Wow, great job! That must have been so hard to write…but you managed it really well, and I love the fact that the whole poem tells its own story.
I also love these lines:
“Now Turnip, Now Cabbage, Now Mary and Sue,
Come Philbert, Come Toaster, Come Tiramisu!
Hilarious…lol! I also loved the way that you ‘slanged’ Hagrid’s speech, it sounds exactly like him. And the thought of Hagrid giving Harry love advice is so funny! This made me laugh a lot, and is so well written. Good luck in the challenge! ~Suzie
Author's Response: Hi Suzie! Thanks for the great review! I\'m so glad this made you laugh, that\'s perfect! I had a lot of fun with it. Some of the rhymes gave me fits, but it worked out in the end. I\'m glad you liked the Hippogriffs, yay! It\'s my personal nod to the great fun of the beta forums and I love that readers are picking up on it. Thanks again for reading this, and for the wonderful review! Good luck yourself!! ~Gina :)
*gasp* TF, that was fantastic! I love all the different scenes and how they link in with one another, each showing how Bella’s character progresses in a really smooth way. The idea of Andromeda haunting Bella in this way is realistic, and I felt that characters of both were incredibly true. One thing that I liked a lot was Andromeda’s carefree sort of tone as a ghost, as if nothing really mattered in death apart from changing the world for the better on earth, and getting revenge.
You managed to get the ‘revenge’ aspect across really well, without Andromeda begin too bloodthirsty. I love the idea of introducing Andromeda as a ghost, by her tickling Bella’s feet. Kind of random but kind of funny! As a contrast, her pleading sort of tone in life is also rally intense and passionate. It kind of reminded me of the way that Lily would have begged Voldemort to kill her and spare her family. *sigh*
Bellatrix's lip curled. "Why would I do that?"
Even though this is just a short sentence, I felt that it convey so much in Bella tone about her attitudes towards things like family and love. The sheer bluntness of it shows the extent that she simply doesn’t understand things like that…sadly.
In the woodland scene, the calm tone with which Andromeda spoke the ‘truth’ about Voldemort and Bella was truly chilling. I felt as if the words were sinking right into me (or Bella :p) and the emotionless ness with which it was said was even more haunting and really emphasised toBella that this was the truth.
"Leave me alone! Go away!" Bellatrix. "No!" Bellatrix. "Leave me alone!" BELLATRIX. "Go away!" "BELLATRIX!"
The build-up here was really well written and you used structure so well! I felt that the short lines sped the text up rapidly and the italics built up loads of emotion, leaving me almost breathless at the end of the scene! It seemed exactly like a real argument/conversation!
At the end, the way that you brought back Andromeda and got her to repeat what she had said earlier on was really clever.
To him, you're nothing but a life to be lost.
I could see that this line would really have infuriated Bella, and yet as Andromeda is a ghost, this would also have really confused her and planted doubt in her mind. The confusion in this end scene is really skilfully done, and the different ‘views’ flashed by so quickly that I could almost feel Bella’s confusion (in a good way)! It felt like she was trying to decide, in a short amount of time, everything about her life, her tasks, her loyalty etc… and all of this was steadily breaking her sanity. Andromeda’s one and two word ‘orders’ seemed quite sinister and ghostly, almost like a sort of Imperius curse, but without the ‘dreamy’ effect. Just one suggestion…would the “Avada Kedavra” on the final line work better or more effectively as a separate line?
This was an amazing story and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it! *has never been spooked by Andromeda before, this is a first* Good luck in the challenge! Power to the Slyths… :p ~Suzie
Aww bless! Now that’s one side of Bella that I’ve never seen before…I’ve not read a lot of your Bella fics, only this and Blinded I think, but in both I love the way that you show a human and believable side to her character.
Throughout this fic, I really liked the ‘transitions’ that Bella’s character made, and how this contrasted to Andromeda’s opinions of her. It really was so moving (and so “grrrrr”) to see Bella be all warm and carefree at the beginning, and change to such a cruel character on seeing her sister.
“Please, leave me alone, Bellatrix. I’m sobbing on the ground, exactly where you think I belong. What more could you want?”
