I was wondering what was happening between Oliver and Daphne, though I was still a little surpised that they ended up together. It added a nice touch to the ending of the story.

I loved the Poirot-esque scene in this chapter. I was pretty sure it wasn't Daphne, although when Wood accused Lucius I was almost convinced that it was him. I was suspecting Marcus Flint too. But anyway, you managed to keep it suspenseful til the end.

I enjoyed Oliver and Daphne's discussion about Sorting and stereotyping, and how you tied that into the ending. It added something different to a straightforward crime story.

Anyway, this was an excellent story and I really enjoyed reading it and guessing who did it :)

~Katrina

Author's Response: I'm glad the suspense held up. Because I always knew who it was going to be, I wasn't sure I'd done enough to stop people suspecting straight away. There wasn't a huge pool of suspects either. I read a lot of Poirot type mysteries, so that's is the reason it followed the Christie route with the denouement. Thank you very much for the review, I had fun writing it, even if certain parts were tortuous. ~Carole~

This is a wonderful beginning. The idea of having Goyle get his life together in comarison to Draco is fantastic, because Draco has always felt himself superior and yet now look who's doing well...

You've shown a change in Draco even over this first chapter, or at least a beginning of a change in how he thinks. I'm very intrigued to see how you write him picking up his life and moving on with it, because I think it's very difficult to do (I'm sure you'll do it beautifully though). Often I read a Draco who either hasn't changed at all or who suddenly cuts out his family and becomes 'good', neither of which to me is realistic. And I'm ranting here... Anyway. It looks like you have a really solid Draco - great character development and very canon-compliant.

I love Astoria. “They are forcing us to marry,” she said bluntly. “I don’t want to. Do you?” She seems to cross her parents' path and not really care much, which is great. Just what Draco needs lol.

Also, very creative that they were going to be forced to be married and stopped that and now something could start...

Sorry, Natalie, for this long rambly and slightly pointless review... main thing is, I loved the story :).

~Katrina

Author's Response: Ack! I am scared of expectations. :(

Ooh I'm the first person to review this chapter... and I have to say, I'm rather impressed with how quickly you updated this. I hope they keep coming this fast!

This chapter really followed on from the previous one. I just love the idea that Draco's life is even more pathetic than Greg's... I liked Draco's epiphany at the end and I'm rather looking forward to his interraction with Astoria. You're showing his 'path to redemption' realistically, but as you said in your last response, this is actually quite light as well. So good job on that.

Chloe is... interesting. Does she like Greg because she can control/manipulate him? Or am I being a bit mean to her? It just seems that she's too intelligent for him... not that intelligent and stupid (not meaning that as a derogatory term) can't be together, but she doesn't seem the type to settle for him because he's 'loving' and 'caring'. Or maybe she likes having a charity case?

Anyway, lovely writing as usual Natalie, I'm looking forward to more.

~Katrina

Author's Response: Katrina, I have finished writing the entire story. :D I might need to retouch the chapters, or even rewrite, but the first drafts are all complete.

This is an interesting start to a story, Gina. Personally I think Ron and Hermione would have been married before Harry and Ginny, but of course that's personal opinion, and you've set this situation up realistically.

Ron was wonderfully in character. It's very believable that he hadn't realised that Hermione was looking for marriage, and even that he hadn't thought about it that much. Also the way he changed jobs for her was very in character.

I liked how you included little details, like where Hermione had been working before her current job and including Crookshanks in that scene between Ron and Hermione - it really adds something to the story.

Initially I wasn't sure about Hermione in this - I found it hard to believe that she would really spring this on everyone just two weeks before she left. But the more I think about it, I can see her character there, because this is obviously something she feels conflicted about. It was typical of her to already have a job there - in a way I can see her looking for a job to make the decision easier for herself - as in, if she finds something, she'll have to go. The dialogue between the two of them was excellently written, too, and I could feel both their characters in that.

And possibly my favourite thing about this chapter is Arthur - you have just nailed his character. From "scrutiny" to the way he's already thought about bringing the ring to his support of Ron... just really really really spot on.

This chapter almost feels like a one-shot (although if it were one, the ending would be a bit inconclusive) because Ron has really learnt something and developed as a character. Although since it's going to be longer, I suspect that Hermione won't say yes... which I think would be more realistic anyway, because there's obviously holes in their relationship which need sorting out before they can come to that point... anyway, I'm rambling here.

A great beginning and I'm really looking forward to the rest.

~Katrina

I came across this because I've very much enjoyed your Epitaph series. I have to admit, I'm not quite sure what to think about this story. As much as I believe that Draco redeems himself post-war and that obviously he seems more of a bully in Harry's (and particularly Ron's) eyes, but somehow I felt this story pushed it a little too far.

