08/16/05
I'm currently a pre-med at some university of which you might or might not have heard. I mostly enter fics in challenges, and many of my fics tend to fall around the same themes or group of characters.
Let me try to talk about some of my fics in a bit more detail.
Winter's Last Chill:
Characters (canon): Remus, Tonk, Sirius
OC: Bjorn, Evelyn Lupin, Eudard Lupin
Complete. 5 chapters. This fic holds a special place in my heart because I put something coherant together. This is a Remus/Tonks fic at heart, but it's also a fic about Remus and his mum, Evelyn. There are flashbacks interweaved between moments that span from GoF to HBP.
Taboo
Characters (canon): Hermione, Blaise, Cormac McLaggen
Complete. One shot. Takes place at the Slug Club party. A bit Blaise/Hermione, but it's more of a Blaise character study.
Anticlimax
Characters (canon): Ron, Hermione
Complete. One shot. A Ron/Hermione fluff piece that takes place in early OotP.
Fools in Love
Characters (canon): Hestia Jones
Characters (OC): Marcus Malfoy
Complete. One shot. The improbable romance of Lucius Malfoy's youngest brother with an Order memeber. Yes, it ends badly.
Yellow Roses and Daisies
Characters (canon): Dobby, Hestia Jones, various Slytherins
Characters (OC): Marcus Malfoy
Complete. One shot. A 2nd person POV piece featuring a young Marcus Malfoy coming to grips with his pureblood heritage and his crush on Hestia Jones.
More Than a Woman
Characters (canon): Narcissa Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Voldemort, Andromeda Tonks
Complete. One shot. 1st person POV piece featuring Narcissa and her trials to join the DE inner circle.
I Said I Would Go
Characters (canon): Tonks, Remus, Andromeda, Ted Tonks
Characters (OC): Bjorn
Complete. 3 chapters. A Tonks/Remus piece that seems to be a compliment to Winter's Last Chill except that it's Tonks and her mum that get the focus. All the romance happens in flashbacks, and Remus never actually appears in the present day of the fic. Just a heads up.
Accursed Miracle
Characters (canon): Cedric, Amos Diggory, Ron, Dawlish, Auror Robards, Auror Savage, Harry, Susan Bones, Oliver Wood, Cho Chang, Goyle, Tracey Davis
Characters (OC): Adam Venturini, Eloise Thackery, Emery Nissel, Cassandra Barnes, Sloane Davis, Famke Iverson
Work in progress
This is my 'current' and most ambitious fic. It's a canon post-War fic (about a year after the War) with some huge AU twists. Basically, it's the most canon AU piece about how war never ends, some problems cannot be fixed, and some times, weird things just happen.
Porcelain Doll
Characters (canon): Cho Change, the Carrows
Complete. One shot. This is an extremely dark fic where Cho has been captured in DH and subjected to torture and rape. She is now trying to piece her life back together.
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Prisoner of the Past by ThessalyRose
Rated: 3rd-5th Years •Summary: Theresa McGonagall returns from twelve years of self-imposed exile to find that nothing has changed: the Ministry still suspects her, Minerva still blames her, and Severus still wants more than she’s willing to give. Then Sirius Black breaks out of Azkaban, and even the Boy Who Lived may not be able to rescue her from the mistakes of her past.
This is the story of Prisoner of Azkaban with only one character added. Packed with action, drama, and a touch of humor, this story is for fans of Sirius Black and Severus Snape.
Date: 09/03/07 Title: Chapter 4: Chapter 4 -- Theresa Black
“My sister was blessed with a charming nature, Potter. She has fooled wizards much less trusting than you are. It's how she gets along in the world."
This quote seemed like something McGonagall would say. I am very impressed with how in character everyone is in this story.
By having everyone distrust Theresa, but by setting up your story so Harry and the reader like her, you’ve created a strong sense of irony and suspense. Now, the reader knows that she’s married to Sirius and what Sirius has been blamed of doing, but Harry still has no idea. You used this early part in PoA, where Harry is still I the dark, to your advantage to craft this story. Also, the reader can relate to Harry’s conflict about Theresa because she seems like a good person, but is she really? Us potter fans like to trust Professor McGonagall, but is she wrong about this?
The action scene in the forest was very well written. It showed that you also have a great hand on description, even though most of the story has been dialogue or internal monologue driven. Also, I liked how you included the Hippogriff’s so early.
"Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next."
With Theresa in this story, this line takes on a new meaning. I loved how you remade this scene.
Date: 09/02/07 Title: Chapter 3: Chapter 3 -- Lost Dog
I thought the photograph of Snape and Theresa was very cute. Snape actually keeping that photograph shows that he really cared about Theresa, and because he bailed her out of prison, he obviously still cares about her somewhat. But I still wonder how she went from Snape to Sirius so quickly because they’re polar opposites.
I also liked Theresa’s internal monologue at the bus station. The internal monologue didn’t feel forced or cheesy, but it felt deep and personal, and I thought I understood Theresa a lot more after reading this. You answered a lot of questions about what Theresa did and why she did what she did. It’s become clear that she’s an adventurous person, but she’s also the kind of person that wants something stable because she’s unstable. Also, when Theresa cried, it showed how much she had liked Sirius because she’s come across as a very strong person thus far in the story.
Author's Response: I hope that Chapter 8 will help you understand more about Theresa and Sirius\' relationship. There\'s still more to reveal, of course, and I\'m not sure you\'ll get the whole picture in this story. You may have to wait for the sequel.
Date: 09/03/07 Title: Chapter 5: Chapter 5 -- Inhalus
“Don’t expect me to defend you if you get mobbed,” he sneered.
I loved this line. Once again, Snape is so in character, and this line seems like something Snape could have said in the books.
It was nice to finally see the sisters face to face. It was a very tense moment, and although that Quidditch scene wasn’t canon, it worked rather well in this story. I also say I giggled a little bit at the thought of Snape cooking. I don’t know why, because cooking is a science, and potions is a science, but imagining Snape as a chef was remotely amusing.
Also, the little things in this story, like the Chameleon Cloak and the Look-The-Other-Way-Charm, add something extra to your plot. You haven’t overwhelmed the reader with new things, but you’ve added things to make this story more interesting.
Oh! Big plot twist! Sirius apparently doesn’t know his wife. That’s interesting. I liked their encounter, and it only got better when I realized he didn’t know her.
Author's Response: I work really hard to keep Snape in character. He\'s so hard to write! One of my policies is that if there\'s a negative way to say something, that\'s how he phrases it. And you\'re right, I think cooking is just like potions, and I picture him being just as serious about it. :)
Date: 09/03/07 Title: Chapter 6: Chapter 6 -- Help is Always Given
I thought it was sweet when Snape stroked Theresa’s head. It’s nice to see Snape care about someone without him being sappy. Also, I liked the tiff between Dumbledore and Theresa. It rather reminded me of how Harry reacts to Dumbledore during OotP. I’m still impressed about how in character everyone is, and I’m doubly impressed because Snape is not just the antagonist in this story, but he’s still believable as Snape.
However, I don’t think your plot is lacking either. How did Sirius loose his memory of Theresa? What did Theresa do? How many of the rumors about her are true?
Why had Sirius hurt
her?
There’s a gap here, so you might want to go back and fix it. Also, at the end of the same paragraph, you forgot a period.
Oh! So Theresa is Harry’s godmother. I guess I should have guessed that might be the case, but it was a good turn of events anyway. I am really liking this story, and I can’t wait to reader the remainder of this fic.
Author's Response: I don\'t think enough people argue with Dumbledore. He\'s a great man, and all, but nobody agrees with everybody all the time. Besides, Theresa\'s so hot-headed, she argues with everybody.
I fixed the gap there; thanks for pointing that out. I have the hardest time with the formatting on Mugglenet, for some reason.
Fred Gets the Girl by Cinderella Angelina
Rated: 1st-2nd Years •Summary: The Setting: Remus and Tonks' Wedding
The Dilemma: Mum will go ballistic if Fred and George remain single, so they've got to get dates for the occasion.
The Outcome: Fred gets very surprised by his brother -- and his date.
The Shocker: The author doesn't end the summary with a leading question. Or does she...?
Date: 03/10/07 Title: Chapter 1: In which Fred becomes twitterpated.
First, I liked your comment about Tonks's name, and Ron's comment was really approriate.
Now, I liked how you developed Fred's feelings with having him be jealous, first. Because this is a romance, you keep to the lighter side of Fred's feelings, and this works well for the story. Even though I liked the double romance, I would have liked to know more about George's feelings for Alicia as well. However, you helped fill out Fred's personality when you had him admit that Angelina was better than any prank.
