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Hi, Madi,
Here I am with a review for the final chapter of your episrolary story, and for the FFT Review Event.
i meant to mention in the reviews for the previous chapters that I attached significance to some phrases Hermione used: 'bright light,' 'it's great having you to write to,' and 'both of us.' She seems to feel increasingly free in using phrases that emphasize the two of them as a pair, maybe not romantically, but in terms of highly valued friendship.
I'm not certain why Viktor says, "...and I am frustrated with you." Frustrated is a word we use when we don't like what somebody else is doing, but I'm sure that's not what Viktor is thinking. Maybe the idea he's trying to convey is that he is frustrated about what is happening to Hermione, not by what she is doing (which could imply a criticism of her.) At any rate, she seems to understand what he is trying to say because she doesn't remark on it.
I like that Viktor is trying to humor Hermione out of her growing tizzy about Umbridge and about exams by sending her a joke and a funny photo of himself doing something dumb at Quidditch. You depict Hermione as becoming increasingly worked up about her exams (true to the canon on that point!) His letter of May 19 was a kind of intervention, trying (from a distance and through the medium of letters) to keep her from going off the rails. That's hard to do at a distance, and I'm sure he was feeling frustrated about that.
It was funny when he said he had heard disquieting rumors but could not believe them, and then Hermione in her next letter tells him that what he heard was essentially true; she and her friends really did do the thing that the rumors asserted. In this letter she sounds more relaxed -- her exams are behind her now -- and gives a very just-the-facts-ma'am synopsis of the events in the Department of Mysteries. I guess that Viktor never knew anything about Sirius, and it would be lengthy to explain.
As you obviously planned, Viktor signs off all lhis letters with 'Yours,' as he has been doing almost all year, and Hermione has no affectionate closings until the final letter, in which she says,"You're a great friend," and signs it "Love." They've come a long way from those first few letters.
A nice character arc in this year's worth of letters, with little hints here and there, of which the characters themselves may not have been totally aware, that show how their relationship grew.
A very nice job. I'm glad I read it.
Vicki
Hi, Madi.
Another review on your epistolary fic for the FFT Review Drive (and the Knot Lost room in the Wren Mansion).
This is an exciting few months for Hermione, and all the excitement seems to be bad. The increasing tyranny of Umbridge, the attack on Mr Weasley at the Department of Mysteries... Check the first line of type in Hemione's letter of 22 December. Either you or Hermione herself had a typo there, it seems: 'minis no' doesn't mean anything, does it?
Hermione and Viktor seems to be sufficiently comfortable with each other now that hey can include little complaints or criticisms in the letters without fearing that they'll be taken the wrong way. For example, Hermione informs Viktor that his owl arrived without any letter; it seems to have been lost. And Victor tells Hermione to stop asking Ron about his (Viktor's) performance in Quidditch so that she won't hear about his mistakes. That's kind of cute. :)
I checked Book 5 to see if there was any reference to Hermione's receiving a book from Viktor after Christmas. There was not, but the book does mention that Ron sees Hermione writing a long letter to Viktor, and he grumbles but takes it with good grace. I wonder how he would have reacted if he had known that Viktor gave her a gift also. I think she's smart enough not to mention it. I was left wondering what the book was about! (Something scholarly; she's taking notes.)
It is interesting how Hermione can bounce back and forth from saying how frightened and upset she is, to speaking of litle positive experiences. It's good that amongst all the angst of the war, she can still recognize the little positives.
Interesting that Viktor says he will be working with the Durmstrang Board of Directors and the new Headmaster to institute some improvements at the school. Do you suppose that his year at Hogwarts, sseeing how another school is run, made a difference oin the way he looks at his own school?
Another enjoyable chapter. Thank you for writing!
Vicki
Hi, Madi.
Here for the FFT Review Event. It's good that there was a room in the Wren Mansion that required me to read an epistolary story because otherwise I would never have come across this very interesting series of chapters made up of letters between Hermione and Viktor.
There is a major change of tone in the Fall Letters compared to the Summer letters. The two correspondents sound much less stilted and hesitant now. What they write is much more relaxed, free-flowing, personal, as if they no longer fear to talk naturally. The things they are talking about are stressful, such as Professor Umbridge, but they seem less stressed in talking freely about her, and about the pumpkin bread, and the winter sweaters in the common room, and Hermione's perpetual exasperation with Ron's and Harry's study habits, and so on. They're not really "feeling each other out" any more. There is an aura of trust developing between them, so that they know they can say whatever they want to, without being judged. And these letters are longer now.