I loved the idea that Draco held the Slytherins together, and that he was the go-to person, however there are times in canon when he seems only to care for himself. But I think you're right in showing that things are very different from his perspective, and we certainly see that more in HBP. So sorry, I'm sitting on the fence a bit here. I suppose what I'm saying is that whilst reading the story I absolutely believed the character and I thought you created him well, but having thought a bit more about it I wonder if you've just pushed his character a bit far.

Also, I can't remember if you put an AU warning on this (sorry), but following canon and since you've said that Pansy is in seventh year, Hermione couldn't be there. I thought her comforting Draco was a nice scene, but again I wondered if she would... I certainly think she is less judgemental of him than Ron and Harry. But anyway, in terms of the story and Pansy's perspective, using Hermione in that situation worked really well. And also since the story is called "If" I think you can get away with less believable situations, because there is a doubt (for me at least) of whether this actually happened.

Also the lyrics of the song were beautiful and really added to the story.

His mother had loved his father wholly, but Lucius had never loved anyone as much as he loved himself. - I think that is very likely what the Malfoy household was like - we see in canon that Narcissa obviously understands love, at least for her son, but Lucius does seem to care only for himself.

I liked how Pansy narrated the story, but it was really about Draco and the complexities of his character. That was very effective.

So I think it was a wonderfully written story, I'm just not sure if you pushed the characters too far.

~Katrina

Author's Response: To address the first few concerns you raised - this story is a kind of alternative seventh year. There is a note on the fic which does mention that the events of sixth year didn't really happen either - so Draco didn't try to kill Dumbledore, etc. This isn't Draco redeeming himself post war, it's Draco mid-war, totally confused as to what to do in his life. I made Draco the go-to-guy for Slytherin because I couldn't imagine that all of the overly ambitious Slytherins would just accept his leadership, unless he had something to give them back. There are times in canon where he is very selfish, but here I've sort of chalked it up to being a teenager - he can't be expected to care about the world before his time, in my mind. There is an AU warning on this. Hermione here is basically a Gryffindor Draco, in relation to comforting people. I think that Hermione would seriously struggle to walk by someone upset, as she's always seemed to me to be particularly caring. The song inspired this fic, it's been one of my favourites for many years (in a non-sequitor, I go to see the band live tomorrow!). There are two other fics in this series, So and Then, which have been posted here already, which take this on a little further. I'm personally at odds with how things might have gone with the Malfoy household. In this fic, Lucius is a cold hearted narcissist, but in others I've written he's a particular family man - I can't quite make up my mind, so I usually mix and match from both. If I did push the characters too far, I can only say that I enjoyed pushing them. Some of my favourite fan fiction pushes characters particulary far past their boundaries, and at the very least, they always make me think about motivations. Hopefully I may have done a little of the same for you. Thanks again, for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

This was very different to your other Epitaph stories - after all, Harry is a hero and Snape is at least a hero of sorts. Whereas Bellatrix is a character I truly detest - as in, I would detest her if I ever met her (in literary terms, she's a fantastic character). Considering that hardly anyone really mourns her death, I thought you wrote this very well, and despite my dislike of her, I felt some sort of emotion at the end.

Just a few questions - why didn't Narcissa write the epitaph? You say she would have been Bellatrix's choice, but you don't say why she wasn't chosen. Also, has Rodolphus died? I can't remember his death being mentioned in canon, but I've just assumed that in this story, he is dead.

Anyway. I liked the way you drew similarities between Andromeda and Bella, rather than Bella and Narcissa. Because I think you're right, they both defied tradition in a way. Bella is the only female Death Eater we ever read about - Narcissa supported them, but never actually received the mark. Bella definitely shows the kind of strength Andromeda does when she leaves her family for Ted.

I loved this line. Isn’t it ironic that after all of the time he spent with her, assuming that you and I were the safe ones, the sensible girls who would do as they’re told, isn’t it ironic that we did nothing he told us to do?
That really demonstrates the relationship between Bella and Andromeda, but also all three sisters.

I loved how you used "sister" instead of the name Bellatrix, because a name is loaded with all of her crimes, whereas there is something sweet about 'sister'. It worked nicely with Narcissa too, and I got a clear sense that by writing those words on Bella's tomb, Andromeda was forgiving Narcissa.

It was interesting that you brought Molly into this story, although I think it unlikely that she was offered to write Bella's epitaph. Anyway, she provided an interesting comparison.

