Mar! *tackles* Why have I never read this before? Shame on me! Firstly, I love your author note. It makes me giggle. And secondly, I'm not even halfway through the chapter yet, and I'm already really enjoying it, not to mention intrigued. Andrea is adopted? Hmm. I think that's going to be pretty important in the future of this fic, but I've been wrong before. Mentioning her adoption is a great opportunity to describe their appearances. Nice.

"Did you see Potter's wicked dog?"

*giggles* Oh, I heart Lee Jordan. And the word wicked. But oh! How do the Bennings know that's Sirius? Interesting.

Oh, I love Sophie's personality! She's one of those people that seems a little hard to get along with, but once you know her, you love her despite everything. She and Andrea seem perfect for each other, platonically, that is. Andrea knows just what to say to make Sophie feel better. I love the camaraderie they have with each other. It seems oh-so-real, and I just want to hop into their compartment and chat with them. They're wonderful!

*giggles again* Girl talk! I love it! Sophie and Roderick – that's perfect! Aw! And Andrea and George. Well, I knew that was coming, but I love that each girl is comfortable enough to confess the person they like – even though they didn't tell at first! That's so … exactly what happens. And Sophie's silly grin! I've had one of those before!

*happy sigh* Mar, this is love. If it hadn't all of a sudden jumped from 1:59 to 3:00, I'd stay up reading this whole thing tonight. I can't wait to read the next chapter! Whee!

Abigail

Wow! I am so impressed! You've given Draco a depth that I rarely see in fanfiction. I love that Lydig cares for him -- I love that he's working on a new Wolfsbane Potion -- I love how you summed up the past four years -- I love that Draco longs for redemption! Excellent work!

Hi! I’ve been reading this story for quite some time, but I haven’t reviewed yet. Sorry! I just couldn’t help myself after this chapter, though. Your story is so wonderful and so satisfying. I just sigh in contentment after reading it!

First of all, I just wanted to commend you for taking your time! Drawing it out like this has made Oliver and Hermione’s relationship so believable and real. They are truly getting to know each other, and they never just jump on each other the way I’ve seen some rare pair fics do. Your attention to detail and description is so lovely, and the length of the chapters just makes an update so much more pleasurable!

Honestly, this is one of the most plausible romances I’ve ever seen on this site. Though Oliver and Hermione haven’t actually gotten to the love part yet, it’s clear that they are on their way to trusting each other and enjoy being around each other. The leisurely pace of the story doesn’t seem frustrating to me because I can tell that Hermione and Oliver simply aren’t ready to move that fast. They just aren’t, and you know that. *sigh* It’s just fabulous.

I love love love how incredibly in character Hermione and Oliver are! It’s uncanny! And well, no, not just them, but everyone! I’m so astounded by how spot-on everyone is. I think my favourite thing about the story is how at first you focused on how incompatible Hermione and Oliver are. But … as they start to get to know each other and actually have civil conversations, they are realising how incredibly attracted they are to each other and how much they like to be with each other. *squee*

Also … I had a major crush on Oliver after the Sorcerer’s Stone film, and you’ve taken that sexy, Scottish image and ran with it! I can never picture Oliver any other way now. His accent gives me chills! I’ve attempted to write accents that way, and I can’t imagine how you managed to pull that off! I’m seriously in love with Oliver Wood now.

Hermione too is such a sympathetic heroine. I find myself identifying with her all over the place – it’s uncanny. She’s strong yet vulnerable, smart yet clueless. Wow. Thank you so much for rounding her out into someone wonderful and not just a “bossy know-it-all”! You’ve done an excellent job with this story from all sides. I can’t wait for your next chapter!

Abigail

Author's Response: Thank you so much! Your review was an incredible suprise, and very, very much treasured and loved ;-)

I know that some people (especially near the begining, when this story had yet to really find it\'s audience) were a bit put off by the slow pace - I can\'t tell you how happy I am to find that not only do some readers put up with it, but actually enjoy it more for the natural pace I\'ve set - it\'s very vindicating.

I know, there\'s just something about that sexy Scottish accent, isn\'t there? *lol* I can\'t tell you what a nightmare it was, writing it so many different ways until I could finally come up with something readable and sugestive.

Hello, Maddy! This is a thank you for the beautiful banner you made for my fic “Young and Restless.” A little late, but not as late as the last one!

