I am a fanfic addict. Much more of a reader than a writer, and even if I'm not reviewing or posting on the forums I can promise I'm still lurking 'round here reading.
I'm a proud Hufflepuff on the Beta Forums. Gotta love 'Puffs! But on Pottermore I'm a Ravenclaw, which is where everyone who knows me in RL automatically sorts me. I reckon I'm a 'Claw on the outside and a 'Puff on the inside ;)
Look! Look! I wrote something! I feel all official now. And guess what, I have a few chapters for another fic written, but don't hold your breath cause I want the whole thing written out before I get it beta'd and post it. I just work better that way.
Don't forget to review what you read, people. Reviews make the world go 'round!
He returned with a quiet sadness and a surprising new responsibility to keep him focused. She returned with a misplaced bitterness and the matching position that forced them to work with one another. Yet fear, resentment, and stubborn arrogance kept pushing them apart, even when they were meant to be together.
Winner, Quicksilver Quill for Best Canon Romance. Thank you!!
Ooh, I liked this. The dynamics between James and Lily were juat brilliant. Good idea with creating a special room for prefect meetings, especially putting it in a perfectly canon place. It's not something I'd really considered, but there would need to be a place where all the houses could meet together and it was never mentioned in the books.
You've put so many tantalising hints about the past and I'm getting really curious as to what happened!
Also, kudos to your beta for "Stick that in your cauldron and boil it!" An unbelievably good line that made me laugh so hard.
Can't wait to read more
Whoops, it's been ages since I reviewed this, but I have been here, reading! Anyway, I can see why Sirius and Arlienne are trying to take over, she's a fascinating character and the way they fit together but still somehow don't is a story in itself.
This chapter feels so hopeful to me, perhaps Lily and James are finally getting through all the angst, hmm? Trust James and Sirius too, both apologising on the same day, and with method that suit them too. Direct and to-the-point with Sirius and kinda sneaky for James but with that little bit of adorable-ness and humour.
You write James and Lily so well, their characters are already well defined in one chapter. There's a good difference between your other James/Lily fics. I also love the dynamics with the Marauders and James' father.
Just one picky thing that jarred me - the Potters are a pureblood family so it struck me as odd that James' father would use the phrase Floo-phone since a phone is a Muggle device. Just a minor passing thought that made me curious.
Can't wait to read more!
Poor James! Nothing's going right for him is it? It'll be interesting to see where this conflict with Avery is heading.
Plus, I can't wait to see this party!
Another great chapter :)
Yay! We finally get to know what happened at Hogsmeade. It was worth the wait though.
I loved the Prefect meeting, the dynamic between James and Lily was perfect again.
Can't wait for the next chapter :)
Ron and Hermione are short, disconnected, in the time after the Room of the Requirement. So how do they pick up the pieces?
If I were J.K. Rowling, there would be a book 8 :)I liked the fluffiness of this. It wasn't overwhelming fluffy, you got a lovely balance between sweetness and the awkwardness that comes with turning a friendship into a relationship.
It was fitting that they turned to discussing their pasts as a safe topic, since I think here they are a little afraid of the change a new relationship would bring to their futures. It is a new beginning though, no matter how stilted and awkward, and your end was a nice little mix of hopeful fluff.
Thanks for a sweet, enjoyable read
Author's Response:
Thanks for the review :)
Lily xxx
A story of the origins of Hogwarts. 11 chapters.
It is the tenth century. Across the island of Britain great changes are taking place and history is being made. But its wizarding community is mired in division and violence, with little hope of an end. Everywhere, the future seems uncertain.
And amid this, in a glen in the Highlands, a young pregnant woman buries her husband and makes a vow that will change history forever.
Her name is Rowena. They call her the Raven's Claw.
I don't often read historical fics, but your summary intrigued me and I clicked. So glad I did, I've thoroughly enjoyed this. There is so much depth to the wider world here, with the vivid descriptions. The way you tie in historical events is nicely subtle; they don't overpower the story but just add that lovely little bit of extra realness. Once or twice the dialogue has been a little jarringly 'modern' but I understand it is difficult to strike that balance between ease of understanding and sense of period.
I also love your characterisation. Even the minor characters feel human and well rounded, with good differences set up in just short passages. Your interpretation of Rowena and Helena is very interesting. I don't think I've ever come across their relationship as teacher/former student before, but it fits quite naturally here. And the way they earned their surnames is very clever! It seems a much better explanation of the founders having alliterated names than just from their families. I can't wait to see what you do with Godric and Salazar (they do show up, I presume).
Author's Response: I went back and forth on making the language historical, and eventually decided to write it normally as anything else would run the risk of looking ridiculous (after all, technically everyone should be speaking Anglo-Saxon and Gaelic!) My first draft of chapter 1 had the shepherds speaking in a very stereotypically Scottish manner, and it just looked silly. One big influence on why I wrote this was wondering where the Founders got their names - on the whole people didn't have surnames in the tenth century, that was a tradition that came later. That and wondering how they came to be famous in the first place. The canon descriptions of the Founders tend to emphasise Rowena as young and beautiful, with Helga as middle-aged and matronly, so I just took that and ran with it. I have them pegged at 24 and 40 respectively at this point in the story.