The Science of Magic
Chapter 4 of 8
nataHermione finds an alternative project to occupy her while she recovers.
ReviewedHarry levitated a piece of bread and watched it turn brown as Ron toasted it with heat from his wand. They were preparing their outdoors breakfast in the confines of a charmed tent. They tried to disguise their whereabouts from everyone, Death Eaters and the Order members alike, and so refrained from using help from the Order of the Phoenix. They never checked in to hotels or camps, but preferred to build their tent on private Muggle properties and use a Muggle-Repelling Charm.
A small post owl flew into the tent and extended its leg to Harry.
The young men exchanged a surprised look and lowered their wands. The hot toast dropped down, but Harry's Seeker reflexes were fast enough to catch it.
"Ouch!" The toast flew up once more. "Hot!"
"No doubt," Ron grinned. "Look at the letter."
Harry cooled a piece of toast and offered it to the owl. He untied the letter from it and began to read.
"It's from Hermione. She wants to see us. Er ... me."
"May I?" Ron took the letter and read.
Dear Harry,
Thank you for letting me live in your house this summer. I appreciate it very much. I feel better now. I have spent some time with Professor McGonagall and Tonks, and it was very interesting. I think that I might return to Hogwarts in September. I'm looking forward to it, but it will be different without you two. I miss you. Would you visit me sometime? Maybe we could catch up on each other.
Please, give my regards to Ron, as I might not be able to see him.
Love,
Hermione
Her words stabbed right into Ron's heart. She begged Harry to come to her, but refused to even glance at him. It hurt. He knew that she had known that it hadn't been his fault. He understood her and was willing to wait for her to get better. And she was apparently getting better, as she considered returning to Hogwarts in a couple of weeks. Yet, her refusal hurt.
"She is giving us clues, Harry."
"Yes, I know. She is still unsure about meeting you, and she must be more uncomfortable to meet me than missing me so much. She is up to something important. What do you think?"
"Well, first off, she is specifically mentioning only McGonagall and Tonks, no one else, although she must have met repeatedly practically the whole Order. Moreover, my whole family is still living there, and she would have been bumping into them as well," Ron contemplated.
"She gives hints that she is still not comfortable with other people," Harry continued, "so she might be avoiding a great many encounters at Grimmauld Place. Yet, something very strong must drive her to the crowded Hogwarts. Perhaps something to do with McGonagall. But why Tonks?"
"Knowing Hermione, her driving force could be just her thirst for knowledge," Ron added with a frown.
"Very true." Harry smiled, remembering their homework schedules.
"And she is clearly eager to know how we advanced with the Horcruxes. How much will you tell her?" Ron asked.
"Hermione is our closest friend, and her ... misfortune couldn't have changed that. Let's go to find out what excited her so," Harry suggested and started to pack and shrink their belongings. Shortly, everything was set; they removed the Muggle-Repelling Charm and Disapparated with two loud cracks.
The landlord heard shooting in his forest and rushed to catch whoever dared to trespass his property. He didn't find the hunters, nor any bullets or culled game. He just stared, perplexed at tracks that led nowhere.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione was sitting at a small desk facing the door when she heard a shy knock. "Enter," she called.
"Hello, Hermione." Harry slowly came in and quietly closed the door behind him. He saw her for the first time since his thoughts skipped a beat the wedding. She was pale, and he noticed large, dark circles under her eyes. He didn't know how to act around her. But at least she was smiling.
"Hello, Harry."
Her smile was a little uneasy, but it was genuine. So maybe she was all right after all and was just tired from her pursuit of a new problem. The pile of books and notes on her desk surely indicated she had been busy. Harry felt a warm relief spread over him and a sudden irresistible urge to hug her in joy. She was back from the void!
"No!" The panic in her voice startled him. "Don't. Just ... please ... sit down." Hermione transfigured a particularly large tome into a chair and levitated it to the opposite side of the desk.
"So, how have you been?" Harry awkwardly asked after he seated himself, hoping he had chosen a proper question.