I really felt for Andromeda when I read this. It must have been so hard for her to break away from her family, and the mere thought that her family looked at her in such a way must have made her life so much more depressing and difficult. L *sniff*
My only nitpick that I saw a few times…is that “pureblood” according to the Lexicon, should be spelt “pure-blood”. Heh heh you wouldn’t believe how many times I was made to correct that in my Gauntlet..lol
Like in Danielle’s review, I love the quote about the island too! Along with the part about… “It wasn’t as if Rodolphus would be missing her. By the time Lucius got a few firewhiskeys in him, he would forget who she was.” …it really does show the nature of the relationships; and in a way it makes the miracle more believable by emphasising the sort of world that Bella sometimes might want to get away from. Another thing that I loved was Andy’s nickname for Tonks: “Nympy”. That kind of made me laugh despite the fact that it was in a serious sentence. I mean, Nymphadora is bad enough…lol
My favourite lines in this story, however, are probably the ones that show Bella’s “human” side…we don’t see that much, do we? I only wish she was more like that in DeathEater!Bella-ness, instead of “I love death/torture/pain/Voldemort” etc…lol
She might not be the nicest person in the world, but she still clung to humanity.
Some things were just more important than family honor and pureblood beliefs.
Loved those lines…I’m looking forward to reading the rest of your challenge fics! Good luck! ~Suzie xx
Author's Response: Wow Suzie! I think this is the longest review I have ever gotten. *huggles*
Thank you so much for all your compliments. I am really glad you liked my one liners. You picked out my two favorites. “Please, leave me alone, Bellatrix. I’m sobbing on the ground, exactly where you think I belong. What more could you want?” and Rodolphus wouldn\'t notice if I purchased a small island. :D
As for Nympy, I came up with it awhile ago. I figured there was no way any parent was going to say Nymphadora every time they spoke to their child. I came up with Nympy, but since then I have read a fic with the much nicer nickname of Dora. By then I was attached to Nympy.
Thanks so much for the review. They really do mean a lot. :D
Sorry it took so long for me to get round to reviewing! *hides* I really like the romantic feeling in this chapter, and the way that Molly and Arthur are both simply selfless and loving, is a really touching thing to read.
“No,” rejected Arthur, “those are the ones that have me with a weird look on my face.”
*grin* I love this line...and I totally sympathise with Arthur...I'm never photogenic :p
Author's Response: *huggles Beta* Thank\'s for the wonderful review! Yeah...people love to surprise me with pictures, and they tend to look absolutly horrible.
Haha I just realised that the word count for the previous chapter was 999 words…just thought that was cool!
Anyway… I thought that this chapter was very well written, and I especially liked the descriptions of the antique shop; you captured the atmosphere perfectly! Again, the selflessness that Arthur shows is really quite moving, and for his sake I really hope that their Christmas IS the 'best ever'. Aww. :)
Looking forward to reading the next chapter. ~Suzie
Author's Response: Arthur is a surprisingly fun character to write. I really surprised myself with how much I enjoyed writing him and all the odd things he does. Lol. Thanks for the review!
This story is so sweet! I loved the idea/coincidence that Molly and Arthur both visit the same shop to buy gifts for one another…that’s really romantic! Is there any reason why the shop guy was called Charlie? Or did you just like the name? :p
Again, the descriptions of the antique items in the shop were realistic; my favourite was the row of little trinkets, especially the statue that danced and played music. Very retro. :p
Just a tiny nitpick: In contrast to Arthur’s adventure into ‘The Little Shop,’ In the previous chapter, I thought that the shop was called “The Little Stop” ?
“He has an odd fascination for…” she stopped suddenly in her sentence before the words could escape her lips. He has an odd fascination for Muggle items.
*giggle* This was one of my favourite lines! It seems like the sort of thing Molly – or in fact, any wizard would do if they rarely ventured into the Muggle world. Ironic really, how Molly had just smugly congratulated herself on dressing well, and now nearly gives herself away!
Great chapter, well done Danielle! :)
~Suzie
Author's Response: I just lke the name Charlie. Not sure why...
Thanks for the amazing review! And thanks for beta-ing it for me. =]
*claps for Danielle* This story is just so sweet! I love the way that you ended it, with both of them being happy about their gifts and one another despite the fact that the gifts are kind of useless. You’ve portrayed the unconditional love really well, and the ending especially is very emotional.
“Arthur,” she began timidly, the nervousness an effect of her guilt. “Looking back, I honestly don’t have any regrets,” she began, “but I traded my camera for those records. I just thought I’d tell you, but I do love the camera stand.” After a short, calming breath, she added, “Good-night.”
