Hello and thank you for taking the time to visit my profile!

Thank you so much for all your support over the years with your kind reviews, story alerts, and favs. I don't have the time to answer all of your reviews or emails (I'll try to eventually catch up with the thousands of emails which have accumulated by now) but I appreciate your input immensely.
Tonks-is-cool

* Apology to the readers of my stories*

Everything is on HIATUS!

I'm so sorry that I 'dropped of the planet' so to speak and was unavailable.

My sincere apologies to Mykkila09, who had to finish Rise of the Dark Angel on her own.

Who am I? Well...let's see ... Wrackspurts infested female, married, one daughter and currently two ponies, six cats, and at least as many computers around the house... US/German Anglophile, who reads a lot of classic and modern British and American literature since early childhood. I love British music, theatre, musicals, films in general and especially historic drama and also TV crime series like Inspector Lewis, Prime Suspect and of course BBC Sherlock. Love to travel, always. I've been all over Europe, North America (US and Canada) and North Africa (Egypt and Tunisia) so far.

Since I read the very the first HP book (which was recommended to me by a dear friend in 1998) I'm an avid HP-fan. Well, more like HP obsessed... really. I went to book release parties dressed up and with my broom in hand, and spent several trips to the UK visiting many (but not yet all!) of the HP film sites together with my family. Every time I come to London I go to Kings Cross to check out where to push the luggage cart through the wall (that place has changed over the years, but there is always a queue of equally crazy HP fans from all corners of the planet waiting ;-)

I adore Jo Rowling's creation, the whole idea of the Potterverse existing parallel to our own Muggle world, just a stone’s throw away and her ingenious interweaving of age old myths and fairy tales with a classical, yet modern hero tale. The way she planned and build up and connected the seven book series as a story circle is incredible, all those layers, hints, mirroring chapters: stunning. A true work of literature, despite what some critics said.

However, you will notice in my fav list and my writing that I have read a lot of AU and Grey! or Dark! Harry (or more or less "greyish" Hermione) stories to compensate for my disappointment and frustration with certain aspects of canon ;-) and I even discovered some great stories that deal with what could happen differently during or after DH and I enjoyed them... thanks to the creative fanfic writers!

As of 2010, I participated as first a beta and eventually co-author for Rise of the Dark Angel by Mykkila09, this is a long, long Dark!Harry starting at the end of OOP in the Atrium of the MOM. An incredibly intriguing and fascinating experience to create something like this story as a WIP together with Mykkila09, inspiring each other.
Shattered Illusions of Safety is a series of Additional Scenes to Rise of the Dark Angel, but can also be read alone, on temporary Hiatus.

Then there is More than Meets the Eye, published since 2011, inspired by watching and reading the 5th book / film, OotP, one too many times and the absolutely stunning fanart of HP, LV, TMR and Nagini by Flayu on Deviantart dot com.

My favourites are the pic titled HP and LV look here http:///art/LV-and-HP-141773821

The mixture of possessiveness and protectiveness with the subtle slash innuendo is simply beautiful; 'Dumbledore's Miscalculation' is a close second; also 'the Goblet of Fire' and all those pics with HP and LV looking like their actors, Dan and Ralph.

On Archiveofourown . org = AO3 my user name is Tonks_is_cool; eventually I am going to upload MTMTE to this archive. RDA is posted here by Mykkila09.

In MTMTE (somewhat similar to RDA) I shall explore the - IMHO possible or probable - deeper reasons for the conflict in the Wizarding world and the apparent "prejudice" of large parts of the magical population (not just a handful of Dark wizards) against Muggle-borns. Which is well justified if you leave for example Hermione's naturally biased POV for a moment and try to look at this from an unemotional, rational POV.