I notice that now Viktor signs off all his letters with 'Yours,' which is still a fairly standard closing, not so formal as 'Yours truly' (which would sound like a business letter) or so forward as 'Yours forever,' (which would sound too intimate). I notice that Hermione uses a light-hearted closing, "Bye for now," with her first letter and then complete closing sentences with the later ones.
Interesting that you have the idea for the DA classes originate with Viktor. That's not mentioned in Book 5, but of course it wouldn't be. Hermione would never tell the boys that it was Viktor's suggestion because they would never go along with it if she did. It will be her secret for life. I think you have just added a factoid to canon!
This chapter clearly shows a progression in the relationship between Hermione and Viktor; it's not just a bunch of letters. And I like the way that Viktor's letters are worded to show that, while he's quite good in English, it's not his first language.
Nice job!
Vicki
Hi, Madi. Here is a review on an Epistolary story for the FFT Review Event.
This is an interesting series of brief letters between Hermione and Viktor from the end of her fourth year to the end of her fifth year. We never got a good grasp of their relationship during her fourth year, when she was fifteen, except that Viktor asked her (rather surprisingly) to the Yule Ball, and at the end of the year the two agreed to exhange letters. Hermione didn't share classes with Viktor during that school year or eat at the same table as he did, and I never got the feeling of a hot and heavy romance between the two of them during that year, so it was surprising and puzzling why they kept in contact by letters.
And these letters aren't romantic in the least. The topics covered in Hermione's letters include the rapidly changing political situation, Hermione's comments about her upcoming school year (studying, tests, her ambitions regarding grades and awards), Harry's problems, Quidditch, her summer stay at Grimmauld Place...just "news" between two people who are "just friends."
And Viktor's letters sound as if they're from her older brother giving brotherly advice.
I was never sure why they wrote to each other, and after reading their letters, I'm still not sure. Do you suppose that either of them was hoping it might lead to "something more?" Nah.
There were some humorous moments, such as Viktor's not wanting his parents to know he was corresponding with the friend of the fourteen-year-old champion who beat him in the Tournament. :) Also their self-deprecating remarks: "...you're probably just laughing at my worrying about exams..." and "I am sure you don't actually care to read about my Quidditch trials...", to cite a few.
You have done a good job in showing two people who don't want to lose contact with each other but also don't know how to get their conversation beyond the first, outermost layer. They have agreed to correspond, and now they're trying to figure out how to do it.
And I see that in Hermione's final letter in this chapter she mentions spending the summer at Grimmauld Place helping to clean it up. I have always wondered why Hermione spent so much of her vacation time not with her parents, but with Harry and Ron and the Weasley family. Considering how little time a Hogwarts student had to spend with their family (Christmas, Easter, two months in the summer), you'd think that the families would try to make the most of that limited time, but the Grangers don't, although I never got the impression that they were an unloving family. Have you ever wondered about this?
Kudos to you for tackling this not easy job. Thank you for writing!
Vicki
Hi, Madi. Here is a gift review for you, for Winter in Town.
I beg your forgiveness for not reviewing the 3 stories listed on your wish list, but I saw that I had already reviewed 2 of them, and the third already had 167 reviews, so I dropped down to the fourth story, this one, on your AP, which was special for me because you were writing something that other people don't write, and that is always something I value highly (i.e. writing something other people don't write).
I think that we all know that Hermione and Viktor corresponded during the year after Hermione's fourth year at Hogwarts ended, but I've never seen a story about what that correspondence consisted of. So I read all four chapters of this story rapidly, with great enjoyment.
These letters show so clearly a side of Hermione's thinking that we don't see in the canon books. In the books she is self-controlled, self-disciplined, trying to think logically all the time, but in your letters she reveals her doubts, fears, worries -- she is reaching out to Viktor for support that she's not getting from other sources. Because he is older and more experienced, she can lean on him, get really good advice, and not have to be the support person for everyone else all the time.
The letters are all pretty short, but I think that's realistic. Neither of them has much time to write long letters, and the important part is that the letters get written at all. Each one is a reaching out, a touching of hands over the miles, a reminder that there is someone out there who cares and will have your back.
This story fills in a gap that we may not have realized existed until we read these letters and think, "Yes, that's how it had to be." Thank you so much for writing.
Vicki
Hello again!