Definitely my favourite bit! The way that Molly approaches this subject, and the fact that she does despite the awkwardness, is really well written and I could clearly see her thought process, from guilt to expressing how much she has no regrets.
This was really beautiful; I love reading and beta’ing it! Good luck!
~Suzie xx
Author's Response: Thank you! *huggles* You are an amazing beta, Suzie. This would never have been accepted without your work. =]
Aww that really was well done! I love the serious tone of the parody, and I thought that the love aspect was very nicely written. I thought that you made a great job of the tricky rhythm pattern, and all of it was in time, so well done!
With me, you’ll never feel that ever,
You are unloved or in pain.
This is probably one of my favourite parts. It shows the ‘eternal’ side of love, and is just so romantic! *gushes*
I also felt that you did really well on writing the more archaic parts of language, like ‘thou art’… it was all very realistic.
For, thou art wonder, thou art bright,
Thy mind, thy form, thy soul of light,
Loved this bit as well. The repetition is really effective, and gives the song a real closing point. A lovely, serious parody! Good luck in the challenge. :)~Suzie
Author's Response:
*Chibi face*
For some reason, my brain is just FULL of chibis today.
Anyway, that\'s hardly the point. Thank you - thank you so much! I really don\'t know what else I can say, except that I\'m glad it all comes across that way. Becuase... well, it\'s meant to ^^ He\'s a pretty idealistic guy when it comes to love... which actually makes it all more sad, now that I think more of it (it all ends very tragically).
Anyway. Again, thank you. I appreciate you taking the time to review!
That was hilarious! I love your version of Voldemort; this made me laugh a lot! And Bob…well she’s just priceless! The beginning of this was really well written…you make it look so easy, I can’t write humour to save my life! The thing about the chin had me in stitches from the start.
“You’re Voldemort? Hmmm… Funny, you’re uglier than I imagined. I always saw you with a nose.”
That has got to be my favourite line. Well, Voldy was never much of a looker, was he? :p Good job, and good luck in the challenge! ~Suzie
Author's Response: Why, thank you! I\'m glad you thought it was funny. I\'m personally quite fond of Bob. ^_^
Oh-- but Voldemort was ONCE a looker, when he was seventeenish. I mean, come on, you have to agree with me there! *drools, sees my dear Theodore Nott watching me, blinks and pretends that I said nothing*
Wow! This is certainly different, and I guess that it does fulfil the criteria as in a way, this is Voldy's twisted miracle, isn't it? ;p
Even though this does have a sort of dry humour to it in parts, I really like the serious side to it, in the parts where Voldemort expresses his hunger for power.
And in that moment, Tom felt this feeling arise in him: this feeling that suddenly he had found his destiny and it had just been sealed. Silly antics, and he usually dismissed such foolish thoughts, whether they were his own or someone else’s.
This part in particular is very well done. As I read it, I saw a sort of ‘transition’ or changing moment where Tom realises and confirms what he wants, and truly becomes more ‘Voldemort’ than ‘Tom’.
My favourite part of this was the ending. Really clever!
“My apologies,” said Abraxas quickly, bowing his silky blonde head. “What is it, my lord?”
Tom gave them a twisted smile. “Merry Christmas.”
Hahaha…it shows that they’re learning! Great job, good luck in the challenge. :)~Suzie
Author's Response: I\'m glad you liked, thanks for the nice review! :)
*Waves* Hi Keri! Wow, this is a really well written and original fic. I love the idea of the angel at the top of the tree at the start of the story, prompting James to go and hope for a miracle in getting Lily, and how this then fits in with the mysterious person who James meets in Hogsmeade.
“I need something that shows her how much I’ve changed. I need something to show her how much I care, so that she’ll see me differently.”
Sirius sighed. “What you need is a miracle, Prongs.”
I love the way that you have characterised James and Sirius in this story. I felt as if you had moved away from the Marauder Era clichés that we sometimes see, of womaniser!Sirius, immature!James etc etc… I saw their characters really come out, and it was refreshing to see James acting in a mature manner and properly expressing himself, showing exactly how serious he was about love. Very well written, well done.
“I didn’t tell her my name,” whispered James, looking at the empty space where she had been.
Oooh! This really caught my attention, and all the little things that you wrote in to add to the ‘mysteriousness’ of the woman really worked; liked the way that she seemed ‘familiar’ and readily addresses James by his name, and names (and seems to know) Lily well. Was she really an angel?
