Name: hopelesslyaddicted (Signed) · Date: 12 Jan 2022 06:26 PM · For: Chapter 1

Abbi,

This is so cute! I've always been a fan of Ted/Andromeda and this seems like the perfect way for them to officially get together. I love in the beginning how she practically loathes the person she is and then at the end she's a completely different person. It seemed like the right thin for Bellatrix to do to expose her crush on Ted.The horrid person that she is.

This is definitely getting added to my favorites!

Alicia~

Name: abhorsen (Signed) · Date: 25 Jan 2021 04:55 AM · For: Chapter 1

hi abbi, i'm here for the fairyland event bc i felt left out with all the reviewing y'all are doing so needed to do some fairy host + winter puppy rep

i love your writing so much - it's so engaging and your characterization is just so consistently strong and i Cannot with it. my heart went out to andromeda So Fucking Much, what a toxic fucking family, like "how dare you write" are you fucking KIDDING ME

i love andromeda's thought process, it's very brave and she just goes for it and her "i can't look back" is SO FUCKING RELATABLE, this is going to sound absurd but this kind of thing is why i switched back to gryffindor, there's just so much of this kind of sentiment in everybody's writing (esp yours) and i'm always here like "rude of you to lift my feeling so perfectly to put in a fic" because it's just that fucking relatable (not actually, i do not actually think rude, i think "omg i love it why is it so great") (claws if any of you are reading this at any point that is not a knock and ily all so much too)

ewwwww basking in each other's pureness ewwww

"the pureblood poster boy look" oh my god i'm cracking up

"you know you'll have to stop seeing that mudblood when we're married" okay i'm not laughing anymore i am internally kittenknifing this motherfucker NOBODY LIKES YOU ATTICUS

oh god i was so scared for her but yes i love this, i love how it ended, i love everything about how it ended, so much <3

Name: justawillowtree (Signed) · Date: 19 Jul 2020 04:24 PM · For: Chapter 1

ABBI. This is BEAUTIFUL. The way that the beginning and ending parallel one another is breathtaking; I cannot express how proud I was of Andromeda when she managed to escape her unhealthy household and slip into this new non-magical life, away from everything that ever caused her harm! I wanted to weep with joy when she looked at herself and loved her reflection. Her preference for love and warmth becomes so clear -- it seemed that she was practically GLOWING in the mirror at the end, versus the lifeless mask she wore in the beginning.

The image of Andromeda’s ink-stained hands is so beautiful to me -- somehow it fits her aura/aesthetic perfectly. I truly hate her family so much. They seem so suffocating and cruel and insufferably rich; the element of pureblood lifestyle that required socialization and high-scale parties has always made me want to give them a good kick. :P It reflects the lifestyle of rich people in the United States (and the UK, too, I assume)!

“I’ll even bin that jumper for you.” TRULY THE MOST ROMANTIC OF DECLARATIONS. I LOVE TED. I’m so happy that he welcomed her with open arms, though I shouldn’t have expected anything less. And his parents sound like the absolute LOVELIEST.

“She looked less than perfect, in fact, she had never looked less perfect.” This line is absolutely my favorite. I read it and I gasped aloud. This is such an incredible story, Abbi, you should be so proud! <3

 

Love, Eva

Name: clairevergreen (Signed) · Date: 02 Feb 2020 12:00 AM · For: Chapter 1

Back again for the CMDC review event :)

 

Andromeda and Ted always seemed like the kind of love story that was worth telling and it always made me sad that JK never even gave us some hints about it. I love that I finally get to read any little bit of their backstory, especially one written by you :)

 

I love the beats that this story hits. The short, snappy scenes add to the desperation and suffocation that Andromeda felt at the Black house. I could feel how desperate she was as her mother tried harder and harder to push her towards Yaxley when all she wanted was to run away with Ted. 

 

Of course it was Bellatrix that outed her relationship. You hit on the absolute venom and hatred that we grew to associate with Bellatrix in the books, even with her as only a young kid. It's chilling to think that someone would care so little about their family that they would purposefully reveal a secret that could very well get them murdered. 

 

The scenes at the Tonks house and the completely one eighty from the atmosphere at the Black house warmed my heart. The love that he has for his girlfriend is the thing that everyone dreams of. I'm so happy that we got to see them find each other like that and know that they at least get some of their happily ever after.

Name: Felpata_Lupin (Signed) · Date: 15 Dec 2019 11:11 AM · For: Chapter 1

Abbi! Hello, my love! Happy holidays!

I love Ted/Andromeda stories! They are just precious! And you did such a brilliant job with it! Have I ever told you that I adore your writing? Because I do! Your writing is always so lovely! <3 <3 <3

I love that this is set during the Christmas holidays (very appropriate, too, isn't it? :P) Poor Andromeda, trapped into her own family, forced to smile to people she despises, with no apparent way out... of course, she did have a way out, but how scary must it feel to just turn your back to your family and your entire life and run away? I don't think I would've had that strenght... anyway...

