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Reviewer: Gin110881 Signed Date: 2016.08.31 - 05:31AM Title: Epilogue – A Business Matter
I wanted to read this story for ages but I postponed it repeatedly. I confess that the only reason was that you've been so nice to give a warning that there will be a long Ginny-less time in the story. Fortunately, I've just had enough time to read the Harry-only part at a single blow, so I jumped at the chance to finally read the story. And I'm glad that I've done it. I enjoyed even the Ginny-less part of the story, lol.
You've particularly asked for the readers opinions about the Samurai chapters.
Well, I'm usually don’t like crossovers, and Harry going to school outside of Britain very much, because it affects the special charm of the HP universe. (I’m not British and hence I think that I’m allowed to say so without being considered as biased). However, I admit that it was well done and fit into the plot at that particular time. It was a well-done addition to the story but it hasn't crucially influenced the character of the story, at least I think so. At the end the mastery of the martial arts certainly was an advantage for Harry against the usually somewhat lazier British wizard, lol. Moreover, you certainly can't deny that it makes an impression on the girls, lol.
Many thanks for sharing this brilliant story. In addition, special thanks that you haven't made Harry the poster boy of the Auror Department at the end. If it were possible, I'd give you an extra star for this.
Opps, I nearly forgot. The idea to buy Grunnings was hilarious.
Author's Response: I do get why people might not enjoy the Japanese chapters, and that's one of the reasons I kept his time there to just the two chapters. I was also very aware that I'd kept Harry and Ginny apart for most of the story and needed to get them together pretty soon, too.
I always think of this as my first 'proper' story and it paved the way for me finding my own writing style. I'll leave others to decide if that's a good or a bad thing!
Reviewer: Donut_Mae Signed Date: 2016.01.11 - 12:53PM Title: Epilogue – A Business Matter
No Review
Reviewer: jerryfs2 Signed Date: 2015.12.20 - 05:38AM Title: Epilogue – A Business Matter
this was a great story raised by nick and perry was brilliant loved every part killing voldermordt with the Kantana was so cool
I have read a lot of your stuff but could not long on so I could not leave reviews but finely got in
also buying the drill company great loved the story.
Author's Response: Glad you enjoyed it so much.
Reviewer: MollyandArthur Signed Date: 2015.12.16 - 09:01PM Title: Epilogue – A Business Matter
Amazing story. You really are a brilliant author and I do not say that lightly.
Author's Response: Although I published stories before this, I always think of 'Butterfly' as my first proper one. Like every fan fic author out there, I'd probably like to go back and change things if I had the time, but I still like it. Thanks for reading and the huge bump in my review count!
Reviewer: Lord Otello Signed Date: 2015.04.14 - 12:17AM Title: Epilogue – A Business Matter
Great story!!! I loved it, also, I will suppose that Ginny made peace with her family!!!
Author's Response: Possibly, although I'm sure she made them suffer a bit first.
Reviewer: Hamilton Signed Date: 2014.09.18 - 06:50PM Title: Epilogue – A Business Matter
And another great story! Glad I found your collection on this site; possibly even more glad to come in late: that has allowed me now to finish 4 (5? and more to come) stories from start to finish - instead of having to wait for each chaper to be posted separately....
Cheers!
Author's Response: Wow, I can't imagine someone reading so many of my stories in a row. Then again, I'm on a bit of a Darth Marrs fest over on FF.Net so maybe I shouldn't be so surprised. Thanks for reading!
Reviewer: william488 Signed Date: 2014.09.04 - 07:09PM Title: Epilogue – A Business Matter
Nice story. Loved it.
Author's Response: Glad you enjoyed it.
Reviewer: riegert8 Signed Date: 2014.06.20 - 09:02PM Title: Epilogue – A Business Matter
No Review
Reviewer: Phoenix Signed Date: 2013.10.01 - 01:21PM Title: Epilogue – A Business Matter
Well, for the first time in quite a while, I read an R rated fic. It's not that I have something against the content, more that certain......aspects....... of an R rating tend to be more focused on than other (sexual situations, if some missed my innuendo there).
And never have I been so impressed as I was with your work here.