Harry? Do something silly because of a girl? Like totally misread the room, you mean?! LOL. And as for Ron and Harry asking Hermione to write them a timetable and she's FLATTERED, she should be telling the lazy sods to write their own. It's a good job they can wipe their own bottoms...
Viktor, of course, probably notices these things and just keeps quiet, and I love how he keeps reiterating 'don't let Harry do anything stupid' haha. Almost as though he knows what these teenage boys are like.
"you will be outstanding on your exams" LOL
That photograph is such a lovely thing to send - I kinda wish Hermione's and Krum's relationship had been explored a little more in canon? Did their letters stop at this point? I guess things might have just petered out between them; stuff happening over the summer, the faintest beginings of war, no time to write to each other etc. I'd love to know if you decide to take this story beyond this point at any time.
Thanks for the great read!
Meera <3 (galazy review)
Hey, I'm back for a galazy review!
Bulgaria to here is a very long way indeed; I'm not surprised that poor owl needed time off to recuperate. Hmm, I wonder if that letter went accidentally missing or was apprehended by the Inquisitorial squad? In which case, Viktor and Hermione may want to be very careful about what they write in future...
Ron's jealousy, LOL. Bet he doesn't make a murmur when Viktor has a decent game, right? I expect it's lost on Viktor, or he doesn't care because he's famous and used to jealous males...
The book was a very sweet gift from Viktor. There seems to be a really nice friendship between the two of them, with Hermione feeling able to offload her anxieties onto him, and Viktor sending back neutral or pleasant news (or digs at Umbridge) so that he doesn't cause Hermione any further worry.
Dyyying to know what's in the note from Harry, though! Is it about Cho?? :EYES:
Meera <3
Hello again,
I'm glad the sweets made it safely to Bulgaria. It can be quite difficult getting certain foods across country borders. I think it's super sweet that Krum's parents visit him a lot. And that they've made a load of bread using Hermione's recipe. Draco Malfoy seems to get a few mentions in Hermione's letters - I wonder why she's thinking about him so much and comparing her results to his? Surely it would be better just to focus on her own studies and not worry about everyone else's marks...
Ooh, so Hermione has mentioned the DA? No doubt she can trust Krum, but what if the letter falls into the wrong hands? The game would be given away :eyes: Her news is rather depressing and reflective of fifth year happenings. I'm kind of glad she has Krum as someone to offload onto and he seems a nice, level-headed kinda dude!
Thanks for writing this missing moment and for the fun read!
Meera <3 (galazy review)
Hey Madi, here with a galazy review!
Interesting epistolary chapter focusing on a 'missing moment'. Hermione's and Krum's relationship, or whatever it was, never got elaborated on in the books (apart from we learend that Hermione had snogged Krum from Ginny later on) so I'm glad you've taken the liberty of expanding upon the topic here. Have to laugh at Hermone dissing Ron's emotional range, ha! But it's sad that she assumes Krum would find her exam panic amusing. Krum in return seems very informative and it's kind of a neutral letter with a little reassurance? Just the sort of letter I imagine an eighteen year old guy would write (I hope she could read his handwriting okay). I hope Krum's parents aren't too disappointed that their son was beaten by a fourteen year old, because that fourteen year old was greatly assisted throughout and didn't qualify for the Quidditch World Cup final, so...
This was such a fun read! On to the next chapter soon
Meera <3
chapter two time!
oh that is a mood, viktor. i think it def feels like that for everyone and one would kill for some time for themselves, honestly
oh thats sweet. but also annoying. god. boundaries.
lol even viktor thinks shes a toad
goooooood idea viktor. interesting take too, that it came from him, really
but muggle technique doesnt quite work at hogwarts, does it, or does he mean something else
honestly, harry is quite modest and i think a lot of ppl who are talented at something downplay it immensely. i feel that
oh my god the competition for grades w draco continues, loving it
hermione you need a bloody break too sometimes
that is one amazing present, though, hermione
not in dada, viktor, but otherwise correct.
that sounds like a good change for durmstrang, honestly
using shit like lemons to communicate, what?
that is true, though, admittedly, it is sad
yes, you should put that in there
he is going to do a great job
hahaha thats never going to happen
i kind of feel for viktor re all the paparazzi
ah, good way to learn and get better, honestly
this just proves harry is a good teacher
shes not even worried for fred and george re their newt exams? damn hermione
you just want to give hagrid a hug
nice chapter again!
