Night Flight Review Replies

[Massanie]

As promised I'll use this option to reply to your wonderful reviews, for which I thank you in advance and in hindsight :)I won't reply to all of them, but I will try to answer any questions that you have regarding the story or Vykélari

"I so hope Harry doesn't just lay there and take whatever they dish out" (PandaGaara)

~ no he won't. The next few chapters are already written and maybe your sympathy will switch towards the Slytherins in the end

"All i can hope is that Blaise and Draco will do better by him than what their parents seem to be planning" (unneeded)

~ I don't know if you wanted an answer to that, in any case I don't want to spoil everything by disclosing too much, so I'll just keep it vague: they won't abuse him or be downright cruel and I guess they are too hotheaded to see the whole matter with such coldhearted logic as their parents do.

"I wonder if har's warning them away was instinctive or just har being har?" (unneeded)

~ That would be Harry being Harry

"how bird like are these beings?" (unneeded)

~ Oh, pretty birdlike ... I do have a thing for birds . All the changes Harry went through follow specific bird characteristics: the wings and his voice are only the most obvious. Some birds have ultraviolet markings, mostly on their head, the brightness of which directly corresponds to physical fitness. During courtship both males and females try to get a partner with bright markings to produce strong offspring. Vykélari behave similarly, that is why Blaise and Draco were attracted by Harry's markings.Other similarities will follow...

"Can they 'switch back' to a human form after the initial transformation?" (unneeded)

~ My, you do have some interesting questions, keep them coming, I'm glad that I could induce so much interest! Anyway: yes, he will. Would be rather difficult to cope with the limited speaking abilities

"I love how fast you update! You are a very gifted writer who appreciates their readers, thank you." (dazedandconfused)

~ Well, thank you very much! Though I have to admit: I only am able to update that often because I've already written the first 9 chapters. After that I'll slow down to probably 1 chapter per week, at least I'll try to. At the moment I have university, and exams will soon keep me busy and I have a pretty time consuming side job and another story to finish. We authors really do appreciate our readers but life often gets in the way. If an author doesn't update for a few weeks, he or she really might have some good reasons to do so. I'd at least leave them the benefit of a doubt.

"I keep thinking of the of the Valkyrie (not sure about spelling) from the Twilight books/movies, because the two names seem similar" (dazedandconfused)

~ I do love you for noticing that ... Valkyries have their origin in the Norse mythology. They are winged women who fly over a battlefield and decide who wins or dies. Those of the fallen who they deem worthy, they bring to Valhalla. Now take the apostrophe off Vykélari and you have an anagram of Valkyrie. I was searching through the mythology of Europe and I couldn't find a being that fit the image I had in mind, so I created my own magical being and took an anagram of the Valkyries who were the closest to what I had in mind.I don't know much about the Twilight books or movies but this is where the word comes from.

Edited July 7, 2012 by Massanie

[Massanie]

"with the needing magical guidance thing for vision and hearing to return... and speech? does that mean if someone went through the transformation completely unguided that they'd be deaf and dumb from then on or just until the ran into another of their kind to guide them through it?" (unneeded)

~ Neither. Right at the beginning of the transformation the magic destroyes the sensory system. Then it would basically learn how to build the new organs. It could always rebuild the human sensory system, because it already knows how that works. If a fledgeling would survive the transformation without a guide, he would simply never be able to transform completely into a Vykélari because his magic never learned how to create the new sense of vision and of hearing. All the other senses (smell, taste, tactical sense) could be switched at will from human to Vykélari and back and separately at that (which means Harry could decide to use his human form and only have the visual sense of a Vykélari, making his glasses redundant).

But it most often wouldn't happen. The magic of the fledgeling would deplete itself, trying to attract an adult Vykélari until he would die of magical exhaustion.

Edited July 9, 2012 by Massanie

[Massanie]

Here is a summary about the bird-like features of Vykélari

1. A Vykélari's sense of smell and sense of taste are not much better than that of a human (I didn't want to downgrade them even though those senses are generally thought to be of minor importance for birds. It's not even proven yet that all birds can smell and taste).
   
2. Vykélari, like birds, have a highly developed sense of hearing with an amazing temporal solution, which allows them to locate things by sound.
   
3. The visual acuity of a Vykélari is many times better than that of a human. Furthermore, they are tetrachromats, meaning that they are able to distinguish 4 different colours: red, green, blue and ultraviolet.
   
4. Instead of a larynx with its vocal cords (like mammals), Vykélari have a syrinx as a voice box. That is essentially a bony structure that is unique to birds. In song birds the syrinx is located at the lower end of the windpipe which actually enables them to produce two sounds at once.
   
5. Just like birds who are able to see ultraviolet Vykélari use that in the selection of a possible mate: the brightness of their ultraviolet markings corresponds directly to their bodily fitness. The brighter the marking the more attractive.
   
6. Like song birds, Vykélari inherit a crude map of some songs that they know from birth on. They learn to refine those songs by listening to adults. That is why Harry instinctively knew how to emit an alarm call.
   
7. Vykélari, like birds have an additional sense of balance located in the hip, helping them to keep their footing even in the most difficult situations.
   

[Massanie]

@SinfulMind: I'm glad that I could still hold your interest so far, even though you said you didn't really like threesomes. To be honest, when I first had the idea for a Vykélari story, I had a Draco/Harry pairing in mind. But then I stumbled upon a Harry/Draco/Blaise story and was so angry that it seemed to be discontinued, that I simply had to write my own story with that pairing...

@JG: Wow, that was an ego-booster... Thank you very, very much! I really tried to keep everyone in character, which was sometimes rather difficult since I didn't read books 6 and 7 and those years had to have a huge impact on the personalities of all those involved. I'm glad you think I managed to do that so far and I hope I will be able to keep it that way and not disappoint you. And yes, I already wrote the first 9 chapters, otherwise I would only manage to update once a week. I will continue to update daily until I run out of chapters...

And as I'm not a fan of bad endings myself, I promise this story won't have one.

Will they at least let him contact friends/family (unneeded)

You know, I just love your questions... but unfortunately the safety of Harry, Draco and Blaise depends on secrecy. No wards are perfect and therefore Harry is only safe in Lanai Manor for the moment, because no one knows that he is there. And our Slytherins don't really trust Harry's friends that much. But don't worry, the Weasleys and Hermione have not been forgotten. In fact, they are making an appearance in the next chapter...

[Massanie]

"So Are Draco and Blaise only going to be with Harry for his power, like his father wants?" (Tinkerbabe7)

Nope

Blaise and Draco are attracted to power (I mean, who isn't...), and they surely wouldn't have fallen in love with each other if they weren't at least gifted in one specific area of their life: that might encompass an unusual strength of charakter, exceptional magical power, outstanding wit or some other talent, skill or attribute or a mixture of those. I don't find that reprehensible.

And with Harry: the only outstanding features they know of at that moment (and those are not even all that correct) are his saviour complex, his lack of respect for purebloods, his inclination to break rules (and no one can really deny that, even though most of the time he did it to save someone or something) and his power.

Always keep in mind that they don't really know Harry at the moment, and you can only truly love someone you know. Well, that is at least my opinion, I don't believe in love at first sight, only in crushes at first sight.

In time they will come to know each other better and they will come to appreciate each other and love each other. I promise, don't worry

"Meep! Could Lucius get any more... power-hungry?" (Kitkatislovely)

He hasn't tried to take over the world yet ...

"It makes me so sad when Severus hates Harry though. Any chance for a turnaround?" (djaddict)

I'm working on it in the later chapters, but it's a hard piece of work...

"Sheesh, have some fall out. *shakes head [...] Cygs last words to Luc made me grin." (unneeded)

They are Slytherins, they don't have fall outs, they have weeks and months of terribly annoying hints and carefully executed power-plays... I'm glad I could make you smile. I always wondered why wizards never ask the portraits, I mean so many brilliant people who have been immortalized in 2d... or at least a part of them...

