Hi Jess,

I have to admit I was a little nervous about reading it... I think I might have come across a Harry/Pansy story before and found it completely OOC. But really I shouldn't have worried, knowing that you're a fantastic author who can really make me believe the most unbelievable situations.

The most amazing thing about this was that Harry and Pansy were completely in character. Harry was perhaps not how I'd imagine him, but you certainly showed him believably. And he does have a 'saving people' thing. I also think you're right in saying that he would understand what Pansy's going through - I loved his line “Because I know what it’s like to not know when your next meal is coming from.”. It made me think of the chapter Snape's Worst Memory in OotP, because in that Harry could really identify with Snape - supposedly the 'bad guy'.

I also adored this paragraph - The world was supposed to have been a more tolerant place after the Battle of Hogwarts. Dozens of people had laid down their lives so that Mudbloods could walk freely amongst decent folk and be seen as equals. It just struck Pansy as ironic that, in this newfound freedom of theirs, the new world had seen fit to discriminate against its own kind in a different fashion. - I think that could very easily happen in post-war wizarding England because obviously some people have suffered immensely and want to blame someone. But ultimately it results in the same kind of prejudice which they fought against.

I thought Harry was very IC when he was talking about his guilt for those who died at the Battle, and I smiled at Pansy's thoughts, which also seemed very true to her character.

I liked how you redeemed her, but without turning her into a different person (I hope that makes sense).

And all because of an angry landlady, a cigarette, a tangerine, and a couple of ‘what if’s. - You really do know how to end a story! That was just the perfect ending for this... there's nothing else I can really say about it.

I also liked the idea about turning back the clock, and the way for Pansy things have reverted, in a sense, to the way they were, but nonetheless I think she is changed at least a little.

Just one little typo - you've written Eater to think about nearly anything else, (It's during their first 'date'), and I imagine you meant to write "Eager".

Anyway, loved the story despite initially being uncertain about the pairing. Great job!

~Katrina

Author's Response:

Well, considering this story was thrown together in, like, less than three days with little prior forethought...it's a miracle it isn't stupid, hehe. I had already written one in this exchange of a completely different nature, so I thought I'd try one that showed a bit more of the world. The thing I've noticed is that people are always intolerant about something or another, whether about heavier things like religion, politics, or morality, down to things like smoking, lifestyle choice, and clothing. We all do it, however much we might try not to do. And, as you said, I thought it would be very easy for post-Battle society to condemn anyone who was noted for pure-blood supremacy of any kind, no matter how little they had to do with the war. Harry knew what it was like to have people he didn't know pretend to know him and what he was like (both good and bad).

At any rate, after me ramblinb and staring at the page, I'll thank you for the lovely review and reiterate that I'm glad you liked it and thought it was plausible. Making a non-canon pairing believable is difficult, but yay that it didn't squick you. :D

~Jess

I actually finished this story a few days ago and didn't get to review... but here I go. As you can probably tell by my previous reviews, I love this story. It has a great mix of romance, humour and mystery. Also I loved teh solution to the story - I hadn't guessed Runcorn, but he really does fit the role and make sense, particularly considering how much fear he obviously inspires in people.

I think your characterisation of Harry is interesting in this story - I like how he's almost retreated into the Muggle world to hide, after obviously a very difficult break-up. I think that suits his character very much, after having coped in the spotlight for so long it's natural he'd want to retreat. I also liked how doggedly he watched Pansy, and how he genuinely cared for her.

As I said in a previous review, Pansy is a well-fleshed out character in this. I enjoyed her quips, but also how she coped in a difficult situation - in this chapter, she did have to be saved by Harry, but she wasn't completely helpless, which I really liked. And somehow you really made me believe this pairing. And that's coming from someone who doesn't usually read non-canon pairings...

I think you wrote the dialogue for all the characters really well and it really moved the plot along. I also liked how it was Pansy's perspective throughout the story... it really worked for this.

So great story in general!

~Katrina

Author's Response:

Yay! Well, I'm glad you liked the story, despite it not being something you would normally read. This was my first ever attempt to even mentally make Harry and Pansy work, let alone put it on a page. That it wasn't a disaster was nice. :)

One thing that has always bugged me about the typical stylings of the Post-Hogwarts universe is how Harry is portrayed. Sure, when he heads up the tower and dreams of a sandwich, he's on a bit of a surreal high, but what are the chances of him waking up and not realising that dozens of people are dead, many of whom he knows, and having the knowledge that he could've turned himself over before the battle and many of them might not have died at all? That sort of knowledge could destroy a lesser man and grind his soul into dust. Well, Harry's stronger than that, but he's still a human being. Every 'thank you' he received for his part in the war must have sounded so hollow and horrid in his ears, which I think would escalate to the point where he would want to live in around people who didn't know or care about his dubious celebrity.

