FIC: Inevitable 28: A Wolf in Wizard's Clothing

[mhalachai]

Inevitable 28: A Wolf in Wizard's Clothing is up! Evil cliff-hanger alert!

At TTH
(and if TTH is broken:)
At Pomme de Sang
At Skyehawke

Harry alert! He goes and does stupid stuff in this chapter, which will probably surprise no one. But first, some nice Anita bondage bonding with her guys. Sylvie makes a guest appearance, which is nice. We loves our Sylvie.

We are now moving into the next section of the story. I'm sure you will get my meaning when you read this chapter. Any and all comments are welcome!

Comments

[lishel_fracrium.livejournal.com]

I already left my review at skyehawk but I have to say this... Why! please update soon. you are going to drive me nuts making me wait, I'll try and figure out what goes next and then I'll get it wrong and I don't like being wrong I have to have some sort of self esteem left. so you see you absolutely have to update this as soon as possible. please oh and on a different note, could I friend you please?

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I will update as soon as I can, but I'm back to work next week. I should have the chapter out by Friday at the latest. (I told you it was an evil cliffie :P)

Go ahead and friend! We're all so friendly around here.

[lishel_fracrium.livejournal.com]

I guess fridays okay. *grins* thanks for updating so quickly though I really do appreciate it. lol. consider yourself friended then. thanks.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Friday will have to be; Thursday night is taken up with Firefly viewing (as an aside, Joss Wheadon is a god). But the good news is I know exactly whaty will happen in the chapter, all I need to do is to get Anita to co-operate.

[lishel_fracrium.livejournal.com]

I look forward to it and I'll TRY to be patient. *grins* thanks so much.

Meanie

[(Anonymous)]

That was a vicious, sick, cruel, twisted, and torturous cliff hanger.
I hope that you update before Friday but if not....Well just please don't update after Friday.

Re: Meanie

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Oh, come now. That was a brilliant cliff-hanger. You didn't see it coming, did you?

Re: Meanie

[(Anonymous)]

I knew that at some point a wizard from England would have to come in. But they were playing catch. and it was Dumbledore....*Sticks tongue out at Mhalachai* I was hoping that the weasley's would be the first to find him, but I honestly though it would be frickin awesome if Lupin came in near a full moon. SNape would be an interesting inclusion too.... I can see it now. At least one person would die in that scene.

Re: Meanie

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I had toyed briefly with the idea of having a Weasely come, or maybe Lupin, but when it comes down to it, when your secret weapon is staying with the scariest necromancer EVAR, you hie your own butt across the Atlantic.

Snape... *shudder* what a very bad idea indeed.

Re: Meanie

[(Anonymous)]

Come on you have to admit Snape would create some beautiful drama. Granted someone would be dead moentarily but still.... Beautiful Drama. My luck would dictate that Snape and Anita get along great.... That's a scary though. e.e
I'm going to bol my brain to prevent nightmares.

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

Well, there are more eeevil cliffhangers, I suppose. But right now, my head is so full of questions about What Happens Next that I think I shall explode. That happens to me sometimes.
(brownie points to anyone who recognised that quote)

Very much looking forward to the next chapter. And also, maybe eventually just possibly one day learning if Harry's going furry or not. You can tell us any time now ;)...

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

:D So full of questions? From my story? Perish the thought.

We'll learn if Harry turns furry soon enough. There are more pressing questions, however, like what is Professor Dumbledore's favourite type of jam?

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

But I would only know that he loves raspberry jam if I was going to impersonate him. Er.

*tries, and fails, to look innocent*

Mmm, raspberry...

[wonderfulchild.livejournal.com]

Dumbledore. Cool. Can't wait to see him all patient and twinkly when Anita starts yelling.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Anita? Yelling? Why ever do you think she'll yell?

Yeah, it's going to be fun.

[(Anonymous)]

Dumbledore coming in at the end was a very nice unexpected surprise which left me wishing it wasn't the end of the chapter.

I loved the way you had Harry interacting with everyone at the end, it really showed how well he's getting on with the people who are becoming his family/pack. It also illustrates nicely how accepted he is and that he has a place with them in the future if he wants it (which would be awesome if you did with this what you did with 'Mind the Gap' and had other fics to go with it).

Speaking of which, I hope you don't mind horribly if I ask what the status of 'Candlelight' is . . .

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Dumbledore coming in at the end was a very nice unexpected surprise which left me wishing it wasn't the end of the chapter.

And that's why it was a great place to leave the chapter :P

It's always a good sign when someone is amenable to reading a sequel even before the original story is done. I have vauge plans for a sequel, but let's just get this monstrosity done first.

As for Candlelight, it's planned. I just need to find some spare time to write the thing out. You'll be happy to know that I've got a new rule about not starting any new epics until all my WIP epics are done.

Thanks for commenting :)

[sabriel-0405.livejournal.com]

A fantastic chapter on all fronts. As usual, Jason isn't afraid to say what the others are feeling. I enjoyed Sylvie. She doesn't get enough stage time considering who she is. The cliffhanger was beautifully done as was everyone's dawning recognition that Harry is a teenager in name only.

