ohhh my god what i have to write i really don't know.
i have never felt so numb.
i have already read the sequel of this children crusade, i knew that this one will be sad ending.
As ron is always my fav. from trio. , i was avoiding this story , i can't bear to find him die.
but at last i gave up and read it to find out how my hero die.

really its perfect...

anyone who don't like moine/ron pair should read this ,
i am proud that i chose ron over harry as my fav.

the quick memory of ron which shows their relationship is amazing .

i am really glad that j k rowling didn't kill any trio, even ginny also.
u know i was always fearing before the release of last book that she will definitely kill either ron or moine. i am glad she didn't.

thank you so much for this chapter specially.
10/10
parashar

Author's Response: Clocks is a bit of a heart stopper - I loved the emotional impact but despised the ending. That's a long way of saying that I agree with everything you've said. And greatly appreciate this terrific review.

I saw an interview with JKR recently and she said that, at one point, she was planning on killing Ron. I, too, am glad that she didn't. He's a great character.

Thanks again; it was great hearing from you.

Eldy

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I am leaving one review here for the whole story, because it was just to good to stop and review at every chapter.
That being said, I usually don't like AU fics. I like the books the way they are, I read fan fics to continue the story not change it, but what you have done here is great. I never felt that I was reading something that was so completely different, even though it was, this fits. I like the fact that you really keep everything cannon, except the one fateful change in how Voldemort takes harry's wand, and then reads his mind and from that the rest develops. Any way I am going on to read the rest of your stories now, and looking forward to them AU or not. You have a new fan!
Thank you for sharing your talent with all of us.
Laine

Author's Response: Thank you laine! Very flattered by your review - when a reader can't stop reading, that's about the highest praise out there.

I'm not much of an AU fan myself. And I have a love/hate relationship with Clocks - I like the emotional impact but hate the way it ends - that's why I wrote the sequel (more on that later). I consider this reality as "the place where Dumbles got everything wrong." All that said, I wrote this tale with the primary goal of writing a story that made Ron the undisputed hero. The only way to do that was to go completely AU and kill nearly everyone off. Kind of the way that Harry became the undisputed hero - all of his protectors had to be dead.

That said, the Sequel, Children's Crusade, spawned a whole universe of tales. The Crusadiverse is very canon, non-AU. I'm sure that doesn't make much sense in the context of Clocks, but I think you'll understand when you read it. Incidentally, you can read Crusade first and ignore the timeline listed below if you want and it won't hurt the tale's continuity (I hope). Most of the Crusade-related tales simply explain some "history" that is taken for granted in Children's Crusade. Well, enough rambling. I hope to hear from you again soon and thanks again for the great review.

Eldy

Crusadiverse Timeline:

1996 - Fall - "More Skill Than Luck"- one shot - posted as Chapter 87 of "Phoenix in the Ashes," a site-wide collaboration. It's in my favorites.

1998 -July - "Hermione's Wand"“ one shot - posted as Chapter 1 of "Tales from the Crusadivierse"

1999- August - "Journey of a Thousand Miles" -one shot - posted as Chapter 1 of "The Staffer's Choice Awards," a Prefect's Collaboration. It's in my favorites.

2000 - August "The Battle of the Pitch" (main story line) - short story - posted

2000 - November - "The Adventures of Reckless Git and Danger Ponce" - short story“ posted as Chapters 2-4 of "Tales from the Crusadiverse."

2002 - Spring - "Best Laid Plans," -one shot; and "The Proposal" - short story both posted.

2002 - Early Summer "œThe Tipping Point"“ short story - posted as Chapters 5-7 of "Tales from the Crusadiverse."

2002 - Summer - "Children's Crusade"- novel - sequel to "Stop All The Clocks" posted

2003 - December - "The Gift"- one shot - posted as Chapter 30 of "The Final Battle," site-wide collaboration. It's in my favorites.

