Q & A

This is it. No Sequel, unless you write your own.

My personal feeling is that the Magicals integrate very much like the Bewitched world, having little to no trouble. Not much story there. I do write in that setting, during the time of integration, in His Life Now, but that story is not even close to a sequel to this one.

I have gone through the 122 Reviews (I feel so loved) and here are the answers to all the questions. Some of you were SO close! And, some Guest guesses were so far away it was frustrating that I could not answer! Read below, and if I have not answered yours somewhere just ask. I'll try!

There is no complete index of fwoopers. Sometimes a fwooper is just something silly, and sometimes it is meant to draw attention in another direction – yours or one of the characters. I seem to have completely fooled everyone with Minerva – the answers are below.

In general, almost every spell or potion or Magic Book has fwoopers. Grimmiores are written to disguise family secrets. That is why no one can learn Magic just from a book. Lily saved a child's life by recognizing that a spell was being cast with a tricked-out wand pattern. That's why close supervision is needed - no spells cast in the halls (where Filch is no help.) Potions teachers put slightly different recipes on the board while the students are learning the magic properties. They have to drill the students in the Basics, teach them Critical Reading skills. Hermione seems to have been an example of a bad student. I'm surprised she wasn't the one causing explosions.

Sevi, Lily, and Petunia really did change the world. Refusing to accept the Betrothal and MG Contracts and then setting up their own kept them free of some nasty plots. The Goblins loved their Clauses, and the ones the Blacks originated, and they spread rapidly in any Contract that used the Goblin templates. The Snapes and Evans were very much the push that got the Squib born into normal schooling, complete with paperwork, and pushed them to get out of the Country. The Parents Association they began was the force educating the Squibs on what was really going on. The Squib-born/Mundane-born were no longer trapped in bottom level jobs with no future, unable to function in the mundane world. The Dark Lords don't want to leave the Middle Ages, but this world is going modern very quickly. No big change happens in a vacuum. Other things were happening that worked together, but the Squib Rebellion was the last straw.

How did they wind up with the Flamels is a good one! Grandfather Alexander Prince arranged it. Sevi told Belby in the Hospital Wing when visiting Remus at the beginning of Fourth Year. I think Sevi also mentioned that his Grandfather had plans for him to the Slytherins who were interrogating him. Alexander definitely told Dumbledore he had plans for both Severus and the twin granddaughters, which may have figured in with Dumbles trying to kill Eileen and the girls later.

When the Evans and Snape families escaped they first went to France to leave Lily and Sev with the Flamels. Even when Albus went down, the Snapes and Evans kept going to Japan where Alexander Prince was setting up new sources and markets. Tobias is ready to manage the new farms there, but may return to the original after the trials are over. He's the new 'General Manager', a returning brother everyone will accept, but no one needs to know he's the Heir. Or, Sevi is.

Petunia will go to school in Japan. She's learned the language and culture from her Sensei, having spent three evenings a week in the Dojo for several years. He's referred her to a friend in Japan. She's really good at Karate! Japanese Horticulturists are the best in the world – she'll have no trouble finding a job. I'm afraid she's way out of Vernon's class.

Of course, if Albus had NOT been arrested, the Flamels would never have gone to Hogwarts. The kids would stay with the Flamels under assumed names and faces, and their families would stay in Japan. The Flamels might have gone, too.

Do Lily and Sevi marry? I dunno. They have 2 more years at Hogwarts, 2 years after that with the Flamels, and then college. They might. They are still Betrothed. Sevi and Lily are clearly attracted to each other, but it's open. The last mention was Lily saying they were going to wait until they grow up. Very sensible! She might tell Alice once the trials are over. Right now it's still risky.

Here's what I have for Minerva:

She's a fwooper in almost every detail. She's not the storyline.

