Carol Layland posted a comment on Saturday 28th June 2008 5:29pm

Hi, I do like this story and the new chapters are fantastic. You really have no idea how nice it is to find a site where the authors are all well educated in writing and so creative. I just keep coming back.

Lady Alchymia replied:

Hi Carol,

Thank you very much!   I shall pass on your compliments to the other authors :).

Kind regards,

Lady Alchymia

Carol Layland posted a comment on Saturday 28th June 2008 2:32pm

Hi, Everytime I come up on FanFic Authors I check to see if my favorite authors have added posints to their stories. When I came up today I found this lovely chapter about Harry and an island. It is a wonderful chapter. Please keep them comming. Please add me to your notifications list so that wnen you post I will be notified by my email. Pretty Please! Carol Layland

Lady Alchymia replied:

Hi  Carol,

Firstly, I believe you can subscribe to receive chapter alerts here (I can't add you because it's under your own profile, sorry):

http://lady-a.fanficauthors.net/add.php

Secondly, thank you for your compliments!   I'm delighted you enjoyed Black Island :).

Kindly,

Lady A

brad posted a comment on Monday 23rd June 2008 5:51pm

YES!!!! Cho is gone, enter Hermio----

Oh. Right. Susan.

:-(

:-)

Heh. I'd been looking forward to the scene where the three of them were hung up on the walls :-). Satisfying to see Harry actually get the truth out of Snape, and to see the proof of the protectiveness of his guardian and godmother.

I found the scene describing the reunion of Elizabeth with Natalie and Julius very effective. The first part, with Natalie burrowing under the blanket, was just too damn cute, and Julius's turnaround made everything right. It cleared the air and set things up nicely for the 'get the two together again!' sub-plot.

"The warrior women vanished, melting instead into seven doting doves" - heh. You do have a way with words. And how cool for you to have the first remark between Julius and Remus be sporting related - '178 years!'. Heh.

Had to laugh too at the nature of Harry's "breakup" with Cho. The 'pure' romantic within me would have thought that such a physical liaison *after* dissolution of the relationship wasn't quite on, but I bow to your knowledge of the teenage hormonal sex drive and Harry's inclination to get 'horizontal' - I think that's what you said - whenever and wherever he can. :-)

You mentioned this a week or two ago in an earlier response to a review question of mine:

>>>>>>>>>>
Ginny *is* only 16, and not a very nice 16 year old (brave and pretty, perhaps, but not very nice). But, to Rowling's credit, she doesn't force a melting, true love moment on us with the adolescent Harry and Ginny. They have sexual tension, but that's pretty much it. We then jump forward 19 years to see them married with children, so I trust that somewhere in those undocumented years, they grew up and truly fell in love.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>

We are in complete and total agreement. Whew. Mind you, I think of lot of Rowling's self-indulgent self-congratulating remarks in the various interviews, both post-HBP and after DH, are, indeed, efforts to convince fans of how wonderful Ginny and H/G is *in the books* (the phrases "emotional journey", "true equals" and other like tripe come to mind), which makes other fans like me want to push back. Harry and Ginny maturing, growing into something more akin to real love and 'soul mates', in those 19 years following 'After the Flaw'? Certainly possible. But evidence of same in the canon text we all read? Nah. Cheers.

Lady Alchymia replied:

Hi Brad,

Glad you enjoyed the inquest :).   Natalie burrowing into her auntie's bed is very much from real life LoL, and I was always very fond of Julius, so thank you.   As for '178 Years!" ... I  couldn't have two men having a meeting of the minds any other way, now could I? :)   You know, I wrote a  couple of Australian characters in a short story, two mid-twenties men, and managed to  depict a quite detailed deep and meaningful consisting of about three lines of dialogue.   I do love writing men.

Cheers,

Lady A

beauty01021 posted a comment on Sunday 22nd June 2008 7:18pm

yeah great chapter can't wait for more so please update agian and soon.

Lady Alchymia replied:

Thank you.

Lady A

Wonderbee31 posted a comment on Sunday 22nd June 2008 7:05pm

LOL, loved the parts with Lupin trying to steer the island, it just fits so nicely into the canon world, along with the descriptions and the poor man's theater you had with Remus. Can cut the tension with a knife at times, and can't wait to where we get through to the end, so well can see the sequel. Yes!

Lady Alchymia replied:

I always liked the idea of  being able to drive an island.   There are roots in Greek mythology, of course, and that's why it's in the story, but I must admit to just enjoying the whimsy of it.   Because it's mine, Black Island has always felt so much more comfortable to write about than existing HP sets like Privet Drive or Grimmauld Place or Diagon Alley.   I suppose that was why I did the Black House Blitz early in the summer.   Part of that was to just indulge in magical grand designs, but it was also to help me feel at home in the space, visualising/situating  every room, door, cupboard, etc that was in the house.   But Black Island is my favourite set, and Remus's poor man's theatre was just a pleasure to write, so thank you!

Lady Alchymia

FireFairy posted a comment on Sunday 22nd June 2008 6:38am

Once again, I love this chapter and I can't wait for you to update! Great Job! Update soon please!

Lady Alchymia replied:

What a nice thing to say, thank you very much :)

Lady A

Patches posted a comment on Sunday 22nd June 2008 12:50am

This is good. I'm glad Harry bungled his attempt to get Remus and Elizabeth closer together. At least he was able to talk to Remus about the situation. Now of course with Natalie there he has help trying to help Remus and Elizabeth get together. Thanks so much for writing. I always enjoy your updates. pms

Lady Alchymia replied:

Thank you kindly :).   I do like having Harry getting things wrong  now and then.   I'm glad you're enjoying his journey.

Cheers!