2004 - May - "The Battle of the Pitch"(introductory story line) - posted


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Oh my, I finished this rather quickly! it was such riveting read that I finished it all at once :)

The invention of the 'teeth' was marvelous; the name even more so than the function itself!

Even though I knew what was coming, I loved getting there. I'm so excited to see the stories tie in! Back to Children's Crusade! :)

Author's Response: Rivetting? Wow! That's huge praise. Thanks!

I always liked the Teeth - I needed a way to keep R/Hr from just apparating away from trouble, the Teeth were the solution. But they almost worked TOO well. I couldn't figure out how they would escape!

Really glad you enjoyed this tale and thanks for the great review!

Eldy

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It was an interesting choice to have Bellatrix finally kill Harry. I'm intrigued by all the sub-plots sort of stringing together in this and the previous chapter!

This surely would have made for a creepy and unpleasant end to the series. I'm almost glad it ended the way it did; not that this isn't fascinating to read! :)

Author's Response: Good lord, if the books had actually ended this way! Yikes. I'm really glad JKR didn't go all "eldy" with DH. LOL! I like the canon version better, too. But, I always wanted to write a tale where Ron was the undisputed hero. The only way I could find to pull that off was to have the Battle of Hogwarts end in an unthinkable nightmare. Clocks is the result.

Killing Harry off and trying to stay within the canon framework of wand mastery and blood protection was NOT easy. I worked at it pretty hard, only to find, once I'd finished I left a bit of a plot hole. Happy mistake, tho, because I was able to use that plot hole to write Crusade. This gets explained in the 7th Chapter of Children's Crusade, entitled "Choosing to be Chosen."

Again, really appreciating all these great reviews. Thanks!

Eldy

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So I took your advice and started here. Again, I love the way you write scenes with a lot of action. They're still remarkably clear and concise while also being descriptive enough to hold my attention. Juxtaposed alongside a lot of action scenes, yours is so easy to read; not like the unfortunately overdone 'all this cool stuff happened but I'm not going to say how' kinda action... If you know what I mean haha? Gosh, all my reviews sound a little silly; I write them just before bed and as such can't quite string a sentence together properly haha.

Anyway, I'm excited to read this and also to get back to Children's Crusade! :)

Author's Response: Your reviews NEVER sound silly. I think they're great. And Thanks!! Reviews always make my day.

Action writing just kinda comes easy to me. Writing emotion, though, that I find very hard, although several of my friends out here can do it as easily as taking a breath. I guess we all just have different aptitudes. That said, I'm glad you're liking it. I wanted this chapter to be a real "grabber."

Thanks again!

Eldy

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Ahhh! I was never expecting that ending!! Really brilliant story though. There were a couple factual flaws here and there, but generally very, very good. I'm in awe of how creative this plot was!

Author's Response: Thanks so much for the great review. As to the flaws, I saw those too. Killing Harry off and staying within the canon framework on wand mastery wasn't easy. When I finally came up with how to do it, I was pretty proud of myself. Then I realized I'd missed somting rather important. Luckily, I was able to use this oversite to write the sequel: "Children's Crusade." Its completed and posted.

Thanks for the praise of the plot. I set out to write a story in which Ron was the undisputed hero; unfortunately, to pull that off I had to eliminate practically the entire cast. And the ending? There just didn't seem to be a better way for Ron to prove himself than making the ultimate sacrifice for his Hermione.

I'm glad you liked it and hope to hear from you if you read the sequel.

Eldy

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I really liked how Ron compared himself to Harry, wondering if that was how he always felt and how he’s become so determined. That last part really brought out the fact that Ron and Hermione only have each other now and it feels like their relationship has really intensified because of the battle and all that they’ve been through, their desperation and fear. It was nice to slow down a bit in this chapter to really take everything in. And, of course, again the writing was fantastic!

I love that you wanted to make Ron the hero because he has always been my favourite character and not just because of the comic relief. My favourite scene was when he returned in DH and destroyed the Horcrux so him being the hero is something I’m really excited about.

