#alluringcliche

Femslash Februaryathon: Buffy/Cordelia from Buffy the Vampire Slayer* for @alluringcliche

@alluringcliche​ @jod1ewhittak3r​ @thepeverellthree​ @wearywanderer​

Let’s get going!

I love how the first years all bunch together like frightened lambs

“I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.” – Well, that depends on the house and the house values, doesn’t it?

Much as I love McGonagall, her speech isn’t exactly designed to reassure nervous children. Neville’s cloak being fastened under his left ear is funny, though.

He’d had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that he’d somehow managed to turn his teacher’s wig blue – Whoops!

I’d forgotten that the first ghost we see and hear is the Fat Friar. Appropriately, he is speaking of forgiveness and second chances. But even though I’m a Hufflepuff, I agree with Nick that Peeves shouldn’t be given more chances.

The ghosts and the Sorting itself seem to be a big secret here but at the end of DH, Harry and Ginny discuss what happens quite freely. I suppose Jo wanted to keep the suspense going.

I love the Great Hall. One of the best things about the studio tour is that you enter the studio by walking through those huge doors into the Great Hall set. Ahhhh, it’s amazing.

Note that the Great Hall is not lit by studio floodlights but by candles and the starlight from the ceiling which would make it shadowy and mysterious.

“It’s bewitched to look like the sky outside, I read about it in Hogwarts, A History.” – First mention of Hogwarts, A History! DRINK!

I wonder if the Great Hall WAS open to the sky once but then, due to Scottish weather, it had to be closed.

This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. – Would washing it get rid of the magic? :P

I love the Sorting Hat song, mainly because I find rhyming poetry quite difficult to write and admire Jo’s efforts.

It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again. – How does a hat bow???

Hi Hannah!

I wonder what Seamus’s other house might have been.

Harry’s self-esteem issues are really obvious here. He’s utterly convinced that he’s not worthy and that he will be sent back, even knowing that he’s performed a lot of wandless magic.

A lot of what the Sorting Hat says about Harry could equally apply to Ron

I think Harry would have picked whichever house Draco wasn’t in. He doesn’t actually choose Gryffindor, he just says “NOT Slytherin”, which isn’t quite the same thing. The Sorting Hat is the one which decides Gryffindor is the place for him. Before anyone protests, I definitely think Harry belongs in Gryffindor, I just think it’s interesting that he didn’t actively choose his house.

I know that Jo’s said the only reason the Sorting Hat suggested Slytherin for Harry was because of the Horcrux in his head, but I don’t get that from this speech. It seems like the hat is really trying to see if Harry is interested in being ‘great’ at any cost, which is what Slytherin is all about. But Harry is so repelled by Draco and what he’s heard about Slytherin, he doesn’t really care about being ‘great’, he just doesn’t want to be anywhere near this guy or people who have anything in common with him.

I can only imagine how satisfying it was for McGonagall to have Harry Sorted into Gryffindor

Percy acts like Ron getting Sorted into Gryffindor required some sort of effort on Ron’s part

The description of the welcome feast must have been wish fulfillment for Jo, who wrote this while living on benefits. I bet the mint humbugs are for Dumbledore.

“I know who you are!” said Ron suddenly. “My brothers told me about you – you’re Nearly Headless Nick!” – If they told you, why didn’t you say anything when the ghosts first appeared?

Nick tipping his head like that at the dinner table is a bit rude but then Seamus was a bit rude for asking! And despite what we learn later, I don’t think Nick’s situation is that unusual, because British history contains more than one story of an inexperienced or unskilled executioner hacking away at a prisoner’s neck… One of the reasons the guillotine was created was to minimise the chance of this happening.

Seamus seems to have a knack  for asking awkward questions.

Haha, who’d have thought we’d find out just how the Baron got those blood stains on his clothes?! I can’t tell if Nick does know what happened and he’s being discreet or if he’s just telling Seamus to mind his own business because he doesn’t actually know the truth.

The description of Neville’s childhood is funny the first time you read it but then it stops being funny and ends up being sad.

I read a theory that this brief moment of pain came from Voldemort looking at Snape but I can’t blame Harry for thinking Snape was directly responsible.

Given the size of Hogwarts, ‘the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side’ seems ridiculously vague as far as descriptions go. Did they change it to ‘fourth-floor’ in the American editions? Because in the UK, we go ground floor, then first floor, second floor etc.

