Wow - this is a really interesting take on a particular missing moment, one that I admit I've never actually paid much attention to.

I like your style of writing; it seems, in a way, to match quite accurately the style of JK and fits with the tone of the actual books, but at the same time, you manage to hold your own, and your writing also appears to be quite unique. Your power of description is lovely; you describe both the humourous and poignant scenes with ease and they possess a certain amiable quality to them.

Oh, yes, before I forget. I LOVE your characterisation of Dudley. While sticking with canon, and not wandering off on your own OOC tangent, you've also created new, realistic depths to the character. I find myself relating to Dudley's character - of course, despite the initial fear, there would be the curiosity concerning magic; it's magic, after all!

Vernon's characterisation is also spectacular, and absolutely hilarious.

I look forward to reading more of your chapters :)

~Emma~

Author's Response: Thanks for the review!  I'm glad you like it! :)

Beautiful; simply beautiful. Everything flowed so well and you portrayed Severus' feelings perfectly. In fact, I felt like my heart was being torn apart too as I read this; his pain was so believable. Well done :D

I loved this; I honestly felt her pain and I could imagine her thinking all of this in a lonely cell in Askaban, just waiting till it was all over. I especially liked the line 'I hope you use this second chance, and don't move 'til you take a glance.' I thought that was really moving. What a sacrifice she made! Her love for her son was unconditional and it really knew no bounds. However, maybe you should think of renaming it to 'When I Am Gone' or something along the lines of that; it might attract more readers. Otherwise, brilliant :D

Author's Response: Thank you for the input! I'm so glad you liked my poem. I'm working on a more attention-grabbing title right now! ;-)

Teehee; it's like Extreme Makeover (:

I've a few things to say! First off, I love Caris; I think she's really well written and that she's a fully fledged character in her own right - she's not one of those annoyingly cliched OCs who are there for the sole purpose of being Lily's best friend and mating with one of the male protagonits. I don't think she's a Mary-Sue or even a Mary Poppins; but Godric I'd love to be her! Secondly I think you captured the essence and comraderie of the Marauders really well; I also like the fact you haven't made Peter this robe-wetting irritating follower because he was a Marauder before he became a traitor. Thirdly, I love the romance between Caris and Sirius - it's realistic enough to be relatable but passionate enough to dream about! And fourthly (hmm, is that a word?) I adore the way Sirius uses the word 'love' all the time. Keep up the good work :D

Author's Response: I'm so glad you like it, and thankyou for taking the time to leave such a nice review!

What I love about this story is the your thoroughly effective and striking use of the second person narrative. This often difficult point of view is used expertly; it is woven intricately amongst the vivid, exquisite descriptions and realistic, poignant dialogue. The narrative adds an air of mystery and intrigue to the story - from the very first sentence, the reader is curious as to who has "scurried away from the glaring windows of the castle." As the story develops, it serves to further fuel the overall secrecy and uncertainty of the plot: the delicate and unstable relationship between Remus and Sirius is explored through a more in-depth and personal use of narrative: more distinctive than third person, yet more consuming than first person. The only fault I could find with the use of POV - and it is a minor one at that - is the use of past tense. I find it jarring to the intense prose and wonderful, descriptive imagery; I think it would have been more effective to use present tense, to really encompass the reader into the immediacy and almost impulsiveness of the relationship.

I also adore your use of repetition, particularly in relation to the tree: "…your tree. His tree. The tree." This image is so superbly poignant and touching, and the repetition especially reinforces that concept. The tree is something shared between them: it is theirs, and theirs alone. It is almost like a haven for them; a peaceful place belonging to them amongst the general chaos of Hogwarts, adolescence and socially accepted norms. Perhaps it is even like an escape, and may symbolise what their relationship means to them: something withstanding, strong, everlasting and enduring - it reminds me of a quote from Adrienne Rich's poem 'Power': " a cure… for living on this earth in the winters of this climate."

I love your use of prose; it is soft, yet strong, poetic, yet realistic, subtle, yet powerful, simplistic yet gloriously intricate. The story is short at 1104 words - just a beautiful snippet, really - and yet, it reads like a vivid poem, a romantic scene from a classic, old film, or a black and white, vintage photograph. When I read the story, I realise that the scene in my head is playing in black and white or sepia; never full-block colour. It is such a simple scene, yet it is wonderfully romanticised. I particularly love the line: "Your eyes were zoned on the initials; you studied the angle of his carvings, imprinting them in your mind, and you wondered if those initials would be forever together as they were on the tree, or if they would be divided and separated."

I really do enjoy slash relationships - it can be said that I am a slash fanatic, even - but I think that this particular pair - Remus/Sirius - is exceptionally lovely. I love the idea of a Marauder romance, regardless, and it is interesting to see one besides the regular James/Other Marauder. I feel the contrast of Remus/Sirius is sensational; they are, in fact, both terribly dangerous, but in entirely different ways. Sirius is the 'rebel' of the piece; reckless, impulsive and a tad audacious. Remus is wary, supposedly sensible, apparently precocious and utterly over-whelmed by the sheer magnitude between them. They are startlingly different, but surprisingly similar. They mesh. It is simple, really. They just work. It's natural. It's unforced. It's… real.

