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A food fight with all the Blacks? Too funny! I'll have to find the other story too. This is what happens when Marauders go to a party with stuffy purebloods lol. I might have had Tonks accidentally spill something on Sirius' mother or something, that might have started it well enough too, or spilled soup on Bellatrix. This was fun!
Author's Response:Hi, Heather! :)
Yes, inviting the Marauders to a Black party is asking for disaster, right? :P So glad you enjoyed and found this amusing! :D
Thank you so much for stopping by with this lovely review! :)
Chiara!! It's been aaaaaages since I visited your author page; I'd like to apologise for my long leave of absence and leave you this little review, because the concept of a Black family Christmas in the afterlife is a really, really brilliant one!!
I'm not sure where Dora gets the notion that a Black family Christmas get-together is anywhere close to fun for the participants - I'm totally with Remus on this one - but it sure is fun to read about! I love how you've introduced Regulus; most of the time he's characterised so sombrely. It's refreshing to read about the light-hearted side of his character. Sirius's thoughts about things that aren't necessary when one is dead made me laugh, as did the fact that he was grinning when he fell through the veil. I love Regulus's approach to Walburga's favouritism of her younger son; ascribing it to his haircut! I guess I was surprised that Orion made a reference to Ted Tonks, but I guess it was mainly Walburga who had an obsession with blood purity and marriages. I also love how this story highlights the brother relationship between Sirius and Regulus; one that probably could have been there in life if not for their parents' influence. I'm glad they've reconciled in death.
Ugh, Bellatrix, give it a rest!!! There's no point continuing with blood supremacy into the afterlife - as Sirius would probably point out if asked, no-one in the afterlife even has any blood. It's a shame that death hasn't tempered her a little; she's still as awful as she was in life. I love how the party culminated a food fight, haha!
Thanks for the brilliant read!
Meera x
Author's Response:Meera!!! :D
Finally here to reply to this lovely review (and hopefully all of the others as well... :P) I'm so, so happy that you've come back to FFT again! And thank you so much for visiting my AP, it was such a lovely surprise! <3
I agree with you, a Black family Christmas doesn't sound like fun (for those who are present, at least... :P) and I don't really know why Tonks wanted to go in the first place... poor Remus... :P
I'm so glad you liked my Regulus! :D I'm sure he was very somber for a big part of his life, but now that he's dead and doesn't have to worry about the war and everything, he would be able to relax a little... I've always imagined that his deepest nature is very similar to Sirius' and that he likes a good laugh, but he had to hide that side of him because family expectations... :/
Glad that Sirius' observation about all things that aren't necessary in death amused you! :P And that you liked the haircut bit! :P
I have this haedcanon that Orion, while definitely prejudiced, was much more tolerant/less obsessed with blood purity than other members of the family (like Walburga). Orion met Ted in my other one-shot "A Black Christmas" and a few elements in this story are references to that one, in case you were curious... ;)
I love the sibling relationship between Sirius and Regulus! They could've been close without their parents' influence... glad you liked to see them reconciled in the afterlife! <3
I don't think Bellatrix would ever chill up... but that's the fun of having her there at all, right? :P
Glad you liked the food fight at the end! :D
Snowball hug,
Chiara
Lovely Chiara!
I love that I got you to review for our Hufflepuff swaps, because for how good your writing is and how much I like you you should have gotten loads of reviews form me already.
So, first of all - I love the premise of this story. It’s really imaginative and I’m curious what will happen.
I’m intrigued by your interpretation of death. So far it doesn’t seem very different from life. I wonder if there are any drawbacks to being dead. I love seeing Regulus and Sirius together!
I’m ashamed to admit I had expected only the Blacks we know at the party. But of course, there are generations of them. Makes me even more excited to read on.
„I didn’t extpect myself here either“ is a great line. I’ll strive to use that in person one time.
„The boy then turned his attention to the woman holding on to his arm.“ I’m not exactly sure at first glance who is who. More names instead of pronouns/descriptors could add clarity here I think.
„Oh wait, it was indeed my dearest cousin“ and all before that is really the kind of thing I’d expect Sirious to say. I had forgotten Bella would be there and honestly, I’d forgotten all the anti-muggle prejudice that must be on that table. Poor Dora.
The goblin joke went over my head.
„Must happen when you live past thirty“ - I love that. It’s true that the age you died would play a big role in the afterlife. I’m sure me now wouldn’t get along with anyone I hung out with at 15…
Here’s a typo, I think „A quarter of hour“ - should be „A quarter of an hour“.
I love that the prank was making people say out loud what they thought about others at the table. It’s a nice twist in that these people are so accepting of badmouthing others as long as it’s socially acceptable (to them), but it makes sense that their mean sides are still there around others.
I loved reading this, Chiara. It’s easy and fun but had many intriguing details that really surprised me. The only thing I would have loved would be more descriptions.
This is sort of a lame review, I’m sorry. It was a great read and funny and I really enjoyed it!
Thank you for thinking this up and sharing it.