Harry laughing at Dumbledore’s words probably further convinced Snape that he was already a reckless troublemaker.

OMG Percy, why would Dumbledore tell the Prefects about something that dangerous? You’re still students, even if you have a bit more responsibility. Honestly.

Apparently the other teachers aren’t as fond of the school song as Dumbledore.

Is Dumbledore this happy because Harry’s finally here in one piece?

Harry’s been awake since 5am and it took the whole afternoon to get to Hogwarts, no wonder he’s dead on his feet.

So we found out about the Baron’s bloody clothes but not why the Baron is the only one who can control Peeves. Unless it’s because he murdered someone?

Percy continues to show an inflated sense of self – why would Peeves listen to Prefects when he’s not a student?

Caput Draconis means “the Dragon’s Head” according to Google. It’s also the name of a figure in geomancy, according to Wikipedia, which means “good fortune for beginnings or new projects”. Thoughts?

Neville is so small he needs help getting in, aww…

I wonder if Peter has a mental list of Ratty Things To Do (e.g. chewing sheets) that he ticks off.

I think Harry’s dream is influenced by the Horcrux, it was near Voldemort for the first time in years and may have woken up because of the close proximity. Harry specifically dreaming of Professor Quirrell’s turban talking to him (when you know what it’s hiding), the turban insisting that he needs to be in Slytherin because it’s his destiny, the turban tightening so that his head is hurting… it adds up.

Femslash Februaryathon: Jody/Donna from Supernatural* for @alluringcliche

@wearywanderer

I think Harry’s aversion to Slytherin had more to do with the whole house of dark wizards than with Draco, tbh.

I don’t see why it can’t be a combination since Draco got sorted just before him.

Snape doesn’t need convincing. He’s not interested in Harry as Harry but as James’ replacement. Which is why nothing he learns about him changes his opinion. Even Harry’s memories.

I just wonder if this further convinced Snape. Of course, anyone who judged Harry’s innocent laughter as proof of him being arrogant and self-absorbed clearly has issues.

[Neville’s] childhood reminds me so much of children raised in family homes. They’re loved by all but not necessarily protected or cherished as they would with their parents. I know a child just like this and he really is a bit like the goat owned in common. It’s sad.

As in "a goat owned in common always starves”? Makes sense. The Longbottoms care about Neville but they don’t TAKE care of him. It’s hard to believe that he would have been treated this way if Frank and Alice were well.

aren’t all the ghosts a bit scared of him though?

But they don’t all do what the Baron says like Peeves does.

Your rant at Percy almost killed me, lol. So true. Especially since this is his first day as prefect and he hasn’t even met with Dumbledore. It’s just an excuse to talk about his being a prefect again. Ponce.

Yeah, I think Percy would have spoken with McGonagall (Ron and Hermione have a chat with her in OotP as new Prefects IIRC) but not Dumbledore. When Dumbledore asks to speak to the Prefects in POA, Harry notes that it’s out of the ordinary.

err, I think it refers to his size. [Neville’s] out of shape

He may be but the phrase 'needed a leg up’ implies that he needed a boost to get up into the portrait hole because he’s too short to manage it otherwise. Speaking as a short person, doesn’t matter how fit you are, you will need some assistance with high places.

Ah, you didn’t include the quote so I didn’t realize it said he needed a leg up. Is this implying that he’s shorter than Harry? Intriguing

I think it does indicate Neville’s shorter, because Harry doesn’t mention having trouble getting ito the portrait hole himself. So canon!Neville is really short when he starts Hogwarts.

In response to your comment on my review. Pretty weird that they’ll remove Dean’s sorting. Wonder why?

According to the HP wiki, it was because the chapter needed to be shorter, which I think is a pretty weak reason given that Dean’s Sorting happens in one single sentence (they couldn’t have cut out Morag MacDougal or someone we never meet again?).

doesn’t this also tie back to the fact that Harry was only eligible for Slytherin because of the horcrux. But if you say it wakes up, then what? Is it awake all through the series? Does Harry’s subconscious fight it down and put it back to sleep? Is this why Harry forgets the Dream? I agree by the way. Just don’t know how that translates.