For George, I felt he was under developed because the focus of the story was on Fred. You made his relationship with Alicia more flippant than Fred's feelings for Angelina, but I guess this is what you wanted do to since the story was about Fred.
Black Love by tc015
Rated: 3rd-5th Years •Summary: For the February One-Shot Challenge by tc015 of Gryffindor.
Ted Tonks thought that all was going well with his girlfriend, until a very eventful summer.
Date: 03/01/07 Title: Chapter 1: Chapter 1
That was during his second year. She had hated him and his Muggle heritage.
I like how you recount how Andromeda hated Ted at first. This is logical because of the family she is from, and most writers tend to ignore her prejudices and just make her this girl who naturally opposes what her family thinks from the first minute she enters Hogwarts. You've avoided this unrealistic idea, and that's refreshing to read. However, you have their relationship develop, and you've taken a realistic perspective to their relationship. It seems likely that they would meet a lot in secret because of Andromeda's sisters.
“I’m putting you in danger just talking to you this very moment. You deserve someone safe.”
Ironically, this sounds very similiar to what Remus says to Tonks. Kudos to you if you made an allusion to Tonks's future relationship. It's drastic to have Andromeda engaged, but it seems like prearranged marriages were quite likely in the pureblood circles. Also, the dialogue between Ted and Andromeda was very believable. The strife in the relationship is believable, too, because, if Andromeda is attached to her sisters, it makes sense for her to be confused about Ted. I like how you don't disreguard her feelings for her family, but yet, you had me convinced that she really did love Ted.
Author's Response: Thanks. I did make that reference. I figured that Tonks would have gotten her pesistence somewhere. If she heard that her dad was the same way for her mom, then she would use that as her example.
Candles Burn by lily_evans34
Rated: 6th-7th Years •Summary: Hermione had never listened to the darkness. But now, it's all she can hear.
Written for Project SPEW 007. My prompt was "seven".
Date: 12/28/08 Title: Chapter 1: Candles Burn
She has always listened to the solemn tune of the silence, forever reverberating through the darkness; calling out in its loneliness.
I think I read this line about five times. I really loved it because the wording was so interesting, and the entire sentence just feels lonely to me. When I got over that one sentence, I really liked how you wrote i. By making the sentences get shorter, you sped up the pace and created a climax simply by how you wrote.
Your second part seems less dramatic and descriptive than i. I liked that it focused more on Hermione, but i really sets the tone for the entire story. The parts build nicely, though, and part ii and iii go together very well, and it seems appropriate to introduce the reason for Hermione’s distress after you’ve introduced how she feels. The part about Ron (iv) moves the plot into v, and I like how you’re moving the plot in little chunks. This doesn’t always work, but you have a plot while also focusing on Hermione’s emotions. I usually don’t like suicide stories, but this one was done very well. It seemed like a situation Hermione could find herself in if Voldemort had won. In canon, I often get the feeling that Hermione feels less brave sometimes (or thinks she is less brave) than Ron or Harry.
Author's Response: Thank you so much, Morgan! I really appreciate your feedback, and I'm glad that you found this story believable. Sometimes I wonder if it strays a bit too far from canon!Hermione, but I agree - I think that Hermione perceives herself as less brave than Harry and Ron at times. Not that she necessarily is, but because she looks at herself that way, I can see her reacting like this to a situation where Voldemort wins. And I'm glad you liked that one line - it's probably one of my favourites in this story. Thanks again! :D
The Nature Of Courage by Vindictus Viridian
Rated: 1st-2nd Years •Summary: In Rowling's books, we see most Sortings yield five boys to each House, and yet there were only four Marauders. What happened to the other one?
This story was submitted for the "You Sorted WHERE?" One-Shot challenge.
Date: 07/20/09 Title: Chapter 1: First Year -- the Oddball
This is such a guilty pleasure story for me. I loved your description of how James viewed all of his roommates. I liked that you didn’t make James too mature at the beginning, but yet, he seems a bit wiser than his fellow roommates. I loved this line because it set up James’s POV well:
Splendid, James thought. Sirius afraid of his family, Remus afraid we won’t like him, Peter afraid of his shadow, and Snape afraid of us.