I just thought she did a cool bit of Magic. She didn't contribute to the changing the World, but she certainly changed her own life. First clue: the cat. Minerva is an Animagus. Suddenly the cat is in the same room she is? Minerva figured out she could split herself just like making a rabbit into a pair of slippers, with a change she already knows. Second change: Minerva figured out she can make the second form, herself. A very young self, which has to grow up all over again, but the minds are linked. After all, your body already knows what your younger self feels like. Very easy! All three of her are in several scenes, just to mess with your mind. Think of the Goddess Danu, who is three persons in one. The same concept is in other Religions, including Christian. Yes, she could 'twin' herself fully, but why? Mini is already her 'twin', with great advantages.

The Ministry has the right idea, registering Animagi. Human Transfiguration makes it very hard to track people. There are also Polyjuice, and Glamours, and Metamorphing. It's a wonder anyone trusts any face! The Goblins don't! I'm sure the Goblins already know about the Flamels, Minerva, and the other True Alchemists, and think it's a great prank.

Taking the Bezoars neutralized the loyalty potions. Making Mini broke the very strong Compulsions Albus had her under, because they were on her, not Mini. Kitty probably helped, but Mini did the job. Remember how angry she was in several places, all places where Albus was ordering her to deliver a bad Contract or meddle with the kid's tests and Electives? The Potters, who were still trying to steal Lily (Line Theft once she was betrothed to someone else, as well as the cash) didn't want Lily to know more than basics, and Albus still wanted to control Sevi, so wanted to keep him ignorant. Once Minerva has the Compulsion broken she starts editing bad Contracts brought to her, and finally starts using the Standard Blanks from the Goblins. But, she's still stuck with the Employment Vows of obedience and Loyalty to the School and the Headmaster so she can't bad-talk or disobey on school business. She has to very carefully time her Retirement. She can't file her retirement papers to the Bank until she sends her resignation to the Board, and she has to finish every single bit of school work assigned to her first. Notice how exhausted Mini was? More clues: The Flamels, who are both old and young at the same time. Alchemy is permanent Transfiguration, especially human. Merlin, who was old and became young - aged backwards, say the legends. Fawkes, who is reborn young. How about Garrick Olivander, the 'Olive-Wanded' one, who started his shop in 382 BC? It is not exactly Immortality, except for Fawkes, because any body can be killed, but it's unlikely both will. It does mean they can choose to live for a very long time.

I figure she found her brother's childless descendant, and inserted a child in their memories and paperwork. She wouldn't want to be a baby again. A child of 7 is about the oldest you can enroll in school, and Minnie would have been about 7 when she is first mentioned. We don't actually see her until she's 8. You could and can buy identities, though it's getting harder. None of the others knew because Minerva was the one finding them and getting them together. When she turned up with another child, they welcomed her. She had found orphans they had adopted. The plane crash was quite real, nothing she intended, but she used it.

Oh, Corsica? Tropics, beautiful beaches, and...? Traditionally, Corsica was a major base for pirates!

I honestly did not know about "The Corsican Brothers (French: Les Frères corses) is a novella by Alexandre Dumas, père, first published in 1844. It is the story of two conjoined brothers who, though separated at birth, can still feel each other's physical distress." (Quote copied verbatim from Wikipedia) I have not even seen the Cheech and Chong movie version. However, Corsican twins with a mind/soul link who are involved in a Revolution? This is a huge clue about Minerva!

Don't Rock the Casbah? This Sheikh didn't try to kidnap Minerva! Of course, kidnapping her out of her close family group is one thing, but keeping her after you catch her is a lot harder! Kidnapping little Minnie might have been the last thing he ever did! But, I envision him as a truly nice man, well intentioned. Buying a daughter is no big deal in some cultures. Finding out Minerva is a widow and offering to marry her is almost an act of charity - doesn't she NEED a man to take care of her? I met a real Sheikh, long ago, the King of Burma who was murdered. He was a really nice man and that's who I had in mind.