Firstly, you’ve done a wonderful job capturing Hermione’s voice. She’s always thinking and analysing, but at the same time, she’s brave and stubborn, like a proper Gryffindor should be. I’ve seen too many fics where Hermione is almost paralysed because she’s thinking about everything too much, like a female Hamlet. But you’ve got her right! She isn’t afraid to speak up, she sticks up for herself, and at the same time, she keeps herself in check, realising what her goals are and why she’s here. Fabulous job with that.

I also really like the extra details about the Hogwarts classes you’ve thrown in. Specifying which level of classes she’s taking, and the specifics of each class, makes her schedule a lot more real and impressively intimidating. It’s easy to see why she would be stressed with a schedule like that. And LOL at having to take Divination again! *smirk* At least Trelawney isn’t teaching yet.

I like Hermione’s resolution to act dull and uninteresting. That’s perfect. It reminds me of the CIA – but not the Alias kind, the real kind, where a spy has to be as unobtrusive as possible, trying to blend in and not be noticed at all. Very realistic. I also love her worry about being able to return to the future, to her proper time, since nobody has ever been able to go back that far before. It’s definitely a valid concern, and I think her reaction – at first being terrified, since it’s only logical, but then being able to talk herself out of it and just braving whatever may come. That again takes into account her intelligence and her bravery.

And squee at your portrayal of young Tom Riddle! He’s … fascinating! Intelligent, saucy, droll, extremely good-looking, and talented, but he is still Voldemort. He is still fascinated by the Dark Arts, and he will become one of the most feared, most evil wizards of all time. I don’t know how Hermione is going to be able to reconcile the two. I don’t know if I would. And then LOL at her having to work with him! I love their exchange. It’s so perfect – witty and fast, each of them trying to prove themselves. It’s so great! And mwahaha at Tom’s answer – You said you could make it as well as me. You made it well, but not as well as I would’ve. *smirk* I love it! And ha, they did get Outstanding. Nice.

There was only one issue I had with this chapter, only one thing that grabbed my attention and pulled my focus out of the story. It was giving a Gryffindor the last name “Black.” I don’t know when you originally wrote this, but I simply cannot see a member of the House of Black placed in Gryffindor. It was a huge deal when it happened to Sirius – his mother, at least, was furious at him for betraying them. I really think that if any other Black had been something other than A Slytherin, we would have heard about it – they probably would have been blasted off the family tree, or Sirius would have mentioned something about there not being any Black Gryffindors since his great-uncle Christoph. Something like that. I suggest you change his last name? It really interrupted the continuity of the story for me. Other than that, I love Christoph’s character, as well as Emma’s. Nice job with the OCs!

There were some minor grammar issues as well. Remember that you don’t capitalise the word after dialogue if it’s in the same sentence. For example:

No! she said to herself, heavy tears pricking her eyes.

or

Of all people! she thought.

Also, it should be “We Gryffindors” and not “Us Gryffindors” in Emma’s line of dialogue. In the next paragraph, there’s a spelling error – it should be “proceeded” and not “preceded.” And when Tom laughs at her, and Hermione remembers hearing that laugh before, it should be “she was instantly reminded of whom she was with” instead “of who.” The last typo is in the second to last paragraph – there’s a missing space between the words “go forward.” That’s all!

Again, let me congratulate you on such an imaginative fic! I love the concept behind it, I love the way you’ve kept all the characters in character, and I love your take on Tom! He’s amazing! I’m really looking forward to the next chapter. Thanks again for the amazing banner!

~ Abigail

Author's Response: *dies* Oh my goodness gracious Abigail, thank you so much for this SPEW-worthy review! It really just made my day. :) I\'m glad you think Hermione is somewhat in character; looking back at the story now, I definitely would have changed a couple of things about her character, but it\'s great that you liked her. I wrote this story when I was 14 (am 17 now) so it was pre . . . HBP? possibly OotP? Not sure, but definitely before that lovely Black family tree came out with all the names. Yes, looking back, I\'d definitely change the Christoph Black thing, now that we have so much more information about the Black family. And thank you so much for all the grammar nitpicks, it makes me want to go back and give a facelift to the whole story! :) This is definitely enough compensation for the banner I made you... consider your next banner free of charge. ;)

First, I'd like to say that I've read this over and over, but I've never reviewed! Sorry ... This is one of my absolute favourite one-shots about Harry and Ginny. I think you've captured their personalities, insecurities, and quirks beautifully. Harry is nervous nearly the entire time, which is very in-character for him, and while Ginny is a little more outgoing than he is, she's still a little shy and insecure. I love the way you describe their expressions -- both very satisfied, almost giddy. It's perfect!

