Name: SunnyStorms reviewed The Damage Done on Sep 10, 2012 04:59 pm

Oooh they're stubborn. Well I'm finally getting around to finish this story at last, and boy, I'm glad I don't have to wait to read the next chapter. That interaction with Harry at the beginning was hilarious. It's not often that we see them being close to amicable in a DG fic, but it definitely works here. I loved how you wrote the interaction with Molly and George as well. It strikes just the right degree of familial protectiveness without going overboard. I think what you had Ginny decide to do was fitting for her character, and I feel the act gives the story a bit more realism (amidst the more far-fetching setup) and poignancy.

Author's Response: I'm glad you enjoyed this and that you appreciated what I chose to do with Ginny here. I got a lot of slack for it, actually, because I think a lot of people thought I was going to leave it this way. Thanks for the lovely review, as always!

Name: drakebell reviewed The Damage Done on Jun 16, 2012 11:11 am

Argh I thought it will all go well from now but it's not :( Hope Ginny will come to her senses and Draco lowering his pride even for a little bit. Don't worry I don't hate you for this chapter but it just annoys me that both of them are stubborn in one way or another just like their true personality! Hope to see the epilogue soon!

Author's Response: Heh, well, I am glad you don't hate me. I don't want to say much because I don't want to spoil the epilogue if you haven't read it yet, so I'll just tell you that it's up! Hope you enjoy the rest of the story. :)

Name: Flipinpenname reviewed The Damage Done on Jun 15, 2012 08:55 am

huh. well. uhm. glad they're never on the same page. haha. update soon.

Author's Response: I knew everyone would hate this chapter, but it is something that it necessary for the epilogue, I promise! I will update soon.

Name: Almicene reviewed The Damage Done on Jun 15, 2012 07:54 am

Definitely not happy with this chapter. It borders on the characters being somewhat bipolar. Super sappy one minute then rejecting the next. And then you can reverse it for Draco, rejecting at first then more sappy than I think it warrants for his character, and then finally rejecting again almost like a yo-yo. For example, I don't see him 'whispering' to anyone - doesn't really seem the style of a dominant, snarky alpha male. And you have him doing it twice in this chapter. I think the "said quietly" is fine; I suppose it's the diction and the emotions each word choice evokes that makes the difference.

And Ginny seems to be a bit of a drama queen here, not what I'd expect from a mature woman. You have her as a very bold/strong woman, but she's hiding behind her brother to avoid seeing Draco? She immediately goes to her mother then her brother telling them all the bad things Draco's said to her? I'd understand one but not both - it's fine to have a confidant, but when you basically turn them against someone that could potentially be your spouse... That's not something I see her doing since she's been married for a while and would know this from experience.

And at the end Ginny is being overly dramatic again. Dating Draco would be destroying "everything?" I can forgive some lapse of judgement earlier, heat of the moment/etc. but she was polyjuiced for what - a week? At some point you think, what am I really doing? And she liked Draco and wanted to husband-swap. I realize you have her saying she had time to think about things, but it's such a jump to go from husband swap to don't want to do anything with you right now. I'd probably say taking it slowly would have been more appropriate.

Anyways, just my two cents/constructive criticism. To be fair, it's probably influenced by the fact it's my least favorite chapter out of the entire story.

You get kudos though for keeping pov consistent in the chapter rather than bouncing from character to character like inexperienced writers do.

Author's Response: Let me start by saying that this chapter, and the way it is set up, is necessary for the conclusion of the story. I knew no one would be happy, which is why I am glad that the epilogue is already ready to be posted. As for Draco's character, the previous two chapters were meant to show that he was realizing that he was making a mistake by pushing Ginny away, hence his change of heart in this chapter. I don't really think that him whispering puts him out of character, though. As for Ginny, I never said she went crying to both her mother AND George. She went only to George, but her mother knew her well enough to know who she went to. I implied that Molly knew what had gone on between the two, but that could have been from George telling his mother what had happened with Ginny, or Harry. She also didn't say she wanted nothing to do with Draco at all. She said she couldn't have a relationship, and because of that, Draco was irritated. She had been the straw that broke the camel's back in his marriage, and for her to openly reject him was enough for him to decide he wanted nothing to do with her. Remember that HE is the one who walked out in the final scene. Draco pushing her away initially and her having time to talk to other people and think was what made her realize that a relationship with Draco would cause too much damage for her children, especially since they'd already have to deal with a divorce. The fact that they were swapped for a week doesn't mean anything; the tension and the feelings between them had been going on for long before they realized, which is something that had also been built up to in previous chapters. Going to George was also not because she wanted to "turn him against" Draco, but she went to him because he was the only one who knew about the polyjuice to begin with. It's fine that you don't like the chapter, as I figured that most people would not, but this is what I had planned from the beginning because it is the only way that I feel would resolve this story. If Draco had gone to Ginny and she would have openly accepted him, everyone would have told me that there was no way that that could happen, either. This was the only way, in my opinion, of having both Draco and Ginny want to be with each other, but not turn Ginny into a completelly selfish and irredeemable character. Everything, however, will be resolved in the epilogue, and believe me when I say that I don't like unhappy endings. This chapter was just something that had to be done.