New Chapter for Crossroads
Crossroads
Fairfield56 Reviews | 8.48/10 (56 Ratings, 0 Likes, 20 Favorites )
Paths cross as our characters put their lives back together after the final battle.
Can Harry find peace and meaning in an ordinary life? Can Hermione find a soul mate? Can Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Severus outwit the most brilliant witch of their age? Can the Patil sisters survive the ecomomic collapse?
Based on OotP. AU. The beta is juliannannight.
First chapter summary:
Their brands were still on fire and their hooves were made of steel;
Their horns were black and shining and their hot breath she could feel.
She saw the riders coming and she heard their mournful cries,
Trying to catch the devil's herd across the endless skies.
- adapted from Stan Jones
Chapters (15)
About Fairfield
Author
Fairfield
Member Since 2006 | 44 Stories | Favorited by 28 | 129 Reviews Written | 414 Review Responses
Reviews for Crossroads
What an amazing and intriguing story. Update soon, please!
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Very glad you like the story and took the time to review. The original story ended with chapter seven but was extended to have everyone put their lives back together.
This story is starting to remind me of the principle demonstrated in the book All Quiet On the Western Front. That is that the people on both sides of a war can be so similar. Each have families that they love and want to protect. Each would give their lives to protect their love ones and to fight for their beliefs. The British Wizarding World is so small and the survivors of such a devastating war would mean that the population would be quite diminished. As your main character veterans encounter each other more and more the remaining political differences are fading. All have killed haven't they?
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Reactions at the end of the war are widely varied with character and morality more complicated than presented in canon. There are times, in canon, when it seems the Death Eaters are nothing more than a club for sadists. Strangely enough, in this story, Harry and Hermione did not participate in any violence whereas Jack explicitly and the others implicitly have blood on their hands.
Welcome back! This chapter seems a bit sad, but very interesting! I don't know what to think of Jack and is Harry interested in both twins? Or am I imagining things? Hermione is following her nose right into trouble and the merry-go-round keeps spinning!
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Thanks for the welcome and the review. Real life intervened, but it was a productive interlude. I couldn’t think of any canon individual who could span the other characters’ lives as Jack is doing. I do not think your opinion of him will improve over the next several chapters.
This is all becoming too convoluted and all the characters are so intelligent that no one can really get away with anything. It is a very interesting read.
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Convoluted? Do you mean Granger’s dilemma where right is harmful while easy is beneficial? Or do you mean Granger’s plan to track and kill Snape by taking advantage of his weaknesses: his willingness to aid the brave and his compassion for the afflicted?
Yes, villainy will be difficult. This crowd won’t do a GoF where the evildoers place their blood donor at risk.
Interesting side story with Hermione and Jack, I also enjoyed seeing the Patel twins again.
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Thanks for the feedback on the Jack and Patil story lines. Not everyone likes the presentation of non-major characters. Although in this story, the war has affected everyone.
This is an unusual and somewhat intriguing start. I was puzzled by the ambiguity of this chapter though. Of course, I guessed that the woman was Hermione, but why keep that back until the very end of the chapter? Also, she appears to be an Auror or something similar, but she has no connections--no partner or backup. What gives with that?
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Glad you were intrigued enough to comment. Delaying naming fits the first part of the story which delays revelations. What is her relationship with her fellow officers? What does canon suggest? This is a spoiler, but her relationship with her fellow officers is important.
This is wonderful. It's been a long time since I've read such high quality fanfiction. Thanks so much for sharing it.
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
I greatly appreciate your kind comments.
I am finding this a bit hard to follow. It reminds me of the GOF movie: scene--flash--scene--flash....At this point there are more questions than answers. I hope that you will address at least some of them soon.
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Chapter three does consist of a series of snapshots without much connective thread. The intent was character and relationship portrayal.
Chapter six will soon arrive, although if I succeeded in writing it well, it will be a case of being careful what we ask for.
wow, i've figured out where i've seen this style of story telling... it's almost like a documentary... kudos =)
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Thanks. The text may try to be too clear about a battle which is a confused affair. The strategy comes from dabbling in wargaming where a painful lesson is that an unwillingness to take casualties insures defeat.
haha, i love this:But gangsters liked to go in style: “I know you’re a tough, silent killer, but I did a lot of good things for you before I was tempted. Can’t you say something to me?”“Ten points from Gryffindor.”“What?”
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Glad you were amused. After the first chapter was written, some evil muse suggested writing a multi-chapter cliff-hangar. Then the muse departed and left all those characters to deal with.
Interesting study of the fall and ruins of a society. You must be using real life material for inspiration.
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Thank you very much for commenting.
There is no real-life material, just imagination. How would Hermione feel? How would the Dark Lord attack? How would a high-casualty civil war affect wizard society? This probably comes naturally to other authors. I have to work at it.
A very unusual story. It has captured my interest.
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Comments are greatly appreciated since this story is not everyone’s cup of tea.
most intriguing story I have read in quite a while. As for the ending, it does seem a bit unbalanced - shouldn't Severus have ended up with both Hermione and Ginny????
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Severus is not doing his bit to keep the witches of the world happy, but he is doing his part in making Brit wizard society a better place to live.
Thanks for reading and reviewing.
You swayed me.