It didn’t even occur to him that she was a witch, who could, therefore, do magic. She knew too much to be just that. What does this mean? Was the angel not an angel? *is curious*
“There are no kisses on the cheek under mistletoe,” Lily said matter-of-factly.
Again, characterisation I felt was fab. I could really feel the awkwardness coming through in the scene where the two of them exchange gifts, which very realistic and normal for two people admitting their feelings. In contrast, I love the line above, it seems like the cheeky sort of thing that Lily would say to James!
Overall, a fab fic to read, well done and good luck in the challenge. *Power to Slyths* :p ~Suzie
Author's Response: Thanks Suzie! That was a great review! :D
Wow. Just…WOW. That was so amazingly and hauntingly intense. The emotion, the description, the whole story was just awesome!
The romance between Draco and Pansy was very in character and well written. I like the fact that they, though loving, are brutal and angry with each other as well. It makes the love so much more powerful and believable.
“How can I love this?” Draco whispered roughly, tilting Pansy’s head up and looking furiously into her eyes. “How can I love the murderer of both of us?”
I love the mixed emotions that this line conveys; it seems really bitter but I can still discern that Draco ‘cares’ deep down. This chapter really made me think about all these different relationships. I wonder what Blaise has done? And why couldn’t Draco and Pansy be together in the first place?
Another thing that I loved about this is the subtle repetition of “three years” throughout the chapter. It really seems give the fic a ‘ghostly’ sort of air to it.
I only have one pick; in the same paragraph: He sat up straight and put down the quill he had been writing (long letters that would never be sent) with. Here, it seems a bit strange to have the parenthesis right in the middle of the sentence, and was a bit confusing. Would it work better at the end, after ‘with’?
She wore robes of purple so dark it was almost black. Robes should really be referred to as ‘they were’.
This chapter was truly amazing, and I’m really looking forward to reading the next one! Who knows, I might even read Wuthering Heights…lol Oooh and my favourite line:
Don’t leave me alone, ever, even in death — in death you shall never leave me, because in life you’ve done just that!”
I don’t know if I should “aww” at that or cry… *does both* Anyway, wonderful story! ~Suzie x
Author's Response: Oh my gosh. I just wrote out a huge author\'s response and it was deleted.
In short, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I was so worried that I characterized Draco wrong and that it was too melodramatic, so I\'m glad it\'s not.
Thanks for the nitpicks, I\'ll go change the robes one. But I kind of like the parenthesis one... I feel it\'s kind of stylish. Hehe.
GO READ WUTHERING HEIGHTS! It\'s incredible. A bit hard to understand, and old, yes, but it\'s amazingly intense and also it has a double first person narrative - very interesting.
Thank you so much.
~Jenn
This story was really sweet, and it was touching how selfless the two characters were, and how they still found time to be happy amidst the poverty and sadness. I liked the way that you incorporated some light humour into the story as well as the serious plot.
“Ron, we’ve spent almost every Christmas together since we were eleven!”
Heh. That made me laugh…all true of course, but it kind of emphasised the seriousness of their relationship, by what Ron says next about their first year together as a couple.
This is the first Gift of the Magi fic that I’ve read, so I don’t know what the others are like…but I really like the way that you actually mention the Gift of the Magi story in this; it kind of brings the whole thing round full circle, if that makes sense, and puts all the pieces together, giving the fic a rounded feel. (Gosh, I’m random today…)
Just one nitpick: Hermione’s own part-time occupation at Obscurus Books in Diagon Alley didn’t add much to their bank account, either, but it gave her time to spend continuing her education. I don’t think that there should be a comma after “account” ; at the moment it seems to be breaking the sentence up too much.
Anyway, this was really well written, good luck in the challenge! Oooh and my favourite line:
It didn’t matter what was in their bank account or in their house. What mattered was what was in their hearts.
*big awwww* Simply adorable! ~Suzie
Author's Response: Thanks so much! I\'m glad you enjoyed it. I really liked the idea of Hermione having read the story; it just seemed like something she would do. Now that I think about it, I think you\'re right about the comma. Nitpicks are always welcome. Thanks for your review, Suzie! ~JBV
A great parody! This really made me laugh...and all the pranks are so believable! My favourites were:
I poured shampoo into Snape's hair...
