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

This month, due to the holidays and all the GoF excitement, we have a svelte issue to offer. However, we still have a nice selection of fanfic for your perusal; along with some community news and a lovely quotefall, courtesy of AnndeeGranger. Don't forget, if you're curious about Project Harmony's Book 6 AU, to check out Gwen's State of the Project Address - and while you're at it, see The Anvil's first fan letter (gee, it's so nice to be loved.) We also have a new article for Pumpkin Juice for the Harmonian Soul - since this is the time of season for the warm fuzzies.

And to announce a new feature: Starting next month The Anvil will be all-new and expanded; as we're aiming to provide content from the whole Harmonian community. If you'd like to help out, email us at theanvil@theanvilezine.com - otherwise, join our new mailing list, featured after this introduction. We hope to see you in the new year!

Also, remember - send us an owl if you loved (or hated, with a passion of thousand, burning suns) our new issue. Santa isn't the only one curious if we've been naughty, or nice - but we'd hate to get coal, this year.

- The Anvil Staff

- FanFic Reviews

Phoenix Firebolt's Reviews: - Cliché by AnndeeGranger: H/Hr, mentions of R/LL, books 1-6, PG-13
AnndeeGranger makes a great point with this one-shot, which is one of the reasons why I loved it so much! Every time Harry or Hermione confesses their love for the other, it always seems so clichéd! Harry's speech and Hermione's reaction to it seemed spot on to me, since I always imagined Hermione laughing at an intense confession of love. I loved all the sexual comments too, I was laughing the whole time! Having the story set in the post-Hogwarts era seemed more believable to me too, since I always thought H/Hr would get together after the books were over. All in all, a wonderful piece of work that is definitely worth your time.

- Magic by Leonhart17: H/Hr, books 1-5, G
It's a short one-shot, but it's so incredibly cute! Hermione fumbling around for an answer to Harry's concern for her strange behavior, and then his reaction to her confession is just beautifully done. It's so simple, yet I'm hoping something like this scene will take place in book 7. Just read it - I know you will enjoy all the wonderful H/Hr fluff!

- Lips and Reason by Croyez: H/Hr, books 1-5, PG
This is the second story by Croyez I've reviewed, and it's just as good as the other one, maybe even better! The story switches between the points of view of Harry and Hermione, describing in great detail how the two love each other, and are driven to a point of "madness" until they confess their love to each other. I just loved the way this one-shot was written - Harry and Hermione were very in character, and their reasons for their feelings were both funny and serious. I especially loved a few certain lines in the story! I definitely recommend it to all people, like me, who love one-shots.

- Community

- State of the Project, written Gwen.

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

- Goblet of Fire: Started November 18, 2005 by AnndeeGranger

myrhlyn: "I saw the movie opening day, and I liked it, too. Although I thought it was quite rushed - but what else can you do with a gadzillion-paged novel? But with all the 'rushing', I don't think we were really able to grasp the... urgency, and fear associated with Harry and the Tri-Wizard tournament. I only felt this with the first task, but the others seemed kinda weak."

- How Important Should Harry’s Mourning Be?: Started October 25, 2005 by Ladie-A

Ladie-A: "I try really hard to believe in theories such as the Love Potions but I can’t. For one thing, she made it blatantly obvious about Love Potions. And usually, that’s not the case with her hints. They’re always hidden or very hard to catch on to. Love potions were in our faces 24/7 so, I don’t know. Is she trying to play reverse psychology on us? "

- Prefects: Started October 4th, 2005 by fred

fred: "Even if there is around 3000 wizards in England, we must remember that their life expectancy is much longer than us. So the ratio of people being of schooling age should be longer among them. So, even if we go with 280 in school, 3000 wizards seem an awfully low number to me. I pity newspapers like the prophet if they must make pay their bills selling to only 3000 readers, that would be if every wizard from old warlocks to newborns do buy the paper. I directed fanzines that had approximatively the same number of readers and still, we were lucky that we hadn't to pay our journalists."

- Wizard's Hall by Jane Yolen, Review: Started October 31st, 2005 by myrhlyn

Ladie-A: "You know, I’ve been hearing things about JK stealing someone else’s creation but glad that this review cleared things up for me. I agree with you, people are bound to take original ideas and make their own twists to it. Even though Yolen has created a Wizarding world and a boy who has to defeat a villain, the moral of the story compared to the HP series are completely different. In the end it’s not about what portraits move across the wall but the meaning behind the story. JK seems to focus more on politics and while I haven’t read Wizard's Hall it's more about doing the best one can."

- Humor Section

Pumpkin Juice for the Harmonian Soul: "A Time of Father-Son Bonding".

After Prisoner of Azkaban came out, I took my two boys to see the show. At the time, the oldest was five, the youngest was three. Of course, I had seen the move before this, and I was expecting some hard questions - after all, time travel to a five-year-old is skipping dinner and going straight to dessert. So it was with some surprise (and great amusement) to those around us that the first question of the show was not about time travel, boggarts, werewolves or even where to purchase a marauder’s map.

We had reached the part where Hermoine took a swing at Malfoy. I figured this would go over great with my boys and give them a healthy respect for brainy girls. What I didn’t expect was what came next.

My five-year-old leaned over to me and said “Dad, Hermoine has really cute jeans, doesn’t she?”

So much for her right hook. It was all about the right look.

- Michael Upton, MN, USA

- Games Section

- A quotefall, created by AnndeeGranger.

- Owls

The Anvil recieved it's first fan letter last month! We hope that by posting it here, it will meet other fan letters and become fruitful and multiply... or something like that.

Subject: I love The Anvil!

Keep it up guys! It's funny, intelligent and takes the right amount of shots at Ginny, LOL.

But seriously, congratulations on your new site and I look forward to the future issues.

Sincerely, Hope1272

P.S. Ron's column is hilarious. I would love to see a Ron and Luna column. Sort of a he said/she said/he looks at her not knowing whether to laugh or snog her senseless because she's unbelievably sweet even when she's insane kind of thing.

Dear Much-Loved-First-Fan-Letter-Writer,

Thanks for all the kudos! It's very touching... and not in any sort of inappropriate way, either.

If you've read our Humor Section this month, you'll notice that our guest columnists for January are Ron and Luna. Hopefully will get more letters in than last month, and we'll be able to, oh, let's say... have a column? Wouldn't that be something? *guilt trip, guilt trip*

Sincerely, The Anvil Staff

Harry Potter is © 2005 by J. K. Rowling & Warner Bro. Studios
However, all sarcasm and bad behavior belong solely to The Anvil Staff.