ccarter posted a comment on Saturday 19th January 2013 3:59pm

Great chapter! I can often interpret the clues and see things coming, but Alex as a Hufflepuff never occured to me (I guess we can all get caught in the seemingly obvious and ignore all the other clues).

Anne B. Walsh replied:

Yeah, that just came to me one day and I almost snerked my tea.

frances posted a comment on Saturday 19th January 2013 2:46pm

Really enjoyed this chapter! I hope we do get to hear more about the founders and their spouses later on!

Anne B. Walsh replied:

We definitely will.

Scott M posted a comment on Saturday 19th January 2013 1:30pm

Amazing as always, Anne. Even if you are 'just' a Chronicler, you've been blessed with powerful vision, a great set of worlds to watch and skill with words true enough that every now and then, we can see them too.

Anne B. Walsh replied:

...I don't quite know what to say except... thanks?

bialystoker19 posted a comment on Saturday 12th January 2013 2:13pm

yay update! this made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :)

Anne B. Walsh replied:

Do I need to start adding a WAFF warning to my BYOTs?

triciaelbl posted a comment on Friday 11th January 2013 10:45pm

Lovely! I did need those tissues-what a tender moment with Harry and Hermione!

Very interesting insights into goblin negociations, I liked your take on that.

Thanks for a wonderful chapter!

Anne B. Walsh replied:

It's the only thing that makes sense of all JKR put in canon.

callie posted a comment on Friday 11th January 2013 8:25pm

argh!!! so much amazingness!!!! Amy, letha, cissy's letter back with draco, harry's present to hermione, the red road, loved it all!!!!!

and for the record i have never eaten Kangaroo but i've heard it's good and lamingtons are amazing!!!!

Anne B. Walsh replied:

Well, most herbivores taste okay. Glad to know I was right about lamingtons -- they sound quite good although the roommate is making faces because she doesn't like coconut...

LoneWolfe posted a comment on Friday 11th January 2013 8:01pm

Wow. You know, at first I thought you were going for a great picture of Draco and Hermione, which would have been awesome enough. But then, to turn it into such an awesome snowglobe... bring on the tears.

Such a good chapter. I especially enjoyed all the different Christmas celebrations.

Every time I see there's been an update, I'm delighted. While part of me can't wait to see how it all turns out, another part of me dreads that day. I've been following the DV for so long that it will feel very very strange once it's all over. Until then, I'll just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Anne B. Walsh replied:

Yeah, I put the warning on the chapter for a reason. And main DV may end, but these characters will always be with me -- they'll change their clothes, their names, their homes, but there will always be a Pack and Pride somewhere in my writing. The first novel-length manifestation of such is actually approaching completion...

Scott M posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2013 3:44pm

Huzzah! I'm glad to see Aletha back; I thought that's where things might have been going a few chapters ago. If I'd thought to check, this would've been a lovely birthday present, but I thoroughly enjoyed it today as well. I am now officially caught up on all your posted writing, though of course I hope that changes soon. Best of luck on whichever writing comes to the fore next!

Anne B. Walsh replied:

Well, happy belated birthday in any case.

ariel_boomer posted a comment on Wednesday 9th January 2013 12:51pm

I just wanted to know that you have huge fan, along with others I'm sure, who absolutely loves your work. I tell my friends about it and try to hook others. I haven't gotten your book yet but plan to. I can't wait to see how this ends and my friends and I discuss theories. Keep up the amazing work and needless to say - PLEASE keep updating :)

Anne B. Walsh replied:

Thanks for enjoying!

bgoldnyxnet posted a comment on Thursday 27th December 2012 8:26pm

Heh. Nice interlude and plot development.

I remember a different version of that cigar song:

We three kings of Orient are, trying to smoke an exploding cigar. Boom!

We two kings...

I one king...

Silent night....

Anne B. Walsh replied:

Hadn't heard that one. Am still chortling.

Dangams posted a comment on Wednesday 19th December 2012 9:26pm

Yay, that was awesome! Aletha has her memory back! (Out of curiousity, was she always going to lose it, and was the nickname Letha ominous foreshadowing?)

Also, I greatly approve of the sentence 'the possible magical, ethical, and monetary repercussions of an attempt to cross-breed Chocolate Frogs and Peppermint Toads'. It is amazing. And I want to know if these talented entrepaneurs are successful.

And yay, plots and plans for various things! More soon!