At any rate, I was superbly impressed with the first of your stories I have read. One point in particular that stuck in my mind was your portrayal of the rape culture in particular at Hogwarts, it was not rehashed repeatedly in so many words, but felt like a pervading theme in everything you wrote during those scenes.
The cliches you used, while being exactly that - cliches - were done in an original manner, often with so escort of twist or added meaning, which made them feel new, interesting, and amazingly for fan fiction, not cheesy! In particular, taking Harry to a whole new setting (Japan and the Flammels) and describing it, but not going too far. Far enough to get the point across and assist with plot development, but not so far as to make it feel like I was reading 3 or 4 stories mixed together. I don't see many authors get that right; normally it's a warning sign to read another fic, but you, sir, have done a fantastic job of walking that blurry line perfectly.
In general, I loved the new side of Ginny that was explored, especially in her interactions with a far more confident than cannon Harry. The change in her demeanour over the story were believable and seemed to fit how we would think Ginny would respond in such changing circumstances.
Also, while you noted several times in authors notes your apologies for the cliches with the goblins, I LOVED how you wrote them; no other author has ever quite captured what I thought a goblin would be like; often they are portrayed as hostile, and then very suddenly come out in support of Harry, usually in only one paragraph or chapter. You, however, did so in a ,manner that made sense; they never really liked Haryr, but realised he was the best alternative , and assisted him. So thank you so very much for that.
The only minor criticism I have of the entire story was the absence of a return to Japan, other than a fleeting mention of having been there (unless I missed it?). I adored the mirroring between their two lives, and it felt like there needed to be some resolution, especially with the tattoo (I actually flagged that in my head to watch out for later [the tattoo], and it felt odd it never made much of a significant return).
That's only a minor thing; we cant all have what we want from a plot, especially in an epilogue where there are always so many loose ends to tie up. I did like the way Dursley was dealt with, and I'm rather glad he wasn't killed - ongoing torture for the win!
Hopefully I caught all of my spelling mistakes (or rather Apples auto correct making mistakes for me....) and once again thank you for restoring my faith in the R rating - I look forward to reading more of your superb work. (Sorry for the small essay by the way; I just felt I should make up for not having reviewed all the other chapters!)
Author's Response: Thank you for the extensive and wonderfully kind review. 'Butterfly Effect' was a bit of challenge to me insomuch as right from the start I accepted that I was going to be using a lot elements that had been done a million times before. By just deciding to have the Horcruxes meant that I had to go down certain well-trodden paths, for instance. The Goblins in particular have been used in so many stories, including some of my all time favourites, that I was reluctant to put them in, but in the end, the plot demanded it. The Japanese chapters are probably my most favourite of any I've ever written and I admit I was tempted to send Harry back there. The trouble was, with Riku especially, I was trying to demonstrate that what was happening in Britain with Voldemort was just one tiny piece of everything that was going on in the world and I felt that was another story entirely. Actually, since I posted this on FF.Net I've had a lot of requests to do a follow up that covered what happened in Japan (there's lots of Manga fans on that site). While it is tempting, I'm not sure my knowledge of Japanese culture would do the story justice. While I love Japanese cinema, I'm not convinced I could pull off a realistic portrayal of a country I've never visited. Know your limits, that's my motto! Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the story so much. I always say that I'm writing the stories that I want to read, but it's a wonderful feeling to find that other people like them too.
Reviewer: Emlyn Signed Date: 2013.09.24 - 07:56PM Title: Epilogue – A Business Matter
It will be interesting to see what Harry and Ginny conjure up for the Dursleys. They certainly deserve some interesting times. I'm glad Voldemort was the one to finish off Dumbledore. It certainly did make it easier for Harry, et al to deal with. What a difference it made to have Lily meet him at the halfway point. Very enjoyable story. I'm glad I finally got the chance to finish it.
Author's Response: As Dumbledore died with his reputation largely intact in the publics' eyes, I thought it would best for someone else rather than Harry to dispatch him. Even if the truth was published, there would still be a lot of comeback on Harry, I suspect. While the Dursleys lives are going to become very uncomfortable, H&G aren't going to do anything too nasty to them. Their lives are good now and they don't need to steep to the Dursleys level. Still, the flatulence charm should be fun.