hiya madi! im finally here to leave you the reviews i owed you for the challenge (and i am so late oops) so lets dive right into it :3
okay so im always amazed with people who can write coherent letters like that bc ya girl cant (or i feel like i cant idk which one is true lbr), but im loving how hermione-ish your first letter is and how you incorporated draco’s scores because i think its a line thats most often overlooked by many :3
oh viktors tone is so much more mature but also how the fuck did they fail? like they went into the finals? i wouldnt call that failing to say the least. bloody hell. but it does make sense for letters to be delayed for such reason and im glad they abolished the dark arts
hahaha a quiter august, lol. but im also loving the gossip and a bit of info viktor might absolutely be interested in, so nice touch there. its also a side not seen as much from hermione, id think, but what would fit in rather well regardless
how are viktors aprents even like if they worry like what? or maybe they think its more romantic. who knows. idk. anyway, i love that hes being so worried about her safety and helps her learn more spells to keep them safe without even needing to be prodded for it.
lol hermione needing to ask ron for the right date but also her swearing is a think we rarely see her do, i think. but the competitiveness and the drive is something i really love and shes def right re the turning point and harrys moods. god.
oh and an update too, sweet
that is some rocksolid advice right there. really, spot on. i think everyone could do with advise like that, honestly.
hermione looking out for ron and being in full on planning. it def sounds a lot like her, and i love to see it. i also cant wait for her rant re the slyth prefects in the next chapter, so lets hop on to that!
and it's so damn cool of viktor to actually try and help harry with his love life, it really brought a smile to my face, he's such a good guy. and imagining him writing angry letter to the bulgarian national times also makes me laugh. but oh my god viktor also implying that hermione, harry and ron probably had something to do with umbridge replacing dumbledore as headmaster is kinda hilarious, him knowing them well enough to conclude that, yeah, *it's always the three of them* haha. (also. ahh umbridge really is a kuchka (the word is said the same in croatian!)) also now that hermione has basically told viktor everything that's happened in the ministry of magic, and that voldemort is back, i would want to read a sequel with him fighting against voldy/gathering up support in bulgaria!
(for foxy glory!)
yeahh, i can imagine that viktor was pretty outraged when hermione sent him that letter telling him how harry and fred and george got banned from quidditch for life, he would definitely understand how something like that would really really hurt them. also i'm very very curious about the christmas present/this mysterious book that he got hermione :eyes: hermoine's letter just after mr. weasley got attacked really shows how upset she was about it all, you've written her so so well. it's really great that she has viktor to write and vent to, i mean i know she's got ron and harry and ginny and all of them, but viktor is a little removed from everything and i think that helps a lot with keeping her mind a little less anxious. (also laughing at harry sending a little note to viktor as well, it like he's almost like this older brother to harry haha)
(for foxy glory!)
reading viktor's letter and him mentioning umbrdige just has me laughing my ass off at imagining him with umbridge and all the death glares he would send her. i love that hermione sent him a recipe and he immediately had his mother make it, that's adorable. also fucking love that krum is also someone who thinks that harry could/should teach his fellow students defence against the dark arts, great guy krum. i'm now very much wondering what the hell lemons are in terms of muggle communication but lol i guess i'll find out at some point, love that they're using it to communicate everything that they can't over letters. omg viktor krum sending a letter to ron telling him to study is making me laugh and i wish he would do it ahahha
(for foxy glory!)
hey madi, back for a final time for the winter in fairyland event!!
i'm kinda disappointed this story ends here, haha - though it makes perfect sense and i knew it would from the beginning, i was kinda looking forward to reading viktor's take on the hermione-ron faultline from sixth year and the slug club and everything :P but i suppose that's really just kudos to you for making it such an engaging story ;)
i lovelovelove the idea of viktor giving harry girl advice omg. like, it's such so precious - and i can't imagine harry asking for advice, so the idea of hermione arranging it for him is just perfect :P and viktor ofc is a good person to ask: he at least asked out the girl he liked and was also used to a lot of attention, and being a triwizard champion as well, he can sympathise with the ghost of cedric issue in a way no one else really can. viktor is sort of starting to feel a bit like a surrogate big brother to the whole trio - just through hermione, haha, as a kind of conduit. offering advice, telling them all to stay out of trouble, focus on school, keep their heads down... and again, i love how viktor's concern comes through: it's so good and so evocative the way you write all the dramatic moments: viktor's worry, hermione's nervousness and anxiety about things, her rage about umbridge - and, at the end, her last letter feels so very matter-of-fact about everything that happened and that comes across so well compared to the building-up of emotion that happened in previous letters.
