Welcome to my Author's Page
Banner by Meda
You can call me luinrina or Bine. I am
+ a proud Hufflepuff (banners by Heather and Lucia)
+ a (sometimes) inspired poet (banner by Meda), and
+ (if my muse cooperates) a fairly wordy writer.
~*~
List of completed one-shots:
Across the Pumpkin
A little one-shot about how Lily and Sirius became friends. Inspired by an inhouse challenge: Sirius, Lily, and a pumpkin.
Be Strong From Within
So far a one-shot about Ginny's sixth year. Originally written for the Back to School inhouse challenge on the beta boards. Received second place.
Divided
So far a one-shot about two friends and their Sorting. Written as the final for the Being British class, summer 2009, on the beta boards.
Envy and Fondness
This is a one-shot about the friendship of Lily and Severus. The arrival of James ensures that trouble is about to happen.
Fears - and Hope
Originally written for the Perfect Plot in a Prologue Challenge in June/July 2008: How would I introduce the Harry Potter series? Received first place.
In Due Time
Banner by Sitara
This one-shot is a foray into D/A and features Lucy Herberg, an OC. It was inspired by a discussion about Metamorphmagi in the Hufflepuff common room on the beta boards.
Left Behind
Banner by Helen
This one-shot was a co-author-project with Helen (helz_belz) for the Interhouse Co-op Challenge in the Great Hall on the Beta Boards. It features Anna Krum, the famous Quidditch player Viktor Krum's grandmother, and her story in the year 1944.
Received First Place.
Long Lost Lupine Laugh
Banner by Meda
This is a one-shot about Remus Lupin and how he prepares for his new teaching position at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Rubia
A tiny one-shot about Hagrid and Olympe Maxime becoming parents. Written for the I Challenge Thee Challenge (September) on the Beta Boards.
Sage
A longer one-shot about Susan Bones, her friends and family, and a mystery that hid below her living room. Written for the extra credit challenge of the Bookbasilisk Summer challenge, One Flew Over The Fwooper's Nest.
Spes Vernus
A short story about Andromeda a year after the Battle of Hogwarts. It was my first foray into second person POV. Originally written for the May drabble challenge in SPEW, then expanded to a one-shot.
The Bridge to Happiness
Banner by Rhi
A little one-shot about an afternoon of Sirius' and Regulus' childhood. This has been inspired by the third week of the Drabble Brawl, round two.
This Is Where You Belong
Banner by Sitara
A one-shot for the Winter Snows challenge. Harry reflects about the Christmases he has experienced.
Want You To Want Me
A one-shot about Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley, written for SPEW LoveNotes 2009. Romance.
Whispers From Azkaban
A dialogue between brothers. Written for the Bookbasilisk Summer Challenge, Gift of Gab.
List of poems:
Always The Same, Yet Always Different
Banner by Meda
This is a (very long) Sorting Hat's song, poem-style, written for the extra credit challenge in the Summer Challenge 2008. Complete.
Black but Bright
Banner by Kate
This is a poem about the Black brothers Sirius and Regulus. Complete.
Free
A short poem about how Sirius managed to break out from Azkaban. Complete.
From the Ashes: The Order of the Phoenix
Banner by Meda
This is a two-part poem about the Order of the Phoenix, of which the second part is still not done.
Full Moon
Banner by Suzie
A little sonnet in English rhyming style about Lycantrophy and the curse of being a werewolf. Complete.
What Imagination Has To Offer
A poem about fantasy and imagination, with stanzas in haiku-form. Complete.
List of series:
A Christmas To Remember
A wintery one-shot about Draco and Astoria and the birth of their son. Written for the Christmas SPEW swap 2008, for Alison (R_Ravenclaw).
A Truth Universally Acknowledged
This is a one-shot featuring Draco and Astoria and how their relationship began. Prequel to A Christmas To Remember, written for SPEW LoveNotes 2009.
Valara Series
Arising From Nothing...
