I'm surprised that you only have two reviews for this story... I really enjoyed it. I was biting off my fingernails during most of the prologue. Even when Ron's line came and indicated she would be rescued, I was crossing my fingers that it would, in fact, be Ron doing the rescuing. Good idea to not mention who said that line.

I will agree with the previous reviewer that I was confused by the "couple of miles" reference and didn't really understand why the trip was taking so long. But that was sort of a minor distraction only. Nice job keeping them both in character throughout, too.

Author's Response: Thanks for the great review! I'm glad you liked the story. And well, maybe Jay dragged the journey out to lure Hermione and Ron into believing they're safe with him.

This is a lot different than anything else I've read from you, Jess, but I really like it. Nice job capturing the grief of a child for his parent. I knew it was Scorpious, obviously, and I liked the things we learned about Draco here. I liked the use of the word "mark" to mean both the mark Draco had on the world and on Scorpious' life, as well as the one he had to live with on his own flesh. Nice.

Anyway, this response is about as good as it will get, as I've nearly forgotten what this fic is about, lol. I'm glad you liked it, and that it is still something of quality despite being one of my very first one-shots that took about four tries to get validated. >.< ~Jess

Hi Natalie. I found this little gem of a story hiding on the second page of your author page, and I could not resist. It claimed to feature Bill Weasley, after all, whom I love and adore.

What a wonderful look into his younger life. It was strange to see the twins at such a young age and Bill & Charlie at Hogwarts, but in a good way. I love this family so much, and all the interaction was really pleasing and believable.

I love what you said about Bill seeming to understand Ron especially, and I agree so much. It works beautifully to imagine them struggling in similar ways regarding the family's financial struggles. Ron hated this, but adored his parents... and your Bill did as well. Nice connection.

But the best thing you did here was to give Molly a reason for being so mistrusting of Fleur once she came onto the scene. I must say in the books, the only reason I could ever come up with for MOlly not liking her is just pure old-fashioned jealousy. Or maybe a milder form of it... but she feels somehow threatened by Fleur. And Molly is so strong and independent that it's hard for me to think she would be easily intimidated, even by someone as beautfiul as Fleur was. Anyway. I like that she has this past negative experience with a foreign woman who seemed to have broken Bill's heart. This was just a brilliant addition, and just the sort of thing to make me feel like this could be canon.

I liked it so much. Bill Weasley, second only to his baby brother in my books. :)

Author's Response: Lori!



This story is something I worked so hard on, but you know how it gets here. Lol. I'm glad you liked it enough to leave a review. :)



It was interesting to write about the Weasleys, who are my favourite family. I was happy to see that you caught on both the parallel between Bill and Ron, and Molly disliking Fleur for reasons other than just the old-fashioned jealousy. Molly is so much more than that!



Thanks for this present, Lori! It made my day to see you reviewing my less-read fics. :D



~Natalie

Neil, I really love this! I knew it was Neville pretty early on because the characterization was so spot-on. What a great voice you gave him. I loved the memory sections and all his thoughts regarding the different girls and even his reaction to the guys as well.

This is my second favorite story of yours, as nothing could top After Breakfast for me. :)

Good luck with the challenge. I started something for that prompt, but... I'm not the best with deadlines.

Author's Response: Thanks. The summary gave me a lot of trouble (and it’s only a couple of sentences). How do I pique the readers interest without telling them who the narrator is? I was a little surprised how easy it was to write Neville. I may even get a second challenge story in within the deadline (thanks to some fast and excellent Beta work) but it may not be accepted as I think I’ve broken the rules. )-: I find writing to order harder than meeting a deadline. -N-

I really enjoyed this Carole... totally believable and canon-compliant. Loved it, especially the surprise ending. It's nice to think you could end up with such a substantial friendship from first love. Great job!

Author's Response: Thank you, Lori. I like them remaining friends, but then I think that particular year group would all remain friends given the DA and life under the Carrows. ~Carole~

Hello, banner-sketcher extraordinaire. :) I really enjoyed this. I never thought about how things may have gotten started between these two... but it's interesting since they would have been essentially family. I like your take on it a lot.