The breakfast conversation was so effortlessly cute and funny. It seems natural that Sirius would dominate the conversation. I’m not sure Sirius would punch his roommate – even if he did happen to be Snape – on the first morning, though. Other than that, I liked Sirius’s character in this fic. I liked how you also kept Snape in character.
Date: 07/20/09 Title: Chapter 2: Second Year -- War and Peace
The use of the real life alarm clock situation made a really cute plot point. I have to admit I’ve turned into one of those people whose alarm rings for half an hour before I get up. Once again, this entire fic seems very well put together. James seems very in character, and I like how you showed the conflicting sides of his personality. James feels the need to be loyal to Sirius, but yet Sirius can really be annoying, and I like how James can privately agree with Snape, but he never shows those feelings in public.
Contemplation of the Wolfish Mind by BertieBotsBeans741
Rated: 1st-2nd Years •Summary: Imagine the pure agony that must be endured in a transformation. Can you capture the fear? How can you possibly put into words the magnitude of anxiety one would feel? Remus Lupin knows it all too well.
Date: 07/29/09 Title: Chapter 1: Torment
This is a GREAT line:
No, it was much simpler. What perturbed him was that his three best mates seemed to enjoy the idea of being expelled.
Already, you’ve set the tone for this fic. You seem to write Remus’s character very well, and even those this is a short bit, I really enjoyed it.
The Line Between What is Right and What is Easy by eternalangel
Rated: 3rd-5th Years •Summary: The year is 1945 and Albus Dumbledore has been asked by the Aurors to identify the body of a student of his who has died under suspicious circumstances, but this student was no ordinary student. Tom Riddle was extraordinary. As Albus begins to search for Riddle’s murderer, he begins to understand the true depth of Riddle’s involvement in the Dark Arts and why it was he was murdered. The murderer may be closer to Albus than even he suspects. Thanks to Butterbeer Drinker for being a wonderful guide and encouraging me to finish this gauntlet when I was about to quit!
I am eternalangel of Ravenclaw and this is my submission to the seventh round of the gauntlet.
Date: 07/11/09 Title: Chapter 1: Part One The Talented Mr. Riddle
I loved how you set the tone of this chapter, by the way. The opening where you describe how the scene was made worse by the heat was particularly nice because it added an element of the grotesque to the story. The mystery element to this story was excellent, and I liked how you tied the present day murder scene together with the flowers and Dumbledore’s dream of Ariana. There is an element of gothic horror to the dream sequence, and for some reason, the way you described the wall paper stood out to me. I really loved these lines:
Afine layer of dust had coated the floor and each step of his caused a cloud of it to rise. The drab gray walls around him looked desiccated; they were pockmarked with age and curled, faded wall paper.
I liked the scene where Septimus comes out of the Hogshead, too. You seemed to flesh out more minor canon characters very well in this story. This definitely worked to this fic’s advantage because the use of minor characters, instead of just a ton of OCs, allowed the fic to remain connected to canon.
Author's Response: Thank you very much for the review and the feedback. I really appreciate it!
Date: 07/12/09 Title: Chapter 2: Part 2: Revelations
I liked how you decided to not make Dumbledore a very sentimental character in this fic. A lot of authors portray Dumbledore as being a bit soft, but your choice to make him someone who is always an active character was very in context with the Dumbledore we see in canon. Although Dumbledore is a strong character, you also never lose the fact that Dumbledore does care very deeply about people. Dumbledore, even though he knows Tom murdered three people, is still very intent on finding his killer. He is still upset by Tom’s murder, which says a lot about Dumbledore as a person.
That gothic feeling that pervaded the first chapter was not lost in this chapter. I really liked this line because it gave an eerie feeling to the chase scene:
Along the walls, long glass windows let in pale moonlight, which cascaded down the stairs, causing alternating spaces of light and darkness.
You also did an excellent job at building suspense in this fic. When the murderer walked out behind Dumbledore, it was an awesome moment. I felt like one of those perfect movie moments where you just want to scream “OMG! Behind you!” I also loved how you twisted the end of HBP and made Dumbledore come back to kill Tom. Overall, this is quite a nice AU mystery fic.
Author's Response: Thanks a lot for the review. I'm really glad it evokes emotions out people, especially since I wasn't sure how people would take the ending. I'm glad to hear that you liked it.
