This poem was very interesting.

The first things I thought of when I read the poem was a short story I read in class, “Harrison Bergeuron”. In the story, the mother was unable to think more than a simple thought without her mind forgetting it; she witnessed her son’s death on TV, and forgot why she was crying a minute later. I loved the effect of the memory charm on Mrs. Granger; how it quickly made her forget her daughter. It reminded me of that story, which is one of my favorites.

The style of the poem – those short, choppy lines – fit in the perfectly with the subject. Mrs. Granger has just started feeling effects of the memory charms, so the idea of these short, quick thoughts fits in perfectly with her state of mind. A memory charm, especially as big as the one Hermione cast, would greatly affect a person’s memory.

I loved how the memory charm kicked in right after Mrs. Granger thought of her daughter. It was so sudden how the thought of the daughter disappeared from her mind; it made it even sadder. The only thing is that I always thought that the memory charm started working right before Hermione left for the Burrow – while her parents will still in England. I don’t know why her parents would have gone into Australia in the first place unless they were under the memory charm. Unless Hermione Apparated them there or something, the idea of the memory charm not affecting Mrs. Granger until she arrived in Australia doesn’t fit with the books. But I still loved the poem anyway.

Great job!

~ Teresa

Author's Response: *grin*

Thanks, Teresa. I haven\'t gotten a review in ages, and especially not one this good.

As for the Memory Charm incident, I intended it to seem that she DID have the charm on her, but when she starts writting the letter it\'s just one of those inate things you don\'t even realise you\'re doing- until she does realise and thinks, \'What the heck? I don\'t have a daughter!\'. So, yeah. Sorry about any confusion.

-Stubby

I love this chapter. In it, we really get to see each of their personalties come out.

I love how Violet just sits there and reads while the boys talk. She seems like a quiet person who doesn't like to talk too much. She's seems cold at first, and outside of the group. I love her sarcasm; she seems to be more mature than the other three. Maybe it’s because she’s a girl and girls mature faster.

I really liked how Dewey and Teddy shared their food with Violet. Both of them are really good natured, friendly people, and it shows. They really want Violet to be a part of their groups. It's interesting that Kai didn't share though.

Kai is very interesting. He teases Violet a little more than the other two. The only thing I’d like to see a little more depth to him. The only I get from him now is that he like poking fun at people, particularly girls. For some reason, I see him as a Slytherin or a Gryffindor.

I love how each just wants to forget their parents' past. They want to be normal kids, and they resent being labeled as their parent's clone. Because they have this common, this makes them good friends. Even though they’re so different, they have a similar goal.

I can't wait to see their sorting, and where they all end up. I think Teddy’s a Hufflepuff because of kindness. Dewey might be a Gryffindor because I think it would do a lot for his confidence, and he had potential to do great things. Kai’s a Slytherin because he seems cunning, and tends to be a selfish. Violet might be Ravenclaw because she’s smart and likes to read. Hopefully, I’ll be surprised and happy no matter what.

~ Teresa

This is such a perfect romance. It’s sad and happy at the same time. I could not stop reading; it was a great way for me to get back into fanfic again.

I love your portrayal of Narcissa. She's both very strong while being vulnerable at the same time. Her character is very complex, and I like how you captured her complexity. My favorite section was watching her give up the baby. Her care for the child and how she wants to give it a good life reminds me of how Narcissa is towards Draco in the book. It's so sad because you can't imagine how painful this was for her.

It's interesting to look at the difference between Lauren and Narcissa, even though they are the same person. Narcissa is very proper; she focused on duty and puts the needs and wants of everyone else first. Lauren, however, is more free-spirited. She's independent, and cares for herself. I love how in the end, she decides to go back with Stephan and be Lauren.

I love your descriptions of Lucius. While I don't necessarily see Lucius as a cruel, cold-hearted man, this story made it seem so realistic. I love how you described him as reading from a teleprompter. It's really vivid image; I can hear his monotone, boring voice in his head. It's so proper and boring and really uncaring. My only critique is that he comes off really one-dimensional. I'd have liked to have seen more depth to his character, especially to his reaction to Narcissa's affair. Maybe he'd be jealous of Stephan, or even a little hurt that his wife would betray him.

