Harbinger
Bambu179 Reviews | 6.72/10 (179 Ratings, 0 Likes, 151 Favorites )
Severus Snape has been pardoned by Ministry decree, but not everyone is pleased that he has returned to teaching at Hogwarts.
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About Bambu
Author
Bambu
Member Since 2005 | 27 Stories | Favorited by 542 | 117 Reviews Written | 1,029 Review Responses
I have loved the written word since watching my mother’s fingers trace the lines of a book, luxuriating in riveting tales and well-turned phrases. Many a night I read until dawn, a plastic flashlight hidden under the covers to light the pages as I raced the rising sun to finish my latest must-read.
Since joining the HP fandom, I've been privileged to receive more than 50 awards, including Best Author (Quill to Parchment Awards) and Best Classic Author (Most Potente Passions). Among others, my stories have won awards for Best Hurt/Comfort (Spoils of War, Morning Has Broken), Best Novel Length (Calling Card, Guard…Check…Mate), Best One Shot (A Beach in Ireland), Best WIP (Saving a Death Eater, The Summoning), Favorite Overall Story (Complexities), and Readers’ Choice (A Quest of Paladins).
Aside from a judicious polish for formatting and egregious typos, I don't plan on revising my early work. Those stories are the stepping stones of my writing journey. Please note some stories contain adult content. None is more graphic than equivalent scenes in the television shows True Blood or Game of Thrones, and age appropriate warnings are posted.
I no longer write fanfiction prolifically. Like many fanfic authors, my focus has shifted to original work. A member of the Romance Writers of America and the Southern California Writers Association, I write under my name: Lin Thornhill.
My original story Verisimilitude published in Thoroughly Modern Monsters (Story Spring Publishing, 2013) reached the top 100 fantasy anthologies and broke into the top 10 in the UK the first month of release. Ben and Christine’s story will continue in 2016.
Fixation, my latest short story, slated for publication in J. Aldis’ anthology Immanence, with a winter 2015-2016 release, is particularly exciting as it anchors the Messengers of Inari novel series I’ve been developing for the past year.
9/2015
Reviews for Harbinger
Happy sigh! I think that Severus may even be right about this stint of teaching being a relative Utopia, now. His prospects certainly seem to be much improved.
Amd down another metaphorical rabbit hole, I go... Poor poor Severus.
Yay! Fantastic and very interesting story. But you forgot to include Pince and Filch in the epi.
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
I don't think I mentioned Pince at all, but Argus was the one who helped Hermione create her office, so I obliquely referred to him. I had hoped it would be sufficient as I'd already had Irma discuss the plans she and Argus had for their retirement. Since he was still at the castle, I thought it would be sufficient. But I can't tell you how much I like that you would care for them enough to ask. Thank you!
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
I don't think I mentioned Pince at all, but Argus was the one who helped Hermione create her office, so I obliquely referred to him. I had hoped it would be sufficient as I'd already had Irma discuss the plans she and Argus had for their retirement. Since he was still at the castle, I thought it would be sufficient. But I can't tell you how much I like that you would care for them enough to ask. Thank you!
I was so pleased to see a story including Filch and Pince as Severus' friends. Stroke of genius to twist them into something else. I love it!
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
Thank you very much. To me, the Potter stories are as much tales of enduring friendship as they are a hero's journey. It's something I always try to incorporate into my work because I think it adds a great deal of depth to any world. I'm delighted you enjoyed my foray into believable secondary characters.
Response from Ljpjcg (Reviewer)
I think you've done wonderfully by them.Your response reminds me of the story 'Old Aged Pariah.' Hermione impresses upon Severus that he is still loved by his colleagues after all the unpleasantness of his Headmaster year. I enjoy reading about his friendships.
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
I've never read 'Old Aged Pariah' so thank you very much for the recommendation. Even after all this time in the fandom there are still great stories to read.
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
Thank you very much. To me, the Potter stories are as much tales of enduring friendship as they are a hero's journey. It's something I always try to incorporate into my work because I think it adds a great deal of depth to any world. I'm delighted you enjoyed my foray into believable secondary characters.
Response from Ljpjcg (Reviewer)
I think you've done wonderfully by them.Your response reminds me of the story 'Old Aged Pariah.' Hermione impresses upon Severus that he is still loved by his colleagues after all the unpleasantness of his Headmaster year. I enjoy reading about his friendships.
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
I've never read 'Old Aged Pariah' so thank you very much for the recommendation. Even after all this time in the fandom there are still great stories to read.
Hmmm ... I must just like your Hermione. I feel like a broken record saying I like her with Snape, then Harry. Now, I very much enjoyed her conversation with Kingsley. Not that he was very helpful. :)Looking for a chart on Irma Pince, huh? Well, I'm sure she will find a way, and I am sure it will not contain what she is looking for. Or, it and Snapes are both unavailable for the same reason.I think this may be the first story I have read where I actaully like Filch. It isn't as though you've made him all loveable for anything, but there is just a certain quality about him here that makes him better. Maybe it is the fact that he is one of the cool kids, er teachers.I am glad that Hermione stood her ground with Charlie. I have no doubt that his intentions are good, and he just wants to protect her, but still, she is an adult now, and not known for making reckless choices. When acting alone, anyway.Oh, and more talk of owls ...
