Mordecai posted a comment on Friday 10th February 2006 10:48pm for True Colours

i loved this chapter, perhaps the best one of all, though it did take you a while to get it out, but the quality more than made up for that.

please update soon

IP82 posted a comment on Friday 10th February 2006 9:53pm for True Colours

Ok chapter - not your best, but still good enough.

Pranking was a little elementary, but I accept that they are only first years.

Broom accident was an original twist to the old scene.

Hufflepuff Quidditch team was way too professional and serious, IMO. They seem much more zealous than Gryffindor team from the canon, even though they should be everyone's bitch and loose all the time. I was expecting them to take the cup thing less seriously, which would be the reason for them loosing all the time.

I like how Harry handled the potential duel and the new twist on the creature guarding the stone.

I didn't like that psychedelic halloween very much, especially that confusing dream part, but I guess it'll become important later in the story. Harry spilling his guts out to Dumbledore was strange too - was he under a spell or something?

Anyway, good development of the story so far. Not the best IMO (too much canon-like scenes), but still way better than majority of stuff out there. Keep up the good work.

The Resident posted a comment on Friday 10th February 2006 7:36pm for True Colours

Thank you for another chapter in this marvellous tale. Subtley weaving JKR's story with your own marvellous imagination. The school-wide prank was interesting and its going to be interesting to find out who the unknown is that was behind the 'poisonings'. As always, you intrigue and amuse me with your storylines. Keep up the great work and I wish you an early 'Happy Valentine's Day'.

Quizer posted a comment on Friday 10th February 2006 6:30pm for True Colours

Good stuff. I'm already looking forward to the next chapter.
Lot's of unique events. I wonder to what extent Harry's dreams have any meaning. The Divination potion is obviously responsible for the Goblet of Fire appearance and some of the other stuff, but the hallucinogen probably scrambled everything beyond repair.
I also like how you include Death Eaters in the story already. JKR obviously added them to the universe in book four only, but being such a large part of recent history, it makes sense that people would know about them before then.
Good job, and update soon! :)

Quizer

Goyana posted a comment on Friday 10th February 2006 3:24pm for True Colours

Great chapter, update soon.

Evan Mayerle posted a comment on Friday 10th February 2006 2:10pm for True Colours

Very interesting chapter. It's going to be very interesting to see how this evolves; I assume the dosing was to distract attention while Quirell/Voldemort made a try for the stone; but that still leaves the question of how they entered Harry's dream. Definitely more "wheels within wheels" here.

ridmania posted a comment on Friday 10th February 2006 8:55am for True Colours

awesome stuff!!! keep up the awesome work!!!

Jim_xinu posted a comment on Friday 10th February 2006 6:44am for True Colours

Didn't you have some one simply called the Scribe guarding the Hufflepuff dorms? Because you refer to: "the portrait of Helga Hufflepuff snoozed in her frame". Unless Helga's on the inside of the door...

That was the *best* version of the midnight duel ever! Potter the Peacemaker.

I love the way you've gone ahead and changed things quite a bit--much more interesting than the typical first year AU.

You've done a really good job here of capturing the same kind of wit JKR uses.

Your Quirrell is much more effective than JKR's. :-)

Very impressive chapter. I really enjoyed it.

Ishtar replied:

Helga is in a portrait hanging over the fireplace in the Common Room. The Scribe is the door warden, yes.

There will be ramifications from that duel. And I'm hoping my Quirrell will be a bit scarier by the time I'm done ...

red jacobson1 posted a comment on Friday 10th February 2006 6:28am for True Colours

loved it Dorothy! I can't wait to see what Remus and Sirius have to say about the events of Halloween.

I find it interesting that Snape isn't quite as much of a git in this story. He is still not somebody I'd like to meet in reality, but he's not the bogeyman of canon in this version of the story.

Looking forward to more
(I would really love to know what Percy was thinking when he made his comment about Duck Spanking!)

red

Ishtar replied:

I'd think Remus and Sirius (and a lot of other concerned parents) are going to be banging on Dumbledore's office door wonder what in tarnation is going on in that school?!

