Alex this was beautiful. I loved it, because in only about 3000 words it described the relationship between Lily and James better than a cheesy 30 chapter fic. I loved it because they had problems with James hating to be cooped up and knowing that their lives now had to revolve solely around their son when they hadn't even really lived yet - but you could tell that in the end these problems weren't going to break them.

The song fit so well with the story and because I haven't heard the whole thing through I had no idea it was a friendship song. I also thought the second person made the song work especially well and it gave the story the feeling that this was a private exchange between Lily and James which just made it so much more intimate.

Speeeeeaking of intimate, here is the part of the story that I think shows your immense talent as a writer: there wasn't sex but there WAS sex. This is a 1st-2nd years story so obviously there weren't any graphic scenes but I felt like the heat between them was still palpably there. Gahh this fic is so gorgeous!

Amazingly lovely job :)

xx Ariana

Author's Response: Ariana-I'm so glad that you enjoyed this, and were kind enough to review it. As you know, I'm allergic to fluff, and think that its realistic that James anger at being cooped up would have caused a lot of tension in their relationship, and its stupid to ignore that.

I'd been listening to this song back to back, couldn't sleep, and thought of this story at three in the morning. And I'm pleased the second person gave it an intimacy-I don't think I've ever written a fic genuinely in the second person, but lots of stories in the first person addressed to a specific 'you' and I'm glad that worked here.

Hehe thank you so much for saying there's sexual attraction between them, without they're actually being sex. Since this was mainly self-relective, it didn't really fit in here, but I'm so pleased that it was present nevertheless. Thank you so much for you lovely review and I am delighted you enjoyed it! Alex

Yay Eloise! I'm happy with her decision and I love how you've transformed her from tentative and shy to a self-confident young woman. Your writing here is gorgeous (especially the end - haha). And I love the style; the flashbacks just fit so seamlessly into the rest of the story. Brilliantly brilliant :)

I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to Eloise and Dennis yet, but at the same time I'm anxious to see what the epilogue has to say. I hope you write about them more, even if it's just in passing. The dynamics of their relationship are to die for.

xx Ariana

Author's Response: I am glad you liked the transformation. In my mind, I originally had this drawn out, but the word limit had me shortening and culling a lot of things. I was really worried D: What if it was rushed? What if it didn't make any sense? But the reviews from you and Julia are making me sigh in relief :D Thank you, once again!

I think…

It's possible…

Perhaps….

Maybe…

I'm in love with Dennis :O

This is a seriously lovely story, Natalie. The set-up is so exciting and Eloise is so intriguing and I can't wait until they meet up. God your writing is so gorgeous. I'm sorry, this review isn't coherent and doesn't adequately express - at all - how much I love this story and how painful it was to wait until the weekend to read the next chapters :).

I feel like this story has real chemistry, not just between the characters per se, but between the reader and the story…it has a real attractiveness to it that makes readers want to read it and soak up the words because it's just so beautiful.

Off to read the next chapter [and review, because you are an amazing author and you deserve to hear it over and over].


xx Ariana

Author's Response: yayaya! Although, you might not like him later on. D: I mean, I do hope you'll love him to the end. :) Thanks for the lovely words!

Aw, I still do love Dennis. He's such a sweetie, even if I do wish he hadn't shown Eloise that photograph so soon. I also wanted to hug Dennis's father when he gave Dennis the watch for his seventeenth birthday.

I've favorited and am thoroughly addicted to this story. I'm glad I could get my fix in for the day before homework :).


xx Ariana

Author's Response: YAY!

About Dennis showing her the photograph so soon, I wrote it like that because of his obsession. He's never expected to meet her, and suddenly she's there, which scares and excites him. And there is this urgency in him to show her her real self; it's something that he doesn't even think about twice. I'd say Dennis was a little out of his mind on this day, and whether it was the right thing to do or not is open to debate. I agree with you and think that ideally he shouldn't have - it's a jerk move in the end lol - but that is how I intended to build his character. Although EEEP I may have been unable to portray his character that clearly.

Thank you for the reviews! They're making my day :D

Oh, lovely mistress of mine, this was absolutely perfectly wonderfully amazing! I'm in love with the format almost as much as the entire story. Everything - the chemistry between them, the progression of Louis's feelings - was so gorgeously written. And the ending was to die for.