Love, Jo
Author's Response:Hey, Jo, sweety! Thank you so much for stopping by, my dear! <3
Ah, I'm so glad you enjoyed the premise for this story! Anything can happen in the afterlife, am I right? Yes, it's not so different from life... it's meant to be silly, anyway, so... :P
Yay for Sirius and Regulus together! They deserved a second chance! <3
Ahahah! Yeah, lots of generations of Blacks... that was the fun part! ;) And poor Remus, wanting to be anywhere else... :P
Yeah, I know... sometimes I'm very bad at tags...
Yeah, very Sirius, indeed! And yes, a lot of prejudice around there... :/
Oh, the goblin joke... apologies on that one... it's actually a reference to a previous story that I throw there in passing but couldn't really be understood without that background... but basically, I had this other Black Christmas fic where Andromeda and Ted autoinvite themselves, sort of... and Orion asks Ted what his parents do, and he says his father is a banker, and Orion convinces himself that Ted's father is a goblin... :P
The age you died would definitely impact you afterlife experience :P
Thanks for checking the typo. That's actually because I wouldn't put an article there in Italian... I always get confused by things like that... :P
Glad you liked the prank idea! It would be very effective on this bunch, wouldn't it? :P
So glad you enjoyed reading this! Yes, I know, I'm not very good at descriptions... I'm working on it... but happy you enjoyed the read anyway! :)
Thank you so much again for the great review! <3
Snowball hug,
Chiara
First of all, what a fun concept for a story! A party in the afterlife with my favourite characters, what’s not to love?! They all deserved to live long happy lives together so I’m so glad that it’s still kind of the case in this story! (although long happy “deaths” would be more accurate here)
I LOVE the opening because it’s Remus and Tonks and they are so them! It’s very realistic that Remus doesn’t want to go to a party full of people who stood for ideals that are the exact opposite of those he fought and died for, people who would have despised him for what he was. And of course Tonks is on his side, but I love how she is excited to go and especially to go with him just to spite her family! That’s so her!
I’m also very glad that Sirius and Regulus seem to have found each other again, even if they aren’t the best of friends yet. And just like Remus, Sirius does not fancy going to a party full of people who have totally different values than he has. But it’s the afterlife, so everything is possible and they all go when they would definitely not have gone to a Black family party if they still had been alive.
This story is so so funny and it’s exactly because you put these totally different characters all together. Their interactions, often sarcastic, are so entertaining to read. The Blacks are known as this very dark and evil family, but I love how in your story you portray them as a typical family with pity fights about manners and good behavior and of course the drunk uncle (every family has one of those). Some of my favourite bits:
Tonks’ hair turning red and the classic “Don’t call my Nymphadora” line to Regulus and a bit too loud so half of the table hears it *awkward silence*
Sirius comparing his “dearest cousin Bella”’s voice to the mooing of a cow and then Regulus defending him when she tries to get back at him
And omg Bellatrix being treated like a child by her mother and her obediently sitting down when being told to. Such a contrast with the real life Bellatrix, which makes it’s comic gold!
“Fortunately, Bellatrix took good care not to address them anymore, not even to ask for the cranberry sauce.”: Chiara I don’t know why but that line had me laughing out loud!
Walburga Black! Just like her portrait! So clever of you and again so funny! And then: “After her outburst, (…) - she hugged her other son affectionately”! It’s extreme contrasts like this that make this story so hilarious!
And then all of a sudden James appears and they immediately start bickering like old friends and plotting like they used to! Made me so happy, again because they all deserved to have lived longer.
It’s all building up to the perfect climax of the story: a food fight! And you put it perfectly: “generations of well-behaved, pureblooded Blacks” finally losing all sense of propriety. What a great image!
So I think you can tell I really love reading this! Even though this is not a serious story, your characterization is still on point and I loved all the witty, sarcastic, snarky dialogues. I especially loved all the puns and jokes about death and being dead!
I’m definitely looking forward to reading more of your writings!!
Emma x
Author's Response:Hey. Emma! :D
I was so happy to see you pop around my AP! :P
I'm so glad you like the premise for this one! I did have a lot of fun with it! :D And I had almost forgotten that I had any Remus/Tonks on my AP... :P (I mean, I'm putting the bases for Remus/Tonks in the Jimmy-verse, but it's still very far away... I do ship them a lot, though... also, sorry for the digression... :P)
Yes! They did deserve long, happy lives! :O But long, happy deaths is still something, am I right? ;)
So glad you felt Remus and Tonks were both in character in the opening scene! <3
So glad you enjoyed seeing Sirius and Regulus mending fences, I like to think they did in the afterlife, since they didn't get the chance before <3
Ahahah! So glad you enjoyed seeing all these different people put together! I feel like the Blacks would be so posh and concerned about proper manners etc, even if some of them are so vicious... and yes, every family has the drunk uncle! :P Alphard is the best! :D
Love to hear all your preferite bits! :D Ahahah, yes, Walburga is exactly like her portrait! :P
Well, they are the Marauders, are they not? Of course they'd come up with a prank! ;)
I'm so glad you enjoyed this story so much! Thank you so, so, so much for the great review! <3
Big snowball hug,
Chiara
HI CHIARA. Here for another review for Chiara Appreciation Month! Trying to sneak this in before the CMDC review event begins again, hehe. <3
I typed out this entire review AND THEN LOST IT, so I’m going to try my best to recreate it!