Put ants in all of Filch’s pants,
Started a fire Umbridge chant,
Somebody snitched on me.
Loved these! :D The rhythm and rhyme were really well done too, and I felt that it all fitted together nicely. Great job, good luck in the challenge! :) ~Suzie
Author's Response: Thanks, I\'m glad you can see Peeves doing these things, I tried to fit as much of the stuff from the books as possible. Liked the pranks against Snape, Filch, and Umbridge hmm, I think a certian boy wizard with a lightning bolt scar would agree. Thanks for the review!
Wow! This was really intense and a very good read. The ‘miracle’ component came across so well, well done!
I loved the use of false hope in the first part of this, where Pansy sees the man that she thought was Draco initially, but actually wasn’t. Writing in something like this, I thought, was very clever as it concentrated her emotions, especially her despair, into something even more passionate and intense, so that when Pansy and Draco DID reunite the atmosphere was extremely powerful.
Draco? She wanted to whisper. Was it he? Did he really come? Did that mean that he really cared about her…? It was a miracle! A miracle!
This really conveyed Pansy’s disbelief and I could almost feel that she didn’t really want to believe that he was there – like it was too good to be true. The use of short sentences and broken sentences here is really effective, and as I read it I felt the text take on a characteristic sort of ‘breathlessness’ and uncertainty which added to the overall sadness and despair a great deal.
It had been nearly ten years since she had been to Hogsmeade; ten years since the attacks, ten years since the war.
I loved the beginning of this story. You concisely yet accurately tell the reader what has happened to Pansy and I especially like this way that you repeat ‘ten’ to emphasise the amount of time that has passed.
I just have one tiny suggestions: “Go to bloody-” An angel stood before her…
I love this line, and the idea of Draco being an angel to Pansy is quite realistic, both in her eyes and dreams, and (I suppose) in appearance by his hair. To make the ‘interruption’ even more effective, it may be better to leave a lines gap between ‘…bloody’ and ‘an angel’. Only a suggestion. :)
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Good luck in the challenge!
Author's Response: Wow. I don\'t think I\'ve ever recieved such a helpful and nice comment! A very very very merry Christmas to you and I hope that the plot bunnies flow like...well...for lack of a better word: wine. Thank you again.
This was such a pleasure to read, and really well written! I really liked the links between the ornaments and memories/events. The way that you gradually let the reader know what had happened to certain characters was also quite clever. Hmm…I actually can’t decide which ornament was my favourite; probably the shrinking sweaters or the baby toys, though the glass orb really made me go “aww”…
Tears filled Remus’ eyes as he saw the ornament. He held it close to his heart a moment before passing in on.
I really liked this line. It was so moving and I felt that it really showed exactly how much Remus cared and still cares about Lily, James and Sirius.
I noticed that you left some Americanisms in… It took me years to work out how to get the colors right, but I was finally able to do it.” Molly smiled with tears in her eyes. . Here, “colors” should rightly be “colours”. Another thing is that you mention “fall”, which though technically is correct, we rarely use this term in Britain. Simply “autumn” is a lot more common.
Only the Weasley’s, Remus Lupin, Remus’s wife Tonks, Neville, and Luna had been present. Here, I don’t think there should be an apostrophe in Weasleys.
One of the best things about this one-shot is the way that you showed how all the characters can still be happy and can still pull through despite all the pain and suffering that they have been through; quite touching really. :p Another one of my favourite parts was where you write about Fred. It must be really hard for him to cope without George, but you’ve made the situation really believeable. Well done. J
Laughter was the best medicine after all.
How very true! …this story was a pleasure to read. Good luck in the challenge! Woo! Slytherin! :D ~Suzie xx …(oh yeah, and what does “wassail” mean?) Just curious! :p
Author's Response: Thank you so much for your review!! I try to get the British right, but since I don\'t even know someone from there, I forget sometimes. I\'ll go try to fix those mistakes. I\'m glad that you enjoyed the sentamental parts. That was what I was going for! :) Go SLYTHERIN!! hehe
was·sail (courtesy of dictionary.com)
–noun 1. a salutation wishing health to a person, used in England in early times when presenting a cup of drink or when drinking to the person.
2. a festivity or revel with drinking of healths.
3. liquor for drinking and wishing health to others on festive occasions, esp. spiced ale, as on Christmas Eve and Twelfth-night.