I know this not terribly original, and that many other fantastic Grey! or Dark!HP fanfic authors wrote or write about this theme too in the past decade. If you are interested in this genre, please read The Black Heir and by all means Out of the Night for example, or Right of Caste, Death of Today, Butterfly, A Life of Lies, The other End of Time, and of course most of Athey's work (HP and the Decent into Darkness, Breeding Darkness, Again and Again, and others) delves deeply into these aspects of the Wizarding world too, to name only a few examples. More info see the list further below.

I reckon it is just an aspect of canon HP, a theme that bothers me as it does bother many other grown-up people (who have read the books a couple of times, thought a lot about the background, and who have knowledge of Muggle history, economics, politics, science and so on).

In HP canon, it is never properly explained why there is such a state of very different magic, opinions and attitudes in the wizarding world. It just is. There are apparently the good and the bad guys, and of course the good guys win at the end of book 7. Yeah, yeah, well, the HP books were published first as children's books.

But we, the grown-up readers, we can wonder and speculate. What is considered Dark magic? Why is it forbidden? Was it always forbidden? Obviously not. What is Light magic, and what Neutral magic?

Why is there oppression of certain types of wizards, their traditions and magic? Why is there a civil war brewing in the British wizarding world since many, many decades or maybe even centuries? Is it the same on the continent, or not? And elsewhere in the world?

(2016 edit: There is brand new input on this issue (danger of exposure and the conflict in general between Muggles / No-Maj and wizards) on Pottermore, please look up the articles concerning the new Fantastic Beasts film, history of magic in the States, MACUSA, and the North American wizarding school!)

This smouldering conflict in the British wizarding community is IMHO not only about the need for revenge, or to prove himself or the delusions of grandeur of one lonely, abused, angry, cynical, bitter orphan. If Tom Riddle and later Lord Voldemort gathered such huge support (from large numbers of wizards, but also many dark beings, like Werewolves, Vampires, Dementors according to what Sirius says in OotP) during his first rise to power between 1970 until 1981 the question pops up: Why?

If he was 'just' some insane terrorist with a small circle of followers (*), why did so many people and beings support and follow Voldemort? Canon supplies almost no answers, but one can speculate, so I and many others turned to 'Darkish' HP fanfics.

Which is not true, Voldemort's organisation was a large group in proportion to the seize of the British wizarding community

(which is only about 3000 wizards - whatever she meant by this - only adult wizards and witches, or only adult male wizards, or all the magical adults plus all children unter 17? - Jo Rowling stated this in an interview, go check out Accio!Quote)

around 400? at least, Death Eaters and also unmarked supporters, because Remus says they, the OotP, were outnumbered 1 : 20; Mad Eye shows a photo from supposedly summer 1981 of the 'old' Order to HP, there are 22-23 members. Of this group 5 people, warriors of a vigilante organisation, self-styled opposing freedom fighters, not civilians, - only 5 - were killed either by LV personally or a group of 5 of his DEs, the opposing vigilante organisation (freedom fighters too, from their POV, just like with the IRA versus the government of the UK in the real world).

(Whitehound makes a very good argument for the assumption that Jo Rowling modelled the conflict between the Ministry, the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix (however unconsciously, simply because she was a Brit growing up in Britain) somewhat on 'The Troubles'. I can recall hearing about The Troubles frequently on the news all through the seventies and eighties until mid-nineties. That was a different level of conflict from what happens in the real world since 9/11...)

Why do many pure-bloods think so negatively about Muggle-borns and half-bloods? Why this apparent obsession of certain parts of the Wizarding world with pur-sang, pure blood? Why did Salazar Slytherin and the other founders quarrel about the Muggle-borns a thousand years ago?

(2016 edit: From the Malfoy family history revealed on Pottermore we learn that in former times (before 1689 to 1692, Statute of Secrecy) the Malfoys were fully integrated into Muggle 'high-society', because Armand Malfoy was a Norman warrior wizard, one of the new ruling class after the Norman invasion in 1066, and apparently they did marry half-bloods now and then, to prevent too close inbreeding, very sensible compared to for example the Gaunts or Blacks, but never, ever a true Muggle. From Harry's experience with the Dursleys and Dumbledore's, Snape's, Umbridge's and McGonagall's back stories it looks like Muggle (or Muggle-born) / wizard marriages are often, if not always, cause for problems for all the people involved, most are doomed from the start.)

