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That is all.

Actually, no it's not, because that's not very nice, to just leave a keysmash as a review. What I really love is how very thoroughly you've created Justin and Theo's lives here. I also love how they weave into canon, like Theo sabotaging the Muggle-born Register. And as a love story, I also love that this is kind of quiet. They become almost friends at first and understand each other and it just moves from there. I really loved The Hat That Thinks It Is a Chair, and I was really pleased to discover there was a prequel - and I was not disappointed at all. ♥♥♥

Author's Response: Thank youuuu. Ha ha - The Hat story was written in so much fun, to celebrate that day when we all laughed, so I am pleased you liked that. Glad you appreciated that they were friends first, or had at least noticed each other and didn't just leap onto each other. There were still difficulties, obviously, but by the time of Chair, they were fine.

Thanks for the review. ~Carole~

I liked this a lot! I love when historical fic seems to have been well-researched, as yours does, and I like the little touches that show that the wizarding world has changed as well. And the story itself had me giggling - oh, God, silly Sir Cadogan. I love Gosselin. That really is a wonderful way to encourage people to pay their debts to him, and it never occurred to me Sir Cadogan's portrait might be a cruel (but accurate) caricature. Ee sorry inarticulate review but I really do love finding a historical fic I like and this is one!

Author's Response: Glad you thought the caricature was accurate - that was the idea really, to imagine the real Cadogan when all we have of him is his caricature. As for "well-researched", don't go relying on the historical accuracy of this story; I'm no expert on 16th-century England. To begin with it was going to be the 15th century (and Cadogan himself, not just his father, who fought in the Wars of the Roses). But I picked Henry VIII's reign after reading that he was a dedicated fan of stories about knights in shining armour. I think knights as warriors were basically obsolete by then, but still big in popular culture, kind of like cowboys in the 20th century.

Oh, Jess. I really enjoyed that. I'm inarticulate as always after finishing a story I like, but just know that I really got to love the four main characters and it was good to see them start to heal and sort themselves out. And I enjoyed the discussion of the wizarding world post-war as well. Just,

Author's Response:

Eeeeeee, Minnaaaaaaaaaaaar!

I think all the characters are jerks in their own way in the story. Daphne is oblivious; Michael is bitter; Theo is a coward; Terry is . . . well, he's Terry. But one of the most pleasurable things about writing this story was helping them understand each other and the things they could do if they used the tools they've had all along. Daphne isn't really the vapid society witch she played before she met Michael, but now she can't imagine going back to that life because she realises how empty it is.

One thing that I got a lot is that some people didn't totally buy into Michael, but he's a different sort of person. He wasn't indiscriminately mean to Daphne; he was merely disappointed that the reality of her didn't live up to his imagination and had no compunctions about letting her know it. But seeing him get to know her for real and banish the preconceptions he had was as important for him as it was for Daphne to learn to be a more conscientious person.

Anyway, I'll shut up now. I am glad you liked the story, and thank you for stopping in. It always warms my heart to see a story I love that's far off the recents get a little bit of love. And when it's f-list love, so much the better. *squish*

~Jess

That was amazing, Carole! You worked the wizarding world into the story of Elizabeth so well - it just seems to fit. I don't know much Tudor history, but I did see some when I was looking up the dates, and I like how you worked in the rumor that Elizabeth had had a baby - and the idea that Elizabeth's red hair survives in the Weasleys is certainly interesting. The characterization both of Lucius the first and Elizabeth was really well done, and I loved the way their relationship changed over time (well, not in a 'this is nice' way, but it really held true to their characters, as a Malfoy and the Virgin Queen respectively). All in all, this story took an intriguing premise and did not disappoint.

Author's Response: Thank you very much, minna. Oh, now, then, I don't remember the rumour that she'd had a child, but did think the fact she was incarcerated for so long was a good opportunity to introduce that part of the plot. And, thing is, I really couldn't resist Tudor genes being the reason for the Weasleys red hair - ha ha ha. ~Carole~

Ahhhh! You can't just leave it like that!

(I gasped out loud more than once at this chapter, haha. So good.

Author's Response:

Luckily for you the story isn't over, then. One more chapter (the epilogue), and it shall be tied up with a neat little bow. I'm still toying with the idea of writing a bit more about the Perry/Cece/Jack love triangle, but that's a story for another day.

