Poor Harry 

I liked it a lot. It was very angsty and sad, of course, and I usually don't like those very much, and it was a little confusing at first, but I liked it. It made me want to go "HA!" to everyone who was so evil to Harry. 'Cause the story was true (well, most of it) when it talked about Dumbledore and all the students abandoning him and stuff. They treat him like dirt the whole year while he's working out what's going on, and then when he figures it out and fights the evil, he's a hero for a few days before school ends, he goes back to the hell-hole for the summer, then it starts all over again. So, whenever I get mad at how Harry's life sucks thanks in part to many many people besides Voldemort, I'll pull this up and go "HA!"....... So, yeah. Nice job.

*salivates*  I just said everything that's relevant to this story in another one of yours (I pay no attention to names, sorry).  When will people see that Dursleys does not a happy hero make?

Awesome.  It was all so darn fitting, though perhaps slightly too exaggerated, though I can completely understand the effect that you needed for this to work, and if you take away Harry's Harryness, and had anyone else in his situations, then this is probably what you'll end up with.  Though, OotP tried to give Harry less Harryness...

Jeconais,

I very much enjoy your writing style, as well as the break from the more common, relatively fluffy fanfiction.  I have to say the part that struck me most was Voldemort's honnoring of Harry.  Have you ever seen the movie "Gangs of New York?"  One of the main characters held a celebration every year to honnor the death of the last "worthy" man he ever killed.  Even enemies can respect each other. 

Thanks for the story - dibberne   

Wow, that was deep. And extremely sad. I am very impressed. Kinda makes one think. Characters are really multi-faceted, not just all good or all bad.

“Despair” is one of those fics that is hard to read, requires several winces, and tears at your heart.  It is also riveting and haunting.  As I pondered the story, I found myself wondering if it could happen.

Harry has been abused many times by the adults in his life.  Could easily get to this point?  Would the death of Remus push him over the edge?

I find myself pondering these feelings long after I have dismissed many other fics. 

Great job!

That was harsh Tim!  I understand about writing things in a foul mood though, I do it myself *GRIN*   Still looking forward to WK,GQ and This Means War, and, hopefully, The Witch and the Warrior will be continued as well.

red

Wow.  Powerful.  I could really feel Harry's despair and how tired (for the lack of a better word) he is with life and the war.

This part got me:

"Tell me," he whispered, his sibilant voice echoing as eerily as Harry's had earlier. "Who is more evil? Me? Or the people that left him alone, struggling with guilt, struggling with depression, with people who locked and imprisoned him in a room, and took away all his means of contact.

In many ways, it is true.  The part that surprised me was how Voldemort wanted to honor Harry.  After it was explained, it made sense. 

This was terribly depressing, but immensely satisfying, for all the quiet abuse Harry has suffered and the way everyone ignores it. I keep hoping that DD will have some really good excuse for why things had to go the way they did for Harry. If he doesn't, then something like this could very well happen this summer. Here's Harry--physically exhausted, grieving, angry and confused. Oh, and guilty. And heeeeere's Vernon--huge, bullying git with a chip on both shoulders and ORDERS from those awful wizards not to touch Harry or abuse him. Yeah. That's a recipe for disaster if I've ever seen it.

I suppose that's why JKR says this summer will be Harry's shortest stay at Privet Drive ever.

Anyway, glad to see you're still writing. I must say that I like this piece better than the Abyss, which seemed to try to meld humor and horror together in a way that I found . . . disturbing more than intriguing. This Harry makes more sense to me. Of course, this Harry has no fight left in him. (shudder)

Thanks for writing this. I had a bad day today, and this was marvellously cathartic.

Although it is rather depressing, you did a brilliant job of this story. Superb writing!

My only niggle would be that the betrayal of Harry's friends does not seem quite potent enough. But, I suspect, you would say that he already was in such a bad state of mind that it just pushed him over the edge.

I look forward to your next updates of TMW! A you planning on finishing Fifth House at all? It has a brilliant beginning but you left Harry & Draco rather in the lurch.

I think I prefer your happy stories, but this one is still very good! Well done!

Tim, you never cease to amaze me. When I'm feeling foul, I either watch movies or play video games where I can blow things up. You, on the other hand, sit down and crank out something like this. Wow.

Now, I can't say I'm particulary convinced about your characterizations here (especially Harry's take on Ron and Hermione and the suddenly respectful Voldemort) but that's mostly beside the point. You're obviously out to send a message and that you've had to bend the characters a little bit to do it certainly doesn't detract too much from the result.

I think the story works fairly well because it's relatively simple and it's not too much of a stretch to get from the utterly lost and depressed Harry we see at the end of OotP to the beaten Harry we see here. Were it not for his friends and his own resolution not to be beaten (both of which you treat with, the latter better than the former in my opinion), he really wouldn't have much to fight for.

"For me," Albus said, almost inaudibly.

