Name: SoGranola (Signed) · Date: 03/24/13 12:19 · For: Second Chance

Heartbreakingly beautiful. I'm all teary over here.

Author's Response: I'm so glad you liked it. Thanks!

Name: Mahi (Signed) · Date: 08/03/11 3:19 · For: Second Chance

The wedding scene, even the joke ill be the one in white seems a little repetitive of the twilight wedding scene. i like the story though.

Author's Response: Huh. I'm not really familiar with that scene, so I will have to chalk that up to coincidence. Glad you liked the story. Thanks for the review.

Name: songspinner (Signed) · Date: 07/28/11 11:13 · For: Second Chance

Lovely! I loved all the tiny character details from both the books and the author's later notes. It made me a bit teary-eyed...also a bit giggly, as one of my best male friends politely threatened my fiance years ago as well. :)

Author's Response: Oh, I'm so glad you liked this and took the time to review. :) I wrote this for a challenge, and absolutely fell in love with this pairing during the process. I plan to write more of them at some point, when real life eases up on my time a bit. Thanks again! ~ Lori

Name: h_vic (Signed) · Date: 01/27/11 13:51 · For: Second Chance

Oh, Lori, this story is just beautiful. It's so bittersweet and understated, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have to confess that it was the gorgeous banner that Julia made for it that drew me in to read it, that and the fact that I knew from the lovely Hannah Abbott drabble that you wrote for me for the I Challenge Thee how well you write her.

Like I said, the bittersweetness was lovely, and I totally understood Hannah's watery, little laugh at the end because I had tears in my eyes but a smile on my lips whilst reading the ending, especially her father's comments about her mum being there with them. I think it was the subtlety of it that worked so well: whilst it was sweet, it wasn't at all saccharine, and whilst it was sad, it wasn't in any way melodramatic. The emotions were really well handled and really well pitched. What this story really does have is heart, and genuine emotion. I think it was very easy to connect to because that feeling of happiness at a special event mixed with regret that someone who you cared about is gone and isn't there is sadly familiar to most people even if the specifics vary, and I think you wrote that wrote that conflicting emotion in a way that was instantly accessible to the reader.

I think that what I enjoyed most of all though were the relationship dynamics between the characters (both Neville and Hannah's relationship, but also Hannah and Hermione's friendship), and the clear thought that you had put into them. So often, writers seem to put loads of focus into characterisation, but then forget that how characters relate to one another is such a vital part of it.

I love the way that you'd clearly thought about why Hannah and Neville would be together in the first place – what connects them. It had never occurred to me before that losing a parent young was something that they had in common, but that made a perfect 'hook', if you will, to hang the relationship on. Similarly, so many authors would expect the reader to accept that of course Hannah and Hermione were always friends but that we just didn't get to see it in canon, I love that, instead, you explained their friendship in a way that did genuinely having me going 'well, of course they are friends'. You made it make so much sense that they had similar temperaments and interests, despite Hermione being more academically inclined, that when they got to know one another through Neville they would become close, and that, with neither of them ever having had a close female friend, they fulfilled a need for female companionship that had been lacking before for both of them (a particularly marked absence as well, I would guess, for Hannah, given the loss of her mother).

One tiny, little thing I wasn't sure of was purely a matter of practicality: the way that, when Hermione joined Hannah just before the wedding, her reaction to Hannah's appearance, and how lovely she looked, seemed as if it were the first time that Hermione had seen her ready, but it just struck me as a little odd that Hermione wouldn't have helped her to get ready (especially in the absence of Hannah's mum). I would have figured that Hannah would have needed a hand with her hair and make up, not to mention that wedding dresses never seem to be the most practical things to get into and out of without some assistance, but then again it's probably all much simpler with magic or perhaps, now that I think about it, Hannah specifically wants to do it alone precisely because her mother isn't there?

I was really impressed, talking of relationships though, by how rounded you made Hannah and Neville's relationship and how many facets of it you managed to show in such a short story; you really showed what made the relationship work and what made them tick as a couple. I liked the balance between the support that they gave one another, but also the protectiveness towards one another that led Hannah not to want to talk about getting upset and Neville to visit his parents alone, because neither wanted to burden the other on what should be a happy day. But then, in contrast to that maturity in their relationship, you've also got hints of passionate young love and a real playfulness that shows that they have a lot of fun together (“I’ll be the one at the back, in white,” is possibly my favourite line). It just makes the relationship feel very real.

This is just an utterly lovely, honest, uncomplicated and heartfelt story, Lori, that I'm so glad I read.