This thought colours much of my work when I write Harry. I think he is capable of living a semi-normal life, but I also think it would be a long journey to get there. There's nothing to say that he didn't screw things up with Ginny for a while and end up in an inadvisable relationship. You notice that I didn't use an Epilogue Disregarded tag; it's because I don't think this ship could ever last, and this wounded Harry was always going to go back to Ginny. Pansy just needed to reintroduce him to the world of the living before that could happen.

Pansy is a fun character, and I should write her more. In a way, she's a lot like me personally, so it's easy to let a bit of me bleed onto the page and give her that extra bit of life.

I'll shut up now. As always, it is a pleasure discussing characters with you. Thank you for the read and review, and I hope to see you again soon!

~Jess

I liked this chapter a lot - you really blended humour really well with danger. There were moments when I almost laughed, and you very clearly showed the sexual tension between Pansy and Harry, but the story is also ominous. I particularly loved the end of the chapter for this reason - “Don’t know,” he said. “At least as long as it takes to take down your father’s killer.”

His words hung in the air, and Pansy had the dreadful feeling that it could take a long time before she saw the light of day again. By this point I really started to empathise with Pansy, and yet at the beginning of the first chapter I didn't like her much and you've very quickly changed that. (I think I've stopped making sense here... the point is, Pansy is really well-characterised.)

I loved the scene when they arrived at Harry's house and Pansy broke down and Harry hugged her - I think it was beautifully written and worked really well within the plot, and it also showed another side of both of them.

I can't wait to keep reading... I'm loving it sofar.

~Katrina

Author's Response:

I've never believed that people are the sum of their parts. Pansy is still that scared girl who was willing to hand over a classmate like a pig for slaughter; still the girl who picked on Hermione and her teeth; she's still the girl who sycophantically followed Draco because he was the best catch in their year. But no one is that empty and shallow. At first, it was hard to crawl around in her head and find things that could *possibly* make her attractive to Harry. But sometimes, being nothing one expects makes them a prime candidate to be everything one needs. Harry may not have fancied much of anything about Pansy, but he needed her to kick him in the arse and realise how pathetic he really was in his little hidey hole far away from everything.

Anyway, enjoy the rest of the story. :)

~Jess

This is really fantastic, Alex - your characterisation of Sirius and Bella is really quite wonderful. Bella is such a manipulator - I loved the line Bella looks at him, and Sirius suddenly feels like he’s often imagined his chess pieces must feel, being appraised for its strategic use and pushed in directions against its will. But then this feeling goes as she bends down so their faces are level and speaks to him kindly. I think this really shows Bella - for a moment, Sirius sees that she's just manipulating and controlling him, but most of the time she is a great actress and, perhaps because of her own experience, knows to treat him more like an adult because she knows that will get a response from him.

I also loved the idea that the hat considered Gryffindor for her - or at least that she says it did. There is something very brave about Bella - I think all 3 Black sisters are quite different, because whilst Bella and Narcissa both remained "acceptable" and Andromeda didn't, they are vastly different. Narcissa never (well until DH when she saves Harry) seems to take matters into her own hands - she never becomes a Death Eater - and I always think of her as ordered, whereas there is something wild and chaotic about Bella - especially post-Azkaban, but it has to have come from somewhere. (Sorry, that was a long sentence.)

I also loved this paragraph - e’s always known his cousin was considered insolent and disliked but also respected by most of the family. Yet he can’t think where he’s got this idea from, other than a general impression of the way people behave around her. Thinking about it, most of the time, at family gatherings, he’s quite liked her, liked the way she sits and talks with him and Regulus, treating them as adults, likes the way she pokes fun at their older relatives. I think your explanation of how Bella's family would treat her is very realistic, and I also love the idea that Sirius looks up to her and likes her. As I've said before, she's a great manipulator and actress, and I think it would take Sirius a few more years to see through a little bit of it.

I think it's very in character that Sirius decided to leave on a whim and just runs out into the snow at age 12 - we all know he ran away at 16, but I think it's fascinating that he may have made an earlier attempt. I think Bella is especially able to manipulate him because at this moment he feels alienated and lonely. I also loved how you used the snow and the coldness to show this.