Edited July 12, 2012 by Massanie

[Massanie]

"eheh, i guess they over looked that one. They'll have to be more on their guard. They should have known har wouldn't take being 'confined to quarters' lightly or easily." (unneeded)

Yeah, you are right, they should have. But then again they thought they would have the time to explain everything to Harry. They knew that Harry would freak out over being a submissive and being faced with dominants intending to mate him, that is why they didn't want to tell him that so soon in the first place; but then he found out and ran from the conversation.

And they didn't have much time to prepare for Harry's enforced stay in the manor either: it's after all only the day after his transformation.

Thank's for the comment!

"Nice. I'm just waiting for it to pick up a bit more." (PandaGaara)

... Don't be hasty! It is only the day after his transformation... I think it was a rather eventful day so far...

And it's been only two months since the end of the war, and the three of them have quite a history together. Since this is not a creature fic where all of them are ruled by instincts and hormones I'd say we give them some days to get acquainted.

"I wonder if Harry will tell them he doesn't trust them because they haven't earned it." (PandaGaara)

For this to happen he would both need to accept his inheritance and that there was the possibility of a friendship or more between the three of them. He's not quite ready to do that, especially as they just grounded him as if he were a child.

... Sorry, I'm never doing anything the easy way But thank you very much for the review!

[Massanie]

"Oooh poor Harry it seems he still is only wanted for his power. He deserves true love after the whole and everything. Hope he finds it." (PandaGaara)

I don't give many promises for a story, but I can (for all stories I have written so far or am writing) promise that there will be a happy end! Don't you worry, he'll find love... but it'll be a stony way...

@js:

god, that is sooo nice of you, I'm glad you like it so much!

"Glad Harry got a little explanation but really want him to get more. He needs it." (djaddict)

I'm actually working on getting Harry an ally. He's not really alive, but yeah... you'll get to know Ives in the next chapter.

"up there somewhere, it's a "rhetorical" question not "rhetoric". " (djaddict)

Thank you very, very much! I'll correct that. I'm not a native speaker and I'm bound to make some mistakes. Right now I enjoy the simplicity of updating without a beta and you get faster chapters that way. But I really appreciate any help!

"Now if they could just stop taunting Harry. They've got to earn his trust and woo him. He's in a word... delicate. Emotionally fragile." (thrnbrooke)

They are about to realise that, don't worry!

@ScarletDark:

Thank you very, very much. I'm glad you like Harry, Blaise and Draco, I always try to keep everyone in character.

[Massanie]

"Good grief, so Sev DOES know of har's childhood, and he STILL sees him as Potter Spawn? well, shesh, biased much." (unneeded)

I know... but I actually went back to the books and read the specific passages about the occlumency lessons and Snape DID see all those images and he still decided to taunt Harry... it is rather difficult to like him then. Obviously he couldn't conciliate those horrid memories with the spoilt brat he wanted to see and more or less chose to ignore the implications. I'm trying to address that while keeping to the books. I'm trying to get him more likeable in time

"Will Harry turn to Ives and Adler?" (thrnbrooke)

In time, yes. More like Ives and Adler will turn to him. Though Ives will probably be more of an ally to Harry than his esteemed husband, Adler is a manipulative little bastard, but you'll see...

@Morbid_and_Sexy

Thank you! I'm glad to hear that, since I'm still really, absolutely and honestly nervous about posting lemons. I think just one negative feedback would probabably stop me from including such scenes in my stories altogether...

[Massanie]

@thrnbrooke

Just you wait and see I'm glad you enjoy the story so much!

@unneeded

You are right, they are just beginning to realise how badly they handled things. But they are trying to redeem themselves now... thanks for your continuous support, unneeded, I think you are my review record holder here on this site!

@Morbid_and_Sexy & Sarah

Thanks for the reviews, you two!

Edited August 3, 2012 by Massanie

[Guest Massanie]

@thrnbrooke

Oh yes, I'm actually not yet sure how I'll handle Ron and keep him from making a mess out of things. Actually I didn't really intend for the trio to meet so early on again but it seemed to be the most logical demand for Harry to make, so ... when in doubt, always go with what logic dictates. It makes for the more believable stories...

@kain

Don't worry, although I don't intend to throw him into prison, he won't have it easy with Harry... And I don't like bashing, so his friends won't end up looking like the bad guys. Glad you like the characters so far!

@unneeded

Glad you liked the chapter. I'm actually rather curious what you think of Ives now that you really met him...

And Mione and Ron will probably make their appearance in the chapter after the next one.

@obsessed320

Thanks for showing up on this site, too!!!

@djaddict

I wouldn't say that he thinks them to be the final authorities but he trusts them to be good advisors, and in case of Hermione I wouldn't find that unreasonable

everyone else:

Thanks for the kind reviews!!!

[Massanie]

Sorry for answering so late ... things to do (work, 2 exams, 1 presentation+essay), people to meet (family reunion), places to go (2-week-holiday on another continent, for the family reunion) ...

You know how life is, right?

@kain, @she-who-waits-in-darkness, @Sarah, @chrissy, @Lizzosaur, @jennifer

Thank you very much for the lovely reviews!

@Anon

Wow, that are a lot of things to look forward to. But I agree, all of those are things I certainly look forward to write. I'm glad you like Ives' proposal and how I write the characters, that is probably the trickiest part in writing fanfiction. Thanks for the nice review!

@thrnbrooke

God, such reviews always make me wish to tell the whole story immediately and then get into huge discussions about the plot... but I cant not only is the story not yet written, but also it is not yet completely thought up...

Nonetheless I think that is a realistic assessment... I'll think some more about it.

@disgruntledfairy

Thank you very, very much! Glad you liked Ives and the 'quirks'. I agree, they are what brings a character to life.

@kissedbymidnight

Hey, thanks so much! I lnow, Ives' didn't really have an ideal start into his marriage. I honestly contemplate writing his story... Anyway, I'm all for happy endings, so don't worry, they'll fall for each other eventually.

@Feli

my, I'm glad you decided to read it nonetheless then: nice review!

I'm glad you like the Vykélari, I really tried to think up something unique and original and I'm glad I can somehow share my fascination for birds this way. And I'm positively elated that you like my writing style: especially since I'm not a native speaker this is a compliment that means much to me!

And about the letter: just wat ...

@unneeded

Wow, now you surpass yourself with your questions I'll address each of them. But first: that is soooo nice what you said about the picture. Thank you! There might be more pictures soon from a more talented hand. I've been asked for permission for some fan art...

And yes, the wings are rather huge. To be honest, I tried the scientific approach. And since there are no birds that large I compared wingspans to body weight from birds to dinosaurs and came up with a wingspan of about 7 metres. But I agree, huge wings

What I don't get si why he would want Ron and Hermione's opinions so much considering his feelings in the first chapter (djaddict)

Ah, now I understand. The first chapter, yeah. I thought that might cause problems in understanding.

I just thought that the feud between the Weasleys and the Malfoys is so deadlocked that there'd be no way they would approve of Harry helping them from getting sentenced to Azkaban. You know, Draco *did* help Death Eaters to enter Hogwarts and if we are honest, both he and Narcissa most likely would have earned some punishment. So to keep everyone in character I felt I had to bring in this conflict.

Now to Weasleys: I grew up in a large family and I am the youngest of 4 children and have a huge amount of cousins. So I kinda wanted to write the Weasleys how I see them and how I see my family: we can have huge fights, not talk with each other for weeks and disagree over everyone and everything. BUT: whenever there is something going wrong, all of that is immediately forgotten and I can count on everyone to give me honest advice and do everything to help me and when it was something concerning my safety I know that they would take that more seriously than old grudges and prejudices and make an unbiased decision. So though they disagreed and argued over the Malfoys, they are still family and Harry will expect them to carefully consider his situation and advice him to the best of their ability. Or to be honest: he will expect Hermione to do that. I think she would have understood Harry's need to defend the Malfoys and also that Draco had been in a dire plight. He will of course keep in mind that Ron and the others are prepossessed against the Slytherins and ask his questions in a way that will allow him to make up his own mind and in doing that he will expect Ron not to lie to him. For example if he asks Ron: "will I be in danger as an unmated submissive with no dominant to protect me", than he would expect Ron to answer honestly. He would not ask him, if Ron thought he would be safe with the Malfoys.

