Wow, Kelly...this fic was just wonderful. I love that you were so intune with Dumbledore's character and were able to smoothly integrate simply things that we knew from canon, but at the same time, tweak them slightly to show someone who was head over heels in love.

There is a certain eloquence to your writing that I really enjoy. I think that you're quite good at using small, simple phrases that carry a great impact. You do that as well as anyone I've ever seen.

What I loved most about this story was the debate that it sparked: is familial love different from romantic love? Which is stronger? Which would you choose? I lovelove that Dumbledore, who is arguably the strongest character in HP, was so conflicted over this. There is no easy answer to the questions you provoked and it had me thinking for a long time after.

Really well done!

Author's Response: Oh, thank you, Suya! Actually, thank you for the review, the compliments, and for recommending the story! It makes me very proud of my writing when you say you enjoyed it. :D Thank you.

Wow. What a powerful piece! I was completely blown away by this! It's so utterly poignant and devastating without being the least bit melodramatic. Great job, I'm definitely adding it to my favourites. Once again, well done!

Author's Response: Thank you very much! I'm glad that I was able to avoid the melodrama....

This story was touching, for I rarely read same-sex fics. I was scared to start reading because of the rating- I thought it might be smutty or unappealing. But this representation of love at it's purest captivated me and held my attention to the very end. Beautifully done, thank you for shedding some light on Albus' feelings towards Gellert.

Author's Response: I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it - even though you broke your norm by reading it! Thanks for the review.rn

Wow.
Beautiful, I have no criticism at all, everything about this story was wonderful, from the way you worded it, to the language that you used to exactly how Albus thinks (which, I daresay, is very accurate). Kudos indeed.


Author's Response: Wow. Thank you for reviewing, not one, but TWO of my stories on the same day. I'm floored that you enjoyed both of them. Thank you!

Kelly –

Guh. This was absolutely beautiful. I loved the style you wrote this in. It’s so poetic. I’ve seen a few fics written in this style, but yours … it’s wonderful. You pulled it off very well. Every single sentence you wrote seems so important to the story, which they are, I suppose. There are no filler sentences in there, and none that seem like they’re there to add to your word count. That’s why I loved this so much.

Albus can be tricky to characterise, especially with his teenage years. There’s so much confusion and desire that nobody imagined in him, and we don’t have much information on it. Yet I think you did well in making him a confused teenager, but still the Dumbledore we knew.

Gellert is very interesting in your story, even if he’s only seen through the eyes of Albus. I think (and correct me if you didn’t mean this at all) he seems to know of Albus’s affections even before he knows them himself, and he uses this knowledge to twist Albus into using his wisdom for his plans, even though it goes against what Albus normally would have done.

I’m glad you didn’t make this a weepy fic. It could very easily be altered to make me bawl my eyes out, but I think that if you made it any sadder it wouldn’t fit in with the detached feeling this fic has. It’s a good detached feeling, though. :] It really makes you think.

I don’t usually read same-sex pairings, but I made an exception when I read the summary of yours. Like the rest of the fic, it’s very powerful, and it drew me in straight away.

I don’t have any criticism for this, because it truly is one of the most amazing fics I’ve ever read. Well done!

~Jen


Author's Response: *huggles Jen* Oh my gosh. Thank you SO much for such a fantastic review! I’m really glad that you picked up on the writing style. I tried very hard to make it as impersonal and detached as possible. I suppose that the term would be…simplistic. That way, it really contrasts with the complexity of the story and the feelings. Yay for noticing! You know, I don’t usually read or write same-sex pairings, but I was inspired quite suddenly to write this one and I’m very glad that it turned out so nicely. And, no criticism? From a SPEW-er? I’m completely floored that you liked it that much. I’m also very, very pleased. Again, thank you so much!

That was absolutely amazing. I wish I was better at writing reviews, so I could write one worthy of this fic--of all the emotion and the style and just everything about it. This is so going on my favorites list. Beautiful job--especially with your characterization of young Albus.

Author's Response: Oh, thank you so much! I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it and that you're putting it on your favorites list. I feel so happy, now :D Thank you!

I've been looking for a Dumbledore fic recently and I'm glad I found this one! Great job and I'm sure to read more of your work!

Author's Response: Wow! Thanks for leaving me a great review and a promise that you'll read more of my work. My day is suddenly a little happier! :D