Present tense worked perfectly for this - it really put me in the moment with these two characters and it always flowed naturally.

When you do--” her voice begins to shake with excitement, something he has never heard before “--we will be great. Not our family. I love our name, and I wish to honour it, but we have become so pathetic. And we will be great, you and I. We will show them that we are greater than they ever expected us to be, and in ways they never thought people could be. Understand, Sirius?” - That line of Bella's reminded me a bit of Voldemort to Harry, which I think is an interesting connection, because even at this age Harry refused him. Although Harry had had far more guidance as to right and wrong by that point.

Anyway, in general I just loved all the characterisation and the way the story panned out - fantastic as usual!! (And I promise I will get around to finishing LAOS).

~Katrina

Author's Response: Sorry it's taken me so long to reply to this. This story was written very quickly--I was, ha, trying to be more mainstream :) I really enjoy writing Bella, as you know, and it was interesting having her act with Sirius. I was rather pleased with myself for that line-I'm sure it's from someone else, but I've always imagined Bella as a great manipulator, as you said, who is very controlled most of the time, but Azkaban unhinged her somewhat from this.

I think Bella is definitely potential Gryff material-she wasn't lying. Ha, I don't mind long sentences- I'm guilty of them myself. The three Black sisters are very interesting--I miss writing Andromeda and Narcissa.

I have a vague idea of a follow up to this about Sirius and Bella's relationship, when he sees through her, so I may write that one day.

I liked writing about the cold. I was very cold at the time, and I had a very clear idea that it should seep through the story, so it's great that you picked up on that :) And I'm glad the present tense worked for this.

I think Bella, like Voldemort, wants to escape her family, and sees Voldemort as the way to do this. I hadn't thought of that connection, but that is interesting.

Anyway thanks so much for reviewing! And I was very glad you finished LAOS and really appreciated all the lovely reviews you left for me. Thank you. Alex

For a minute I thought you were going to leave it with her not remembering... but it is a Christmas story after all, and I'm glad it had this ending.

I loved the way you traced their relationship through gumdrops - it just added something beautiful to the segments and really connected them... and then how you tied that in with their daughter was lovely.

I liked how you slowly brought in details in the second half, so as a reader we were almost in Roxy's position - as in, you didn't say outright that they were married with a daughter - but of course we did have the advantage of knowing how they got together. But given the subject matter of the story, that worked really well.

I liked how you characterised Scorpius as a bookish 5th year prefect in Ravenclaw in the beginning - he didn't fit into a lot of the stereotypes people often write. Also I loved how his best friend was Fred - not Albus or Rose - and that Fred was actually also fairly bookish, not an exact replica of his namesake.

Also, great touches of detail that really added to the story - like George and Draco having a fight the day their granddaughter was born. I also liked how you included prejudice between the Weasleys and Malfoys, but didn't major on it - clearly between Scorpius and Roxanne it wasn't an issue, but it still caused problems between their families, which actually seemed very natural.

Anyway, loved the story and the characterisations of the main characters and I thought it was really well-written.

~Katrina

Author's Response: Thank you so much, Katrina! I really appreciate the lovely review! I'm glad you thought some of the things here worked - I know we tend to write what we know, and we all know Draco so Scorpius tends to pop out quite similar to him. But he must have had a bit of his mum in him too, so maybe she was a bit more bookish, after all. And I see Fred's studiousness as just a different focus of his dad's obvious talent and strength with pranks and the shop. Couldn't you just picture George and Draco going at it after what happened in OotP? I'm sure it didn't make things easy for Scorpius and Roxanne, but like you said, it wasn't the focus of the story, just something to make it more real given what we know of their parents. Haha, I'm glad you liked the gumdrops because I've eaten so many of them lately, that's really how this all materialized! Thanks again for the review, I really appreciate it, esp. since I felt like this next generation was a bit tough to tackle! ~Gina :)

Wow. I read this before knowing the song, and then listened to the song, and you've got me thinking so much that I can't really concentrate on what I should be doing...

So little is written about Dennis in fanfiction, and I'm so glad you brought his story out... even if it has a horrible end in this version. There is just so much sheer desperation in his letters - I loved this part How do you do it? Sometimes, it feels like someone ripped something out of me and it hurts to just breathe. I’ll go to sleep and have normal dreams, but then I’ll wake up and want to tell him about them. And then I remember that I can’t. I don’t know how much longer I can live like this. Somehow I think it's a lot more effective that he doesn't have nightmares... just that he wants to share his dreams with Colin.