:) Happy one-year anniversary for yesterday then! Oh, and I found this through Story Seekers #8 which I just finished listening to last night and I thought I'd read the first one first and then move on to Children's Crusade. I'm so glad I started here.

Author's Response: I thought if Ron were in a situation as horrid as this, he couldn't help but get a better insight into what Harry's life had been like. I'm glad you liked that.

This chapter is a bit of a breather, for the most part. I'm glad you think it works. Pacing can be a problem, especially with a story as short as this. Rest assured my later works are more lengthy.

Another Ron suporter eh? Great! Well I never write him as a git; occasionally he gets some great one-liners and is the target of some humor, but he gives as good as he gets.

Thanks for the anniversary wishes!

Storyseekers, eh? I owe Lovlyrita big time. So's you know, the sequel to this, "Children's Crusade," actually has three prequels of its own. Battle of the Pitch, Best Laid Plans and The Proposal.

Thanks again for the great review!

Eldy

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Ah! You twisted it! So that's where the story veers into AU, I was wondering when the huge deviation was going to come. It's interesting how you've done it and I'm intrigued as to what Harry knew and now Voldemort knows. I liked hearing from Hagrid and it's really sad that he's become so weak.

I can't wait to read more but it's really late so I look forward to reading more tomorrow. And oh Hagrid, why'd you have to go and say Voldemort's name?!

Author's Response: This was the hard part: killing Harry and staying within the canon framework. It took me a while to come up with a solution. There was no "one spell" fix.

But, it turns out I overlooked somthing when I came up with my solution. Luckily, the plot hole I left here allowed me to write the sequel, "Children's Crusade."

Yep. Hagrid just caused a real problem for them. But...well, I don't want to give anything away.

thanks again for reviewing Clocks on its first anniversary!

Eldy

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Again, blowing me away with your writing. It was horrible reading the fates of all the characters but so compelling and I'm sitting here in shock that all of the Weasley family are gone. This adds to the fact that Ron and Hermione only have each other which is what I think you were going for.

Your description makes me feel like I'm actually in the story, it's really immersive. I'm so glad I've got the rest of this fic to read and then the sequels, I have a feeling I'm going to be up all night reading your work - it's just brilliant!

Author's Response: Wow! Amazing review here.

The driving force behind this fic was that I wanted to write a story where Ron was the undisputed hero - but in order to do that, I had to have the Battle of Hogwarts end in an unthinkable nightmare, with nearly everyone dead.

This fic was my first, its a little rough in places, so to hear it praised like this really makes my day.

Thanks!

Eldy

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Wow. This is the first chapter and I'm already blown away; this is amazing.

One thing that really stood out for me was Ron thinking about Harry not being there: "Could use the help mate." I don't know why but that really just caught me.

Author's Response: Thanks for this great review!

The line you pointed out is one of my favorites. It's kind of desperate and sad, I always thought.

Really curious as to how you found this tale, my first on this site. It's one year old today, as a matter of fact.

Thanks again!

Eldy

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Oh my goodness, I'm crying! I can't believe Ron died! Poor Ron :( He did it to save Hermione and his child. That's so touching, but I wish he could have lived!

Depressing ending aside, this was a wonderful story. Your writing was brilliant and you had perfect characterization of both Ron and Hermione. I'm very eager to read the sequel to this piece. You came up with such neat ideas for this story, so I'm sure the sequel will be just as creative!

10/10
-ronsgirl29

Author's Response: There is no higher praise. Thank you.

I knew Ron had to die in the end. This really didn't work any other way. In fact, I almost titled this story "Hermione's Lament." But I was afraid that would give away too much, so I used a line from "Funeral Blues" as the title.

there is another stanza from that poem I wanted to include, but the ToS wouldn't allow it. here it is:

"He was my north, my south, my east and west,
My working week and Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song.
I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong."

