I adored this story! I have written a Remus/Tonks myself, but I must say, I like yours better. Such a creative idea!

Above everything else about your story, I loved your explanations, so I’ll start with that.

I loved your reason for Tonks becoming Tonks rather than Nymphadora. I always just assumed that she got teased about it when she was a child, but I loved the way you used her love of an adventurous character not only as a reason to go by her last name and give herself an unconventional appearance, but as the beginning of a character trait that would make Remus irresistible to her.

I loved your reason for Remus being, well, the person he is. I love that he wanted adventure. That makes his inability to say no to his adventurous friends so much easier to understand. I always thought that he couldn’t say no because he didn’t want to lose the only friends he had ever had – since being bitten, anyway. But in your story you quite convinced me that not only did he want to be accepted, he craved the adventure that those friends brought with them.

However, no story is perfect, however much this one strives to be so.

While I understand your reasons for having Remus kiss Tonks in the drawing room during OotP -- that you wanted him to have his moment of assertiveness in a life full of enforced passiveness -- I’m afraid that, on the whole, I still think it was OOC, of Remus at least. As the other review that brought this up said, Remus sincerely thought that he was too old for Tonks, too dangerous. That isn’t something that really changes whether you are in the midst of a war or not.

Also, in the second paragraph of Remus’ POV (if you count the one sentence paragraph that begins it), there is a spot where you say ‘a child so emerged in another world.’ I believe you meant ‘so immersed in another world.’

I think some of your lines are quite lovely. Rather than just using words to tell your story, you paint the story with you words. This sentence, in particular, I just loved: “She wanted to know how he could smile with his eyes whilst his mouth remained neutral, and why sometimes, when he did smile with his mouth, his eyes were so, so sad.”

Thanks for sharing this lovely, semi-bittersweet story. It was a very nice read. Not even the OOC kiss can prevent me from favorite-ing it.

~Bookworm

Hi, Dawnie!

I've been following this story for awhile now. You have a great talent for keeping your reader on the edge of his or her seat! Each chapter has been so intriguing, so exciting, that as I've read each, I've felt as if my eyes were racing to get to the end. But still, at the end of every single chapter, you have left this reader unsatisfied, wanting more, worried about the characters and their fates.

My interest in your story began the moment I saw the summary. Lily Evans, accused of murder? Now that was a plot point I’d never heard of before. It made me curious. My fascination with your story, began from the moment I saw the title of the first chapter. Remus, dead? When I saw that, I was, at once, slightly offended that you would dare to take out so pivotal a character (and one of my favorites), and rather impressed with your audacity in doing so. I was sure the Remus fans would be all over this story, complaining that you offed him, and then I realized that you probably took that into consideration and became quite impressed that you offed him anyway.

I'm not the biggest fan of A/U, but here you have crafted an Alternate Universe that is so believable, seemingly just by changing the birthdates of a few Marauder Era characters and giving Voldemort a slightly different plan, it is remarkable. However great your Alternate Universe is, though, it is not that, but your characters that really make this story such a thrill.

Despite the differences in their lives and personalities due to the changes in when they were born in this parallel universe and who their friends were because of it, the characters are still recognisably themselves. James, the slightly cocky boy who trusts his friends implicitly; Lily, the confident Muggleborn who cares about her friends almost too much; Sirius, the reckless one whose heart is in the right place – they all came to life in these chapters, and I’ve come to feel like I know them.

It is obvious that you’ve put a lot of effort into this story, the plot, the characters, the background, the details.... It’s all very well done. There’s been a few mistyped words, a few minor grammatical errors, but nothing so great as to detract from the story, or to make me want to go through and find them again just so I can point them out to you. The twists and sudden reveals and new pieces of information at just the right moments throughout the story have kept me guessing with every chapter. I’ve stopped trying to come up with theories on what happened, ever since Lily admitted to killing Malfoy. I had been sure she was as innocent of his death as she was of Remus’. Oh well. It was in self defence anyway. Now, though, since you asked for theories in your end author’s note, I’ll give you a few.

I think that Voldemort didn’t give up his Horcruxes idea when he was transferred to this universe, so I’d say that’s what Remus took, a Horcrux. As for who has it, I’d guess Regulas. I’m not sure at all what else happened the night Lily killed Malfoy, but I’m sure it’s something that will completely absolve her guilt. Perhaps Petunia was involved somehow? I don’t know.

Well, it’s been a great read. I’ve enjoyed it immensely, and in fact, I was going to nominate it for the Best AU QSQ, but I saw someone had already beat me to it. *sigh* I guess that just means I’m not the only one who thinks it deserves the nomination. I’m really looking forward to the next chapter and finding out the rest of the story.

Wow, this review is long. I’ve been meaning to review for ages – I guess it shows! Haha.

