Penumbra I: Falls the Shadow

by Skaldic Oresteia

Post-HBP. Harry disappears on the Horcrux hunt, and Ginny is left to find her own path in the war against Voldemort. On separate paths, Harry is dragged into the affairs of a new and unexpected ally, while Ginny faces repercussions from the Order and her parents for helping him escape. In the meantime Voldemort finds a new ally of deadlier power than Harry could ever have imagined.

16. Author's Note

Author's Note:

For those who are subscribed to this story, I am very aware that it has been a long time since I last updated it. "Penumbra" has been on hiatus for several years now, for a variety of reasons. Life, naturally, got in the way, from finishing university, to starting my career path, to Covid massively disrupting everyone's lives. The biggest reason, however, is that while I was posting "Penumbra," I found that though this story in and of itself is a revision of a much earlier version, I still wasn't completely satisfied with it. There were characters I should have introduced earlier, plot holes I should have addressed, and other elements that I should have introduced later.

For that reason, on and off, a new revision/expansion of "Falls the Shadow" has been one of two major writing projects for the past couple of years. I am nearly finished with the new revision, and I hope to begin posting it sometime in the next few weeks. When I start, I will probably remove all chapters of this version except the prologue, with a note added directing readers to the newer version. I probably will also partially change the name of the old version to avoid confusion.

A few things to note: "Penumbra" is the only fanfiction I have posted here that I still intend to continue working on and finish. My other fanfiction, "The Perennials", a Dr. Who fanfiction, will be on permanent hiatus from now on. This is because while I had a very extensive outline for "Perennials", I eventually realized that it was straying so far from the original material that I could probably convert it into an original science fiction novel if I made the right changes. This is the other major writing project I've been working on for the past couple of years. Because I am also working on an original novel in addition to the revised "Penumbra", updates may be a bit slow, but I hope to post at least once a month once I've completed "Falls the Shadow" and have a relatively decent head start on its sequel, "The Anzem Gauntlets" (of which I do have early drafts of the first few chapters and a fairly clear outline).

There are five planned "Penumbra" stories in total, currently as follows:

1. Falls the Shadow
2. The Anzem Gauntlets
3. [Title is not yet settled upon]
4. Invictus
5. Dalgormad

Aside from some dialogue changes and some extra material, I'll note here that the most notable change in the revision is that the island referred to repeatedly in the goblin subplot, "Dhárdin di Ginbaingh" will not feature, or even be mentioned, until significantly later, probably not until some time in "Anzem Gauntlets". For this reason, the character Cerdik Gadlak will play a slightly different role, and in the new version neither he nor Grobschmied will know about this island yet.

And lastly: I have said this several times in response to questions and comments I have occasionally received in previous drafts, and I probably will continue to stress this in author's notes in the coming final draft: "Penumbra" was originally conceptualized more than fifteen years ago, not too long after "Half-Blood Prince" was published, and well before "Deathly Hallows". For that reason, it has very little in common with "Deathly Hallows", or anything that came after. There will be occasional nods to "Deathly Hallows", but anything that was revealed about the Harry Potter canon after "Half-Blood Prince" will be completely disregarded. This includes, but is not limited to:

1. Dumbledore's backstory with Grindelwald is completely different. Also, as Grindelwald's full name was not revealed until "Deathly Hallows", his name has always been different in "Penumbra".
2. Snape's backstory is somewhat different.
3. I have invented a great deal about the goblins, their culture, and their history, that have absolutely nothing to do with what J.K. Rowling revealed or portrayed in "Deathly Hallows" or what followed.
4. The backstory of the Hogwarts Founders will be somewhat expanded upon and even adjusted as the story continues (based on how ancient and medieval history often is more complex than we realize and often isn't portrayed accurately in popular history).
5. The Horcruxes will be different. This self-evidently would have been the case, as the earliest outlines and drafts of "Penumbra" were from before "Deathly Hallows" was published, but I continued in that vein, in large measure because I never have been fully satisfied with how Rowling resolved the Horcrux subplot (I especially dislike that in "Deathly Hallows", Harry somehow manages to find and destroy almost all the remaining Horcruxes, and kill Voldemort, in less than twenty-four hours). Without going into too much detail, here are a few changes to expect: how Harry finds the locket will be different, and will take a lot longer than in "Deathly Hallows"; Ravenclaw's Horcrux is not a diadem, and is not located at Hogwarts; and Hufflepuff's cup is in a completely different location. These are not the only changes either. I just want you to know what to expect.
6. Aberforth Dumbledore plays a slightly bigger role, and has a different personality. His relationship with Albus is completely different, and in "Penumbra", they have no sister.

While I have listed these particular differences, as a whole, just remember: scratch EVERYTHING you know about the Harry Potter canon and backstory, from "Deathly Hallows" on. If it wasn't in Books 1-6, then it will not be in "Penumbra".

Again, I am very sorry for the long wait. In a month or two, look out for the new revised version of "Falls the Shadow".

Thank you for your patience,

Skaldic Oresteia