Harry Potter and the Burden of Becoming
A Behind the Scenes Look
Chapter 1 - A New Beginning
Pravus
The evil wizard, "Pravus", was not created until he was described by Dobby when he was with Remus and Harry in the "Maurader's Eye". Pravus is Latin for depraved, wicked, evil, perverse. Although not described, the timeline for Pravus falls during the late crusades in and around the 11th century. Dobby says that "Those who followed the ways of Pravus were killed in the Great Purge, the same time the Great Wizard Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald." Here the ways of Pravus refer to a Dark Magic born from the 'near' east. Geographically, this is important because it points to the roots of the Darbinyan family (below).
Dudley Reborn
Perhaps one of the most controversial characters I incorporated into the story was Dudley and his new found "niceness". The reason is explained later as being caused by his brush with a Dementor and seeing himself for what he truly was for the first time. I liken it to a re-birth of sorts that few of us are allowed to experience. "Re-birth" or "second-chance" is a theme in many instances in this story. A few of the critics to date have complained about two unlikely transformations: Dudley and Draco. I'm hoping that JKR will see fit to redeem Draco; I doubt she'll do anything about Dudley. Alas.
Ron/Hermione
The attempt to hide their activities with "The Order" are, in this instance, just a feint to hide their activities with each other as a couple. These letters cover up Ron's joining Hermione's family in Germany for vacation.
The Darbinyans
"Movers were opening up the large truck and talking to a rather tall, dark haired man, whose eyes kept darting up and down the street. The morning was warm, but he wore a long-sleeved shirt,…."
The reader might think that Grigor was looking for Gabriella, but he wasn't; he was looking for Anaxarete (Emma). The long sleeved shirt was not to cover the dark mark of a Death Eater, but because he wore the White Mark of Asha on his arm, as Harry himself now wears.
The race of the Darbinyans came after quite a few cycles. First came my selection of the hotspot of the 1990's -- Lebanon. There are a number of different peoples in Lebanon, and Armenians are not uncommon. The idea of linking into what I'd call a more "magical" area was intriguing and I went with Armenian. The name Darbinyan is not an uncommon Armenian name, and can be found many times with a Google search.
"Without ever letting go of Harry's arm, this small woman Soseh with surprisingly great strength was marching him Harry to her front door." This is the point where Soseh (a seer) places the protection charm on Harry.
It was important when Harry was introduced to ensure ambiguity of Harry being a Dursley or a Potter. Soseh already knows he's a wizard (though not a Potter), Gabriella suspects, Grigor is clueless.
The University of Balamand in Tripoli is a real place in Lebanon. Yes, there is a Tripoli Lebanon, and you can look up the school's web-site to see what they teach.
The coffee is espresso, and the scene harkens back to when I was a teenager and a Romanian friend of mine made me some in his studio apartment. After I grimaced, "Perhaps some sugar." were his very words.