ahhhh this is just such a perfect friendship story, yk?? two people who are just friends writing to each other about their hopes and their worries; everything from the more mundane parts of life (like viktor complaining about his parents coming round and his mother baking too much bread haha) to the more serious bits (sirius' death, umbridge's takeover, etc.). it's witty and honest and emotional and i love that about it: that it really felt like people's honest opinions, and you could feel the emotions coming through. it's hard to do with letters i think, but you did it so well.
laura xx
hey madi, back again for the winter in fairyland event!!
it's a shame viktor's letter got lost because i was kinda looking forward to the rant a celebrated quidditch star would have on umbridge's banning quidditch and quidditch players for life!! i can only imagine how many swearwords would have been crossed out in it haha :P probably it'd be just about legible :P
awww i love that viktor gets hermione a christmas present! honestly their friendship is so sweet and so without expectation - if that makes sense? - and there's something so nice about seeing a friendshp like this in fic, because so many friendships are related in some way to romance :) and the way he doesn't expect hermione to send one back because she's at school so she doesn't have a salary (though like, he should have asked anyway - her parents are dentists, they're definitely not poor! :P). it's really thoughtful and i love that you write that side of him into this, especially when in canon he was so often shown to be kinda grumpy and grouchy and very much strong-and-silent-has-no-feelings :P
the details in this chapter are so lovely! i love viktor's mock-complaining about hermione getting all the quidditch intel from ron, haha, especially when it's about him getting injured :P and how hermione's asking for good news. i'm super curious about the reason the bulgarian papers aren't reporting on umbridge and the ministry - though i'm not sure they would report on umbridge too much?? - and i love the note of viktor getting the quibbler, haha.
hermione's letter about arthur weasley's attack was such an emotional letter - it was really punchy and i loved the way she talked so openly about being scared and feeling too young for everything that's going on :/ it was a real highlight of this chapter :)
laura xx
hi again madi, back for the winter in fairyland event!!
mahahaha i think my favourite bits in this are the little gems you sneak in, like when hermione insults teenage boys and then hastily adds the little 'no offence' note, because she's just remember viktor is also - technically at this stage - a teenage boy :P and when viktor volunteers to send a letter to ron to tell him to work harder on schoolwork. they're lovely funny little moments which lighten the rest of the tone of this: which is appropriately getting darker as things get darker for hermione (in the main).
i like as well how viktor's letters are much shorter than hermione's for most of this: hermione's got a lot more news than him to update on, with all of the goings-on at hogwarts, with all of umbridge's tricks and schemes and her worries about school. it sets up this really nice balance between them: hermione worrying and updating him and him advising and trying to help as much as he can. it's a bit one-sided as a friendship but it's a really nice, settled rhythm to it and i love that you show hermione reaching out to ask for that help and advice - it's not a thing we see her do much in canon, and she has enough trouble getting harry and ron to do their homework so serious advice on political interference in school is probably not their forte :P
i lovelovelove the mentions of molly sending the kids with sweets haha (i forgot to say that last time), and the way that viktor compares the situation with umbridge to being at durmstrang under karkaroff - it's an interesting comparison and i like that he's not just warning her and offering advice and help from reading her letters, but he seems to have some experience of it himself. also i completely forgot that viktor talked to hermione about learning self-defence and things??? so this story just reminded me of that and ahhhh ron and harry have a bit to thank him for, haha :P
laura xx
hey madi, stopping by for the winter in fairyland event :)
omg so i've always loved that hermione and viktor kept writing to each other after the triwizard tournament - there was something so lovely about one of the trio getting an actual, long-term friendship out of it, even if the romance part of it kinda fizzled out fairly early on for them :P and it was always a friendship which kinda intrigued me, i gotta admit, because hermione and viktor are such different people in canon - at least, from what we see of them separately - so this was such an exciting story to read :)
and i love the way you write them! hermione fretting; viktor that bit older, wiser, with that bit more life experience that you get from playing professionally at a young age and then from leaving school and going off into real life-type stuff. i love the way hermione asks him for advice and keeps him up-to-date with all the political shenanigans going on in the UK - but also how it starts because she wonders about how he's doing after the events of the third task. because yea, what happened to krum - the imperius curse and being forced to torture someone else - would really badly shake most people, and it's a nice testament to their friendship that she reaches out to check in with him :)
i love the notes from hermione about how she asks ron about the quidditch information, haha - it's such a hermione thing, having to go to find out about the quidditch dates because she's not really a fan herself (and muggleborn which probably doesn't help either!) so why would she know??