~Hannah

Author's Response: Well, I'm realizing that if I wait until I think I can respond in a manner worthy of this review, it will likely never happen. Um, Greatest Spew Review EVER. LOL. I can't tell you how glad I am that Julia's brilliant banner led you here, Hannah, and that you were able to connect with the story in such as way as to talk about it like this. You really got it, and that means so much. The prompt was to write a minor character on their wedding day, and I just got Hannah stuck in my head, permanently. To be honest, I used to be a Neville/Luna shipper, but after I started thinking about it, and realizing the connection these two shared, and really how powerful a connector grief can be... well, Luna can have Rolf, can't she? And I've been obsessed with Hannah ever since, writing about her nearly as much as I do Hermione.

You make a good point about Hermione. I suppose in my mind, she had been there with Hannah, helping with hair and whatever, and then stepped out for a bit, and then Hannah put on the dress. So this would be the first time she has seen her completely put together. Good observation though... I will give that some more thought. Thank-you so, so much for this amazing review, which I am going to come back and read whenever I am feeling blue. :) I appreciate you taking the time, friend. ~Lori~

Name: SingingWren (Signed) · Date: 12/14/10 21:04 · For: Second Chance

Lovely story! The characterization was very sweet.

"Neville’s reaction was so full of joy that more than one guest worried he might sprint right up the aisle to fetch his bride."

This particular line I thought was quite effective.

You have a very pretty style and I look forward to reading more! Sorry, I'd write a longer review, but my brain is running on far too little sleep at the moment to form my thoughts into coherent words. Summary: Awesome. You know why :)

Author's Response: Ah, you have made my day! No one ever read this fic... poor Neville/Hannah. LOL. Seriously, I'm so glad you liked it and felt the characterization worked. We know a lot about Neville, but it harder with Hannah because you have to keep what we know and invent a few things along the way. She has become one of my favorite characters to write, though most of it has been drabbles. Thanks again for taking the time to read and review this... I'm glad you liked it. ~Lori~

Name: The_Real_Hermione (Signed) · Date: 11/06/10 22:07 · For: Second Chance

I loved this fic - it had a nice balance of Neville/Hannah romance and overcoming their losses from the war. I liked that you included a few laughs (like when Hannah's Dad interrupted them), because it balanced the sadness.

I loved that in the end they were able to overcome their grief and yet still remember their parents. A nicely written fic, and it really showed that Neville and Hannah belong together - before JKR said that he ended up with Hannah, I'd loosely thought Neville and Luna would be together, but your fic makes Neville and Hannah seem perfect.

Author's Response: I completely agree with you--I used to lean toward the Neville/Luna pairing as well. But after I started giving it some more thought, and considered their tragic connection, I fell in love with the idea of Neville and Hannah. It also appeals to me because (in my canon, anyway) they didn't get together at Hogwarts, but later. So glad you enjoyed this. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. :)

Name: Northumbrian (Signed) · Date: 07/29/10 10:08 · For: Second Chance

You know, for a bloke who claims to like action/adventure stuff I seem to read an awful lot of romance. I blame you (and the guarantee of canon-compliance that your stories inevitably have).

There are so many nice touches in this story I don’t know where to begin. As someone who’s written a wedding story I know how difficult it can be to decide on how to approach the tale. I love the set up of this story, from the opening descriptions to the (frankly heartbreaking) way that you gently remind us that this particular couple have, because of the war, only one parent able to attend.

I found it interesting that you didn’t mention Hannah’s other male friend, Justin and I liked the way that you introduced Ernie as Hannah’s friend. I’ve often wondered about Ernie’s feelings towards Hannah. I’ve always been interested in “the Hufflepuff trio” (Hannah, Ernie and Justin). They first appear in CoS and are as interesting, and disparate, as the Gryffindor three we know so well.

The sweet-wrapper, of course, is the final, perfect touch. Congratulations on your second place in the challenge.

Neil


Author's Response: I got a giant cupcake as a gift earlier, and now, a REVIEW (and a long one, at that)! This is the best day ever! :) I have no problem bearing a bit of responsibility for having you read romance. Everyone should read more romance, even me. I'm so glad you liked this. I used to lean toward Neville/Luna, but once I heard Rowling say he ended up with Hannah, and I thought about that connection that they had... I was fully on board with that pairing. And I imagine that much of their relationship, particularly big events like their wedding and even having children, would be tinged with sadness because of those who are not present to share them. Ah, the Hufflepuffs. It's funny because when Natalie betaed this, we talked about how I probably needed to get into why Susan and Hannah were not besties at this time, since she was also a part of that gang. And now you mention Justin as well. I sort of just remember them all being mentioned a lot, but I thought Ernie and Hannah were mentioned more by themselves too. Maybe my memory is failing, and I suppose at some point, I should go back and look into it. What a shameful Puff I am, not knowing all these details. Thanks so much for the lovely review, Neil. It's always such a nice surprise to find activity on my author page! Take care! ~Lori

Name: msk8 (Signed) · Date: 06/07/10 17:44 · For: Second Chance

pretty. I like that you chose a rather obscure but still canon pairing to write about. Neville is one of my favorite charactors, so I'm really glad he was in it. Your language flows very nicely, something which I think can be hard to make happen. I really like this fic. :)

Author's Response: Thanks. I just landed on Hannah somehow for this prompt, and then really enjoyed writing it. Isn't Neville the best? :) Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to review. I appreciate it!

