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Hi Kaitlin!
This is a fantastic story. I've read some really interesting takes on Lavender's character over the years, but I think this one does something unique. There's something so brilliant about the way you don't ignore the trauma that many authors have Lavender "overcome" to signify her growth. There's something more...honest (?) about this portrayal of what she's going through.
I really enjoy your characterization of McGonagall in this story. You definitely capture her fiery determination. But there's also the same compassion that drives much of what she does. When she says that she understands why Lavender would want to die...oof. It's such a difficult moment, but you handle it so well.
And the Parvati/Lavender relationship (even from just the glimpse we get here) is stunning! I love that McGonagall doesn't hide what Parvati is going through being shut out by Lavender. And that she tells her that Parvati is the one who saved her life and loves her and wants to be there for her. (Jeez, I'd be embarrassed to have my teacher tell me all of that...but I guess embarrassment is the least of Lavender's worries.)
This is just such a solid story and you've done a really good job with the emotions throughout it. Well done!
Sincerely,
Emily
*for the Fairyland review event*
Hi!
It's been a long time since I've done this, but I want to review everything I read and enjoy for the sake of being a supportive human being. Excuse me if this is just a spewing of love towards this:
I didn't know I needed Lavender/Parvarti in my life, but now I know I do. I loved protective Minerva, so very much, and I didn't even know it was for a challenge specifically titled "Women Supporting Women" but my brain instantly said "Yaaas we stan strong women supporting strong women", so here we are. Also absolutely loved the ambiguity at the beginning and using "the patient" and "she".Thank you for writing this little gem lad. Really loved it.
Hi, I'm Eli from the forums here for the challenge, and I'm so happy I found this story thanks to it. :)
In very few words you manage so well to capture the possible thought process of a victim so fresh out of trauma and the psyche they adopt when being treated - refusing treatment, refusing food, lashing out, lines like Even her free will is chained to the bed perfectly illustrate that.
The minute we hear McGonagall berating the Healer, calling her by the name (as professor always do, to their advantage), the whole energy changes. While before it was depressing, even Lavender can't resist the sudden surge of life and energy McGonagall brings with her, and the rest of it is just fantastic.
McGonagall's character was portrayed to the point of perfection. She takes no shit and has no time for nonsense, she is blunt and can be even harsh when necessary, but she is never unkind, quite the opposite. She's the kind of force people sometimes need more than soothing words and sleeping potions. I loved that she sent the Healer with the potions to hell because she's right - if grief and pain are suppressed long enough, there's no healing in that, just perpetual numbness.
Oh and then all these feels that I had about Lavender and Parvati and how sad it is that they both love each other, but a deep traumatic experience like this has the power to drive a wedge between family, friends, lovers.
Another thing that made this story awesome and that I liked is that it didn't end in lavender snapping around and taking McGonagall's words to heart, because that would've been too easy. She sends her away, screams at her, and it's so realistic, because it will take a long time, but you can feel and believe at the end that her mindset is already changing, here is a person who doesn't think she's weak, here's a person who knows she is brave but also respects the fact that she needs time. It was trully done in a brilliant way.
Hey there, Kaitlin! :) It's been way too long since I dropped across your AP so here I am!
Oh wow, this is a storm of a story to drop in on. I think the first thing that struck me was how emotive it all was: how angry, how bitter, how desperate and how afraid it felt - but afraid in a way which lashes out as much as hiding. It's so so good and so visceral - it leaps off the page and it brings Lavender to life in a way I haven't seen before.
And I love that, yk? I love that Lavender, someone who's so often portrayed as silly and giggly and girly, in this is so gritty and so broken and harsh and so angry - and anger isn't an emotion that's normally considered 'feminine' or 'pretty'. It's a real spin on her character - only it makes so much sense, considering everything she goes through in the war, and it really evokes the way she feels: her helplessness, her horror at her own injuries, her depression and her struggle to cope with the new reality of the post-war world. Though it's not really post-war for Lavender, as such, because the war is always there, in the scars on her face :/ And god, that's such an image - not the scars themselves but what they signify, and I love that you really show us so clearly and so brutally and so honestly how difficult it can be to survive after something so traumatic.
I love the way you include McGonagall - the way she cares about Lavender, coming into the room on Parvati's behalf when the healers won't let her in (and not taking no for an answer, either!), the way she's insistant that Lavender can't keep being drugged and that she can live and live well after everything, and that she'll keep coming until Lavender believes in herself the way McGonagall believes in her. It's so sweet and there's a real steely determination about that last section, when McGonagall declares her intention to always come back every day, before it's sort of covered over by Lavender's exhaustion and her apathy sliding back in to cover over all the emotion of before.
