Name: estherbraga reviewed Chapter 8 on Oct 25, 2020 11:16 pm
Loved it!
Name: bbfreak59 reviewed Chapter 8 on Sep 19, 2017 09:43 pm
Whipped through this one fast because I couldn't stop to even drop a review at the end of each chapter!
Thank you!!
Name: idreamofdraco reviewed Chapter 8 on Apr 25, 2016 08:01 pm
This story just makes me so happyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

That's really all I've got. I'm just a puddle of feels. A puddle with a smile stretching from ear to ear (if puddles had ears, that is).

It has been too long since I last read this story, so thank you for submitting it to the directory, giving me an excuse to read it again. n_n
Name: idreamofdraco reviewed Chapter 5 on Apr 25, 2016 07:02 pm
Yes, I am going to use this review to reply to your review reply. Sue me. u_u

//I hope you and Draco are enjoying rereading! XD //

The butthead started biting me so I had to kick him out of my room. He's wallowing in the living room now, but, yes, I am enjoying myself immensely in his absence. :)

//You're too kind - honestly, I don't think I put as much thought in what I write as you read into it (sorry to spoil the illusion! I think your compliments say a lot more about you, than me as a writer. ;)). //

Okay, listen here, chickorita. That's exactly what I'm talking about. The fact that you don't *have* to put much thought into those details is exactly why you're fantastic. Okay? Okay. I used the word 'seamlessly' because that's exactly how those details read. They're not forced. They're organic, they make sense, they ADD to the story, add to the setting or the characterization. They're not overdone. And you don't even have to think about them when you come up with them. Is that even a little bit fair?? I mean, if you read those details in MY stories, I more than likely agonized over them. Or, let's say I was very lucky and some brilliant description/one-liner/metaphor/detail came to me easily, I know exactly where those details are and I always hope others notice them, too. My compliments do say a lot about me, let's be real here (I mean, I was an English major in college, I'm trained to read into these things), but don't sell yourself short. My effusive and totally accurate praise is well-deserved. ;)

And now onto the real review:

Forever LOLing over Ginny feeling the need to shout "My eyes!" as she covers them.

//he had never seen Ginny cry, not once.//

Wait, didn't he see her cry at the Halloween party four years ago?

I just so love Ginny's relationship with Charlie in this story. There's, what, a ten-year age difference between them? And yet they get along famously, and Charlie really, really cares for Ginny's well-being, more so than Ron, her closest brother in age and so the one she has spent the most time with her whole childhood, has displayed so far. Moreso than any of her family, who would rather see her with Harry just because he's, well, Harry. Charlie just really wants Ginny to be happy overall, and when he does something that inadvertently hurts her, he apologizes profusely because he cares about HER feelings, and I love that. :')
Name: idreamofdraco reviewed Chapter 4 on Apr 25, 2016 06:23 pm
Oh noooooo. I almost forgot he had planned to postpone dinner with Ginny to make room for Saskia. That's what you get for being loose, Draco!!!

And how perfect that Ginny has running commentary on his life inside his head. He's so besotted. :')
Name: idreamofdraco reviewed Chapter 3 on Apr 25, 2016 06:06 pm
I am always, always astounded how you so seamlessly add these little details that really bring the story to life and really paint a picture of your character's personalities. The sort of sardonic way Draco thinks of things, like this line for instance:

//...she was struggling to unbuckle the heels that she must have dismantled half of her eldest brother’s house to Spello-tape seashells all over...//

Are just so clever and funny. And this line in particular is hilarious because Draco has almost certainly never been to Bill and Fleur's house, and yet he must have recalled Ginny telling him about it before, and he remembers it so well, he uses it to describe Ginny's shoes. Really says a lot about 1) what he thinks about Ginny attaching seashells to her shoes, and 2) how much he's paid attention to her and the things she's said. Such a simple, funny, almost throw away line tells you all you need to know about Draco's attitude and his regard for Ginny. And of course this fic (in my experience, your writing as a whole) is full of these awesome micro-details.

//"Drunk, you mean." Draco hoped she hadn't tried to kiss her brother, too.// BAHAHAHA. Like that. He's so bitter about it, honestly.