A one-shot about the founders and how Hogwarts came to be built. Prequel.
Black Series
Shining Through Blackness
Banner by Lucia
This is the story about Isla Black and how she came to love a Muggle-born whereas her family was set on marrying her into an influential pure-blood family. This story is posted up to chapter seventeen. On hold.
First story (1).
What Is To Happen
Banner by Meda
This is the story I've written for Round 7 of the Gauntlet, featuring Isla Black. Four chapters, complete.
Companion to Shining Through Blackness (1.1).
From Here On Out
A songfic to Decode by Paramore. Written for SPEW 007 in 2009.
Companion to Shining Through Blackness (1.2).
Checkmate
Banner by me
A compliant story (may be chaptered, so far it's a one-shot only) to my Shining Through Blackness series. The story is a co-author-project with Terri (mudbloodproud).
List of uncompleted chaptered stories and their status:
Magical Moments - A Special Issue
The Marauders have to serve detention and are set to help writing the current month's school paper edition. The story is chaptered and posted up to chapter two. It's currently, sadly, resting due to time constraint and lack of further inspiration, but I will continue it one day.
Vain Or - C'est ton Destin
I adopted this (medieval) plot bunny from Pinkcess of the Abyss in the Adoption Centre. It features Harry growing up not with the Dursleys, but in the Founders' era. The story is AU, and the prologue and first chapter are up.
I try to keep that list up to date, but I'm rather bad at writing and keeping to lists...
I hope you enjoy my stories. Feel free to contact me if you have questions about them.
~Bine
Wow, that story is absolutely amazing!! I'm impressed on how you show us the character of Sirius, I like it very much. Excellent and gripping story, laughed a lot, too. Please keep on writing and updating, can't wait how it will go on or end.
This is absolutely bloody brilliant. I felt like Remus and could have cried out of joy. Sirius/Padfoot is soooo cute and great described. Please continue, I like to know how and when the other two manage to transform into Animagi.
And I really like the beginning of the next chapter where Sirius licks James' foot and all the chaos of Padfoot in the dorm. Excellent, superb. Bravo!!!! Please update.
Ohhhh, just fantastic. I really LOVE this story, from the first word on. It's gripping and hard to stop reading once you've started. So please, update quickly!! Can't wait to know what James is going to make Elisabeth do...
Author's Response: Thank you so much, luinrina. I\'m so glad you have enjoyed it. :) Hopefully you will find out what James has up his sleeve for, er, Lindi soon. ;) The chapter is with my beta, so barring massive problems, I hope to have it posted in the near future. I will say, I\'m not expecting very much free time over the next five days, AT ALL, So I make no promises. :( But edits and formatting should be doable. Wish me luck, and thank you for reviewing. :)
Megan, once again I have to say how much I love your riddle-poems. You rhyme, you make sense and at the same time not really which defines a good riddle for me because you incorporate something mystic that makes it special. Also, the last line was my favourite:
Show your talents, the Dark Lord dares.
What impresses me even more than your poems is your ability to write and bound the reader up to the very last word. One can hardly stop reading once doing so. Gripping, interesting, and this chapter oh so fantastic.
Excellent work.
~Bine
*speechless for several moments*
Wow. I'm blown. Again. It's getting quite a habit whenever I read a story of you.
That's a very thorough character study you've written there. And the last two sentences were the deepest I've ever read:
Lucius stood there, his grey eyes glued on the body of his friend, and as he Disapparated away, he felt the last bit of his innocence, of his conscience, die in silence.
He was now, truly, a Death Eater.
I'm really surprised of how you portrayed Lucius. It shows that he once was a youth with conscience also. And it shows that he's human, and not pure evil. I really like how you described the process of him becoming a Death Eater and the first missions he had to fulfill for the Dark Lord. And I like that you've shown that he had fears also. All of those making him human. And my favourite scene of the entire story (both chapters combined) is where he stands in front of the Dark Lord for the first time and his memories are watched through Legilimency. Very strong paragraph.
