Problems with Purity, redux

[averygoodun42]

Okay, I'll admit I'm still reading it. It's a guilty pleasure. Of sorts.

However, a question: did anyone else reading the most recent chapter hope that one of the Were's would die? Especially a child?

That might seem a little grim, but lets face it, lycanthropy is representative of AIDS and other deadly and/or chronic diseases. Chronic diseases kill people, especially children who are often not strong enough to withstand the strain of such diseases.

Sure, Hermione was there to give a power and emotion boost to all the pups, but, really... Sophie should have died. Her not dying just made the whole scene that much more unbelievable.

People die. More often than not, people die from illness rather than violence. It sucks, but it is a fact of life. No one, including Pure!Hermione, can or should be able to alter that fact of life. Especially in the Harry Potter universe where death IS immutable (unless you're truly, truly evil).

That and the fact that Hermione basically leaps at the bone Severus throws her.

I mean, really.


And yet... I will probably continue to read it. Despite how... utterly and offensively ludicrous it's become. Though I'm sure I'm going to enjoy "On the Corner" more, and not just because of the regular updates.

Comments

[miamadwyn.livejournal.com]

That might seem a little grim, but lets face it, lycanthropy is representative of AIDS and other deadly and/or chronic diseases.

Not in this fic. In this fic, it's just a huge-ass Potter-verse evil that Hermione can fix with her super-powers.

I personally would much rather see Viktor turn out to be a Death Eater. I think he dropped everything too quickly, was accepted too easily, was allowed in to watch her brew, etc. If there is ever going to be a chink in her (and their) armour, if there is ever going to be a time we finally see her infallibility, I'd like it to be that she was stupid and too easily played by Viktor. That would be totally her fault.

A kid dying would just give us opportunities for Noble Suffering for Which She Can't Really Be Blamed, and we've seen enough of that, I think.

I'm enjoying the fic despite its issues. I think she's at least giving us reasons why Severus has been such an ass that show some thought went into it. I think for somebody like Severus, "You came to me like leftovers because Potter decided he wanted to fuck," is actually pretty strong, especially if he already was falling in love with her, and thought she was just another woman using him to her own means.

[averygoodun.livejournal.com]

True. I'd forgotten that the universe really does revolve around Hermione. And her super-powers.

That would be awesome, actually. Completely awesome. I really, really doubt she's going to go there, as Victor was the Not-Severus-Love-Interest (and way to get Pansy paired up and out of the picture), but yeah. I would love for him to be a DE.

And yes, there has been more than enough Noble Suffering, but, well... the way she built it up, it would have been easy to push the point that Sophie was just not ready, physically or emotionally, for the treatment. There are fascinating ethical issues surrounding forcing children to undergo painful and dangerous procedures or choosing to not force the treatments. I know that's not what the story is about, but it would have been nice to see a consequence of Hermione's forcing the child (an orphan, at that!) to do something she was not ready to do. It would have been her fault.

But, as you say, that's not what lycanthropy is about in this story.

I'll admit that she did give a good reason for Severus' past behavior, but I still think that Hermione s forgiving him too easily. He a) should have realized that Hermione is not Lily, same as Harry is not James, b) just TALKED TO HER ALREADY!!! and c) thought a little bit about the very obvious signs she was giving him. It's not like she was subtle, except in the beginning.