Rest assured, the sequel, "Children's Crusade," was written with the intent to set right everything that went wrong.

I can't thank you enough for all these great reviews. Like I said, "Clocks" was my first fic on this site and I was always a little bummed it didn't get more play. Getting reviews for it is always a treat.

Until the next time...

Eldy

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Oh man, I would feel bad for Yaxley if he wasn't so evil! That couldn't have been a pleasent way to die.

I'm not sure how it will happen, but I really hope Ron and Hermione get out of this okay. Off to the last chapter!

-ronsgirl29

Author's Response: Not pleasant at all, but I always thought he deserved what he got here. Will they get away? Well, the next chapter leads us into the cliffhanger we were left with in Chapter 1.

Maybe i should apologize now...

Eldy

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Another amazing chapter! The fight between them was some really brilliant writing, you capture emotions well.

Sorry, I would leave a longer review but I want to get to the next chapter!

-ronsgirl29

Author's Response: No worries about length. I do the same thing when I read and review! LOL! That's actually very high praise.

The fight scene took some doing; it went thru countless rewrites. I'm really glad you thought it worked.

Thanks again!

Eldy

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Oh man, so Teddy died too. :/ I swear your trying to make me cry! I like this chapter though, lots of action. I can't believe that Ron and Hermione managed to get themselves out of that! I thought at least one of them would have been captured or something. I'm happy they didn't though! And then you end the chapter with a huge bombshell, Hermione's pregnant! Ohh myyy.

Off to chapter 7!

Author's Response: This is one of my favorite chapters. I'm really glad you like it.

The Dark Lord's Teeth really were the key to this tale. I needed a way to trap Ron and Hermione in the country and prevent them from Apparating away from any trouble they might get into.

The problem was I did it a little too thoroughly. I couldn't figure out a way for them to escape after the fighting started.

It was odd the way I found an "out" for them. That portion where Ron is making his silent prayer to Harry was really me voicing my frustration at trying to find an escape. Then my muse served up the image of a tower in the distance, pretty much the way Ron saw it.

And yes, she's pregnant. This will change everything.

Eldy

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Teddy!? Omg please tell me the death eaters didn't get to Teddy too. All my favorites are dying! What PotterWatch described sounds horrible. I feel bad for all the witches and wizards in this story, nobody is really safe.

Your writing is amazing, you really show the feelings of the characters and everything just flows. I'm super jealous haha

off to the next chapter,
-ronsgirl29

Author's Response: A world in which Voldemort won is NOT a nice place. Once Voldemort knew his horcrux secret was out, he resolved to kill everyone that even had a remote connection to Harry - he simply did not want to take the chance of his secret getting out.

Thanks again!

Eldy

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Aww, this chapter was nice in a bittersweet way. I'm glad Hermione and Ron love each other so much, but it's so sad that there's basically no hope for them at this point. And poor Ron had to go through Bills house :/

Another great chapter!
-ronsgirl29

Author's Response: With all they've been thru, and no real rest since before they broke into Gringotts, I thought they needed this break.

But things are about to get a lot more complicated and difficult.

Thanks again!

Eldy

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Oh no, Voldemort knows everything? How in the world is this going to work out in a happy ending?! Unless, there is no happy ending.. (le gasp) I hope that isn't the case. Haha, anyway great chapter! I'm really enjoying this story, even if it is making me want to cry (:

-ronsgirl29

Author's Response: I usually try to warn folks that read this that its a "three hanky" story. Sorry I didn't mention that before you started reading.

Yes. Voldy knows everything Harry did. All of his secrets, even Snapes memories. It was the only way I could think of that would be a convincing and "canon" way for Voldy to kill him. And Harry had to be out of the picture for this story to work.

Thanks so much for the great review!

Eldy

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OK, I'm actually shaking right now. That was just so good. Horrifically, violently, tragically good. I knew it was coming, right from the start the inevitable end was apparent, but it didn't make it any less gut-wrenching when I got here.