"Was that so very hard to say?" Harry asked. "But I'm afraid that I don't know you. I have no wish to know someone that abandons an orphan, and goes eleven years without a single check up. I have no wish to know someone who allows a child to be locked in a cupboard while growing up, to be treated as a slave. And then, even when he does know about all this, forces that young man, still suffering from guilt and anguish over the death of his Godfather, back there."

I found that bit particularly cutting and effective as trust and faith in Dumbledore is so central to the series. And I found the way you used Voldemort's monologue to reinforce that nicely by emphasizing the blame Dumbledore and everyone else shared in Harry's defeat.

Anyway, this was quite an interesting quick read. Good job.
-KC

Another brilliant story from you.  It's amazing how  the same facts can be made to show diverse viewpoints.  This must be the only fic I've read where I like Voldemort.

Weirdsister.   +

Wow, that was an incredibly powerful piece; it showed a very dark side of Harry, and I have rather mixed emotions about that, but I still enjoyed the story.

I have a tendency - when reading a book - to like the characters the author intends his or her readers to like (and vise versa); I sort of follow the author naively down whatever path they go - and I can't seem to wrap my mind around a Dumbledore who would be so unthinking of Harry's feelings (esp. after his mistake in OotP) to let Harry's problems go unnoticed,. I also feel that Rowling has shown us repeatedly that both Hermione and Ron are willing to put Harry ahead of themselves - it's their role in the story as sidekicks and Harry's support system. Harry - as the hero of the tale - will come first.

Given that, I still very much enjoyed what you've done here. Were Ron and Hermione to become completely engrossed in one another (and if Harry did not have Ginny's company to rely upon) and was Dumbledore truly a selfish man, I could see and understand Harry's actions in this story. Obviously (thank the powers that be, I suppose) it won't happen like this is the series. Harry's a remarkably strong character - his lack of fear of death (which I think you showed subtly in this story), coupled with his support system,  makes him that much more 'heroic' and stronger - and however he achieves it, I think he'll overcome the villain (who is still Voldemort). You did a great job of showing why he needs his support system.

You portrayed Voldemort oddly too, though I rather enjoyed that - he's noble in a way we don't see in the stories.  Although, I don't agree with Harry's words that Voldemort doesn't lie; I think Voldemort has built his whole empire on lies.

I really enjoyed the bit about Draco's color changing on the map - nice to see a bit of humor in an otherwise dark fic. The stuff with Ginny and Dean didn't bother me, they're just being normal teenagers - although for Harry's sake I wish she could have been there for him.

Goodness, I didn't intend this to be so long. Sorry it turned into an analysis on the books as well as your story. I do think this was a great story and I'll probably read it many more times. It's very few words, but you've managed to put a lot of emotion into it and you've done a great job of manipulating your audiences emotions as well.

Jen

You, sir, are the reigning king of angst with this one.  Ouch.  Very painful.  Very sad.

Beautifully executed, but what a painful premise.  Poor Harry.

I await the next installment.  (Of whatever, although I must admit I was greatly looking forward to more of This Means War!)

Interesting. I thought it was also rather sad. Would you be so kind as to tell me where i can find your other stories?

~thGP

This story just kind of blindsided me.  I guess I've been in a mood here lately where I've been avoiding angst/tragedy so I kind of went into this story expecting something more like your usual work.

I do think this story is a worst case extreme scenario. While I can see Ron/Hermione getting so wrapped up in one another that I can see them ignoring Harry I think that Dumbledore is slowly learning his lesson and will endeavor to mend fences with Harry.

I also we see signs by the end of OOTP that Harry is progressing normally through the grieving process and that while Sirius death will be painful, I don't think it will be debilitating.

The most troubling aspect for me personally was the Ginny/Dean in the Room of Requirement. You kind of left it open to the imagination as to what they were doing, but hinted heavily towards total intimacy. That to me is completely OOC for Ginny. Since OOTP people have completely dropped the pre-OOTP characterization of Ginny and have often made her essentially a female verions of Fred and George combined. 

While I think Ginny has the twins mischieviousness and enjoyment of life we tend to forget that she has been sheltered by her parents as well...lest we forget that fact that Molly held Ginny's hand during the first two books in public. Personally, I don't think Ginny will be willing to give herself to just any boy (and personally I think the only she would be willing to give herself to before marriage would be Harry). I've noticed that in the Fandom there is a tendency to treat the kids as normal everyday modern teenagers, but I think that the truth of the matter is that Wizarding teens tend to behave much more conservatively towards the opposite sex than your average teens.  And a pureblook like Ginny would be even more conservative in that area.

The other major OOC aspect of Ginny giving herself to a boy is her whole experience with the diary. I personally think the only person she will ever be able to fully trust to share herself completely with emotionally and physically will be Harry who saved her from the diary.

Otherwise a well written yet completely depressing story (I think I liked The Abyss better though since at least it had an ending in which the the two were together).