Are hars critter instincts responding to the two doms with him to make him relax. Can they sense the pair mean him no harm? I suppose har isn't trusting those particular instincts because they're new and he doesn't know enough about them? (unneeded)

Actually he has no real critter instincts, or maybe you could call it that, but it is actually his magic communicating with him. As I already said: the magic of a Vykélari is somewhat sentient and has its own consciousness. So it acts similar to a subconsciousness. And Harry's magic has been in direct contact with Blaise and Draco in the hospital. His magic therefore knows that these two dominants mean him no harm, so it tried to convey that to Harry so that he would allow them to help him. That is why he calmed down from their touches and magic during during his transition, his magic urged him to do that. But his magic is currently rather depleted and furthermore it will not interfere 24/7, only when Harry is not in control over his emotions, or in danger. Since that is not the case right now, Harry only relies on his past experiences, when dealing with the two Slytherins.

So is the Vyl gene only carried through the male line? Damn, what a waste. (unneeded)

Yes to both. I know that the y-chromosome does not really hold any important information (just trash such as whether you have hairs growing in your ears...), but I thought it would be quite interesting and furthermore it is rather practical for the slash world, isnt it? To only have male creatures

Anyway. in my fic the y-chromosome of Vykélari has a group of genes that encode the genomic information of this race. So every son of a Vykélari automatically has the genomic information of a Vykélari. So he is a genotypic Vykélari. When he is also powerful enough, then during his 222 full moon he will receive his inheritance and become a phenotypic Vykélari.

The laws dealing with subs are truly awful though. so open to abuse and misuse. It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of previous subs suicided rather than put up with it (unneeded)

You are totally right, they are awful. But they have been written by pureblooded dominants exploiting their power.

Still I don't think that there would be many suicide cases. You always have to keep in mind that normally Harry would have been risen with the knowledge of what might happen, that it would have been the accepted norm. Normally a submissive's family would have made a marriage contract with a dominant that would only be void if the submissive didn't transform. Then a week or so before the full moon the dominant would go into hiding with his future mate, help him through the transformation and mate with him. It is actually only really problematic if the submissive was kidnapped before that or if the submissive and his family were unaware of the change, or to simplify it: it only gets bloody when more than one dominant know where the submissive is during his transformation and in the time afterwards.

you mentioned previously that a lot of them ended up getting killed. if they were such a great resource, why weren't they better cared for? (unneeded)

They were cared for. The only problem is that the mated pair can't use the submissive's power without exposing him. And let's face it: it is not difficult to kill someone. It is only difficult to get away with it.

Once a Vykélari is mated, he and his dominants become serious opponents, especially for foreign countries (after all one hopes to keep his allies weaker than oneself). So there are countless wizards and other spurned dominants, who would do everything to neutralize the danger of a mated Vykélari pair seizing the power in a society, or who would try to keep the number of mated pairs small enough to keep a country from becoming too dangerous. Even other mated pairs of Vykélari might decide to dispose of those who endanger their position instead of allying with them. Then it becomes rather easy: one well-placed curse, poison, a knife in a crowd. They might evade assassination for a while but it is only a matter of statistics.

[Guest unneeded]

that's rather backward for the whole species survival thing. I mean, that pretty much lead to no subs left. It's kinda like the Chinese one child policy. Everyone wants boys to carry on the family name and forgets that 'hallo, girls are needed for breeding' dah! I mean sure, they can import females but would most have the money for that and come to think of it, it'd be a damn desperate female who wanted too. Same with the Vyk's, yeah. Every mated sub is a resource and has potential to create more subs. There are other ways to handle a powerful enemy besides killy killy.

[Massanie]

that's rather backward for the whole species survival thing. I mean, that pretty much lead to no subs left. It's kinda like the Chinese one child policy. Everyone wants boys to carry on the family name and forgets that 'hallo, girls are needed for breeding' dah! I mean sure, they can import females but would most have the money for that and come to think of it, it'd be a damn desperate female who wanted too. Same with the Vyk's, yeah. Every mated sub is a resource and has potential to create more subs. There are other ways to handle a powerful enemy besides killy killy.

Correct, yes. But I'm not using Mendel's inheritance laws. Can't, really, since Harry obviously has no oocytes and even if he had, it would lead to statistically 25% not viable fertilizations (since YY can't survive), 25% dominant, 25% submissive and 25% female.

Anyway, the problem is that you can't create a viable organism out of two sperms, and I really didn't want to give Harry an ovary, that's just gross. Also a male body just can't bear a child. The male hormonal balance would be absolutely lethal for a child, or that is what I heard some time ago, not sure if the theory has been adapted in the meantime. That aside: the bowel is full of bacteria whereas the vagina is (at least supposed to be) sterile, and that has its reasons.

You know, my head is probably my biggest problem, but I really can't wrap my mind around the biological aspects of mpreg.

So instead of creating a creature with the necessary organs and the hormonal balance that'd make *him* to a *her*, I'm taking the magical approach. I'm going to explain that later, I guess. I'm not sure though since I really don't know if wizards even know about the scientific and microscopic aspects of biology...

Anyway, since magic is playing a huge part, the percentages of sub/dom/female children is somewhat shifted, just because I say so and therefore the problem is not that stark.

Also you are right: there are definitely other ways of handling an enemy than the direct one. I'd say you either ally with them, kill them or try to stay out of the way. And most people will take the first or the last approach, certainly. But the most ambitious ones will know that, if the powerful enemy is also ambitious, than there is simply not enough space on the buffet in the long run. Although those are very few, they will always exist.

Still, it is not as if all submissives were murdered, not even the majority. Just enough that it is noticeable. Since there never were many submissive Vykélari to begin with, their numbers dwindled, while the dominants who mated with normal wizards produced an over-average number of also dominant Vykélari children, since every male was automatically also a dominant. That might, over some centuries lead to that imbalance. After all, mathematically speaking this would be an exponential development.

Wow, that was a lot of science. I hope I didn't talk too much crap. It's 2 in the morning in Germany right now…

And I hope I didn't bore you to death.

Anyway: I *love* how you keep challenging me with your questions and critical remarks! I really do.

PS: I just noticed that I might have totally missed the point of your first remark. I'm so not sure but I'm too groggy right now to think about it. Just ask again if that is the case

[Massanie]

HARRY AND POLITICS

I am not sure yet, whether one of them really will go into politics, I never really intended for Harry to become a politician in the first place: It just so happened that Blaise brought it up.
I am currently rereading the books whenever I have the time and I was just reading how McGonagall gave Harry career counceling in the fifth book and I remembered then how Mad-Eye Moody told Harry he'd be a good Auror in the fourth book. I realised that since that very moment, Harry simply never truly thought of anything else. Then I thought of the first chapter I had written and how frustrated with everything Harry was. Probably I was also influenced by the horrible way the wizarding world treated him in the fourth and fifth book... but that made me write that rant about the ministry and the wizarding society in England. And then it just seemed natural for Blaise to say "Then do something against it". Because that is his mentality: tackling a problem instead of whining. I don't think he'd be happy as minister of magic, though, don't worry.

@kyuubichild717
Thank you for the review! Some of the impacts of the letter won't necessarily be bad... but you'll see in time. And the next chapter will be mostly or completely about Draco, so a little bitpatience and then you'll get to sate your curiosity...

@she-who-waits-in-darkness

Don't worry, he soon will... and thanks for the review!

@Eve

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. I'm not sure yet if Harry is going into politics, at least he won't work in the ministry like Arthur or Percy, I don't think he would be happy with that. And I think especially with his views on the ministry it might be better to act from the outside. Anyway, yeah finally the Slytherins are getting through but there will be setbacks. I hope you also enjoy the next chapter!