There's a lovely juxtaposition between Dennis' letters, where he feels like no-one cares, and the Daily Prophet articles, which first tell everyone to care for each other and later to help find Dennis. I think it's interesting that you mention survivor's guilt in one of the articles, because Dennis doesn't quite seem to be feeling that - as in that it's his fault Colin died, or that he could have prevented it in any way - but he still seems to feel his life isn't worth living anymore.

There is a strange (in a good way) amount of optimism in the letters, especially the first two, when Dennis really seems to engage with Harry's life and hope that Harry can help him and even believe that he will someday make it out of this mess, and I think that really shows Dennis - after all, few people are as optimistic and enthusiastic as Dennis and Colin (although I always thought Dennis may have been like this because of Colin and could easily swing the other way... anyway).

I loved this bit too - And Muggles truly do notice nothing. Every day, I’ve applied to jobs in various places and passed the same homeless bloke in the same alley several times per day, and no one has ever stopped to give him food or ask him if he was warm enough. I have done a couple times, and he looked at me like I was a nutter. I suppose I am at this point. - I think, as well as really showing us something about Dennis, it's a simple yet poignant comment on our society. I loved the way you used the line "muggles don't see anything" to refer to what we don't want to know about, rather than magic which we actually don't know about (if that makes sense?)

Could Harry have saved Dennis? I suppose so, and yet I find it hard to blame Harry entirely for it. He would have had so many letters from fans and probably would have seen his work as an Auror as far more important than reading and responding to all that... and at the same time, he would have hated even getting fan letters. I think that's the interesting thing in the song and this about celebrity - the fan letters aren't really for the sake of the celebrity, but for the fan. And as much as celebrities want to just be normal people (well at least Harry would), they aren't, and that is not what they represent to society. In Harry, Dennis sees someone almost superhuman, and yet someone he can also relate to, and also someone who connects him to Colin.

I loved the format - it's so much more effective than a straight narrative. The news articles really felt authentic - especially the Muggle one was very impersonal, while the Daily Prophet showed a society trying to recuperate.

The "Oh." at the end is just beautiful, even though as readers we already know what's going to happen, in that one word (well I guess it's not a word... sound then?) there's Harry's realisation and guilt and it works well. I liked the way you spaced it out as well.

There is so much I could say about this story, in my opinion it's one of your best (which is really saying something considering the qualibre of all your work).

~Katrina

Author's Response:

Wow, I’m really not good at responding to wonderful reviews. This one kind of asplodes my brain, I won’t lie. I am simply not equipped to handle your loveliness right now.

If I were to pick a fic to put amongst my best, I don’t think this one would’ve made the list or even the honourable mentions. But then, just about everything I write that I truly love ends up not on that list. I think why I put a lot into this story is because of the song. I remembered this song from when I was younger and remembered the haunting, obsessive quality of it. While I in no way thing Dennis is creepy, I think he needed something to obsess over in the state he was in, something all-consuming as he tried to deal with the loss of his brother, his own trauma, and essentially losing his father, as well. He was asked to be an adult before he was an adult, and it broke him. I wanted to mother him so badly. :/

The thing you mentioned about the dreams comes from personal experience. Nightmares are terrifying; waking up from one and not being able to put it out of your mind or, worse, distinguish it from reality is doubly so. I think Dennis found that being awake was worse than being asleep because he was smart enough to know that dreams ended and were not what one should be afraid of. What waited for him in real life was worse.

I do think that both Colin and Dennis were optimistic and exuberant. Just look at when Dennis ended up in the lake on his first day. He just stuck his arms up in the air like he’d just done something badass, rather than feel embarrassed. His actions in canon just suggest someone who is positive. And he was for a while. Then reality came and swatted it right out of him, and no one was there to brush him off and put him back in the right direction. I don’t know if Harry could’ve done that with a miracle, let alone a letter, but no one did anything at all. And that is just sad.

I did go a bit activist in this with both the gun and the mention of the homeless man and even Dennis himself. It just shows that we are all so wrapped up in our own problems that we unconsciously (or even consciously) write off others’ problems as not as important. Sure, we could go to a restaurant, eat too much, and take home the leftovers for breakfast. We could pass someone sleeping in a cardboard box and not once thing to offer them that extra food that we probably don’t need or could easily replace. It just doesn’t click in our heads. But Dennis, as someone who is suffering, albeit in a different way than that homeless man (or maybe not so different), sees it and all the hypocrisy surrounding it. It squelches his hopes and his general opinion on humanity more effectively than losing his brother, perhaps. And the most dangerous thing that we as a society can do is stop caring. It’s already happening in the world today, and in truly revolting ways. It might have even given Dennis the urge to take what he needed to survive rather than hope that human decency would afford it to him, because he didn’t see any of that decency.