I forgot say that the fic was very well written (I especially enjoyed the philosophical issues about the nature of evil) even though I disagree with the characterisation.

I also forgot to mention mention why I disagree with the characterisation, so here it goes: This fic hinges on Dumbledore not havining learned from the mistakes he admitted to have made at the end of OoTP. Old habits do die hard, but Dumbledore's choice to have a heart to heart with Harry and Moody's not too subtle threat towards the Durselys shows (IMO) that he realised that the patronising/ignoring strategy would have been disastrous if perpetuated any longer. Of course, I'm pretty sure you already knew this but chose to disregard that interpretation of canon to make this fic work.

Again,  on the Harry/Pansy attempt.  Let me know where and when it's up.

Great material- of course very dark but you know there is a ray of truth to it all, it makes you wonder why heros in stories suffer so greatly for no reason, and never ask themselves just why, guess it wouldn't fit into our mind-sets of what a hero is. I do hope you work on This Means War- I have followed that fic for some time and have long awaited an update- I will have to check out your White Knight... story as well.  As always you write well, very perceptive characterization and a great question of who is really evil. Thanks for this fic, It gave me a few ideas. Best regards and good writing.

Wow. This is... dark, and amazing. Everyone's still in character, with you only showing their darker sides. Just like in Abyss, you've showcased Dumbledore's weaknesses, and I absolutely love the comparison of "the better of two evils" with Voldemort coming out as more honest. It's not something that ever occurred.

Reading about Harry standing topless and thin and horrible was like watching a stage play, in that I saw it in my head and gasped in horror with the rest of Hogwarts.

You write drama and angst as well as you write your comedy... if not, better, as you have more room for descriptions and pulling serious emotions from your reader here.

Excellent story Jeconais!

Katie

I sit here, at the keyboard, speechless. This is an idea I have seen before but never showing so much power, suppressed anger and logic behind it. Every step followed on from the last building painfully to the conclusion. You actually managed to make me feel a flicker of something other than fear/dislike for Tom Riddle during his final speech. The man, snake-whatever he is, does have a b****y good point!

It really does beg the question; will canonHarry ever have these thoughts and what path will he choose to take if he does?

As for the point in your A/n... I have enjoyed whatever you have written, including WK GQ (even as a die-hard H/G fan!) and am prepared to wait for whatever you feel like sharing with us because I never know quite what to expect from your work. You never go where I expect and I like that immensely. So, thanks.

I enjoyed reading this story even if it was a little depressing but it was good all the same.  I am glad that you are definately finishing off the other stories I enjoyed reading wk/gq on your journal and I cant wait to read the rest of it hurry hurry hurry. Do you have any estimates on when WK/GQ and TMW will be finished?

Wow!  I never thought Harry would have the courage to actually give up!  As Hermione so aptly puts it in OotP, his 'saving people thing' usually gets in the way of such deeds; you've shown there's another side to courage.  Also, the more I think about it, you're absolutely right about Dumbledore's abandonment of Harry and how his near demise at the Dursleys ended up being the icing on Voldemort's cake.

Um. Wow? Ouch? Eek? Zarth?

Not really sure how I feel about this one. Technically it is excellent - and you certainly know how to play on emotions. But whether I like it or not... I'm not sure.

It is, nevertheless, a brilliant piece of writing, and I congratulate you for being able to write it.

That was wonderfully written. Highly depressing...it's a good thing that you put that warning at the beginning... but very well written.

Off to read something amusing now before I start to cry.

That was probably the saddest story I have ever read. The bad thing is I can see that really happening if things don't change soon for Harry. It's a great story in a tormented sorta way. As always I feel privliged to read it.

Thanks

~Xand

How....depressing. Of course, literature doesn't have to be all fluff balls and pretty things "wrapped in a red ribbon," as Magnolia Mama put it.  I'll admit, I'm partially reveiwing because my new goal is to be a second year within a month(), but this deserves a review, my goal or not.  I don't think (nor hope!) the end will turn out this way, but it was most certainly interesting to read.  Your writing as always caught my eye, be it for sugary fluff or captivating angst (the latter harder to find but better to read, IMHO) This piece really captures the title; there's nothing else to feel but depair.

Delani

     I can honestly see something like this happening. Its honest, and truthful and very scary. It reminds me of a old story about the most inconsequential of things making the kingdom be lost. It all started with a nail missing from a horse shoe..

     Jeconais, in this piece I can see Harry being both the nail and the shoe. With just a little bit of care and maintaince, the world, or atleast your part of it would be very,very different.

     I've enjoyed all you have written, "This Means War" and "Madness" and its sequel/s have been my favorite so far. "The Fifth House" I 've seen that on other sites, is it an abandoned work? If so, that is a shame, because its premise is awesome, and its very funny.

Keep up the good work and I hope you have fun doing it,

Takon