Name: nevilleherosnape (Signed) · Date: 06/06/10 16:44 · For: Veils

Very nice! I love it! Even neater if later, much later she gives it back to Harry and he tells her who Sirius Black is!

Author's Response: Oooh, possibly ... Thank you very much for the review. ~Carole~

Name: littlewolf (Signed) · Date: 06/06/10 13:52 · For: Veils

nice nice =) i like how you show petunia is really lily's sister! =D they are so unalike in the books and in most other stories, people just go all the way to emphasize the difference and pretty much condemns petunia. i like how you showed that petunia and lily were really close, and then snape came and "stole" lily away and looked down on petunia - so she retaliated by hating everything magic. and i also liked how Edna Dursley came in and changed Petunia to the "clean-freak" and the somewhat bitter character we saw in the books.

awesome. *thumbs up*

Author's Response: Thank you very much. I didn't want Petunia to be totally horrible. I like toi think that if it hadn't been for Snape and later Vernon, her and Lily might have been closer. Of course she was jealous of her sister, but she could have become reconciled to it eventually. I think Vernon and Edna were Petunia's wayof rebelling against her family. Thanks again ~Carole ~

Name: chattyswimmer (Signed) · Date: 06/06/10 12:38 · For: Veils

*sigh*
I just wanted to write a quick note to say that I loved this. Fantastic storytelling!

Author's Response: Thank youuuuuuuu! I struggled with this one, until I'd got the hook at the end, so I appreciate your compliments. ~Carole~

Name: hestiajones (Signed) · Date: 06/06/10 5:11 · For: Veils

I know how everyone was trying hard to think of anything other than fluff for those prompts, and yet, you all seem to be doing really great! But – if I were asked to choose a favourite (and, mind you, I’ve enjoyed reading all the entries), I’d pick this one. Yes, I’m a sucker for ME fic, and I love Prongs to death, but it’s just the way it is written, and your utter genius of coming up with great plots. Because I know you struggled with this story particularly hard, it’s a wonder how this story seems to read so easily, as though you wrote it within an hour without a single break.

I love Petunia here. I mean, I don’t love her, but how she’s been written. I see this is before her marriage, before Lily dies and she goes to hating her memories in peace, when her sister is still alive to vividly remind her of the relationship they shared as kids. That Petunia, torn between her jealousy and the love she once had for her sister, is very much apparent here.

James – ah! Merlin. I think I am even more in love with him after reading this. Hmmm…Anyway, I thought both Sirius and James were so Marauder-y here, and my favourite, favourite part is Sirius’ note at the end. That made me tear up. That seriously did because…well, it made me sad about everything – their youth, their laughter, their innocence, all of those things which they were going to lose pretty soon. Sirius showed he cared in his own way, and for once – for a second – I may have felt more attracted to him than James.

Lily was such a darling here. I got so angry for her. If only Petunia hadn’t been Petunia, Lily would have given her so much happiness. And the gift was wonderful. I had a feeling Lily would somehow end up making Petunia wear it. LOl! I just had no clue how that was going to happen. Haha!

As for the Dursleys, yyeeeuugh! That is a perfect representation of how I imagined them to be. It sucks Petunia had to get Vernon for a boyfriend, and then take his perspective as the final one, and then be ashamed of her own parents, who seem to be wonderful people.

Oh! How this review has run on. And I have no crit to offer. *sniff* I can only wish you the best of luck for the challenge.

~Natalie.

Author's Response: Thank you for the review. I'm glad you picked up on the innocence and laughter of Siriius, because this was a joyful happy time for them. I wanted it to be a respite from the war that they knew they were facing. And now I want to cry ... Yes, Lily was a darling... but also quite cheeky ... ha ha. I think she enjoyed pulling the odd prank and she did upset the vicar. MMm, I kinda wish Petunia had found another boyfriend. But I fear Sirius has come into her life far too late. She's lumbered with Vernon. OOH, and btw, Vernon's jacket buttons were because he was fat ... and nothing to do with magic ... I think... possibly. Unless I change my mind in Lions ... ha ha. thanks again ~Carole~

Name: witch1561 (Signed) · Date: 06/06/10 4:57 · For: Veils

This story made me laugh, but also feel sorry for Petunia. I think she is a character to be pitied, even though she hasn't exactly been nice, because Lily can't have been an easy younger sister to have. I like the "she's a -showoff" bit very much.

I also like having Mrs Evans have a flower name so the two girls were named after her, but I feel Dahlia is a bit too unusual, especially for the time period. Maybe you know more about the history of the name than I do, but I sort of feel Daisy (which is a nickname for Margaret) would have been better - why would her parents have given her a flower name? If it's unusual and she was teased about it, she wouldn't do the same thing to her daughters.

Author's Response: Ah, now Dahlia is a name that would have been used in that era - when Mrs Evans was born I mean (1930's) There were characters in the books of PG Wodehouse, and Agatha Christie called Dahlia, so that's why I chose it. Flower names in that time period were very popular as were jewel names (Ruby, Emerald, Pearl etc etc). Anyway that's my explanation :). I'm glad you enjoyed the story ... Ha - the 'show-off' line. I wrote that in a drabble two years ago and revived it for this story. Thanks for the review ~Carole~

Name: msk8 (Signed) · Date: 06/05/10 22:22 · For: Veils

OMG! I love it. It sounds exactly like Sirius to be stealing the veil. I can't wait to read the Lions of Gryffindor version. :) I like how it is humorous and gives readers a chance to see Petunia and Vernon react to James.

Author's Response: OOH, well the Lions version will be a while yet, as I see this happening in their final year, and Lily's just started seeing that pesky American ... Thank you for the review and I'm pleased tou liked the story. ~Carole~

Name: Sdogg (Signed) · Date: 06/05/10 17:54 · For: Veils

I LOVE IT! It is sweet, sad, and quite funny all at the same time - I have no idea how you do it. And I really like stories about Petunia that go behind the mask she normally wears :)

Author's Response: I've not written much Petunia ... in fact this is based off a drabble I wrote nearly two years ago - so that was the inspiration. Thanks for the review ~Carole~

Name: lucca4 (Signed) · Date: 06/05/10 16:56 · For: Veils

Great job with this story!! It made me laugh--I love the part especially where James gets upset at the suggestion that Padfoot sleep in Lily's room (: Really, really, REALLY well done, I love the idea that Petunia kind of looked up to her younger sister in a way, and didn't completely despise her. Also, great job with Vernon's mother, she was absolutely horrible ^.^ I never really liked Petunia much, but I like how you gave her hatred of magic some depth and didn't characterize her as a Miss-Prim-and-Proper--I like how you left that up to the Dursleys.
All in all, this story was wonderful! I'm wondering, though, if there's going to be mild Sirius/Petunia in Lions of Gryffindor? I think it's sweet that she has a thing for him, but I kind of like Sirius/Martha a lot, too...

Author's Response: Thank you very much. I'm glad you liked the bit about Sirius sharing Lily's room - that was my favourite bit too. Sirius/Petunia - hmm, not sure about that. I like Martha much better, too. I think Siriius is just a bit of a flirt, and was also being kind. Plus he had a nudge from Lily. Thanks again ~Carole~