I cannot express how delighted I am that there’s an afterlife in this world!!! Somehow, that eases the pain of all their deaths, though simultaneously, it reminds me that THEY ARE ALL DEAD. D: Truly, JKR did the Marauders a grievous injustice by cutting all their lives too, too short, so I’m glad that you are here to remedy that by describing their life beyond the grave (except Peter, of course, haha)! Something that I find particularly hilarious is that all of the Blacks are together in this one afterlife, which means no matter WHO it is, they’re bound to be dreadfully unhappy. Walburga? Evidently furious that she has to spend the rest of her life with her son. Sirius? Sick to death of literally everyone, hahaha.
(Obviously, this does not bode well for any of the characters, but I find it incredibly amusing hahahaha.)
POOR REMUS. He has no blood relation to any of these gosh-darned Blacks, and after I mused the matter over some more, I realized that he is the ONLY one without any blood relation. It makes complete sense that he wouldn’t have wanted to go haha, but of course stubborn Tonks dragged him along. I felt really sad when he mentioned having difficulties saying no to her! Especially since it makes sense no one would want to come to such an inane, uselessly fancy dinner, when the entirety of the afterlife is ahead of them. :P At least, though, they managed to cause a raucous commotion with the food fight! Remus seemed at least partially entertained at that point! :D
Something that I think is really strong about this story is how you managed to characterize the unfamiliar Black relatives with so few lines! For instance, I became so attached to Aunt Druella hahaha, and she gets a maximum of like three lines. But I love how I can figure that she’s the kind of old woman who loves hollering at people but in a completely harmless/hilarious way, and that Uncle Alphard is just a ridiculous, open-minded drunkard. :P It’s also so funny how easy it was for the Marauders to rouse these ancients to a food fight—it just creates such a funny picture in the mind sdfjkls.
I looooved seeing these wonderful boys together again!! This was such a cute, funny story, Chiara! <3
Love,
Eva
Author's Response:EVA!!! <3 <3 <3
You are the absolute best, you know it, don't you?
Urgh... I hate when that happens... it's the most frustrating thing! :(
Of course there is an afterlife, why wouldn't there be one? :P Ah, yes, I know, it's so painful how they all died so young (I will never forgive JK for mistreating my boys like that)... but at least they can be riunited in the afterlife and still cause mischief! :P I thought it would be especially funny to put all the Blacks together... :P yeah, not particularly enjoyable for any of them, is it? Poor Sirius... :P
Yeah, poor Remus is the only one with absolutely no blood connection here! :P But he would do anything for Tonks, the poor sweety... <3 (I agree with you, btw... I definitely wouldn't have wanted to go either, if it'd been him :P) Yes, at least he had a bit of fun with the food fight! :D
It makes me so happy that you could connect with the unfamiliar Black relatives, even if we only get small glimpses of them! :P Druella and Alphard are my favourites, too! :P
Thank you!!! Your reviews always feel me of happiness!!! <3
Snowball hug,
Chiara
Hello!!
DanyFire here for our swap (We spoke on Twitter). I loved this strory! It is so well written. I was suprprised to see a post death story about these characters. Where did you get the idea? This is a new take on some of our favorite characters. It is refreshing to see them written in new ways. I never thought to investigate their life after death. Thank you for writing such a captivating story.
DanyFire (aka Meg H.)
Author's Response:Hi, Meg! :)
I'm so glad you enjoyed this story, I had a lot of fun writing it! I love the Marauders and imagining them in the afterlife, and in this particular situation was so amusing! :D
Thank you so much for your review! :)
Chiara
Hi, there! I'm here for our swap!
As a first "big picture" thought, I really love the idea. Dead characters can be really fun to write. You don't have to restrict yourself to canonical situations and motivations. You want to throw James, Regulus and Bellatrix into the same room? Knock yourself out. Nothing's stopping you. You also did a great job of crafting the situation and keeping it believeable while also being light-hearted. Would the Blacks -- generation after generation of them -- continue to have a stiff, haughty, dull holiday party in the afterlife? You bet they would! Because nobody does face time like the Black family.
Wonderful characterization across the board. I liked Regulus's sense of humor. Impish, but also sophisticated. "Elevated impish." Is that a thing? In general, I have to say that I was most impressed with the way you gave personality to the characters who don't have any sort of canonical personality. The elder members of the Black family in particular.
Interesting to imagine Sirius and Regulus co-habitating after a fashion in the hereafter. I might have imagined Sirius having a choice bachelor pad, or maybe haunting James and Lily's guest bedroom. Living with his younger brother should certainly fulfill some of the penance for his life of excess. Remus is such a sucker for Tonks. And all it took was both of them dying for him to finally stop denying his desires.
Ah, dear Bellatrix. Can't fault your characterization of her, not one bit. At least her mother can exert some measure of control over her.