I think it's a little strange that you wrote "Bellatrix Black-Lestrange" - throughout canon, she is only referred to as "Bellatrix Lestrange". Although I suppose I see where you're coming from - she is a strong woman with a will - there is a part of her which loves a slavish kind of devotion to others. We see this in her response to Voldemort, and while I don't think she revered her husband in that way, I still think that she would only take his name.

Oh yeah, one more thing, I loved the "moons" and "insanity" in the first line - nice connection there.

This was excellently written and you were spot on with the characters. An enjoyable and thought-provoking read.

~Katrina

Author's Response: Wow, this is a massively long review. I'm gonna work through all of your questions in the order you typed them, but if I miss any, I apologise.

Narcissa didn't write the epitaph as I imagine her to be going through a trial process, and the Ministry would not want a (possible) criminal to 'host' a funeral. The same logic holds with Rodolphus - at this point he's either dead (you're right, his death isn't mentioned in canon), or in Azkaban, or had the Dementor's Kiss.

I brought Molly into the story, partly because I originally had Molly writing the entire epitaph - it read quite differently at that point, and there were some phrases and feelings that I just couldn't let go of.

I wrote her as Bellatrix Black-Lestrange partly to give her a more tangible connection to her sister, and partly to show that she wasn't defined by her husband (after all, who could define Bellatrix?).

Thank you for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed so much of it :)

This is a great beginning, Soraya. The first paragraph really sets up the characters - particularly Scorpius, but also his relationship with Harry, and in a way, the way he fits in in the wizarding world. I loved the paragraph about discrimination, and the sarcastic comment But, yes, respect was apparently the key.. I think that really gives Draco a nice characterisation too, even though he doesn't appear in the chapter. I think it's very realistic that he would "do the right thing" in teaching his son to respect others, but still want him to stick to purebloods when it came to personal relationships.

And, being you, of course you had to end it on a cliffie - I have to say, I wasn't entirely surprised - it was obvious that Scorpius knew Dominique extremely well.

The whole "Blood and Roses" idea is really good and something different and definitely creepy - but I'm sure someone's done something more creepy. Usually true crime is harder to believe than fiction... anyway. It's a great premise for a story.

And just a question - is it that likely that two best friends in the same year out of Hogwarts would be accepted as Aurors? I always had the impression that some years only one, maybe two Hogwarts school leavers would get in... but I'm not sure if that's every clearly stated, and Harry may have changed things anyway.

I'm looking forward to how this continues,

~Katrina

Author's Response: Yay!!! You read Blood and Roses and left FOUR lovely reviews for me!! Thanks a lot, Katrina -- they mean a lot. Firstly, Scorpius -- he's one difficult character, especially as we know practically nothing about him and the Next Gen gang are, to all intents and purposes, OCs. And you think Draco was well-characterised? No way!!! There's a reason I don't have too many Slytherins in my fics. Because I don't write them very well. Thanks, though.

If you look at the end notes of the last chapter, which you probably already have done, you'll see that I got the inspiration from The Mentalist. Re your question... hmm. I've never considered that before. But this story could only really make sense with them as Aurors, so I don't think I could change it. Besides, I'm sticking to your explanation -- that Harry must've changed things. Thanks for the review as always. Lastly, congratulations on the QSQ nomination for Not Alone. Well done!!! And you have Carole to thank for that!

~Soraya~

Haha I know, I don't think I've ever met a doctor with neat handwriting either... I'm seeing a lot of kids of Slytherins who were in Harry's year... Scorpius, Adam, Gabriella and possibly Maira... well at least I'd suspect she's related to Pansy. Interesting.

This chapter was very well-written, and you've really kept up the pace of the story. You're constantly revealing new information about the plot and character and if this were a book, I wouldn't be able to put it down.

Hmm... so if Rose has known about the affair for three years... why didn't she go to work? Her lies in the previous chapter definitely make her suspicious, but I don't think she did it. I think she's upto something else - possibly illegal - but I don't think she killed Dominique, Matthew and Ophelie. Plus, the roses would be a little bit obvious...

Ron's protectiveness of his daughter was very in character, and I liked the fact that the usually calm and collected Bill lost his temper - I think it's something Fleur would have done, had she been there. Hermione is also very in character, except for this one line:
“Died a couple of years ago, Blaise did,” Hermione supplied. I don't think Hermione's the sort phrase it like that... I think she would say "Blaise died a couple of years ago." I know it's a small thing, but it just stood out to me as I was reading.

Anyway, sorry that this review hasn't been as detailed and coherent as usual... great chapter and I'm looking forward to nearly reaching the end.