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
To me, Hermione's fundamental character trait is loyalty, both hers for her friends and mentors, and the way she values the loyalty of her friends and loved ones. Her intelligence is a given, but it's the loyalty which drives her interactions with other people.I totally can't tell you about Irma (wait, you already know now,) but I had so much fun with that concept, and isn't Filch surprisingly sympathetic? I wrote him from the perspective of a behind-the-scenes look at the only non-magical person in a school filled with mischievous, inventive children. I don't think he's naturally nasty, just circumstantially!I'm having such fun reading your reactions as you follow the story. Thank you for telling me.
Severus Snape, long assumed by Muggle-borns and half-bloods to be a descendent of Ebenezer Scrooge ..."Ha!“Oh, we could have a perfectly pleasant life. In someone’s demented imagination we’d be married for nineteen years, have a couple of kids – a girl and a boy, of course – and it would be fine.Double Ha!I enjoy the relationship between Harry and Hermione. It is playful and fun, a nice amalgam of friends and siblings.Snape was awfully fussy with Hermione. Is he afraid that she will uncover his secrets?Oh, and just so you know, I still don't have a single guess as to who is behind this.One last thing ... if you would kindly stop posting chapters to your new story until I finish this one, that would be great. I didn't like only having time to read one chapter tonight and having to make that choice. Okay, thanks for your prompt attention to this matter. *grins and hopes you are sufficiently intimidated*
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
::grins:: Thank you, thank you, thank you.I think the relationship between Harry and Hermione would only ripen over the years; their childhood having an irrevocable impact (unlike Hermione and Ron). And with that being said, it would also evolve as they themselves matured. I quite like this Harry, and I absolutely loved creating the friendships in this piece.I'm so pleased you don't know who the mysterious secret admirer is ... yay!I'm laughing at your request. Let's see, I shan't be posting the next chapter to 'Riddle' for a few days, so that should work out quite nicely!
You have this mystery thing down to an art. You have the headmistress who treats Snape okay, but she is kind of aloof. You have his close personal friends who seem to think the world of him, and told him under the influence of veritaserum that they were not involved. But I didn't pay close enough attention to exactly what they said to him. Could someone have phrased things just so that they worked around the potion? Charlie and Sprout were certainly not in the Snape fanclub, but does that mean they are actually out to get him? McGonagall, Harry, and Hermione are truly the only three that I feel I can rule out. I will be entirely bamboozled if it is one of them.I love the interaction between Snape and Hermione. As for whether or not she has a thing for him ... she is happy about the bruises with which Snape gifter her. You tell me if she is interested, LOL. This is getting better and better. Curse you, bedtime!
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
::beams happily:: This was the very first mystery I wrote, and I agonized over the balance between too obvious and too obstruse. That you're curious about all of the above players makes me very happy. Yet there's one character you haven't even mentioned. Oh, yes. Frabjuous day!I'm delighted you're enjoying the story. Thank you for your marvelous reviews.
Response from HBAR (Reviewer)
Well, I was up entirely too late reading this one, thanks to you, so you are lucky I didn't mention Darth Vader or Papa Smurf, LOL. I actually didn't mention a couple of folks, but now I want to know which one matters to you. Hmmm ... *will be on high alert, watching everyone*
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
I'm rather proud of that, actually! I'm delighted you didn't mention Papa Smurf, but Vader is an interesting thought! Kidding, just kidding.I'm eager to see what you think of the next one or two chapters.
I don't know how those guys put up with big whiny baby Dawlish. Geez!The cube from George was interesting. I was torn between being a little weirded out by it, and desperately wanting one for myself. :)Poor Snape. I love when Harry is written mature enough to get beyond childhood issues. What is going on with him and what are they going to do about it? I certainly don't think Minerva or Snape will have any problem with Hermione's muggle forensics.Great chapter!
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
Dawlish reminds me of several tenured professors I had in college. They're outdated and narrow-minded, but have been dedicated to their subject for years, and they do not take kindly to advancements or alternate points of view. Jealousy and fear drive them in many ways.I'm laughing at your reaction to the cube. I think it would be both unnerving and titillating ... but what a boon for single people everywhere?Thank you so much for your comments, they've made my morning (and I haven't even drunk my tea yet!)
I love what close friends some of the staff have become. The offer to take Veritaserum surely meant a lot to Severus, and likewise to them when he partook as well. I loved that it knocked Filch out!I had to laugh at how many times they grabbed student essays to transfigure them into things. Will there be anything left to grade, LOL?This gets more mysterious by the moment!
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
Thank you so much! One of the aspects of the HP-verse I most love to explore are the adult, behind-the-scenes dynamics. This story gave me the opportunity to do just that, and I'm thrilled you enjoyed it. Poor Argus; he's not a horrid man, just a rather embattled one.