She’d been paying attention to what he liked to eat.

"What else do I like?" he asked before he could stop himself. He was fascinated to know she’d been watching him, since he’d certainly been watching her.

This is so realistic! I love that they are able to share these kinds of things, and that they can compete while doing it! And it's a great way for them to begin talking, both about themselves, each other, their feelings, and their relationship. Beautifully done.

The whole story is fluffy but realistic. I'm glad you referenced Harry's depression -- a lot of authors try to ignore how low he'd been. I also like the twist about the kiss, how Ginny thought that she'd kissed him first. I think you're right, that Ginny did know that Harry liked her.

And ... oh, that whole part with the Chocolate Frog ... it's so ... how did you put it? Erotic. Yes. That. But it's still relatively innocent, which is great.

This is just such a precious little ficlet! Thanks for letting that moment stomp on out of your head!

~ Abigail

Hello! Beautiful one-shot here!

Oh man, I don’t know how much I can say about this story without giving anything away! Let’s see. Well, at first I was FURIOUS with you for doing that to you know who, but I eventually forgave you. ;) Clever idea! I really liked the whole premise – you know, the whole healing itself thing, being put back together after a while. It’s a shame that Ginny had to be alone for so long, and I cannot believe that Ron and Hermione didn’t tell her! She should be furious with them! And it was cruel of you know who to hide his face that way, though it would have been quite a shock if he hadn’t.

My only complaint with the story is that I found the ending a little too unbelievable. Ginny wouldn’t say yes like that, not after how long they’ve been apart – but that’s just my opinion. It was a sweet ending, but it felt way too rushed. He has seen her, but she hasn’t seen him for ten years! They aren’t the same people that they used to be. You might want to consider stretching that moment out, or just hinting that they will eventually take that step.

There was one line that did not make sense to me. I thought that you might be missing a word? Maybe?

He smiled broadened. “I knew that, and think about, you know who I am too.” The line of dialogue seems off some how, and it should begin, “His smile broadened.”

And in this fragment – “I felt you pulse AND your breath,” – it should be, “I felt your pulse AND your breath.” The same thing here – “She told me you old address,” – you’re missing an “r” there. Actually, that happens in another place, too, where you use all capitals, but it’d spoil everything if I quoted it here! It’s just a little typo, it’s not a big deal; I just thought I’d mention it. Also, you should capitalise words like “Muggle” and “Horcrux.”

*looks over review* I don’t think I gave anything away, but if I did, I’m sorry to all readers who haven’t read the story yet! And to the author – Helen, this is just beautiful! I hope you post more stories like this! Keep writing!

Abigail/joybelle423
Knight of the Turnip Table

Aw! That was so cute! I love a good James/Lily story. I have to admit, I was a little worried that this would be cliche, but you took care of that pretty well. After all, it's been a while since the end of fifth year, and I can totally see James getting gorgeous over the summer! You did a great job showing their nervousness, both for Lily and for James. I enjoyed Lily's internal arguments -- I do that all the time! And James thoughts are fun, too.

I can totally see Sarah falling for Dominic (great name, by the way!). I'm glad you've found an OC for Lily's friends!

The dialogue is great, very believable. Well done! I can't wait to read more!

Author's Response: Thank you! I really didn\'t want this story to be a cliché, so I\'m so glad that you don\'t think it is. I\'m glad you can\'t wait! :D

Hi! I posted in your Duelling Club thread a while back, and I realised that I had never left you a review for your story! So … here I am.

Let me say again how much I enjoy this fic. You write very well. Before I say anything else, though, I’d like to point out the formatting error in this chapter. There are excessive spaces between each paragraph. I know from experience that this is a tricky thing to avoid whenever you edit the chapter, since it automatically adds in those html tags, but I have a suggestion. Before you start editing, copy and paste the whole chapter into a word processor like MS Word. Do your edits there, and then copy and paste the whole story back onto the site. It’s a pain, but it saves a lot of trouble. Sorry for making such a big deal out of this, but it’s really distracting when reading, and this is so good, I didn’t want to be distracted!