@R
Gosh, you are so sweet... don't worry for me, really. I have a very big, very supportive family and we are getting by. It's just piling up sometimes, you know.
My mother has a bleeding disorder and now due to the stroke she is getting anticoagulant drugs and now every small wound or cut just doesn't seem to heal. And it is just the final straw... she has a heart disease because she reacted badly to a chemical that wool is normally treated with some 15 years ago. Both of her knees are damaged due to an accident and one winter she fell hard on ice and broke some of her vertebrae. The doctor didn't see it and told her that her back hurt because her muscles were not strong enough to hold her weight. She could have been paralyzed if she had fallen once more! And she always stands tall and takes it all and now it's just starting to get too much. She is getting better, though, it's just hard.
Strangely the situation with my grandmother is hurting her far more than her own health. Or maybe it's not so strange after all.
And then I, or more correctly, my parents, have five dogs, and I love them all dearly. One is already very old, and I'm grateful for every season I have with her; one has cancer, and a third was recently poisoned with rat poison by a dog-hater, luckily the dosis was low enough and she survived. Though she vomited a lot of blood.
Still, writing at the moment really does me good. I can concentrate on something else and focus on a set of feelings that are those of the charecters in my story and not mine. It was just unfortunate that my helper who should have written the flying scene, couldn't for personal reasons, which I only learned of after 5 weeks. I just didn't want to keep you all waiting so long.
Anyway, thanks for the angel, I'm an agnostic but it would be nice if they existed somewhere. And thanks for the review!

@unneeded

Wow, what a review! Gosh, where to start?

Dont't worry, I'll take my time for the chapters in the future, and I also did with the first flight, it's just that writing real elation is not all that easy when you do not feel it yourself, you know? And that is what in time I might change in that last chapter when my RL has quieted down. On that point: thanks for your commiseration.

I didn't read that story, but trying to get pregnant through oral measures and forcing the sperm to swim through the stomach acid? Well, as you said 'yay for magic as an explain everything plot device'

Your assessment of the three Vykélari is rather accurate, Blaise did rush those things because he wanted so much for Draco and Harry to experience what he did in the hospital. Backfired a little bit... but otherwise he really is the balancing factor between Harry and Draco, who are the opposites of each other in so many ways. As you said, Harry wouldn't mind an emotional bond and Draco a physical bond, so to speak but each of them is rather uncomfortable with the other part.

I'm glad you liked the changeable wings. And you are not alone in finding all the technical details too much (which I can understand). At least I'm now finished with all these details but if ever I had to do somwthing similar again I would endeavour to spread it out over the story. And yes, they would potentially be able to change them during the flight but that takes more practice then Harry has right now, since it could easily cause the to destabilize during flight.

I really liked the comparison to learning hos to drive, made me smile ;-) That makes one have much more sympathy with fledglings...

but I think it could be done. And don't worry, I do not underestimate the feat of trying to change the WW.

Edited December 19, 2012 by Massanie

[Massanie]

REVIEW REPLIES FOR CHAPTER 17

@NoirSmiles

I'm sorry that I changed a lot of Harry's behaviour in chapter 17 afterwards, since you said you liked how he was portrayed but I really couldn't continue this story with him being so ooc. If I may recommend some other stories though, in which the protagonist goes in that direction: Twisted Hilarities original stories, mainly 'The Last Pure Human' and 'Nature's Choice', though the latter seems to be on Hiatus.

In any case: thank you for the review! And I hope you will continue to enjoy Night Flight with a more down-to-earth Harry.

@Diana, @roxie

Thank you very much for your reviews!

@Bickymonster

Welcome to the story in that case and thank you very much for the high praise, I'm glad you like Night Flight so far. I was really trying not to follow too many clichés with this one, especially since there are somany creature stories. And yay! Finally someone who's not complaining about the pace... though I guess it is somewhat different when you read a whole story in one evening rather than waiting for weeks for a new update and than having nothing much new happening, so I guess it is really understandable that some of the readers are frustrated. In any case I am glad that it doesn't seem boring when one reads it all the way through at once.

Again thank you very much for the kind review and I hope you'll continue to like it!

@unneeded

Totally agree with you, Blaise did rush matters more than he should have. But he was influenced by Harry's magic just as much as Harry was by Blaise's and so one shouldn't be too hard on him. Thank you so much for the continuous support, unneeded, it really means much to me!

@darkroses / blackroses77

Well, then again welcome to Night Flight on AFF!

Yes, and now Harry has something to focus on, something to actively do and make him feel less helpless, less like a sport of Fortune. And you are right, even Narcissa recognized that Harry would forever struggle against Draco and Blaise and the bond if he was forced into it, though of course she would rather force him than allow him to mate with someone else...

I guess the question with Ives resolved itself with the last chapter, but here is some more background information: Ives received his inheritance in secrecy with only one other adult guiding him through it. Afterwards he couldn't really practice any Vykélari related skills in fear of being found out. So he just blocked part of his magic so he wouldn't lose control over the rest that he kept accessible and hoped that no dominant would ever use his magic on him. When Adler found him out, he was neirly as helpless as Harry was. Of course he knew more, having been brought up around Vykélari. And Harry has one additional disadvantage because it were Draco and Blaise that guided him through his inheritance, but I don't want to give away too much...

And about that letter: just you wait... it's going to cause a lot of mayhem.

Thank you very much for the review!

@nelle

NO CASTRATION, PLEASE! I didn't yet have the chance to curse some unfortunate child with my horribly long surname... which would be a shame, really, since worldwide only my sister and brothers carry this name. And don't I sound malfoyish talking like that?

But I'm continuing, see? And I'm glad you think so highly of the story so far and I hope you will continue to do so. Thanks for the review!

[Massanie]

@R

Hey, I'm sorry for not responding to your last review, it was just all a little bit too much. Indeed my family is better, thanks for asking, I hope you and yours are also well.

And I did see a doctor. Thrice actually... and I'm getting better, but it is a slow recovery.

I can sympathize with the asthma thing, half of my family has it and I am currently using an inhaler as well because I've been couphing for so long.

And thanks for your condolences, I really loved her and will miss her sorely and it just took me by surprise, you know?

In any case I hope you're doing fine and that you like the new chapter!

@heartstar

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it and I hope Blaise's and Draco's reaction didn't isappoint, even though they were not that angry

@kain

I know, I know. Honestly for this I delved a little bit into medieval courtship laws and then adapted them in a way I thought dominant Vykélari might try to establish. But I really can understand that you like the journalist, though, of course, her actions are not completel altruistic either. And yes, Harry is far too forgiving, I thought I could kill him when he forgave Ron in the 7th book...

Anyway, about the consequences of the article: trust Blaise and Draco to find a way, after all, they are not new to political power games.

@unneeded

Hey, no worries, Real Life is sometimes in the way. I am always glad to read your reviews though, you always have special insight...

About Stockholm, well I'd guess three days would just be enough to plant the seeds of such a behaviour but otherwise it would be a bit early I think. But the hostage drama the Stockholm Syndrome is named after only lasted for 6 days, so it takes effect rather quickly. In any case one could say that Harry is predestined for it,because of the Dursleys. Because of the abuse he experienced there he is much more likely to be grateful for little niceties and concessions. Don't know...

Nice to hear that Pansy came out just how I intended her to be

And I'm glad you like the mirror idea, I'm currently working on more magical innovations for my other story, Draces Cynn...

@HeavenScent

I'm sorry there was no further intimacy, not even a Harry in it, but I'll try to do better in the next chapter...

Glad you enjoyed it, though

@korolo

I'm honoured you like Night Flight so much and I hopeyou will continue to do so.

About Harry not realizing the importance of the laws: Right now Harry is the only submissive Vykélari alive and considering how rare the reactivation of a Vykélari line is, as Blaise and Draco have told him repeatedly, it is very unlikely that another is going to appear soon.

And he hasn't yet come to grips with the fact that he can have children at all and even if he got pregnant right now, it would take another 18 years until his child, if it was a submissive, would fall under the Vykélari laws. Time enough to change them.