Anne B. Walsh replied:

Chalk that one up to fun coincidence. And I shall try to remember to check back with our entrepreneurs.

jua-chan posted a comment on Monday 17th December 2012 7:31am

I like this chapter. it is soft and christmasy. But at the same time some important stuff happens. I am glad letha is back to her old self.

I love the ravenclaw event and the recounting of christmas customs. Oh by the way, German families (at least mine anyway) also put their shoes out on St. Nikolaus day to receive sweets.

Looking forward to the next chapter.

Anne B. Walsh replied:

Great to know! I had fun looking up the different customs around the world.

Anansii posted a comment on Sunday 16th December 2012 9:32pm

Still hoping for a better ending to the Draco subplot, but good to see they're prepared.

Sang that song a LOT when I was a kid - good thing so did Meghan... :)

And Aletha's back to herself without losing anything. Yay!!

Anne B. Walsh replied:

I have much evil planned for the Draco subplot. But you knew that.

tangentsferret posted a comment on Sunday 16th December 2012 12:01pm

Yay for weekly updates! I think you were rght, trying to fit the whole Gala in would have been overload. Love the idea of the Christmas Tradition Lectures: totally Ravenclaw, festive and educational both! And somehow I am certain that I know exactly what the leaf pin on Sirius' cloak looked like. I have been strictly forbidden from buying myself any new reading material of any kind or in any medium whatsoever until after Yule, but I promise to pick it up just as soon as ever I can.

Anne B. Walsh replied:

Like my mother's that she wears on her coat, that she got the same day I got Arwen's Evenstar pendant, the day my dad took us both to see The Return of the King in the theater?

callie posted a comment on Sunday 16th December 2012 2:06am

a little bit of everything :) very very nice i loved every word!

Anne B. Walsh replied:

I do try!

yulerule posted a comment on Sunday 16th December 2012 2:00am

I knew it! Last chapter, I suspected that Aletha's runaway thought was that she was now truly Aletha, and I was right! Now that Draco and Luna have brought it up, I'm curious to see what will happen to the last two goblin blades. It raises so many questions! Would Draco's dagger always Imprimatus the victim, or does the potion not work on true humans, as you implied? If the wielder had no animal in mind, would anything happen? I just love how there are so manythings going on at once! Great chapter, as usual.

Anne B. Walsh replied:

Oops, did I imply that about the Imprimatus? I didn't mean to. No, it will work on anything, but like Harry's, Draco's dagger has bonded to him so it will only administer the potion if he, or a wielder he designates, wants it to.

tangentsferret posted a comment on Sunday 9th December 2012 8:01pm

Sorry for the delayed response: life has once again Acheived Maximum Chaos at our house. The answer to the question is "I would quite happily read both or either of those possible stories." And THANK YOU for short-circuiting HBP and DH. Bleah, those two left nasty tastes in my mind's mouth.

jua-chan posted a comment on Sunday 9th December 2012 5:58pm

Finnally found the time to read this.

I just love your story. Can't get enough of the pride and the pack and all the others. So now they know of horcruxes. And the hallows. Canon Harry sure would have loved to know too. That way we could have been saved from harry potter and his magical camping trip. Oh well.

Rereading surpassing danger has given me some strange ideas. mainly about the lions line (after all the lion does not have to be metaphorical does it?). The horcrux vivens sure seems to foreshadow something but i am not quite sure what.

Still awaiting Amandas great moment (whatever that may be) and the dreaded proficy about draco and luna (though the longer i think about that the wilder my plans get about how they could avoid this mess).

Thank you so much for a great story in a great universe.

Anne B. Walsh replied:

Yeah, books six and seven weren't so hot... though give her a break, nobody's ever written under that kind of scrutiny before! Amanda's great moment will be intertwined with the final working out of Draco and Luna's story, so stay tuned!

Phil Boswell posted a comment on Sunday 9th December 2012 4:15pm

So we have a potential love-triangle between Percy, George and Crystal…yikes?

And we the readers might well have a possible inkling as to the relevance of the Horcrux Vovens, might we not :-D

Anne B. Walsh replied:

Only a small yikes. Percy's still so deep in denial that we're OK for a while yet.

Bialystoker posted a comment on Sunday 9th December 2012 11:06am

It took me a minute to remember who Amy was. And I was right in guessing that her name coming up meant she'll be back soon!

Also yay for hearing from people we haven't seen for a while!

Paradox Trio and then a pirate ship? I'm getting Be Careful feels...

Anne B. Walsh replied:

My sister's been grumping about not being able to do The Pirates of Penzance as her senior show is all.