IMHO Slytherin and all other wizards who were or are wary of Muggle-borns are not "evil", but they have valid reasons.

If someone doesn't believe that Muggles are cruel and very dangerous, they have slept throughout History class and never read or watched world or local news.
What is written in B. Bagshots history book in book 3, PoA, is not, cannot be true:

The times of the Inquisition and Witch Hunts in the early modern period (this was not really such an issue back in the Middle Ages, as so many people believe) were not something funny at all!
Even today, practising witchcraft or magic is forbidden and punishable by prison or even death in many (backwards) countries on this planet.
Bye the way, same as homosexuality.
To me this seems utterly crazy, terribly backwards, but it is the sad, horrible reality.

In writing my various stories, (already published like RDA and MTMTE and one other I am working on, as of yet unpublished) I have explored / or I will explore some of these ideas too. In general, that Muggles are not so stupid and weak as many wizards believe, but ingenious and dangerous, that they could pose a severe threat to the magical community. Wizards must take care to adhere to the Statute of Secrecy if they do not want to risk exposure.

This is one thing I dislike immensely in book 6 and 7, HBP and DH, especially the HP films 6 and 7.1, like that dramatic scene in London, DEs flying towards Trafalgar square in broad daylight, on the Millennium bridge or that burnt trailer park.

How can LV and his people, the canon dark side, be so ignorant and arrogant as to believe that the Muggles (police, secret service, military command) will not take notice of what is going on?
The Prime Minister knows of Magic, (this is canon, see beginning of the 6th book, HBP) he knows that these strange occurrences and casualties are not nature disasters or "normal" Muggle terrorist attacks by the IRA.
How can the canon Dark side believe the Muggles will simply ignore all that damaged property eventually, and unexplainable deaths of people without investigating and lashing back some day in the future ? And although this is not ever mentioned in the books, I strongly suspect that the Queen (or King) of England know - or at least used to know - of the existence of the magical world too.

From the background of LV's character, I have great trouble to understand why our beloved and esteemed Jo Rowling wrote it in this manner at all...

Yes, LV is a powerful wizard, he can very easily kidnap, torture or kill a single Muggle civilian. Or a couple of them.

But, this same person, the young Tom Riddle, supposedly grew up in a Muggle orphanage in London amidst the second World War. London was heavily bombed during The Blitz, September 7, 1940 – May 10, 1941. Many other towns, harbours, factories, airfields and so on were attacked too, not just London.

OK, the upper year student Tom Riddle did not directly see this, because he had left London on September 1, 1940 on the Hogwarts Express. Most fanfic authors who write about this time period forget to check the exact dates of the German attacks in relation to the Hogwart's year (I use the timeline established on the hp lexicon). But still, when TMR returned to the orphanage during the next summer, 1941, he would have seen the damage in the country, in London and heard about the German attacks by the other children at the orphanage. Wouldn't he?! And why was Tom sent back to that orphanage at all?

From the memory scene in the diary (book 2, CoS, set in the 1942/1943 school year, 50 years prior to Harry's 1992/1993 school year) we get the impression that Tom did not want to return to the Muggles, naturally, but that Headmaster Dipped said he had to, with not a hint that it might be possibly unwise or mortally dangerous for Tom to return to the Muggle world, to the south of England in the spring or summer 1943! Yes, the Muggle Army, Airforce and Navy did a good job in fighting off the Germans, but still, it took the Allied forces fighting until the spring of 1945 to end the war in Europe. Beginning in June 1944, the V1 and later the V2 rockets were launched against the south of England, causing much death and destruction in the so called second Blitz. How could the wizards not have taken notice?!