Author's Response: Thanks for the review, Lori! I love it when I see familiar faces on MNFF. ;) I'm glad you liked it. I know you're one who appreciates the canon and also the what-could-have-happened. Look for more from me in the future. :)

I like this one, Neil, and I think it was a great choice to use parental love for "love at first sight" even if it doesn't work with the challenge. Harry and Ginny were both characterized well and fun to read. Good job!

Author's Response: Thanks. This was fun to write, though it’s certainly not a love story in the traditional sense. -N-

Oh. My. I completely love this. Love, love, LOVE. I found myself getting choked up more than once, and that is saying something for me. I usually think Ron is my favorite character, but lately I've been on a bit of a Hermione kick. I fee like she gets the short end of the stick in so much fanfic, but maybe I've just been stumbling onto the wrong stories lately. You've highlighted everything wonderful about her, all the things that make her such a great heroine in the books. She's got flaws, but they are completely overshadowed by how fiercely she loves and perseveres.

I enjoyed every perspective, but I especially loved Arthur, Hugo, and (of course) Ron. Ron's part was incredibly romantic, and still somehow, believable.

Really, really wonderful read. And I would be all over reading similar fics for other characters.

I am a fan of yours. :) At this point, I think I would read anything if your name was on it.

Author's Response: Thank you so much! I feel like Hermione gets the most attention in fanfiction when it concerns Hermione/Draco, which I have never liked -- I'm Hermione/Ron to the end! I'm glad you liked this and thought it properly captured Hermione :)

The mother ship is definitely calling you home, Julia. Ron/Hermione is where you belong... hehe. (Hey, I couldn't resist, as they are my OTP) I love how you wrote them both, but particularly Hermione in the waiting and the description of all she was feeling and not feeling. Grief is hard to articulate, and you've really found the words here. Your prose gives you up as a poet, for sure. I love the language...

"But there was an insurmountable grief that hung heavy on her chest, as if each breath were full of lead, as if each smile were black and dead. "

I could quote a lot more, but I'd end up cutting and pasting too much.

I will admit it's always hard for me to imagine their first time happening this quickly, just because they are both so awkward. But you've written it beautifully, and I loved it. Please consider writing more with this pairing!

Author's Response: Oh thank you, Lori! That means a lot coming from you since I absolutely adore Scenes from Shell Cottage. To be honest, I'm not really sure that Ron and Hermione would have their first time so soon either. You are right that they are both awkward but I had this plot bunny hopping around and I thought that Ron would be in such an emotional and vulnerable place at that moment that it could happen. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. I really enjoyed writing this pairing (which surprised me as I tend to write non-canon pairings) so I'm sure you will see more of them from me in the future! Julia XD

I really enjoyed this, Kuri. I think McGonagall is a fascinating character, and have often pondered what kind of relationships she had been involved in. This was a very nice read, and well written. My favorite section:

"Professor McGonagall studied the Headmaster’s face. Although he seemed calm, she felt as though something had happened. She glanced around the room, checking to make sure she had not forgotten anything. She waved her wand over the box of mice and they vanished into thin air. She did not need them until next lesson. The third-years would be covering Animagi. An allusion of a cat and mouse occurred to her, but she could not recall all of the words. Most people considered this rude behaviour in the presence of a powerful wizard, but she found it easier to pass the awkward silences with small tasks until he was ready to speak."

This paragraph hit me as amost eerie... how our minds go on working even when we know the worst news is likely upon us. Great job.

Author's Response: Lori, You read this and liked it? I'm flattered, really. I'm glad that you think McGonagall is more than a strict old bitty. (Yeah, bitty, what that?) You wouldn't believe the whole ime I was writing this I was thinking, "This is not going to work. Are you kidding me? She's OOC." If I even managed to keep to that by a tenth (and again I don't believe I did in many places. I'm glad you thought so,) that's amazing. This paragraph? Now that I read over it, you're right. It does have a creepy feel to it. I wasn't even going there. Cool. How did that happen? I'm glad I was able to make a connection. Thanks for the revuew.