Ahhh, sweet love.... Wait till family gets there, Lol!
The long-awaited update is finally here! As much as I like how they're practically together now, I would have enjoyed more confusion and struggling in their courtship just because it's always soooo amusing to read. But, oh, your Draco and Ginny are just too adorable and perfect, and you write so well anyway so whatever you do to them, I'll be there to continue reading. Just a heads up: I'm an absolute sucker for happy endings. ;)
Expecto Patronum!! Oooh, I just knew they'll be learning that spell as the story progressed! Wonder how the Weasleys and Harry will react once they come face to face with Ginny. That Howler is one thing but what will happen when Ginny tells them the articles are not true! ...but also true in some parts. Like the part of her liking Draco. Haha!
Loved that D/G moment at the end. Draco opening up to her about his past and even letting her not only see his Dark Mark, but also letting her touch it, just warmed my heart and made me go "aaaaww!". Splendid work once again!
//She adopted her most dramatic voice. "Your mission, should you choose to accept it--"
Blaise raised his hand. "You plural? Am I included in this?"
Ginny nodded. "Yes, you too, Blaise."
About to continue, Blaise cut in again. "Is Daphne included? I don't want to have to push my own wheelchair."
She massaged her forehead. "Yes, she can come too."
Draco raised his hand. She glared furiously at the man, who just smirked broadly. "No questions, Lieutenant. I just wanted to see you make that face."//
HAHA. This part, but especially this part to the end of the chapter, is so funny! The chemistry between the characters is so good in this story. You just can't help but laugh along. And now Blaise isn't the sole reason Ginny is tolerated. Draco likes her for herself now, and you can totally see him opening up to her, even in such a minor way as joking and being silly with her and Blaise.
Blaise and Daphne are adorable together, and I liked Warrington teasing Draco and Ginny in the previous chapter. Since he's part of the squad I'm sure we'll see more of him, but I hope we get a little more background with him and interaction between him and Ginny.
Another great chapter! It's so much fun to see Draco and Ginny *having* fun and enjoying banter, although we feel all along that the darker side of their situation is never far away. A good example is when they begin talking about the diary incident and Draco's knowledge of it, and their conversation is... it's hard to put my finger on it... it's as if they way they talk is both strained and natural, as I think it would have to be if they did have that discussion. We don't actually know from canon, of course, whether or not Draco knew about the diary, but it's believable that he would have found out fairly soon after it happened. I think that he surprises even himself by being honest in telling her that he didn't get very upset about it then. They're both very straightforward about it, and then they move on. (Although I could certainly see them discussing the topic in more detail later.)
And then there's the sudden, out of the blue disaster-- which is just how it would happen. Great scene with Snape.. and beautifully handled scene with Hermione. Looking forward to more soon!
LOVE this chapter! This is exactly the kind of "should have been in canon" thing I've never been any good at writing, so I truly admire those who can do it. The action sequences are thrilling, and the dilemma is believable and nail-biting. (Note to self: stop biting nails.) I can definitely see that Draco and Ginny would bond further over this.
Finally, a chance to actually REVIEW!! :)
This chapter was so interesting, and the way you handled the visit was so subtle. Everyone's reactions to Draco showed a lot about who they are-- Molly Weasley fell for the charm, Arthur was more reserved but willing to give him a chance, Fred and George clearly didn't like him but the moment was saved by Blaise and Daphne; Ron was nuts but calmed down pretty fast.... and Harry triggered what was almost an awful moment. You definitely write a more sympathetic Harry that I'm able to do. ;) His feelings do make sense here, and so does Draco's reaction. And on to the next chapter!
//“No, that’s what I meant. More than I meant, actually.” Malfoy added, more softly, “And I doubt I’d be brave or good enough to welcome them.”//I love that while Draco is being reaaally honest with Ginny, he's also honest with himself. Draco would be so contemptuous of someone with Gryffindor or Hufflepuff qualities getting sorted into Slytherin, especially if they weren't pure-blooded, rich, or powerful. That he recognizes and admits that is really nice.
Draco to the rescue! Hermione's reluctance to give Draco Ginny's address and his response made me grin. XD
I'm loving this conflict of Slytherin Aurors having this duty of catching and locking up their acquaintances/families/friends, and how each member of the squad reacts to that. And, like, the very thing that makes Ginny a great Auror is what makes them all dislike her. That's such a great conflict for her. It's not just that she's not a Slytherin; it's more that she and her family fought against them and theirs during the war. I wonder why they all went the Auror route, then, since it's such a conflict of interest. Half of them aren't even willing to fight. Were they recruited by Murstow? Or was Slytherin Squad widely advertised as a safe place for reforming Slytherins and, like Draco, they applied just to see what would happen? The fact that they are such a failure of a squad now is going to make their success later (because of course they are going to succeed and become an awesome team, if not one of the best Auror teams there is. u_u) that much more victorious. I can't wait to see how they shape up!
I'm also really interested in Warrington's character. What's his deal? I like him.
My guess is Nott Sr. will be the one to try to help Yaxley. But I really appreciate that even among his own classmates/friends/teammates, Draco has a core group of people he can trust. And maybe it's not that he can't trust the others, but he can't trust them to be the reformed people society thinks they can't be. It's good to know how well Draco knows his own team.
And Ginny getting them a mission to try to 1) get in the team's good graces and 2) extort Draco for better treatment was a brilliant idea on her part. She has to think like a Slytherin if she wants to be accepted by Slytherins!