Thank you so much for giving this beautifulness to MEEEE :). It's possible I'll have to join the challenge just to write a thank-you fic for you.

xx Ariana

Author's Response: " It's possible I'll have to join the challenge just to write a thank-you fic for you. "

This is a phenomenal story - beautifully poignant and tragic. Everything you've added (or maybe had to cut down because of word limits) fits in so seamlessly, and I love the expanded version, especially the part about Hannah standing up to Neville's Gran. So very in-character for both of them, and it was a detail that made me smile.

What I love most about this story is that it isn't fluffy, but it doesn't suck the life out of me with angst, either. It's a depressing story, but we can't be too sad because Alice isn't. The writing at the end is so gorgeous it makes me want to cry. This is easily one of the best one-shots on the site.

When I read this drabble on Christmas Day, I went a little loopy with happiness and was going to type a gushing, incoherent mess in the SBBC thread and then thought better of it. I had my suspicions it might be you, but I wasn't sure and I'm a terrible guesser. The guessing didn't matter to me as much as letting the writer know how much this - even in its drabble form - touched me and how lucky I felt to be the recipient.

I feel like I won't be able to say/stress my absolute love of this piece enough in this review, but I want to thank you for writing me something so perfect. Please never ever stop writing - you are brimming with talent and everything you write seems to turn to gold :).

xx Ariana

Author's Response: Thank you so much for this lovely review. When it came to it, the parts I had cut from this originally, didn't make it into this final version because they no longer seemed necessary. I had wanted to expand the mention of Hannah, and bring in Augusta because both are two women important in Neville's life and I like to think Alice and Hannah would have got on very well.

Due to the discussion in SBBC, I then added the part about Frank because I thought it would add something about Neville that he does have this connection to his dad, too, which is based - largely - on constantly repairing his glasses. Another fruitless gesture because Frank continually crushes them out of frustration, but Neville is still trying to make things better.

Thank you for introducing me to the song. I have to admit that when I read your squeee posts on LJ and LS, I was glowing inside. I liked my drabble, but really wasn;t sure you'd like it at all.

Thanks again. ~Carole~

Only you, Carole, could make this pairing and these people so gorgeously redeemable. I love the set up, I love the Truth or Dare, and the ending made me smile.

I especially liked that what McLaggen assumed was Smith's secret (being gay) really wasn't what he was hiding because in the grand scheme of things that really wasn't too big of a deal. I loved the lines you said about the Battle …how Smith was scared (like any rational person would be) and how he was being judged for that his whole life.

Beautiful job! I've had to wait a few days to read this story and it was well-worth the wait - I love what you did with these characters, and I don't hate them quite as much as I used to (at least in your story).

I bow at your feet ;).

xx Ariana

Author's Response: YAYYY! Thank you so much for the prompt. I have to admit, though, that I would have ignored it had it not been for the memory of Cormac doing things for a dare. That kicked off the whole scenario whereby he could kiss Zach and then .... well, yes, you know the rest.

Thank you, also, for reviewing. I had so much fun writing this and am really pleased with the reaction from everyone. ~Carole~

Author's Response: YAYYY! Thank you so much for the prompt. I have to admit, though, that I would have ignored it had it not been for the memory of Cormac doing things for a dare. That kicked off the whole scenario whereby he could kiss Zach and then .... well, yes, you know the rest.

Thank you, also, for reviewing. I had so much fun writing this and am really pleased with the reaction from everyone. ~Carole~

Dear expectopatronuts,

I think I am in love with you. This may seem quite sudden, but in fact it is not. I think we have a mind connection, because how else could I have known to add you to my favorites without reading any of your brilliant, eye-popping jaw-dropping fics before?

And how else could you have known that I love stories that keep me guessing? I had no idea who it was that Scorpius was in love with. For some reason Hugo popped into my mind and I wondered why you gave him blonde hair. At one point I even thought it was Narcissa, until I remembered that the narrator was Scorpius and MNFF does not allow incest fics.

Anyways, back to the reasons why you and I have a mind connection: you knew that I was permanently, absolutely, completely, irrevocably in love with Teddy Lupin, and now he and I can get together without Victoire interrupting! It was getting a little awkward. But don't worry - I still have room in my heart for you :).

Thank you (in all seriousness) for this story. The way you write is just fantastic and you say so much in so few words. The descriptions were WOW, the lyricism was OMG!FAB, and I loved it. Never mind the fact that it's amazing in itself just because it ships Scorpius with someone who probably hasn't had a taste of him yet ;).