I've noticed two things I'd like to point out:
First, in this sentence
But recently, especially this past year, had already grown out of control, what with that group of first-year Gryffindors who believed they were greater than seventh-years (of any House).
it appears that there's something missing. I cannot put my finger onto the spot, but even after having read the corresponding paragraph several times, I still have the feeling that you miss a noun.
And second, in the following sentence, you misspelled "and":
Once he is dead, leave nd cast the Dark Mark over the home.
Other than that I didn't notice a single mistake, in both chapters. I'm really amazed at your writing skills, Megan. Bravo and keep the plot bunnies coming. Thanks for another interesting reading.
~Bine
Wow, really funny and great story. Laughed a lot, especially at the beginning, when Lily was still fuming mad about James. Please continue writing, your style is fantastic. Would be pity if the story ends here.
Author's Response: Lol, yes, she is funnier when she\'s outraged...I\'m glad you like the story. This story won\'t end here, but it won\'t be too long either...
For the first poem it's good. It rhymes, the flow is easy, and it brings over emotions. Good job, well done.
After not having found the time to keep up with your story, I’m happy that I’m doing it now. Your story is really wonderful, and I like the fact that it captures me so easily, that it reads so smoothly, and that I have the impression of being there with the Marauders and the girls. It’s extraordinary and well done.
And although a group of four girls that are friends and become the girlfriends of the Marauders is a cliché in fanfiction, it doesn’t feel like that in your story. The way you write makes it feel original, and I truly enjoy reading it.
Where I can especially feel with the characters is that Sirius and Kirsty like each other but don’t admit it because they feel it would destroy their friendship. It makes me feel sad to know they’re not a couple, but the idea of bringing them together with the help of their friends and not get this friendship destroyed is really nice to read about. So it should come as no surprise that I loved chapter sixteen, Proof! beyond words.
Another point I love your writing for is the way you weave humorous situations into the story. I cannot write like this to save my life, but you certainly have a grasp for it, and I envy you your talent. For the majority of chapter sixteen, I could only chuckle. It was a really entertaining and well-written dialogue; it felt real and not at all forced or otherwise out of place.
Proceeding into chapter seventeen was a journey of laughing, aww-ing and feeling sorry for my favourite couple. I found the idea of Kirsty boycotting Valentine’s Day really funny, more so that she tried to get out of the common room as quickly as possible. But when that plan backfired, she tried getting Peter as her partner in crime. Funny though, Peter himself seemed to have found a girl he was interested in.
“Because I was hoping to try and spend more time with Heather,” he retorted irritably.
“Who the hell is Heather?” asked Kirsty, furrowing her brow and wrinkling her nose in puzzlement.
“The girl I’ve been playing chess with every evening over the past few weeks!” he exclaimed in exasperation.
“Oh yeah,” she said, the pieces all sliding in to place. “Does this mean that you no longer want to be a singleton?”
“Erm, no!” replied Peter, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
I really like that you give Peter the chance to get out of the picture of him being only a side-kick, the Marauder without colour. You make him a teenage boy with interests and strengths, weaknesses and fears – a well-rounded character. He’s human, not only the shy shadow for James, Sirius and Remus as he is written in so many other stories. I especially liked the phrasing his voice dripping with sarcasm because it suggests that he is not in the least intimidated by the more popular people but can stand his ground and be someone I could be interested in.
The description of the Great Hall decorated for Valentine’s Day was interesting and nicely done. I truly felt with Kirsty, and even Sirius. Also, I found the way you distracted the reader from the pinkness with the owl delivering Kirsty’s card as well as the trick Kirsty and Emma played on the presents really nice. You provided small details hidden in the plot, and it added to the charm but didn’t overdo it, at all.