I don’t know, I think it has something to do with Voldy not being in his own body. Harry gets twinges throughout the first four books but it’s only in OotP that the scar really starts hurting, after Voldy’s finally corporeal once more. Up until that point, the Horcrux can’t do much except twinge, I think, and Harry just ignores it because he’s got more pressing things to think about.

I took you saying the horcrux influencing the dream and waking up to mean in the sense that it tries to control Harry as it does in the Dream. And not just hurting as it does later on. If it tries to control Harry once, then it raises questions about whether it tries again later

I don’t know if the Horcrux ever tries to consciously control Harry (like the Locket for example) because it wasn’t a deliberate Horcrux, so maybe it has less... will? *lol* This is really a question for Jo!   

@alluringcliche

YES I took the studio tour as well and that entrance into the great hall was amazing

I loved it so much!

They always say “congratulations on being sorted into X” like it’s some acocmplishment but it’s NOT it requires no effort at all!

I know, right? *lol* I mean, it’s a nice thing to say but it’s not like they have a massive trial or an exam.

Well it is a new start! Harry coming to Hogwarts! Maybe that was JKR’s inspiration for the password!

I think that must be it!

@jod1ewhittak3r

Drink ! – What else are we counting already ?

That Harry has his mother’s eyes.

She had a celebration whisky with Dumbledore that night for sure :P

Aww, I hope so!

So he knows about Nick but not the Sorting ?

@alluringcliche @feelsandotps @thepeverellthree @wearywanderer

This chapter has a lot of foreshadowing for the rest of the series - namely incredibly awkward situations and adults being ridiculously bitter about the past and taking it out on Harry instead of MOVING ON WITH THEIR LIVES.

I wish the movies had actually sized Hagrid properly. Hagrid is huge! Robbie Coltrane’s size seems to fluctuate from one movie to another and even from one SCENE to another.

“Yeh look a lot like yer dad but yeh’ve got yer mum’s eyes.” Well, this will be the first of many! DRINK!

I do love that Hagrid bought Harry a birthday cake. That was a really sweet gesture.

The description of everything that Hagrid keeps in his coat is wonderful. Also I want that coat.

I’m going to bask in the Dursleys’ terror of Hagrid for a moment, excuse me.

It’s interesting that Hagrid immediately zeroes in on Vernon as the cause of Harry’s ignorance. I wonder if this is why there’s a perception in fandom that he was the leader of the abuse when it was really coming from Petunia.

Speaking of Petunia, LILY HAS BEEN DEAD FOR NEARLY TEN YEARS. Ten years of never even mentioning Lily’s name to Harry if she could help it and now Petunia’s badmouthing her to a boy who never even had the chance to know her. It’s just so awful and disrespectful. What a shitty person you are, Petunia Dursley.

“Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin’ hold of yeh” - I changed my mind, THIS is the understatement of the book. I know Dumbledore’s a busy man but I think Hagrid deserved a better warning than “there might be trouble”! And I realise that Dumbledore sent Hagrid because he comes off as big and intimidating but I really wish there had been someone else there to help explain things *cough*McGonagall*cough*. 

Honestly, I really feel for Hagrid here. Not only does he have to deal with the fact that the Dursleys have been lying to Harry about everything, he then has to explain to this small boy that his parents didn’t die in an accident, they were murdered by a serial killer who was actually targeting their baby. It’s a shame Hagrid didn’t speak to McGonagall because McGonagall would have given Hagrid a thorough explanation of what he could expect from the Dursleys.

JKR gives us a lot of half-truths and deliberately misinformation with Hagrid - speculation about Voldemort wanting to recruit Lily and James, why he hadn’t done so before, the mystery surrounding Harry’s survival and Voldemort’s whereabouts.

Poor Harry’s been kept down for so long, he can’t even imagine standing out as a good thing.

I still love Hagrid giving Dudley a pig’s tail, even if it is illegal and reckless. I also love that he had the halves of his wand sealed inside his pink umbrella.

@feelsandotps

I guess they’re thinking he could read about wizardry somehow ???

How though? Muggles continue to be blissfully oblivious despite a major wizarding war just over ten years ago and the only reason Lily found out anything about the wizarding world before she got her letter was thanks to Severus. Just more proof of how ignorant and stupid the Dursleys are.

Thanks, I knew we could count on you for that! (3rd week of July, that’s insane XD How do you guys do it ?)