Reviewer: Russtopher Signed Date: 2013.09.12 - 07:53AM Title: Epilogue – A Business Matter
No sequel?
Thank goodness. I barely made it through this one as it is. I appreciate the effort you put into the story, don't get me wrong. It's just so far AU it's barely an HP fanfic. Yes, I understand that was the point of the exercise, but in my opinion, it simply didn't work.
Better luck next time.
Author's Response: I've read plenty of other stories that a far more AU than this one. If you didn't like it, fair enough, but you didn't exactly explain what was wrong with it, did you? If you're taking the trouble to post a review I would expect a bit more detail about what you object to and maybe an example or two.
Reviewer: Marcus S Lazarus Signed Date: 2013.09.07 - 12:10PM Title: Epilogue – A Business Matter
A detailed bit of work with some interesting ideas, to say the least.
Your gradually-developed idea about what the initial ‘butterfly event’ actually was managed to be rather interesting on its own- was it just Grindlewald’s speech causing Dumbledore to become more distant, was it the lack of Harry at Hogwarts limiting his contact with the students, or what?-, but the personal ties you developed were also rather interesting, beginning with the dramatic development of the Dursleys’ treatment of Harry being finally pushed too far and taking things from there.
Your take on the Flamels is generally good, as they swiftly fall into the ‘wise old mentor’ role that Dumbledore became in canon while taking a more obvious active role in his education in the ‘absence’ of Hogwarts as a whole, while your version of Dumbledore represents a comparatively more balanced version of the ‘ManipulativeDumbledore’ idea than some writers I’ve encountered; your version has a definite end result in mind, but he’s not so fixated on it that he isn’t willing to adapt other details, and part of his problems are based on ignorance (Although I was a bit uncertain about the Flamels’ description of Dumbledore’s motives in the war against Voldemort even before you introduced the idea that Riddle publically named himself as Voldemort at graduation; considering how few people knew that Tom was Voldemort, maybe the reason Dumbledore didn’t act against him earlier was that Riddle spent so much time underground building up followers as Voldemort that Dumbledore didn’t become aware of the full scale of the threat he posed before it was too hard to find him?)
That said, Harry’s training in the martial arts provided him with some interesting additional skills- anything where Harry and his friends learn how to defend themselves without magic wins points with me; considering the Death Eaters’ focus on magic in fights, it’s an obvious edge that was shockingly neglected-, to say nothing of the comparatively smoother search for the horcruxes, as well as his more cynical view of the possibility of future change (Although I didn’t agree with his thoughts on it being impossible; it would take a serious event to encourage certain people to go outside their comfortable boundaries, but that doesn’t mean such a shift couldn’t happen), making him an interesting ‘new’ character without completely erasing the Harry we know; he’s just going about it in a darker way than he did originally.
On that topic, your new take on Ginny also works very well, this version of Ginny worn down by life after events turned against her to make her the scapegoat for her family’s hardships- even if certain people used that more than others-, her natural strength never given a chance to shine as others ‘encourage’ her weakness by focusing on the memory of her shortcomings rather than giving her a chance to develop further.
The situation at Hogwarts might be a bit excessively grim, but considering your more distant Dumbledore it makes sense; where Dumbledore in canon was ‘encouraged’ to pay more attention to the individual students due to his involvement in Harry’s life, this Dumbledore treats his duties as something to do, trying to encourage a benevolent approach despite the impracticalities of it based on his belief that wizards have to cut themselves off from the wider world, as well as ‘our’ Dumbledore’s personal investment in Harry giving the Slytherins a focused target for their rage that they simultaneously didn’t dare attack where the current Slytherins have free reign to pick on anyone (Although I’d like to think that his need to tolerate outside influences also played a part; Dumbledore might not resort to bribery to get his way, but he’d at least acknowledge how some people would be more difficult to deal with than others).