I adored his final moments - the way you catalogue their lives together, capturing each pivotal moment perfectly with a few words. Then the "focus, Weasley" pulling us back into the present, reminding us each time of what was coming, and so forcing us to relive it over and over again, before it even happened.

The choice of words at the end are also brilliant - this story has ended, despite the sliver of hope in Hermione's survival, on a truly dark and despairing note, and this captures that. Nothing can be of good, because she's lost everyone, and all that they fought for remains. Really moving stuff.

Will not be reading the sequels until I have recovered, but will eventually brave them, as you are clearly a superb writer who should be charging us for the pleasure of reading your works!

Author's Response: Ella, thank you so much for the kind words. I know this isn't a particularly easy fic to read, especially the ending, as its so tragic.

The build up to his hurling the Fiendfyre went thru about 10 drafts before it was done - the poem at the end, however, was always meant to be there, even from the begining.

The Sequel. Yes, there is a silver lining here. I couldn't let this tale end this way. "Children's Crusade," tries to set right everything that's gone wrong in Clocks. It will be here waiting for you.

Thank you again so much. Its been an honor and a pleasure getting these reviews from you.

Eldy

P.S. Great Job as Gryffindor's Star Reviewer!! You did a terrific job and we're all indebted to you!

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Aw, this chapter makes me want to cry :/ I think it's a very interesting take on the final battle to have all of them die, but it's still extremely sad. Especially Ron losing his whole family. It was sad enough losing just Fred, now all the Weasleys are gone! I'm excited to see how this story goes though, I've never read anything like it!

-ronsgirl29

Author's Response: Ok, blushing here.

This was my first fic. I wrote it nearly a year ago now. My intent was to write a story in which Ron was the undisputed hero. But, I realized, in order to do that, nearly everyone would have to die and the Battle of Hogwarts would have to end in an unthinkable nightmare. "Stop All The Clocks" is the result.

Reviews like this make my day!

Eldy

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This just keeps getting more chilling! I love the plan they eventually settle on - it's logical, well thought out, and comparatively safe compared to anything I could come up with. Sadly, it doesn't seem to have ended too well, either for Yaxley (good riddance - this story has really hardened me!) or for them.

I love the little comment about wingardium leviosa - that it so perfect for that moment, helping to break up the darkness a little, without being so funny or glib that it feels out of place. It was more of a nostalgic comment that a true pun, and that really added something bittersweet.

Would say more but I have to see how it ends, no matter how much I'm dreading it!

Author's Response: It took me a while to try and figure out how the Teeth work and how Hermione would find a way thru it, after experimenting on it. Again, I'm really pleased you think it works.

Yaxley. The git! It seems everyone, by this point in the tale, is ready for blood. me included. he got what was coming to him. But Hermione did pay a price for it.

The Wingardium line is about the only humor in the whole story - it was intended to be a bittersweet/nostalgic moment. The fact you thought it came across that way really makes my day.


Eldy

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This is so spot on it's like you're channeling JKR. A dark JKR writing solely for adults, but JKR nonetheless.

Ron and Hermione reach whole new levels of spot-on-ness (which is so a word!) in the argument. Both of them have good points, and both of them sound just like Harry's friends, with Harry's kind of morals. I love how you have Hermione throwing Ron's earlier defection in his face - not only is this very Hermione, but both this and the Remus comment tie this in nicely with the canon plot that it stems from. Really keeps the story grounded, and thus makes it seem richer with only a few extra words.

Really intrigued as to how they're going to test his theory, though again, I'm pretty sure I don't want to know, given that we're undoubtedly coming up to the point of the first chapter. Eeek!

Author's Response: The row between Ron and Hermione went through so many re writes I never thought it would be ready to post.

The fact you think its "dark JKR" is really flattering. Thank you!