"Let's not talk about it just yet."
Apparently, his choice of action was wrong again.
"Muffliato." To Harry's great surprise, Hermione cast a privacy spell from the Half-Blood Prince's Potions book, to which she objected so much last year, and she continued without so much as a wince.
"Rather tell me about your search for Horcruxes."
"We haven't located any yet," Harry admitted. "We went to Godric's Hollow, and it was very strange. Ron couldn't enter. He saw the ruins all right, but that's all. He said he couldn't bring himself to want to enter, and when I tried to drag him by force, he couldn't go in."
"It's the Fidelius Charm that is still active, isn't it?" Hermione guessed correctly.
"Must be. I was in on the secret since I'd been a baby, but Wormtail never told Ron, so he couldn't enter, and Godric's Hollow is still protected."
"But then Hagrid couldn't have retrieved you from the ruins. He hadn't known the secret, had he?" Hermione was intrigued.
"We wondered too. It must have been Sirius. He gave Hagrid his motorbike, you know. So he must have handed me in too," Harry explained.
"I see," Hermione acknowledged.
"Anyway, there wasn't anything there," Harry sighed. "And if there was, I wouldn't know. Dumbledore could find the magic in the cave just by sliding his hands over a wall. I can't do that. I don't feel it like he did. Hermione, how could I ever destroy the Horcruxes if I can't even find them? And even if I ever found the cave, I would have never found the entrance the way he did!"
Harry was desperate. He had such an enormous task ahead of him, yet he hadn't had a clue how to proceed.
"Well, actually." Hermione made a pause with a clandestine smile to build up the tension. "I might have something that could help you to detect magic."
"Really?" Harry hesitated to feel the relief.
"Do you remember when Mr. and Mrs. Weasley explained to us how they found out the consequences of Professor Dumbledore's death by science of magic?"
"Er, what?" Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Ah, of course you don't. You were still at the Dursleys'. Anyway, the science of magic uses various devices to measure magic. I had a chat with Tonks about it. You know, she was the first Auror who was taught the science of magic during her training. It's completely new. But the whole Department is now learning it." Hermione was beginning to get into the heat. "Rufus Scrimgeour invented it a few years ago when he was appointed the new Head of the Auror office. Well, he didn't actually invent it, the magicmeters were known for ages, but he implemented it to the Aurors' duties and then..."
"Hermione, please, what's the use? Not the history." Harry rolled his eyes.
"Yes. Sorry. Generally, old magicmeters measure the strength of a specific spell through time. As Tonks said, Scrimgeour's alteration made it possible to the Aurors to analyse a victim of a dark wizard with respect to pain as well. They don't have to test for each spell individually now, but they can quickly find the range of pain in one measurement. They can read when he was hit by a curse, how painful it was, and how strong. All in one go!"
"Cool. But I really hope I won't be a victim. Nor Ron," Harry frowned.
"That was uncalled for." Hermione looked hurt. Harry took a moment to realise what he had done this time. Wrong words again. He felt uncomfortable with her. She seemed herself, chattering, explaining, studying, reading, yet she had these moments when she retreated and was surrounded by icy coldness.
"Sorry, Hermione, but I don't see your point."
"My point is that it should be possible to alter a magicmeter further. It might be possible to locate strong emissions of magic, such as a Horcrux and its protecting curses. What do you say?" Hermione asked excitedly, but didn't wait for an answer and went on. "Professor McGonagall brought me Professor Dumbledore's magicmeter from Hogwarts to test. But it doesn't work as it should. If I tune it to general magic, not a specific spell, it always gives soaring values. In Hogwarts, it's logical. The whole castle is permeated with magic. But it inflates the values even more here. It's strange because we discarded pretty much all magical items with Sirius."
"Couldn't it be the Fidelius Charm?" Harry was getting interested.
"I thought so too. So I tuned the magicmeter to each spell I could think of that might be active here. It seems to work all right in the old way. I don't see why it would fail to measure all magic... Well, anyway, I summed the individual values from each measurement. It's still only about half of what I get if I measure the general magic. Here, let me show you."
