How delightful is this!? I love stories where Draco and Ginny have a pre-existing relationship that isn't disclosed upfront! I am looking forward to future chapters, if you have any planned. :)

Author's Response: I don't have any future chapters planned. This one is going to remain a one-shot, but I'm glad you enjoyed the story! Thank you for reading. :)

It's intriguing :-) and filled with a certain tentative hope. I like it!

Author's Response: I'm so glad! Thank you for reading and reviewing! n_n

This story. THIS STORY. COMPLETELY AMAZING. THIS CAN'T BE THE END YOU HAVE TO WRITE MORE!!!!
(ahem.)

This is just... EVERYTHING about this is so perfect. The plot structure. The narrative arc. The information so teasingly doled out. The beautiful writing passages (I'd almost have to quote the whole thing to really talk about them..) Just... EVERYTHING.

But especially what came after this:

Even after he had left their compartment, her hands continued to tremble, as if her body was still suffering from the aftershocks of the Cruciatus Curse he had casted at her so many months ago.

(Okay, if we're going to be REALLY picky, "cast" would be the correct word. ;) But this is like one of those pieces of Lakota beadwork where the artist included a single wrong bead to symbolize the imperfection of humanity.)

I don't know if Draco casting Cruciatus on Ginny is actual canon in any way or not, but I think that it doesn't matter, because it's such a perfect hinge for this story to turn on.
There isn’t some kind of stupid artificial barrier between them, something that could be cleared up with a few words, a meaningless misunderstanding. No. Instead, there’s a solid reason for unforgiving anger. We can feel Ginny’s fury when she remembers what Draco did to her, and we know that we’d feel the same way. Whether this refers to an incident that was ever official canon in any way (interviews… or articles… or referred to in a fic.. or whatever..) it feels very believable.
And they had some kind of a previous relationship too! It’s just PERFECT, the way this is revealed. After her justifiable anger, we learn that she also has another reason to remember him, that he is entangled with her heart.

And then the way that they don't have an artificial reconciliation... and in reality, we can't even be sure that they would. It's very possible that this is the perfect place to end this story after all. SO PERFECT. (sighs blissfully) Your writing has evolved so much, and I want to ALWAYS keep seeing more and more of it. :)

Author's Response: Anise!! This review inspired legit, literal tears. I don't know what to say except thank you! You are a writer that I admire so much, and to read these words from you means a lot.

You know, I'm not 100% sure about canon, but I THINK it IS canon that during Deathly Hallows, Hogwarts students were forced to perform Unforgivables on each other during their Dark Arts class with Amycus Carrow. So, if that's the case, then Draco certainly must have cast an Unforgivable on a fellow student at some point (most likely not a Slytherin). My head canon is that the Carrows forced Draco to punish students with Unforgivables outside of class, partly to punish him for being such a coward and partly to try and build him up into the Death Eater they expected him to be. It's never stated in canon that Draco DID cast any Unforgivables on Ginny or Neville, but it doesn't seem impossible to me that he did.

Thank you for pointing out the cast vs casted thing. I knew it had to be wrong because it sounded so wrong, but I didn't bother to change it because I wasn't sure enough. I'll fix that ASAP though. ;) Thank you so much for reading and for leaving such a wonderful review!!!

OOO!!! This was so good!

I love how you write Ginny in the beginning, strong and stubborn and (slightly) bitter but hurting and vulnerable at the same time.

The image of Draco over-confessing to his prisoners is one of my personal favourites, you're right, he doesn't see them as threatening and therefore are safe to talk to because he can't talk to anyone else about these things. I've got a few scenes prepared for later on that are similar because it just seems so him to need to confide in someone. Oh I want to give him a hug :(


Oo a secret relationship! Shockingly I didn't see that coming!

It's all so painful. I want to cry for them.

"like a habit from a different lifetime. There was Before The Battle and there was After The Battle. Sometimes it still felt like she’d fought in the Battle of Hogwarts mere days ago, but Before The Battle still seemed decades removed from the present." This bit is so beautiful, you've described that nostalgia perfectly.

It's a cute ending, but hopeful.
I really enjoyed reading this :D

xxx

Author's Response: Over-confessing is such a good way of putting it! That's exactly what he does, and he never has any intention to do it, but it happens anyway. Poor baby needs an outlet. Why not use the ghost that haunts a girls' bathroom and one of the prisoners in his dungeon? I didn't see the secret relationship coming, either! Hahaha. I didn't set out to write it, but it worked really well for the rest of the story. :) Thank you so so so much for reading and for such a lovely review!

Dare I ask for more? Just please update The Dating Charade and I won't beg you to continue this one (though you should continue this one...)

Author's Response: Hahahaha!! Okay, I'll get to working on TDC now. XD I've been having some trouble with the next chapter, but hopefully I'll have a breakthrough soon! Thank you for reading and I'm glad you liked this story enough to ask for a continuation!