What Is To Happen by luinrina
Rated: 3rd-5th Years •Summary: Isla Black comes home and finds her brother dead. He died mysteriously, and no one knows who the murderer could be. Isla is forced to solve many riddles to find the person. But what was the motive? Why was Phineas Nigellus Black murdered?
Follow Isla on her quest, and be prepared for something one would not expect.
What Is To Happen ties into my chaptered story Shining Through Blackness but can be read alone.
I am luinrina of Hufflepuff, and this is my story for the seventh round of the Gauntlet.
Date: 06/21/09 Title: Chapter 2: Chapter One - Shards of Shattered Souls
I liked the dream. It carried over the mystery from the first chapter. I could tell this chapter was wrapping some of the explosiveness of the first chapter up while getting ready to move onto the second chapter. Isla's character seems really believable, but I couldn't really judge the full scope of her character in this chapter because I felt she didn't really do a lot. Mostly, Isla was in shock, and the nightmare helped propel this story forward, and maybe the mysterious book will serve as a type of prophecy later in the fic.
Author's Response: Thanks for the review. And I'm glad you think Isla is believable. I like her a lot and give my best to make a tridimensional character out of her.
Date: 06/21/09 Title: Chapter 3: Chapter Two - Maze of Missing Memories
Wow, this was a powerful chapter. I liked how different it was. I feel like this story really reads like a horror novel, but it really works with this fic. There is a Victorian-Gothic feel about what's happening to Isla, and the fact that you told this story in first person has only heightened the power of the fic. By chosing the first person narrative, you've allowed the reader to experience all the mystery and confusion that Isla is experiencing. Also, your descriptions in this chapter were haunting and helped set a very Gothic tone to the fic.
Author's Response: Thank you!
Date: 06/14/09 Title: Chapter 1: Prologue - Cold Chimes the Clock
I'm going to include my favorite section from th prologue because I think it really exemplifies really good inner tumoil in first person POV.
I had tried explaining him my reasons, but I could not even understand it myself for the most part. So how was I supposed to expect him to fully understand it? Even my thoughts were often confusing, too confusing for me, and I had to stop thinking or I would get a major headache.
It can be a bit difficult to write a convincing first person, but you gave the character distinct thoughts while still describing in the scenery to the reader. I liked how you ended the prologue with a cliff-hanger, too, instead of simply having her meet with her brother. Now, I'm left wondering not only who killed her brother, but what they wanted to talk about that had Isla so worried.
Author's Response: Thank you! I love writing in first person POV. It gives me the opportunity to be closer to my characters and explore their inner feelings in more depth than third person offers in my opinion.
Christmas Goodbyes by Sly Severus
Rated: 3rd-5th Years •Summary: Death is never easy.
Watching his father from heaven, Cedric Diggory doesn't know what to do. His father is miserable without him. With the holidays right around the corner, Cedric wants nothing more than to be home for Christmas.
Written for Winter Snows - Home for Christmas by Sly Severus of Slytherin.
Date: 12/28/08 Title: Chapter 1: Look Inside Yourself
This concept was too interesting to pass up. I had to come in and read it. I liked how you started out by having Cedric thinking that maybe he was in hell. Contrasting heaven with hell, and making heaven into hell, was a great way to begin this fic. I also liked the added touch of the mirror, and on another note, I also liked how you didn’t get too much into one specific religion in your fic. I also wondered why, though, if Cedric can’t move on, why is he not a ghost? I understand this is AU, so I realize you can have Cedric as someone in heaven instead of someone who becomes a ghost.
Author's Response: ...A ghost? Actually, the thought never crossed my mind. I don't see Cedric as the type to be a ghost. He'd want to move on the next world. So maybe that would make the difference. Even though he can't let go, he knows he has to. I always thought that someone made a choice to be a ghost. If he chose not to, he could still be in heaven, struggling to move on. But I am currently happy that my AU warning can just cover this over, since the ghost thing didn't occur to me in the first place.
Thanks for the review, by the way. :D
Date: 12/28/08 Title: Chapter 3: Home for Christmas
“Dad,” he cried, running across the room and wrapping his arms around his father. Surprisingly, his arms didn’t go through him. He could feel his dad.
“Cedric?” Amos asked. “I can sense you. Are you here?”