Glad you enjoy the story. It's nice to know someone does. :)

~Jess

This is a gorgeous poem. I love a good, consistent rhythm like this, and it seems effortless in many of the verses (the fifth verse gave me pause for a moment, but I see now it adheres to a certain rhythm within the verse). I love the imagery as well - I can picture this winter perfectly, even though I've never lived through such a winter. Also, I think the old-fashioned language lends a sort of reverence that's fitting to the poem as a whole. Beautiful work.

Author's Response: Thank you so much for your review. ("Gorgeous" is a pretty extravagant word!) It's nice to know that rhythm and rhyme are not too old-fashioned. I too like a good rhythm, and I guess I read a fair amount of poetry of the last century, or earlier, because the language sounds perfectly normal to me, not really old-fashioned or archaic. I too have never spent a winter in Scotland, but I thought of winters in Alaska and Finland, and figured it must be about the same. Good to hear from you!

Oh, wow. I am blown away by this. I actually googled Falco Aesalon on encountering the chapter title, thinking it sounded familiar, and ran into both the wizard and the bird, so I was both excited by that and excited to see the way that tied into the story. And what a story! The sense of time and place in this fic was simply wonderful, and I loved the way all the elements led to Merlin - while still telling a story of their own. I have to say, I was excited reading the summary, and am even more excited that it more than lived up to such an interesting premise.

Author's Response: Thanks for the review, and the nomination.
When I googled the name, my first thought was: did JKR write the famous wizard cards? (According to the Lexicon, she did.) If so, then she knew axactly what she was doing when she named him. This story was a logical (to me, at least) consequence.
The choice of settings was made easy by my decision to set the story around 500AD, and the fact that I've visited both Gefrin and the Coliseum, the Coliseum most recently (which is wrong, as Gefrin is just up the road). I always knew that my interest in local history would come in useful one day.
-N-

I’m surprised this doesn’t have more reviews. I was stunned by this when it showed up in the Random Song Title challenge. It took the two components of the title and worked them into an emotionally-gripping story.

I think the first thing that struck me about this poem was the vivid imagery. I especially enjoyed the image of the night simmering till it boiled down to nothing. However, the recurrence of the color red truly tied the poem together - from the squirming red squirrel to the night giving way to red sunrise. It is truly beautiful to the mind’s eye.

The structure is also worth noting. I enjoyed your use of repetition in this poem. Part of this is that it was another component that tied the two halves of the poem together - the night boiling down in the first verse, and that image returning and expanding in the last. However, it also lent a sense of entrapment in some sections, such as here:

Half and half and half
and half of everything.

The enjambment in these lines and the previous verse also give a sort of disjointed feeling that meshes well with the sentiment of these verses.

Of course, I didn’t just enjoy the beauty of the poem - it took me on an emotional journey, a story in miniature. Fred’s death was one of the worst in the books for me, and I can well imagine George feeling like he’s missing half of himself afterwards. However, I like that you led from loss in the first half to hope in the second. It’s what I would hope for George.

The story worked so well with the imagery and the structure, especially with the pervasive color red seeming to symbolize life. Even George telling Fred, Jr. that he preferred red to blue seems to be him choosing life over sadness at last. By entwining the imagery so closely with the emotional storyline, you made this poem into something unforgettable, Natalie. Bravo.

(And sorry if this seems stilted; I’m trying my hand at SPEW-esque reviewing for the review drive. I love this poem, though.

Author's Response: AAAAAARRGH! Thank you so much! I am sorry for replying super late! This was an amazing review-- thank you lots :D

I love this series of poems. You paint such clear and beautiful images in them - with, as another reviewer noted, perfectly credible details. Autumn is my very favorite season, though, and I could practically feel the mix of cool air/sunshine. Lines 3-6 especially conjured a familiar image. Also, the alliteration worked quite well, especially in the lines just mentioned the the crunch and scatter of the leaves, to lend sound. Finally, I liked, at the end, the presentiment of winter. "Color vanishes into the void" was a perfect note/image to end on.

Author's Response: Thank you, Minna, for coming back to my occasional series of seasonal poems. They are a lot of fun to write, ignoring, for the moment, all the magic and intrigue, and just focusing on the sensuous images of the natural world. Your approval is greatly appreciated.