Much love,

lucca4 - but please, dear, call me Ariana.

YAY YAY YAY YAY! Oh my goodness that was fantastic! :)

Okay, this review isn't going to be anything structured or fab and basically it will be far less than you deserve because I'm squeeing. Basically, your drabble was shocking (because I'd never read a transvestite fic before then) and there was something about the shockingness of the drabble that made it so addictive (which is a difficult feat for a 100 word drabble!). This fic retained all of that - and more. I love Angel (and not just because he's American :D). I love the fact that he knows more than Hugo how burdensome the secret is. And I love the way you've written their romance - it's still heart-stopping and touching, but it's edgy. I love that :).

Surprisingly (because she didn't feature much in the original drabble, or if she did I don't remember her because I was too focused on the glory that is Hugo), I liked Lucy a lot in this - especially after the ending few paragraphs. She's not often written about and I love how you've characterized her - so compassionate and sweet and fun (and so unlike Percy - thank god). She might be my favorite character in this and if I was being cheeky I would suggest you write more about her in the future ;).

Also, following your LS posts, if this was the Ron you were worried about then don't worry at all. I can't even fathom trying to write him in this situation (or any situation for that matter, but this one is exceedingly difficult) but when I read this I knew that you nailed it. He's still that awkward guy who says all the wrong things, but he's a father now and his emotional capacity (to use Hermione's phrase) has expounded significantly, and you can really see that here.

Thank you for writing this, and for writing it for me! I am a definite fan if you can't tell yet :). This fic left me smiling.

xx Ariana

This is one of my favorite cousin!fics ever. I think it really comes down to the way you write Albus and Rose - their relationship as cousins is so perfect, they understand each other so well it's almost like they're best friends. Albus's hopelessness over Rose and his living with the knowledge that she will always love Scorpius more than she loves him is heartbreaking, and it makes his night with her at the end all the more bittersweet.

The flying scene is also beautifully written. It's so absolutely sweet of Albus to try to help Rose get over her fear of flying, especially when it's something he loves and is good at. The comfort Rose began to feel with him was also extremely well-written, I love the idea that the only one who can make her feel better is Albus, because that idea is also paralleled in the ending scene. The friendship between them is so real, and i can see why Albus would be the one Rose wanted to turn to when things got 'complicated' (to use Albus's word :D) with Scorpius -- I don't think she fully realizes just how deeply Albus cares for her, and just how much she is going to hurt him when the morning comes.

This is an absolutely fantastic story, Soraya, and I'm kicking myself for not reviewing it when I first read it. However much angst went into this, the end product was mind-glowingly gorgeous, and I hope you know that :).

xx Ariana

Author's Response: Thank youuuuuuu, Ariana! :D :D :D

It means so much to me that you enjoyed this story and left such a fantabulous review for it (you really didn't have to, but I am so glad you did :) ). I think the dynamics of Albus and Rose have always fascinated me because they are, arguably, closer than say Louis and Lily due to their parents being close. So I think the whole forbiddenness is a lot more prominent in this than in my Loulily stories. But anyway, I am so glad you liked how I wrote Albus and Rose -- I will say that writing parts of this was like laying eggs, so it means a lot that you liked how I wrote them as both cousins and lovers.

I have no idea why I decided to make Albus a Quidditch nut! But hehe, I did, and I'm glad you enjoyed that scene because it was one I could envision quite clearly, while others were more difficult/vague. And yeah, ultimately, Rose does depend on Albus -- a lot.

The friendship between them is so real, and i can see why Albus would be the one Rose wanted to turn to when things got 'complicated' (to use Albus's word :D) with Scorpius -- I don't think she fully realizes just how deeply Albus cares for her, and just how much she is going to hurt him when the morning comes. Not that I'm self-pimping in the slightest, but my Cotillion fic (one of them, anyway XD) is a companion piece to this and does actually include a scene (coughshowerscenecough) in the morning, if you're interested ;) I mean, that particular part isn't up yet, but it will be soon, fingers crossed.

I honestly think you are far too kind, Ariana, and it really isn't thaaaat good, but it means SO much to me -- coming from such an amazing writer yourself -- that you enjoyed this story. Thank you again for the loveliness! *heart*

Soraya xxx