And I'm surprised Draco didn't argue in favor of Ginny continuing to make the tea, but I guess he doesn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she did something he approved of. Plus, he has to pick his battles.
I love Blaise so much! I like to think of him as a neutral party, even though he's a Slytherin, and he displayed some of that neutrality here. Of course he sides with his friends and classmates, but he's also fair and open to other possibilities and allies. I love seeing him working with Ginny, or befriending her, or just treating her like she's not the scum of the earth, and by doing so, forcing Draco to warm up to her and her to Draco. That warming up doesn't appear in this chapter, but it's sure to come. ;)
I also love all the different personalities of the squad members, and how they still act just like Slytherins because they never received the proper training to be Aurors. Hopefully Ginny (hopefully with Draco's help and not his antagonism, but from the chapter(s) I've read while validating this story for the Cabal, I know he and Ginny will be allies in no time!) will be able to win their respect and whip them all into shape.
Looking forward to more!
I love, love, love this paragraph:
//There he was informed that a background check and references were required. Knowing a certain snake-and-skull-shaped tattoo was not looked upon favorably by the current administration, he completed the application as more of a joke than anything else. The reference acquired from Snape was surprisingly honest, and, paraphrased, said, “He’s still a useless wimp, but if he tries, he means it.” Draco thought this was the icing on the cake of his awful application, and submitted it happily. Knowing he had tried, he could then forever more blame his miserable wretchedness on someone else, and thus live the rest of his days in bitter contentedness.//
So much insight into Draco's character right here. The fact that he doesn't care about anything, just playing it off as a joke (though I suspect he really *does* care and he's just trying to tell himself that he doesn't); Snape's comment that he's a wimp but when he does actually get off his butt to do something, he puts effort into it; and the fact that if the application doesn't get accepted, he'll feel free to blame someone else for it. All very canon Draco to me!
Harry's nobility is so Harry, too, waiving Draco's background check because he "fought" in the battle just like Harry did. I see Harry as someone who, once an impression has been made about someone, he doesn't easily change it (that's why he always thought the worst of Draco and Snape during the books... even though he was right sometimes) unless the person makes a big move to change Harry's impression. But since he doesn't easily change his opinion about people, he only sees one side of them. That's why he glorifies Snape after the war (from what we know about post-canon from JKR), and that's why I think Harry would stick up for the Malfoys. He saw that Draco didn't really want to do the things he did, and Narcissa saved him, so for him that would be a done deal. The Malfoys are good now. At least, that's how Harry would see them, until they do something truly awful again. So I love that he had a hand in Draco's acceptance into the academy! (Sorry that was so long-winded; I just love when Harry takes Draco's side "for his own good" or, you know, *because* he thinks Draco can be good!)
//If he failed or succeeded, it would be entirely his own fault. For the rest of his life, he would have no one to blame but the face staring back at him in the mirror. Could he live with that? He wasn’t sure, but was terrified of finding out too late that he couldn’t.//
Awww. But this is ALSO a concept I love in post-war fics. I love seeing or writing Draco trying to make it on his own, trying to make his own way, without his parents' influence, because society just won't allow the Malfoys to continue as they had in the past, or because Lucius and Narcissa are literally, physically or emotionally cut off from him. He might have applied to the Auror Academy as a joke, but he probably didn't realize the true repercussions of being accepted. And now he understands the price of success. Or trying to succeed.
There are other lines/paragraphs that I loved in this so far, but I don't want my review to just be spewing your own words back at your and gushing over them. I'll just skip straight to the gushing. Or the preliminary version of it. This is such a great setup for the story and I'm so glad you added in this prologue! You set the scene for Draco and the Slytherin Squad very nicely, and then you ended with a mystery to force the reader on to the next chapter. I'm excited to see what happens next!
(This isn't very gushy, but I promise there will be more once the ball gets rolling.)
Draco liking errands makes me happy. I love that they both like each other but don't quite know it yet. Lovely. I can't wait for the kiss that will change their relationship.
YES!! Their feelings are starting to surface and confuse them, which in turn is amusing to witness. *giggles* Aaahh, love, what a wonderful and frustrating state to be in. Two thumbs up for the steady D/G build up and foundation.
I wonder where those Death Eaters came from and why they only targeted Ginny when technically, they should also be angry with Draco since he's on the good side. Hmph. Darn them for spoiling Draco and Ginny's lovely time together. The ice cream scene was delicious, pun intended. See you again next week! :)
Another early update -- love it! Can I tell you how incredibly excited I am about the build-up of Draco and Ginny's relationship? Hehehe. So glad that they're starting to slowly develop feelings for each other ;)
Great action scene, although brief! And happy to see Snape featured in this chapter as well :) You wrote his personality pretty spot on. Another good job on another great chapter!
We are getting warmer! I am surprised about DE attacking in the public space and nobody coming to help, but there you go Cute shopping banter, i only wish we see them in the manor more, i wonder how they manage with Narcissa around.
what a fun time, they had in diagon alley!! except the fight with 3 dead eaters!! great chapie as usual!!
happy that the team made it out alive!!
(sticks head in)
A review is coming very very soon!! :)
Wow I blew through this story faster than I thought! Eagerly awaiting the next update! Thanks again!
Love love love this chapter! Can't wait for more...Fred & Hermione kind of surprised me with their relationship
You just had to stop there...
Getting closer I see. Loved the pacing of this chapter.
The court scene was amazingly descriptive. Thanks for an action-packed chapter.