pleeeeeease post the remaining chapters
I tried to read the original from 2016 but it isn't there anymore, and I love the start so much I wish I could read until the end

great job!! Amazing job, on the story- could feel the interaction and banter between them!! Love that it's take place in France. Paris in lovely in the summer!(I went to visit as a teen.)

Ohhhh. I love this setup, very fresh. I love the characterization of how they came to enjoy one another's company, very natural. Can't wait for the rest! :)

So I read this chapter and added the story to my favourites and the I went to read the reviews and someone mentioned going to read the whole fic on the forum so I ran to do the same and I loved it!! You characterization was fantastic and probably one of the best I've read in a while. I loved how you used the French thought in such an elegant way. In other fics when using foreign languages it feels a bit choppy but your use flows perfectly. The only complaint I do have is that the ending HAS to be expanded because it did feel a bit anticlimactic but after reading the reviews again and your responses I'm so happy to learn that the fic is going to be expanded as a whole and I cannot wait to read more! x.

Author's Response: Thanks so much! I adore the French language and literature. One of my undergraduate degrees is in French literature, so it is a treat to be able to work it into a DG story. And, you know, the thought of Draco speaking French is very appealing to me. I'm glad that it worked and didn't feel choppy. I wanted it to be organic. The ending was very choppy indeed and sort of hashed together as the deadline truly snuck upon me. There will be a lot of changes and expansions and the ending somewhat (if not signficantly) different from the original, so I hope that you will stay tuned.

I so loved this story during the exchange! It was by far my favorite, and I'm so happy to see you posting it so soon after the exchange, too. And expanded to boot!

I like to read reviews as well as stories, and I noticed during the exchange that some people seemed confused as to how Draco and Ginny could be such close friends for so long without ever becoming more than that, as if that is an impossible scenario, or, at the very least, improbable. But I totally bought their conflict, maybe because of the person I am and the kind of insecurities I have. I can totally believe that these two people would be best friends for years and never want to spoil it with explicit talk of something more, especially Draco, who I don't see ever choosing to risk what he has for the hope of something he hopes to gain. Why not stay Ginny's friend and hope she catches on eventually? That's better than speaking up and potentially losing her altogether! (I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but I held myself back a bit while reviewing during the exchange, so I guess I'm making up for it.)

Anyway, my point is, when rereading this chapter, I started asking myself: how could Ginny not have seen Draco's dinner invitation as a potential date? Especially after he took her somewhere expensive and paid for it? But that's the whole point, isn't it? Why WOULD she assume it's a date? She has no reason to think Draco could like her that way, especially after morning after morning of arguing, especially after an antagonistic history/past. Even after they become friends, why would she question what they have, especially if she might lose it if she looks too closely at it?

I've rambled, and I guess this is kind of a pre-review or something. Ahhh, I can't be brief to save my life! But I love this dearly, you're totally deserving of all the awards you won, and I am looking forward to more. n_n

Author's Response: Aww, that is so sweet! Thank you! I had to cut out soo much to meet the exchange deadline and what ended up making the exchange was choppy in places. Because of this, I feel like DG's conflict and circumstances were not really clear. As you put so eloquently, they are Aaron Burrs - the both of them ;) They aren't exactly the bravest when exposing themselves romantically or being vulnerable, especially when the stakes are so high. I think that canon Draco and Ginny reflect this as well. Ginny is very brave in a physical sort of way, but emotionally is something different. As she gets older, she plays things close to her chest (hiding her feelings for Harry until she is sure of his). Draco is the same. In this universe, DG mean too much to each other to risk anything that may not work out. They are also too close to the situation to see where things truly lie. Others can see that they are in love with each other - like Fleur and Gabrielle - but DG are insecure here. So, they won't risk losing each other. Well, this story and this chapter are in Ginny's POV, so we only see things as she does. We don't really know what is going on in Draco's mind. And Ginny is oblivious - of course, it would never occur to her that Draco might be interested in her romantically. I'm actually going to write a oneshot of their time in Paris from Draco's POV that will have their first meeting and other scenes that have not been and will not be in this version of la douleur exquise. Thanks soo much for taking the time to write such a lovely review!

Ok, so I did a naughty. I've stalked it to the DG forum and found the original submission and devoured the whole thing in minutes.

I cannot wait to see how you expand on this, the original is wonderful and lovely and heartwarming and to see the extra dialogue in this makes me so excited. Good luck! Xx

Author's Response: Thank you so much! I had to cut out so many things to meet the deadline for the exchange that this version will be signficantly longer and you will see how they became friends - and why they haven't acted on their feelings for so long. I'm really glad that you liked the original.