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A sequel to ‘Stealing Harry’, this great AU retells the story of Harry’s first year at Hogwarts. Personally, I like this fic even better than ‘Stealing Harry’. I think it’s because the focus really is on Harry and his adventures during first year. Sirius and Remus’ relationship moves more to the backburner, while magic, mystery and friendship moves to the fore. The formula and basic storyline from canon are followed, but much changes as a result of the events in ‘Stealing Harry’. Before I go into detail, I’ll just point out that you should go read the story BEFORE continuing with my little ramble. [READ MORE]
OK- now, for those folks focused on the trio, this story probably won’t work. In fact, we see a new core form in this AU. Instead of sitting with Ron and Hermione on the train to Hogwarts, Harry finds himself in a car with Draco, Neville and Padma. A friendship between the group is quickly established, and it’s one that holds despite the fact the kids are sorted into different houses. I should note, the characterizations of all of the kids is fairly different from canon. However, the differences make sense in light of the AU events. One critical change is the fact Harry is sorted into Slytherin. I personally loved that, and I like the fact Harry likes and looks up to Snape. Again, given the events of this story and its prequel, it makes sense. As I said, the major events from canon play out, though the details and participants differ. The writing is strong, and the author is very, very clever. I particularly liked some little nods to the audience- such as wizard comics titled ‘Rupert the Slayer’ and ‘William the Bloody’. Snerk. I also REALLY liked a little bit where I thought I saw a typo- a prophecy involving the stone where it was written as providing ‘immorality’. Hee! However, it turns out the ‘typo’ was on purpose. Anyway- it was a completely unimportant little bit, but it added some reality and it amped my confidence in the author’s complete control of the story. For me, trusting an author is a big part of enjoying a long fic. This story is carefully crafted and a real joy to read. [HIDE]
Overall- this is a great fic for someone looking for an AU look at Harry and the events of ‘Sorcerer’s Stone’. It’s both very true to canon yet completely original. As mentioned, the trio is replaced by a new group of kids- which won’t work for some. For me, it worked just fine. The story isn’t nearly as Snape focused as I prefer, but it was interesting in its own right and the Snape we get is wonderful. It’s odd- he reads much younger in this story than he does in canon. However, he also reads true to his canon age. In the books, Snape seems older than his actual birthday would suggest. Not so in this story. He’s also fallible and has a bit of a tendency to want to handle things himself. I liked that characterization, and I liked his relationship with Harry. Good fic, highly recommended. I very much look forward to the rest of the series.
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