Your writing in this is incredible, as well. It's so evocative and so emotional but neat and tidy with every word so carefully chosen. It's a really beautifully written, cutting kind of story and I lovelovelove that about it: it hits hard, as it should do.
So, so good!
Laura xx
good fuck i loved this. (this is a very short paltry review because i'm doing lots of last minute reading for frogs noms buuuut i loved this.)
<3
Author's Response:<3 <3 <3 ily
Hi Kaitlin! I’m here for the CMDC review event round 1!
I’m glad you were assigned these characters for this challenge. We don’t get to see much direct interaction between them in the books, and the characterizations we’re given for them are so divergent from one another it’s an interesting pair to do something with.
Your characterization of McGonagall is very consistent with her imperious, no-nonsense self, and you captured the way she is able to show affection for her students while not being sugary about it and while retaining her brusque, businesslike demeanor. It’s amusing to see here how she is not at all afraid to order around the Healers
The description of Lavender’s injuries feels just horrifying enough without being gratuitous, and it’s plain why she feels the way she does, because I doubt anybody would want to live like that. “Damaged so badly that even magic can’t fix me,” is such a sad thought.
I like how Lavender’s bitterness permeates this narrative, and there’s something very strong about her here, because even while she’s basically giving up, she is emanating pride and control and being headstrong about it. Despite her being confined to a bed and fairly immobile, there’s a conflict playing out with any Healer who tries to make her do something she doesn’t want to. But then we also see the more honest, despairing side to her, and you’ve brought a depth of emotion to this short one-shot.
Also, looping back to McGonagall for a sec, I have to say I really loved that she asked Lavender, “What seems to be the problem?” It’s such...an absurd understatement, but that’s exactly how she means it because she wants to provoke Lavender into acknowledging her. I found it darkly humorous, even though the situation is not at all funny.
Great job!
Melanie
(Ravenclaw)
Author's Response:Hey there! Thank you so much for the review! It truly made my day! I wish I could write you a longer response, but I've gotten so bogged down in review responses lately. I hope you know how much your words mean to me and how much I appreciate your support, encouragement, and critique. Thank you!
~Kaitlin
hey kaitlin, i'm here for our swap!
so first - i'm really impressed with what you've managed to write for the women supporting women challenge, being assigned two people i would have no idea what to do with myself :P
lavender thinking she would have been better off dead than how she is now (i assume severely disfigured? we aren't told her exact injuries and there's no need, we know enough just from her reaction and the fact that even mcgonagall understands why she'd think that and minnie was never one to care about people's appearance so it's not simple vanity) is extremely sad but...i can understand her. i'm always in awe of everyone who manages to cope with any kind of disability - i have no idea if i would have the mental strength to do it so it's quite impressive (my own mother had a surgery on her spine a couple years ago and she's...impressive. idk how she managed to make herself walk again but she did). and lavender is very realistically written in that regard, at least i think so, especially so soon after the battle.
the parvati you've written, even if we don't actually meet her, is a wonderful person - she must be suffering immensely because of everything that happened, because she knew how bad lavender was hurt and now the girl she's in love with doesn't want to see her (doesn't want parvati to see her...) and yet she's still persistent, she's still coming to st. mungo's, she even made mcgonagall visit lavender to try and talk some sense into her. and mcgonagall is actually perfect in this role - she's always so level headed but also understanding, something that lavender needs even though she wouldn't admit it.
the way you've ended the story is great because it's once again very realistic. lavender didn't suddenly change her mind, accept the fact that she survived, accept her injuries, start to eat, but i think it's still somewhat hopeful in the sense that she might mull over mcgonagall's words, think about parvati trying to visit her daily and maybe one day (hopefully soon) decide she does want to live. i also loved mcgonagall's comment about how she needs to process things and she can't if she's constantly sedated/drugged.
this was a great (heartbreaking...tragic...) read!
kris
Hiya Kaitlin! Here for the menagerie and because you're awesome :)
Lavender Brown and Minevra McGonagall are a really interesting pair of women to be assigned for this challenge, and I think you've done really brilliantly with them! I was REALLY impressed with your characterization of McGonagall. I thought you really hit the nail on the head with her, and she's a character that I generally consider very intimidating to write, so you get extra points for that. One line that really stood out to me as almost seeming straight from one of the books was this: "Miriam Strout, you were a Ravenclaw if I remember correctly. You should be clever enough to know that you won't stop me from visiting one of my students in their time of need. Now, please, move out of my way."