Snape still isn't a *nice* person, but he's not quite so much of a bastard.

And Percy's duck spanking line ... you'd have to ask my husband. It was his insanity that spawned that. Pity me, I have to live with him.

Mickey posted a comment on Friday 10th February 2006 6:27am for True Colours

Very nice, glad to see you're not insisting on keep the story in the same mold as JKR's.
I really liked the dream sequence, although it's too bad Snape knows about the Maradures. I don't suppose they could make a deal with him to keep quiet as long as they restrict themselvs to retaletory pranks?

Ishtar replied:

We've all read fifty versions of first year that are the same but for minor details. I wanted to have one that started from the same point but diverged widely. Here, very broad plot lines remain the same but everyone's making different decisions (e.g., Dumbledore sets up the gauntlet leading to the Stone, but it's all different challenges), and the story changes accordingly. It will diverge even more in later years.

hedwig_edwiges posted a comment on Friday 10th February 2006 6:27am for True Colours

Nice going! Fluffly will make an appearance now? And this get more complicate but we can still expect Lord Thingy living under the turbant, right? I just hope you don't take to long to update.

Ken Warner posted a comment on Friday 10th February 2006 5:57am for True Colours

what a lot of things you have happening in this chapter - and the multitude of direction that you can take with it - Not a chance of me spitting out the hook here - I will just have to hold my breath for the next update
Thanks

Gardengirl posted a comment on Friday 10th February 2006 2:54am for True Colours

Worth the wait! Thanks - love the alternate Halloween, and can hardly wait to find out what all significance you hid in Harry's hallucinations.

Dave Harris posted a comment on Friday 10th February 2006 2:17am for True Colours

Well that was rather weird and full of off-beat shenanigans, wasn't it?

I understand that there's some necessary deviation from canon, but the introduction of a chimera in the East Tower (as oppposed to Fluffy in the third floor corridor) is intriguing - I can only assume you have a particular plot point forming out of it!

I was a bit disappointed that the Marauders were outed so soon, but I'm interested in Snape's apparent acceptance of Harry - you'd think he would still be annoyed at him, but I suppose that if Snape's been considered more-or-less a hero for the past ten years, he might have a different attitude...

Looking forward to the next chapter!

Ishtar replied:

The chimaera plot point runs thus: Fire-breathing chimaera --> scorched Quirrell (instead of bitten Snape) BUT was Quirrell scorched by it or by the Fire Flowers in the greenhouse? Or did Quirrell just *claim* it was the Fire Flowers? What's next now that the chimaera's dead? And why did it kill itself? (That last should be easy to figure out.) I always felt it should have been Kettleburn, as CoMC teacher at the time, who should have been primarily involved with protecting the Stone rather than Hagrid, and if there's anybody who could create or breed a magical creature like a chimaera, it would be him. But of course the first we hear of Kettleburn in canon is when he's retiring, so I wanted to have a little more for him here.

Snape knows who the Marauders are, but he hasn't really told others. There was so much chaos going on in the Great Hall that a lot of people missed it or weren't paying attention. And two of the Marauders weren't identified. So there's still the possibility of mayhem in the future. And yeah, after almost ten years of being a "hero", Snape has kind of a different attitude about it now. Even he wouldn't wish that on a kid. Particularly a Hufflepuff that likes potions, even if he is a Potter ...

Ronnie McMains posted a comment on Friday 10th February 2006 1:58am for True Colours

Thank you for posting this! Do you have any idea how long your husband has been torturing us with Percy's duck spanking quote?

On the other hand, you seem to have made a slight error. To wit:

Wait until you’ve got the Quaffle and the Bludgers zooming around, and fifteen other players to keep an eye on. It’s a lot harder then."

Shouldn't that be 13?

Ishtar replied:

Quite right. It's been fixed. Thanks.

I hope the duck spanking thing was worth waiting for. It's really all his fault, you know. He came up with the line and I found a home for it. He's also responsible for the back-street gerbilmancer and the avocado animagus.