Side note: I loved the circularity of the story, how it starts and ends in the same way but in opposite ways, too. I love the theme of looking into a mirror and seeing the person you pretend to be vs the person you actually are. And as bittersweet as Andromeda's situation is, I'm so glad she's found herself with the Tonks and that she's finally feeling safe and happy! <3

I think you did a wonderful job in capturing the pureblood dynamics. I especially loved (well, hated, actually... but I loved the way you wrote it... you know what I mean, right?) the interaction with Atticus. It was so very believable and chilling.

Bellatrix is the worst! I can't believe she just went and outed Andromeda that way! Well... I can believe it... but it makes me so angry... I loved how Andromeda lashed out at that point! I'm so proud of her! Druella's rage was also so very believable and I'm so glad Andromeda decided to run away from all that toxicity! Not that she had really any other choice...

The fact that she didn't have the courage to open the letter made me smile. I had no doubt Ted had only been looking forward to her confession! :P When she just knocked at his door and then threw herself in his arms, even if she still wasn't sure if he would be welcoming or not... that was such a sweet moment, and his reaction was even more sweet! I'm so glad the Tonks took her in without questions and that she got to experience a warm, genuine Christmas for once! It's just the best thing! <3

Lovely, lovely work on this! This made me just so happy! You are a great writer! <3

Snowball hug and happy holidays again! <3

Chiara

Name: LadyMarauder (Signed) · Date: 28 Apr 2019 07:07 PM · For: Chapter 1

Here for CTF - Team Gold!

 

This was sad and lovely and tragic all in one. It started so hopeless for Andromeda, who hated who she saw in the mirror and knew that if she didn't make her own path, she was getting it chosen for her. You painted the Black family and the pureblood elites perfectly. It's all about face - fake smiles, power, control - and who has the most influence, it is a toxic atmosphere to be in and I'm glad she got her chance to escape.

 

Ughh Atticus was such a creep - he's how I imagine a typical pureblood bloke to be. It's very telling that he knew she was seeing Ted at school, but didn't care as long as she was a "perfect" pureblood wife when they were married. That made my skin crawl a bit, honestly.

 

I don't often read this pairing, as it doesn't often come up and I'm so glad I clicked on it. Ted's family were lovely and I could really feel how jarring Andromeda felt about it, because she doesn't come from a kind, warm family herself.  "Andromeda barely knew what to do with such kindness." - This summed it up really.

 

I loved how you brought it full circle by her liking what she saw in the mirror, without make-up and looking less than perfect. It was a hopeful ending - I'd love to read more about these two, just saying!

Tasha xxx    

Name: Noelle Zingarella (Signed) · Date: 28 Apr 2019 06:16 PM · For: Chapter 1

Hi! I am here to review for the April 2019 Capture the Flag team Gold.

 

This story was just so sweet, although it starts off in such a tense place. You painted a great portrait of the Black family. Andromeda seems so hopeless at the beginning—staring in the mirror and hating what she sees. She wants to escape from this pure-blood world of hatred, but she’s not sure she can.

 

Druella seems so Stepford Wifeish here—always perfect, expecting her children and everyone around her to act perfect no matter what. I am glad to see Andromeda take that risk to write to Ted. I hope he will reply soon!

 

The Christmas Party is so sad and Atticus is a creep. I think it’s very telling of his character that he knows that Andromeda is seeing Ted, and he doesn’t seem to care as long as she gets over it in time to fulfill her roll as his future wife. It’s like he doesn’t see her as a person—only an accessory. 

 

Of course Bella would be the person to out Andromeda in her secret relationship. But I’m glad to see that Andromeda has been working up her nerve through the whole story and that she manages to tell the truth herself. She’s an adult after all. She might not be able to choose her family, but she doesn’t have to be ruled by them anymore. 

 

Her confrontation with her mother was so scary. I was sure that Druella was going to get the letter or hurt Andromeda. It was awesome to see Andromeda escape instead.

 

I particularly liked how you counted down the house numbers while Andromeda was looking for the Tonks house. It made her nervous state more clear. The Tonks are suitably adorable when we meet them and the letter that Andromeda finally reads is so sweet. The muggle details—the TV, the record player, that she washes the dishes and her face without magic were so warm and cozy. Such a nice change from the cold Black house.

 

I simply loved the bookend with Andromeda looking in the mirror and liking what she sees.

 

Thanks for writing this!

 

Yours,

Noelle

Name: TreacleTart (Signed) · Date: 28 Jan 2019 03:10 AM · For: Chapter 1

Hey there!

 

I’m here to leave you a review for the magical menagerie review event on the forums as well as the Gryffindor red versus gold review event for January 2019. I haven’t been by your author’s page in awhile, so I thought I’d come catch up on a few stories.

 

Mellow madness? I love that wording.

 

Yes! There’s the Andromeda that I love. I know she doesn’t want to disappoint her family, but I think she realizes how wrong they are. She sees through the pure blood supremacy.

 

I can’t believe her family wants to marry her to Atticus. He seems awful, but then again so do most of the purebloods. How could he think that threatening her like that would be effective? 

 

Wow. That was an interesting lunch. I can’t believe that Bellatrix sold her out like that. Sisters are supposed to have each other’s backs, but she’s always been a psychopath, so it’s no surprise. Her revelation caused quite a scene. I’m surprised her mother even tried to talk to her at all.

 

I’m so happy that Andromeda chose to flee to Ted. Her family was never going to try to understand the way she felt. Really she had to follow her heart. I think it’s cute that she didn’t even stop to read the letter. She just trusted that Ted would be there for her and he was.

 

Lovely writing as always! Good job.

 

 

~Kaitlin

Name: ReillyJade (Signed) · Date: 25 Jan 2019 05:41 PM · For: Chapter 1

Hi there! I'm dropping by for the Magical Menagerie! <3 

 

I see Andromeda/Ted... I click. Lol.

 

This was a dark story, for obvious reasons, but you handled it in a very delicate manner. Though you didn't get overly detailed about the ins-and-outs of familial and marital expectations in pureblood families, it was easy for me as the reader to feel Andromeda's dread and suffocation. From her being paraded around at pureblood parties to her mother's indifference about her happiness, you really provided the sense of what it must have been like to grow up in such a household. It almost makes you feel sorry for Bellatrix and Narcissa, too, because they liked shared those expectations.

 

However, through it all, you showed that Andromeda still felt that loyalty to her family, in spite of who they were and what they stood for. It just added to the gravity of her situation, and it furthed my appreciation of her decision. It took guts.

 

Ted is beautiful in this as well. I love how devoted he was to Andromeda, not to mention supportive. It can't be easy to stand by someone whose family loathes your very existence, no matter how much you love that person. His family was wonderful as well. They kind of reminded me of the Potters welcoming Sirius with open arms. :)

 

The bit about the jumper made me giggle. From the little we know of Ted from canon, that definitely seems like a way he'd end a love letter lol.

 

This was a wonderful little one-shot!

 

Cheers,

Reilly

Name: MadiMalfoy (Signed) · Date: 21 Jan 2019 03:01 AM · For: Chapter 1

Hi Abbi! :)

I thought I'd return the favor (and the love!!) by leaving you a review or two ;) And of course I also had to return the favor double by reading your Andromeda/Ted fic!! So. This is dark. Like, 100% dark af family holiday time for Andromeda. So she is seventeen and has now fully realized she's in love with Ted, but also knows just how dangerous it is for her now to admit that, even just to herself. The dullness of the Christmas Eve ball and then Andromeda's disgust at Atticus Yaxley and then fear of him knowing her secret is so heart-racing -- is he going to tell her family? And then Bellatrix at Christmas Day lunch!!! Dang she is already so violent and seething with hatred towards muggleborns. Andromeda bursting out that she loves Ted and then decides to go see him. And HE LOVES HER AHHHH. ABBI. SO PRECIOUS AND PURE MUGGLE CHRISTMAS TIME. UGH. Your writing is just gorgeous and I love how you did this piece. Fantastic job, dear!! <3

 

~MadiMalfoy x

(Magical Menagerie 2: Team Griffin)

Name: nott theodore (Signed) · Date: 15 Jan 2019 06:41 PM · For: Chapter 1

Abbi!!! <3 <3 <3 Here for RvG and the Magical Menagerie, because I figure you won't mind me earning an extra point for this review.

 

First of all, thank you so, so much.  I'm so honoured that you wrote this story for me and it means so much to me.  You know me so well - you've managed to capture one of my favourite ships beautifully (and not enough people write about these two!) and you've set the story at Christmas, which is probably my favourite time of year, so this is just perfect!

 

So, yes, there aren't enough Andromeda and Ted stories but I loved the moment that you choose to explore with this one, because it's really the pivotal moment in their relationship.  Until this point, there's still the possibility that it's fun, that it doesn't really mean anything, and that Andromeda can go on living the pureblood life that's expected of her.  But when she makes this choice, there's no going back, and she knows it - she knows that she's choosing a life completely apart from what she's had before, and that's such a big decision to have to make at such a young age. 

 

I loved the tone that you used throughout this piece to really capture the fact the way that she's torn over this, almost teetering on an edge that she's being pushed towards by her family members before deciding to take the final jump herself.  It worked so well with her character and this story.

