Twelve Months, chapter one

[Dina]

  Oh, just what Harry needs. To kill another sexual partner.

[Snark Knight]

I hadn't thought about how Lara will react to Harry dealing with grief, other than trying to use it to gain some kind of advantage over him.  Lara is the closest thing to being immortal as a flesh and blood being can get.  Though she can be killed, she barely ages.  I wonder if she has ever felt grief herself.   
Do White Court vamps ever feel and suffer through grief in their own extended lives?  To feel grief you probably have to have empathy, otherwise you wouldn't feel anything.  But most White Court vamps seem to revel in their own psychopathy, if the conversations we've he have heard with Lord Raith, Madeline Raith, Madrigal Raith and Vito Malvora are any indication.  Empathy just isn't their thing.

I think she'd probably say she grieved some of the half-brothers their father killed before they could become competition.  Then again, she was ready to, with obvious reluctance, follow his order to kill Thomas too.  She may also have been to one degree or another somewhat fond of some some of the people she's consumed, though obviously short of true love - perhaps enough to regret "how it has to be", but not much more than that.  So whatever she felt and would self-describe as grief was probably *very* muted, compared to messy human emotions.

[Mira]

If they do get married, I expect the consummation to turn violent (and Harry will kill Lara):  WoJ has stated that Whampire-Mojo and the Winterknight-mantle interact in explosive and uncontrollable ways.

Or Mab is secretly hoping that Lara will kill Harry.

[g33k]

Or Mab is secretly hoping that Lara will kill Harry.

No, Mab has been spending a lot of her time and energy on building up Harry.

Remember, Mab is the commander-in-chief of the armies of the Outer Gates, and has been for most of 1000 years; the wheels are turning and the cycles coming 'round, and a Big Apocalyptic event with Outsiders is coming.  And there's nobody in the mortal realm ("mortal" being a necessity for the WK role) who can do the whole "Outsider fighting" gig like a Starborn.

Mab needs to forge Harry to be as good a weapon as possible, and she's harsh with him because she sees that harshness as the best way to weaponize him.

[Mira]

No, Mab has been spending a lot of her time and energy on building up Harry.

Remember, Mab is the commander-in-chief of the armies of the Outer Gates, and has been for most of 1000 years; the wheels are turning and the cycles coming 'round, and a Big Apocalyptic event with Outsiders is coming.  And there's nobody in the mortal realm ("mortal" being a necessity for the WK role) who can do the whole "Outsider fighting" gig like a Starborn.

Mab needs to forge Harry to be as good a weapon as possible, and she's harsh with him because she sees that harshness as the best way to weaponize him.

I am not so sure, Mab may begin to see Harry as a threat, especially allied with Molly. And don't think she didn't take note, like the White Council did, that Harry has his own pixie army loyal to him and that they can do plenty of damage.  Lara would also make an excellent Winter Knight, while she might want some independence, she doesn't have the moral qualms that Harry has, making her maybe more useful to Mab.

[g33k]

I am not so sure, Mab may begin to see Harry as a threat, especially allied with Molly ...

I suspect Mab of having the kind of monomaniacal fanaticism that puts "personal survival" somewhere below her own top-3 priorities.  By her lights, any Winterfae who can take her out deserve to inherit the Queen of Air and Darkness' mantle, and she hopes they are at least as innovative & tricky in fighting the Outsiders as they were in killing her...

... And don't think she didn't take note, like the White Council did, that Harry has his own pixie army loyal to him and that they can do plenty of damage ...

It's questionable how much they can actually oppose Mab.  Between CD & SG, Mab subverted all the Pixie-borne messengers Harry tried to send to Molly (trying to get Molly's help with "the parasite").

Of course Mab absolutely noticed Harry taking down Aurora via Pixie warband; she will have immediately developed countermeasures for that, and anything derivative (such as Captain Hook's nail javelins); also their work intercepting Ethniu's kamikazes on the castle-roof, and more.

Mab has been living and breathing Winterfae tactics & strategies for over a thousand years, so even if Harry comes up with novelties, she will adapt incredibly-quickly (and she has an incredibly-deep playbook to draw upon).
 

[Dina]

I think Mab actually treasures Harry. She does not want to show it, of course, but I think she does.  Besides I believe they are growing closer, somewhat understanding each other. When they met, Harry says that Mab is too alien to understand but I do not think that is still true for him. Also, personal opinion here, some of you probably remember my old theory. Someday Mab is going to ask Harry to kill her. It will backfire because at the time Harr y will love her (not as a romantic partner!) and so he will be free of the WK work while still having his healthy spine.

[Mira]

It's questionable how much they can actually oppose Mab.  Between CD & SG, Mab subverted all the Pixie-borne messengers Harry tried to send to Molly (trying to get Molly's help with "the parasite").

As has been noted, Toot is getting larger and shouldn't be underestimated.  Mab won't.

[Dina]

In my opinion, Mab will only encourage her Knight. The wild folk are loyal to him, not just because they are fae and are forced to pay their debts. They are truly loyal. And Mab knows what difficult that is. If she loses Harry, she will loose that. She will prefer to exploit him. Also, Harry did that without being ordered or prompted. It is who he is. And Mab knows that could be the gift that keeps given.

[Mira]

In my opinion, Mab will only encourage her Knight. The wild folk are loyal to him, not just because they are fae and are forced to pay their debts. They are truly loyal. And Mab knows what difficult that is. If she loses Harry, she will loose that. She will prefer to exploit him. Also, Harry did that without being ordered or prompted. It is who he is. And Mab knows that could be the gift that keeps given.

Or a threat, especially if you add Molly into the mix.