Name: victoria_anne (Signed) · Date: 06 Sep 2020 07:47 AM · For: 8 Down, 4 Across

I knew I would love this story because you + Marauders = perfection, but this was an especially wonderful gem! I loved the idea of Sirius and Remus doing the crossword together, that in itself is a really cute thing. But the way it changed over the years and remained a tradition was really sweet. I love the thoughtfulness of Sirius buying Remus a crossword dictionary, and whole absolutely dramatic and awful it was that Sirius completed a clue without Remus, haha! And I especially love that their first kiss was over a crossword, ahh! 

 

Of course you had to ruin my good mood with that ending, haha! I did love that little detail, though. This story was so sweet, I really enjoyed it!

Name: shadowkat678 (Signed) · Date: 11 Jan 2019 11:58 AM · For: 8 Down, 4 Across

Here for the review event!

 

I loved this so much! I think it’s really cool how you managed to take a small thing from canon and put such an amazing and heartbreaking background to it.  I love the way that Sirius made Remus promise to do the crossword with him if he was going to give Remus the paper, and how the two of them kept going the entire seven years, even over breaks. Just this special thing that was just between the two of them.

 

The part where Sirius goes to Remus after the Willow incident broke my heart. I wonder if Remus ever thought back to that after Sirius was sent to Azkaban. Ouch.

 

The ending was a perfect place to end at, right back to canon. I’m imagining him doing puzzles while on the run. Sitting in the cave and snagging newspapers from trash bins, muggle and wizard ones, and ouch again. The opportunity for angsty moments…gah. D:

 

You did a great job on this, and it was a pleasure to read!

Author's Response:

Hi! This is a very late response, but I'm super glad that you enjoyed this little story! I'm sure that Sirius's remark about crosswords to Crouch was really just an excuse for why he wanted the paper, when in fact he wanted to see if there was any news about Voldemort or something - but I like to imagine that there was something more sentimental behind it.

 

I'm sure that Remus must have thought about the Willow Tree Incident after Sirius went to Azkaban. I know if I were in his shoes, I would be obsessively thinking back over the years, trying to see what signs I might have missed :(

 

I can definitely imagine Sirius doing the crosswords while on the run, hahaha. He was going to the trouble of scrounging newspapers anyway... may as well, right?

 

Thanks so much for the review!

 

-Kayla

Name: TreacleTart (Signed) · Date: 09 Dec 2017 11:46 PM · For: 8 Down, 4 Across

Hey Kayla! 

 

How have I never read this story before? 

 

I love this concept of Remus and Sirius doing the crossword together every morning growing up. I can totally understand why! I love doing crosswords as well. It's such a good mental challenge 

 

Ugh. That moment where Sirius betrayed Remus...I don't know how Remus could sit there and do that puzzle with him. He must be just utterly devastated that his friend would turn on him in that way. I mean he couldn't have betrayed him in a worse way. That being said, I know that Sirus regretted it the instant he did it. 

 

The kiss over the crossword was so incredibly sweet! It made me feel so full of warm fuxxies. I like it even better because everyone wolf whistled and cat called. How cute is that?

 

And the ending! I love how you tied it back to canon. I hadn't realized that's where it was going, but it was such a nice touch. And it makes Sirius' imprisonment all the more sad. You and your angsty Sirius stories. When will I learn? 

 

Good work as usual! 

 

-Kaitlin

Author's Response:

Hey Kaitlin!

Again, this is a House Cup story that didn't used to be on my AP, so there's a very simple explanation :D

 

Aw, I'm glad you enjoyed this! Although yeah, Remus was definitely way more forgiving than he needed to be in that moment after the Whomping Willow incident. I've kind of always thought he'd be the overly-forgiving type.

 

"And it makes Sirius' imprisonment all the more sad. You and your angsty Sirius stories. When will I learn?" >:) Muahahaha!

 

Thanks for the review!

-Kayla   

Name: Rumpelstiltskin (Signed) · Date: 18 Sep 2017 05:45 PM · For: 8 Down, 4 Across

Hey! I'm here for MAGIC!

 

I love the idea that Remus and Sirius had a tradition of doing the crossword together.  I think it's especially sweet that Sirius insisted that if Remus wanted to do the crossword puzzle from his paper, then Remus had to let him do it with him.  I even think that it's really cute that they had to finish it at breakfast, though they never did (it's understandable, with all the Marauder business taking up their time to do it after breakfast).

 

Through owling in the summers (and sometimes trying to pay a visit to the Lupins) to being so insistent that Madame Pomfrey 'gives up' on trying to keep Sirius out the morning after a full moon, the tradition continues, and I love it.  I especially love how their tradition assisting in mending the rift in their friendship after when Sirius led Snape to the Whomping Willow.  

 

Between Sirius and Remus, mouth-kisses are a perfectly acceptable response to solving the crossword finally.  I have no opposition whatsoever! And even in the wake of the war, Sirius and Remus still did the crossword.

 

And oh my goodness -- the ending!! With Sirius in Azkaban, asking for the paper to do the crossword! It's perfect! And a little sad.  But still perfect.

 

This was fantastic! 

-Rumpel

Author's Response:

Hey Rumpel!

I'm really glad you enjoyed this little story! It was a bit different from what I usually write (i.e. pretty fluffy) so I wasn't 100% sure about putting it on my AP, especially since I wrote it really quickly for the House Cup. So I'm glad that you thought this was good and enjoyed reading it!

Thanks for the review!

-Kayla