Harry in this is deceptively complicated. I agree that he can’t be blamed for Dennis’s death. It is unreasonable to ask more of Harry than he has already given. He did die, after all, even if he did come back. But whose fault is it? The shop owner for owning a gun to protect his livelihood? The people who didn’t give Dennis the job he needed to make it? The people who were meant to look after him, only for him to appear fine outwardly? His teachers for not noticing he was hurting? His father for not being stronger after losing Colin? These are hard to affix with blame, because while none of them were singularly responsible, all of them were partially responsible. It’s undeniable that Colin died because of Voldemort, but who killed Dennis Creevey? Everyone, and no one. Could Harry have ‘saved’ Dennis? Perhaps, but if wishes were Horcruxes, then no one would ever die. :/

I don’t feel remorse for making Harry feel guilty in this. I think someone should feel guilty over what happened to Dennis, and as the one person Dennis had reached out to, the one who didn’t answer, Harry was as logical a choice as any. But it was important for people to know how Dennis died and why he died, even if ‘people’ is just Harry. Maybe a few people could put two and two together and work it out, but it would be my hope that Harry would let others know just how badly everyone had let down a boy who just needed a bit of guidance and someone to just be there for him.

Well, I’ve soap boxed for long enough. I’m so glad you picked up on some of the themes I sneakily planted in this. While I’m not sure this is one of my best, I think this is one of the more important things I’ve written in terms of social conscience. It’s not perfect, but I’m happy that you appreciated it. Thank you so much for your thoughtful review. ♥

~Jess

Well I'm reading this right after reading "Broken Glass" (what made me come and read this actually), and it's really fantastic. I hadn't even realised Lily was overweight in that... it adds a really different dynamic to this relationship, because in "Broken Glass" it's all about Louis being damaged and Lily helping him heal, and this shows another side. I loved the lines “Hey, we haven’t exactly found it a walk in the park either, you know,” Lily reminded him. “Your family was my family too.”

“You don't have to tell me that,” Louis said quietly. “I get told often enough. Now go on.” - It just flowed really naturally and showed the problem in their relationship.

I liked how you put both these pairings in one story (okay, I know from your end notes that we're leading up to Scily), because you paralleled them really well.

I think Rose is interesting in this - at first I thought it was terribly selfish that she said she loved her job more than Scorpius, but in a way there's a brave honesty about that - I think we all like to think that love is the most important thing, but it can often play out differently in a practical sense.

Hmm anyway I'm going to stop here because this chapter was pretty short and I want to keep reading!!

~Katrina

Author's Response: You know, this is one story that I wasn't happy with at the time, but looking back on it, there are certain moments that make me smile. Perhaps it's not as bad as I thought :)

I think I wanted to have a different slant on Lily -- some stories have Lily as practically a clone of Ginny, which I don't think is right, but I think it's entirely plausible for Lily to have issues with her weight/size. I haven't come across many fanfics which really deal with the issue of body image, and I realised recently that I write about a lot of beautiful people (I know you haven't read it, but in Flicker and Fail, my Katie/Leanne story, both Katie and Leanne are just really pretty, and Scorpius and Rose in Blood and Roses are also gorgeous in my head), so this was my attempt to try and understand why I do that. And that's not to say Lily isn't beautiful -- to Louis, she is, and to a lesser extent, to Scorpius. It's more about perceptions, really.

I'm so glad you thought this flowed naturally! I love this pairing so much, to the point where I'm actually in the process of converting it to OF, so it's so nice to hear that you liked it :) Yes, Lily helped him heal, but Louis's insecurities and fears always seem to show, sadly.

I am anything but a Scily shipper, so naturally I would have a different slant to the pairing from others, lol. This is for the GH Cotillion, and while I don't think it could win anything, if there were an Anti-OTP award, I could get maybe third place if I'm lucky, hehehehe.

The idea of Rose loving her job more than Scorpius comes from the Mentalist, where a similar relationship takes place -- they're not allowed to be together, and when faced with the choice of whether or not they were going to stay together, the woman decides that she'd rather not be responsible for her boyfriend losing her job. I seem to be inspired by the Mentalist a lot, as well as Adele, lol. I wonder why...

