron had his own room?
Abraxan replied:
Yes, as Head Boy, he has the Head Boy Suite to himself - but soon after moving in, he realized he was lonely and moved back into the dorm room with the other boys. He, Harry, Hermione and Ginny study together there from time to time.
Abraxan
Crys posted a comment on Saturday 8th April 2006 12:27pm
Rita's a beetle animagus . . . Why didn't she change to escape? Or why didn't Harry warn Bones about it? It is, after all, an obvious way to escape custody.
Abraxan replied:
Because part of her punishment by the Ministry was for her to have a permanent anti-Animagus Transfiguration charm put on her - she can never transfigure again. Molly said this somewhere in the fic when she told Ginny and Harry (I think - can't remember for sure) what had happened to Rita (who also served time in Azkaban).
Abraxan
mekareami posted a comment on Wednesday 27th December 2006 8:08am
Abraxan replied: