Ohhh, interesting. Hmm, I suspect you'll get some fl;ak about the cousins kissing so let me just jump in here and say that I don;t have a problem with it, and it's hardly an issue in the Potterverse given the Black Family tree.

I like this story. I like Lucy as well. It's good that you have a Weasley that doesn;t feel she fits. Why would they all get on? That's unnatural. It's far more likely that there'd be a few that don;t quite fit into what they're expected.

Okay, small nit-pick. I don;t understand this exchange, “I…well, I only go to Hogsmeade when I have work.” “Work? In Hogsmeade?” “Yeah, like buy stuff.” I'm not sure what she's buying, if that's work, or if it's a typo.

Oh and YES YES YES to the PARTY house - so true, so true.

Lovely story, and I can't wait for more.

Author's Response: As we both discussed on AIM, that kiss didn't really happen. I really should get a beta for things like that. >.< In any case, you know I used to be uncomfortable with the idea of cousins getting together (perhaps because of where I grew up), but...I have thawed a bit towards this. More importantly, it was very important for the story, and for Lucy. She is almost in love with Albus - I say 'almost' because she would never fully accept she could love, even though she knew she was attracted to him for a lot of reason.

Oh, Mere, what a fantastic story. I love the raw emotions you deal with here. Sirius’ hurt and anger with his family and also his friends comes shining through.

I will start by saying that I’m not a fan of second person stories. I find they can be hectoring as they demand that the reader feels a certain way, so I’ll admit that my heart did sink a bit when I realised the ‘person’ you’d used. Having said that ... it does seem to work for this story. Partly because Sirius is a pretty self-absorbed character given to introspection, and also because it’s a reasonable lengthy fic. I doubt I could read a novel-length story in second person, although I could well be in the minority.

I think you dealt with the relationship between James and Sirius brilliantly. It was obvious they needed and wanted each other, but hazy as to how this would work long-term. Of course, in canon, we know it didn’t work long term – not least because James was chasing Lily and ended up marrying her. It does come across as two characters who aren’t necessarily gay, but do love/want each other. Did the distance between them necessitated by the Whomping Willow incident make their desire for each other far more intense? (Rhetorical question, I’m thinking aloud).

Even if James hasn’t said anything to you in weeks, even if he won’t for the rest of the summer,

I do have a timeline issue with the story; from Snape’s words and The Prince’s Tale we know that the Whomping Willow ‘prank’ took place before SWM. Lily is still talking to Snape after the WW incident because she talks about James ‘saving his life’. She was not on those terms with him after he called her a Mudblood. Now ... in the scene by the lake, it is clear that the Marauders are on good terms with each other. James, in particular, is very friendly with Sirius, so they must have forgiven him. I did, I have to say, have difficulty looking past that, but in the end, it barely detracted from the story because it was about far more than canon niceties. You could correct this, if you wanted to by having Sirius leave home at Easter.

I noticed a small typo.

Would it be so bad, anyway, if a care came right now? I believe you mean ‘car’.

And being a mean Brit-picker, I’d suggest changing ‘sidewalk’ to pavement.

I love the section where he’s first alone with James. It screams the awkwardness of teenage boys and the way they want to say things but can’t. The simple ‘thank you’ and ‘of course’ just speaks volumes about the discomfort they feel surrounding emotions. They are far more comfortable with actions rather than words – being Gryffindors and boys!

Mere, I know you were having some problems with certain points of the story, so please let me reassure you that this is a superbly written story. The emotions are powerful, the kiss is tantalisingly good, and I love the ambiguity of the relationship. For Sirius to not be able to admit he’s gay (and he might not be) was a masterstroke because it added a new layer to his personality and the relationship with James. I do wonder what on earth will happen next. Will they last? Or will they crash and burn?

Great story ~Carole~

Author's Response: Gah! You wound me when you say you aren't a fan of second person stories. I adore second person! It's definitely my favourite 'person' to use. I love how you can really explore emotions with it and yet there's this kind of detachment about it. And it's really challenging to write a story in second person that needs to be in second person, so I love the effort it takes too. :) Anyway, um, about the timeline issue--I didn't realise I was wrong. I don't have a copy of DH available to me and I didn't think about checking, so, yeah. I may change it so it is Easter. Thanks for that! And pointing out the typo and Brit-pick. :) Thank you for this lovely review though. I'm really glad that you liked it and you seriously made me blush when you said it was superbly written. <3Mere

It is long, but very powerful, I love the repitition of The day is the day and then tis night is the night. It takes on such a sinister turn and I was wondering if anything else had happened apart from 'Obliviate' (shudder) Hmm, what had she discovered about him? Was it the Basilisk? Or perhaps she realised he was using her? I feel strongly for Minerva here, denied love and her memories. She comes across in the books as someone sadly thwarted in love but also one that has few regrets. i think you showed her character very well here.

Great poem and well worth the read, Natalie. ~Carole~

Author's Response: Carole,

Oh, noooo. I'm all upset now. That really was quite shocking seeing their future laid out on a chart. I know it could have been different, but ... oh, that sodding rat!

Gina, I was expecting a light hearted story, something to make me smile, but I ended up feeling forlorn. I'm pleased because you've added some depth to a story that was entertaining and fluffy, but is now more meaningful. I did smile as well, by the way. Oh and that girl with Remus - the HUFFLEPUFF (not GRYFFINDOR) - you spelt her name wrong. C.A.R.O.L.E.

Everyone knows who Potter's got it in for." Okay, nitpick here. I don't know if it's different in USA, but here if you've 'got it in for someone' then it means you want to argue, maim, murder them. So James has got it in for Snape, but certainly not Lily. He does have a thing for her though ... or a yen ...

Waiting anxiously for Chapter 4. And must add that I like Alan Diggory. Not sure why because he wasn't in it much, but he seemed cool. ~Carole~

Author's Response: Thanks for the review, Carole! I know what you mean about it being a light-hearted story, because that was my plan. I really didn't think something like this would come up, but sometimes it's inevitable when you think of how tragic these characters' lives ended up. It makes me feel bad too. I'm debating whether to continue taking it in that direction or keep it light-hearted. I should consult my chart, I suppose. ;) Thanks so much for the Brit-pick! And really, it's not that different here, so I've changed it. Thanks! I'm glad you liked this chapter and hope you enjoy the next. ~Gina :)

"Oi, Prongs!!"
,br> Ha ha ha ha ha - your Sirius has immaculate timing. Gah, I love him! Gina, brilliant chapter. I really felt for James because he's trying so hard ... and he probably doesn't need to because Lily seems to be thawing very, very quickly.

I thought the dream was very effective. Great piece of writing there, with Sirius being annoyingly Sirius, Remus attempting to help, and Peter lurking in the shadows. Snape appearing and that green light - WOW! Is James seeing the future - he sure seems to be.

Wonderful chapter and wonderful story. I can't wait for Hogsmeade :) ~Carole~

Author's Response: Thanks, Carole! I'm so glad you liked the dream. Hm, I wonder if you picked up on something else about Peter? ;) Thanks for your help with the next chapter. You know what's coming so I hope you enjoy it! ~Gina :)

The chapter title is brilliiant - I'm glad it stuck!

Gina, I thought this was a great ending to a wonderful story. I've really enjoyed following their rather tortuous journey through Valentine's Day and it will be a story I'll remember.

Author's Response: Haha, I'm glad you like the chapter title. I sort of makes sense, I suppose. I just liked it and had to go with it. Thanks for coming to read the end, Carole. I'm so glad you enjoyed it enough to remember it. I'm also glad the ending worked. I told you there would be light smut. Maybe someday I'll take it further. ;) Thanks so much - oh look, another review! Squee! Thanks again! ~Gina :)

OOOOH, I love the ending. Wow, I had no idea you were going to include it in that story, and the way he discovered the RoR - fantastic.

I really enjoyed this chapter. It was sad seeing Remus' predicament through James' eyes and then Lily working it all out. You've conjured such a great story here. I know it was supposed to be light-hearted but it's become a wonderful read. *sigh*. Can't wait for the next chapter ~Carole~

Author's Response: Ha, you mean all my RoR questions didn't tip you off to that one? ;) Thanks so much for helping me out with the Shrieking Shack, I hope my solution works well enough. I still think it's pretty light-hearted. It's not dark, but I don't think I can write these two without giving it a bit of depth when it comes to all the other things going on in their lives that were fairly serious at the time, ie. Remus and his predicament. It just sort of made it's way into the story that way, since he HAD to take her through the shack. I'm glad you are enjoying it and hope the last chapter makes you smile. Thanks again for your help and the lovely review! ~Gina :)

Unlike a previous reviewer, I do read slash. It's possibly the best type of romance available on this site being far more honest than fluff.