This is all a gigantic plot hole, sorry.

How come Jo Rowling (who is, as I am, of the 'Baby Boomers' generation, same as Snape and Harry's parents, Lupin and Sirius Black) managed to completely forget British Muggle history? During WWII Muggle children living in London were evacuated to foster homes far away, out in the country. Very strange, that Dippet (or Dumbledore) apparently did not care a fig about what happened to the Muggle-born children or half-bloods living in the Muggle world. Anybody who read Narnia The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis knows that British (Muggle) children were evacuated from London, even if he or she has otherwise no clue about any specifics of WWII history...

And then, in the summer 1945 there were the atomic bombs detonated in Japan to end the war in the Pacific Ocean. That was world-wide news! How can wizards have completely ignored this? Even if only a few half-bloods and Muggle-borns read Muggle newspapers or heard such news on the radio, would they not have talked about it at work, in pubs, so that other people living completely inside the wizarding community heard at least a rumour?

And how did Diagon Alley or other areas in London where wizards lived (Grimmauld Place, for instance?) or moved about completely escape bombing damage? There must’ve been very strong wards, protective bewitchments! Where was St. Mungos located during that time? We now know (2016 edit) from Pottermore that it was relocated at some point after the war to the new site which is described in book 5, OotP.

All of what happened in WWII implies danger and damage in London and elsewhere in the UK and therefore extensive work by Ministry of Magic workers to keep the magical community safe, or not?! Supposedly, the war with Grindelwald ran somehow parallel to the war in the Muggle world. Well, what did that mean for the wizarding community in the UK?

After WWII began the Cold War, and then the Korea War, Cuba crisis, Berlin conflict, and not to forget Vietnam, and many, many armed conflicts elsewhere, like in Africa or Afghanistan and so on. During the time LV was missing, from 1981 to 1991 and 1992 to 1994, he was apparently hiding as a spirit or parasite in the Balkan area, in Albania according to HP canon. Ok. What went on in the area of former Yugoslavia during the nineteen nineties? The Balkan War. Lots of damage and many people killed (roughly 100.000) or displaced. British troops were involved in the UN missions, so there was a lot of news coverage in Britain, as in all of Europe.

So, in my mind, it is very difficult to believe that not at least some news of all these wars, of the possible destructive power of modern Muggle weapons reached the wizarding world in general and LV in particular. Apparently not.

The Arthur Weasley of canon sees Muggles as harmless, funny, a curiosity, and in need of protection from the "evil" dark wizards. In GoF we learn that most wizards have no clue at all about the Muggle world. They do not know about appropriate clothing, using a telephone (Ron) or how British pounds do look like.

The LV in MTMTE will be not so blind, much more aware of the danger.

The best story I have read up till now about what might happen if things go pear shaped in the relation between the Muggle and the Wizarding world is the epic, long story 'Becoming' (please look at my favourites list); things are enormously complicated in this fic because of a body/soul switch between LV and HP in the atrium of the MOM, end of OotP. Close second is a story by Athey, Again and Again; very unique, interesting story.

Some great Grey! or Dark! Harry fan fiction writers have profoundly influenced my view of Harry, Dumbledore, Snape, Lord Voldemort, the Malfoys, the different aspects of Magic, the possible history and reasons behind the War, Slytherin, the Light and the Dark Side over the last decade, see the extensive collection below.

I am eternally grateful to these fine writers for broadening my horizon and if I should interweave some of your ideas with mine in my feeble attempts at writing,
(which I feel is inevitable if one has read a ton of fanfics for nearly a decade and writes about the war and the Dark side)
please take it as a honest compliment!

When for example reviewers of Rise of the Dark Angel compared the quality and complexity of our work to Paraselenic or HP and the Decent into Darkness or Breeding Darkness I took that as an incredible compliment.