However, on the topic of Dumbledore, the scene with Grindlewald didn’t work for me; if you’d dialled down the scale of Dumbledore’s manipulations in some places- Obliviating Ginny was just acceptable, and his talk with Ariana fit a Dumbledore who never had Harry to put a face on his ‘crimes’ and make him think about what he had done, but what he did to Sirius was a bit too far-, you would have had a fine story, but the scene with Grindlewald felt a bit too much of a stretch for me. Not only do I have my doubts about his ability to make that kind of speech when he was DYING, and Dumbledore always came across as wanting to help others as his primary goal even if he needed time to realise what he shouldn’t do; hanging around to let the many destroy themselves to preserve the few doesn’t fit what we know of the core of Dumbledore’s personality, in my opinion.
Still, my doubts about Dumbledore’s motivations aside, I can’t fault the finale of this story; a generally dramatic final showdown that pushes all the characters to their limits while giving Harry and his ‘angels’ in particular the chance to show what they can do (Although I think Dumbledore’s last words were bit too poetic to be convincing; he might have been cryptic, but he was always very direct, and I can’t see him sharing that kind of personal detail with Voldemort of all people even if he thought he was about to die), leading into a rather amusing little epilogue where the last ‘villain’ of the story gets what’s coming to him.
All in all, while I disagree with a few of your ideas about Voldemort’s public reputation and some of Dumbledore’s motivations in the war against Voldemort- his motives for his actions in this story can be disregarded as they make a certain sense in the new situation, but the first war against Voldemort has to be judged on different merits as it occurred before things REALLY started to change-, and I have some doubts about the relevance of the scene with Grindlewald, you had some very interesting ideas, and your new take on the characters generally worked despite my doubts about the aforementioned individuals.
Author's Response: Well, I can't say I've had many thousand word reviews! I'm not sure where to start in answering this, frankly. Actually, I'll tackle Dumbledore's motivations. I should say that I don't actually believe that canon Dumbledore is like this. In fact I have a theory that the HP series of books are as much about his redemption as they are about Harry. I'm convinced that Dumbledore knows that Harry is a Horcrux from the start (I don't buy the idea that he only found out about them from the diary; I think he confirmed that there were multiple Horcrux at that point). Albus realised Harry had to die for Voldemort to be defeated and this is why he was placed with his only surviving bloody relatives, completely safe behind the blood wards and completely ignorant of the magical word. Surely if he was destined to actually fight Voldemort, Dumbledore would have placed Harry with a magical family who would have started his training early? No, Harry was the magical equivalent of a suicide bomb and didn't need training, he just needed to be protected until the right moment. Dumbledore is content for Harry to face Voldemort in the early books because he knows his death would be a blow against the Dark Lord. Things change, however, after the end of GoF when Dumbledore realises that Voldemort taking Harry's blood may allow him to survive. To me, his attitude changes from that point and Harry starts to be given training (admittedly with Snape at first) and he is brought into the Horcrux search. Dumbledore sacrifice to protect the Elder Wand is the last piece of his redemption and hence why we get to see a contented and happy Dumbledore in the Kings Cross scene in 'DH'. This is obviously very different to the Dumbledore I've written in 'Butterfly' and it was intended to be different. I have a tendency to write principle characters slightly differently in each story I complete. Molly has been the most notable, I've never written her the same way twice. Here, I set out to write a Dumbledore that had long since left the path of righteousness, even though he was convinced he was doing good. Note I didn't include Fawkes in the story as I really couldn't justify him being bonded with this version of Albus. The scene with Grindlewald was, I must admit, a late addition to the story simply because I'd created this awful character without showing any real back story as to why he was like this. I never meant to create a Dumbledore that fit into canon, at all. He was always intended to be just as bad as Voldemort in many ways. I doubt I'll ever write Dumbledore in this manner again, but I was quite pleased with how he came out here. Thanks for taking the time to put together such a detailed review.
Reviewer: BobVosh Signed Date: 2013.07.18 - 02:17AM Title: Epilogue – A Business Matter
I've been following this on FF.net and just noticed you are a lot further (i.e. complete)
Arthur is pretty despicable in this, isn't he? I find it harder to blame the children due to the parents leading them down this path. However Molly's complacency with the wand, and then scolding for low practical performance, is almost as bad. Actually not really, but it is still despicable.
