VV, thanks for everything! You are the most spectacular Beta a girl could ask for
Speaking of who, everyone should be reading everything by Vindictus Viridian. There is an spectacular fic by her called 'In the Eyes of Others' that is an in-depth very canon-like history of Severus Snape. It will make you laugh, cry, wince in pain and hate Lucius Malfoy more than you ever have or, if you go that way, love him even more. It's really quite a brilliant Opus that she's got going on. And if you're the kind of person who reads things because other authors you like recommend them (and I assume you're reading my profile because you like something I've written), then you should run to go read it. Now!
For those looking for author's recs, I'd personally check out the following one-shots first:
It's Easy
With You in Your Dreams
Return to Grimmauld Place
Mastering the Maze
Seasons of love
Summer Letters
The Phoenix Speaks
Come Hell
The Wolf
Founders Four
The End of the World
This chapter makes my soul bleed.
Author's Response: Went back and checked which one you're on -- and yes, mine too.
Brilliant action, as always.
You are a wizard with a pen.
Author's Response: Quidditch rocks. What can I say?
Serves Malfoy right, the hamster.
I really do hate him now, you know. The movie will just never be the same again...You have killed him for me forever. (The mamzer)
Author's Response: "Hamster"??? I think I won't ask where that came from. And yes, every good story has a villain to hiss. I like to kick Lucius whenever possible. Do you feel a parody of the Purim story coming on, I hope?
Am waiting like a puppy-eagerly.
Author's Response: *evil chuckle* Actually it looks a little like the pillow fight in the Ravenclaw Common Room. Lily can have a rather madcap sense of humour. And the professor did make the mistake of saying "Do the unexpected."
Well, I'd assume there'd be a lot of carnage and what not. Messy business, war is.
Author's Response: Invariably. Okay, this is getting to real double-D padding here...
Do you mind having the conversation here? *pad, pad*
Regardless, I still say Harry is thick as a doorknob.
And the dialogue between Snape and Poppy is, as always, a pleasure to read.
Author's Response: BEYOND double-D. I figured Poppy might like to have a bright, Potions-oriented kid in her care now and again (perhaps not quite this often.)
I was actually going to suggest something, and then realized that the Mods would probably delete it. Although, if we say 'The Mamzer Who Shall Not Be Named' I can probably get away with it...
Author's Response: I like it. That may even be the new title if that drabble of mine makes it up to fic-size.
Well. I have a new favorite chapter of yours. Can't wait for you to post it so that it can become everyone else's too.
Of course she's not OOC. I wouldn't have let this get by me if she were.
Author's Response: SBP alert. Shameless Beta-Promotion. Danger, Will Robinson.
Well, if it's chaptered, that means it's already written, doesn't it? Feel free to send it on before 29. I can't wait to meet Junior!
Author's Response: No, 'chaptered' just means it's overflowed the first one and looks like it'll take a while. But whenever it is typed instead of scrawled in the little black notebook of doom (Part II) you will get a look at it, I promise. And guess what? I think it may actually be short on cliches! Junior says hi.
I wait, and I wait, and I wait.
Do you have ANY idea of how patient I am?
Author's Response: And you have the long-awaited Petunia chapter. (In case anyone is wondering, PadReviews here is begging for Ch. 24. Chuckle.)
Oh *snort* Definitely.
And it wasn't bad at beta-level, it just needed to be polished. The emotion was always there....
Author's Response: The emotion... You know, I think in some ways this one is right up there with "Black Feather" for me. One of those chapters that I know has to be there, but that I wish I could just undo. If memories can be taken out and stored in bottles, why do you suppose Severus keeps that one at all?
Absolutely one of my favorite chapters. Next is, for different reasons....26. I think. Or 27. And they will TOO have a one-shot or I will WALK to Illinois and MAKE you write it.
Author's Response: Who said anything about a one-shot? It's already chaptered. Better start walking...
Read the next e-mail dear. You don't need me to post that on your reviews now, do you?
Author's Response: Never been so glad to be raised Reform/free-range in my life...
No silly, Arthur. He's like, absentee father of the month. Whoops, I forgot; that's mine.
Author's Response: Busy at the Ministry, no doubt. If he's absent, the silence means a lot less, but it makes sense for Molly to hog all the dialogue.
Here for a serious review (no padding needed for this chapter). This chapter was giving me chills even before I knew exactly what had happened; the simple possibility presented when He-Who-Does-Not-Deserved-To-Be-Named touches Severus had me nearly in tears and I wasn't able to think coherently the rest of the day. Granted, the end of the chapter would have hit me harder had I not read 'Finding the Bible' first, even if that didn't give away how it happened, but this is still an amazingly powerful chapter. It still does not cease to...amaze is the wrong word. The fact that Snape would rather be a Death Eater and serve Voldemort than be touched by HWDNDTBN (I'm fond of that one, by the way, VV) shocks and stuns. Chilling thought, actually. I would like, though, to add Narcissa to our drabble challenge, if we may. The wand down her dress and Petrificus business is a nasty trick and deserves to be punished. I would also like to *huggle* Severus. May I?
Author's Response: Now you know why that other awful chapter was absolutely necessary. Don't be too hard on Narcissa, though -- she really thought she had a chance of saving her child. It IS a nasty trick; I won't argue that at all. However, she thought she was justified at the time. Severus wasn't the only one being -- reconditioned.
Oh PLEASE! Can we? We could probably win points for it too, a la House Unity. Except we'd make up to never use his name again. Like Hitler or something. You know, it's a good thing he married in because he really DOES belong in the Ancient and Most Demented House of Black...
Author's Response: I think it'd be a blast, if we can figure out how to do it. Is this a Ravenclaw thing or a whole-boards thing? And what do we use to refer to him now that "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" and "Lord -- Thingy" have been taken?
Definitely shameless. Absolutely, positively and completely shameless. For this fic anyway. And you should know that already. *tsk tsk*
Author's Response: AND padding the review count. *tsk tsk* indeed. You're going to bring a professor down on our heads, I just know it, with all these midnight feasts and after-hours pillowfights!
Author's Response: AND padding the review count. *tsk tsk* indeed. You're going to bring a professor down on our heads, I just know it, with all these midnight feasts and after-hours pillowfights!
Author's Response: AND padding the review count. *tsk tsk* indeed. You're going to bring a professor down on our heads, I just know it, with all these midnight feasts and after-hours pillowfights!
Ha. Your muse? In all the chapters until Ron gets to school in "Another Side of the Story" Mr. Weasley only makes ONE physical appearence. In SEVEN chapters. I think he says like...four lines. Maybe.
Author's Response: I assume that's Mr. Ron Weasley? In the first chapter he's got the rather good excuse of being preverbal, as I recall. But my muse can be remarkably close-mouthed at times, and it's nice when that works out for the better instead of leaving me with half a plot line.
I think we need to stop discussing this one now. *shivers* Truly spectacular writing for such a horrible event.
Author's Response: Thank you.
Author's Response: There is a falloff of about 1/3 of the reads count after this chapter. I can't blame anyone, but -- really, it isn't all like this. It was, however, very important to the character.