And as much as I like to read about Harry and Ginny breaking up amicably and Harry getting along with Draco, I get a lot of satisfaction out of how big of a prat Harry is in this story. u_u I mean, I feel super bad for Ginny. Even four-five years later, she's still hearing about Harry, still being asked by her family to consider Harry's feelings, but it just makes the slap in the face he'll receive when Ginny and Draco get over themselves and get together all the more satisfying. :)

Author's Response: I hope you and Draco are enjoying rereading! XD
Thanks so much for taking the time to review, especially as I'm sure you've already reviewed this story in full!
You're too kind - honestly, I don't think I put as much thought in what I write as you read into it (sorry to spoil the illusion! I think your compliments say a lot more about you, than me as a writer. ;)). There's probably some consideration for how familiar the character are with each other, but ultimately I really enjoy having characters have snarky one-liners for some comedic relief when I think they can pull them off.
It's so funny you mention that! When I skimmed this fic this morning to submit to the Directory (because I couldn't remember where all of the settings were), I actually got very disappointed in myself for my treatment of Harry. I think this is the first time I've been genuinely displeased with my treatment of a character, haha.
Name: spazzingqueen reviewed Chapter 8 on Jan 17, 2014 05:52 pm
Really enjoyed your fic!
Name: b1elliot reviewed Chapter 7 on Sep 27, 2013 12:58 pm
Wow! Hot chapter!
Name: Anise reviewed Chapter 5 on Sep 22, 2013 03:30 pm
Well, there are still several chapters to go, so I'm NOT waiting to review until I get there! ;) I just love this fic-- very witty and fun, and lots and lots of little details that stand out. The poor frogs. Draco's obtuseness. The characterizations of Ginny's brothers. Ginny feeling sorry for Saskia... you know, I always feel sorry for Draco's discarded gf's... I don't know how it's going to end yet, obviously, but can I hope for hints of a Charlie/Saskia pairing? ;) Anyway... it's great, and I'm looking forward to more! :)
Name: Incognito reviewed Chapter 8 on Sep 22, 2013 06:13 am
Haha, cute ending. I didn't think Hermione would move on so quickly, but I guess Charlie's that charming. Overall, this was a lovely read. Kudos. :3
Name: Incognito reviewed Chapter 7 on Sep 22, 2013 06:11 am
I'd admit I'm just as confused as Ginny as to why Draco made a charitable donation, and to what exactly, but I suppose Draco's hang-up on his own wealth is *his* hang-up, not hers. This seemed more like something he needed to do for himself, not her.

I love how these two decide to have sex while they're waiting to get chewed out/punished by their superior. Lol. Though I've become a bit like Kim and tend to skim smut nowadays, I know yours was probably well-written and enjoyed by others. Of what I did read, I liked the back and forth banter.
Name: Incognito reviewed Chapter 6 on Sep 22, 2013 05:57 am
What I like about this chapter are the interactions between Charlie and Draco.

(“I can’t fix it, Weasley. In case you didn’t notice, your sister thinks I’m an immoral racketeer.”

Charlie held his hands out. “I don’t know what a racketeer is, but if Ginny had a manual, there would be three warnings: she’s often impulsive, short-tempered and proud. Do you really think that’s true?”)

Lol, I don't think Draco knows what the word means, either since I don't believe Ginny's ever accused him of as much, except maybe being a manwhore, but that's certainly not the same thing. At least Charlie knows what he's talking about.

I don't ship Hermione with Charlie like almost everyone on the forum, so I can't say that I'm happy to see them flirting or whatnot. I will say that Charlie is charming, though.

I felt Ron was unnecessarily cruel to his sister here. Personally, I never saw Ron as the type of person who would choose Harry over his sister. In fact, in the books Ron was against Harry dating Ginny. I always saw Ron as overprotective and short-tempered, not downright cruel. I'm afraid this was the one part of the fic I didn't like. But that's just a personal opinion. I'm sure everyone else loved it since a lot of DG shippers are anti-Ron or anti-Harry, so those two characters are often villainised.

I did like that Draco came to the Halloween party in a Death Eater outfit, although it might have been a bit too soon. Lol. But the funny thing about that is that Ginny was the insensitive one who wanted him to dress up like that and potentially get lynched. I feel sorry for Draco if that's the girl he wants to date. Lol.
Name: Incognito reviewed Chapter 5 on Sep 21, 2013 10:00 am
Gotta love the sibling back and forth banter between Charlie and Ginny. No wonder Charlie is Ginny's favourite. The entire scene that unfolds in Draco's flat is hilarious.