Hermione summoned a silver device, and Harry inhaled sharply.
"Dumbledore had lots of these gadgets in his office!"
"Yes, yes. He was testing some of Snape's ideas..."
"Put it away! DON'T TOUCH IT!" Harry jumped up and cast a Shielding Charm between Hermione and the magicmeter.
"Snape meddled with it! It's dangerous!"
"Stop freaking out, Harry! This is Dumbledore's magicmeter!"
"But Snape meddled with it!"
"It is safe!"
"Do you know who Snape is? He is the Death Eater who killed Dumbledore when he thought he was safe!"
"If I can face a Death Eater and live with it, you can put up with a Death Eater's magicmeter and use it to destroy them!" Hermione was blazing.
Wrong action yet again. Harry was about to contemplate and consider an apology when the door burst open, and Ron ran in with drawn wand.
"What's going on? Why are you shouting?"
"GET OUT!" Hermione screamed.
Harry grabbed Ron's elbow, spun him around and unceremoniously dragged him out murmuring, "Sorry, Hermione, bye, thanks..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Mum and Dad,
Thank you for your letter. I'm glad to hear that your owl stayed with you this time in a non-magical household. I'm sorry I didn't reply earlier, but I had a magical accident. Don't worry, I'm better now. I was unconscious for a while and had to spend a few days in hospital. It gave me an opportunity though to reconsider my plans. You would be for sure happy to hear that I'm following your advice, and I will return to school for my final year without the break.
I'm actually very excited because Professor McGonagall offered me a chance to work on a challenging long-term extra-credit project. She has been elected Headmistress now and thus officially replaced the late Professor Dumbledore who I told you about.
The project is on the new field of Science of Magic. I will develop some of Professor Snape's ideas and hopefully contribute some of my own. Unfortunately, Professor Snape will not be able to help me, as he had to leave school for personal reasons, and he will not be back any time soon. However, Professor McGonagall promised to supervise me and to grant me access to Professor Snape's laboratory and his experiment protocols.
I'm sending you a magicmeter to give you an idea of what I will work with. It is a device that reads the magic around you. I set it up to show high values. Please, let me know how you like it when you send it back.
Love,
Hermione
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dearest Hermione,
Your mother and I are very sorry to hear that you have had an accident. You have always been so careful as a child, so it is hard to imagine that such a misfortune could befall you. Your mother has been most upset to learn that you had even lost consciousness, but she has calmed down now. There is nothing one can do. Accidents sometimes happen.
We are pleased though that the accident gave you the perspective to see reason and return to school. Education is paramount in life. More so than some vague experience you might gain on elusive expeditions and travels.
Your extra-credit project sounds fascinating. Thank you for the magicmeter, but it seems to have broken on the journey. It does not hold your set up high values, and the indicator needle stays on zero. It only jumped high when your mother came in to kiss me good-bye before she went to work. The jerk was, however, caused by the fact that she hit the table with her bag, because the instrument indicates zero again.
All in all, I think you should not rely on this particular instrument in your project because the results will be flawed. It seems to be very sensitive to movement, as the needle flared a bit again when the owl flew by, returning from the night's hunt. I'm sending it back, but, please, for the sake of your project, have it repaired.
Love,
Dad
A/N: And the praise goes to my wonderful beta, KD, for her detailed work! Please, let me know how you like it. I love hearing from you.
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Latest 25 Reviews for Cleared of the Murder
28 Reviews | 6.5/10 Average
It was an intense chapter. So much anguish in the aftermath. Wonderful writing.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Oh, an unanswered review. Oops! Thank you for your compliment.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Oh, an unanswered review. Oops! Thank you for your compliment.
I really enjoyed reading this story. I especially loved the epilogue. You write a deliciously snarky Snape, and for that I thank you!