So right now it's only his life at stake

@kelsin

Gosh, thank you very much! I really can emphasize with your sentiments, there really are too few stories with this pairing, one reason why I brought in Blaise at all. Even though, I'm now really glad that I did, Draco alone might not have been up to the challenge at this point in his life. I certainly will continue it, it is too much fun to end it quite so soon.

@WolfPup5683

It's out! I'm sorry that you had to wait so long...

But thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked it

Edited May 14, 2013 by Massanie

[Massanie]

REVIEW REPLIES FOR CHAPTER 19

@R

The story went missing??? I didn't even notice... I really have no idea what went on.

I am glad you liked the chapter. I never intended to make the lemon so blunt and explicit. But I listened to Pasion de Arrabal from the Gotan Project while writing it, again and again and again and that song is just so intense… well try reading it while listening to that song.

And I took your advice, you'll see in the next chapter…

Thank you very much for the review R!

@darkroses / blackroses77

Hey again! Thank you for the review and the continuous support! I am so glad you liked the chapter and Severus' reaction!

In time Harry will of course do everything he can to get rid of those laws, since the concerns you have mentioned are all too true. But for now he is not yet ready to think of possibly becoming pregnant and having children who might be submissive as well and so our BWL with the highly developed hero complex is again trying to save everyone else first before he thinks of himself. Blaise and Draco are going to do something about that, though...

@mnfm

Hi, thanks for the review. I am glad you liked Night Flight so much so far and I am really sorry for making you wait so long

@dark-huntressmoony

wow, that is so nice of you, to say it was like another chapter... I'm really glad your curiosity brought you here!

I know what you mean with Blaise, though. I don't read many stories with him as the sole main character but I am so fond of the Harry/Draco/Blaise threesome and I wished there were more stories out there with them.

@Jan, @emma elizabeth

Thank you very much for the reviews, I'm glad you liked it!

Edited October 3, 2013 by Massanie

[Massanie]

REVIEW REPLIES FOR CHAPTER 21

@Jan

You shouldn't be too hard on Mione and Ron . Draco and Blaise ALSO said that they didn't think them to be in any immediate danger... and in a way it was the Slytherins' fault because by providing a possibility for Harry to be contacted, they created a reason for an attempt at blackmailing (wouldn't have made any sense to bother trying to do something illegal like this when you don't know whether Harry will even learn of it).

Thank you very much for the review!

@LegoBlocks

Thanks for the review! Honestly, I love it when someone asks such deep questions. Your answers are below

"is there something that determines the wing colour of a Vykelari" (LegoBlocks)

More or less, yes. The same way that there are usual and rare colour combinations for the hair, skin and eyes of a human, there are also certain combinations for Vykélari. For example:

Someone with such pale hair, pale eyes and pale skin as Draco would never end up with dark wings. Since he is platinum blond with grey eyes his wings go into that direction as well. He could also have light grey or white wings, maybe even very light blue or yellow.

Someone as dark as Blaise with brown eyes would have wings that are black, brown, red, dark grey or a combination of different dark colours.

Harry, because of his unusual eye-colour has green wings.

Additionally, I gave submissive Vykélari more colourful wings that draw attention. They could be purple,blue, green, blood red or something like that. They are from their 222nd full moon more magically powerful than dominants, they would not need any form of camouflage to keep themselves safe, you know, like poison dart frogs who flash their colour around as a warning? Something like that. Dominants tend to have metallic or at least 'colder' colours: bronze, white-gold, gold, copper, silver... sounds tacky, but I wanted for my readers to associate them with something hard, durable and sometimes cold; submissives have more warm colours, which is why I am talking about spring-green all the time. But I only used that as a figure of speech.

"I thought I remember you saying that only submissives had the eye-mask-patterns, but when Harry first regains his sight he can see them on both Blaise and Draco?" (LegoBlocks)

Yeah, my fault for not being specific, I should have elaborated more. Harry's mask consists of the pale discolouration around his eyes and then additional markings that I imagined to be a bit like a filigree masquerade mask, very defined and in stark contrast to the skin discolouration. And originally I wanted for the dominants to have only the skin discolouration with a feint, blurred pattern in it and the colour fades directly into the skin colour of the dominant. When I wrote "He himself and Blaise didn't have a mask like this one", I meant that they don't have the defined filigree masquerade mask and somehow I mostly saw the discolouration only as such and not as a mask in itself, although I sometimes used the term mask to describe it for lack of a better word. I shouldn't have, you're right, it is confusing and inaccurate.

Later on they didn't bother to include it in their transformation.

"when the three of them temporarily bonded, there was focus on the fact that Draco and Harry hadn't connected before, but he was the one who guided Harry's eye transformation and the only connection between Blaise and Harry before this was his guiding of Harry's hearing, so what was the difference?"

Draco didn't connect with Harry, it was Blaise guiding Harry's transformation in both instances. When Harry transformed his eyes for the first time, Draco was behind him, holding him with his arms crossed in front of Harry's chest, so that the Gryffindor couldn't interfere with what Blaise was doing. It is easily overlooked, though, since it's only mentioned in one sentence in passing: "following the gradient of Blaise's own magic into the other man".

@kain

Thank you very much for the review! I'm sorry I left you all waiting without a word. I had an AN chapter put up at FF.Net but AFF is really strict with their no-AN-chapters rule, so I couldn't really notify my readers here that it would take some time to update. I can understand the need for such a rule, but sometimes I wish it wasn't there.

Anyway, you have. No. Idea. how true your comment is going to be. But not yet. Harry can't reach his friends right now but you'll see why in the next chapter.

Blaise and Draco were right: his loved ones are Harry's greatest weakness but what they didn't realise yet is that he never fights as good as when he is protecting them. Well, everyone's going to find out eventually.

By the way: I love that alliteration "biggest berserk button"...

@AR

Hey, thanks for your review! I'm glad you liked the kiss I had so much fun writing the scene...

Yes, you are right with the potion. As for the reason: It was merely a precaution, to always see what Harry is seeing and enable them to react in case something odd happens to him. Of course that is an enormous breach of Harry's privacy, that is why Ives was so angry.

REVIEW REPLIES FOR CHAPTER 22:

@Mughain

Oh, wow! Thank you very much! It's so nice to hear that you like Night Flight so much and that you didn't think it was becoming somewhat boring, like I've heard a few times now. I think that mostly has to do with the low update rate: those who have been with this story since its start think it's moving too slow and those who just started reading are content with the pace.

About Harry's character: he is somewhat more submissive than I intended him to be in the beginning, but well, this is how he developed... I'm glad you like him.

I hope you liked the new chapters!

Edited October 3, 2013 by Massanie

[Massanie]

THESE ARE THE REVIEW REPLIES FOR CHAPTER 20. Sorry I didn't answer before, honestly. You put so much into the reviews there and I really, really appreciated that!

@kain

Such an honestly wonderful, awesome, great and thoughtful review. Wow. I was so giddy that the first reviewer to answer liked the interaction between the Slytherins and Harry's friends. I found it so difficult to write, because I really was trying so hard to keep everyone in character (aside from Ron, who is a bit ooc in this story, but I hope in a good way). It's good to hear that it turned out alright.

I know what you mean, though, bashing is so frequent within this fandom and I dislike it greatly and I wish authors would dutifully warn their readers that their stories contain bashing but so many do not. I think as an author I wouldn't like it to see someone taking a character of mine and distorting everything I imagined them to be, what made them up and turn them into something despicable when in truth they just have their flaws like every character should but are essentially good persons. Ron/Ginny/Dumbledore-bashings are often the worst in that regard.

By the way: the article was hilarious, I never knew that phrase "Ron the Death Eater".

