Name: cambangst (Signed) · Date: 25 Nov 2019 07:37 PM · For: A Speech and Toasts

Hello! Another review makes the leap from The Old Place to the new one.

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Suicide. Grim material. I'm interested to see how it comes up and how you handle it.

Dennis Creevey the Unspeakable. Definitely not the career choice I would have made for him, but interesting. I definitely get the idea of Dennis burying himself in his schoolwork to help move past his brother's death.

he’d always looked just as miserable as she’d felt. And now that laughter and happiness were slowly seeping back into Hannah’s own life, she wished the same for Dennis. -- That definitely hints at some back story for Hannah. Looking forward to reading about it.

Dean and Seamus make an amusingly mismatched couple. I could definitely see it playing out that way, given that they were always on the outside of the Harry-Ron friendship looking in, but from a greater distance than Neville.

No 10-year high school reunion is complete without adorable babies to fawn over. Aside from the magic, this is oddly reminiscent of my high school reunion. ;)

Wow. Sounds like Luna is a stone cold playa. :p I could definitely see her having a different attitude about love and relationships, seeing as how she had a different attitude about... well, basically everything. Poor Neville. I could never see him being anything other than the monogamous type.

Parvati's speech... wow. I guess somebody has to take one for the team and break the ice, and I have to say that she set the bar high.

It was a kind thing you did to give everyone the heads-up about Lavender's suicide. From a rules perspective I'm not sure it was required, but it was very considerate of you. That sort of thing is a big trigger for a lot of people. Again, the story line that accompanies it makes perfect sense to me. Chronic pain and scarring would be very difficult things to live with. In a dark moment, it's easy to understand how death would seem preferable. I liked the memories you chose for Lavender's parting moment. I'm really curious whether there might have been others, more personal in nature.

Harry's toast was a very fitting end to the chapter.

All in all, you did a great job with this. I like the way you write. It flows nicely and nothing sounds awkward or stiff. You mix up dialog and narrative well and you choose words that fit your characters. Great job!

 

Name: cambangst (Signed) · Date: 25 Nov 2019 07:37 PM · For: Before the Party

Hi, there! I found some old reviews from The Old Place that would love to find their forever home on HPFT. 

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Your post about your chapter update caught my eye. I really like stories where authors aren't afraid to tackle touchy topics. (Unintentional, but wow, say that five times fast...) Coming in, I wasn't sure what sensitive subject (somebody stop me, please) you were going to write about, but I thought it was well worth finding out.

I liked the way you set Hannah up at the start of the chapter. It seems like her life has turned out well enough, but not as well as she'd expected. I'm always a fan of that theme in post-war stories: the idea that real life can be a bit of a let-down after being part of a secret army fighting the oppression of dark wizards and surviving a battle that will live forever in history books.

Ha! Poor Hannah. I do the same thing with my alarm clock.

I see that Hermione still hasn't developed a knack for domestic chores. Makes sense, given her apparent career path. And she made Ron hyphenate his name. That's funny.

I love the idea of Hannah sporting pigtails for a bit of nostalgia. I'm sure she was adorable.

Nice start to the story. It was nice and gradual and gave me a good sense of the time and setting. Looking forward to what's next.

 

Name: dirtydeedsdonedirtcheap (Signed) · Date: 23 Feb 2017 03:16 PM · For: Epilogue

Yes! Victory is mine! Or rather victory for Hannah and Neville. The article was a great addition to the story. It was just fun. Come on Skeeter is an absolute cow but she has a certain flair that is just too good you have to read the stories out for your own amusement. 

I kind of feel like Hannah in the beginning of the story in my real life. Happy but not entirely content. You know? So it was great to see she finally got her happy ending. 

Name: dirtydeedsdonedirtcheap (Signed) · Date: 23 Feb 2017 03:11 PM · For: Something New

Oh shucks. I loved the cake compeititon! I thought it was an excellent idea and has kind of inspired a challenge idea! I just love cooking and baking shows. I thought the ideas for the cakes were excellent. Far better than anything I could have come up with and the execution was great. 

But poor George. :( 

And Luna is really one saucy minx. It works for her though. 

I'm really glad this story focuses on Hannah. She doesn't get enough of the limelight. I like that she feels a tad uncomfortable around some of the members. She's kind of a wallflower but once she starts speaking you really get a sense of her personality and the fact that she belongs. Her conversation with Neville was great. I wanted some interaction with them and I finally got it! Yay! 

I sincerely hope I get a happy ending with the final chapter. Don't tease me now!

Name: dirtydeedsdonedirtcheap (Signed) · Date: 23 Feb 2017 02:23 PM · For: A Speech and Toasts

Oh. Here I am thinking I'm going to read a light hearted story--even with your warnings--but instead I'm crying behind my computer screen. The toast was lovely. I understand everything can't be lighthearted. They are all rebuilding their lives and such but still. I thought it was sweet that they all toasted to the people they lost and then to each other. It really showed how much of a family they are, even after all the time that has passed. 

I was shocked in the beginning with Luna. What a minx! I wonder how all of that works out but I can see the beginning of a possible Hannah and Neville in here somewhere. Holding out for some hope we get there with this story. 

Name: dirtydeedsdonedirtcheap (Signed) · Date: 23 Feb 2017 02:11 PM · For: Before the Party

The 10th year anniversary of the DA. What an intriguing story concept! I'm surprised no one else has thought about it before to be honest. I'm glad you did. I like that Hannah was so eager about the party. She wasn't sure what to expect and I'm glad she was early to see the behind the scenes chaos. Come on, parites never go 100% right. There's always a hiccup. At least in all of the parties I have thrown or been to. 

I loved that she had to sort of save the day in the kitchen because I don't see Hermione as much of a domestic. I can't wait to read what happens next!

Also, I enjoy your writing tremendously. You paint such a vivid picture of everything I feel like I could be part of the story in my little room.