The element of 'addiction' is one that, in my opinion, is impressive. It's not too exaggerated, or excessive, but just enough to really amplify the feelings of Remus. The theme of addiction is one that is present throughout the story - and is repeated at various places - but for the most part, even when it is not stated, it is still felt. I, too, almost felt addicted; I wanted Sirius for Remus, Remus for Sirius, for them to be together, truly forever. It was perplexing; my chest felt tight for the entire reading of the piece, and when it was over, I was left wanting more.

Your portrayal of the characters was absolutely breath-taking. It was so true, so real, so secure, so comfortable, so… natural. The interaction between Remus and Sirius was fantastic. It merges friendship with romance, safety and security with something dangerous, new and exciting. I loved Sirius' characterisation in particular. There are so many cliches and stereotypes regarding Sirius in fan-fiction; he's an arrogant, womanising, confident, swaggering, witty, handsome adolescent boy. All of these qualities are perfectly acceptable - in small doses. These characteristics could very well describe Sirius - they're not exactly abstract and unfounded - but they're over done. Whereas the Sirius in this story is totally different, but still Sirius. He's vulnerable, raw, insecure, real and yet, still the reckless, almost careless character from the series: "you looked back to him, trying to read his emotions on his bare face, and saw only insecurity—his eyebrows were furrowed with hope and his eyes begged you for approval."

The slash element of the story was exceptionally well handled. It was subtle, it was there, it blended into the overall plot and it wasn't awkward or indeed, made a big deal. It was a love story. There was the secrecy, the insecurity, the uncertainty and the sense of it being 'forbidden', but the concept of slash wasn't constantly re-iterated or repeatedly over-emphasised. It was, to say it simply, perfect. Well done!

~Emma~

Aww; I love it :D
The whole Knut this was very clever :)

Author's Response: Thanks so much for the review!!! I'm so happy you liked my poem!! :-)

Hi there :D
I couldn't resist reading this after seeing your banner on the forums! I love the idea of your poem - Neville's chance to prove himself a true Gryffindor. You've got talent, I have to say. I like your rhyming skills! The only problem I could see was rhythm and you can easily improve on that! Hope that didn't sound mean... Anyway, you're good and I hope to see more from you in the future; maybe getting better every time :)

Author's Response: Hello! I knew the beautiful banner would attract people to read it! I must thank BB again... I'm glad everyone liked the poem- I wrote it at like, 11 at night because I had to meet the deadline for Poetry Anyone on the boards. I guess it's true- you're most creative at night because that's when your Muse is a-partying. I did see problems with the rhythm, but I couldn't bother myself to fix them because I am a lazy monkey. Thank you for the review and I hope to see more from me in the future too! (I think my Muse is on a haitus...) ~M_W

Oh, Carole, thank Merlin you posted the second chapter! I read the first chapter ages ago, thought it was really interesting, and kept checking back for the next one. And now you have it up! I hope you'll follow with the next one soon - I'm hooked!

What I find so great about this fic is how you've shown Lavender's depths as a character, rather than taken the easy route and have her batting her eyelashes and giggling. There aren't many stories with Lavender, and more-so with her as a decent character. I also like how you show her reluctance to re-join the DA; not because she's a coward, but because she promised her father. It's nice to see that she's genuinely concerned for the Trio, Dean and her mother. Do we hear anything about Mrs. Brown in later chapters?

Another thing I find interesting is your portrayal of Blaise. I like the idea of him being a half-blood and sympathetic to Lavender's plight, though I have to wonder about his intentions towards her. Is it just merely a physical attraction or has he been admiring her from afar? He can't know much about her, really. Or is he just using her? Hmmm...

I find nothing to correct in this chapter, to be honest. I think your characters are all very IC - especially Ginny and Neville. I think you portray her reactions very well and how easily she flares up. I like the way you show Neville's transformation into the group's ringleader - it's a side we all knew he had, and it's great to see him being so brave.

Overall, a truly original plot-line, a well-written and interesting story and I can't wait to read more! Your work never fails to impress me. Hopefully, though, it won't take as long to update?

Emma x

Author's Response: Thank you, Emma, for such a lovely review - especially as it's been one hell of a day for various reasons. I will be updating - hopefully soon as I definately have another two chapters planned - if not actually written. Hmmm, Blaise, well he may surprise you.

Thanks again and I'm glad you're enjoying it. Carole xxx

PS- your username always makes me smile. It makes me think Dumbledore is still alive.

Until recently I'd never thought of Peter as anything more than a traitor but this certainly made me rethink my opinion of him; I sympathised with Peter and more importantly I guess, I actually quite liked him. Well done :D

Author's Response: Thank you for the review. I do struggle with Peter which was one of the reasons I wrote this. There does have to be something more about him that robe-wetting rat, or Sirius and James would not have trusted him so implicitly. I'm pleased you're re-thinking your opinion of him - mind you he's still a traitor ;(. Carole xxx