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you very much. I'm delighted to hear that you liked my take on Snape. He is a charmer the way he is, isn't he?
excellent story. i think you handled the rape spot on. congrats on featured story, it's well deserved. thanks for sharing your vision and talent.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you for the wonderful review. I appreciate it very much.
This should be at with the Epilogue, as I have read the whole story and enjoyed it ... but I started to reread the first chapter when it occured to me that in your opening line you have Mundungus Fletcher at the Order meeting. Granted, I don't think it's nailed down tight in canon as to how long he was to stay, but the last we knew of Fletcher in HBP, he was in Azkaban and Harry wasn't happy with him.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Hm, that did not occur to me. As far as I was able to check (HP Lexicon), he was sent to Azkaban for impersonating an Inferius during an attempted burglary. He could have been released within months for such a minor crime. Theoretically, if the Ministry did not accuse him of spreading panic and lock him for good on their policy that they need to arrest someone, he could have been free by the first meeting in this story without Harry knowing - hence, without mention in canon.There. An explanation. But only as an afterthought. In fact, I missed that. Thank you for your comment, I will think about a different character that could serve the purpose.
As I mentioned on Ashwinder allready - I like the ways the dialogues are led, so I have to rate this story also here.Congratulations to the second closing and I am looking very very much forward to the dragon (nudge nudge - when wil you finish them ?!?!?!?)
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you for all those stars! The dragons are on their way - see my lj for more updates.
Thank you -- that's much better!
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
I'm very happy that it has done the job for you.
Nicely done. I love the Vacuum reference, too. :-)
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you. 'Walk Through the Fire' is a captivating story, but that potion definitely deserves a working antidote. Even though they might never find it in Wonderful's plot plan, they have a good chance in this one.
I love this story. Absolutely love it. While I don't fully understand the cube graph things or the magicmeters, I get the concept behind them and I think they're very clever. I think you handled Hermione's rape in a very mature way, and I'm glad that you didn't just brush it off like some writers do, that you allowed Hermione to have those after-feelings and crazy emotions. I hope you update this soon and can't wait to read more!
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
What a very lovely message to find early in the morning! Thank you for making me smile. I'm very happy that you liked the story. The epilogue has now been sent to my beta.
You developed some really intriguing ideas. Have you given any thought to what might happen next? I'd be very interested to see it, if you ever write it.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you. I've just sent an epilogue to my beta and a sequel is well on its way. However, I will start posting it only once it is completed. I kind of like this universe, so there definitely will be more.
Response from firefly124 (Reviewer)
I'm very glad to hear it! I understand not wanting to post until done - there's always the possibility something you do in a later chapter will make you want to tweak something in chapter 1, after all.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
It does not usually happen to me. I tend to plan the story beforehand to a considerable detail - plotwise, not method-wise. My hessitation is rather due to the fact that I often have long hiatuses between intensive writing sessions, and I don't want my readers to suffer the wait. *sigh*
I like ths story so far, its looking good.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you very much. I'm posting the next chapter today.
Interesting thoughts on the conditins Snape has set and the Patronus messages. I wonder why none of them can see at least the possibility that his concern is for it to fall into Voldemort's hands. I look forward to reading more.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
They are generally suspitious about anything Snape does in these conditions. They had trusted him, most of them reluctantly, and he marched right up to the Astronomy Tower and shattered their trust in the worst possible way. They view his actions as dubious - to put it mildly. Thanks for reviewing each chapter. It feels wonderful!
Response from firefly124 (Reviewer)
Oh, I totally understand their suspicions and sense of betrayal. I just want to knock their heads together for missing it. Glad you're enjoying the reviews!
Oh, I just love Mr. Granger's misinterpretation of the magicmeter's readings. Nice touch!
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
;-) Thanks! I'm happy that you interpreted the magic of love and the owl otherwise.
It is intense indeed. I think you have rendered her response very well.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you very much. I tried my best.
I like how you've balanced the possibilities here. Snape could realistically still be on either side.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
We won't know until HP7, will we? Perhaps his true loyalty will remain a mistery even afterwards. I, however, believe that he might get a chance to be redeemed in canon.
