Replies to reviewers:
CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur - Well actually, at the risk of showing my age, the line you refer to as being from the Hulk movie is actually from the old Hulk TV show with Bill Bixby originally! I didn't watch the show all that much, but that one line has stuck in my head and it just seemed to fit there. (For those of you who have no idea what we are talking about, it is: "Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." which usually preceded David Banner 'hulking out'.)
danuschka - I understand what you mean about not knowing Harry's thoughts, but the trouble with writing in "first person" is that you only get the story from what they see or hear or know. They can "guess" what someone is thinking or feeling but don't know. In another story I did in first person, I threw in a few POVs from someone else, and tried to make a smooth transition, but people also found that confusing. If you write a story in third person, which is what JKR mostly does, you are sort of an omnipotent narrator and you can have insight into all the characters and share as much or little as you want of their thoughts, motivations, etc. Until recently, that was usually how I wrote. It's only lately I've done stories in first person, mainly because they seemed to "want" to be written that way.
mysticah - thanks for the long review! To some extent, the POV answer is the same as what I told danuschka. I knew that whole passage while Deandra was in the hospital was going to be a little "odd" and so I threw in a line to explain how she knew all this stuff to be telling it in first person. That line was in Ch. 14:
I confess that I don't remember much of that night, or the following week. Most of what I know now came to me from Hermione, who patiently answered all my questions, though I sensed she was sometimes reluctant to do so.
So Deandra's relaying what Hermione told her later, and in that sense it is more "here's what happened last week" than most of it which is "here's what is happening right now". Hope that helps. POV can be a very tricky thing!
Chapter 17
We landed a bit noisily in my parents' living room in Pennsylvania. They heard us from the kitchen and dashed in to welcome us. Mum couldn't resist hugging everyone in the room, even hugging Dad before she realized what she was doing. Harry was looking a bit nervous as I made the introductions. He was always a bit sensitive about the stares he usually got at the mention of his name, along with the flicker of eyes to glance at his famous scar. Instead, my parents gave him the once over and seemed pleased with what they saw, before turning to greet Remus. I leaned over to Harry and whispered, "Scar be damned; they're only interested in checking out a possible future son-in-law!"
He smiled with amusement and then quipped, "Only 'possible'?"
Wickedly I grinned at him and replied, "Well, I know my father liked you, but that doesn't mean he would have wanted me to marry you!" Harry gave me a mock glare that told me he'd make me pay for that later, when he wasn't trying to behave in front of my parents.
Mum led us all back to the kitchen/dining area and we settled around the table, beginning to get acquainted. Dad sat back in his chair and looked at Harry, "So, Harry, tell me about yourself. I know what Deandra's told us, but she's obviously biased." His eyes twinkled in my direction and he pointedly ignored my glare.
"Er...well, what exactly do you want to know, sir?" Harry stammered.
"Well the first thing I want to know is why you haven't started calling me David instead of 'sir'?" Dad teased and Harry flushed red. He leaned forward and added, "No third degree, Harry. De's told us the basics - defeated Voldemort, has to do it again, yada, yada, yada. That's all very well and good, but who is Harry Potter? What does he want to do with his life when Voldemort finally leaves him alone?"
Harry realized Dad wasn't trying to pressure him and relaxed a little. And it probably impressed him that Dad calls him 'Voldemort' instead of 'You-Know-Who'; he keeps forgetting we don't have that quirk like they do in Britain. "Well, I'll be graduating after next year. Hopefully I can become an Auror. That's someone who tracks down users of the Dark Arts and brings them to justice."
"Sounds dangerous," Dad commented.
Harry glanced at me, then told him, "Yeah, it is. But I reckon it's like a policeman or a fireman. Someone has to do the dangerous jobs in order to keep everyone else safe." I think Dad could tell he was trying to justify it, probably because of me.
Dad leaned toward him and said, "Harry, whatever you want to do with your life is your business. Maybe someday Deandra will be a part of your life, and then it will be up to her whether she minds what you do for a living, but I assure you, she won't ask my opinion. She'll decide for herself. And I wouldn't have it any other way." His eyes convinced Harry he was speaking the truth and a glance at Mum, told him she agreed. He relaxed more and told them, "Thank you."
Moony had been listening with interest, and Dad then turned to him, "And what about you Remus? What do you do?"