From there, the characters get more and more interesting. Alphard seems like the life of the party. Which is the antithesis of what a Black dinner party seems to be about, so it's no wonder most of them didn't like him. Orion is an odd duck. Seems to be scared of his own shadow. I guess if you were married to Walburga Black, you'd learn to tread lightly as well. She seems a little like a more three-dimensional version of her portrait at Grimmauld Place.
Then we get to the main event! I love what James, Sirius and Remus did to the table. It was clever and fun and boy, did it escalate quickly. The concept of generations of snobby, aristocratic Blacks pelting one another with foodstuffs is hilarious. I especially loved the words crafted between Rodolphus and Bellatrix. Because who hasn't thought that about her at some point?
The ending scene is almost poetic. All it's missing is somebody dropping a microphone and declaring, "our work here is done."
Suggestions? Umm... that's a tough one. I would have loved for you to expand the number of words dedicated to the outcome of the practical joke, but I'm not sure how much more material you had to work with there. Sometimes it's best to deliver your A material and quit while you're ahead. But I really loved it and I would have loved to see more.
Great job!
-Dan
Author's Response:Hi, Dan! Thank you for swapping, and sorry for my late reply...
I'm happy you chose this story and enjoyed it. Yes, it is much fun to write the afterlife, because you don't really have any rules to obey, right? :P I will admit, this was a very ridiculous and nonsensical interpretation of the afterlife, but it kind of was meant to be. :P And yes, the Blacks would totally continue to have a stiff, haughty, dull holiday party in the afterlife! :P
I absolutely adore Regulus, and I'm glad you liked my characterization of him. I don't know if "elevated impish" is a thing, but I love that definition! :D I'm glad you enjoyed the characterization of all the other family members, too! :)
I also love a bit too much writing Sirius and Regulus' sibling relationship, and having them co-habitate in the afterlife seemed like so much fun... :P Ahahah, Remus is so crazy for Tonks, yes. :) And yay, Bellatrix. :P
I love Alphard. Definitely not what you would expect from a Black... and yes, poor Orion is terrified of many things, especially his wife... :P
Glad you enjoyed the prank, too! I had a lot of fun with it! :D
I suppose I could have expanded things a bit more, but like you say, I'm not sure how much I could have done without ruining it... so glad you enjoyed this little, silly one-shot, anyway!
Thank you so much again for the swap and the lovely review! <3
Chiara
This was hysterical! The Black family are a weird bunch as it is, so to show them all in the afterlife was brilliant. I loved how Sirius was exactly the same, but I thought it was great he and Regulus were on good terms. Poor Remus being dragged along to a Black family dinner and then having to stick up for Severus and be dragged into a prank... Though Sirius's reply to James calling them boring was cracking - "Must happen when you live past thirty." I loved that.
That prank was genius by the way! A good food fight at a well to do dinner party, is hilarious.
Your pacing and dialogue was spot on here. Nothing seemed forced or skimmed over either, it all flowed really well. I especially liked how the characters frequently mentioned how they were going to kill each other or were already dead - especially the party being dead. All very funny!
I really enjoyed reading this, it cheered me right up. Tasha xx
For Menagerie and RvG - Team Red.
Author's Response:Tasha! I'm back again, trying to catch up with my unanswered reviews... :P
I'm so glad you found this hilarious! Yes, the Blacks are a crazy bunch, which is why I enjoy writing their gatherings so much, and the afterlife setting makes it just the more ridicolous. :P
Sirius wouldn't change just because he was dead, would he? And I love writing him and Regulus together, I've always believed that they had been close till a certain point.
Yes, poor Remus... thrown in the middle of a Black party, and then having to go along with Sirius' and James' mischief... I'm quite proud of that reply Sirius gave James, to be honest! :D
Glad you enjoyed the prank, too! :)
So glad it flowed well and that the dialogue was good, too. And of course I had a lot of fun with all the death puns... :P
Thank you so much for another wonderful review! <3 <3 <3
2019 HC Magicial Menageries Review!
Hello, my love! I’m here with a review for you! So I chose this, because I read the first one ages ago, and was dying to see if their dinner in the afterlife would be just as much of a train wreck. And boy, was it hahaha.
I thought it was sweet that Tonks decided to change her appearance to more resemble her mother. I bet that was a way to make her feel like her mother was with her, when going to the snake pit (pun totally intended). I wonder why she’d want to go? I wouldn’t want to go near those people. But, knowing that Sirius was going, you’d have to assume it would be entertaining.
Ooooh! Are Sirius and Regulus roomies in the afterlife?? Because, I love the idea that they were. I always love seeing fics where they have made amends after Sirius died. And I’m sure it would make it less lonely, since James has Lily, and Remus has Tonks. That way he’s not all alone. Plus, having your brother back has to be a good feeling.
I LOVE that Reg helped Sirius antagonize Bellatrix. I was shocked to see her there, considering how vile she had been in her living life. I hope she had some sort of punishment for her deeds in life. As well as other Death Eaters who died.
Ugh, of course Sirius’ mom was awful. Such a miserable woman. Sirius brought up a good point though. You’d think that she would have disowned Reg, too. I loved when he said it came down to haircuts hahaha.