But in a way I can understand what drives those fanfiction authors. In the books Rowling really divides the children into different categories (at the age of 11!) - their houses - and most often that is really an indicator of their characters themselves. And in the grand scheme of things, the Slytherins just always get the short end of the stick: they are the bullies, the haughty ones, the sadistic ones, they have no morals, they are often outwitted by the Gryffindors even though they supposedly are resourceful schemers. The Slytherin students Rowling introduces are often ugly or have at least obvious flaws that are openly described (aside from Blaise who has that Incubus flair, but he is an amoral douche). I was often thinking "could it be more stereotyped?" and it annoyed me to no end. The Slytherin friendships that we see are only partnerships of convenience with no real affection. The only Slytherin who consistently behaves logically is Snape (yes, including Voldemort who really could have killed Harry mutltiple times if he didn't always behave so stupidly in the end; and let's not talk about Lucius) and Snape's behaviour towards Harry is atrocious and even with his hate towards James incomprehensible: Harry still is the son of the only woman he ever loved! The list goes on and on. And fanfiction authors tend overballance that, though that is also not right. I try to level the stereotypes out a bit. But even though I give the Slytherins some flaws, I still think that I really have a Draco-in-leather-pants-problem as well, at least with their appearances. But well... the characters in my story look beautiful. SUE ME!

And about the elder Malfoys: did you notice in the new chapter? Harry's thoughts in regards to them were just in answer to you <333

Harry just offered to help because he didn't want Blaise and Draco to be hurt or to suffer the public's chagrin. And he does think that Lucius belongs into prison but he doesn't believe that the end justifies the means. It's not justice when someone gets punished for something he didn't do, whatever else he has done. I guess these are my own believes falling from Harry's lips but I thought they fitted right in with Harry's undeniable hero-complex, so...

I must admit that I totally forgot about Lucius' first sentence and his prison break. I merely read that Rowling said the Malfoys weren't sentenced in the post-war court proceedings and went from there. When I started Night Flight I intended for Lucius to get away and not be sentenced to prison because of that. Now everything is heading into another direction and I'm not quite sure what to do about his court proceedings.

And yes, I totally think that Draco (and most other Slytherins) is a product of his environment. First his parents telling him how superior the purebloods are, his goons and friends flocking around him because of his family's money and power, being put into a house where the students are expected to behave a certain way... he just doesn't have a strong enough personality to stand his ground against these influences but I think the war showed him that he has to. Or that's my Draco-in-leather-pants interpretation

Crane will have gone to friends from the newspapers. It certainly wouldn't be the first time that a reporter from the Daily Prophet angered some powerful wizards and witches. But yes, it would be a good opportunity to change her mind about Blaise and Draco as individuals. But really, she uses them as a tool to tackle some serious problems of the wizarding world, so I don't think it would help much. She isn't about to change her tactic so easily without given an alternative.

Vykélari Femslash: see below. I thought that might interest more people than you...

"are there any Dominate female/sub female Vykélari pairings around?" (kain)

Well, originally that wasn't planned since the Vykélari genes are on the Y chromosome, a woman can't have them. Even people with the Klinefelter syndrome (2 X chromosomes, 1 Y chromosome) look like men. That doesn't mean that one couldn't just change the creature a bit or even just put the damn gene complex on another chromosome. Maybe through a magically induced chromosome dislocation from the Y chromosome to another non-homologous chromosome caused by the rarity of the creature as a fall-back mechanism.

I wouldn't be against it. The problem is that I never even read femslash before and I would have to see if I'm comfortable with it. And for the near future I have enough projects already started both in the LotR and the HP fandom: Gates of Dawn and Draces Cynn still have to be completed after Night Flight and I promised I would.

Pansy and Hermione would really make for an interesting pairing... but I can't do it. I'm really sorry. I will ask here on AFF and FF.Net, though if someone would be interested in writing it.

@unneeded

Ow. I hope your lap top wasn't a total loss...

And yes, the elder generation of Slytherins really are little devious bastards

I don't think that Harry would kill himself. He is a survivor. He might kill himself to stop his dominants from using his magic for bad reasons but otherwise I think he would never stop fighting.

But it's true, it really is fortunate that Blaise and Draco care for him, especially now with the new events!

Thank you very much for the review!

@Darkened Temptations

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it so much. I think this is the first time that someone thanked me for reading their review... I'm glad you took the time to write it! Have an awesome day yourself!

Edited July 27, 2013 by Massanie

[Massanie]

REVIEW REPLIES FOR CHAPTER 22 (and whoever reviewed since that chapter was published)

@Kain

You have a lot of trust in Harry, huh? But yeah, you are right, those three are so fiercely protective of each other and so loyal, whenever one of them is in danger, the others would move heaven and earth to help.

I'm glad you liked the idea with the plane. I wasn't quite sure if it would irritate you all, because purebloods shouldn't really know about that 'muggle stuff'

And about the potion: if you are too curious to wait, have a look at chapter 6 again, it is mentioned there.

Thanks for the wonderful review Kain, and your continuous support!

@Jan

Well, I did update,but sadly not so soon, sorry. But thanks for the review!

@Kay Draccis

I know, I know, but cliff hangers are somuch fun! At least for me...

God, how I wish I had everything already written, because I would so like to hear your opinion, since I have a few surprises still for you all... well, for now I can only say: Harry won't come to his senses and Draco and Blaise are not going to have to kill the bad guy

Nice to hear that you like the Vykélari and this story and I hope you enjoyed the new chapter!

@R

Thanks, Denmark was really wonderful and I had much time to think about this story and how I could still maybe find ways to surprise all of you (insert evil laughter right here).

My caughing issues became much better only to return with a vengeance a few days after I got back. My doc said it might be an allergie... well, we'll see...

You know, someday you have to get an account, or an email address that I could write you to...

@akj

I really can understand that sentiment (and isn't that kind of weird since I am the one that lets them behave that way?)

But to the dominant Vykélari's defence: I have only introduced four different dominants: Blaise and Draco who are still very young and had quite the history with Harry, which had a major part in their behaviour at the beginning of the story; and Lucius and that blackmailer. They are at the top of the pureblood society and and I portrayed them how (I think) Rowling portrayed the majority of the elder pureblood generations: egoistic, haughty, power-hungry and ruthless.

It's just that right now Harry is in a situation where he inevitably only comes into contact with this kind of dominants.

But don't worry, by far not everyone is like that.

And about the laws: you have to remember that they are much older than 200 years and have never been changed. And it is not as if they allow the abuse of submissives or even that they can be forced into a mating. Officially. But since, whenever something like that happens, the Vykélari representatives look the other way, no one gets prosecuted and it just continues to happen.

Actually, I used medieval marriage laws as a model and adapted them in a way that I thought purebloods might have done, if they were in a position to do so.

Well,I'm glad that you like the story, even with all this injustice and don't worry, my head-cinema is equally as bloody

@Guest

I know, but Teddy's parents would still be dead and in the epilog he didn't seem all that happy to me. And also: Andromeda would have lost her only child and her husband and that is just so incredibly unbearable.

Edited October 3, 2013 by Massanie

[Massanie]

REVIEW REPLIES FOR CHAPTER 23:

@helga1967

Thank you so much for the review, I'm glad you liked it. Honestly, the argument between Draco and Blaise wasn't really supposed to happen, it just did. And I hope you won't be disappointed because there isn't a fight in the new chapter…

@R

Hihi, thanks! I'm glad you think so. And well, it had to get better sometime, didn't it? Must be all your encouragements… Take care as well and thanks for the review!

@Lica

Hey, thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed Night Flight up to now and I hope you will continue to do so!

I think the new chapter will answer your remark regarding the interference of the "Aurors", so I won't go into that, don't want to spoil anything after all

And about Ron and Hermione: Harry knows that they would never agree with the blackmail, but angry friends are better than dead friends, so for now he'd even go against their wishes to save them. But don't worry, there will be a happy ending!

@o (Guest)

Thanks! I really can understand that sentiment and I'm afraid you will learn to hate them even more. Don't worry though, my own rather violent head cinema comes up with truly nasty punishments.

I'm really delighted that you feel that way about Night Flight, personally I think the 'villains' need to enrich a story, so that without them the story as a whole would not be as good as with them. I usually find it totally annoying if the villain makes obvious, stupid mistakes and is really inferior to the 'hero'. I hope I managed to keep all of them well-matched.