Now I'd like to recommend the following intriguing, fascinating stories:

Note: I have not read all these stories through to the end, I simply do not have the time any more to follow so many WIP works, but most of the older, finished ones I have read completely. This applies also to the stories on my Favourites list.

Most of these stories are T, M or MV, or MA rated, some Gen, many Slash, some Het, but all are more or less Dark fics. They deal with issues like abuse, betrayal, death, crime or war.
For those that have still not gotten the hints:

All of these stories are intended for older, mature readers, not for young children!

Abandon by Bats, A Life of Lies by NoctemEterna, A Mothers Love, Becoming, Better be Slytherin, Broken by Bats, Broken Wings, Butterfly, Chasm of Darkness, Dabbling with the Dark, Dark Apprentice, Death of Today, Emerald Alliance, Emerald Blood, Facade of Innocence, For Services Rendered, Friend of Lord Voldemort, Gypsy Caravan,
Harry Potter and the Decent into Darkness by Aya Macchiato = Athey, Harry Potter and the Unraveling of Time, Harry Potter and the Walking Shadow,
Harry's First Detention and Harry's New Home, Harry Riddle, Heir to a Warlord, In Care Off, Indelible, In Plain Sight,
Langsyne, Learn from History, Life as a Snake, Night of Fate, Noir et Blanc, Oath Breaker, On the Way to Greatness, Onyx Snow, Out of the Night by Raining Ink,
Paraselenic, Past of Emerald Shadows, Prince of the Dark Kingdom, Rebirth, Right of Caste, Runaway Wizard, Secrets by Vorabiza, Sleeping Somewhere Cold, Soterios,
The Apprentice by Nerys, The Black Heir, The Black Prince, The Black Legacy, The Cave Incident, The Changer, The Other End of Time, The Prisoner by Nerys, The Power of Obsessive Love, The Scios Totalus of Legend, The Soul Adores, The Truth behind Evil, The Shattering of Foundations, Two Hawks Hunting,
Un Coeur Gris, Vindico Atrum, Viper, Visionary, When Under Goodness Wicked Lies.

A Life of Lies (Epic, awesome, very Dark fic, WIP, starts out as a Betrayed!Harry in Azkaban fic after Dumbledore's death) by NoctemEterna, it can be found on or the Yahoo group.
Secrets by Vorabiza on hpfandom, oh my, what a long, intelligent, wonderful story, a must read, especially if you are new to the world of Independant! Grey! Harry with a reluctant Mentor Snape and eventually HP DM.
The Other End of Time (an awesome Do-Over-Timetravel, Slytherin! Harry, good Snape and Draco) and the Emerald Series see the yahoo group Samantha_kathysfanficiton. Also posted on FF net under SamanthaKathy, there is also beautiful digital artwork for Emerald Shadows and E. Alliance created by Mystkyten.
Between the Lines by DementorDelta on inkstain inkquill or skyhawke com archive, there are many more excellent Snarry fics of her
The Apple Tree by Philo on hpfdm,very interesting, but beware the warnings.
The Slytherin Method and many other stories by ArtemisLiCa on hpfdm
When Under Goodness Wicked Lies by Maeglin Yedi (short, but most brilliant AU GOF fic, HP is truly LV, the Light is soooo screwed!) and many other interesting stories of her like i.e. The Soul Adores, about HP and Locket!TMR, are on skyhawke com. Deliciously dark writing.
Escaping the Paradox by Meri on Walking the Plank, a great Snarry archive, timetravel
Tempus Fugit Praeterhac by Quill Lumus on hpfdm or wtp or her lifejournal, an unusual HP/SS, d/s, slave fic set in a HBP and partly DH compliant universe, describes their accidental time travel to old Rome, just right for a History buff like me.
Also by Quill Lumos is For Services Rendered which is also a very special, extraordinary slave fic, but much, much darker compared to Tempus; really for mature readers only.
The Boy at the robe shop by Devon on hpfdm
Mirror Perspective by Bittersweet Alias on her yahoo group
The Marked Man and
Black Rook To White Knight by Rakina, these intriguing HP SS stories were formerly posted on wtp and hpfandom net. Do a bit of digging, some people have copies, so you may find another way to read them
Flawed Lines by Diagonalist on angelfire
Everybody knows by Winoniel on hpfandom or her Insane Journal
If Only by jadzialiv on hpfandom
Gypsy Caravan by witchdragon on hpfandom, a unique runaway child Harry story, growing up very different... Travelling Europe!