~Katrina

Author's Response: I worked in a medical centre for my work experience and not one of the docs there had nice handwriting! And I know, I did use a lot of Slyths in this chapter. But they were -- not necessary, I could've used Gryffs or Puffs or Claws -- but I wanted to emphasise that the Slyths Harry knew did go on and have kids and they weren't all thrown into Azkaban or whatever. I'm really glad you like the story and wow, what a compliment! I'm blushing, honest :)

I know you've already come to the end of the story, LOL, so I can't really tease you or anything about that, haha. I was quite happy with Ron's characterisation. Bill was OOC but I hope it worked. And Hermione... sorry. I think I might change that. Thanks for pointing that out -- this is what I get for submitting a story without sending it back to my beta(s) the second time round. This review was lovely, detailed and coherent -- don't you worry! Now...*runs to the next review*

~Soraya~

Wow. This story is very impressive, Jess, although rather bleak as well.

I liked the fact that Michael is essentially good. He sacrificed himself for other people and fought bravely etc and he had qualms about using the Cruciatus Curse.

But as Michael looked down at his hands through a blur of tears, his murderous hands, what he truly wanted was entirely different. He truly understood what Unforgivable meant. I loved this part. For some reason it reminded me of Shakespeare - in both Macbeth and Hamlet (through Claudius) he shows guilt through hands... anyway, I could be reading too much into it, but whether or not it was like Shakespeare, it was a fantastic paragraph. It just summed this whole story up so well.

I liked that Michael used all three Unforgivables. I find that whole concept rather interesting... after all, Harry uses two Unforgivables (although I don't think he really does any harm with Crucio), and particularly when he uses the Imperius Curse, he doesn't seem to regret it. I also wonder how Molly killed Bellatrix. Anyway, I'm getting off track. The interesting thing about how Michael used the spells, though, particularly Crucio and Avada Kedavra, was that they were entirely unnecessary. Miles was not hurting him at those times. Neither was the Death Eater whom he continued to kick. I loved how you described the feeling of power it gave him.

I'm sure there's a lot more to say about this fabulous story, but I can't think of anything more right now... this story nearly had me in tears. It was very well-written.

~Katrina

P.S. Happy Birthday to Hannah and to you!!

Author's Response:

*squishes*

I believe that times of trial are when people are either at their best or at their worst. Harry killed the most evil wizard of all time; Ron used quick wits to destroy a Horcrux; Neville pwned Nagini; Michael did none of those. He fought becuase he felt like he had to, like there was no option, and he even made Lisa think she would be a lesser person if she didn't, as well. But when the battle started, he quickly realised that he wasn't meant to be a fighter, and he wasn't half as brave or level-headed as he'd thought. 

Miles was added because he knew how to push all of Michael's buttons. They had known one another for ages, and hated each other for nearly as long. It wouldn't take much for Miles to know how to turn the screw. But one thing that Miles had not counted on was the idea that MIchael would go that far, being a goody-goody and all. It shows a bit of both of their borderline childish naivete. Had they been anywhere else and Miles had said all of those things, Michael probably would've cursed him with a Stinging Jinx in the crotch and left him alone, but nothing could've prepared Michael for the amount of hate, outrage, and injustice that Michael felt in those moments of weakness. Miles ended up paying for it dearly.

Anywho, I'm glad you liked it, and I'm sure Hannah will be thrilled with the bday wish. I'm so glad you visited, and thank you for the happy birthday. It's been amazing so far. :D

~Jess

This story was beautifully written, Carole, although I'm not quite sure what to think about the ending. The characters were very believable and I could empathise to an extent with each of them (obviously not completely... seeing as I've never been involved in a battle).

I really loved the awkwardness between Seamus and Dean at first, and how they came out bluntly that they'd missed each other. (Sorry, that's a terribly phrased sentence.) Anyway, it just felt very realistic and I could really sense their friendship.

The conversation between the three of them about being scared to go to sleep etc was also really well-written.

As for the ending - Parvati said that she didn't want to ruin things between Dean and Seamus, but to me it seems that choosing not to decide will actually make that worse... if that makes any sense. Could she choose? Did she have to? Did they survive this year just so one – or all – of them would be miserable?

Hmm. Anyway. This story was very well-written but above all I loved your characterisations.

~Katrina

Author's Response: Hey, Katrina, thanks for the review. This is deliberately ambiguous, but I wanted a different type of relationship between the three of them than the Trios that also defies the norm. It's also written for Jess, who likes a pairing(s) with a different slant. Glad you liked the characterisation. I think I enjoy writing boys' banter far more than girls - hee hee. Thanks again. ~Carole~