I'm so glad you didn't hate this. I certainly did :P Seriously, thank you so much for the review.

~Soraya~

So you're probably feeling now like I'm spamming you with all these reviews... basically I haven't read any fanfic for a while, so I'm reading most of what you've written in the last few months...

I loved this. I loved the present tense and past tense - you used them so well that I hardly noticed the shift for the memories, and while present tense can often sound clunky/unnatural, it flowed perfectly here.

I loved the bit when Remus tried to obliterate the dark mark - for some reason it made me think of that scene in the fifth movie when Sirius dies and Remus holds Harry back from going through the veil - although possibly this was more poignant, because Harry can be quite hot-headed, whereas Remus practically never loses it.

I love the background this gives for Remus/Tonks too - it seems very likely that Remus would have loved someone before her, and that adds to his hesitancy - after all, he may have more obvious reasons than most, but I think he's just afraid of being hurt - and if he's been hurt in that way before, it makes more sense.

The scene when Marlene essentially proposed was so well-written - I could really feel the whole mood slip from happy to broken just in that short scene.

Even though this is short and as much about Remus as Marlene, you really developed her character well, considering the books don't give us much. I also liked how, because this is told in Remus' eyes, she seems perfect, when presumably there would be more to her.

Anyway, I really loved this story.

~Katrina

Author's Response:

Spam away, dearie. I will ogle every word hungrily, like a starving vegetarian at a salad bar. And, as it's nearly 7am and I should really sleep, I will apologise for the crappiness of that simile.

This is one thing I was really happy with after I finished and am still happy with now. I don't get that sensation often, so I was glad that I could write this as a pick-me-up for Carole.

When starting this, I had a vivid image of Remus tearing a photograph but immediately realising his mistake as soon as it's done. He needed that connection to Marlene to cope with her death, but his inability to cope had destroyed it. And yes, it does indeed explore Remus's irrational reluctance to pursue any relationships. While his lycanthropy never actually killed Marlene, or his not telling her, he would look and look for a reason to blame himself for it to the point where he might as well have done. That's all it takes.

I think one of the reasons why Remus is so measured in his grief later on is because of this (in my head canon). He's seen that ranting and carrying on does nothing but make one do things one regrets. Like mauling the one last piece left of someone beloved.

Anyway, me = rambling; you = superior to none other for visiting my page. I actually had a thought while writing this that it would be right up your alley. I can't say it for certainty, but I'm glad you liked it. Thank you again for your support. :D

~Jess

This fic almost had me in tears... especially that last line He has nothing to do with us. I think as well as getting inside Frank's head in this, you show really well how awful it is for Neville to see them and them not to recognise him - probably more poignantly than had you written it from Neville's perspective.

I like what Frank can actually recognise about Neville - that he's only recently a man and that he's seen far too much - and yet he has no idea who this is. I also liked his memory of Alice and the connection you gave the two of them.

Also the detail about the food and how he can't eat it was really thoughtful and adds to the characterisation.

The way he can't remember specific words is really well done - it interrupts the story in a good way and really shows what it's like for him - it reminds me of someone with Alzheimer's, which I think is interesting, because Frank and Alice's illness often reminds me of that - there's something really terrible about losing your mind, as opposed to a more physical illness.

Anyway sorry this was a bit rushed, but I loved the story, and you really pulled this off.

~Katrina

Well I said in my last review I was interested in their parents... I wasn't quite expecting this though. I loved the bit when Katie was saying to Leanne that basically their lives were reversed - as in, Leanne should be the one with the addicted mother etc - that drew a really interesting connection between the two of them.

In the first chapter, I felt more sorry for Leanne, although bad for Katie too, and I don't think Katie could be blamed for not realising Leanne loved her... anyway, in this chapter, it sort of went the other way - because at least Leanne has a family and a job and a life.

The dialogue between them is very well-written and at times tense, at others like old friends, which really fits this relationship.

I can't wait for the last chapter, so I'm going to leave this just as a short review and keep reading.

~Katrina

Author's Response: Yeah, it was a bit unexpected, lol. Buuuut I hope you thought it was believable/accurate, because that was a big concern of mine also. And yep, that was what I was going for about Leanne and Katie's positions reversing.

Yay to you liking the dialogue! I do think that's one of my strengths, one of my few strengths, hehehehe. Thank you for the reviewwwwwwww!

~Soraya~