You didn't stray too much from the storyline. [Authors frown on people republishing their stories as their own.] The bones are still there and I'm enjoying this unique take.

You have kept to your original premise and that is all I look for when reading AU, not a word-for-word/scene-for-scene retelling - because most times it seems forced. This is easy to read, exciting enough to continue but still a good tale.

Thanks for sharing - I'm off to start HBP.

Thank you for reminding me of your timeline, I had forgotten some of the thinking of the older school officials. It will help me through the rest.

I've already run into Hermione's woes. The Wizengamot back an illegal Animagus and try to railroad a student. Is Hermione's critical thinking too much for them.

We'll see and thanks for the response.

I just had to comment on this chapter: Hogwarts Institute is 'buying' influence by rewarding children of people they want help from politically. [No different than the Muggle world.] So the noble goal of productivity goes out the window, when the ones in charge need something. Don't reward for hard work/education, base it mostly on who they belong to. Poor Hermione doesn't have a chance of advancement past prefect [I'm guessing she does at least get that - considering her competition.]

This is getting an interesting parallel story to the original story and I like where you are taking this. I'm looking forward to the development of this, I know it already written and published, but I can still wish for writing success to this tangent.

Harry should have ignored Binns, tell him to shove off and give him detention for all he cared and left the classroom with Hedwig anyway. She was BLEEDING, and could have been DYING for all he knew from whatever was causing the bleeding, yet Harry still listened to Binns and stayed in class while his best avian friend slowly died in his lap? I'd have flipped Binns the bird and immediately run out the door to the only person in school who could help Hedwig. Plus thanks to Binns, Harry is probably going to need to skip another class and go back to the dorms to SHOWER off Hedwigs blood from every part of his body that was in contact with her during class, and change into a CLEAN pair of clothes thats not covered in owl blood.