I also thought you wrote Lavender extremely well and that this is a really realistic portrayal of trauma. It's super tragic but it definitely makes sense how she's feeling here and that she just wants to push Parvati away. She has both mental and physical trauma to deal with and, as McGonagall points out, it seems like she's not at all being supported in actually processing what she's been through on any level. I guess maybe the St. Mungos staff are concerned with keeping her calm/sedated enough to try to deal with her physical injuries but at the same time the treatment of her physical injuries is being stalled by the barrier of her mental trauma. (If that makes sense.) I really appreciated the bit where McGonagall tells the nurse off for trying to give Lavender a draught of peace.
I thought you definitely nailed the challenge, you managed to portray a really wonderful relationship between McGonagall and Lavender. Even though Lavender may not be in a place where she is able to completely open up and be around people, McGonagall is going to be there for her until she is. I thought this piece was really really powerful and it honestly might be one of my favourite things you've written.
Fantastic work! TTFN!
-Kayla
Author's Response:Hello you lovely human being. Thank you so much for this encouraging review! It really means a lot to me. ~Kaitlin
Hi there! I'm stopping by for the Magical Menagerie!
Oh, my... this was beautiful. First, I'd like to comment on your superb characterization of Minerva. She's really, really hard to get right (at least to me lol), but reading her here felt like I was just reading a missing scene from the books. From her demeanor to her straight-to-the-point, no-nonsense attitude, you got her down perfectly.
I really felt for Lavender here. I'm genuinely not sure if Rowling ever confirmed whether she lived or died, but if Lavender did in fact live, this is exactly how I imagine she'd respond. There are some fates that are worse than death, I think, and I can completely understand why Lavender wishes she'd have died rather than forced to live in pain and shame. (Not that she has anything to be ashamed of, of course, but I definitely understand why she would feel that way.) Your writing perfectly captured her self-loathing, heartache, and agony.
Parvati visiting the hospital daily was so sweet, albeit heartbreaking. This showcased her love and devotion to Lavender, not to mention a Gryffindor's natural instinct to never give up.
The final paragraph was my favorite. I think everyone has that one person in their life - be it family member, teacher, coach, or friend - who will, no matter what, be the one to push you in the right direction in the end with some tough love. Professor McGonagall seems to be that person for Lavender (and let's be honest - she probably was for MANY students; you don't mess with McGonagall lol).
I also really appreciate McGonagall telling the Healers to give Lavender processing time. Obviously, they mean her no harm, but their goal is to treat her physically; all too often, the mental aspect of healing often gets forgotten.
This was an exquisite read!
Cheers,
Reilly
Author's Response:Hello you lovely human being. Thank you so much for this encouraging review! It really means a lot to me. ~Kaitlin
Hi Kaitlin! Wow I really need to stop by your AP more often! The two things I've read have been absolutely incredible and this is equally wonderful!
Can i just start by saying that your characterisation of Minerva was excellent. She's often a really fun character to write but here it was different, she is shown as a guardian to Lavender and we really see her in an almost maternal role as a professor. Too often she's portrayed as the strict teacher and what is often overlooked is the sense of care that she must have for her Gryffindors. Youve done this while still holding onto everything that defines her character.
I don't often read fics about Lavender but gosh I was just caught by the emotion here. You've captured her pain and her sense of- i want to say personal loss but I'm not sure if that is quite it- so well. She's caught up in her own pain, her own hurt after something incredibly traumatising which is of course fair but she's doing it to an extent where it is pushing everyone else away. The idea that she's distanced herself from even Parvati is so tragic and really she's just causing herself more damage in the process. It's raw and painfully written. Honestly i did not expect the effect this piece would have.
It's beautifully done!
I shall be back for more of your work soon
Deni x
(Review written for the Magical Menagerie and January RvG )
Author's Response:Hey there! Thank you so much for the review! It truly made my day! I wish I could write you a longer response, but I've gotten so bogged down in review responses lately. I hope you know how much your words mean to me and how much I appreciate your support, encouragement, and critique. Thank you!
~Kaitlin
Hey Kaitlin,
I loved this piece! I'm a big fan of Lavender so excited to see her in this piece. I thought this was so good because I loved your choice of characters, I love the contrast between them and more mother/daughter role going on here like it feels like emotional than average teacher/student but considering what they've been through it's understandable . I wouldn't have put these two characters together so I'm impressed with what you did with the character prompts for the challenge.