We don’t go back until the first week of September? Or do you mean that we only have six weeks’ holiday in compulsory education? That tends to get longer when we hit GCSE and A-level and then even longer if you go onto university (I was usually finished by the beginning of June and didn’t go back to uni until the end of September). School holidays in Scotland start much earlier btw, which makes Hogwarts a bit odd, haha.

@alluringcliche

Petunia must be more knowledgable about the situation given her sister but she doesn’t do anything, it’s odd.

Her behaviour during this whole episode is just bizarre. I can understand where Vernon is coming from (even if I completely disagree with what he’s doing) but Petunia? What is she thinking? Surely she must know that there’s no point in trying to ‘hide’ Harry? Aside from anything else, I can’t believe she lets Vernon do this to Dudley.

Now I’m imaging an AU with Harry as Matilda LOL. But who would Ms. Honey because no one exactly fits.

That’s the sad thing, there was no Miss Honey for Harry. Not one single teacher spoke up for him or tried to help. Teacher-wise, the closest he gets to Miss Honey is Lupin (which is not me hating on McGonagall, just saying that Lupin is the most gentle and approachable of his teachers).

UK school holidays start much later than US! And ugh a month is a very long time to be locked up, poor Harry!

Depends where you live, the further north you are, the earlier they start (due to weather patterns). And yes, a month is a long time to be locked up.

@thepeverellthree​

I’m so used to Matilda being used as a parallel to Hermione in a way I never thought of the glaringly obvious parallel to Harry. Thanks for that tho. :)

I guess it’s because Matilda’s a girl but I think Harry’s much more similar, really.

You said that you were surprised that Petunia let Vernon move them across the country and what not. But I assume that Petunia would have had to convince Vernon that they couldn’t kick Harry out (bc of Dumbledore’s letter to her) and running away was Vernon’s only other response after he lost the battle to the owls haha. I think without a better plan Petunia just went with it.

That’s a good point. Maybe this was the compromise. You could have done so much better, Petunia.

The idea that Harry and Sirius could be in buildings on the same sea rn is a bittersweet heartbreak. I’m glad that you thought this aloud!

So close yet still so far away.

@wearywanderer​

I think Harry had no point of reference when it came to getting letters and the dursleys reaction. Also, this was a special case as I can’t imagine they’d care if it was anyone else sending the letter. Plus, he’s 10. It shows that he still has a certain innocence of all the ways they could be evil to him. He’s not too far gone.

It does show Harry’s innocence because the only people who might write to him are people he doesn’t even know exist. Our poor sweet baby.

A library subscription? So Harry could read books? And be even smarter than Dudley? Over petunias dead body!

@alluringcliche

@jod1ewhittak3r

@wearywanderer​

The Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. – Fred and George pelted Voldemort with snowballs, never forget.

The draughty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. – I feel like this is harking back to JKR’s schooldays.

Malfoy’s taunts might have more impact if Harry hadn’t chosen to spend Christmas at Hogwarts of his own free will; not to mention Harry already knows this will be ‘the best Christmas he’d ever had’.

Mr and Mrs Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie. – So did Ginny go with them? Or did she stay with relatives? I hope she went with them.

Snape’s a git but five points isn’t that much. I’m surprised Hermione didn’t say anything.

“I’m sayin’ nothin’,” said Hagrid flatly. – Pity you didn’t keep to this policy later on, Hagrid. :P

They don’t find anything about Flamel because all the books they consult are about modern magic and magical figures. Flamel could hardly be called a ‘great wizard of the twentieth century’, nor would the Philosopher’s Stone be among ‘important modern magical discoveries’, it’s certainly not a ‘recent development’.

Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random. – I love how this describes their characters.

Harry wandered over to the Restricted Section. – Of course he does!

Hermione being all snarky about her parents being dentists makes me laugh. But maybe they WOULD have known something about Flamel if they’re the kind of people to give their daughter a classical name like Hermione.

They had the dormitory to themselves and the common room was far emptier than usual so they were able to get the good seats by the fire. – So there’s a pecking order and as ickle firsties, they’re relegated to the outer circle away from the warmth.

Plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn’t work. – I’d love to know what they came up with. Also they don’t actually want to get Malfoy expelled, unlike Malfoy, who seemed to genuinely want Harry gone.

On Christmas Eve, Harry went to bed looking forward to next day for the food and the fun, but not expecting any presents at all. – This poor deprived child, dear God. 