~Bookworm

Author's Response: Thanks! I love long reviews (although I don't even know where to start in answering)! I spent so much time agonizing before posting that first story. I didn't want to kill Remus (he's one of my favorites) but it was necessary for the story. So I had to do it, no matter how many people, including myself, were upset by it. I'm glad you think the characters are still in-character. I put a lot of effort into that, because (in my opinion at least) that is what makes an AU work. If they aren't in character, it might as well be original fiction. The next chapter is in the queue, so at least a lot of answers will be revealed (if not all of them). But there are only two chapters left, so hopefully it will all come together soon.

Man, Gina, you convert me to James/Lily more with every chapter!

This chapter was great. It was cool seeing the mirror passage. I don't think I've ever seen it mentioned in any other Marauder era story, which is a shame. It is an interesting area for Marauder era fic writers to explore.

I really enjoyed the scene in the Hog's Head. I have a crazy addiction to 'hero comes to the rescue' moments. Even when the hero fails and the damsel in distress is forced to do everything. ;) It's the effort that I find appealing. I've never really liked James (aka, I rather thought him a bully) but this story makes him much more likeable and Lily's eventual attraction more understandable.

Anyway, just thought I'd let you know how much I'm liking this story. I will definitely return for the remaining chapters!

Author's Response: Yay, another conversion! Anyone who is not an avid J/L shipper thinks it's nothing but cliche, which it is, but that doesn't mean it can't still be fun or even meaningful and emotional. I'm so glad you are enjoying it. I did a lot of research for that mirror door so I'm so glad it jumped out at you. And I know what you mean about the hero-rescued-by-the-girl moments, lol. Really, it's probably been done onscreen a hundred times, but I could just totally picture that happening to James and Lily and had to go with it. Thanks so much for the lovely review! I hope you enjoy the rest~ ~Gina :)

Wow. That was, quite honestly, the most realistic and well written piece of fanfiction I have ever read. Each chapter was so well thought out, each character so individual and different, not only in lifestyle but in tone, in accent, in personality. It was as if each story was actually written by the people they were said to have been written by. I have loved every bit of it. Your attention to detail is stunning, your characterization flawless. I don’t read much fanfiction these days, but I noticed this story on the Most Recent list the other day and have been unable to stop reading it during every spare moment since.

Believe me, if I could find the words to praise this fic any higher, I would use them. Thank you for an excellent read.

Author's Response: Dear HB, I am so pleased that you liked my story as much as I did. It is always very flattering to have drawn a reader away from real life or her usual reading tastes. The characters were all alive in my head, and I'm so glad that they survived the transition to paper and lived on in yours! Thank you so much for writing in, GhV

Natalie!!!

Thank you so much! It's beautiful! I love it! I still can hardly believe someone wrote something for me. XD

Now, I probably ought to add some substance to this review....

It is rather haunting -- as you said in the end chapter notes, a bit angsty -- but that fits the time it is set in, with Voldemort trying to take over, the Order outnumbered twenty to one and being picked off one by one, and so on.

Sorry, going off in squee-land again, but I just love that you decided to write about Molly/Arthur! They are just my obsession right now. I adore them.

Back to business. I think that you did wonderfully with Molly's characterization, and, from the little bit we see of him, Arthur's as well. Molly wanting to be a Healer in order to care for people sounded quite plausible. And then her decision not to be a Healer after all because, caring for their physical needs with proficiency, would force her to not care for the actual person, was very well done. I think that you've explained very well the aloofness that doctors are forced to display. And, like you’ve shown in this one-shot, Molly couldn't be aloof. She just couldn't! And I love the way you expressed that. Especially in this line, "There was no way she could have forced herself to concentrate on wounds and forget there was a breathing human body underneath them." It's poetic, really.

Um, I think I saw a couple of typos when I read it, but now I can only find one, and it is at the end of the paragraph that the line I just cited was in: you've got "healing not only saved human lives but required you to be inhuman yourselves. " I think that should be singular, yourself, so "required you to be inhuman yourself."/beta tendencies

Lastly, I just had to mention… perhaps it's bizarre, but your reply to an earlier review made me quite supremely happy: "As for the meeting, I planned to make it a bit drawn out but it was going into...er...a territory which might not be appreciated by the presentee." I'm having a hard time putting why that makes me so happy into words, but I think it's because I am just so appreciative of your censoring your natural impulses for me… Yeah. I really can't find the words to describe it further, so I'll leave it at that.

It was a wonderful, beautiful fic, Natalie, and I love it! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!

Author's Response: Heyyy!

Aw, very nice. The only thing I had qualms about was the side car -- the bike didn't have one until Arthur put it on for Harry before DH. Hagrid carried Harry in his arms.

Besides that, it was beautiful, in a sad sort of way. It was really touching to think of Hagrid holding and crying over James, and the fact that he would one day hold and cry over his son, when Harry appeared to be dead as well. Really haunting, that bit was.

Good job!

Author's Response: AAAHHHH! It's both mortifying and gratifying for a reviewer to catch me on canon slips. I'm all about canon accuracy, so thank you. I researched sooo hard to really understand Hagrid's character, and I didn't even think about the motorcycle! Took it for granted I did:) Thanks so much for reviewing, and I'm glad you enjoyed it