Lady A

redjacobson posted a comment on Saturday 21st June 2008 4:51pm

Very interesting chapter, and it seems to be all new stuff, I don't remember reading it before. I have to say, you almost got me interested enough to hunt up a copy of Captains Courageous, because I've never read it.
I loved the description of the Poor Mans Theatre, it really came alive the way you wrote it.

Looking forward to more of this wonderful story.

red

Lady Alchymia replied:

Hi Red,

Thank you for such lovely compliments.   I read Captains Courageous as a young young  thing at the beach one summer holiday.   One of those out of the way beaches full of seaweed and  decomposing holiday shacks and  overgrown cliffs.   I'd curl up in the shady scrub, avoiding broken green bottles and read until the sun disappeared behind the cliffs and the silky grey sand grew frigid.   I found Kipling's accents hard to interpret at times, if I recall, but it was a wonderful tale and I can't think of it without remembering the smell of the sea and the rhythmic sounds of limp surf.

I love to think of poorer Wizarding families like the Lupins and Weasleys using magic in imaginative ways to entertain their children.

Thank you very much for your good wishes!

Lady A

DemonicInfluence posted a comment on Saturday 21st June 2008 12:01pm

This chapter was decent. I'm glad this is almost over. Now you can move on to the sequel :)

Lady Alchymia replied:

Thanks.

Lady A

Prongs1977 posted a comment on Saturday 21st June 2008 11:00am

running naked through the woods? AWWW, ickle-Harriekins doesn't want to. GREAT story, can't wait for more!

Lady Alchymia replied:

Thanks kindly!   I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Lady Alchymia

PadyandMoony posted a comment on Saturday 21st June 2008 10:16am

Good chapter. I don't recall if there was much change in this chapter, I think not because I didn't miss any of the parts I loved to read like the dressing down and then the apology and of course the talk about James.
Great work!

Lady Alchymia replied:

I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, thanks :).   I do enjoy writing conflict between Remus and Harry, not because I want them to be angry with each other, but because I want to explore them really caring what the other thinks -- and having a good relationship they don't want to risk losing.

Lady A

jakjakattk posted a comment on Tuesday 17th June 2008 3:09pm

really nice chapter. I'm glad to see Cho go, she likes the famous harry potter to much, and they way they broke it off, well I could learn a couple of trick from that.LOL
Keep up the hard work

Lady Alchymia replied:

LoL.    I would be tickled to hear  if you ever happen  to succeed in a happy break-up!

Thanks very much!

Lady Alchymia

 

Prongs1977 posted a comment on Monday 16th June 2008 9:04pm

GREAT! Can't wait for more!

Lady Alchymia replied:

Thanks very much :D

Lady A

beauty01021 posted a comment on Monday 16th June 2008 8:48pm

yeah greay chaptercan't wait for more so please update again and soon.

Lady Alchymia replied:

Thanks kindly!

Lady A

FireFairy posted a comment on Monday 16th June 2008 4:25pm

I loved this chapter, as usual! My fav part was Harry and Cho both wanting to break up and then kissing in the middle of the field and how Bill assumed they didn't break up! Great Job, please update soon!

Lady Alchymia replied:

Thank you so much!   I'm delighted that image tickled your fancy :).

Cheers,

Lady A

kyoshi posted a comment on Monday 16th June 2008 3:19pm

Great story. I like seeing Harry breaking up with a girl and coming out ahead. Now if you can find him a girl, you'll make my day! regards Kyoshi

Lady Alchymia replied:

Hi Kyoshi,

Thank you very much!   I think it's fair to say that Harry learned a lot from Cho *smiles*, which may help make him a bit choosier next time.

Cheers,

Lady Alchymia

Mary posted a comment on Monday 16th June 2008 12:26pm

Ok, so I don't usually read WIP's, but this has really caught my attention. I love Elizabeth and Natalie, your characterization (especially of Harry) is excellent, and this is very well-edited. To top all of that off, you finally ditched Cho as the love interest. This is fantastic! PLEASE continue!!

Lady Alchymia replied:

Hi Mary,

I'm glad you're enjoying the story :).   Thank you kindly for your comments on the characterisations; that's most generous of you.   (I don't think anyone was sorry to see Cho go LoL.)

Kindly,

Lady Alchymia

Wonderbee31 posted a comment on Monday 16th June 2008 11:19am

Loved this part. First off, was really glad to see Dumbledore maybe finally acknowledge that Snape and Harry will not get along, and that it's not all Harry's faulf for it. Also loved the Harpies with Gwenog descending on Harry like Valkeries, and that the just knocked Oillie for a loop, LOL. The break up scene was well done, and came off very well, not strained like in some fics I've read. Loved this chapter!

Lady Alchymia replied:

Many thanks for your comments :D.   I'm chuffed you enjoyed all those bits!

Lady A

PadyandMoony posted a comment on Monday 16th June 2008 10:26am

I liked the cuts you made. I was a fan of that little kitchen sink and Harry's joke about Remus being "tied up" when he invited the Longbottoms to the island but I liked how you did that here better, with Neville being the one that took the initiative to get his parents out of St. Mungo's.
Good work!

Lady Alchymia replied:

Hi there,

Thank you very much for your feedback; I kind of miss that post-Inquest grumpy Remus scene too :D.   And yeah, go Neville lol.   I like to think they had a good summer together pottering around Neville's garden and getting  all happily muddy  with potting mix.

Cheers!

Lady A

DemonicInfluence posted a comment on Monday 16th June 2008 9:50am

I love this chapter :)

The dialogue felt so natural!

Lady Alchymia replied:

Thank you very much!   I love writing dialogue.   If only I could control what came out of real people's mouths :D.

Lady A