(“My eyes!” Ginny flung her hands up to shield them, but it was too late.)

Hehe, the poor thing. She's blinded now. Saskia's “I thought you said she was gone?” was cold and well-executed, as was Ginny's response. I'd be pissed off, too. Yeah, she didn't know the whole story and didn't bother to wait around to hear it, but I do think Draco was also partially to blame. Had all the blood not been occupying his second 'little' head, he would have had enough sense to have rushed Saskia out of his flat a lot sooner.

(Why am I defending Saskia? she thought. I don’t even like her.)

Because you're hurt, Ginny, and you have a point. I *know* (and she probably knows) that Draco isn't all to blame, not by a long shot, but I think Ginny has every right to be upset and that's why I think you did such a wonderful job with this scene. You have me completely empathising with both of them. Both have the right to be upset and both have the right to accuse each other; Draco accusing Ginny of being irrational and not listening and Ginny accusing Draco of using women. They're both right and they're both wrong, and that's life.

(He’d pay for it later, definitely, as he knew full well that time was Ginny’s greatest enemy when it came to her pride.)

I love how he presumes Ginny's the only one with pride issues. They're both proud. They just both deal with their pride different: Draco clams up and retreats into himself whereas Ginny tends to explode and then write the person off as dead. I like how they've both done this yet at the same time there's a bit of a role reversal going on. Silly kids and their stubborn pride. But at the same time, their feelings of their pride and egos being wounded are very understandable. No one wants to be insulted or talked down to or dismissed. Sometimes friends just want to believe that mutual respect is a given and that they would automatically be afforded the benefit of the doubt, which neither are providing for each other right now.
Name: Incognito reviewed Chapter 4 on Sep 21, 2013 08:27 am
Hands down, this was my favourite chapter, for both Draco and Ginny. Ginny was being such a typical girl, which she is, so there's no insult laden in there.

(She hadn't heard from him since his last owl, and if she were being honest with herself... Well, she was a little offended by that. Didn't he care that she was ignoring him? Then again, she wouldn't be surprised if he'd just assumed that she would be at dinner tonight, the bastard.)

See, this is such a girl mentality. Lol. He went through all those lengths to avoid him and make sure he couldn't contact her easily and she's made because he hasn't - or at least as far as she knows. It just cracks me up. As does the little add of 'the bastard' at the end. Hehe.

Personally, I'm not a fan of Harry being villainised or anything of the sort. The comedic value of the scene, however, allowed me to over-look it. Especially with Ginny accidentally telling her mum to f**k off. Lol. Priceless. ;P

The last scene here was just the best, from start to finish. Draco all domestic-like, making sure everything is perfect, and the the arrival of Saskia, and him actually trying to get rid of her. And then there was the coat drop. Hehe. Just the absolute perfect cliffhanger. Great job! :3
Name: Incognito reviewed Chapter 3 on Sep 21, 2013 08:10 am
Hehe, this was quite the humorous chapter. I really enjoyed Draco's conversation with Ron, at least Draco's side of the conversation. I'd think Ron had gone mental, too. The little details in his reaction to Ron's words is what makes it for me in this scene, like this:

(Draco leant back in his chair, his reply to Saskia forgotten.)

Great visual.

But it was Charlie who stole this chapter for me, what with his response to Ginny's decibel levels:

(“Are you holding a concert in here?” Charlie said loudly as he covered his ears.)

Hehe. Poor guy. But I love how great of a big brother he is. It's so damn sweet and funny:

(“Well, I don’t really see Bill and Malfoy being chummy, and I’m definitely the most bearable Weasley after him. You know that foolishness only increases with every child in our family.”)

No truer words spoken.

The scene with Draco in Ginny's room was expertly done. I know the trepidation or awkwardness that can come from writing such a scene (not that I assume you felt either or), so I commend you for that. It was also nice to see that Draco is actually attracted to Ginny. Now if only these two could properly talk to one another.

Another great chapter! :D
Name: Incognito reviewed Chapter 2 on Sep 21, 2013 07:46 am
I do believe I said this in my review, but I loved your characterisation of Narcissa here. I couldn't help but laugh at how her disdain for the silverware and Ginny's plebeian influence vanished the moment Draco shoved an expensive present her way. Lol.

I really liked the dynamic of the family put into play here. Draco's position as an Auror is 'humoured', sort of like how some well-to-do people will humour their children to do some sort of charitable work or join the UK equivalent of the Peace Corps in their youth before joining/taking over the family business. It's very appropriate.