“I’ve got some presents!” “What did you expect, turnips?” – Ron, what part of ‘Harry wasn’t expecting any presents’ did you not get?

This 50p piece makes me fume. Given that Harry wasn’t expecting any presents, this is probably the first present that Petunia and Vernon have given him. After he’s been living with them for 10 years. I’m convinced they only gave him a present because they were so relieved he wasn’t coming back for the holidays. And I haven’t even started on the fact that Harry can’t use any Muggle money at Hogwarts and PETUNIA KNOWS THAT. So this money is utterly useless, utterly pointless. The only good thing is that Harry is able to make a present of it to Ron.

Okay, you guys know that I’m a big Ron fan and I know that maroon isn’t a flattering colour for redheads but Ron seems really ungrateful and whiny here, especially compared to Harry.

How did Hermione manage to buy Chocolate Frogs and Every-Flavour Beans when they haven’t left the castle? Owl post?

First appearance of a Hallow! Note that JKR always capitalises the word for this particular cloak. I love that Harry doesn’t mind Ron touching and speculating about the cloak but immediately hides it once other people appear.

As someone who wears glasses, I always wince reading when I read about the twins pulling Percy’s jumper over his face – partly because it can be very painful to have your glasses digging into your face and partly because this is how glasses get broken.

Wish we could have wizard crackers, they sound amazing.

Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard’s hat for a flowered bonnet – WHY WASN’T THIS IN THE MOVIE GDI

Where is the Hagrid/McGonagall fanfic?

I love that Harry got more presents out of the crackers.

The white mice had disappeared and Harry had a nasty feeling that they were going to end up as Mrs Norris’s Christmas dinner. – Hey, even Mrs Norris deserves a Christmas treat, Harry! :P

Harry broke in his new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron. He suspected he wouldn’t have lost so badly if Percy hadn’t tried to help him so much. – The moral of this is that you shouldn’t listen to Percy. Wonder what happened to Harry’s chess set, it’s not mentioned in the books again IIRC.

Everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor Tower because they’d stolen his prefect badge. – Gosh, those Weasley boys are energetic. I think Percy knows enough at this point to get the badge back using Accio but maybe he’s actually having fun chasing the twins around and just can’t admit it.

Dumbledore doesn’t just give Harry the Cloak – he gives him the freedom of Hogwarts.

Suddenly Harry felt wide awake. The whole of Hogwarts was open to him in this Cloak. Excitement flooded through him as he stood there in the dark and silence. He could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know. – Look at this little explorer. But he was just DESTINED to be a teacher, right? /sarcasm

I’m kind of sad that Harry didn’t spend longer in the Restricted Section.

It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling… – That is really massive! I need to check but I don’t remember it being that big in the movie, it was large but not ceiling height.

God, this whole scene is heartbreaking. This is the first time in living memory that Harry can see his parents (remember, there are no photos of them in the Dursley house) and yet they’re just an image, they can’t speak to him, he can’t touch them. The Mirror reminds me a little bit of the Resurrection Stone here.

I love how eager Ron is to see Harry’s parents. I know that Lily and James are famous martyrs in the wizarding world but I think Ron also just wants to see them because they’re Harry’s parents.

Harry couldn’t eat.  He had seen his parents and would be seeing them again tonight. He had almost forgotten about Flamel. It didn’t seem very important any more. Who cared what the three-headed dog was guarding? What did it matter if Snape stole it, really? – Worrying, he’s only looked in it once and it already has a hold on him.

A whole hour wandering around a freezing castle, no wonder Ron was moaning that his feet were dead!

While Harry is spellbound by the mirror, Ron immediately recognises there’s something dodgy about it. He doesn’t even let Harry’s accusation of sounding like Hermione stop him.

First one-on-one Harry/Dumbledore interaction! Dumbledore sitting on a desk – I bet he was swinging his legs back and forth, too. How does he make himself invisible, though? And how does he see through the Cloak?

“This mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible… It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” – Yes, very much like the Resurrection Stone.

Dumbledore calls the Cloak ‘admirable’ – a hint that it was his gift.

LMAO! I really think Dumbledore was being honest here, at least about wanting more socks instead of yet more books. But I do think he saw his family in the Mirror, whole and alive and waiting to greet him. Kind of like Harry…