I STILL have to watch the movie that inspired this fic. The characters mixed with the dragons like this really has my curiosity piqued, and I'm ashamed I haven't seen it yet lol but soon! Not sure when, but it will be soon. Probably after I have everything settled. Nonetheless, this fic gives me much to imagine. As I read through the story again, I see that I lacked the reaction from Theo's dragon dying. RUDE! Draco, Blaise, and Kingsley are still my overall faves from the determination, chill vibes, and all around bad ass personalities fitting into one fic. The others really added the realistic element to the story overall, and even with how huge this damn story is, it was all fluid and smooth to me. Every scene was like a piece to the big puzzle of the plot, and I enjoyed reading it again. I will get to that movie, I promise!

I really loved Draco’s character development in this. It was great to see him progress to being so sure the way things worked in Koldovstoretz, to doubt, to realising there were other ways, and gradually getting more and more involved in the work at Hogsmeade.

It is a little difficult to tell how much time has passed between each section, because in some cases we don’t get a frame of reference until part-way through, or even towards the end, so it means we have to go back and re-imagine the scene to take into account the passage of time. And I was a little confused by Astoria’s role, because if she’d already known about the dragons being killed, why did she wait until after Theo had had to kill his despite being their friend? There were also quite a few typos, but that’s understandable with something so long.

Overall, though, I thought this was a really interesting story. I absolutely loved all the details with the dragon caves and hatching the eggs, and I loved the idea that people could continue hatching as many dragons that would let them if not for the rules of society. That was such an interesting concept, and I would love to see how this world developed further now that Tom Riddle’s been defeated.

Isn't the title from the song Lions by Skillet? Or is that just me...

I’ve been looking forward to buckling down and reading this since you started talking about it. Here we go!

So.
First off, Tom Riddle is a monster.

Charlie storming in on the council meeting was perfect. So many dragon feelings. I understand you, buddy. I loved Bill’s calm, logical thinking as a contrast to Charlie’s passion. Throughout the story, characterization was superb. This is my first Charlie/Draco story, and it was a lovely one. I like how you took your time developing it from prickly to friendship to fond friendship to love~ It didn’t feel rushed at all. Slow burn makes me so happy and really helps me buy in.

The hatching with Draco and Elio was precious, and I felt so sad for them both when Lucius was rude about it. Fight me, Lucius.

Also, um, RUDE, KILLING THEO’S DRAGON. I did not recover from that in the thousands of words to follow. :’( Then ELIO much later on… Sam, no. Unforgivable. I’m so sad. Hatching Sarkis was a beautiful moment, but still tore me up. I was wondering if Draco would get the other Ironbelly early bu O. My heart continues to hurt for Theo - unless I missed it, doesn’t seem like he got a new baby?

I am glad there was justice for Lucius because he is the second worst after Tom Riddle.

The little nods to canon throughout were wonderful, with various deaths and injuries. Etc. The whole thing was a huge undertaking but a well-crafted one! I loved it and got to bask in dragons for an entire evening~

Charlie storming into the council to defend dragons was perfect. It felt like such a Charlie-like scene, but it also managed to remind me of Hiccup, which felt very fitting considering. (On another note, I'm not realizing that Charlie and Hiccup would probably be really great friends.)

The system you've created for finding a dragon is wonderful. I love the idea of sending children into the cave and letting them be called to the right dragon for them, and the description of the cave makes it sound like such a cool place. It took my a little while to realize that dragons choosing their rider is more or less like a wand choosing its wielder. I really like that detail.

My heart broke a little when little Draco realized that Lucius wasn't quite pleased with his dragon. You did a great job portraying Draco's relationship with his parents. Narcissa being more gentle and encouraging Draco when he went to hatch his dragon was a nice touch, as was her being released to Draco later on in the story.

As soon as Charlie mentioned that no one had hatched the other Ironbelly yet, I had a feeling Draco would do so, but it was still hard to read about Elio dying. Seeing Sarkis was adorable though, and I love seeing how different species of dragon act differently as hatchlings.

Not going to lie, I was totally intimidated when I saw this and doubted that I’d be able to get through it. It’s 17K words, based off something I’ve never seen (shame on me - it’s on my to-watch list) and featuring a pairing I still don’t ‘ship. However, the exact opposite happened. It took a while to read since I also take notes, but I truly enjoyed this story and became invested in the characters and wanted to know what happened.

