I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of fics where Harry's name inexplicably morphed into Harold and I managed to keep reading. Also, Hadrian. And Harrison.

Lillian is less common and more easily ignored because she's generally already dead. I've seen Lilith a couple of times too.

Makes me wonder why James never gets called Iacomus out of the blue because 'James' is such a plebeian name darling. I'm pretty sure that's why Harry so often gets changed, because it sounds too common?

Completely forgetting that there's a British Royal Prince who goes by Harry, of course. And his given name isn't Hadrian, Harrison or Harold. It's Henry. Never seen Harry become Henry Potter. Strange that. I'd still hate it, of course.

 

James. Plebeian? The name's Bond, James Bond.

 

Ahem. Don't be so sure.

 

Noooooo! What are you doing? Spoiler it, spoiler it now, before anyone sees.

Also, Xandrel, you're avatar matches that post perfectly.

 

Harry is typically, at least in the US, a shortened version of Harold.

The name changes that piss me off are Harrison and Hadrian.

Then again, given that Harry was identified as "Harry James Potter" by the Wizengamot, I think the issue of his name is settled, and changing his name doesn't bring a damned thing to the story

 

Hadrian isn't as bad as changing his name to something even Malfoy would cringe at.

Asmodeous Haephestus Black.

 

At least Hadrian is somewhat english name...

I got one for you: Seraph Orion Black, familial nomen 'The Black Angel of Orion'.

 

The worst part is that I know the author thinks it's cool...

 

This made me think of all the time travel/alternate dimension fics where Harry in his new timeline/dimension is adopted by Sirius and called Orion Black. WTF, Sirius didn't even like his dad, why would he call his 'son' Orion?

 

Probably because he just got out of prison and is high on bath salts. That's the only answer I can see.

 

Damn, just finished catching up on the last four plus pages of this thread.

1. "It was Harry and I" is technically correct as "I" here is a predicate nominative. In pretty much every other case, it's wrong.

2. Teens and sex . . . uh, no. Last nationwide survey, (page 24) only 46 percent of teenagers said they'd previously had sex. Only those in grades 11 and 12 (typically, 16-18) years old were above the 50% mark. Since wizards are 17 when they graduate from Hogwarts (start when they turn 11, 7 years means they are finished as they turn 18), that equates them probably with grade 11 (american system). Hence, if it's anything close to American youth, only fifty some odd percent have ever had sex, which leads to a big pet-peeve of mine . . .

When fanfics make teenagers into twenty and thirty somethings sexually.

3. Fanfic changing of Harry's name. Hate it. Period.

 

Dumbledore saying "For the Greater Good" under any circumstance. The last time he believed that phrase, his sister was killed (possibly by him). It's a good sign for me that I'm reading a bad Fic with Dumbledore Bashing.

 

Absolutely. I hate that phrase in that type of context.

 

It would be cool to see a fic where Harry gets so caught up with "his destiny" and defeating Voldemort post OotP that Dumbledore has to step in and go "Yo, Harry. This Greater Good shit ain't cool. I know- I've been there. You gotta take a step back and think if destroying one monster is worth creating another." (Except, you know, perhaps a bit more eloquent than that.) Then Harry chills the fuck out and the fic moves into the cool down phase where Harry does cool beating Voldemort shit now that the central conflict's over.

 

A new peeve of mine is reading a fic where Remus or Sirius start calling Harry "Cub" or "Pup" this is not canon nor is it cute.

 

Perceptions about sex are vastly different in Europe than they are in the US. Also, they go to a coed boarding school.

 

I wouldn't lump England in with the rest of Europe when it comes to sexuality. Though that could be stereotypes influencing me.

 

Better than Pronglet :facepalm

 

One of the other name changes I hate is using 'Shamus' instead of Seamus.

 

Ain't "shamus" a word of Yiddish origin meaning "private investigator"?