Oh my god. This was a great moment. I kind of lost it and got all warm and fuzzy here. It was an awesome climax to the story, and it made sense in the story without being too mushy. I loved the ending, and it fit the first prompt in the challenge nicely. Cedric, literally and figuratively, got to go home. Monoi was an okay character, but I felt he was more of a prop than anything else in this story, and I liked how the last chapter refocused and Cedric and Amos.
Author's Response: The ending wasn't really planned. I knew Cedric and his father had to connect somehow. This just came to me while I was writing. I'm glad to hear it worked out well.
As for Monoi, he wasn't my favorite character. He was there for the prompt. But I worked with him as best I could. I thought he had him moments.
Anyway, thank you for the lovely reviews. I'm glad you liked the story.
Reconnaissance by Equinox Chick
Rated: 3rd-5th Years •Summary: On their first reconnaissance mission together Remus and Tonks escape from the Death Eaters thanks to her remarkable quick-thinking. Decamping to a Muggle pub Remus discovers she’s not as confident as he’d assumed. He’s always felt like the outsider – but perhaps he’s not alone?
The song featured in this one shot is Let's Dance by David Bowie.
I'm not JK Rowling - don't say you're surprised.
Date: 06/29/09 Title: Chapter 1: Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
You certainly start this fic out with a bit of action, which helps to pull the reader into the fic. I liked how you added the part where Remus is jealous of how Crabbe is looking at Tonks. I don’t like it when authors make Remus completely stoic and emotionless, and Tonks is the one who has to weep and cry through the entire fic to get even one little ounce of recognition from Remus. I like how you give Remus a very vulnerable and emotional personality where his calm exterior is a really difficultly attained mask that he has trained himself to put on every day.
Tonks perked up. “Ta, Remus,” she said, grinning widely. She leant over and hugged him. He had a ridiculous urge to hug her back, ridiculous because it could lead to a place he couldn’t go to. So he froze instead. Tonks released him then looked at him meditatively.
I loved this paragraph because it shows how both Remus and Tonks feel for each other. Tonks, yet, doesn’t seem to have really recognized her feelings for Remus, but he obviously already is developing feelings for her. I always thought Remus would be the to develop feelings for Tonks first, and then, later, she would pick up on them. I appreciated that you wrote the fic that way. The dancing scene was also very cute, and you injected some really clever humor into the story when you mentioned James taught Remus to dance. The unexpected kiss and ensuing fight seemed like they came right from canon. I don’t think I need to mention this to you, Carole, but you write Tonks and Remus very well.
Author's Response: Thank you very much for the review and so sorry it has taken me so long to respond. I'm pleased you liked my characterisation because I know how well you write Tonks. Ah, and I have a pair of red shoes at home so I often wear them to dance around my kitchen - LOL. Thanks again - Carole -
Act of Innocence by Indigoenigma
Rated: 6th-7th Years •Summary: Somewhere there's a happy medium between innocence and evil. Minerva, though, doesn't know where that might be.
Date: 06/23/09 Title: Chapter 1: The Fantasy
I can't say I've ever been a Tom/Minerva fan, but you wrote this entire fic very convincingly. I believed your version of Minerva when she was young. I personally think Minerva is a difficult character to write because we usually only see the side of her that is very strict. You managed to take that quality and expand upon it so that we get a fully realized character.
Author's Response: Oh, thank you! I'm glad that you liked what I did with Minerva. She's always been a favorite of mine and I'm glad that she came across well.
Etched in Gold by Cirelondiel
Rated: 1st-2nd Years •
Summary:
"It’s like a safe place, somewhere to watch the world, somewhere... magical."
When the rain stops and the sun comes out, a magical moment is etched in gold.
Date: 06/22/09 Title: Chapter 1: Etched in Gold
I really liked your descriptions of the boat house. I always appriciate it when an author goes that extra mile and creates a new, exciting place in the Potterverse, especially on the Hogwarts grounds. I think I'm a bit biased (and excited) that Hogwarts would have a boathouse. :) The moment was also very romantic, and I loved the banner you have to go with this fic.
Author's Response:
Thanks, Morgan! Heh, the boathouse was stolen from a HP video game, I think, but it makes sense, right? (Ooh, but are the boats ever used apart from when the first-years arrive... now that would be interesting to explore...)
I'm glad you liked it, and I know, Avery made the most prettiful banner ever for this! Thanks again :)