also the way they're both apologising saying 'oh don't listen to me talking about school/quidditch, you're not interested in that' is adorable. idiots :P
laura xx
MADIIIIII okay i'm back for the fairyland review event but MADIIIIII HOW COULD YOU END IT LIKE THAT??? I NEED TO KNOW VIKTOR'S RESPONSE TO HER LAST LETTER, OH MY GOD, YOU GOTTA WRITE MORE PLEASE
so i absolutely adored this fic, which you probably noticed as i was binge-reading this entire thing during the dance. but you did a fabulous job with recounting the events of order of phoenix without feeling like it's a book i've read before. having it told through hermione's eyes and hearing viktor's reaction to it all was really a fantastic choice. was there a particular reason you chose this pair? was it prompted in the challenge or just something you thought of?
i know i said this in my last review, but i love that this was broken up by seasons, but you weren't afraid to leave some details about what the weather was like. each letter felt really genuine, and i could feel how much viktor and hermione cared about each other, but it always felt like friends to me, nothing more, which is very impressive on your part. i also loved the little mentions of hermione and ron, moreso than harry and hermione, because it's almost like viktor knows that ron and hermione are into each other but doesn't want to admit it. i did also appreciate that he didn't try to hint at that or anything; the letters were focused on current events, school, and their lives, and there was no pushing about love interests or anything like that
but seriously, this fic was so fucking wholesome, even when they were writing about umbridge. AND I STILL HATE HER, GODDAMN IT. and i love that hermione wrote viktor one last letter to clear up what happened at the derpartment of mysteries, but I REALLY WANNA KNOW WHAT HE HAS TO SAY ABOUT THAT OKAY? CAN YOU WRITE ONE MORE LETTER? UGH
this format seems to come really naturally to you and i'd be curious to know if you'll ever write another epistolary fic again in the future. i absolutely adored everything about this fic and you did such a great job with everything; thank you so much for writing and sharing it with us! ♥
hiya madi, i'm back again for the fairyland event!
i am absolutely loving this fic. i don't think i've mentioned it in my two previous reviews, but i love that you've separated the chapters by the four different seasons, starting with the summer, before they go back to school. and you do a great job by spacing out the letters so that they're not all clumped together, which is realistic -- hermione's not going to have time to write to him every day and vice versa, and you do a really great job with showing that
i do have to admit that i snorted out loud when she wrote about seamus coming around to seeing that harry wasn't a lunatic :P idk, there was just something about that phrasing that i loved. and i also kinda giggled at viktor asking her to not take it as teenage angst, but that he's genuinely upset about what's happening at hogwarts. that's one of the things i really enjoy about this, it's how much they clearly care about what's happening in each other's lives, even the small details like harry angsting over cho and all of that
but honestly, reading umbridge through hermione's eyes is just making me hate umbridge even more?? like, i didn't even think that was possible, but i'm just reminded of what an awful human being she is and i'm glad she got the end that she deserved, but still. ugh ugh ugh i hate her so much
this was another fantastic chapter, thanks for sharing! ♥
hiya madi! back again for chapter 2 and the fairyland review event :D
you're doing such a great job with these letters. i love hearing about the order of phoenix through hermione's eyes. i'm still in awe with how well you capture her voice and all of the small details you include in her letters. it's fascinating hearing about umbridge from her point of view, but viktor has me chuckling with calling her the toad woman and all of that. i love that it was his idea to do something like dumbledore's army. and, honestly, i love that he calls them potter and weasley but she calls them harry and ron; it makes so much sense given their characters and their relationship, and it's such a little thing, but man. i love it
i also love how you incorporate little details about the weather or whatever training viktor's going through, same with the recipes from the first set of letters. it just feels really relalistic, and yes, i have written letters to my friends like this where you get on a tanget and just keep rambling until you realize you've been doing that for ages :P
viktor's faith and confidence in hermione is so sweet and endearing. it's so interesting how he signs his letters 'yours, viktor' but she doesn't sign anything with her name; just hermione
i don't really know what to say specifically other than i really love this and you're doing such a great job with some of the neuances. i love how the letters are staggered, and viktor's so worried about her getting caught but still wants to keep in touch so he's willing to try alternate forms of communication
this is really just so wonderful and wholesome and i'm so glad hermione has a friend like viktor to lean on; i'm sure it's necessary for her given her workload and being friends with harry and ron :P
another wonderful job! ♥