Apparently the power he knew not was sword through the heart. Good to know.
Author's Response: Arthur is normally written as a very positive character, even in stories that feature an over the top Molly. I just felt it was time Mr Weasley caught a bit of grief, it was just his turn!
Reviewer: My Wicked Quill Signed Date: 2013.06.10 - 01:13AM Title: Epilogue – A Business Matter
I spent all day reading this story and I'm sorry I haven't reviewed before I just read it straight through. First off I have to compliment your writing skills, you have a way with words and told an incredible story. Second I have to say I adore the concept of this fanfic, The way the entire story went on a completely different path just because Of one single incident was written very expertly. The original story was still incorporated into this version and ultimately the same major results still came about such as the deaths of major characters plot points and such. The whole story was very genuine. Unique and vary original. Throughout the story I felt that you had some sort of vendetta against Dumbledore. After reading the entire series I too became somewhat wary of whether or not Dumbledore was the most amazing character He was supposedly portrayed to be. When you think about it, Dumbledore made many mistakes, just as you brought out in this story and lied and kept secrets he really shouldn't have, but alas he was human..I was worried at first that you just hated Dumbledore and were making him seem a monster just because, but now I completely understand and think it was incredible. My theory is, that Harry having gone to live with the flamels as opposed to having gone to Hogwarts, Is what made Dumbledore the extreme harsher version of himself that he was in this story. He never created a fatherly bond towards Harry And this is why, at least in my opinion He seemed so much darker. . Whether or not this is how you meant it to happen, this whole story still brilliant, I was just thinking out loud. Lastly, the last line gave me shivers. Because had Vernon not punished Harry this whole story would be irrelevant and the only path would have been JK Rowling original one. It made the whole reality so flimsy, so fragile, which is exactly what you were trying to bring home with that line in the first place, GREAT WAY TO END IT! Wonderful concept, wonderful story, wonderful author. I really would like to know what you think of my writing and my version of the Harry Potter story in my fanfic, memoirs of a redheaded witch. Love to hear your thoughts! congrats on this amazing story!
Author's Response: When I saw your name come up as a reviewer, I did stop for a second and think ‘where do I know that pen-name from?’ I have read ‘Memoirs…’ and seemed to remember enjoying it, but I will confess it was some time ago and I can’t really remember much of what happened (sorry, I must have read hundreds of stories since). I will try and re-read it at some point, but I do have a fairly large reading list to get through at the moment. Regarding my treatment of Dumbledore I do have to say that I don’t think he’s nearly as bad as I’ve portrayed him here. This was very much an exaggerated (and then some!) version of Albus, although I would say that I don’t think he’s all sweetness and light. Personally, in canon I believe Dumbledore was aware of the Horcrux in Harry all along and knew he would have to be sacrificed at some point. Only after the events of GoF, after Voldemort took Harry’s blood, did Dumbledore realise that Harry had a chance of survival. In many ways, I think the whole of the HP series is about the redemption of Dumbledore as it is about Harry. I’ve had some very long debates about this, notably with ProfessorBinns79 who is much more forgiving of Dumbledore’s mistakes then I am, and I suspect much will be down to personal interpretation of the story. If you really want Dumbledore to be this wonderful person you will find justification for it in the pages of the books, and vice versa. Anyway, I’m glad you enjoyed the story and thanks for your wonderful review.
Reviewer: I Love Ginerva Signed Date: 2013.06.02 - 06:17AM Title: Epilogue – A Business Matter
hmm it would seem that, unless some don't leave any reviews, you have exactly 687 readers (counting me), since most of the chapters have 686 reviews. I enjoyed the ending of the story. There were a few parts that, as you know, turned me off to the story, but it picked back up again and I did enjoy most of it.
ILG
this rating is overall for the entire story
Author's Response: Well, I’m glad that you enjoyed most of it, anyway. I did realise that I was taking a risk with certain elements of the story and I knew full well that some people wouldn’t like it. But at the end of the day, this story worked out pretty much like I imagined it and that’s all you can hope for in my book. Anyway, thanks for reading and your regular reviews.
