Wasting Away in Harry Potterville: I've spent most of today working on a Potterverse short story called "Resistance." It is the Paul Graves version of what happened to Frank and Alice Longbottom at the hands of Bellatrix LeStrange. A couple of days ago, I realized what I needed to do to make the story work, so I've been writing that.

It has involved some rewriting of what I've done before, but so far, I'm pleased with the revision. It's going to require a legilimency sequence that I really didn't want to have to write, but that can't be helped. Bella has to see it or continue acting like a crazy woman, so...

Oh, right. She continues acting like a crazy woman, anyway. Just a different sort of crazy. Oh well. At least she does the next 13 years of it in Azkaban.

I'm sure I'm skating the thin edge of Mary Sue-ishness, here, but I am trying to make a good case for why Paul is the only one who can solve the problem. I don't think even Snape, at age 21, is able to do it, yet. He's too sunk in misety, and it hasn't been all that long since he looked at Lily Evans with possessiveness. That attitude just will not suffice for what Paul does. The story needs someone who understands love. Among the DE folks, only Narcissa Malfoy might have a vague hope of understanding.

So far, the word count is 3625 words.

Would anyone like to beta-read, once I finish it?