Really well written. Emotional and funny. I really enjoyed this, thanks :-)

Author's Response: Thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you liked it :)

Wow, this is the best-written thing I have read on this website. Ever. This feels and sounds like JK Rowling wrote it herself; the epilogue that should-have-been. Wow. Just. Wow. You should publish.

Author's Response: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Wow, that really is saying something. I am beyond flattered that you think that. Haha, this would have been a very depressing alternative to the epilogue, but thank you! Comparisons to the Queen are as amazing as they are unjustified so please know that you have made my day. Haha, I will try - the moment I stop writing stuff that Warner Bros would sue me if I made money from it. Anyway, thank you so much for the review :)

Hi, after I read your seven simple years, I just had to see what other stories you had written. I read through all of them, enjoyed all of them, but this story and in particular, this chapter about Hermione and her Dad just reverberated deep inside me. I am horrible at leaving reviews, but I needed to let you know how powerful this chapter was for me. It really hit it home for me, how Ron, Harry and Hermione are veterans of a bloody war and how deep those scars run. And yet, how strong the bonds of heart and friendship are. Harry and Ron taking turns to sleep on the floor in Hermione's room was brilliant. Thank you for an amazing story.

Author's Response: Thank you for reading and reviewing! I'm really happy to hear that you enjoyed my other fics! Don't worry about being a horrible review. There is no such thing - anything is appreciated. Yeah, after the war there is no doubt in my mind that they would have changed somehow after spending months with only each other so people who weren't even a part of the war have no chance of understanding. So yeah... thank you again for reviewing :)

What a fabulous ending to a fabulous story! This might possibly be my favourite chapter of the lot, if only because the characterisation is so perfect. I wasn’t expecting to see from Molly’s point of view, but I think it made sense: the other chapters were focused on the actions of the younger generations, and this was a much more thoughtful, internal approach. I suppose it worked a bit like an epilogue in a way, because it began to look forward to the future more than the others did.

When Molly’s thinking about George and you wrote, “he thought she didn't know about the drinking, but of course she did, she wasn't stupid,” I thought that was a very clever way of linking this final chapter to the first. Reading all the individual narratives, you get caught up in all the storylines and have to remind yourself that this is set all in one day. By making that connection you create a cyclical effect that helps to close the story off. I also liked how you maintained the family theme throughout, moving effortlessly from Molly’s thoughts of Charlie to Ron to Ginny, to George. It was so natural, but so appropriate for both the themes of the wider story and for the character.

I’ve noticed this before in your other stories, but I really do think your characterisation is perfect! There was not one moment when I didn’t believe in something any character did or said, and this proves what a brilliant grasp of them you have. I think telling us Molly’s reasons behind naming her children was a great way to introduce her, as it showed both her strong sense of motherhood and her determination: she was going to have that baby girl, no matter what! The Molly/Arthur relationship was incredibly touching, as it was so obvious that they understand each other perfectly. When you said, “the man could spot a shift in her mood from two miles away and yet still couldn't buy her the right size clothes to save his life,” I absolutely bought that as fact. It seems to be the essence of their relationship. It was also nice to see her depend on him in this story rather than chastise him as we so often see. It softened her and made sense with the grief she was dealing with. Speaking of grief, I thought the line, “if there was one thing [Fred] had always wanted for everyone, it was happiness. She just didn't know how to give it to him right now” was so moving. You could see how much she wanted to be happy for him, and yet how gargantuan the task seems to her.

The language you used in this was often very witty, and I loved the conversations between the brothers (particularly “constantly eye-f***ing each other” and a description of Arthur being “unhealthily attached to his lawnmower”). There were a couple of points where I wasn’t sure who was meant to be talking as you didn’t indicate it, which drew me out of the narrative slightly, but that didn’t stop me laughing aloud at the banter between them. Another line I noticed was when Molly recognises that, “a life without Arthur would be like a life without the colour blue. It was there all the time, in every part of life and you could take it for granted, but she never did.” It was such a simple metaphor, but that’s why it’s powerful: readers can envision a life without blue, and therefore they can understand exactly how Molly feels.

I’ve loved reading this whole story, but I really think this chapter stood out because of its introspective gaze, and the power of the characterisation. It was such an original concept to write the whole story over the course of a day, and the ending completed it beautifully.

--Helena

Author's Response: Thank you for reading and the fabulous review! Originally I was very reluctant to write from Molly's POV but I needed a chapter with more closure than Draco's so I gave in. One of the reasons I didn't want to write Molly was I was worried about getting her character right so I'm glad you think I got the characterisation right :). These were all individual plot bunnies I had that I changed to fit together in one day and I tried to link them all together somehow so thanks for noticing! Molly and Arthur are like the perfect couple and you can see in the books that they are still clearly in love. You get the feeling from the books that Arthur has more power and control when no one else is around because there was no way Molly would marry a doormat. It was just a case of mixing all of that with their loss really. With this whole fic I wanted to show that things were far from perfect but they were getting better. Fred's death wasn't as immediate but it is still there and they are trying to move passed it. I'm glad you liked the banter (this would have been a very depressing story if that part had flopped) so yay! Sorry about that - I was trying to show that Molly was watching George and not really paying attention to their conversation - obviously it didn't work, haha :). The whole story from different POVs was copied from The Simpsons to be honest! But anyway, thank you again for the lovely review and for reading and being lovely in general :)

Onions...so many onions...
Such a beautiful story, poignant and real, and heart-rendingly truthful about the struggle to rebuild. Amazing job.

Author's Response: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Haha, they always show up when you least expect them to... Thank you so much for the kind words :)

If Draco had been born in a different family...

Author's Response: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Yeah, he isn't an evil person deep down; he just followed his father because it was all he knew. It does make you wonder.

So sweet, but not too much. Believable. Love it.

Author's Response: Thanks for reading and reviewing again :) I'm really glad you enjoyed it!

Amazing... Especially the last bit about him being always there [:

A real New Year's treat, two updates in one day!

This is really beautiful and heartwarming. It's so full of hope and the promise of the return to a new normal.

I have one request: you MUST write what happens between Harry and Ginny out in the garden!! Throw a Harry/Ginny shipper a bone!

Question for you: do you have a mapped out timeline for your post-epilogue canon, including your missing moments material? I'd love to know what you think happens when, but I suppose that's the journey you're taking now, that I will happily follow!

Author's Response: Thanks for reading and reviewing this as well! Haha, a bone may be thrown. I do have an idea for a H/G oneshot, but I make no solid promises. I have a lot of the big moments in the Weasley-centric characters (especially a certain couple) and Draco mapped out and will probably cover most of it in fics eventually. Thank you for tagging along :)

As a mom of twin boys this tugs at the heart, beautifully written.