4. Archaic. a song sung in wassailing.
–verb (used without object) 5. to revel with drinking.
–verb (used with object) 6. to drink to the health or success of; toast.
I can't actually remember how "Frosty the Snowman" goes... *hides* but I thought this parody worked quite well alone anyway. :) I only have one suggestion: at the end of the poem, I thought it looked a bit weird to have the speechmarks carry on to the next line. Would italics without speechmarks be better?
Anyway, great job! Good luck in the challenge. :)
Author's Response: Thanks for reviewing! Now that you bring the speechmarks up, they might look better changed.... Thanks for the suggestion, maybe I\'ll play around with it. :)
*does crazy chipmunk dance* Yay it's up! This really made me laugh..love it! ~Suzie xx (and good luck in the challenge, power to the Slyths etc...)
Author's Response: Yey! Thank you for beta reading it, by the way. Go Slytherins!
*giggle* I read this ages ago but never got round to reviewing! *hides* This parody made me laugh a lot, good job! I love the bits in parenthesis, they work just as well as the actual song!
I only have a few suggestions: For these bits in parenthesis, you should really keep the capitalisation constant. For the first stanza, 'Like' is capitalised, but none of the other parts in other stanzas are. This should be kept consistent as it just looks a bit neater.
“Draco, now your hair is red
join the Weasleys or pretend your dead."
This has got to be my favourite part! Loved it, though I really cannot imagine Draco with read hair! Just a tiny nitpick; "your" should be "you're". :)
Great parody! Good luck in the challenge. ~Suzie
Author's Response: oops... word has a wierd thing with capitalization, I\'ll make sure to fix that! Other than that, glad you liked it so much, and thanks for the review!
Gina, that was LOVELY! I really liked the descriptions throughout, and the overall atmosphere that I felt reflected the ‘Christmas’ mood very well. The description at the beginning sets the scene clearly and the imagery is fantastic; I really saw the scene of the village in my head!
This is the first ‘Oh Christmas Tree’ entry I’ve read where there is sadness as well as hope and happiness, and I felt that you conveyed this very well. The introduction of Dumbledore bringing news of Regulus’ death was quite unexpected, but worked really well. On the other hand, I absolutely LOVE the jokey side of the story too! Well, you can’t have a marauder fic without pranks and stuff, can you? :p
“For my godson, may he be as good a flyer as his father, but smarter and prettier.”
*giggle* Loved this. It sounds like something Sirius would say…dunno if it turned out true though!
For my parents,” he said quietly. “I think I turned out okay, thanks to you.”
I felt that this line was very IC for James. The way that he said the line showed his sadness and sorrow really well, yet the little joke fits well in showing his hopefulness and general jokey character that shines through even in times like this.
Sirius looked up, his eyes shocked and sad. “Who told you?”
Dumbledore shook his head this time. “You know I cannot tell you, Sirius.”
…“Yet he died for what he believed, Sirius. He made the choice to leave Voldemort’s service, and he died a free man.”
Again, very in character. You’ve captured Sirius’ character well, in showing how much he’s care about his brother even if the two of them are still very different and havent’ spoken for a long time. Likewise, Dumbldore’s character is also exact, as he ‘secretive’ way of saying things matches exactly with parts in canon where he frustrates Harry. I love the line about choices…wow.
“Of course!” exclaimed Lily. “We’d be honored.” Being very Britpicky, ‘honored’ should be ‘honoured’ .
Lastly, the ornaments for the tree were so lovely, and really added to the emotional story! I like the way that you repeated ‘for the’… for each ornament; it made the actions quite sincere.
Oooh and *loves the Holly and the Ivy* Great story, well done and good luck in the challenge! ~Suzie
Author's Response: Wow! Thank you *so much* for the awesome review!! *squees* That is one of the best reviews I\'ve received, you made my day! I\'m so glad you enjoyed this story, and I really appreciate you pointing out the things that worked well, particularly with the characters. I shall endeavor to watch my British spellings. ;) From what I\'ve read as well, it really is one of the only Christmas tree prompts with that touch of sadness, I\'m not sure how that happened, except that I wanted to give the story an extra layer for depth, and that\'s how the bit with Sirius\'s brother came to be involved. Thank you so much for reading this story, and for leaving such a great review! I\'m so excited! Thank you and good luck to you as well with all your stories!! ~Gina :)