Another great chapter. This has such a mysterious feeling about it, and yet there is no clear cut mystery yet. So why am I so hooked? I am really enjoying this and can't wait to see where it goes!
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
Thank you very much. I'm delighted the mysterious overtones are working their magic. Whew!
Hmmm ... a story I haven't read? However did that happen, LOL? Better late than never. What a great start to a story. Madam Pince is acting awfully weird (and not her usual librarian weird!), so she must know something. Is Snape the owl, or is the creature in some other way significant? Off to find out ...
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
::laughs:: How utterly marvelous you've dipped into another one of my SS/HG Exchange pieces. This one was an enormous challenge for me. It was the first true mystery I attempted. Thanks for letting me know you're enjoying it.
more clues (or red herrings) more magical details, more workplace intrigue, and Hermione on good terms with her parents, (unlike so many fanfics!) I love this tale!
deliberately remembering what he had done for Hagrid rather than how the old wizard had abandoned a sulky, brilliant teenager to the predations of two pureblooded scions bearing wealth, charm, and beauty.
Thanks for that. I often wonder why Dumbledore allowed such bullying in his own school. I hate bullying.
LOts of information and clues AND nifty details that make this such a good story. I love to see the additions FF writers use to make their tales their own. You are so good at this! Thanks.
finally getting back to this staory after a long time away from it. I have a couple of guesses who Snape's stalker might be, (the Headmistress and a house-elf) But they are only guesses, and I have no doubt I am wrong. I will probably have different suspects each chapter or so, I am so easily misled by these sorts of stories
I really enjoy this tale, which I re-read to this point so I could remember the niceties. (and very nice niceties they are) I am enjoying Hermione's and Severus's friendly repartee, and all the cleverly-thought out details you have. I rather hope Hermione stays in MLE since she has practically been promised the department.
Really liked this.
Thank you for taking the time to write and post this! I loved the mystery, and also loved that it wasn't the usual S/H smut, not that there's anything wrong with that! :) I just loved the interplay and the slow building of the relationship here. A fun read!
Absolutely wonderful!!! I love vampires lol
missy
Oh, we could have a perfectly pleasant life. In someone’s demented imagination we’d be married for nineteen years, have a couple of kids – a girl and a boy, of course – and it would be fine.LOL LOL LOL Brava!!!Missy(who was also aggravated by books 7 epilogue!)
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
::grins:: Thank you very much.
This is truly a work of art. Excellent mystery and a satisfying take on all the characters. Everything rang true and held my interest until the end.
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
You've made me blush! Thank you, thank you, thank you.
what an exciting chapter! loved the image of severus with hermione's feet in his lap. faboo update. thanks muchly
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
Thank you, too. There is an epilogue, which I hope to post later today.
take that dawlish! great update. thanks muchly
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
I couldn't agree with you more. Could you tell I don't really like Dawlish? ::grins::Thank you!
Ahh, what a heart-pounding resolution to a great cliff-hanger. Now that Severus is free, I can hardly wait to see what he does. ;)
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
Thanks! I'm delighted to have captured your attention!
Fantastic! I sat and read all 11 chapters in one sitting! Just brilliant, and I love the gentle build up of attraction between Severus and Hermione, just amazing!Hope you update soon!!
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
What a wonderful compliment, to sit and read straight through. Thank you so much. There is a short epilogue to follow in a couple of days.
I'm with both Mikimoto and Sharris on this, a memory charm just isn't enough of a punishment for what Vector did... she gets no sympathy from me. Vector might not have initially intended to commit murder, but, she seemed fine with that towards the end. She would have tossed Hermione's battered body into the sea and cheerfully kept on tormenting Severus with her "courting". And in Minerva's case, Vector might not have actually intended to kill her, but, by leaving her out in the freezing cold in the condition she was in, if not for Filch alerting Severus in time to find her, Minerva could have easily died of exposure. Which in most countries would constitute negligent homicide. Plus, she tried to bite Harry.But now that Vector's under Kingsley's memory charm, what happens to her? Surely she doesn't get to go back to Hogwarts as if nothing ever happened? Great update though. I'm glad Hermione and Minerva were found and are now safe. And Severus seems to have, more or less, admitted his interest in Hermione and I look forward to seeing what happens next!
Response from Bambu (Author of Harbinger)
At the most she's guilty of harrassment, coercion and the intent to do grievous bodily harm; however, Minerva wasn't injured or taken ill, despite the possibility, and Hermione, while having a couple of broken ribs, is and will be fine. It seems to me that if Harry Potter only gets detention for coming close to killing Draco Malfoy while in school, and the breadth of maladies magical medicine can cure, there is a wider leeway in the magical world.Having said that, I don't think Vector is getting off lightly. There is an epilogue, and you'll see (I hope.)I'm very please you're still liking the story, indeed, if you like it enough to put forth such a beautifully articulated plea against Vector, then isn't that a tremendous compliment? I certainly think so, and I thank you!