It was very difficult for me to get into this story, and I almost abandoned it at the fourth chapter.
By the end, I was glad I hadn't -- it was fascinating! I've defintely never read another like it.
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
All I can say is that I'm glad you found it worth the effort.
Very interesting ending, a bit open ended which is nice. We can now 'plan' and 'see' their futures a bit.
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Thanks for commenting.
The wizards have replaced one set of problems with another, hopefully preferable, set.
I had spotted this story when you were posting early chapters but did not read it past the second chapter. I have no idea why! I started it last night and picked it up first thing this morning. I really like the mystery, intrigue, and emotions of the characters. The story is compelling and complex but highly readable. I like your writing style. I like the story. I like that Hermione is vengeful, hardened and prickly. I must hurry back to continue reading. Drat, I have too much to do and shouldn't really be reading now. Great job!Cheers, Kat
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Sometimes it takes several tries to get into a story. I hope it's not too much of a spoiler to say I constructed (or tried to construct) the Hermione subplot along the lines of a Greek drama. Thank you for all the kind comments.
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Sometimes it takes several tries to get into a story. I hope it's not too much of a spoiler to say I constructed (or tried to construct) the Hermione subplot along the lines of a Greek drama. Thank you for all the kind comments.
Love the tone. Her voice is perfect. And I love that she is a romantic that cannot allow herself to be so. That fits both her Gryffindor nature and the fact she survived a horrible war.
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
I found it diffiult to write a canon-consistent, but changing, Hermione facing a more complex world. Thanks for the positive feedback.
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
I found it diffiult to write a canon-consistent, but changing, Hermione facing a more complex world. Thanks for the positive feedback.
Very interesting! Wine as a carrier for feel-good potions for the rich... logical choice for him. I wonder what their reactions will be...
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
I tried a choice that seemed to fit both his needs and mundane society. Hermione discovers their reactions in a later chapter. Hope you enjoy the story enough to read that far.
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
I tried a choice that seemed to fit both his needs and mundane society. Hermione discovers their reactions in a later chapter. Hope you enjoy the story enough to read that far.
Severus to the rescue! He, IMHO, is a more honorable than Jack could ever be. That guy (Jack) bothered me. He seemed untrustworthy from the very beginning. Maybe because I am a total SSHG person and I wanted Severus to be the hero. I don't know. Jack struck me as thinking with his other head most of the time. I loved the ending for each of the characters.
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Glad you read and reviewed the story even though your favorite character, although important, spent time off stage. I think Jack, who readers dislike, is a wizard who is compatible with the Black sisters. I did promise an ending of poetic justice where the wizards paid for their transgressions.
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Glad you read and reviewed the story even though your favorite character, although important, spent time off stage. I think Jack, who readers dislike, is a wizard who is compatible with the Black sisters. I did promise an ending of poetic justice where the wizards paid for their transgressions.
Why isn't Harry trying to hook up with both of them at the same time? The way he is going they are going to get jealous of each other but he wants them both. Same for Jack. And when is Severus coming back to the story. Hermione is getting lonely. lol
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Thanks for the continued interest. The next three chapters look at Hermione's dilemma, Harry's obstacles, and Jack's pitfalls.
OH my thier crazy. I get it now . And I'm coming around to the whole Harry and the twins thing. Hope that works out for them.
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Yes, the three have had their world shattered, and they weren't that stable to begin with. Harry is muddling through.
Scars are beautiful. And are a sign of what you have been through. Lived through. Never be ashamed.
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Scars, especially battle scars, can be a touchy topic. Does this story handle them well? Don’t know.
Canon is a mix of egalitarian and double-standard. Emotional scars of wizards and physical scars of witches belong in the double-standard category. [It’s okay for Harry to have a physical scar, but he cannot be realistically portrayed as emotionally disturbed after ten years of abuse.]
In one strand, the wizard accepts the witch’s physical scar, but she does not accept his social and emotional scar. In another strand, the relationship has a turning point when they accept each others scars. In a third strand, a witch must decide between the scar of illicit drugs or the scar of pain and abrasiveness.
They made it out alive. Good because if not then where would we be? lol I don't like this Jack person.
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
The original story ended with part of this chapter as chapter three after the first two chapters. One of the witches has a short gratitude span, but you don't like Jack. If different readers dislike different characters, then the story is a partial success.
Response from Arabella Bloodgood (Reviewer)
I don't think its a partial success, I'm thinking more full success. Just because someone(me) doesn't like a charater doesn't mean its partial it just means the way I see that charater makes me think I would rather smack him then be his friend. Not all charaters can be all light and fluffy or the story would be a failure.
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
I took your original comments in the positive sense. It's a good sign if readers like some characters and dislike others. I should have said 'at least a partial success.'
You have a way of telling a story. It's different from alot of them out there. It's a nice change of pace.
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Thanks for the review. The goal is flat, featureless prose that does not interfere with the plot or characters, but success is uncertain.
So it was set up Jack huh. Its a shame I had hoped her and Harry would hook up. Was she playing with Harry? I mean I know she wanted him to take her to the ball but was there more?
Response from Fairfield (Author of Crossroads)
Glad you remembered the invitation to the dance scene. It was fun to write.She and Harry? There is the idea that passion is like a spark: the wider the gap, the stronger the spark when it's bridged.