Name: Equinox Chick (Signed) · Date: 05/27/10 8:11 · For: Second Chance

OOOH, I think this is lovely. You know, I'd never considered Hannah and Nevilles tragic connection - that they both lost thier mums, and this has sparked something off in me now *ponders*.

Lori, this is so sweet and I can really see why this pair were meant to be together. I like how you've woven the canon in so well - Erne being her best friend, Hermione not really being a 'girly girl' either. You've done such a good job.

Mnor britpick - we say 'mum' not 'mom' but that's me being my usual annoying self so ignore me.

I have to admit to crying when I realised what hannah had done with the sweet wrapper - very touching moment, I just hope Neville doesn't cry too much when he sees it. Oh, and I laughed when her Dad was calling her and Neville was grumbling. Just wait one more day, Neville! He (Neville I mean) was great in the story. Confident and caring, just the attributes we see in the books (especially the last one).

Lovely story, but sorry about the rather rambling review. ~Carole~

Author's Response: Carole, you have made my day. I'm so glad you liked this. I confess I was not sure Neville and Hannah were the right choice for this prompt, but once I got going, I enjoyed writing it very much. I've been drabbling about them a bit, too... okay, just once, but that is in TTB. I do think the connection of their sadness would have been something that drew them to one another. Shared pain is a powerful connection in all kinds of relationships, I think. Thanks for the correction. I actually used the word two or three times in this, but missed one of those. I'm glad you caught it. I always like knowing those things... so easy to fix, unlike a broken jaw that never stops talking. HA! (which I plan to correct over the summer) I sort of think Neville should discover the wrapper there on his own. He's into flowers, right? So maybe he's looking at the arrangement later, at the reception, and he feels it there like Hermione did... aw, I really love these two. Thanks so much for the lovely review, Carole!

Name: the opaleye (Signed) · Date: 05/12/10 23:57 · For: Second Chance

Lori, that was so touching and beautiful. It was lovely reading something from Hannah's perspective and you pulled off her characterisation really well. I thought it was a touching portrayal of her grief as well as Neville's at the absence of her mother and his parents. Very well done. You brought tears to my eyes :)

Author's Response: Thanks so much Julia. If you had told me a few months ago I would be writing Hannah Abbott, I would have given you a very quizzical look. But I really enjoyed this one... how much do I love Neville? I'm glad you liked it. You know I am a fan of yours, which makes this review even better. :)

Name: DaisyMaeEvans (Signed) · Date: 05/10/10 7:02 · For: Second Chance

Oh, I have tears in my eyes! This is lovely and moving, great job!

Author's Response: Thanks so much. :)

Name: lucygirljb (Signed) · Date: 05/09/10 0:04 · For: Second Chance

This is lovely! I loved learning more about Hannah and I want more! I've read most of your writing and this is my absolute favorite - even though I'm a diehard R/HR reader.

Thanks for sharing your take on their day.

Author's Response: Haha... that makes two of us die hard R/Hr! :) I wasn't sure I would even know how to write another couple, but it was fun trying to figure this out. Glad you enjoyed it... thanks for the review, and for reading my other stories as well.

Name: SiriusBlackIsBack (Signed) · Date: 05/08/10 23:33 · For: Second Chance

it was great

Author's Response: Thanks!

Name: TNash (Signed) · Date: 05/08/10 21:16 · For: Second Chance

Beautiful little vignette. Very well written

Author's Response: Thank you. :)

Name: nevilleherosnape (Signed) · Date: 05/08/10 19:02 · For: Second Chance

I would love for you to know that I absolutely LOVED THIS! I'm sitting here crying like a baby! Happy and sad all at the same time, but mostly happy! GREAT JOB!! LOVE IT LOVE IT!

Author's Response: I'm glad you were able to connect with it... thank so much!

Name: witch1561 (Signed) · Date: 05/08/10 15:59 · For: Second Chance

I really really like this story: Neville and Hannah are similar and yet different and more grown up - they won't ever forget the losses of the war, but now they can hope for a happier future. I think this was very well written and captured all the thoughts and feelings beautifully. Thank you for writing it.

Author's Response: I think big occasions like this make most people sort of melancholy and nostalgic. I couldn't imagine their wedding day coming and going without them both considering the losses that have piled up between them. Thanks so much.