I am asked how I mean 'fwoopers', and this looks like the most appropriate spot to put that answer: I think I'm using it as a metaphor. Interesting thing about fwoopers is you'll go mad listening to them. They are total distractions from reality. You chase them and they are never where you thought to look. They are never what you want to be after. So, they are jokes and tricks and pranks. They stick their heads around the corner and yell at you to chase them. Their eggs are very pretty, and Mini was too. She stole a lot of people's attention! Minerva is a very complicated fwooper, but in the end she didn't have much to do with the Squib Rebellion. She was doing her own thing around the corner. She would have been free even if no one else was. Even her embroidery was a distraction, because it wasn't her that tickled the dragon - it was Lily.

The Squibs going back to England? Would you? You have evacuated your family to another Country, found a new home and a new job, put the kids in school, and probably had another baby or two (after the Goblins removed the birth control you never asked for.) Albus is under arrest, and many others, but the trials haven't happened. The International newspapers are going to be full of all of that for at least a year. Even if they ALL go down (unlikely) most of the WW accepts Compulsions against you as normal and everyone is now interested in marrying the Squibs back into the main lines. I'd stay under my rock!

Eileen played several pranks, some of which had effects no one could have anticipated. First was sending the unwanted Betrothal Contract to the Bulstrodes. There was NO way to know they would accept it, edit it, and follow through. Second were the chocolate-covered Bezoars, which spread through the school with wild effects. A third was stocking the kids with catnip toys, several of which wound up in possession of Minerva's kitty form.

Remus was healthier than the other Were for three reasons. First was the Bezoars, which he started and continued from Third Year on. They also neutralized Dumbledore's Loyalty potions. Second was the HGH Miriam laced in the frosting of all those treats – and she didn't stop after explaining to Belby what she was doing. Third was Fawkes crying on Remus after the Moon nights. He didn't heal the disease, but he certainly helped. Remus will continue in school, and continue as Belby's Protege.

Belby is canon, the developer of the Werewolf potion. It isn't a cure, but he'll keep working on it. Rosemary Oil as a base is probably a good choice, since it is supposed to have almost every characteristic Belby wants. I know it isn't an oil, but that's what it is called.

Just how many students were in each year? JKR used 10 per House, 40 per Year, totaling 280. That's not very many! 20 kids per class, average, means a minimum of 14 simultaneous classes. They do have free periods, but the Electives and upper levels might have fewer students, so 14 classes at a time is probably about right. I doubled Year sizes, 10 boys and 10 girls, averaged, and have the 1975 and 1976 (and future) classes double that. Since there seem to have been 4, 5, or sometimes 6 in a dorm room, that means my Gryffindor currently had at least two bedrooms of boys and two of girls for each Year. We only see a few full dorm rooms, including the Marauders. There are a lot of empty classrooms, unused corridors. It's a huge castle and has room for far more than are there.

Who were my Americans? Only one person spotted this joke! (Or, only one told me.) Herman and Lily Munster, of course! AND their extended family! Herman, who was rich already because he was really good at making investments, inherited the British title from some old Uncle and the family decided to move to England to manage the lands and businesses. He also inherited the links to the old Knights, who always claimed they were for Traditional values, but he wasn't a Knight. He probably never understood the violent history of the Knights and the new DE. 17 sons? Messing with Albus, of course! I can see them being very Traditional, Dark by heritage, but not Evil and not joining the DE. Abraxus kept trying to recruit Herman through the old Knights connection. Didn't work. In practice Herman and Asphodel were some of the most Enlightened and Modern people in the story.

Potters? Well, despite their family traditions in regards to marriage, they didn't actually DO anything. Yes, the Contract offered to the Evans for Lily was foul, but Evans didn't sign it. Potters did TRY Line Theft, with James trying to break Lily's Contract so they could take her as a chattel, but they didn't get it done. Can't claim even Attempted Murder, and don't have enough information to tell if it was intended. Fleamont might be one of the ones to get off, testifying and pleading 'undue influence' from Albus. He's an idiot and his Light friends know it, but unexpectedly he's got the Dark side in his corner. How he's managed to produce and market a successful line of shampoos and body care products I'll never understand. It's a good thing James is going to go to business college – he may save the company.