You did a really nice job incorporating the assignment prompt into this as well. Given the prompt, the word count is totally warranted. Nothing about the story felt rushed, and I liked how you waited to give us details on what life was like before Tom Riddle until we were well into the story. I liked that you circled back to certain plot points, leaving nothing unresolved. I particularly liked how Draco hatched an Ironbelly even though my heart broke when Elio died. And of course Lucius killed Elio! Fitting for his character. I totally knew that Draco would hatch an Ironbelly when Charlie mentioned that the other egg hadn’t hatched.

I enjoyed the plot a lot. You kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next. Though, would Lucius and Narcissa have tried to find Draco after he ran away? Tom wanting to eliminate dragons because of what happened to him makes sense. Glad he got what he deserved in the end. Having the other villages rebel against him was a nice touch.

The bits from canon that you incorporated - Crabbe and Goyle eating laced food, Colin and Fred’s deaths and Lavender’s injuries at the hands of Greyback - fit well into your story. I liked that you featured some of the parents in the beginning. Good use of the Greengrass family, and I could see them switching sides and joining Dumbledore’s Army.

You’ve characterised Draco well. His apprehension towards fighting made sense given his upbringing. I liked how he grew and matured as the story progressed, but still maintained some of his childhood traits in his desire to learn sword fighting.

Charlie’s characterisation was on point. His passionate about dragons came through. It’s good that he lost his singletrack mind when he wanted to avenge Fred’s death. Draco’s thought about Charlie finally caring about a human and not a dragon made me smile. His ability to convince Draco to fight fit his personality.

I liked that their relationship was a slow burn. You paced it well, and I liked that Draco didn’t immediately take to Charlie. Their argument early on was realistic. His feelings for Charlie grew in time. Draco immediately fleeing after their first kiss worked. I would have liked a bit more POV from Charlie’s end to show that he also liked Draco. I’m glad they didn’t have a formal talk about the kiss and acknowledged their relationship in a subtle way.

I can see Draco declining the Chief position. He turned it down in a good way, and I think his people will take to Mr. Greengrass. Yay for Narcissa being released into Draco’s care and working to detain Lucius.

The hopeful ending concluded the story nicely. Overall, an enjoyable story. You’ve written it well. Everything flowed well. SPaG was on point - kudos for that on a fic this long. Great job!

Your Feedback/Grade for Assignment #1

Examiner: Dark Angel of Sorrows Returns

Grade: 19/20 - O (Outstanding)

Feedback: Don't kill me, but I've never see HTTYD. But reading what you've done with this story as its au, I could definitely see it in my future. The interactions and relationships built between the gang and dragons was absolutely beautiful. Draco, Blaise, and Kingsley were my faves. They all had this thing that stuck out to me. The go get attitudes and bad assness. Don't get me wrong, there were other great characters like the Colin and Dennis, Astoria, Theo, Charlie, and the rest of the army, but Draco's resilience, Blaise's chillness, and Kingsley being an overall badass chief was just life. The fact that you did this in the word count that you did is phenomenal. Keep up the great work! Full marks on this section.

I've never read anything like this; you really made this a wonder and pleasure. Very unique! Both points given for Originality!

Gah, everything was so natural! It was very genuine and real. I could feel the emotions pouring through the words overall. The point is given! For how long this story is, it still remained smooth and consistent throughout it. Nothing felt bumpy, and the transitions between the prose and words were very fluid. No points were deducted from this section.

You completed the task, and the prompt was there as the time progressed through the narrative. I could see the time changing and the dragons growing along with the people in this story. Well done. Three points given!

You gave us all the details. All the great info we needed was put in this huge masterpiece, and I can safely say this was not rushed. It felt complete once I reached the end of it! Nothing felt out of place, and I feel that from the beginning to the end, everything grabbed at me. Both points awarded for Plot.

I enjoyed this, and anyone wanting a sense of adventure and thrill with everything in between would enjoy this fic as well. No points deducted from Enjoyability.

I don't know how you managed it, but I didn't see any SPaG errors throughout the fic, nor did I see any that would need to be pointed out. You and your betas are a godsend. Both points awarded!

You have the necessary information needed in your note, however the story is way over the word count lol so the extra point isn't granted.