And yay! James showed up! And of course they played a prank together XD Why wouldn’t they? I legit laughed out loud when James made the comment about them being boring, and the response about it must happen when you live passed 30 hahahaha! How true!
Again, chaos at a Black family Christmas. You’d think they’d stop trying lol. I also feel like they probably won’t be invited back the next time.
This was adorable, and super funny, just like always when you write the Marauders. Always super in character and always, always, always such a pleasure to read! Loved it my dear!!
Author's Response:MEG!!!
Thank you for stopping by my AP, love! <3
Well, I don't think the Blacks have ever had a quiet Christmas dinner, have they? And the afterlife is surely no exception. :P
It's a nice thought, that by changing her appearence to resemble her mother she would feel like she had her by her side... :) I think she was mostly curious, to be true. They are, like, the high wizarding society, and while she doesn't really belong and while most of them aren't particularly... enjoyable people, I would be curious to participate in a feast like that...
Yes, that's how I imagined it, that Sirius and Regulus shared a house. :) I totally want to believe that they rebuilt a relationship after their deaths, since they couldn't do so during their lives. It's so cruel that Sirius never knew how Regulus died and why... and yes, that would definitely make it less lonely for them both, which is a plus. :)
This story is meant to be silly, so I didn't give too much thought about how the afterlife is supposed to work... there's no real division between good and bad people in this afterlife, nor there is a punishment for those who did evil things... everyone is just there... *shrugs* But yes, of course Regulus would antagonize Bellatrix here. His views have changed a lot, as we both know. ;)
I hate Walburga Black. Not that we really know much about her from canon, but still... yes, Sirius is right. Regulus rebelled too, after all. But I guess his betrayal was just not as blatant or something? And of course a nice haircut would make all the difference. :P (As I said, this story is meant to be silly)
I can't imagine the Marauders gathering at a Black party and not putting up a prank. :D I'm glad you found the bit about living past 30 hilarious. Yes, that's definitely true... :D
Ahahah! Yeah, they should probably stop... but the Blacks are stubborn and they like their traditions, so... I don't know if the Marauders will get an invitation next year, though. :P
Thank you so much, darling! So glad this amused you! Love you loads! <3
Hey there! Here for our review swap! Okay, so I always find after-death fics pretty interesting. There's so much freedom in the rules and you can do pretty much whatever. I like how you left some things ambiguous, like whether or not you can die again. I also liked how you had the bad guys and the good guys together. You know what it reminds me of? The Naruto ova's. I don't know if you like Naruto, but they made these ova's and in some of them, they put good and bad characters into this like sports day in the village. Some of the characters in the sketch were even dead. It was like the characters had moral immunity or something haha. Anyway, I feel like that's what you've done here. Bellatrix and Sirius just have an argument. Like, she freaking killed him! But you've written it as they've moreorless moved past that. Or... I don't know how to describe it. But I like these sort of alternative reality settings. It's different and interesting.
It makes me happy that Sirius and Reg made up. Like, Reg was good in the end! And he actually did more to contribute to Voldemort's downfall than Sirius did. It warmed my heart to see Reg joining up with the Marauder's and Tonks. And to see him and Sirius joking around and laughing. It felt like that was how their relationship should have been. Or could have been if their mother wasn't so whack and the war hadn't been going on.
It was a pleasant surprise that Orion Black liked to hang out with Ted Tonks. He almost called him a mudblood, but it provided an example that not all Blacks are bad. Orion seemed to me more of a morally gray character.
I actually like that you have James in here. Like you said in your end notes, you wrote this before JKR announced that Fleamont and Euphemina were James’ parents. But the entire fandom thought that Charlus and Dorea were James’ parents. Well… maybe James is still related somehow. Either way, I like him in here :) And yeah, I can totally see Lily not wanting to go. The description of Lily seemed a little fierce to how I typically imagine her. But seeing how James still really loves her is adorable.
If you don't mind, I'll get to the second review tomorrow. It's late in my timezone and I have work tomorrow. Though maybe I'll read and review at work haha
- Alwynse
Author's Response:Hey! :)
Finally here to reply to some reviews... :P
I'm so glad you enjoyed my interpretation of the afterlife here. Actually, it's not really an interpretation, I guess. This story is meant to be silly, so I didn't need to make sense, right? :P (By the way... yes, you can die again in this afterlife, but you would just resurrect immediately after, so it wouldn't be an actual death, I suppose? And yes, when James said that Lily had killed him a couple of times, he did mean literally... And no, I don't know Naruto. I'm afraid my knowledge of other fandoms is deeply limited...)
I love Sirius and Regulus! A lot! I love to explore their brothery relationship, I've always thought that they used to be close as children and that they've always loved each other, despite their opposing ideologies. And yes, Regulus did turn good in the end. I do hope they got the chance to reconcile at least in the afterlife, if not earlier.