(He’d worked hard over the years to get to where he was and was proud of the independence he’d gained.)

I very much enjoy this aspect of Draco. This sort of character-building for him is very believable. Draco has always been so attached to his parents that I think if he ever managed to get away and make something of himself independent of their influence, he's hold onto it, and you demonstrated this wonderfully.

Ah, and your characterisation of Arthur in this was wonderful. He's just the right amount of parent, giving Ginny words of encouragement and support and being patient yet still that hint of he will almost always defer to his wife, yet when push comes to shove he will stand up to bat for his kids.

And then there's Charlie. They really should have had more of him in the books, but I think it was a good think we rarely saw him because JKR didn't have a chance to ruin his character and we can see other characterisations of him, such as yours, which I love.

(“Gee, Mum, it’s like you’ve never had a kid move out of home before,” Charlie commented dryly as he rested his boots on the chair next to him.)

Heheh, like I said before, I like the humour sprinkled throughout. And another great chapter. :)
Name: Incognito reviewed Chapter 1 on Sep 21, 2013 07:25 am
As I said in my review when this was up on The DG Forum, the way you wrote the evolution of Ginny's changing feelings towards Draco in so few paragraphs was entirely believable and extremely well-done. There was no awkwardness. There was no rushing. It was just right and entirely organic.

Your characterisation of Ginny is great here and what makes it so great is her self-awareness:

(he’d been just the same as her mother; curt and aloof to the point of rudeness. But you could only have that kind of attitude toward your partner for so long before it got you killed...)

She's still stubborn but she's self-aware enough to know she's stubborn (and rude) and is willing to work on it, if only to ensure her survival.

I also very much appreciate the humour sprinkled throughout in the first chapter, which is very suited to both Draco and Ginny's characterisation.

(“You have a spectacular mentor,” he told her matter-of-factly as he eyed the Certificate of Commendation she’d received from the Minister of Magic that fateful day, hanging behind her desk. “Some other adjectives you may prefer to use are: handsome, charming –”

“Modest?” she cut him off, rolling her eyes.)

I also especially loved Ginny's mumbled, “Stupid feelings!” Lol. Yes, those feelings can be annoying, and you have Ginny's annoyance of her infatuation down pat. Draco's own internal musing of Ginny's “We'll see” is also interesting. Draco is self-aware to an extent but he also seems to think with his dick... at least for now. ;)

Needless to say, this was an excellent first chapter to the story, setting up their relationship and current predicament wonderfully. :3
Name: wtmontana reviewed Chapter 6 on Sep 18, 2013 02:38 pm
Oh, I am loving this. Looking forward to the next offerings!
Name: coneveronica reviewed Chapter 6 on Sep 17, 2013 11:34 am
Okay, you've got me hooked!! You have a way of writing and crafting the characters that draws me and makes me feel invested in their relationships. I'm very curious to see where you end up going with this story! Can't wait to see more!

Author's Response: Success! My plan for world domination is working... *coughs* I mean, um, I'm glad you're enjoying it and thank you for your review. ;)
Name: idreamofdraco reviewed Chapter 6 on Sep 15, 2013 10:01 pm
I think this review is going to be scrawny compared to my previous ones. :P

Clearly, you hate Ron, too, because he is truly awful in this chapter especially, and you even take his girlfriend away (later, of course)! Since he cares so much about Harry's feelings, maybe he needs to be in a relationship with him. :P

Oh, and as for one of your review replies where you said I should have known you'd written DCF based off Harry's treatment alone: well, I wrote a similar sort of Harry in More Than You Think You Are, and I honestly think Ginny needs to have those kinds of interactions with him. So it didn't ring any bells for me because it's just what fanon Harry deserves. :P But seriously, what is Ron's deal in this story? He's the pushiest one of all of them!

Charlie's distraction as he watched for Draco was really suspicious, and I'm sure if Ginny hadn't been busy with Ron, Harry, and her embarrassment, she would have followed up on what he was looking at.

He’d drawn his wand, stupefying Ron before he managed to hurt himself - or Charlie - just as the other Aurors in the room had caught wind of the action and come to intercede.

