AD40K posted a comment on Monday 11th September 2006 3:19am for The Last Straw

Thank the Goddess!

I find it a little odd just how many of the reviewers here are fit to burn Ron and Hermione at the stake for their actions in this story. Kinsfire has a very marked propensity for polyamorous stories, and I've enjoyed several of them, but this is the first one I've read wherein the participants behave in a manner that reflects any of the more common realities of such a relationship. One of those realities is that sometimes one partner or another feels excluded. Sometimes they are excluded accidentally, and sometimes it's just a matter of perception. But tacking on the issues of concealing the relationship in the face of familial and societal disapproval is a perfect recipe for accidentally broken hearts.

I cannot imagine that I would be able to be in a polyamorous relationship, but I have seen friends do so, and even at the best of times there is some friction.

Harry doesn't talk to people when he's hurting, and doesn't express himself very well at all, either in cannon or in this fic. The only time he lays it out on the table is the conversation with Ginny in this fic, and that's really only there for the benefit of the reader. How much of this could have been avoided if Harry had talked about this with his partners?

Let's look at the flip side, from the perspectives of the people who aren't the protagonist. We see the story only from Harry's point of view, and he could easily have failed to notice an awful lot of what was going on outside his own point of view. Harry's mad at Hermione for making decisions for him without his input, but he did just the same thing to her and Ron. She should have talked to Ron and Harry about her confiding in Ginny, and her concerns that it had been a bad idea. But just the same, Harry should have brought his feelings of loneliness and exclusion to their attention.

What about Ron and Hermione's trysts in the Astronomy tower? Certainly he and Ron share a great deal of 'alone time' on the Quidditch pitch, with practice, games, the team locker room, and all the places and times she doesn't share with them. We see the story only from Harry's point of view, and he could easily have failed to notice that there were times she was the one who felt left out of 'her' boys' relationship. Heck, his recent studiousness could have been seen by Hermione as her partner Harry choosing to spend more time with her in her milieu. The mistake he's making here is to equate sex with a relationship.

If I were Ron I'd be ticked that Harry was subconsciously considering Hermione the 'number one' partner, and was jealous of Ron's 'straight' sexual relationship with her. Harry rather reflexively denigrates non-vaginal intercourse as 'not sex.' He essentially is acting as a heterosexual man who is 'broadening his definitions' to inclde Ron in his circle of romantic lovers. Although he's been in a sexual relationship with two people, he considers himself a virgin becasue he hasn't had vaginal intercourse with his female partner. How offensive is that? By that definition, gay men or women would never be able to have sex. Do you buy that? Heck, if you were Ron or Hermione and had been in bed, naked, being intimate with Harry, how you you feel to be told that it wasn't sex becasue you didn't perform his prefered sexual act?

As an aside, this is why I think you historically don't find polyamourous societies with multiple marriages of equals. It's easy to have a rule that one partner is dominant, and all the others are suborned to (usually) his will. It's almost as easy to say that you can have sexually and emotionally gratifying same-sex relationships with friends or comrades-at-arms, but they are all secondary to the 'marriage' relationship at the core. Actually balancing multiple simultaneous relationships... well, look at the modern divorce rate. Polyamory isn't easier, it's harder than monogamy. You have more people who can fail to communicate, be open, or work hard to make a relationship work.

I don't think Ron and Hermione have been ideal partners, to be sure. But Harry sure hasn't either. And that's what I rather like about this fic; the characters (who are very young and inexperienced) don't instantly leap into a perfect Heinleinian plural marriage in one chapter of Free Love bliss. They all love each other, and they are managing to muck up their relationship the way people sometimes do. I hope Harry survives the final battle, becuase I want to see all three of these characters try to figure out what they were doing wrong, and figure out how to save a relationship they all want to work. I'd also love to see someone write the reality of some people's acceptance of an alternative lifestyle, and that some friends and family might not be able to.

Life and the people we share it with are frequently imperfect, and the best art reflects our reality so that we can learn something.

Kinsfire replied:

Thank you. Somebody "got" the idea.   It's not a good relationship for one very good reason - all three are still children. While age-wise they are now adults in the wizarding world, they are still children in their minds. Harry has little to no romantic experience. (This is a non-HBP compliant story, nind you, so Ginny never entered the picture.)

The relationship between the three of them can be fixed someday.   Someday.   All three will have to grow up and learn to be adults. Then they can decide whether or not they should try again.

c50cnameless posted a comment on Monday 11th September 2006 12:19am for The Last Straw

please please please please post more, need more, so sad, harry can't die, he needs to live!