As I'm staff of the P&S Watch List, I'd like to recommend this superb Archive: If you are searching specifically for a quality collection of General Harry and Severus fiction like mentor, father, guardian, adoption, teacher, friend and the like SS & HP-stories and not HP/SS, please search through the Potion and Snitches community.

Examples of older, 'classic', outstanding SS & HP stories:

Better be Slytherin by jharad17, the title says it all - what if Harry didnt talk the Hat out of placing him where he truly belongs?

Harrys First Detention and Harrys New Home by kbinnz, IMHO a must read just like Better be Slytherin.

Both fics are excellent as introduction to this fanon concept of an more or less abused, first year, canon Harry that eventually, gradually, not rushed, finds help in the Head of Slytherin House instead of years of hate and antagonism like in the books.

The Definition of Family and ... of Home and Keep Your Enemies Closer by oliver.snape
I like almost everything written by Snapegirlkmf, there are so many... hm I will recomend Broken Wings (Harry is an animagus in this fic) and the sequell Two Hawks Hunting as a starter if you do not already know this author.
In Care Of by Fangs Fawn. These last 6 fics deal with an older Harry, not a firstie, more like fifth, sixth, seventh year.

Life as dictated by a talking Hat; Outcasts Alley, a 5th year, Creature!Harry fic; or Suicide Pact, 6th year, all three are by RhiannanT

Where Once Was Light by Ivy-Green or other name = Emerald-Leeves here on FF net, this is a "classical" Snape as Harrys true father fic

Sacrifices by Raven Knight or here on FF net called R4v3n Kn1ght, this is quite different from the others, because ... Snape "steals" toddler Harry ...

Out of the Night by Raining Ink is a "Harry-goes-dark-But!Surprise" General type story (not a Severitus, not Slash or Het) that stands out of the many similar stories because of the unique world the author started to create, an original approach to the eternal question: what in the blazes are 'Dark wizards' and what is so called 'Dark magic'? This story (and the subsequent discussions about it amongst the thousands of fans) has influenced many other writers, and me too, of course. Sadly, the story was first on hiatus, then abandoned and was finally deleted from FFN at the beginning of 2013 but you can find it via links provided on the Out of the Night forum, for example w w w . mediafire . com/?53kakc7cgkrda9y

Last, but not least, in fact one of my all time favourites, is The Other End of Time and the sequel by SamanthaKathy. Fantastic, intriguing, intelligent timetravel - A first year, do-it-again fic with a Slytherin Harry (because he simply forgets to argue with the Hat ;-). In this fic Snape is his Head of House and gradually more, friend Draco, supportive Lucius and Remus.

For those of you who like more info, facts, theories, fan essays and so on:

Please look on w w w hp - lexicon dot org, Accio!Quote, the Leaky Cauldron and of course the goldmine of Pottermore. (Formerly, I had a list of links, but fanfiction net has disabled all external links, so sorry!)

Also very interesting is the research by Whitehound about all those real life places (and the people, like the Chemistry teacher that later became Snape) that inspired Jo Rowling, or the ideas of Whitehound where for example Privet Drive, Grimmauld Place, or Hogwarts might be located, or where Azkaban is, if it were 'real'.

On the profile u/889650/whitehound you will find the link to the homepage, including a fine Britpick guide.