Not gonna lie, with Draco dressed as a Death Eater here, I half-expected the Aurors to arrest him or take Ron's side or something.
Name: idreamofdraco reviewed Chapter 5 on Sep 15, 2013 08:57 pm
She wanted to run, to get away as fast as she could, but her name on his lips was as compelling as the Imperius curse. It was all she could do not to turn around and throw her arms around his neck. And wasn’t it just agonising that he had that kind of pull over her?

This makes me so sad for Ginny. D:

She blinked, as though she’d been slapped; that he would even think something like that, let alone say it. She could feel her mouth twisting downward, and the words spilled out of her mouth before she could stop them. “At least people like me. People only bother with you because everyone knows your vault is the size of a bloody glacier and your Death Eater father has half the Ministry in his pocket.”

While I still continue to feel worse for Ginny than Draco, I do start to feel bad for him here, because she hits exactly where he's insecure. It feels like he's pretty much grasping at straws to hurt her (with the whole, you think you're better than me because you're a Weasley bit), because it seems to come out of nowhere. But she actually knowingly hits where it hurts. They're both at fault here, of course, for not being truthful, and I feel bad for them both while also wanting to knock them upside the head and tell them to get their acts together.

Ginny was proud of herself that she made it safely back to her empty apartment without breaking down... Then she cried hysterically until she had nothing left.

:'C :'C :'C

Ginny sat on her sofa staring at the wall, slowly decapitating chocolate frogs.
Ugh, yes, the title! I almost mentioned in my review for the last chapter that the chocolate frogs aren't decapitated if you eat their legs and leave their heads. Lol. Glad I didn't do that. I couldn't remember where the title came in. How did you decide on "Decapitated Chocolate Frogs" for the title, anyway?

How was he to know that, by being as big a pain in her arse as he might usually, he would end up ruining the nice, perfect memories of Draco she’d carefully left herself as a keepsake of their friendship?

Still more sadness. This is interesting because it suggests that Ginny has been avoiding Draco not only to prevent a confrontation about her transfer, but also to preserve said memories. :C

I also love the sibling relationship in this story, even though you really only see it with Charlie. The positive relationship, anyway. I mean, Ginny has six siblings, and I think we tend to ignore them in fan fic, for the most part, except when Ron is being a prat about her relationship with Draco. So it's nice to see that Charlie messed up completely by accident, but he still sticks around to make her feel better, even if that support consists of sitting outside her apartment apologizing forever.

Author's Response: Yeah, Ginny was a little bit downtrodden so far in this fic, so I had to make up for it in this chapter, which is terrible but whatever. Plot devices. *waves hand*

How did you decide on "Decapitated Chocolate Frogs" for the title, anyway?

Um, I couldn't think of anything else. ;_; Seriously, the whole fic was finished sans epilogue, and I still had no idea what to call it; it was either this or "Pas de Deux" or "Road to Nowhere" which are utterly shit titles, especially for this kind of story. DCF was the best anyone could come up with lol, but I'm rather fond of it now.

The sibling relationship here is kind of my favourite thing about Charlie in this fic (maybe even my favourite thing about the entire fic). I agree that it seems to be neglected in a lot of fics in order to focus on other things, which is perfectly okay, but fics that give Ginny a solid relationship with some of her brothers makes me happy, for some reason. Probably because the Weasleys are supposed to be so close as a family, so it just gives the characterisation that much more depth.

Name: Anise reviewed Chapter 1 on Sep 15, 2013 04:18 pm
Looks like a great beginning, Haz! I especially like Draco's degree of obliviousness. Yes, I could believe that he really *doesn't* get it when it comes to Ginny-- she's a lot more complex than his usual gf's. (I'm not even exactly sure that you could call them that... ;) Really looking forward to seeing where you go with this.

Author's Response: Well, he's a boy, and we all know boys are dumb. He obviously doesn't "get" women as well as he thinks he does; but then again, Ginny is a special case. ;)

Thank you for reviewing!

Name: idreamofdraco reviewed Chapter 4 on Sep 15, 2013 12:27 pm
I enjoyed Ginny's musings about why Draco doesn't look at her the way he looks at all the other women he sees. The part where she wonders if his parents sneer at her like hers sneer at him was particularly thoughtful and apt. And thank you for mentioning that Ginny is absurdly short! I've been imagining her as, um, absurdly short even though I don't normally think of her that way, but since it's canon in your story, I don't have to struggle to imagine her taller. Hahaha.