Alexis posted a comment on Sunday 10th September 2006 10:57pm for The Last Straw

Great job so far, Keith! I wanted to kill Ron and Hermione after Voldemort. Talk about clueless prats. Jeez! I like Trio, but it would take a lot of groveling before they should ever be taken back - because that wasn't good planning, it was just hurtful and mean of the two of them.

XanDutch posted a comment on Sunday 10th September 2006 11:22am for The Last Straw

Interesting way to kill Voldemort, by the way. Don't think I've seen that one before!

XanDutch posted a comment on Sunday 10th September 2006 10:16am for The Last Straw

Oh I really hope that further chapter has Harry surviving, but not getting back together with them. He might love them, but he will never trust them with his heart again.

Some further Ginny ranting on criminal stupidity wouldn't be amiss either. *G*

Mtc297c posted a comment on Sunday 10th September 2006 9:20am for The Last Straw

by the way, chances are, its being looked at the wrong way. ron and hermione are probably planning something for harry

Adam posted a comment on Sunday 10th September 2006 9:10am for The Last Straw

Just been rereading this (hey is a nice story) but noticed that you appear to have let Hermione and Ron get away with treating Harry like dirt. After all they didnt even notice that he had split up with them and Gin telling them off doesnt really count as they had no idea what she was talking about. That does kinda spoil it.

Philipe posted a comment on Sunday 10th September 2006 8:51am for The Last Straw

Strange.. but i liked it.. Very nice..

P.

Mtc297c posted a comment on Sunday 10th September 2006 8:42am for The Last Straw

please post the next chapter soon

Killua posted a comment on Sunday 10th September 2006 6:43am for The Last Straw

As others have said, if Harry survives I don't want him to be with them, they don't deserve him, and no amount of fluff will convince me otherwise. Actions have consequences, and what they did was an horrible thing to do to someone you are supposed to love. No excuses here, they have a lot to learn.

loralee posted a comment on Sunday 10th September 2006 6:36am for The Last Straw

That is a truly evil cliffy. Wonderful chapter, more soon please.

Patches posted a comment on Saturday 9th September 2006 7:52pm for The Last Straw

I really thought that this is the end of Harry
but if there is another chapter coming I'll wait
to make my final comments. This is a good story. I am looking forward to seeing the rest. Thanks for writing. pms

Coolone007 posted a comment on Saturday 9th September 2006 5:42pm for The Last Straw

To bad it will only be a happy ending for Ron and Hermione. In this relm that is. At least they willhave each other to cope with his death.

Jeremy DuCharme posted a comment on Saturday 9th September 2006 5:26pm for The Last Straw

Re: Darkness describing Harry being used like a whore. I object to that description, at least a whore gets laid. :)

I would have prefered the last line to of Harry to be 'loved you', past tense. That would have indicated that the Trio 'relationship' had been dead for a year and a half as Harry had concluded, even if two of them were just now smelling how ripe the corpse was. If Kinsfire wants to steal that particular description, feel free.

OTOH Harry said he loved lots of people, possibly meaning his love of Ron and Hermoine shifted from the romantic, lets all get married, to the platonic 'I was never more than a friend and a marital aid to the two of you'. His last incomplete line 'I would have married you both if I could' would fit this with an uncompleted 'but I was never as fully in your heart like eachother'.

But that's my take on the possible outcomes, we shall have to wait for part 2, please write fast Kinsfire...

RoseKelly1021 posted a comment on Saturday 9th September 2006 5:13pm for The Last Straw

Okay, so far I want to kill Mione & Ron. I have to admit that is maybe a first. Can I kill both of them? But WHERE are you going with this story? Well written as always and very much an attention grabber.

scott2 posted a comment on Saturday 9th September 2006 4:38pm for The Last Straw

sad but very well written :)

heirpendragon posted a comment on Saturday 9th September 2006 4:11pm for The Last Straw

What site was the contest on? I though t this was pretty good but I thought Harry would not be nice in the end. I think i would have liked it more if there was a big end of the trio scene.

Shawn Pickett posted a comment on Saturday 9th September 2006 4:09pm for The Last Straw

Well, that was pretty fracked up. A well written little story, just depressing as all get out. Excellent work as usual Keith.

RedKnight posted a comment on Saturday 9th September 2006 2:41pm for The Last Straw

Well, I think the next chapter should be interesting.

Steve Stephan posted a comment on Saturday 9th September 2006 2:02pm for The Last Straw

That was absolutely horribly painful.