Reviewer: Mistress_Lrigtar Signed Date: 2013.05.26 - 10:21PM Title: Epilogue – A Business Matter
Thanks again for a fantastic retelling. Loved it, and I absolutely didn't mind the bits without Ginny. After all, JKR wrote four books that scarcely had mention of lovely Ginevra, so you should be allotted your 20 chapters or so, especially since they were brilliant :)
Author's Response: Thank you! I’m delighted at how well received this story has been, if terrified that I’ve got to live up to it. BTW, loving ‘The Unknown Spectre’. That story, along with potterfan2008’s ‘Perilous Journey’, are definitely the best things being posted at the moment. Looking forward to more.
Reviewer: Leonheart666 Signed Date: 2013.05.25 - 11:42AM Title: Epilogue – A Business Matter
The time we see of Harry and Ginny is far too brief but only because I think everybody expects them to be together from chapter 1 in every fic. You had a plan, a goal with your Harry, and you stuck to it.
The chapters set in hogwarts paint a sad picture of the school. It is probably the more realistic if you compare it to JKs almost perfect school (no drugs, sex, or abuse is unlikely in a high school) you have almost created a new world entirely, and JK provided the shell for it. There's the beautiful castle she provided, then the dirty corruption of the children, and staff, inside. And your dumbledore is excellent. A good remodel of the existing character, almost a characature of him, but someone who never pulled himself away from those dark beginnings.
Congratulations. I look forward to future work.
~Tim
Author's Response: I did want to make it absolutely clear right from the start of this story that it would be a while before Harry and Ginny were together, partly as I knew I would get comments and partly in case anyone thought I wasn’t being SIYE compliant. JKR obviously had to tread a fine line when writing about Hogwarts as she was still writing books for children (in name anyway) so she had to be careful. I, however, have no such restrictions and am happy to drag everything down to my level! I doubt I’ll ever write Dumbledore quite as nasty and manipulative as I did here, but I had to get it out of my system. In truth, I never meant for him to be quite this bad, but once I started writing he just kept getting worse and worse. Bad Albus; no biscuit.
Reviewer: HG Forever9696 Signed Date: 2013.05.23 - 12:59AM Title: Epilogue – A Business Matter
hm i must say quite a good story if u take the first 21 chapters out. I do hate it when Harry and Ginny are not together. But well your story your right to do what you want. Other than that the story was exceptional. Though i hope you dont decide to keep Harry and Ginny apart in any other story that i hope u must be thinking of writing. Once again an amazing story! I must say. Hope you are back soon with another brilliant story. Till then i'll just have to be bored to death without your amazing stories.
Author's Response: While I’m not trying to have a go at you, this type of review does make me want to chew my own leg off. Right at the start of this story I made it crystal clear that Harry would not be meeting Ginny (except in the CoS) until chapter 21. I did that specifically because I knew that certain people wouldn’t like them being apart that long. I find it a bit frustrating therefore when people complain about it. Look at it this way; Harry and Ginny only really work as a couple when both of them grow up a bit. Ginny needed to lose her crush and Harry needed a bit of life experience. By letting them only meet when they were 16/17 I avoided all the angst of them dating other people (No Cho!) and Ginny trying to move on. That’s got to be worth something, hasn’t it? Anyway, you’ll be pleased to know that my next (probable) story, while is AU, Harry and Ginny do meet in the first chapter. You might be less happy to know that there’s a bit of a love triangle thing going on involving another woman! If you’re adverse to redheaded Hufflepuff girls you may want to avoid it.
Reviewer: HeroInTheWings731 Signed Date: 2013.05.22 - 11:16PM Title: Epilogue – A Business Matter
I love how the epilogue completely ignores the state of the wizarding world and only focuses on Harry beginning his revenge on Vernon, who reflects on the beginning of this story. It's a fun way to wrap things up without having to go over everything, although I would have liked a mention of Mr. Pokey in that final scene. I'm very much looking forward to your next story, as long as it stars our favorite couple again.
Author's Response: I agree. Not everything has to be set out in minute detail; better to let the imagination fill in the gaps. Although Mr Pokey was not mentioned by name, you can’t deny he put in an appearance!