HARRY!!! *shakes fist* You give someone space for a few days. Maybe some weeks. Possibly some months? But FOUR YEARS is a long time, and why he thinks they can just pick up where they left off FOUR YEARS later is beyond me. The arrogance of such an idea. This line (which is awesome) basically sums up how I feel about Harry in this: “Firstly, it’s not up to you ‘let’ me do anything, even if we were an item.” And this one! “My freedom isn’t anything that can be given to me. It’s mine.” GRAHHHH. Go Ginny! The fact that her whole family (except Charlie) is on Harry's side is irritating as well. Poor Ginny, though, having everyone barge in on her while she's trying to recover from her hangover!

So, his large glass top table had been set for three (Why do you need to seat eight people? Ginny constantly nagged him. You never have guests over, and next to no one comes for dinner except me!), his white china set out neatly at each place (China, ‘for guests’? What guests?), and candles lit strategically about the room for ambient lighting (You’re killing me, Malfoy).

Love, love, love that Ginny is on his brain constantly. This does such a great job of showing just how much he thinks about Ginny, so much that everything he does has her nagging commentary, AND once again showing how close they are as friends. She knows him and his apartment intimately, and he knows her better than anyone.

SASKIA!!! Next chapter is going to hurt. DX

Author's Response: Okay, I secretly hate stories where Ginny is tall, or even average sized. Changing basic things about a character's appearance like that just kind of bothers me, lol.

See? I hate Harry. He can go jump, the arrogant SOB. u_u I don't really think that Ginny's whole family is on Harry's side (although Ron and Molly definitely are), but they certainly aren't on Draco's, so that doesn't really help matters. :( Anyway, I'm surprised that Ginny's commentary there didn't give away that it was me during the exchange!

*laughs* I just feel like Ginny would be such a constant nag. She keeps him grounded, you know. ;)

Thanks (again!) for the lovely review.

Name: idreamofdraco reviewed Chapter 3 on Sep 14, 2013 10:30 pm
“Leave me alone you, stupid bloody bird!” she yelled, flinging her legs over the side of the lounge.

There was a moment of silence, then she heard a muffled voice. “Actually, it’s Charlie.”


LOL. One of the best things about this story is Charlie! I don't think I've ever read anything that made me love him so much. At least, before DCF, he was just the cool Weasley brother who worked with dragons and was never around in the HP books/movies because he lives in Romania. You've characterized him so well. He's cool and flirty (which isn't relevant to this chapter, of course, but will be later (of course)!), and he's funny the same way George is funny. Even though he doesn't have much to do or say in canon, you have effectively chracterized him as a Weasley, but as a separate one. I don't know if that makes any sense, but anyway. Ya dun good.


Exactly twelve hours in which she'd made him feel like a fool, sitting around waiting for something that clearly wasn't coming. Twelve hours of agonizing inactivity.

I thought this was interesting, because I think Ginny would say the same thing about him. For months since she realized how she felt about him, she's just waited around, being his partner at work but his buddy outside of work, waiting for something she knew wasn't going to come because he played around with other women. I don't even feel bad for Draco here. It's good that he sees how Ginny has felt, even though what Ginny is going through is a lot worse than waiting for a reply to a letter.

How dare she think badly of him after how hard he had worked to be better than society’s opinion of him?

I love this line so much. I can't remember if I mentioned it when I reviewed during the exchange (my iPad sometimes doesn't want to highlight text, so I gave up trying to mention certain lines). What I love about this part and Draco's thoughts here is how truly vulnerable he is. He acts arrogant and he has all this confidence, but he's just trying to be better than everyone's opinion of him, and of course it would hurt if it turned out his best friend's opinion was the same as everyone else's, when SHE was the one he was closest to and the one he opened up to. I just really liked reading about Draco's insecurities here, and the fact that Ginny is the one who makes him feel doubt - Ginny, out of everyone - is so telling.

...not to mention her berating the bartender for refusing her service with loud declarations that she “was a mermaid, and how could he expect her to survive on land without a drink?”...

LOL. And Ginny as a mermaid! I immediately thought of Ariel, since Ginny has red hair (though maybe not the same color red, haha).

When he returned she was struggling to unbuckle the heels that she must have dismantled half of her eldest brother’s house to Spello-tape seashells all over...

I don't even know how to say what I love about this line. It's just such a great Harry Potter way of explaining she's taped some shells to her shoes, and there's a bit of a sardonic twist in the description that's all Draco. It's just a great, in-character line.