Albus's associates, including members of his extended family and Gellert are in a lot of trouble, as mentioned in CH 32. I see no point in repeating all of that. I think, possibly, the littlest Meadowes that he just started in the Hospital Ward as a Nurse Trainee might be OK. She might have a bad time with the DMLE. Her older sisters, cousins, Mother and Aunts, and the men working as janitors and porters (spies and staff) are in trouble.

I don't specifically mention Gringotts in the investigations, but since they ARE the Bank with all the records, of course they are involved. But they have to get audit requests from the owners, or Warrants from some kind of police. Laws are Laws. The Bank CAN'T let the police just poke around looking at everything; neither can they just hand over bushels of records without being legally asked. They apparently can't even notify people that they ought to come in to sign for Inheritances. I'm assuming that is the Ministry, so they can confiscate 'unclaimed Vaults' after a certain period. Bagnold's Fiefdom. Bagnold is in trouble.

Fudge is still only a flunky somewhere in the Ministry, with a pink-sweatered horror of a secretary. Not important enough for Malfoy to have noticed yet, though I'm sure The Snowden will have some words for them. They are dinosaurs now, on their way out as the modern world comes in. Just as St. Mungos has to scramble for Nursing staff, the Ministry will be scrambling for business and government trained personnel. There's no time to train your niece to be your secretary!

Albus has not recalled the OotP, and most of the ones mentioned in canon are still alive. Molly and Arthur graduated and married in 1967 or 68. There is no reason Lily and Sev or Eileen would have known them, though Eileen might have known Molly's older twin brothers. This generation, including Marlene and Sirius, never join. Alistair Moody is not as close a friend as Albus pretends – how could anyone not notice a close friend was being impersonated? They will probably have interviews with the DMLE, but most are fine. Not important to this story.

Albus is NOT an Animagus - Flamel mentioned this, and it seems to be canon. Therefor, he is not much of a Transfiguration Master, though he taught it for years. That's why he never figured out the Stone. He was looking for a power boost, a potion or a Rune circle. You do use those as foci in Alchemy, but most of it is in your mind.

Albus intended Line Theft on both Lily and Sevi, but didn't get it done. I suspect he may have managed it in other cases. It isn't Line Theft to arrange marriages, but to break someone's Contract without their consent can be. All Betrothals have stipulations as to by whom and when the Betrothal can be broken. James just guessed wrong about breaking Lily's. Miriam could have broken her own over his behavior, but remember CH 11? This is the sort of courtship she expected, with James pushing her to the limit.

James and Miriam both consented to their Betrothal and marriage. James consented when he plotted with his father on the foul Contract. He expected to not have to hold up to it, but he was wrong. Miriam was asked by her father if she was interested in marrying James. Herman edited the Contract to be fair to both children. He couldn't add to it, but he could certainly take away Clauses, lines, and even single words, turning it into a fair Traditional Contract. Did he ever find out that the Contract was intended for someone else? I doubt it. Even Fleamont isn't that stupid! Remember the swords?

Jame's change of attitude to Miriam? Think about wedding vows you have heard. "Love, Honor, and Cherish. Forsaking all others. Cleaving one to the other as long as you both shall live." In this story Magic Herself is the Religion, and real religions have real power. Vows have real power. What James and Miriam swore was True just because it was sworn. Think about what James told Miriam - "I could never hurt you." It was absolutely true. I suspect he fainted when he found he had to cut her out. Can you imagine Herman's face thinking about James discovering what he was supposed to do with the sword? THAT was a Master Prank!

