Reviews For Hogwarts: A History


Name: abhorsen (Signed) · Date: 31 Dec 2017 01:57 PM · For: Chapter 3

Molly was the bad girl in Hogwarts? I love that!

 

I also love, though, how you talk about the tables turning - it's a nice call out to how we grow and change as we get older, which is something that I think frequently gets ignored or handwaved away. In fiction, it seems like often, the bad girl is always the bad girl, and the good girl is always the good girl, and that's just... not realistic.

 

There's so much in the way of uncomfortable family dynamics here, and I love all of it. I know we're seeing this from Lucy's perspective, but ughhh come on, guys. Molly's "I know this woman who's bi" is just so headdesk-worthy. No, Molly, that is not how it works. (And "As far as I know" - seriously, Molly?!)

 

I love the way you're continuing to expand on the founders, too - it's such a cool origin story, and I've never read anything like it before! You're tying in so many interesting aspects I'd never thought of - dueling, apparation, Helga not just being English - and I absolutely love it. <3



Name: abhorsen (Signed) · Date: 31 Dec 2017 01:47 PM · For: Book I

I'm back!

 

I love how strongly Lucy pushes back on all the bullshit from Chesterfield. It's pretty clear that she's resourceful enough to identify the cards she's holding in this exchange and use them to their fullest ability - including to correct pronouns for her intern, hell yes! - and that was just so wonderful to see, especially considering that often, I think the exchange would end with a paycut. (Also, 2%? Seriously? What a transparent attempt to claw power back. Like 2% is going to make or break funding for a second position.)

 

I love the history you delve into here. The idea that Godric's initial feelings about magic were about it being used for healing specifically, rather than dueling, gives so much depth to what Gryffindor house is about now. I also really appreciated how he met Salazar - I was a little tense when he admitted straight off that he was a sorcerer, and I'm glad that it ultimately wasn't a problem this time.

 

This is amazing and I love it <3



Name: abhorsen (Signed) · Date: 31 Dec 2017 01:38 PM · For: Prologue

Hey, I'm here for the winter wonderland!

 

And omg, I loved this. I don't think the Fat Friar gets covered as much as many of the other ghosts, probably because he doesn't have the obviously-tragic backstory that the other house ghosts have. I'm was so psyched that you did... and I loved the result.

 

Lucy is so, so real to me here. As someone who Did History, I completely agreed with her re: those charms qualifying the monastery for heritage status, and I really love how she talks about it - the casual-but-of-course-you-have-to illegality of copying Muggle manuscripts, the casual dismissal of the people who bought it (which still acknowledging the money involved) - it was so perfect from the start.

 

I always love your world-building, and this story is no exception. The idea that forensic spellmasters exist is amazing, and the idea that 666 was a red flag is just so interesting and makes so much sense!

 

This was so, so good. <3



Name: Shinicha (Signed) · Date: 18 May 2017 05:52 AM · For: Prologue

really unique intro and topic! I already love Lucy and her snippy attitude :D

And, of course, it's a big plus to have light shed on the Hufflepuff ghost, I'm sure that I've never read a story that features him in any significant way!



Name: Stella Blue (Signed) · Date: 14 May 2017 03:51 PM · For: Chapter 3

YESSS! Where has this story been all my life? because i'm in love. with this story, with the fact that you're writing again, and tbh a little in love with lucy as well. she takes no BS salary cuts.

 

Seriously, I love everything about this. I adore Founders era, and you know I love your writing, and I feel like it was just a natural thing that had to happen, you writing Founders. With your knowledge and passion for medieval history, this is going to be the best Founders ever and i am so. excited. no pressure though, it's going to be incredible no matter what. I've never seen an interpretation of the founders quite like yours and it's super interesting so far, especially with Salazar being the youngest of the four (well, so far - guess we haven't met Rowena yet) and Helga being a Dane. That actually makes so much sense especially for the time period and I can't believe I hadn't thought of it before. And I love the way you write how magic is passed on in the time before Hogwarts, with sorcerers here and there but nothing is really standard, and in general just for healing.

 

The way you hop between next gen and founders is really clever, too, with the manuscript separating them as Lucy translates more of it. It's like, the perfect mix of smart next gen dialogue meets really well researched historical story. And more insight into Hogwarts ghosts as well! PERFECT

 

I love the relationship between Lucy and Molly, too! They're so different, especially in their lifestyles, and as much as they tease one another they still seem really close. I loved their whole conversation in the first half the chapter. Also, I find Lucy incredibly relatable in terms of how she's struggling to be an adult but still devoted to chasing the life she wants, haha. (just replace the word 'historian' with 'ecologist' and this story becomes oddly biographical, except that lucy, as a witch without a car, therefore doesn't live in her car). anyway, lucy is a very relatable protagonist and you always write such wonderful, three dimensional characters that really jump off the page - we're barely three chapters in and I'm already so attached to this story. i also love the fact that Molly proposed to her boyfriend, A+ for demolishing gender stereotypes.

 

(I know it was less than one line of the story but I also appreciate the fact that Dean and Seamus are together/married #otp)

 

Sorry this review is all over the place but i just have too much enthusiasm about this story to contain it into a coherent review. but here's a summary: i love this story, i love that you are writing a founders fic and I can't wait to see where you take it, this is incredible, etc. 100000/10



Name: sunshinedaisieswindmills (Signed) · Date: 11 Mar 2017 10:08 PM · For: Book I

OH MY GOD ELISABETH

This is like, the most amazing thing I've read in aaaaaaaages. I just love the entire concept you'e got going on here, and I think you're probably the best person in the world to write it. I'm SO EXCITED to see what else you've got in store, especially after reading your headcanon post! 