And, wow, what an embarrassing situation Draco got himself into at the end there. I wonder if Charlie suspected what Draco was doing before he walked through the door. XD And, no, Draco, it's not that you're not yourself. It's that you are finally realizing those feelings you've kept pent up for years! Grody Saskia is not the answer. Only Ginny is.

Anyway! Great chapter. :)

Author's Response: I'm so glad. I worked hard on this Charlie, and it took me a couple of drafts to get him just right - my Charlie is still of course the cool Weasley, but he needs some personality in there or else he's going to be pretty useless as a character/plot device, lol.

I'm happy you don't feel bad for Draco, either, because this position is kind of his fault (well, okay, it's Ginny's fault too, but if he'd just keep it in his pants (HAHA) then this story wouldn't exist). Anyway, he's in need of a little bit of torture in this instance; it's good for his development. ;)

Okay, I admit that the Ginny/The Little Mermaid parallel was not intentional in the slightest, but we'll just pretend it is - my subconscious is so clever.

Thanks again for your lovely review!

Name: idreamofdraco reviewed Chapter 2 on Sep 14, 2013 09:46 pm
I love this chapter's setup! The first two sections immediately show the relationships between Draco and Ginny and their families. And it's a nice parallel that Draco meets with his mum alone because of tension with Lucius, and Ginny meets with Arthur alone because of, well, potential tension with Molly. Perhaps you didn't intend to create a parallel here like this, but it's so clever and subtle. I didn't even notice the first time I read through this.

The fact that all of Ginny's family and friends still have mean things to say about Draco is sad, but I like the way you handle it here. It definitely shows their prejudice, but, so far, it's not really about some ancient Weasley-Malfoy feud (which is actually a silly concept to me because that wasn't really canon), but about a family that did bad things during both wars. They all just want to protect Ginny from Draco, who could be a devious liar, a snake in the grass. While their intentions are honorable, it's sad that they don't see the relationship that Draco and Ginny truly have. :/

And the Weasleys are all written so well. Every time I read one of your stories, I'm amazed at how well you capture the characters. You are spot on with all of them. Molly isn't exaggerated in her distress or ire, George points out the obvious in a funny way, Arthur is the peace keeper trying to diffuse the situation, albeit somewhat ineffectually. I just love how you've dealt with the characters. I think it's a particular talent you have!

AND EVERYONE BRINGING UP HARRY. GRAAAHHHHHHHH. I'm still angry that they all have to mention him like he has any say so in Ginny's life. I love that you've kind of teased at the nature of Ginny and Harry's relationship/breakup, with more to be revealed later. You don't tell too much too soon.

Honestly, I feel like I'm saying the same things I did when I reviewed Chaos Theory. But that just goes to show how great of a writer you truly are that the same things are still done effectively and that they continue to impress/amaze me. :)

Author's Response: The parallel was intended. ;) I fell as though people often forget that Draco and Ginny's main problem (IMO) in getting together is the issues lying between their families, and in this instance it's a particular point of contention, so I tried to address it and put an emphasis on the dynamic there.

Well, I'm glad you thought the Weasleys were so well done. After I wrote that part with Arthur I made practically everyone read it to see how it sounded, and had to rewrite the whole thing a bunch of times because it was just plain weird/Arthur takes a lot of work for me, because I hate him, lol. Arthur should have died in book five. *sniffs* Really the only Weasleys I was happy with were George (even if he doesn't have a huge part) and Charlie, because, well, they're frankly quite awesome. u_u At least all of that stress paid off. ;)

I HATE HARRY (okay, I hate the Harry that I have a tendency to write. Cannon Harry is okay, sort of. I guess). Since Arthur didn't die in book five, then Harry should have died EVEN MORE in book seven. Just saying.

Haha, even if you're repeating yourself, you know I don't mind. ;) Honestly I love your reviews. Your feedback is always invaluable for me because it at least lets me know that I'm on the right track and taking my readers on an emotional journey (SUCH A CLICHE, SORRY NOT SORRY), and you always seem to pin point the parts of my writing that I'm secretly freaking out the most about, so it helps to know that I've pulled off whatever I was stressing over. And I'm so glad my consistency meets your approval. :D

Thank you for another lovely review! And sorry it's taking me so long to respond to them all, lol.

You must login (register) to review.