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Reviews for Paying For His Pedestal

By : twocanz

From SalonKitty on July 28, 2008
Cho seems a bit irrational considering that she should have been able to tell he was lying to Ginny

I saw your comment and felt compelled to address it, Jason. How should Cho know, though? She can't trust him. Everything he's ever said to her has to be measured against his original treatment of her the first day he raped her. Twocanz has been showing us the intense struggle Cho goes through with every endearment Harry throws her way, now that their relationship has become further complicated. Logically, all Cho really knows is that she should fear this boy. He's not stable, he's prone to violence, he's under a lot of strain, and she knows he lies. Which lie is she supposed to believe? All of his romantic professions remain fruitless if she can't base it in the truth. She's been feeling part of a fantasy, in a way, and now she feels like she's been slapped again with a hard, cold dose of reality. All of the feelings that had been plaguing her since she started to feel differently towards the Boy Hero have been held up to the light and what she's feeling is foolish. She was under a spell. In fact, I think that both Harry and Cho are in a Folie
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From ANON - Jake on July 28, 2008
Grrr! How can you just post this chapter? You are cruel with your cliffhanger. Cho seems a bit irrational considering that she should have been able to tell he was lying to Ginny since he was trying to break up with her until she mentioned her family. Hopefully, they will be back on good terms with each other soon. Harry is likely to do something stupid and get himself killed by Tom if they don't.
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From SalonKitty on July 28, 2008
Geez, twocanz, that was fucking brutal. First, you made me upset for Ginny, and then inspired some pretty intense feelings of hatred for my Harry. I don't think I've ever read a fic where I hated him so much in that chapter. I wanted to punch his face in. And I still don't get why he feels the need to cling to Ginny out of some warped necessity. Can't he see how he's failing both of the women in his life? Why does he think lying to Ginny's face is doing her any favors? Wow, I wasn't even this angry at him when he was in the middle of raping Cho. Maybe he really is just crazy, because his behavior doesn't make any sense.

And speaking of Cho, are you trying to kill her? Overcoming so much these last few months as she tried to make herself whole again with those tentative, imperceptible steps towards trusting Harry again; maybe enough even to give him her heart. However, that has just been dashed to smithereens and all that progress was all for naught. Why would she ever feel the need to care for him again? In fact, why is she even still protecting him? She's worried about Cormac's safety, how about she takes a trip to the Headmaster's office and tell him how Harry spent his time on the Hogwarts Express? She's reminded herself that he's highly disturbed, after all. What's stopping her? If I had been Cho, I don't think I could have even carried out that conversation when he tried to slip into her bed because I'd be vomiting too hard over the side.

Anyway, that chapter was a total buzzkill. Oh, and Ginny needs to learn how to close a fucking door properly. Bitch really likes to advertise her drama.
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From SalonKitty on July 28, 2008

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From ANON - jake on July 27, 2008
Well, I'm glad you feel that way about the souls thing. I must say part of me really wants the final pairing to be Harry/Cho with Harry kicking Ginny to the side and going public with it. I don't know if that is what you intend nor do I want to know. This is the single best Harry/Cho story I've ever read. It has it all: smut, realistic angst, smut, confused emotions, good plot, good writing, smut, well you get the idea. I absolutely love it! I have only read one other Harry/Cho story that was decently written, but it was never finished and generally speaking I hate this pairing. I just happened upon it, and I thought I'd give it a chance just for the smut, and I was surprised to find a wonderfully crafted plot with subtext i.e. the soul thing. In addition to which I must say the realistic characterization is quite wonderful as was Hagrid's bed though I'm highly disturbed by the fact that Harry had something in him that had been inside of Hagrid.....that is gross though I'm betting Harry never thought of that because it just occurred to me when Ron was talking about the bed. I still enjoyed it even if I now am slightly disturbed by the image I have of Hagrid.
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From ANON - jake on July 27, 2008
I don't think Cho has Stockholm Syndrome. I mean that is usually only something that happens in kidnappings plus if she had it then she would have never been able to go out with someone else or even have rules. No, I would say she is just very confused because she wants to hate him for what he did, but at the same time she understands that he has been through far worse than she has yet he carries on even if he does have damaged soul. I think that the two of them are alike in more ways then they can imagine. She doesn't seek attention, and she loves to fly, but she also has a damaged and improperly healed soul. Harry has all of these things as well. Abused as a child plus all of the adventures of Hogwarts has really taken a toll on his soul especially when you consider the fact that we he should be healing (during the summer) his soul is just mangled further. No, I think in some weird twisted sense they have become soul mates which is why Cho and Harry are so addicted to each other. Cho's soul started becoming mangles with Cedric and was pushed even further by Harry in this story which combined with physical attraction has lead to this obsessiveness.