The little rivalry of McIntosh and Sirius was entertaining, and I chuckled when Sirius went huffing and puffing over his book. It got really sweet with Kirsty writing him his forty-third card and the little kiss that followed. I actually squealed delightedly. I was sad with the encounter at lunch and would have liked to be in Emma’s place and shouting out to them that what each felt for the other was love, that they should stop acting like children and go on a date to Hogsmeade.
So my conclusion: Thank you for sharing this story with us, and I can’t wait to read the rest.
~Bine
Author's Response: Bine, I cannot express how much I love you right at this moment! lol. I am just speechless. This is so wonderful. I really cannot think of anything to say in response but thank you a million times over, if not more! It means even more to me (if that's possible) when I take into consideration that you're a mod. Really, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. This story would be nothing without reviewers like you, as it is you that makes me want to continue this story and make it the best it can possibly be.
THANK YOU!
~Whit (who is touched beyond words)
Poor Remus… I can’t imagine what pain he must have been going through. I liked how you switched between Remus’ story to the one of his friends showing how they enjoy the summer and week they spend together.
What I like most about your story is that you researched the exact dates of the full moon and everything, thus being able to write it really detailed.
Nicely done. And good dialogues.
Author's Response: Yeah you get to see Remus\'s not so great summer, compared to everyone over at the Potters\'. For the full moons, I found a helpful website with the full moons from 1971-1980, although there\'s a descrepancy with the moon charts on the calendar I\'m using. By the time I found that out it was too late to change it. Glad you like it! Thanks for reading!
Sirius learning how to play the piano from Remus… adorned with his comments and urge to get Remus to sing – best scene I’ve ever read. I really loved it as I enjoyed reading the entire chapter 20.
Author's Response: That was one of my favorite scenes to write, so I\'m happy you say it was one of the best you\'ve read! (It was partly inspired by me trying to teach my friend to play a simple scale and he couldn\'t, so I had to bribe him with food). Thanks for reading!
Oh, that was mean of Sirius (lol) – frightening Peter and James with this Inferi story and using the house-elf’s help to make the fire out with water. But a wonderful scene.
I wonder what’s with Remus…
Author's Response: Sirius was feeling quite mischevious and Willie was willing to help him. Gotta love House Elves. You\'ll find out what\'s up with the Lupins in the next chapter. Thanks for reading!
Loosing loved ones is always sad and hard. My grandpa died of cancer, too. I feel with Remus and that he has to go through a transformation just right after they died... poor young Gryffindor.
Very well captured emotions, makes it easy to sympathise with Remus here. Bravo.
Author's Response: The full moon wasn\'t even supposed to be there, I think the way I timed everything made it end up in the chapter, but I liked that it allowed some bonding between the Potters and the Lupins. Thanks for reading! Glad you like it!
I really liked this chapter; good-natured overall tone, especially the dialogue between Sirius and Remus in the beginning and the scene in the boys' dorm at the end (with wet socks and possibly a shoe in the pillow flying around). Was fun reading. Keep up the good work.
Author's Response: The light-hearted chapters are so much fun to write (not that the others aren\'t, but these are a little more so). The shoe was in the pillow Sirius threw, don\'t know why he would think of putting a shoe in a pillowcase, but he did... Glad you had fun reading it, thanks for reading!
Please continue writing - your story is so gripping, absolutely fantastic. I'm curious how it goes on and how the Hearing will end for Sirius. Please update soon!
Author's Response: I originally had that as the end!! lol, but so many people have PMed me asking for more, and this is the second review asking for more that i might do another few chapters.... watch this space! :P thanks :)
Finally the story is finished! Hurray!! It’s great how you described Sirius‘ reaction when Snape rubbed it in that the little brother had helped kicking the older sibling out of the house.
But somehow I felt disappointed. I had hoped, after having read the first three chapters, that the fourth would be about the Ministry Hearing of Sirius. Yet you never mentioned whether he got free and was allowed back at Hogwarts. All who know the Harry Potter books know that he did go back, but I somehow missed it in your story after the first chapters were centred about this topic.