You know, you have such a knack for coming up with these amazing stories that immediately draw people in and sometimes I think that you're writing stories tailored for me, because they're so perfect. Like, I've definitely been thinking a lot about the Fat Friar lately, and I was going to ask about him in your thread, and then there he was in the first sentence! 

I'm always so impressed with your writing and I'm really so excited to see you channeling your passion into it. I really can't wait to read more! :D



Name: BookDinosaur (Signed) · Date: 05 Mar 2017 01:58 AM · For: Book I

"the unnecessary and, quite frankly, rude, intrusion of her day job" <<< this is so accurate it's wonderful and such a good way to start the chapter

 

"archimedes chesterfield, the grandeur of whose name did not match his bearing or his character" is quite possibly the best one-sentence takedown of a fictional character that i have ever read. lucy knows how to cut people down to size

 

and i know i already mentioned this to you but hot damn can a girl negotiate. it made me think alternately of little hailee steinfeld in true grit and my mother, which is not as strange a juxtaposition as it sounds. i love how well she can get her own way - remember what i sad about feeling a lil sorry for the patronising souls who underestimated lucy weasley? that statement definitely applies to archimedes chesterfield

 

i suppose that it makes sense with binns as a teacher that hogwarts is not turning out very many passionate historians - it makes me even more interested in lucy and how she got into history. and what she's been through, if she considers a "this is so cool" to be good enough to promote an intern to a staff member :P

 

i love the little bits of translation you have throughout the paragraph, because it builds tension admirably well but also because that seems like the most realistic way a translation would end up going

 

also: we get old-timey founders story!!! i haven't read much founders so i am very excited to see where you go from here, and also it means that i am probably very gullible and will easily believe any outlandish tales you choose to thrust upon me. this is going to be fun :D :D



Name: BookDinosaur (Signed) · Date: 05 Mar 2017 01:37 AM · For: Prologue

lisa. lisa. L I S A

i am absolutely the most excited that you're writing things again and writing this and centring it on a subject that you so clearly love and can put so much detail into. tragically, my computer's web browser does not share my excitement and is being criminally slow, so that's the reason if this review comes to you a lot later than i started it (this is the problem with having people know when you started your reviews as opposed to just knowing when i finished and submitted them >.<)

i don't know why it never occurred to me that ghosts could move on, i always thought it was a forever-choice to stay, and it lowkey makes me want to go back to canon and get sirius to stay, just for a while. but that has very little to do with this story, whose praises i intended to sing before getting sidetracked

is it terrible that i can see shades of chris in lucy? because especially with the "technically that's illegal" - i feel like that's a very chris thing to say. i love her introduction - there's nothing like nonchalantly suggesting technical illegalities and revering ancient artifacts while belittling hipster dream houses to get a character into my heart, but i feel like you knew that already

oh man, and she just takes her manuscript back. the forensic spellmaster seems kind of patronising, but also i can't help but feel just a lil sorry for those unfortunate patronising souls to underestimate lucy weasley

and yes!! this is so exciting because you are of all people are the best possible person to write about 14th century manuscripts and i am unspeakably excited to see where you go from here



Name: Dojh167 (Signed) · Date: 04 Mar 2017 11:47 PM · For: Book I

Heyo! I'm back and as ever a fan of your quick updates and short chapters which help your stories be less intimidating for me to read =)

 

Ugh day jobs. RUDE.

 

Oh hey, but she's a head of a department? That's cool.

 

Ah, good point that Hogwarts doesn't exactly turn out too enthusiastic a crop of young historians without Binns as the teacher. Which is such a shame - it would be my favorite subject with a better teacher. But that makes me kind of want a fic where a group of students somehow really love him as a teacher? Maybe they think he's hilarious or find ways to use him as a primary source despite his best efforts. I don't know, our fic is alwas so original that it makes my brain think of and want more similar =P

 

Ooh I like this structure, using a short passage from the manuscript as a transition between time periods. It works reall well with the pacing of the story. It makes sense because Lucy has to spend a lot of time to decipher small amounts of the text, so taking breaks in the narrative away from her makes sense. I also love following kind of dry texts about the founders with more colorful narratives of what actually happened.

 

I like the idea of magic being mainly used for healing and Godric having to adjust to using it for combat. Especially because it's kind of the opposite of what people would expect from the founder of Gryffindor house.

 

There are a couple word choice things I would draw attention to in a more nitpicky review, but knowing you've just written this without a beta I won't do that in these reviews unless you ask me to.

 

I think it's an interesting choice to give Godric and Salazar an age difference, though I am curious what exactly their ages are. I can see Salazar's part in the story we know through that light already, the strong headed young man dissapointed with the ideals of his older mentor.

 

I look forward to more!



Name: Dojh167 (Signed) · Date: 02 Mar 2017 08:16 PM · For: Prologue

I am here!

(I'm actually super impressed about this. Part of the reason I was so eager to read this last night is because I am super awful about reading things, and I was afraid the mood wouldn't last. But for your work, definitely! So here for this.)

My reaction to the opening of this story: 1) Yes, Fat Friar in the house! 2) Agh, my feels!

You've made the Friar even more perfectly Huflepuffy in the way he is underestimated, seen as too cheerful and boring. The assumption that he doesn't have baggage, despite the obvious evidence of 716 years of being a ghost. His quiet humility, not flaunting his life or his death.

Introduce swearing Lucy Weasley. The way to my heart.

I think it's super cool that you imply there are wizard/muggle archeological standards. And suddenly I want a story about muggle historians who made this possible. All "wtf magic is real, but damn it, that's not going to stop us from doing our jobs."

Hehe I'm all for Lucy being super unimpressed by the forensic spellmaster and taking things back into her own hands just like that.

I'm curious about how this ties into the book Hogwarts: A History that was obviously before Lucy's time. I'm excited to find out more.

This story. By you. Is what we all need.



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