WeAreSevenStudios's avatar
Oh hey - I just realized that he's reading his self-sacrificing girlfriend a story whose ending he's altered to include the ill-fated female fighting back.
And I now remember that Rowling specifically mentioned unnamed maiden in "The Warlock's Hairy Heart" as being the only passive female in the collection, as well as the one with an unhappy ending.

I love details like that in your writing. I'm looking forward to getting caught up, so I can re-read and see what other elements, like that one, I've overlooked.