 

The opening scene of this story was really brilliant, with Andromeda staring at her reflection in the mirror and trying to work out who she really was.  There's so much uncertainty in her feelings at that moment and I think you depicted that brilliantly with the way that she can't be described as Andromeda Black yet, only as Druella and Cygnus's daughter.  That first attempt to really ascertain her identity could easily be normal for teenagers but in this case, it runs much deeper and it's much more complicated and difficult than that.

 

"She found herself walking further into the darkness, into a family whose motto was hate." - this was such a chilling line but it's an incredibly accurate description of the Black family and everything they stand for.  

 

And then realising that she doesn't like what she sees in the mirror - I know so many people go through that, but again this runs deeper and it prompts a much more serious action.  The letter she writes to Ted is so heartfelt and I could really feel the love and the desperation singing through it, and you captured her feelings so well in that moment.  Your characterisation of Andromeda throughout this story was just brilliant.

 

Ugh, Atticus was really creepy and scary.  I think his presence in the story worked really well though, as an insight for Andromeda of what her life would become if she didn't get out when she had the chance.  She'd end up married to a man who didn't care about her, who only cared about blood purity and image, and who knew about her relationship with Ted and would have no qualms in using that against her in their marriage.  I know that wasn't quite enough for her to immediately break ties with her family but it did help.

 

I can really easily imagine Bellatrix deciding to break the news at Christmas dinner that her sister is seeing a Muggle-born.  She seems like the sort of person who wouldn't only strive to be the perfect daughter, but would have no qualms in clearing the competition out of her way, even at that age.

 

But Andromeda was so brave!  I was really cheering for her in that moment when she stood up to her family and not only left their house, but was honest and proud of the fact that she was seeing Ted.  That's such a big, important step and I'm really proud of her reading this - I want to reach through the screen and give her a massive hug to say well done (although that would delay her escape which would not be very helpful).

 

And the fact that the letter came just as she was escaping and she didn't have chance to read it before arriving at Ted's really helped to build up the tension in this piece, so we were on tenterhooks to find out what his response would be (even though I know they get together - your writing is just that good it's making me doubt it).  But the moment that he smiles and she knows it's going to be okay is so heartwarming and made me smile so much - she really deserves that after everything she's had to grow up dealing with.

 

Ted's family are wonderful!  They're exactly the sort of people I'd expect them to be with Ted being a Hufflepuff and Tonks being so lively and lovely, and it's so good of them to just welcome Andromeda into their home and so special that she gets to experience a real Christmas dinner with a loving family.

 

The ending was really poignant as well, and I loved the way that you travelled the full circle with this story, with Andromeda going from not liking what she saw in the mirror to liking herself because she'd made the right choice.  As difficult as that choice is, there's a real sense of relief and hope at the end of this and I think you've captured Andromeda and her relationship with Ted really well.  Thank you so much for writing this - I loved it.

 

Sian :)

Name: Chemical_Pixie (Signed) · Date: 13 Jan 2019 06:31 PM · For: Chapter 1

Hey Abbi! Here for the Magical Menagerie and for January RvG (Go Gold!).

 

I absolutely adore Ted and Andromeda fics. I really wish we could have gotten more of them in canon, especially since we all know the fate of that family.

 

The opening scene does such an incredible job laying out the rest of the story. The tension between Andromeda and her mother is brilliantly captured here, and it only builds throughout the story! I love how Andromeda thinks aloud without realizing it; this shows that she's terribly conflicted. The next scene, the letter, is stunning. "her little rebellion." I LOVE this line so much. I can relate to her, finding small ways to rebel against her strict upbringing. It's so empowering, and she's brave to send that letter when she does.

 

That party... and Atticus Yaxley. Andromeda does feel rather trapped here, and in a few lines, you build the tension so high because Atticus knows about her and Ted Tonks! He keeps his cool, but I know that he's still up to no good after his threat to her... and I wonder what other blackmail he has brewing in his mind. I ardently oppose this match (because Ted Tonks... but also Yaxley is incredibly disrepectful).

 

And it's so interesting that Bellatrix is the one to spoil things for Andromeda on Christmas. Of course, I'm not surprised in the slightest that this happens, and I think that your characterization of her is spot on... and then the confrontation in Andromeda's room with her mother before she Apparates away... Her mother is scathing and cold and threatening, and I really feel Andromeda's fear. I cheered for her when she escaped.

 

The ending: seeing Ted. I held my breath when they first see each other; she hasn't had time to read his response, so she--and the readers-- don't have any idea what he's thinking at her showing up there unannounced. And that Christmas sounds like a dream! The final scene with Andromeda looking back into her reflection: so much has happened in a short span of time, but her character develops so well. I love the changes in the final moments of this piece (because I love this story and Ted/Andromeda). I wouldn't say no to a prequel and a sequel (in fact, I encourage that!!!).

 

Great job, Abbi!!!