Overall, I thought this was a really interesting and thought provoking fic. I love reading about Narcissa, and this was one of my favorite portrayals of her.

~ Teresa

Hello SPEW Buddy!

I've never been a huge fan of Cedric Diggory; I always thought he was too perfect and pretty. But I really like how you gave him depth. It made him relatable, and made me like him a little more.

I love the picture of Amos Diggory you give. He does love Cedric a lot, and he thinks he's doing the right thing by constantly bragging about him, but in reality he's putting too much pressure on his son. It's something that you can relate to, having a parent that expects so much - almost too much - out of you.

I liked your explanation for how Amos knew about the Quidditch match. I like that Cedric feel guilty about what happened and that he just wasn't acting modest about it. Cedric doesn't feel like he deserves the win and the fact that everyone thinks it's amazing makes him feel even worse about it.

I really this is in general, except I was there was a little more action or dialogue. It would have made it a little more interesting, and caught my attention more.

Overall, I really liked. Great start!

~ Teresa

Wow. That’s all I think of to describe this; it’s so good.

I loved how you portrayed Bellatrix's dementia. It was so realistic and sad; no one should have to go through that, forgetting everything about themselves. At the beginning, I didn't even about this being Bella. I love how each thing Hermione says seems to jot something in her memory; it's so powerful. I liked the mention at the end of how she was already forgetting the conversation she just hadl it reminds me of how I had to repeat stuff to my great-aunt several times because she would always forget it with her Alzheimer’s.

I love Hermione and Bellatrix's conversation. The fact that Hermione show some pity on Bella is touching. Hermione is probably the most forgiving person in the trio, and you see her kindness when she talks to Bellatrix. She doesn't yell at her or say how horrible she is.

I think it's interesting that Hermione chose not to kill her. It brings up so many questions, like whether in cases death is better than living. In some ways, it would have kinder to kill Bella now rather than to let her live in the awful state she's currently in. But then Bella doesn't fully realize the horror of her condition, so living her life doesn't really bother her.

‘Quite honestly, you were an awful woman, Bellatrix. But I think you’ve suffered greatly over the years; far worse than anything we could have done to you, in fact.’ She nodded in a satisfied, assured way. ‘These things work themselves out in the end, I suppose.’
I loved this line. Hermione's right; Bella's dementia is worse than anything else that they could have done to her. At least if she was in Azkaban, she would still have her identity, but with the dementia, she's lost everything. It reminds me of the Longbottom's fate; how they were alive, but with no real memory or working mind. It's like what comes around goes around; she made people suffer in horrible ways and now she's paying the price.

Overall, I thought this was an extremely powerful piece. Bellatrix’s dementia was portrayed perfectly, and Hermione's character was so interesting to read.

~ Teresa

Author's Response: Dear me, what do I do to deserve a SECOND lengthy and wonderful review??? Thank you SOOOO much for taking the time!!! This really made my day and I'm so glad that you liked it... scarcely a month later and now all I can see is what I don't like! *note to self: must remember to edit...at some point...when I get around to it...* Again, thank you so much for a lovely review. I will cherish it always. :D

Wow! I love Andromeda/Ted, and it's great to read something different; the second-person POV really makes it unique.

I love the use of the second-person; it really allows you to get into Andromeda's head and see her thoughts. Her feelings are so realistic; you understand her pain at having to marry this man she doesn't love.

Even in her haughtiness, your mother looked beautiful. Beautiful and cold and hard – like a diamond.
I loved this description; it's interesting how used a diamond to symbolize her mother. I've seen diamonds used to symbolize beauty, but seeing it used to also describe coldness makes it fresh and new.

I wonder who the groom is supposed to be; is it meant to be a random pureblood or did you have a particular character in mind while you were writing this?

Overall, I really liked this; I can't wait to read more of your fics.

~ Teresa

Author's Response: Wow, I'm so glad you liked it! I wasn't sure I could pull off the second-person point of view, so thanks for telling me you thought I did that well. As to your query, I just meant it as a random pureblood, most likely from a wealthy and respected family. I didn't have anyone in mind, 'cause I didn't really think it made a difference who it was.