If you aren't updating until Friday, it's going to be a very long week!

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much. As with any cliffhanger, it's best done if, by removing the last four paragraphs, you have the mose boring ending ever. Then, a wizard! Changes the whole mood.

I'm sure it will be a long week for me as well. I'm back at work after a vacation, and have only been here for two hours and it seems like foreeeever.

I don't take candy from strange men wearing robes.

[(Anonymous)]

Well, Harry, that's a good way to taste your own knee. ^_^

My emails to you pretty much sum up my opinions on Harry living permanently in St. Louis, and why I think that way. So there's no need to comment about Richard the Kindly Ulfric, or Anita's (over-) protective urges.

As for the end of the chapter....

Anita and Dumbledore, within knife-throwing distance. This should be interesting, especially when Dumbie figures out that Anita's a necromancer (and just how much raw power she has!). Particularly when Harry mentions (as he will, sooner or later) why the Order and the Aurors can take Bella off their "Most Wanted" lists. Not to mention when Dumbie figures out that everyone who lives at Anita's is (in one way or another) Not A Whitebread Human (tm, pending).

Oh well, I'm sure Dumbledore will just try to cheer himself up with the fact that Damian's blood-tie to Harry means that Anita's house can be used with blood wards.

Eagerly awaiting chapter 29!

The Apprentice.

Re: I don't take candy from strange men wearing robes.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

As usual, Dumbledore knows more than you'd think. Just how much remains to be seen, but the man has quite the Slytherin mind. No, from this meeting, it's not Dumbledore who will be more upset.

Thanks as always for commenting.

Re: I don't take candy from strange men wearing robes.

[(Anonymous)]

You do have a point about how cunning/manipulative Dumbledore can be. By the end of OotP, I decided that old Dumbie could be more secretive (among other things) than Mr. Bester from Babylon 5.

Still, since this is just their first meeting, I have faith that (sooner or later) Anita will start to annoy (and scare) Dumbie more than he does her. After all, what's Dumbledore when compared to Earthmover, the Master of Beasts, the Traveler, Belle Morte or (even if she's still mostly asleep) the Mother of Darkness?

The Apprentice

Re: I don't take candy from strange men wearing robes.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Dumbledore's a crazy old man with candy for kids, and to Anita he's the one who's been throwing Harry in harm's way since he was 11. You can guess how this will go.

Of course, what Anita doesn't know is that Dumbledore is basically a general fighting a war. People get hurt, and they can't afford to let kids be kids when an entire world is on the line. At least that's my take on his behaviour.

[iamabee-buzz.livejournal.com]

I love you. Have I mentioned that lately?
Of course, at times I sometimes hate you, like when you leave the end of a chapter just hanging like that! How am I supposed to wait until FRIDAY? That's DAYS away! You're cruel and sadistic. :P

And can I just say how much I love your Jason and Nathaniel? You do a fabulous job of writing the both of them.

I'll write your name at the top of my list of favourite people if you update sooner than Friday *angelic smile*

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Jason and Nathaniel are among my fave characters. I do like them so, especially how Anita sees (and doesn't see) them. They are also the most logical fit to be Harry's friends. They're nearest his age and have still been through a lot. (Plus, neither of them are able to protect him, so they don't have that dynamic with him).

We'll see how fast I can get the next chapter out.

[mefeather.livejournal.com]

Evil. You are SO evil. *sighs* I am not sure I'll survive without knowing what happens next. And I am going away next weekend, starting Friday after work, and where I am going there's only dial up Internet. *sniff* So I can probably read it Monday or Tuesday. *sniff* Really not funny. *sniff*


But I really liked the chapter. Although, I could have done without the cliffhanger, the chapter is superb!! *grins*

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

You will survive. I promise. I'll even make the chapter extra special just for you :)

But going away is good. It usually means fun, right?

[mefeather.livejournal.com]

You will survive. I promise.

*grins* I am glad you are convinced that I do. :D

I'll even make the chapter extra special just for you :)

OMG! That is enough to make me too hyper to go to bed. 8) Where's the sugar to celebrate? *dashes off to find secret stack of cookies*

But going away is good. It usually means fun, right?

Yes, you are right. It is good. I am going to visit my parents for a long weekend. The last time before my vacation. And I know already we are going to visit a very nice city in Belgium on Saturday (an art exbibition). Really looking forward to that.

And I get to see my brother again. Normally we only see each other with Sinterklaas, Christmas and one of the birthdays of my parents. :D So, yeah, it should be fun. But it would really make all the difference to know more about the appearance of Dumbledore and what happened thereafter. *big wide grin*

[thymidinekinase.livejournal.com]

Were the odd visuals and extra-noisy apparition to do with Harry's wards keeping DD from apparating right into the house? I first thought that "well-protected" referred to Anita, but now I reckon DD meant _magically_ protected, in that the wards forced him to the edge of the property.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

You are indeed correct. A few chapters ago, Harry responded to Merle that Bella couldn't apparate into the house, but that she could get in later. What happens (as will be explained next chapter) is that the wards prevented apparition inside the protected area. Of course, Dumbledore can then just walk on in.