hiya madi! back again for chapter 2 and the fairyland review event :D
you're doing such a great job with these letters. i love hearing about the order of phoenix through hermione's eyes. i'm still in awe with how well you capture her voice and all of the small details you include in her letters. it's fascinating hearing about umbridge from her point of view, but viktor has me chuckling with calling her the toad woman and all of that. i love that it was his idea to do something like dumbledore's army. and, honestly, i love that he calls them potter and weasley but she calls them harry and ron; it makes so much sense given their characters and their relationship, and it's such a little thing, but man. i love it
i also love how you incorporate little details about the weather or whatever training viktor's going through, same with the recipes from the first set of letters. it just feels really relalistic, and yes, i have written letters to my friends like this where you get on a tanget and just keep rambling until you realize you've been doing that for ages :P
viktor's faith and confidence in hermione is so sweet and endearing. it's so interesting how he signs his letters 'yours, viktor' but she doesn't sign anything with her name; just hermione
i don't really know what to say specifically other than i really love this and you're doing such a great job with some of the neuances. i love how the letters are staggered, and viktor's so worried about her getting caught but still wants to keep in touch so he's willing to try alternate forms of communication
this is really just so wonderful and wholesome and i'm so glad hermione has a friend like viktor to lean on; i'm sure it's necessary for her given her workload and being friends with harry and ron :P
another wonderful job! ♥
hiya madi! i'm here for the fairyland review event :D
so i've never read too many viktor/hermione fics, but i love me a good epistolary novella, and it's you, so i figured it'd be a good place to start! i absolutely loved this first chapter and thought you did an amazing job with their voices. that's so hard in a format like this, but hermione really sounded like hermione - i don't really know how else to explain it. and viktor, of course, sounded like him too
i loved the little bits of characterization that you dropped in here, like him telling her not to roll her eyes at him. their letters overall were very sweet and it's good that hermione was at least able to stay in touch with someone. and i absolutely love missing moments like this and think you did a fantastic job explaining why ron and hermione didn't get to talk to harry, because of course dumbledore would have some kind of logic like that
i also really enjoyed the bit about bill and fleur starting to get together, and molly's reaction to it. it was just that light bit of gossip that would be included in friendly letters, and just. it was so good
and i loved seeing hermione be so excited for the prefect badge, and how she was so set on getting higher grades than malfoy. these letters were really just so wholesome, but you did a great job of capturing details and letting the letters feel really casual and as if they were good friends
wonderful job with this, i'm excited to see where you take it! ♥
Hi Madi! I’m here for the review event.
I really liked this chapter. I can definitely tell the friendship between the two of thm and how they care for each other. I also think that you’ve done a really good job depicting the two of them; their letters read exactly like I would expect their letters to read in the books (Hermione in particular, I think you did an amazing job writing her).
I also think you did a really good job introducing missing moments and background that we don’t get from Harry’s perspective. Things like Bill and Fleur and also it’s really good to have an explanation for why Dumbledore didn’t want any letters going to Harry (and also something I could totally see the Death Eaters doing, so a valid fear, although tbh the Order should have just picked Harry up after like a week).
I love the little details about Hermione being competitive with Draco. Definitely righteous there and I totally understand it (and it’s also very Hermione to need to beat Draco academically). I also really like Viktor saying that the book smarts aren’t everything, because I think Hermione at this point in the series is mostly book smarts and she needs to hear that from someone she respects. Also love how Hermione was just casually like “ok I suppose I was present while Harry and Ron did mischief” while discussing her new Prefect status.
I really enjoyed this and I’ll be back for more soon!
~Liv
There's something about this story that makes the Wizarding World feel even more real. I think it's because of reading what Viktor has been hearing about UK news in Bulgaria. It totally makes sense that the rest of Europe would be reporting on what's going on in magical Britain, and I love reading about Viktor's reactions to the reports.
Reading this is also like rereading Order of the Phoenix, which I love, hehe. And Viktor sending a goofy photo of himself during Quidditch training is the sweetest thing!
Ahhh I've enjoyed this story so much! You've made me seriously ship these two, and if you ever write more of them, I'd love to read it! Amazing job, Madi! Thank you for writing this!
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