Hello, and welcome to the first issue of "The Anvil"!

We were low on submissions this month, but don't worry - our staff still found lots of goodies! The fanfic reviewers were having a field day with their favorites (among them, "The Harmonians Strike Back"), while our own Co-Editor in Chief, Gwen, wrote up two essays. But don't forget, most importantly, The State of the Project; written by our other Co-Editor in Chief, Alex, if you've been curious about Project Harmony news, and the Book 6 Project. Lots has been going on - over 190 members, since July! You can also go to our Community section, for some forum highlights.

And, to top all that off, we have a nifty crossword and cryptoquote, for your puzzle-solving pleasure. (Gwen admits she had to cheat - but she's never was the patient sort, anyway.)

Overall, not bad, for training wheels. Make sure you drop us an owl after you're done, and let us know what you think!

- The Anvil Staff

- Fanfic Reviews

Hands down, all reviewers and editors agreed that The Harmonians Strike Back by The Fitchburg Finch was one of the best of last month, and perhaps one of the funniest. Truth is, no matter how many times you read "Hermione SMASH!", it never gets old.

Gidget's Reviews: Hi, all! I'll be bringing you the best (in my humble opinion) fanfic from Witherwings each month. You may not agree, but... well, let's not pretend, shall we? I have brilliant taste, and you all will learn this! Ahem, that being said... on with the show!

- Sword and Shield – Phoenix Firebolt: H/Hr, Books 1-5, PG: How many ways can you say "fantastic"? It's a one-shot piece that deals with Hermione's reaction to the prophecy. I literally got a tingle in my chest while reading this... a beautiful piece, it had moments where I had tears in my eyes; which is a lot for me, especially in a one-shot! The descriptions are lovely and the dialogue has you cheering Hermione on! Well worth your time to read, even if you don't appreciate the beauty of one-shots!

- Sinking of the Ships : Fixing the Problem - I_am_Delusional: H/Hr, Books 1-6, PG-13: "Wow" is my one word description of this. A work in progress, all about how Harry and Hermione deal with their *cough* "significant others". This is such a good story - you have to come into it with a good sense of humor, 'cause the author is a bit mean to Ginny (but I certainly had no problem with it!) It will be a long story, and I, for one, am looking forward to every inch of it. Even in the first chapter amidst all the Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny *gag* stuff, they managed tons of little fluffy H/Hr moments. It's the perfect antidote to HBP blues!

- My Way – romulus lupin: Dumbledore, hinted H/Hr, Books 1-6, PG-13: Okay, I know! Here I am, plugging a contest submission that's not mine! I'm open minded! Lol - It's just that good. An Acid Pops Competition piece that is really fantastic. I love the process of Dumbledore's thoughts, love the shippy mentions.... loved the whole thing actually. It is well written and very "in character" for Dumbledore, I think. The song (see title) is interwoven in the fic very well... I could totally picture Dumbledore singing this song, belting it out in his head as he died. There aren't too many "in character" Dumbledore's out there (can I get an "Amen!") but this, happily is one of them. Go, read!

Phoenix Firebolt's Reviews:

- Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by Jordan: AU Book 6, books 1-5, R

Summary: An "Alternate Universe" story written by the webmaster of Witherwings! It takes off right from Order of the Phoenix, using certain elements from the canon HBP but not making it a direct copy.
Review: I think this was basically the first story posted on Witherwings, and, I must admit, it's a very good one! I thoroughly enjoyed the first two chapters, and I am anxiously awaiting more (hint, hint). I love how the author has taken the idea of "Spinner's End" and totally made it his own - and, in my opinion, much more interesting! I also love the emotions rolling off of Harry; he seems much more human this way, still in grief over events that took place in OotP. This fan fic seems like a much more realistic interpretation of the following of the fifth book, which gives it major points for me.
There's a couple of paragraphs that I feel could have been omitted in the chapters, but they don't destroy the overall effect of the story. It's still a must read, and a definite favorite of mine of the site!

- Hermione's All That by harryherm84: H/Hr, AU, PG-13

Summary: A completely AU story loosely based on the movie "She's All That". Draco bets Harry he can turn any girl into the Queen at the Yule Ball. His choice is the nerdiest girl in the school, Hermione Granger. So starts the bet, which turns out to be much more of a challenge than Harry thought before.
Review: I love this story! I first started reading it at Portkey.org, and I was so excited to see the author posting it on Witherwings as well. Though there isn't much originality, I love the twist that was put on the popular movie to make it fit the world of Harry Potter. The first chapter is fast paced but it's mainly an introduction; to get the reader ready for the main part of the story, Harry trying to win Hermione over. It's kind of odd to think of Harry, Ron, and Draco all being friends but it makes sense to the story, and the reader has to remember it is AU. Oh yeah - and let's all give a kick to Miss Chang! Ha-ha. I definitely recommend this story to every fanfic reader and every Harry/Hermione shipper; I know you will love the opening to it just as much as I do. I can't wait until more is posted!

- Believe in the Delusional by harryherm84: H/Hr, books 1-6, PG

Summary: Another story by this author! Hermione ends up reading the 6th book and has a bit of an outburst while Harry realizes being delusional isn't so bad.
Review: It's a short one-shot but I found it to be incredibly cute and well-written. Hermione's reactions to the way the 6th book was written are quite comical, and I think Harry is just too adorable with calming her down. And Ron's lines at the end were classic! Thumbs up for originality too, even with all the follow-up HBP stories that are circulating the 'net now. It's just a great pick-me-up for us "delusional" Harmonians after the disappointment of HBP. Give it a go; I know you'll enjoy it!

Disagree with the fanfic choices? Or do you think our reviewers are brilliant? Discuss the fanfiction here.

- Essays

Deja Vu: Uncanny Resemblances between Chamber of Secrets and Half-Blood Prince by Gwen

Ginny's Powers: Beyond the Bat-Bogey Hex by Gwen

Disagree? Agree? Just want to debate? Discuss the essays here.

- Community

State of the Project by Alex

Some interesting forum topics in the last month, compiled by AnndeeGranger:

- Awesome Essay by Professor Granger: Started Auguest 18, 2005 by AnndeeGranger

Ashrim LeFay: "....Neither Ron or Harry have done much to deserve Hermione's Affection and I can't help but admit that to be true."

- Platonic Love?: Started August 27th, 2005 by AnndeeGranger

Soundbite: "This doctrine also postualted that, by achieving the highest vision of beauty, the Platonic lover could actually create in his beloved a higher, more soulful beauty."

Amusing quote of the month:

myrhlyn: "Man - if Hermione is really Lupin in that equation, then many a slash-writer would have a field day. Considering the whole, ahem, R/Hr thing, that just makes all those crazy Lupin/Sirius 'shippers happy. And then, if Lupin had a thing for Lily, and Lily is Ginny.... yeah. I won't go any further. It all just makes me go :shocked:, but in that glassy-eyed way." - from the thread Marauders Coming Full Circle

- Games

- This month's crossword, here.

- This month's cryptoquote, here

Having trouble? Want hints? Talk about the puzzles here.