Yet all in all I think you did a great job.
What a story... fantastic idea. How can it be finished already? It seems that it is just the beginning of more...
Two thumbs up. I especially liked the prophecy.
Author's Response: Well, there are two parts, and actually, my other fic, \"Adoris Integare\", does (slightly) tie into this one here. But thanks, luinrina, for the review. I\'m thrilled that you liked it, and the prophecy ... yes, that took a lot of figuring in *how* I wanted to word it, so I\'m glad to hear that you liked that part!
~Megan
Really interesting story. Please update soon. Can't wait to see how it's going on. Good writing style.
Up until now five wonderful chapters. I like this story and hope it’s going on for a little while longer. It’s interesting to see different parts of Sirius’s life.
What I wonder is what happened after Sirius had recognised Regulus being the Death Eater having caught him (chapter four)? And where did these fragments of remembrance come from? Or where they a kind of foretelling/intuition of what would happen with him after he had been captured by the Death Eaters?
Author's Response: Don\'t worry. I have absolutely no plans for abandoning this fic, or finishing it anytime soon. At least ten parts have a basic plan/outline for them, and there isn\'t really an \"end goal\" or point that I\'m trying to reach in this fic. It really is, in essence, random looks at random points in Sirius\'s life.
As for what happened after Sirius recognised Regulus as the Death Eater, as well as the information concerning those memories/fragments, I\'ve started writing the sequel to that. It\'s being posted as another, separate story on my account, called \"Thoughts in the Abyss\", and has the first couple chapters posted. The continuation of \"Recognition\" won\'t be posted as posted as a part of \"Shades of Black.\"
But thank you, luinrina, for the review. I hope you continue to enjoy this fic, as well as \"Thoughts in the Abyss\", if you go to read that one. (And if you want to find out what happened after \"Recognition\", you\'d need to!
~Megan
That's a wonderful chapter, Tiffy, I really liked it. Especially how you brought in the complicated relation each of the three had with the others. I liked that Orion in the end accepted that he had made mistakes, and I'm looking forward to see if he's going to apologise.
There's one thing I noticed: You once wrote Muggle-born without the hyphen.
Wonderful chapter again.
This chapter was quite good. I liked how you brought Regulus in there, and that he was happy to see his brother again, as was Sirius to be able to see Regulus again. It shows that both brothers were indeed quite close in their childhood and early youth, before Sirius got alienated from his family and left the Blacks for good.
In some parts I had the impression though that Regulus isn’t able to stand up against his brother, like in these sentences:
"Sirius, I don't think that's -"
"But, Sirius --"
To me he sounds a bit too childish, backing down too fast. We all know that Sirius has quite a temper and that Regulus as the younger would probably cave in, but both are grown men by the time of your story, and I believe Regulus would – after what he’d done with the locket and all – be a bit stronger than he appears in this chapter. He had been able to stand up against Voldemort, so why not against his brother as well? In my opinion he should have protested a bit more; since we know so little about him, you can practically exhaust the way of how he would have reacted to his brother getting snappy, even if it would have resulted in a fight between the brothers. That would have been interesting to read.
About the commas: there shouldn’t be one when you use three periods to mark a trailing off; I noticed you did that twice. And proper names should be written with a capital letter, so it’s Firewhisky and Butterbeer; but since I don’t know whether the American book versions write it with minuscule letters, you can as well ignore this sentence if this should be the case. I know only the British editions, and there proper names are written with capital letters.
Paragraph 14: demanding instead of demandint
Paragraph 19: When you end a personal speech, you should use only a comma, not a combination with a period.
What you should also decide on is how to write Sirius’ blood status: pure-blood or pureblood. The former is the British version. But even if you choose to write American (if the second on is how it appears in the American editions), you should nonetheless stick with only one form and not change throughout a chapter.
To sum up, I liked this chapter, Tiffy, and I’m looking forward to the third and beyond.
~Bine