Response from firefly124 (Reviewer)
That's what I'm hoping, too.
I find your magicmeter idea very intriguing, especially the way it maps out Albus' magic for the days leading up to his death. Onward to chapter 2!
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you! I'm glad you like it!
This ain't half bad, I'm baffled as to why nobody reviews!
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you so much for being so generous and leave me four reviews in a day. You were wonderful, you really made my day. Reviews are possitively addictive, and a writer can never have enough.
That magicmeter sounds interesting!
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you! It's also almost canon. Almost. Except that Jo does not like science. I do.
Poor Hermione! I can understand her reaction to Ron, though.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
I agree. I still feel guilty for putting her through such horrors, but it was necessary to separate her from Ron and Harry were quickly and abruptly.
Promising start!
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you very much! I hope you will like the rest of the story too.
Interesting ideas. The letter from Hermione's dad at the end particularly intrigues me.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you for your review. There certainly is a reason for the way those letters are worded. I hope you will enjoy revelation behind them in chapter 7.
I can't believe that nobody's reviewed this story yet. You've done a good job so far and I'm looking forward to the next chapter.
One small thing, though—in this chapter you have Ron saying "Potter's friends would be more valuable to them alive" in a conversation with Harry and Hermione. It seems a bit odd to have him saying this, especially since the remark seems to be directed towards Harry and doesn't appear to be a quote.
Otherwise, though, good work so far. Keep it up!Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you VERY much for your review. In fact, it is the second, but my first review on this site was lost during the server breakdown on Monday.The way I picture Ron in that scene is that he is sitting a bit apart from the girls and Harry, deep in thought. He tries to contemplate what had happened and he still does not understand why the DEs did not harm Hermione, but rather attempted to capture her. Therefore, being lost in thoughts about Death Eaters, Ron says rather 'Potter's friends' then 'us' or 'your friends'.
Response from Pennfana (Reviewer)
Ah, I see. It still seems a bit odd, but I understand your reasoning now. 
Fast-paced chapter... very good. I enjoyed the argument as they dissected Snape's motives; Harry was sceptical and blinkered and Hermione typically open and objective. The cube idea is a very good one, although, I'm wondering about the two variables on one axis? Did you have time versus spell strength as part of the magicmeter function? Were the cubes discussed by Tonks, displaying the same data as the 'graph' generated by Minerva's magicmeter?The way I read it, the magicmeter slope was time versus spell strength; it also generated a sort of ballistics analysis of the spell being cast (am I way off?).The cube discussed by Tonks, reminded me of the spirometry graphs you can get, where the quadrants relate to a particular lung function/dysfunction--upper left quadrant may indicate emphysema, for example, and lower left, asthma (just an illustration, as I don't know exactly how the chart works), and the placement within that quadrant suggest a severity of the observed condition. I extrapolated from that, to think that the placement of the light within the cube indicated the type and strength of the spell at the time of the test, and conveying the efficacy of the spell, i.e. how effective that particular spell would have been, dependant upon it's location within the cube.I did struggle to see how Tonks could have deduced from the results that Dumbledore could have been killed by any charm, even if it was a Healng Charm, but I liked the idea and thought that it was a lovely irony.Either way, I enjoyed the chapter; the structure matched the content incredibly well, and I was caught up in it. Wonderful.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
The magical charts. Yes. An enigma. The magicmeter measures magical residues (what stays around after magic has it an object, imagine it as vibration, or a comet tail) in time. Magical residues can represent magic around a person, something like a personal scent, or as you say the spell strength. That is Minerva's chart. She sets one chart for magical residues of Dumbledore's corpse and one for a specific spell, the Killing Curse.Tonks uses more sophisticated device. Where McGonagall has to tune her magicmeter for every specific spell she wants to test, Tonks has a third dimension in her results, marking if the spell was good or bad. The axis then show time, spell strength and intent/goodness. The spirometry analogy you mention might apply to a certain extent. With this, one can also more or less diagnose the spell.Tonks also creates a death probability chart, and we do not see the device she uses for those measurements. I expect that it is based on changes in individual's magical signature, or residues in time, but I'm not certain it can be measured directly with a magicmeter as I envision it. Good point,