Moony grinned ruefully, "Not much, I'm afraid. Not many people want to hire werewolves. I do write some scholarly papers when I can, to bring in a little income."
"What sort of scholarly papers?" asked Mum.
"It varies, but mostly has to do with the Dark Arts in some way. That is sort of my specialty."
"Didn't Deandra say you taught Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts?" Dad queried.
"For one year only. Word got out about my lycanthropy and I thought it best to resign before a parent protest forced me to be fired."
"Sounds rather discriminatory, if you ask me," Dad stated. "A man ought to be allowed to make a living for himself, even if he does have a condition that requires some precautions be taken. Didn't De tell us there is a Potion that renders you harmless?"
Moony glanced sideways at me and replied, "Yes, there is. And she is kind enough to make it for me each month. But a number of laws were passed to protect people from werewolves and so the discrimination is legal. Besides, even if they couldn't force you out legally, they can make you feel so unwanted you'll want to leave."
"Well, I still say it's wrong!" Mum declared. She looked at me, "Help me fix some lunch, dear."
"While you do that, I'll show these two fellows to their room. Hope you don't mind sharing," Dad offered.
Harry had stood up but came to an immediate halt and proclaimed, "I don't want to share a room with him!" Dad turned back to face Harry in astonishment, not quite believing what he was hearing. But Harry added with a grin, "He snores!" Dad and Moony took one look at each other and broke up laughing. Harry tried to hold out but soon he was howling right along with them.
Mum nudged me and said, "Well, that's done it. Dad can't help but like him now!" Then she added quietly, "And I do too, sweetheart." I leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "I wasn't worried. I knew you would. What's not to like?"
Lunch passed pleasantly. Afterwards, Mum suggested I might like to show the guys around town while they ran some errands. They disappeared and we adjourned upstairs to their room. Moony disappeared for about twenty minutes while he went to collect his belongings and return with them. Mrs. Weasley had brought mine over earlier in the day while I went to fetch Harry. While we waited for Moony to return, I showed Harry my room and the rest of the house where I had grown up. He enjoyed seeing pictures of me from childhood through teen, even if they didn't move. Mum and Dad did have some wizard photos of me, but they made it a point to keep them out of sight of any non-magicals who visited them.
We heard Moony call to us and we went to get him and headed out the door for our walking tour of the town. We don't really live in a rural area, but it is a small town, so you can pretty much see most of the town on foot. I wasn't sure it was really going to be all that interesting a sightseeing trip, but my friends insisted they did want a look around so I led the way. We were back at the house by 4:00; like I said, it's a small town and not much to see! Mum and Dad weren't home yet, and Moony looked worn out so he opted for a nap before dinnertime. Harry and I settled on the couch and I introduced him to American TV, though there wasn't much on in the afternoon worth looking at and I think it mostly just provided background noise to our conversation and snuggling.
Harry started to sit up straighter and inch away from me when Mum and Dad returned, but I caught his arm and pulled him back. "Don't worry, they won't mind," I assured him. As if to add emphasis to my words, Dad came in and sat down, pulling out his newspaper and burying himself in it after greeting us, as though teenagers snuggled up on his couch was an everyday sight.
Over dinner, my parents inquired about our exams. "De, how did you do after being sick and missing so much class work?" Both Moony and Harry glanced curiously at me, apparently getting the idea that I hadn't told my parents everything about my 'illness' in early April.
"I think I did okay," I answered. "Hermione was great about helping me get caught up, so I don't think there was a problem."
Mum came over a laid a hand on my forehead, "And you're sure you're completely over it? You're feeling all right now?"
"Mum! It was almost three months ago. I'm fine. Don't worry." I gave Harry and Moony a meaningful look and they understood not to pursue the subject.
We tried to stay up til a normal bedtime in order to get adjusted to the different time zone, but we only lasted til around 8:30 before the three of us were ready to call it a night. Once upstairs, I was saying goodnight to them from their doorway when Moony asked quietly, "Why didn't you tell them what happened in April?"
I stepped into the room and closed the door, "Because there was nothing they could do - then or now. And it would only have worried them." I sighed, "Honest, I don't keep much from them. It's just...sometimes it seems like the best thing to do. I don't want to worry them unnecessarily."
Moony came over and gave me a reassuring hug, "All right. I just wondered."
I gave him a kiss goodnight on the cheek and then stepped over and kissed Harry lightly, "See you in the morning."