My favourite thing is ' it smashes a hole through the walls she built internally.' I love it because it is something so small but Lavender perhaps didn't realise that she needed as she spent so long pushing people away while in hospital. It was just a wonderful little moment.
McGonagall is wonderful like her characterisation in this piece in my opinion is point on, The dialogue was just so realistic and I thought everything just screamed McGonagall that moment when she came into the room, her first line - that sass but she is so in control. This feels so closely to canon McGonagall!
Lavender and Parvati, I can ship that all day long <3
welcome back, Kaitlin! I can't wait to see what else you're going to come up with!
- Abbi
For: Magical Menagerie/RvG
I wasn't expecting such a punch to the gut when I clicked on this. When I think of women supporting women, this is right on the button. Not only is Minerva supporting Parvati, but also Lavender in one of the toughest times possible. I feel that Lavender struggling to come to terms with her injuries, and refusing to eat because she'd rather not have survived her horrendous injuries is something that is very believable.
I always imagined that Lavender was killed in the final battle (though it was never confirmed), but I liked this interpretation that she lived but with terrible injuries she'd have to try and come to terms with. It's like the horrors of war not only leave children without parents, but those who lived with both physical and mental scars.
I loved that Minerva is completely in character here. With her firm, no-nonsense way of dealing with things and I liked that Lavender felt like a first year all over again. No matter how much the kids think she's too strict, she's definitely one of the most caring teachers and you've shown that really well with her promising to return every day. That final line really gives me hope that she'll be ok one day in the future.
I'd love to read more about this if you ever feel the urge to carry it on... just saying!
Tasha xx
For Menagerie and RvG - Team Red
Hi Kaitlin! Here for RvG and the Magical Menagerie!
It's so long since I got the chance to read any of your new writing and honestly, this seems like the perfect piece to come back to - writing strong female characters is something you always do so well and this was no exception. I think one of my favourite things about this was the fact that you showed there are different ways that a woman can be strong, too - there's strength in vulnerability, in facing demons and overcoming them, and that strength doesn't just have to be someone who "keeps calm and carries on" no matter what.
The pairing (in terms of friendship, of course) in this story was so unusual - but it worked brilliantly! I honestly would never have thought of Minerva McGonagall being the person to go out of their way to help Lavender, particularly as we get the impression in the earlier books that she thinks Lavender's a little frivolous, but as I read it here, it makes perfect sense. McGonagall is such an awesome woman, and a teacher - she truly cares about her students, and I can definitely picture her going to visit Lavender to help her realise the things that she does have to live for after the Battle of Hogwarts.
Your characterisation of McGonagall was so brilliant in this, too. Every line that she said was just so... Minerva. She's very no-nonsense and she didn't seem to feel the need to get all emotional and touchy-feely to try and help Lavender out, but I think her approach is exactly what Lavender needed at this moment in time: someone who would tell it like it is.
Even though Lavender doesn't seem particularly responsive to McGonagall, at the end of this there's a real sliver of hope for the future that I really enjoyed reading, and I'm so glad that she's found a chink in her armour by pointing out that Parvati is still there for her. Minerva is just awesome, and I love the way you've written this!
Sian :)
Hey Kaitlin!
I was really excited at the prospect of reading this. I love reading Lavender recovery fic, and there just aren't enough of them in my opinion and yours helps to fill that niche. Lavender got a really raw deal at the end of Deathly Hallows in my opinion, and it's great to see what it would be like for someone to survive the War but to have a long road of recovery ahead of them. We really didn't see it enough in Harry Potter and I think it's such a shame.
I think you conveyed Lavender's trauma very well, as well as her depressive state. I thought it was incredibly realistic and understandable for the situation at hand. I loved Prof. McGonagall's entrance as well. It was very typical of her; no-nonsense, firm and only just slightly intimidating.
I thought the interaction between the two of them was also incredibly well done. You did well to highlight McGonagall's firmness, but also her deep care for her students. She's definitely one of my favourite characters in the series for that very reason. I don't know if you plan on writing more, but I really hope so. It would be great to see more of Lavender's recovery.
Thanks for the read.
Rhi 😊
Author's Response:Thank you so much for this absolutely beautiful review. I hope you know how much I appreciate your words of encouragement! They seriously make me smile every time. ~Kaitlin
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