Harry's Pockets
Clowns are downright creepy, Harry's always thought, so when he and Luna hire one to work in their Party Props shop, he prepares for the worst.
Author: Joan Wilder
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Top!Draco, not DH compliant
Word count: ~29,000
Wizarding Level:
Snape Says: Excuse me? Tonks? Myself and Nymphadora Tonks? Not that is something I've never heard before. Can't say I complained to much about the Minister thing though...
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Cash:
Plot: 4/5
Characterization: 3/5
Writing Skill: 3/5
Creativity: 5/5
Wrap-up: 4/5
Total: 19/25
Considering how much I was looking forward to this fic, as it was recc’d to me by a dear friend, I was really rather disappointed. The fact was, that from beginning to end, I wanted to like it more than I did.
Obviously, I comment the author abundantly for her creativity and the original approach. I like seeing Harry and Draco in different lights, with different career paths etc... That’s the beauty of fanfiction isn’t it, being able to see all these different perspective and worlds with our favorite characters.
So I was determined to give the clown thing (despite my irrational fear of them and how un-Draco it was) a full fighting chance. I was willing to buy it actually, and patiently awaited the author’s and Draco’s explanation of how it came about. As a mute-clown, there is no real way to determine characterization, so I was okay with his personality during the time that he was unidentified, but I looked forward to hearing it all explained. So on the topic of characterization, the first thing that threw me was Snape, and not for the reasons you might think. I loved the whole Severus/Tonks thing because it was different and I just love when people take a different approach on him. I even liked the Minister thing and I am a sucker for Harry and Severus getting along in adulthood. However, the characterization of him was rather off, in my opinion. His dialogue didn’t sound remotely like him and I felt like his personality was entirely lost. And even though I know I’m getting sidetracked from the current topic of discussion, I may as well say it while I’m at it, that I found nearly all the dialogue in this fic to be unnatural. It was well written if you were to considering it in prose, but not as something people would actually say, especially considering what characters were saying them. Everything was just too scripted and sounded like the author was putting her own words in their mouth and though I... liked the sentiments behind them, (Draco’s insights on human emotions etc etc) it was all too poetic, too reflective and insightful to feel real. Especially coming from Draco. Not to say that I don’t think Draco could be reflective and insightful, but there’s a way in which he would do it and I just didn’t feel that here. Nothing that came out of his mouth actually sounded like him.
So on that note, after Draco’s reveal, I kept waiting for Draco to show up and he just never did. I appreciate a change in attitude, maturing etc, and believe me, I have been fond of several softer, less resentful Dracos. But unfortunately, although I really liked the man the author portrayed, as well as his clown alter-ego, he was never Draco to me. There was too much of his personality lacking.
Style wise, I found the prose to be flat and non-engaging. Technically it was fine, but the descriptions lacked movement for me and I had a hard time getting into it. Which is unfortunate because overall, it was a beautiful story. The plot was all there, touching and sad and sweet, but due to my qualms with the characterization on my lack of enthusiasm for the writing style, I just didn’t buy into it. It may have dragged a bit in places, but again, that could be due to the other things mentioned.
However, I did enjoy the experience of reading it. It was wonderfully creative and though it wasn’t for me, and though I didn’t feel very ‘Drarry’ about it, I liked it as a story in and of itself. Perhaps a bit... affected, with a bit of a cheesy ending, but regardless of my rambling, not-so positive review, I still suggest everyone to read it. It’s certainly a piece that will stand out among the many fics that are surely all blending together in your heads, and I have a feeling that many of you will tuck it into a nice, special spot in your heads with at the very least a small smile as you finish it off.
SlytherinInCashmere:
Plot: 4/5
Characterization: 3.5/5
Writing level: 4/5
Creativity: 4/5
Wrap up: 3.5/5
Total: 19/25
I must say that by the end of this fic, I still wasn't sure if I liked it or not. I usually have to appreciate it when a writer gives Draco and Harry unusual jobs instead of the classic ones (Potion Master, Auror, or even Healer), however some of the characterization was...stilted and uncomfortable for me. I especially found the current Minister of Magic and his relation to Harry and his friends to be a bit perturbing, truthfully. And the ending was too unusual for me to accept it without complaint. A decent fic but not one I can see myself returning to another time in the future.
Zhein:
Plot: 4.5/5
Characterization: 3.5/5
Writing Skill: 4/5
Creativity: 5/5
Wrap-up: 4/5
Total: 21/25
Talk about unusual. I don't think I've ever read a clown-centered fic in my entire life in the HP fandom, so bravo for creativity and research skills! I found this version of events a bit jarring (this is for the AU team), since I see dead people alive and walking in this. I can go and say that even this can be rewritten as EWE by simply replacing the supposed dead people with canonically alive people, but I digress.
Draco doesn't seem very in character, but it is pretty believable if you believe Draco is the type to mature and change, not to mention the 10-year gap from Hogwarts and working as a freaking clown (no, I don't believe I spoiled you because you pretty much tell as soon as you see him). I'm a little sad about the lack of Ron and Hermione, but Luna more than makes up for it.
The plot is a bit slow and the ending's a bit too Disney, but it works. The writing isn't crazy amazing, but it's still lovely. Very heartwarming, I could say. I found this story so fascinating, I'm pretty sure even people with a phobia of clowns (no, I can't be bothered to wiki it) would probably enjoy this story because of the depth and understanding of the entire clown profession and psychology.
Final Grade: Exceeds Expectations; 4 stars
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