On the Michael Mpourgo story; my daughter (ages 12 at the time) read it first and we walking to the local village hall, which takes about 20 minutes, and she spent the entire time telling me about the book. It really affected her and we had a really deep and meaningful conversation. It made her mad, and staggered, that other humans could be so mean and nasty and downright violent towards other humans. I think it was well written, with the age group in mind, while still giving them a really good insight into some of what is going on the world right now. "Shadow" from the title, is actually a dog who threads in and out of the story....but I wont tell you too much about the dog as that would spoil the story:)

I'm sure, if you can get hold of the book, you could have great discussions about it with your son:)
Let me know if you want the book and cant get it...even if its a while from now, and I can post one out to you.

Author's Response: I was able to order "Shadow" on line and it should be delivered within the next few days. It definitely sounds like a book for young adults rather than pre-teens. However, I'll read it and when my son is old enough I'll suggest he read it. Thanks again for the recommendation.

Sombre stuff, but it's actually quite in keeping with Canon. You've made explicit what JKR merely implied, and done it well. I thought the way you made the link back to Grindelwald and Mein Kampf was really acute, because that is effectively what JKR implied, in my opinion. I liked the way you handled Harry's nightmare at the chapter start, and Ginny and Harry getting through it together. The idea of the light being off linked in well with the last chapter, as did Dudley and Harry washing up together. Your mature Dudley is working out as a really good character. Good move to lighten things up a little at the end with the talk about Gwenyn. Finally, I really enjoyed the Twins' moments. You have them very much in character.

One Brit point - You have Ron say "I'll go change" - the 'and' understood. Brits usually use the 'and' in conversation, though not always. Thanks SF

Author's Response: In this and the next few chapters, there will be a running thread concerning Harry's recovery. He is becoming stronger each day, but the process is slow, which I definitely want to show. (It really irks me when fanfic authors do something awful to Harry and he bounces back from the experience in no time.) Harry is still suffering from fear of dark spaces and he can only heal if he tries to overcome that fear. When he fails, he knows he can turn to Ginny for comfort, even if they are half a country apart. One of my views of fan fiction is that it can be a vessel for expounding on the theories touched upon in canon. Because Grindelwald was implied to have been the Wizarding equivalent of Hitler, the connection was natural. It also helped to bring Dudley into the discussion and help him contribute his views and knowledge. I also see him as becoming someone who is realizing that having a cousin like Harry is a very special thing and that he needs to interact with him as much as possible; the washing up together is one such activity and there will be more of them in future chapters. Again, thanks for the tip about how Brits say things. I have a file of such things and I've noted this one for future reference. Finally, I'm glad you liked the Fred and George moments. I always have fun writing their parts in my chapters. Looking forward to your next review... Arnel

Another good chapter. I hope they don't go back to Hogwarts. Can’t wait for the next chapter. Thanks for sharing.

Author's Response: A lot's going to happen during the holidays, so I think you'll get your wish. Thanks for reviewing.~~Arnel

The Taboo on the utterance of self-bestowed pseudo-title "Lord Voldemort" in DH struck me as ... well, pretty silly, really. After all, getting around it by merely referring to him as "Tom" would be simple -- and imposing a Taboo on the name "Tom" seems pretty unworkable, even for TMR. (Of course, there are many other possible designations, some of which I've encountered in fan fiction: "Dork Lord", "TMR" -- even "TR" (since they're in the UK & not the USA), Chief Death Eater,...) Mind, given the inspiration for your story, maintaining such a Taboo is in keeping with the context, as is having a "puppet" Minister, so I'm hardly blaming you for that. :-}

As to Harry's penchant for replying "I'm fine" to inquiries as to his health & well-being, I''d rather expect others around him -- even Dudley -- to treat it as a content-free assertion. (I'm reminded of my mother telling us kids that any statement that begins "I was just..." was immediately suspect. I had fun a couple of months ago arching one eyebrow in response to one of her statements that began thus.... Back to the story: I'd think that those around Harry would at least treat his "I'm fine" as "suspect," if not completely content-free, HJG is, after all, bright, yeah? :-} ) Again, though, that rather "goes with the territory," so you're merely keeping folks in character. :-}

And doing a bang-up job of it! :-)

Author's Response: The trouble with writing a pre-DH story after the novel has come out is trying not to use the same plot lines and devices as are found in current canon. The ones I did use, I tried to use in new or novel ways. This also applies to the characters; Harry wouldn't be Harry if he didn't utter the phrase, "I'm fine" somewhere in the chapter. I'm glad you think I'm doing a good job with the story. I look forward you your next review. ~~Arnel

Interesting chapter............
Update soon.......

Author's Response: I'll do my best to get the next one out in a timely manner. Thanks for reviewing.

life is never easy when u are getting pushed down the hole u dont want to go....kutgw

Author's Response: That's very true. There are some tough times ahead for Harry and Ginny. Thanks for reviewing. ~~Arnel