Enough of that. Your characterisationand portrayal of this relationship is so good in so few words. Draco's inability to act on his feelings and desires is actually pretty pitiful, but then Harry, here, isn't offering him anything. He's haunting him, and doesn't even know it. Possibly that's the best revenge he could ever have.

Brilliant. ~Carole~ (4)

Author's Response: Wow. I never even thought of that revenge part, but it strangely makes sense. Damn. I want to write more Drarry now. Thank you so much, once again! And SLASH FTW!!!

Oh, hmm, okay ... ha ha - I'm hesitant in a good way, Gina, I assure you - ha ha.

Present tense third person. I was sure this wouldn;t work, but I barely noticed it, so yes I really do think it works for this story. My reasoning is that things are happening so immediately for Lily (her lack of memory) that this tense is her. She has no past ... so no past tense. (I'm reading too much into this - ha ha)

I was chewing my lip rather at the suddenness she accepted James. If I'm honest she seemed too comfortable with him, too quickly, but I see that James was surprised too (the arm linking). I was still unsure until I came to the line about her hating the fact that everyone thinks she's dead. That made her acceptance of him much more 'acceptable' although ... it soes still seem a bit too quick, if I'm honest. (I don't mean the kissing and possible sex, I mean the initial arm taking, conversation and willingness to go off with someone who is in effect a stranger). As I got to the end, I realised it wasn't OOC because probably she's recognising the core of James' character rather than the image she had of him at Hogwarts.

Sorry, I'm wittering. I like this story, Gina. It shows a different take on the pair of them and in this overstuffed genre, that is very hard to do.

Well Done! ~Carole~

Author's Response: No worries, Carole! I'm glad it was different, though. I'll be honest and admit I had not considered what you said about Lily having no past and hence the narrative having no past tense. I did start this is past tense but almost immediately I moved it to present tense, because I just felt compelled to do so. I think you've probably articulated why. As for Lily accepting James a bit too fast - yes, I can see your point. But then you did pick up on several other things that go to it, so hopefully it's not too OOC. For one, I see this Lily as being a rather different person for not having discovered magic. Yet she knows she's lost something and is searching for it there near Diagon Alley and that is also a part of her accepting James-someone from her past who can connect her back to her former life. And like you said, she recognizes his core character and has no memory of the boy he was at school. And as a firm believer in the soulmates theory, I think that is a part of it too. I do hope you'll read a bit more to see what you think. It will be short, more a series of vignettes of their rediscovered time together. Thanks so much for the review - and thanks for the Britpicking, as usual!! ~Gina :)

Hi there,

I clicked on this yesterday because the summary intrigued me, and I'm pretty pleased I did. I liked this very much. I think you captured a side of Luna that we don't see and it was an interesting read.
I particularly liked the hint that she liked/loved Harry and that caused some tension between her and Ginny. The smattering of jealousy towards Cho was very good.

I do have one or two issues. First, I don't think Harry would ask her if Cho liked him. He only seems to talk to Hermione about that sort of stuff, and he's only known Luna for a matter of months at that stage. He doesn't, for instance, know that she can see Thestrals, so there's no connection between them. It seems OOC Harry, there.

The other point is about Fred at the wedding. You have him ordering Charlie to escape with Ginny. That's his older brother ... and Fred is giving the orders. I can't see that happening. I kind of think it would be the other way around, or Bill telling Fleur to look after Ginny and Gabriellle. I get that you wanted to show how Fred is protective of his sister, but I don't think it's up to him to assign protection duties to Charlie. Sorry, that was actually a very minor point, but it jarred with me in a story that was pretty darn good.

The use of present tense is quite a tricky one, but I think it suited the voice of Luna in your story.

Great job ~Carole~

Author's Response: Oh, poo, I'm prone to making those kinds of mistakes. And I guess I just assumed that Harry's brain was like, "Cho = Ravenclaw and Luna = Ravenclaw so therefore they must be friends." Or it was a rubbish plot device. :P Thanks for the feedback, it's much appreciated.