This is the main problem for Cho because she doesn't have Stockholm Syndrome she still feels guilty over wanting to be with him in more than just body if she had Stockholm Syndrome then this wouldn't be the case. No, I think they love each other because they are both messed up, and they are the only ones who can really understand what that is like. Like I said, I think the improper healing of their souls has made them soul mates in a sense. I just wish someone would get around to admitting how she feels. I'm sure Harry would leave Ginny at Cho's request. At the rate it is going, he will leave Ginny on his own soon enough. The hero worship has to be getting on his last nerve.
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From SoftObsidian74 on July 27, 2008
I'm gonna go through and review this chapter by chapter once I get a chance to sit down and read it. I'll try to do at least two chapters a week. You write so much and so fast...OK, more later, just want you to know I'm still here : )
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From SalonKitty on July 27, 2008
You left me weeping at quite the cliffhanger, twocanz. I may not forgive you for this unless the next chapter makes up for all my angst.

Harry IS screwed and screwed up, you're absolutely right about that. I always marveled that canon Harry seemed to make it through to his adulthood as a well-functioning and caring human being, despite everything that had been thrown at him. Then again, I didn't really believe it, which is why I'm thankful for fanfiction written for grown-ups. Realistically, Harry would need a looooooot of therapy.

The pajama party out and out shocked me with Cho's pronouncement suddenly intelligible. The fact that she's Obliviated five people now in the name of protecting Harry is cause for concern. Poor girl. She should have been able to walk away from her rapist, but now she's been consumed by his passion. Her falling apart at the thought of Harry being dead was heartbreaking.
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From SalonKitty on July 27, 2008
Seriously, I feel like I could write a book about the emotional turmoil that not only Cho, but Harry as well, is going through. Her case is fascinating, though, in the context you've put her here. It's not merely a case of Stockholm Syndrome; there's so many layers to this complicated relationship. It's good to see that Cho has reclaimed a large part of herself, but that sick pocket in her stomach isn't going away any time soon until she starts dealing with her feelings. My head hurts just thinking about what she's got to go through still. Yet, even with the games they play in skirting the issues, it's lovely to see Harry and Cho finding some semblance of intimacy...in more ways than just sexual. Harry is so deep in love with Cho that you start to wonder if his friends and schoolmates really DO see him as a person, they could not be more blind to his heart and soul. Plus, he's getting so reckless with the way he acts around her. I knew someone would have to be catching them at something sooner or later, they're so damn loud with the horseplay!

But I just have to THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME BACK MY HARRY!! after Crabbe and Goyle's attack on Cho. It was a relief to finally see the Harry who takes on all the blame...only this time he was right. For him to see just what he did, at the very least he can start coming back from that pit and begin making amends. But he's going to have to help Cho, too. Obviously, maintaining a secret affair with the Ravenclaw while he continues to date the fiery Gryffindor (God, I wanted to slap Ginny at Cho's Quidditch match!) is not the best way to right his wrongs. I think Harry is trying to woo Cho, at this point. He may understand that he has some sexual thrall over Cho, but I feel like he wants her love in return more than her hatred, by now. I'm pretty confident that Harry lifted his spell that was preventing Cho from divulging that he raped her, when he was healing her bruises. I'm just about to read chapter 18-"Harry Potter Likes Chickens"--so I'll see if I'm right about that.

Before I go, my favorite passage these last few chapters:
Because I
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From SalonKitty on July 26, 2008
Wow. Just...wow. I'm so blown away by these last two chapters that I don't even know where to begin with a review. Looks like I'm going to have to think on it a bit before I can start. The psychological ramifications and developments in this story have left me in a tizzy.

Last night, I was listening to the Smiths, and it occurred to me that Morrisey could have provided Harry with the soundtrack to his life. In particular, this song made me think of the Harry in your story and it fit so perfectly:

Good times for a change
See, the luck Ive had
Can make a good man
Turn bad

So please please please
Let me, let me, let me
Let me get what I want
This time

Havent had a dream in a long time
See, the life Ive had
Can make a good man bad

So for once in my life
Let me get what I want
Lord knows, it would be the first time
Lord knows, it would be the first time

Harry's sleep seems reserved only for nightmares, doesn't it? But I'm thinking that he may have started dreaming again about a certain pretty Ravenclaw. Anyway, the song in my mind as I read these chapters made it achingly sad. I'm almost jealous of your abilities here. I'll give you a full review later. I'm off for a good cry now and some breakfast.
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From SalonKitty on July 26, 2008
Okay, I'm starting to feel self conscious here posting my 6th review in a row. SoftObsidian rec'd this on her lj, so I know she's enjoying it, but I don't get why this story isn't being flooded with accolades.

Now, what on earth are you talking about claiming there's no hot Harry/Cho sex in this chapter??! What do you call their little feast in the RoR? That was unbelievably hot. I really love how kinky Harry is, too, willing to do just about anything to please Cho (well, anything, really, provided it's just two of them); gorging on his own spunk swirled in her sea of juices. If the boy could physically fit his entire head up Cho's snatch, he would do it! I find it amusing, tho, that while Harry loves a finger up his ass, even though he won't admit it, anal sex hasn't really occurred to him yet. I actually figured he would have tried that on Cho long ago when he was still proving his total dominance over her body.