I've sort of built this headcanon for Orion where he is a little more tolerant than the rest of the family. He would still have his prejudices but he wouldn't be quite as strict and maniacal about it? This story is actually a sequel (sort of) to my other one-shot "A Black Christmas", where Orion and Ted met. And while I wouldn't say Orion liked to hang out with Ted, he did try to have some polite conversation with him (if only for the sake of etiquette). Anyway, yes, I like to imagine Orion as a more morally grey character.
So, my new headcanon is that Charlus and Fleamont were brothers, which means Charlus and Dorea are James' uncle and aunt (there's not much known about them, so that might still be true, right?) Anyway, I really needed James in this story. And I don't consider Pottermore canon anyway, so who cares? :P Honestly, I've always imagined Lily as extremely fierce (especially when it comes to James), but of course that's only my interpretation... anyway, they love each other a lot (even if James can make her lose her patience...) Just in case that wasn't clear, I'm a big Jily shipper. :P
Thank you so much for your lovely review!
Chiara
I'm so glad I chose this story to review for the House Cup 2018-2019 opener! Remus is my favorite Marauder by far, and well, Tonks is just fabulous. I cried when Rowling killed them off and left poor Teddy an orphan (even if he did have Harry Potter as a godfather.)
I loved how you brought the whole Black family. This is the first story I've seen Regulus in (dead or alive). The brother dynamics you had between the two was spot on, in my opinion.
I loved the interaction between the three Marauders. It felt (to me) like that hadn't been apart like they had for years because of James' death, Sirius' incarceration and then death. It was like a 'just yesterday' feeling to it. That little mention of Peter made it all so real that it wasn't just because he wasn't a Black that he wasn't there, but because he bretrayed the Marauders.
The prank was simply golden. Golden, I say. Got those staid Blacks to let their hair down (and food flying.) Not something I'd ever picture the Blacks doing, until now.
Thank you for coming up with this awesome plotbunny of a story. (I'd always thought that Charlus and Dorea was James' parents also, until I checked Pottermore just now.)
I'll be going off to read 'The Black Christmas' in a bit.
juls
Author's Response:Hi, Juls! Thank you so much for stopping by my AP! :)
Remus is my favourite Marauder as well! Actually, he's my favourite character in absolute... :P I agree, the killing of Remus and Tonks is the one thing I will never forgive JK for... :(
I think the dynamics within the Black family are so fascinating to explore (I love to do that in a humorous way, but I'm sure there are a lot of angsty stories out there which do that brilliantly as well...) And I just love to write the brother relationship between Regulus and Sirius. I've always loved to imagine them being close before everything fell apart... I'm glad you enjoyed their dynamics (again, there are tons of marvellous stories about Regulus out there, if you are interested...)
Yeah, well... I feel like a few years of life wouldn't matter much once you are dead? And I just like to think that the Marauders' friendship would be just that strong and that they would just get along naturally, no matter what... if that makes sense? As for Peter... I actually would have liked to expand that bit a little more, but it wouldn't really fit in the story... he wasn't there because he has no link to the family, of course, but it's also true that he isn't really a part of their friendship group because of his betrayal, I was definitely going for that feeling as well... I do believe that they will come to forgive him, but I think that will require a lot of time...
Ahahah! I'm so glad you enjoyed the prank! I did have a bit too much fun writing it! :P
Thank you so much for the lovely review! And yes, I'm glad I wasn't the only one who was convinced that Charlus and Dorea were James' parents. :P
Lots of love,
Chiara
hey hey, i'm here for our swap!
omg these first two lines when tonks says it won't be that bad and remus is like...are you for real? were pretty hilarious. i must ask where do you get your ideas?! the last story i read from you was about a nice little boggart and now this...a dead black family christmas?! how are you so original and creative? i'm amazed!
i love how in your world, being dead isn't exactly...being dead. all my favs are nnow happily doing what they love even when dead, so that makes me happy! :D especially if sirius is able to still annoy his mother and i'm hoping he is...
all the blacks ever in one place...sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, especially when you mix in marauders! but remus is so adorable with his comments.
i do love feisty regulus standing up to bellatrix! after HBP he became one of my favourite characters and i love reading about him :)
poor orion, being scared of his wife. at least he's funny, even in his prejudice!
i love how james and sirius can make remus make mischief even in death! and it was great to read how remus defended snape even if james' was partly right...
all the silly comments you wrote about being dead were pure gold! i can just imagine the marauders not really being phased with death and trying to enjoy it :D
i loved reading this, you do humour so well!
kris
Author's Response:Kris! Thank you so much for swapping, dear! :)
So glad you found the opening hilarious! Oh, I don't know? My mind likes to come up with crazy things... I'm not sure if that a good thing, to be honest... :/
Yes, I know, this is a pretty nonsensical interpretation of the afterlife (Sirius thinks so too, so...) Ahahah! Sirius can and will annoy his mother in any circumstance, surely it won't be Death to stop him, right? :P
Ahahah! Yes, I agree, it couldn't not end in chaos! And of course the Marauders would only help it... :P
Remus is always adorable... (I'm not blushing, you're blushing)
Regulus is great! I like his character a lot too! ;)
Orion is so much fun to write. I have this headcanon for him that, while still believing in all the Pureblood ideals and prejudices, he was a bit more tolerant than other members of the family. But he was kind of submissive of his wife so he hardly ever expressed a contrasting opinion with her... Walburga is quite scary, after all, isn't she? :P
Ahahah! James and Sirius will always make Remus make mischief! :P And, well, I'm no fan of Snape but I suppose Remus wasn't entirely wrong? But yeah, neither was James...