And Dumbledore's not exactly pleased at the fact Harry's living with the most powerful necromancer of the last thousand years. Nope, not pleased at all.

[(Anonymous)]

I love this chapter, but it is slowly killing me. Sweet Merlin's Underpants, must you use the most deadly and painful weapon, suspence?

I love how Harry is able to contribute to Anita's 'family' and the individual interaction is supurb as always. This chapter was so~o~o~o~o cute!

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Sweet Merlin's Underpants, must you use the most deadly and painful weapon, suspence?

Yes, I must. The chapter wouldn't have been nearly so fun if Dumby didn't show up in the last paragraph.

Thanks for your words.

[(Anonymous)]

So~o~o~o~o cute! well before you killed us, that is.

Bessos y abrazos,
E.A.V.

[penyn-1600.livejournal.com]

Yes! Dumbledore!

[krichardson.livejournal.com]

That was purely EVIL! So many questions and unfilled trails of thought are flowing through my brain right now. I loved the beginning with Jason and Anita commentary. It was nice reading Anita getting familar again.

Er. So Friday, eh? Anyway I can bribe you? *pouts* Well... *sigh* Thanks for the lovely chapter. But you still get the Don't Mess With Me Icon for that EVIL! cliffhanger. *growls*

Karone

[krichardson.livejournal.com]

Er. Quick question I forgot to include: Will there be HBP spoilers. I forget if you mentioned this already, sorry!

Karone

P.S. After rereading again, I'm still giving you the Don't Mess With Me Icon!

P.S.S. Loved the chapter! Hated the Fall!

P.S.S. Harry does what stupid stuff? I couldn't tell the diff.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

There will be HBP spoilers after a fashion, waaay in the distance. I'll warn everyone when I get there.

What fall? When Harry fell over the guardrail because he's a goof?

The stupid stuff comment was him telling everyone about the prophecy and about killing Voldie. He doesn't go around telling just everyone about that :)

[child-labor.livejournal.com]

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I liked how all the small pieces in this chapter are flowing together to create the whole.

As for the reaction.... Let's just say Dumbledore is less than thrilled.

[houses7177.livejournal.com]

i agree on the well-rounded comments. You've painted a very rich impression of what life there could be like, both with Anita and in general. Harry is so very old in some ways, so very young in others- like playing catch. That was brilliant.

Dumbles appearance was cleverly unanticipated, like all good cliff hangers. Should be an interesting confrontation between him and Anita. If by interesting I mean sparkage of the not-so-civil sort.

Eagerly waiting for Friday, though with the pace I'm getting to read the chapters it'd be next week before I got there anyway!

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I wanted to have everything as settled as I could before bringing in Dumbledore. Now Harry knows enough about everything to want to stay in St. Louis.

All I have to do is to pack everything I need to into the next chapter. I don't know how I'm going to do it!

[(Anonymous)]

Just wanted to say that your last chapter was awesome.

Also, you are obviously and Anita Blake fan and I was wondering if you knew that the first two chapters of 'Danse Macabre' are out at laurellkhamilton.org. I read them and was BLOWN AWAY. Just thought I'd share . . . :) If you decide to be spoiled you have a long wait ahead of you - November of next year. :( Part of me wishes I hadn't read it but the other is like "woah!!!"

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I have read the chapters, and found them to be very very interesting. But come on, it had to happen sooner or later :P

The book's coming out next July, according to the site, not November.

Ch. 28

[(Anonymous)]

First, I have been enjoying this fanfic. You have done such a good job at combining the characters from these two series.

After reading this latest chapter I was compelled to write.
So many of Harry's problems are part and parcel of his life with the Dursley's. Anita seems to collect abuse survivors, she should have more insight by now. She should have known that Harry was holding back. If Harry could live in an honest atmosphere where he could have someone else to tell his problems too he would be a much more healthy young man. That is one of the worst things that DD has done to Harry...isolation and the inability to confide in someone. Having no one he feels he can burden with his problems keeps those problems resting firmly on his own shoulders. That from 11 on he has been led to believe that he is the only one who can kill Voldy is really evil.
I can't wait to see Anita handle Dumbledore. I have always thought DD was a manipulative bastard and quite possibly worse than Voldy in many ways. In a fair fight, one without wands, DD would be outclassed. He is afterall an extremely old man. Verbally I don't know if Anita could best him, but Jean Claude and possibly even Jason could get the job done well. Your Jason was the big surprise this chapter. You have made him remarkably intelligent and his humor has hit a peak.

About the final paragraph. Anita and company have now seen just how fast Harry is to defend himself and others. Of course it also let DD know that these "muggles" know Harry is capable of magic.

Viki
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