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
. Maybe it is a way of recalculating the values given by a magicmeter. I'll have to think about that. In any case, Tonks had known that by the time Dumbledore lay crumpled on the Astronomy Tower, he was so weakened that he was basically dead all by himself - probability of his death has been more or less 95-100% since the moment he began to desire water from the Inferi infested lake.Thank you very much for your reviews.nata
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
The magical charts. Yes. An enigma. The magicmeter measures magical residues (what stays around after magic has it an object, imagine it as vibration, or a comet tail) in time. Magical residues can represent magic around a person, something like a personal scent, or as you say the spell strength. That is Minerva's chart. She sets one chart for magical residues of Dumbledore's corpse and one for a specific spell, the Killing Curse.Tonks uses more sophisticated device. Where McGonagall has to tune her magicmeter for every specific spell she wants to test, Tonks has a third dimension in her results, marking if the spell was good or bad. The axis then show time, spell strength and intent/goodness. The spirometry analogy you mention might apply to a certain extent. With this, one can also more or less diagnose the spell.Tonks also creates a death probability chart, and we do not see the device she uses for those measurements. I expect that it is based on changes in individual's magical signature, or residues in time, but I'm not certain it can be measured directly with a magicmeter as I envision it. Good point,
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
. Maybe it is a way of recalculating the values given by a magicmeter. I'll have to think about that. In any case, Tonks had known that by the time Dumbledore lay crumpled on the Astronomy Tower, he was so weakened that he was basically dead all by himself - probability of his death has been more or less 95-100% since the moment he began to desire water from the Inferi infested lake.Thank you very much for your reviews.nata
Excellent start, and the magicmeter and associated data is a remarkable idea: magical forensic evidence. The concept opens up a whole new area of fanfiction. I admit that I smirked at Diggle's cynicism about trying to think happy thoughts when dodging curses, and I appreciate Tonk's observation about perspective being the key.I hope that you delve into the theory behind Minerva's evidence, as the scientist in me was sitting on the edge of the seat, begging for more--really appreciate the depth of thought that went into that scene. I'm also very happy to see someone wondering about why Dumbledore was hurled from the Tower--I had seen it as some ploy on JKR's part as to his survival; alas, no!Minerva's needed and desperate stoicism was lovely to read! You wrote her as being human and not some convenient character--as you defined all the characters. It's good to see that the characters actually feel.I'm waffling now, so I'll stop.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Oh, no, please don't stop! It is so wonderful to read and read into your review. Thank you very much for it!Magical forensics now has its own original story. This year I have been trying to get it published (in Czech). Unsuccessful so far. Well, it is rather weird and I'm not that good an author, so it is no wonder. It deals with concepts from here - what signatures magic leaves, what physical principles are involved in spells, how that can affect molecular processes in a cell... That sounds rather like a lecture, doesn't it? I tried to convey it in a story of an immortal wizard having his heart transplanted into a non-magical girl. The reviewers so far like the idea, dislike my language and my characterisation. So, it is very nice to find your review here praise my take on characters.Thank you,
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
,nata
Response from sweetflag (Reviewer)
Lecture away... I love the idea. I hinted at the suggestion of magical forensics in another fanfic, but I shied away from having to think, so I left it there. The knowledge that you've done an original story involving those principles makes me very curious. Is it avaialble to read? Hang on... it is in Czech. That will cause problems... lol. Not that good an author? No. There has to be another reason. I'm not fawning, but I find your style of writing to be fascinating, but I admit that I'm no professional critic or good author myself. I find it difficult to write the characters in HP fanfics because I'm only borrowing them, and I like them to be as close to how they are presented in the books so that my stories are more fitting for that environment. It's hard, and I much prefer original characters as the reader will have no preconceived ideas and expectations about them. The fact that characterisation has been frowned upon in your original piece is quite a surprise.As for getting it published, I wish you all the best with that and remind you that Charlotte Bronte had little success at first :), neither did JKR, if memory serves. Maybe you could get a second pair of eyes to read through and suggest a more reader-friendly phrase or two? I just had a flash of a magic-noir... a detective drama akin to the Maltese falcon... lol. I'll read the next chapters as soon as... the family beckons, and I have to read stories... Winnie the Pooh :D