Ron's defection, I always thought, was a low blow. But, I absolutely think it was somting she would say here. Likewise, Ron's mentioning harry's fight with Remus. If it wasn't for that, Ron never would have won this fight.

The test is going to be gruesome. I hope you got another cup of cocoa...

Eldy

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I'm really liking this! This chapter was wonderfully written and there was a lot of action! Usually it takes a few chapters to get into fighting and whatnot but you started it off with a bit of a bang, which I really like.

Can't wait to read the next chapter,
Ronsgirl29

Author's Response: Hey! Thanks for dropping by and leaving a great review!

I always like to start with a bang. One of my weaknesses. Originally, this chapter was a lot longer, but, during the final edit I cut it down to what's here now because I realized I'd given too much away.

I almost never start posting a fic until it's completely done precisely because, the way my muse works, I know there will be colossal plot edits as I go. I never thought a change as significant as cutting a 1400 word chapter in half would be fair to my readers.

Thanks again!

Eldy

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Ah, how do you do that? I expected many things in this chapter, but I NEVER expected that. Pregnant? Awesome plot twist. Heck, I'll even forgive the earlier ickiness, now I know it was for a noble and plot-based cause. Not completely, of course, but mostly. :-)

Great chapter - extremely tense and exciting, and as clever as ever. Love the concept of line of sight apparating, and of using the lighthouse to escape. Also love the fact that the whole Tonks house thing was a set up. For the love of Merlin I'm hoping it happened post Teddy and his grandmother escaping though. Call me an optimist.

Author's Response: The Dark Lord's Teeth were really the key to this tale. I needed a way to trap Ron and Hermione both to keep them locked in the country and to stop them from simply Apparating away any time they got in a tight spot.

The problem was I was too thorough. Once this chase started, I had no idea how to get them out! Then, I got the image of the tower (odd, some people see a lighthouse, some see a radio tower), much as Ron did and they were finally able to escape.

Don't hit me, but Teddy and Andromeda didn't make it. Voldy is intent on making sure NO ONE who could even have a chance of knowing about his secret survives. Sorry!

As for Hermione's pregnancy, yep, that was a key plot device, as will be made even more clear in the next chapter.

Great review!

Eldy

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Oh my goodness - I forgot about Teddy too! Go duo, go!

Anyway, back to the story proper. This pretty much confirms what I'd picked out of the previous chapter, but it's good to see that Hermione and Ron have worked it out too, and so worked out how to do what was left for them. As for everything else... whoa, you are one dark writer! Again, not a criticism, just a response to the gruesomeness. Somehow, the fact that you aren't too visual about describing most of it makes it more dark - the whole "leaving it to the reader's imagination" trick used at its best.

Must go see how Teddy is! Please don't have killed him!

Author's Response: You've pretty much been able to anticipate the plot twists here, so my hats off to you!

Dark, yes indeed. The AU is a HORRIBLE place. Rest assured, my other fic is not NEARLY this twisted and evil. Nonetheless, a world in which Voldy won...I found it hard to imagine, even when I put my mind to it - this is what I came up with.

I'm just happy the books DID NOT end this way.

Thanks again!

Eldy

P.S. Teddy? well...

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OK, so I really want to like this chapter, and it is written fantastically well... but Ron and Hermione intimacy just squicks me beyond all telling! Dunno why, but it probably has to do with having read about every moment of their lives from ages 11 to 18. Still, from an objective point of view, it was very well written and suitable to the storyline and prior violence of the piece, which does tend to bring out extreme reactions (not that it's all that extreme, given that they've been into each other for most of those 7 years).

So yes, technically great, but I'm now going to quickly move on to the next chapter and pretend it never happened. Sorry, my issue, not your story's!

Author's Response: I totally understand your reaction to their "scene." Your not the first person to have that problem. That said, I do appreciate your trying to get past that and see the tale for what it is. And, heck, they are of age now...

Thanks so much!

Eldy

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