@Anon

I'm sorry for all the mistakes. I'm German and though my English is better than average, I'm still bound to make errors. The truth is: I did have a beta up until chapter 14, but that didn't work out quite as well as I hoped it would. I don't have much time to spare as it is and I write for my own enjoyment. I don't want to go searching for another beta right now in the middle of this WIP and then hope that we'll be able to work well together.

Additionally I must have accidentally added an exception in regards to the Word spellchecker and didn't notice it. That's why the last chapter was worse than usual. I'm sorry.

But for now I won't actively search for another beta. If anyone would offer, though, I would be delighted.

@Koneko

Of course I will I enjoy writing Night Flight too much to stop it.

And thanks for the nice review

[Massanie]

REVIEW REPLIES FOR CHAPTER 24

@Eve

Gosh, thanks for the wonderful review! I will certainly take you up on the offer of torturing you further, I'm probably a closet-sadist, but well, what can I do... ;-)

And I so know what you mean with the Happy Ending. It somehow feels as if anything is bearable if only the characters can get over it and get their happily ever after... though I admit that I'm probably somewhat more extreme than most authors when it gets to the angsty stuff I make them all go through... though, I'm not sorry at all or maybe a bit?

Anyway, nice to hear that you liked the interaction between Draco and Harry. I have some more of that in the new chapter especially for you!

Now, as for your questions, I hope at least most of them are answered after you read chapter 25 (or 26 if one counts the summary chapter). If not, don't hesitate to ask, though I won't reveal everything or else where would be the fun in reading, right?

I actually hear that quite often, that many didn't consider the BZ/DM/HP threesome before. But I hope more people will, I just love them...

@akj

Yeah, you are totally right. The picture is from a Nicobar Pigeon. But you know, I didn't chose it for the bird or it's characteristics, just for the bird's looks, so...

@silverstargirl

Hey honey, thanks for the review! About the summary chapter: I'm sorry if it bothered you. But I won't take it down, because I'm really slow with the updates and after 4 or 5 weeks many people need a quick refresher on the story contents. It is easier for them to just read the summary chapter and most people actually told me they thought it a good idea. And I did state in the chapter notes, that this was a summary chapter, so you didn't actually have to read it...

@CJI

Wow, thanks so very much! I'm glad you liked the character development, I really am. You know, recently I got quite a few flames about this point and therefore, it means much to me that someone appreciates that I didn't take the easy way by making the Slytherins totally ooc. Gosh, really... that review made my day! I kinda read it about three or four times...

@Katonie

Don't die!!! It would be like really, really counterproductive since you'd never get to read the end of Night Flight.

And don't worry, the blackmailer's are going to come off rather badly.

Sorry that I didn't really manage to update soon as you asked me to, but RL, you know?

@mazama

Thank you very much for the nice review! I'm thrilled to hear that you like Night Flight so much!
But sweetie, you seem to have misread, I updated only last month, the 17th of October 2013. Don't worry, this story is not abandoned and I will certainly continue it :-)
As it is, I have already written 3.000 words for the next chapter.
Again thank you very much for the wonderful review and the offered support! For now I'm full of ideas myself but we'll see...

[Massanie]

REVIEW REPLIES FOR CHAPTER 25

... and the reviews made since I updated that chapter

@R

Hey, sweetie, it is good to hear from you! I started to worry... I'm a worrywart like that. But you are alright with your family and children? I'm looking forward to your opinion!

About your review: It is, isn't it? Though before the rescue, shit is really going to hit the fan... which reminds me: there are so very disgusting sayings in the English language... I mean honestly, 'shit hitting the fan'? Nauseating. Truly nauseating.

@CJI
Gosh, thanks for the wonderful review! It's great to hear that someone feels so strongly about this story and thanks for the support and the reassurances. The pace of a story is always rather difficult to set. Some keep nagging that it is too slow, especially with the rare frequency of the updates, which I can in a way understand, I tend to ramble... Others noticed that it has indeed been only a few days since Harry came into his inheritance and that the progress of the relationship between him and the Slytherins is therefore too fast, which I can also understand, because it is true and will become an issue. Indeed, there are only a few who are really content with the pace of the story, so thanks!
And yes, I'm happy about having been saved from writer's block as well, even though this chapter still took me 4 months to write, even without a block. I'm sorry...

@Lyoness
Oh you don't know how true that is... anyway, thank you very much for the review!

@ford123
Hey sweetie, thank you for the review! I'm glad you liked the Slytherins' way of dealing with this situation. But I'm so sorry to say that my plans for Night Flight don't really match your hopes... it is going to become pretty dark in the new chapter. Even though Draco and Blaise both are determined to save Harry, they still don't have weapons and no allies in Italy. If you gave me your mail I could notify you once all the angst is over. Or if you have an account on fanfiction.net, then I could sent you a PM as soon as Harry is safe. I'm doing that for a few other readers...

@Arithmancer
Hey, thanks for the review!
No, there is no lip reading involved. The important thing is just that what Hermione is mumbling is obviously not what you'd expect her to mumble in this situation, like 'help me' for example, or 'oh god' or something like that. When this all is over, I'll probably tell you all what she said, but for now it is not really important.

@Trix
Thank you very much for the nice compliment!

@eaglexeyes
Hey dear, tank you very much for the review! I guess by now most of your questions have already been answered by chapter 27, I'm sorry it took me so long to answer all the reviews.
In any case you are on to something there with your thoughts about Hermione and Ron, hold onto that!
And about the parental (yes, that's the correct word) assistance: do they ever... but they are still teenagers after all. I mean 18 is still pretty young. But yeah, Adler and Ives are obviously beter choices for that than Lucius, even if they are dead. Which is kind of sad...

@Krystie
Hey, I'm sorry for the long wait, even more, that it took me again very long to write an update... whenever I solve one problem in RL, another comes up, you know? It's just been crazy those last few months... I hope you are still interested though, and that you'll like the coming chapter!

@Guest (zu Kapitel 17)
Sorry, ich dachte, ich hätte das fett gedruckte entfernt... tut mir leid dass es dich gestört hat. Und ich weiß, ich neige dazu, Sachen und Handlungen zu ausführlich zu beschreiben. Es ist nur etwas, dass ich nicht leicht abstellen kann. Ich versuche mich aber zu bessern

@Guest (concerning chapter 22)
Cool, you are on the right track. But dn't be too harsh on Harry. As Draco and Blaise already said: there are only two people who might cause Harry to abandon reason when they are threatened.

Edited May 19, 2014 by Massanie

[Massanie]

REVIEW REPLIES FOR CHAPTER 26

anonymous guests:
Thank you to all those who left a review but didn't leave any name! Your reviews were appreciated, I loved the support, the interest and well, just that you took the time to review. Thanks!

@R
Hey! Thanks for the review. We are doing okay. Some problems solved, new ones arisen... such is life, isn't it? I'm glad you are still with me and I didn't forget you either!
Anyway, yeah I can relate to that problem with computers. Believe it or not, I was like that as well and I am now a computer scientist! And my mother has the same problems, I guess if you don't grow up with these technologies, it's always difficult.
I did leave that writer you have taken under your wing a very long PM. I didn't read her story because of some issues (don't like bashing, for example), but I did read all of her author's notes. Anyway, I gave her a bit of advice since I can relate to a lot of her problems in some way or another. She didn't reply though. I don't know...
Thanks for your angels, by the way! If they were there, they took care of me. I'd just wish they had taken more care of my mother as well. She's had a new stroke and some problems with her liver.
Well, take care and I hope your angels watch over you and yours!

@A
I'm sorry for the long wait. I can't say that it won't happen again, my life is just very stressful right now and writing needs time. I should never have started a WIP, and I won't make the same mistake again, but that's all I can promise. In any case thank you for your review!