I had a bit too much fun with all the Death jokes, to be honest! :P
Thank you so much for the swap and the lovely review! ;)
Chiara
Hii!
I’m here for our swap and this title drew my attention so naturally I had to go and read it!
The beginning starts great already! I wonder why Tonks showed herself like this and why she didn’t rebel, but then I figured it must also piss the Black’s off if she showed up looking a lot like her mother because she got banned and married Ted as it was. So maybe she is rebelling a bit after all. And then Remus, with not being able to tell her no and always giving in – it sounds so like him, great job!
AND THEN SIRIUS AND REGULUS. That’s sibling rivalry at it’s finest, not gonna lie. Great job at portraying the sibling bond there and Sirius being a massive mope about all of it because seriously, a dinner with the Black family truly doesn’t sound like fun at all. I truly can’t blame him.
Oh my god this is briljant. The comments made at everyone’s expense, comments being made about how Tonks looks like her mother but also setting her off at the same time. The roasting of Bella, Sirius who doesn’t want Remus to escape. This can only get better.
I am dying with laughter at the entire Alphard segment, especially when Odo the hero got mentioned. Oh this is good.
OH AND THEN SIRIUS’ FATHER. I want the goblin related explanation now really, but Sirius honestly mentioning werewolves and not being able to stop laughing like mad is totally what I picture happening and you just went and did it and god this is so good.
OH GOD WHY DOES REGULUS EXPLAIN IT BUT WE DON’T GET THE EXPLANATION? THAT IS JUST RUDE, CHIARA. RUDE.
JAMES MY BOY THOUGH. Love the fact that Charlus and Lily both did not come (though damn man, it might’ve been funny if they had. But yknow I get why they did not) but Sirius comment about Dorea also made me smile, because it clearly shows how much he loves them.
OH MY GOD A FOODFIGHT THIS JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER.
Oh hey and I get a shoutout too. Wicked.
I absolutely loved this story. Brilliant job and I’m still wiping the tears of laughter away.
X Ineke
Author's Response:Hi, Ineke! Thank you so much for the swap! :D
Ahahah! Well, I guess Tonks was just curious... who wouldn't want to participate to a high society party once in their lives (or deaths)? And I didn't think she wanted to rebel by looking like her mother, but I bet a lot of people would be annoyed about it, which is honestly a plus! ;) And yes, poor Remus, always giving in... glad you found that in character! :P
I love Sirius and Regulus! A lot! I love the idea that they could reconcile somehow, at least in the afterlife... Siblings' rivarly is one of my favourite things in absolute! :D
Ahahah! Glad you liked all their interactions at the beginning! :D
Alphard is great, isn't he? I am a big fan of him, honestly! Glad you enjoyed the Odo the hero bit, too! :P
And Orion... ahahah! I have so much fun with him, too... Yes, Sirius would definitely be like that, glad you could picture it too! :)
Well, I explained it on Twitter, so I guess we are good? (But if you are curious and want to check out A Black Christmas as well... I'm not going to complain...)
James is the best! And yes, if I had been Charlus or Lily I wouldn't have gone either... Sirius is very affectionate to the Potters, of course. They basically adopted him, so I guess it makes sense. :)
Ahahah! Yep, foodfight! :D
Of course you get a shoutout! You are always there to answer my stupid questions...
So glad this made you laugh! ;)
Lots of love,
Chiara
Chiara! I'm here for our 'swap' aka here's a free review because you're the nicest person in the world and have already reviewed everything of mine :)
And how could I resist s Marauder prank story??
Bahahaha, this was hilarious. The interactions between the Marauders were perfect, like it's so evident just in their dialogue that they've been friends through life and death and everything. And because they're dead, they're so blase about death and it's so funny, like when Remus says the Marauder James used to know died. Haha, well, yeah :P
Of course it would be James' idea to do this prank, as well. And I loved the way you wrote Sirius and Regulus because it's everything I wanted for them - bothering and teasing each other just like normal siblings -just like they used to, I imagine. It's just so wonderful to think they were able to reconcile after they died bc it always made me so sad to know that they didn't while they were alive.