Okay. That’s over!

The first thing I noticed was how similar the beginning of this story is to one that I had begun to write – only for me, it was Ginny, not Hermione. What are the odds? I may have to go back and work on that … Besides, you do it so much better!

I love this line – “their faces shining with fear and sweat.” It’s an unusual pairing of words, but it’s very effective. It sets up the tone of the piece marvellously, and it instantly lets us as the readers know that Harry and Ron have been up to something dangerous.

You’ve captured the characters of everyone beautifully – Mrs Weasley bustling to make cocoa, Hermione nagging and asking questions, Mr Weasley being tired and calm, McGonagall giving sharp looks and acting brisk and brusk. All those little details add to the believability of the story and give the readers images and quirks to work with. Good job! And you’ve also managed to add in an OC! Healer Manken is fabulous. I’m dying to know what his story is, and what makes him act that way. And why they trust him so implicitly! I can’t recall if we find out, so I’ll keep an eye out for that while I re-read this!

Obviously, this is Hermione/Draco, but I am so glad that you didn’t skip over the canonicity of Ron and Hermione’s relationship. Thank you so much for that! You don’t say very much about the problems they’ve faced, but what little you do say speaks volumes. Especially this line – “They kept fighting over really small, unimportant things and usually ended up not speaking to each other for weeks at a time.” That is so true! It happened all the time before they got together. Why should it all of a sudden stop just because they can snog each other? Good job picking that up and bringing it in here. It’s a very believable reason for their relationship to fail.

I was going to mention something about how there are no Americanisms, but then I realised that you live in Ireland. Silly me. And I’m so jealous that you had the wonderful mooncalf to help you out! That must be so nice. I wish I had a sibling to share my HP love like that.

I’m off to read the next chapter! Isn’t it amazing that you can read something once and still come back to it later and find it completely new? Good luck writing the sequel!

Abigail/joybelle423
Knight of the Turnip Table

Author's Response: Hi Abigail. Wow, I don\'t think I\'ve ever read such a fantastic review! And so positive; thank you! You know, I haven\'t actually read over the chapters I\'ve submitted in ages, so I\'ll go back now and change the formatting. Thanks for pointing it out. :-) Well, I\'m glad you liked the story. I must tell you before you get your hopes up too much, that Ian Manken isn\'t actually a hugely developed character. That\'s actually interesting though; I never thought of him having a background. Can\'t you see what a brilliant writer I am? ;-) Anyways thanks again for the review. ps. Yes having a sibling on Mugglenet is wonderful. Good thing mooncalf is so well known! Thanks again!

You want to know how this chapter was? Well ... it was brilliant! I loved it!

I loved the way Draco was hurt when he thought that Hermione didn't want to sit with him. I loved that he told her how gorgeous she could be if she accepted her looks. (Which, by the way, is so realistic!) I loved how Draco put his arm around Hermione when she fell asleep, and I loved that he fell asleep, too! Everything was just ... perfect!

I'm so looking forward to the next chapter! Your writing is fabulous!

~ Abigail

Author's Response: Hey, Abigail..! wow, thank you so much for your lovely review! It\'s great you enjoyed those scenes - I enjoyed writing them the most!
Unfortunately, the next chapter won\'t be up until after the 27th of jan due to my SAT. But I hope you stick around till that time *winks* Thank you so much!

*FLAIL*



Wow, you really are the cliffhanger queen! Sorry I've never left reviews before -- I was always so awed by your writing and plot that I felt a short review couldn't do it justice (no pun intended, hee), and I never really had time for a long review.

BUT I really do love this fic! I'm so glad you've been updating regularly, and I absolutely love Draco the way you've written him. He's so perfect, and I really sympathise with him. Hermione, too -- she's so scared of being hurt again, poor thing.

And of course I love that their daughter has my name, even if she goes by Abby while I don't. *grins*

Eventually I'd like to go back and make nice long lengthy reviews, but that may never happen, so I thought I'd drop a quick review to let you know how much I love this. Thank you so much for sharing this with us!

~ Abigail

Author's Response: Thank you so much for a review. I love hearing from everyone. I love your name, which is the reason thier daughter has it and I do mean the name Abigail. However, my Abby is stubborn and full of life so she has her opinion on the name as well. Hope you continue to read and enjoy.