@Eve
Thank you for the support, I appreciated it greatly! Yeah, I know, I always seem to end with a cliff hanger and I fear the next chapter won't be any better in that regard. Though after that it is (hopefully) calming down. That is not to say that I'm not sure about the story line, just about where to end the next chapter.
I'm glad you like the Slytherin/Gryffindor alliance, though I'm sure it is an unholy one But problems bind together, no?
Honestly, I loved writing Daphne, she is one of those characters that we know little about, so fanfiction writers can take a lot of liberties. It's just so much fun...
And I agree, it was quite a 'powerful point on the love/affection timeline', what they have is substantial, but still fragile. We'll see... I hope you won't be disappointed with the development in the next chapter and those that follow, if you are still interested after such a long wait, that is.
Anyway, thank you very much for the wonderful review!

@Arithmancer
Wow... so much excitement in one reader! You're adorable. And don't worry about the happy ending. That is guaranteed in my stories! Thouh getting there can be tough. What am I saying? Getting there IS tough. One of my readers once said I was a sadist, I guess that's true...

@Jan
I'm sorry it took me so long... Life was just awfully stressful: every time one problem was solved, another popped up. But thank you for the review!

@Clara
Thank yo so much! I'm elated to hear that you liked the story so much (so far)! And I know I practically say that in every review reply, but I really am sorry that it took me so long to write chapter 28. RL and such, and then: it was a rather trying chapter... but thanks for the review!

@Jack
Hey, thank you for the nice comment! It's always nice to hear that a story one has written can raise such emotions. But be careful with the tearing!

@Hailey
I hope you didn't implode by now, even if the update took so very long! I'm sorry about that. Life just kept me so busy and the chapter grew to be so long... Anyway, thank you very much for the nice review!

@vampireprincesscelest
Welcome to the story then! And gosh, thank you so much for the nice compliments, especially the one about keeping the guys (and girls) in character, I tried very hard to achieve that and so I'm glad that you think I did.
I'm so sorry though, that it took me so long to update (and to answer the reviews).
I don't really have a list for people who want to know when I update. But yo could join fanfiction.net and follow this story. Then you'd get a mail whenever I added a new chapter. I know that there are some people who don't like that site, especially once they started deleting stories for some reason or the other. But this service is rather useful, so...
Anyway, thanks for the wonderful review!

@Corrine
Thank you very much for the nice review! I'm glad that this story raised your interest for this pairing. There are just too few stories out there with BZ/DM/HP...

@lilliekay
Hey and thank you very much for the review! Again (I'm so repeating myself in all these review replies and that only makes me feel even guiltier) I am sorry for making you all wait so long. I really, really won't ever do a WIP again once all the stories I have currently started are finished. It's frustrating for all of us, me included, but I just can't manage to update more frequently right now... sorry.

@Meomie
That is a beautiful name! Anyway, thank you very much for the review, it's wonderful to hear that you like the story, the characters and especially the Vykélari, it took me quite a while to create them.
I can empathize regarding the triad, most authors just won't write threesomes that go beyond a PWP. That's one reason why I started Night Flight with this pairing in the first place. There just weren't enough of them.
It is wonderful to hear that you liked Harry, I was sometimes not quite sure, or struggled with him and had to rewrite quite a bit whenever I strayed from how I wanted him to be at the beginning. So thanks, this is very good to hear!

[Massanie]

REVIEW REPLIES FOR CHAPTER 28:

@R

I’m especially sorry that I didn’t answer you earlier, you’ve always been so very supportive and I appreciate that! So thanks for asking after me and you know, just staying.

It was a pretty harsh, and a pretty wonderful year, severe illnesses in the family, almost-deaths, I lost two dogs, my sister got married and is now pregnant. It really was a lot and then I just… I had my first writer’s block! Until now I thought that if I just forced myself to write I could get over whatever low I was in, it always was that way. But now I just couldn’t for the very first time.

It seems to have resolved itself now, however, and hopefully my RL will calm down.

And thank you very much for the congratulations. It was honestly a huge relief once it was all over… event though I found out that life after university is not really any less stressful than life during university.

@from she-who-waits-in-darkness

Thank you for the review and yeah, I’m sorry to have made you all wait for so long…

@star,

@Krista

Thanks for the review!

@Anon

How very true. Still, perhaps it was more than just a whirlwind they reaped.

Thank you for the review!

@Kevin

Oh my gosh, how embarrassing! I’m so sorry… you know, English is my secondary language and though for a German I am pretty good at it, I do make mistakes. The funniest I ever made was confusing neigh with nigh.

I’ll see whether I can’t get a beta.

And thanks for the comment, I’m glad you liked it so far even with the mistakes.

@SinisterMe

Well, it is a pretty rare pairing… I’m glad I could draw your attention, though! Thanks for commenting!

@Lyoness

You are right of course, because the last chapter was meant to be cruel, it was meant to disgust you, it was meant to show how revenge is horrible and sickening and does no good for anyone involved. Harry would be devastated to know what he (or his magic) did. But I think that more than the cruelty it is the fact that he killed them, that would devastate him and this would have been the case regardless of how they died. The horrible finality of that punishment makes it utterly wrong in any situation or however it came about.

This last chapter was not meant to be so bloody. But the more I thought about the situation and the more reviewers asked for them to die, the more I felt that it was wrong. Draco almost killed people and it was only luck that had his victims survive. Why give Draco a second chance and refuse the Lanai’s the same curtesy? Of course they tortured their captives coldly, but then, Draco has also taken satisfaction in causing Harry and his friends a lot of pain in the past, physical and emotional. Of course I do believe that people can change and that Draco had his reasons for the way he acted, stupid as they might be (I already discussed that in previous review replies, so I won’t do it here). But then it isn’t as if the Lanais didn’t have any reasons either (more to that later in the story), or as if they weren’t caught in the ways of their own traditions as well. Of course Draco was an adolescent boy who can’t be made entirely responsible for the actions he was more or less directed to do by the adults around him whereas the Lanais were truly capable to grasp the consequences of their actions. But that does not mean that they couldn’t have changed perhaps, if given the time and opportunity – though I admit it would be unlikely.

In any case, when I started to write the chapter I only intended for Valerio and his daughter to die, perhaps Eleuterio. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised that even they didn’t deserve to die, that after all the times I was defending Draco and Blaise I was being a hypocrite for thinking they did in the first place.

The following paragraphs were deleted from the end of the scene in Taide’s POV of the last chapter. It disrupted the flow of the chapter but it was originally meant to drive home the tragic nature of the situation:

“When next Taide awoke, the estate that he had spent a good deal of his childhood in was gone along with his family, a family that he had loved and that had loved him in turn in their own way.

He never asked what exactly had befallen them, but once he overheard a few of the guardia speaking in low, shocked voices about how there had been pieces of Valerio Lanai found everywhere in the courtyard. Thin slices of his legs and arms that had been cleanly cut from his still living body, the wounds cauterized so he would not bleed out. None of the fingers of his left hand or his toes had still been connected to his hand or feet. His eyes were burnt out of their sockets and his tongue ripped from his mouth.

His family was gone and they hadn’t died an easy death, or a quick one.

When he held his sobbing newly orphaned nieces in his arms, there was nothing in his life that Taide regretted more than refusing to mate the boy that ended up slaughtering his family. Because ten human beings had died that night that could have lived.

Eight of them Taide had known and loved, or at least respected, even with all their faults.”

As the one creating the Lanais and their characters, I personally think that none of them deserved to die. Even so, them dying seemed to be the only possible ending after everything. But I didn’t want to give anyone a sense of satisfaction about it, as if the revenge that happened was really justice being served. I wanted you to pity them, because you realised that not even they deserved what they got. To ensure this, I made what they got the most horrifying, sickening thing I could come up with; that is one of the reasons this chapter took so long to write, because it was simply difficult to do and I was crying half the time throughout Taide’s part and trying to let you glimpse little pieces of humanity, of the true personalities behind the villainous fronts here and there without it becoming overly sentimental.

I’m not quite sure I managed to do that, and so I am glad that you spoke up this way, because it is the reaction I was hoping for.

@eaglexeye

Thank you! That is probably one of the highest praises an author can get: that they managed to allow the reader to immerse themselves in the story.

@stephie

Well, thank you! There will be more, I promise… it just sometimes takes me a lot of time.