Also can I mention what a perfect prank this is. Nothing is funnier than getting the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black with all their pretentiousness and propriety (I mean they're having a fancy dinner party in the afterlife) to start a food fight! When the vegetables and the insults started flying I was cracking up. It was brilliant. Loved this XD
Author's Response:Kristin!!! Aww, you are the best! Have I ever told you that you are the best? Thank you so much for this free review! <3
Ahahah! You couldn't resist, obviously! ;)
I'm so glad you found this hilarious! And that you enjoyed the interactions among the Marauders! :D They are the best of friends, this is why I enjoy writing them so much! :P And I did have a bit too much fun with all the death jokes... :P
Yes, of course it would be James! :P And yay for Sirius and Regulus! I always wanted them to reconcile as well, and I love the idea that they were able to do so at least in the afterlife... <3
Ahahah! I'm so glad you enjoyed the prank! Actually, the prank in itself consisted in making the people believe they were being insulted by those around them (I should probably have specified, because I feel it wasn't exactly clear). The food fight was totally the Blacks' making, which maybe makes it even funnier? :D
So glad you enjoyed this little one-shot! Thank you so much for a wonderful review! :D
With love,
Chiara
Remus resisted the urge to roll his eyes - really, all Blacks were soooo annoying - and shook his hand politely. "Hello Regulus.”
I just finished reading the entire story and I had to stifle myself because I almost bursted out laughing. I'm at work! I can't do that! People will wonder what I'm up to...and clearly it isn't work.
Remus was lovely in this. A real joy.
"Oh, thought I heard something... Might've been my dearest cousin Bella? No, I think it sounded more like the mooing of a cow... Wait, that means it was indeed my dearest cousin Bella!”
HAHA. What a child.
Where is the Marauder I used to know?"
"He died.”
Remus is so salty I love it.
"Must happen when you live past thirty," Sirius said flatly with a shrug.
The ridiculousness of it all.
This story really perked up my mood. It was totally unexpected. I'm so glad I clicked on it. I loved the interaction between all of them and the added bonus of Regulus and the rest of the Blacks. I would never have thought to write something like this in a million years but I'm glad you did! It was ridiculous and yet not over the top. Like, I can kind of believe this could happen, okay? Don't judge me for that!
Author's Response:Deeds!!!
Thank you so, so much for this review! It was totally unexpected and just made my day!!! (Also, sorry if it took me a while to get back to you...)
Ahahah! Never read humour stories at work... (not that I'm complaining that you did... I would never complain about that...)
Remus is always lovely... <3
And Sirius is always a child... :P
I'm so glad you had fun reading this! And that you liked all the characters and their interactions! And there's nothing wrong in kind of believing this could happen... I absolutely do believe this could happen... except I don't... :P
Thank you so much! You are awesome! <3
Hey Chiara! :D So I know I'd only just started on All the Truth About Jimmy Portman but I saw this one and just couldn't resist! A fic about the Black family in the afterlife? Definitely my kind of thing :P
I love the whole idea of this: that in the afterlife people still do things like normal life, almost as though they're trying to pretend they're not actually dead :P And of course the Black family choose to hold a huge family-centric Christmas party, filled with posh food and people wearing expensive clothes and jewellery, all of them a bit uptight and 'on their best behaviour' :P
The mentions of people's parents - Druella and Orion in particular, and how Dorea had convinced James to come to the party - and how they still had such control over their kids (with how Druella could tell Bellatrix to be quiet and sit down and how she obeyed, despite being like, yk, a powerful and talented lunatic). It was such a great touch :P
I have to admit I wasn't expecting the prank to go the way it did - then again, I wasn't expecting James to be there, despite him being in the character list :P But ahhhh I love it - it's so simple but it's such genius! Getting all of the Black family throughout the cneutires to start a food fight is such a great prank. No one gets hurt, or seriously mortified, just a bit childish and embarrassed and probably a bit sticky from all the food :P
Also I really really wanna know what the goblin reference is. Honestly, it sounds a bit freaky but I'm just so so curious :P
Ahhhh this is such a great little story and I love it: the characters are so good, they're all so perfectly characterised with James being a mummy's boy, Sirius and Regulus needling each other, Remus being the sensible one, and Sirius and James being so fun-loving and confident :P As always, your writing was lovely - and yk, you have a real knack for comedy, which I'm so jealous of because I just don't - but you get it to read so well and so cleanly, and it's all just genuinely funny and it's so good.
Aph xx
Author's Response:Hey, Laura! :)
Ah, no worries! I'm actually happy that you chose to check out this story instead! And I'm super glad that you found it hilarious! :D
Ahahah! Well, this story was meant to be kind of absurd, so why not have the afterlife just like normal life? :P And of course the Blacks would do that! Can't you see it happening exactly that way? :P
I'm so glad you liked the parents! :) Of course, being the Blacks, the respect for parents would be well ingrained in their brains, right? But yeah, it is kind of hilarious to imagine Bellatrix, with all her powerful craziness, being so obedient to her mother. :P I'm glad you enjoyed that aspect.
I feel like I didn't explain really well how the prank worked... basically the idea was to make everyone believe that someone at the table had insulted them. The whole food fight was all the Blacks' making, which I think makes it even funnier? :P Anyway, I'm so glad you enjoyed how things played out! And yes, I guess James' presence was kind of unexpected, but without him the prank would never happen...
Regarding the goblin reference, I replied on Twitter the other day, so... :P (But if you want to check out my other one-shot I won't complain...)
I'm so glad you liked the story and the characterization of everyone! :D And I'm so glad you felt I did a good job with the comedy aspect! Thank you so much for the lovely review and for swapping!!! <3
Chiara
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