Hmm, there is so much I like about this chapter, but its general light-hearted tone was refreshing, even while you were spiking it with a looming sense of dread (Harry telling Cho she would be free of him when he finally died from V was heartbreaking). Somehow, I get a feeling that this will end up a tragedy when all is said and done, and I feel that things don't look good for the Boy-Wonder-Who's-Crazier-Than-A-Loon. His pleading and impatient fidgeting in the library, however, was adorable, and for the first time you really showed how much the child Harry still is. It's as if the release Cho provides for Harry has finally allowed him to access those child-like aspects of his personality that he couldn't play out when he was younger. You made a nice distinction between the two with Harry's immaturity and Cho's adult restraint. She has learned so much about how to handle him, but her disappointment when she is reminded just how unstable and dangerous he is can be is palpable. We feel it, too.

Great job, again! And thanks for the shout-out!
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From SalonKitty on July 25, 2008
Hey, what happened to a chapter a day? I'm starting to feel like Cho over here eagerly awaiting Harry's..er, story. Seriously, hope you post again soon.

Just forgot to add on all of my other reviews how much I adore Harry's hair fetish. It's so amusing.
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From SalonKitty on July 25, 2008
Oh, I don't think my feelings have changed too drastically, but it's more about the implications for the story with every progression, or regression, in their behavior. I DO feel sorry for Harry, but he's made an attempt, no matter how wrong it is, to exert some kind of control over his life. As much as he loathes his title, he still has a bit of a martyr complex about him. Yet his personality is so strong and domineering that it makes things difficult for him to just roll over and accept. He's also somewhat of a masochist. And obviously a sadist. But there's something enduringly sweet and fragile about him, all the same. But I can sympathize with Harry and his overwhelming issues, while still being angered and outraged on Cho's behalf. You've made them BOTH really complicated people in this fic, and I really appreciate that. He's a bit exhausting, tho. After admitting how much he needed Cho and apologizing for some of his transgressions, Harry's decimated state quickly recovered once he was getting what he wanted again. Yet, it doesn't take long before Harry is up to his old possessive tricks again. He CAN be a cold bastard, that one, practically a sociopath here, but you can't help but believe him when he's at his most vulnerable. I suppose enough of me wants to see Harry find a way out of all this darkness and reconcile his feelings for Cho once and for all (and I want her to do the same), but a lot is going to have to happen for them to reach that level of....well, you can't call it trust, really. I just hope Cho gets to see Harry become a good person again.

Just a few criticisms: While I understand where you're trying to get some pregnant pauses in the dialogue to define the characters' apprehension or confusion, you seem to have a preponderance of ellipses....that can be...a bit...distracting. Just saying.

Also, Terry's story being almost identical to Cho's, down to the beginning of the relationship, seems awfully contrived. If there had been some strong similarities and you left it at that, I think it might have worked better. But, HA!, I have to give you props for making Terry Hogwarts' very own Stanford Blatch. Calling out the H/D shippers was brilliant!
Those two at each other throats, that enormous tension between them, and the fact that they are both deliciously hot! Fuck, Cho, what I wouldn
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From SalonKitty on July 24, 2008
Well, I suppose I spoke too soon. You managed to clear up some of my questions in "Maintaining Sanity". I just finished reading "For The Love Of Quidditch", though, and I didn't really think it was possible for you to up the bar on the sex scenes you've described with such arresting wonder throughout this story, but somehow you outdid yourself in the Quidditch locker room. I already have a major hard-on for Harry to begin with, even as such a dark character as you've written him, but after that shower scene, I'm pretty convinced he's MY perfect man. Unfortunately, I like them a little crazy. But having Cho tie him up while she pounded him mercilessly was beyond fucking delicious. I absolutely LOVE the role reversals between the two. It's so good to see Harry smiling again and feeling like he's got something to look forward to in his days.

Bless you for writing such a fantastic tale of sexual obsession. I just discovered you've put up another chapter, so let me check it out and I'll have more to say.
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From SalonKitty on July 24, 2008
Oh man, you are hitting all my psychological kinks in this story. And I have a lot of them. So, how much further down are you going to sink Harry before he can start to put himself back together? Is he ever going to realize what he's done to Cho and let her go? He still hasn't shown remorse for raping her to begin with, but his obsession is obviously borne out of his depression at the start of the school year, I'm really worried about his crumbling state of mind. I almost wanted him to have a screaming fit in the Great Hall at the beginning of Chap. 9, just so he can get some of this poison out of his system. How can you make me so thrilled and happy for Cho's reclaiming of herself and, to some extent, her sexuality, while still feeling awful for Harry's mental breakdown? And, pray tell, how can this distorted and disturbed relationship be mended? Is it even possible? I have no idea where you can possibly take all this angst and anguish in another 25 chapters, but I expect a lot more tumult in both of their lives.

Oh, this was one of my favorite paragraphs, btw:
Cho giggled, but looked toward the Gryffindor table. She could see Hermione reading the article to Harry, and wondered if maybe Hermione was not as intelligent as she always seemed. Then she saw Harry yank the paper out of his best friend
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