The Marauders are now Sixth year. They are going to continue with school. Peter will probably marry Susan Rudbeck (I am rather pleased with that name – did you look it up?) He'll find out from the DMLE about his father and collect his Inheritance. The DMLE now has Albus' notes and records, and he's in there. All of them are doing the National Education, so this generation will be dragged into the modern world without too much fuss. I'm sure they remain pranksters and jokers and they did become Animagi. Peter is a Meerkat. Sirius will eventually marry Marlene and move into the Black Family management as Heir. He's Dark and a schemer, but not Evil.

Who played the prank on the Marauders – turned them pink, purple, and green for 24 hours, from their clothes to their teeth? Minerva, of course! Human transfiguration! She only changed one property, but she did a very good job of it. No wonder Belby laughed!

The only Blacks who are really going to have trouble with the DMLE are Cygnus and Orion, because they fully support Moldyshorts. Siri's mother will never go crazy. She was a horrible mother, still is a Blood Purist, but now she's fully supporting BOTH sons and Reggie is far enough away not to spoil. Yes, she will forever think Moldyshorts was supporting Traditional values. Her focus of hatred is going to become the DMLE when they take Orion. You can't fix stupid.

Moldyshorts and the DE were swept up by the DMLE and the Police in a joint effort under the Terrorism laws. I didn't get into them. They were just part of the background, but they were nasty. Canon events up to 1976 happened. I'm sure even their innocent business partners, like Herman Bulstrode, were investigated.

What happened to Lucius Malfoy? Not marked (see Crouch) because the arrests happened the day he graduated. His father is going to have some difficult times with the DMLE. I never liked Abraxus and suspect he murdered his wife because she hid the squib daughter before he could kill her. Luci, who is too proud to take the National exams, is just going to be left behind as the world moves on without him. He didn't get his desired child bride with her desirable family connections. Most of his father's business connections are having troubles of their own. He will have to run the Import/Export business without the proper skills and without his father having time to train him. Doesn't sound too good.

Goyle and Crabbe. Also unmarked, never become DE, go on with their college plans. Crabbe, SR, will probably have a tough interview with the DMLE but he is a top lawyer and certainly has escape Clauses. Goyle, SR, is a prominent Blacksmith and apparently has some obligation to the Malfoys even though he is Old Blood and Malfoy is a newcomer. Maybe he's the Wizagamot Member from Skye? I dunno, he's Dark but unlikely to be Evil, and he's unlikely to actually be a DE.

Crouch, JR? Well, he did NOT get marked as DE because Crouch, SR did his job, was incorruptible. That's why Dumbledore wanted to ruin him. In canon, Senior went crazy in November, 1982, when Junior was found to be a DE. In this story, he stays true and sane. Junior will probably have an uncomfortable interview with the DMLE, but he hasn't done anything. He gets a hard head-slap wake-up to the real world and learns his father really does know best. He'll probably do his 'A' in record time (Raven over-achiever, right?), go to muggle Police Academy, and become an Auror exactly like his dad.

The Royals? Last minute addition due to a question! They really tied up loose ends covering just who was doing the cleanup. The Snowden is very well known, common in fanon and comic-books. There really is the position of Royal Wizard. I don't know who holds it now.

I have had three candidates suggested as my 'bad science', all by a Guest whom I cannot contact.

The Dalkon Shield birth control device. This isn't bad Science – it is bad History, because the Shield wasn't invented until 1970. I have it being used in 1960. But, there were several other devices in use before it that were equally awful, so consider it as a general category or a blurry AU date.

HGH Yep, this is it. I admit it. Early date for Recombinant, wrong source for natural, and wrong administration because using needles just wasn't going to work. Early samples were also contaminated with several nasty diseases, including AIDs. I didn't want to deal with any of that. I saw my first AIDs patient about 1977, and no one knew what was wrong with him.

Frank referenced cell phones in his 1974 letter to Alice. Cell phones were invented in 1973 but not available until about 1983. There is no reason he would not have known about them. They took a popular Science Magazine at school and several newspapers. Cell phones were a very hot topic of conversation. I don't accept this as either bad Science or bad History. Frank was up-to-date in his cultural references