No, I am not human. But if you believe that only humans have a soul, your view of Creation is limited. Would you deny the angry willow a soul? Would you deny the ginger cat a soul? The rats you want me to catch? Would you deny that a werewolf has a soul?
Finrod
To Face the Wolf
by Maglor's_finch
This fic is a beautiful touch on a crazy idea worthy of a Crack Fic, namely, what would happen if you crossed over The Silmarillion and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. However, the author has done an excellent work and the immersion is incredible. Expect lots of crowning moments.
Tropes:
- Arbitrary Skepticism: Finrod finds Lupin's disbelief in Trelawney's divination to be this. Then he meets her...
- Awful Truth: Subverted. After finding out about the existence of The Silmarillion, Dumbledore and Lupin believe that Finrod is a fictional character. When Finrod finds the book, though, he doesn't mind, and he declares that it doesn't mean he doesn't exist.
- A Day in the Limelight: For Lupin and Finrod both secondary characters in their stories.
- Broken Pedestal: The other Gryffindors' responses to Hermione reading a fiction book in class.
- Continuity Nod: Quite a few, from both sources:
- Finrod denying the existence of magic. The Ainur and the Elves in the Tolkienverse don't consider their arts and skills to be magic-based.
- The Harry Potter characters thinking the "Beleriand" name has a Celtic ring.
- Christmas Elves: House Elves. The name confusion between Finrod's kind and Hogwarts house elves causes some difficulty.
- Dramatic Irony: The reader knows the Awful Truth about the Book Within a Book long before the main characters.
- Entertainingly Wrong: They assume Trelawney's prediction refers to Beren and Luthien.
- Fanservice: Finrod in a Modesty Towel.
- Faux Horrific: Snape's response to The Silmarillion backed up by the parts he brings up or reads out loud. Given he also thinks the author's a Dark Wizard he might be falling into the
symbolic and political versions too. - Fix Fic: Hermione's actions, which cause the situation, are something of a meta-twist on an attempt to do this and a Self-Insert Fic.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: Coming from a very ancient age, Finrod is fascinated by more modern technology such as plumbing (more so than he is by magic, in fact).
- Foreshadowing:
- Finrod noticing Remus looking at Helluin, or Sirius the Dog Star, and seeing it more clearly than Remus.
- Mixed with a Continuity Nod — Snape reading about upheaval about a piece of jewellery bursting with dark magic.
- Guilt by Coincidence: Being the only werewolf in the Castle, if Finrod wasn't able to testify otherwise, Lupin would have been taken to be the attacker. Snape is especially convinced he is.
- Inspector Javert: Snape's pre-existing role as this in regards to Sirius Black (and Lupin who he regards as a danger) is extended to Finrod.
- I Just Want to Have Friends: Lupin's loneliness caused by death of his best friends so long ago and his condition explain why he bonds to Finrod so quickly. At one point he compares Finrod calling him friend to chocolate after an encounter with a Dementor.
- Janitor Impersonation Infiltration: Finrod impersonates Snape to get around the school without attracting students' notice. Although his disguise is physically perfect he wears a blue robe. Hilarity Ensues
- Magic Music: Performed by Finrod. Even Snape is moved by it.
- Magic A Is Magic A: Subverted. Unlike many, this author remembers that magic from Harry Potter and magic from Arda run on very different rules. The wizards aren't quite sure how to classify Finrod.
- Mind Rape: Mentioned. Finrod is of the opinion that attacking the mind is as bad as physical rape.
- Mistaken Age: Finrod guesses that Hermione is sixteen. Given the differences in the ageing processes of Elves and men it's understandable.
- Perverse Sexual Lust: While not sexual (given her age) Hermione's reaction to Finrod when reading can definitely be taken as a crush.
- Pretty Boy: Unsurprisingly being an elf, Finrod. Snape says he'd make the young Sirius Black, Lucius Malfoy and Tom Riddle look plain.
- Realistic Diction Is Unrealistic: Finrod after having mastered English. Especially when trying to convince people about something. Exaggerated after The Reveal when even the other character's notice. The former is somewhat justified in that Finrod has had centuries of experience as leader. There is some justification for the latter part in Canon in that Elves are supposedly very good at mimicking different kinds of speech in foreign languages but tend naturally to an archaic sounding type and with the truth out Finrod might revert to this.
- Sadistic Choice:
- Finrod's: "Then it seems that I will have to choose between an innocent I don't know and one I do know".
- Lupin's all choices come down to this.
- Screw Destiny. Averted. Finrod accepts his both prior to and during the story.
- Shown Their Work:
- Of Tolkien's work. The difference in Elvish philosophy to Human is portrayed perfectly showing knowledge of more than just even The Silmarillion.
- Of human philosophy too, Small Reference Pools are averted with Snape mentioning not just Plato but also Plotinus.
- Shout-Out: To Shakespeare's Hamlet, which was apparently originally a lot Lighter and Softer with Hamlet himself inducing Draco in Leather Pants.
- Telepathy: How Finrod learns English and communicates with Dog!Sirius, Crookshanks and the Whomping Willow.
- Time Dissonance: As expected with Immortal Elves and Humans.
- This Is My Human: Crookshanks' opinion of Hermione.
- Worthy Opponent: Snape loathes Hermione but he admits she is one of the few usually sensible students.