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Oh, no, please don't stop! It is so wonderful to read and read into your review. Thank you very much for it!Magical forensics now has its own original story. This year I have been trying to get it published (in Czech). Unsuccessful so far. Well, it is rather weird and I'm not that good an author, so it is no wonder. It deals with concepts from here - what signatures magic leaves, what physical principles are involved in spells, how that can affect molecular processes in a cell... That sounds rather like a lecture, doesn't it? I tried to convey it in a story of an immortal wizard having his heart transplanted into a non-magical girl. The reviewers so far like the idea, dislike my language and my characterisation. So, it is very nice to find your review here praise my take on characters.Thank you,
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
,nata
Response from sweetflag (Reviewer)
Lecture away... I love the idea. I hinted at the suggestion of magical forensics in another fanfic, but I shied away from having to think, so I left it there. The knowledge that you've done an original story involving those principles makes me very curious. Is it avaialble to read? Hang on... it is in Czech. That will cause problems... lol. Not that good an author? No. There has to be another reason. I'm not fawning, but I find your style of writing to be fascinating, but I admit that I'm no professional critic or good author myself. I find it difficult to write the characters in HP fanfics because I'm only borrowing them, and I like them to be as close to how they are presented in the books so that my stories are more fitting for that environment. It's hard, and I much prefer original characters as the reader will have no preconceived ideas and expectations about them. The fact that characterisation has been frowned upon in your original piece is quite a surprise.As for getting it published, I wish you all the best with that and remind you that Charlotte Bronte had little success at first :), neither did JKR, if memory serves. Maybe you could get a second pair of eyes to read through and suggest a more reader-friendly phrase or two? I just had a flash of a magic-noir... a detective drama akin to the Maltese falcon... lol. I'll read the next chapters as soon as... the family beckons, and I have to read stories... Winnie the Pooh :D
I've really enjoyed this story very much. Particularly the magic-meter bits (Wonder why so few fics speculate on the science of magic? It is such a logical topic for Hermione to be speculating about) and the dialogue between Severus and Hermione. I would have liked for it to be longer, but can also see why this could be a logical place to stop. One thing though. Hermione's ordeal. Was that just a plot-point to make her return to Hogwarts and seperate her from her friends? If that is the case, it seems a rather harsh one. All in all I feel perhaps the aftereffects could have been addressed more, considerating how awful what she went through is....
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you very much. I believe that the reason why science of magic is rare in fanfiction is the fact that the writer must know quite a bit about it. Here, I used bits of chemistry and engineering, but it is nothing compared to amazing science dialogues in ubiquirk's Ladder. Wonderful, wonderful scientific discussions there.Hermione's rape was there purely for the purpose of quickly separating her from Ron and giving her a reason to fully concentrate on something else then direct Horcrux hunt. She shouln't also grieve about her failed relationship with Ron (if I took that course), while I wanted to keep it HBP compliant. I'm sorry it had to be done. It's a terrible thing to go through. She was very much ashamed (not even telling her parents), wanted to avoid any humans she could (hiding away in Snape's lab), focused on a task that could consume her mind and keep it off the memories (research). That's what I would have done. I think, having not had the experience.
Is it really over? I want more. It feels like there should be more to it.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Yes, this is the end. All aspects that I intended to deal with in this story have been closed. However, I'm considering an epilogue. Several people at Ashwinder also noted that I ended this too quickly. Since readers are very important for every writer, I take such suggestions to my heart. And although I already have an almost finished sequel, an epilogue is definitely an option too.