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Hi Dan! :) So I've been eyeing this story for a while because I keep seeing that you've updated it but I never get round to reading it (the curse of seeing it at inconvenient times), so I'm so glad you wanted to swap, because it means I get to stop by - and actually review :P
I don't know why but this seems like just such a perfect topic for you to touch on - and you do it so so well. I think it's partly because you have such an impressive handle on all the canon characters, like in HP and the Conspiracy of Blood, and so it feels easy from you - easy and so in character and it just all... works. It feels like an extension of canon, only more adult and serious and genuine about the truth of facing everything they did face.
Speaking of that all, I loved how you dealt with it all in this: how you started with Harry realising how tired and hungry and hurt he was, with all the aches and pains from his injuries coming through as the adrenaline left. How it took him a few minutes, if not longer, to actually realise that it's over - and even then, it's not really sunk in completely as to what that means - and how food doesn't taste right, how he can't stop thinking about all the people who died and how they died and how it's all his fault and he could have done more to save them... it's all so real and so perfectly presented, and you get this wonderful emotional depth in your writing which I just love.
Ahhh all the details in this were so perfect. The way the trio cling together, the way they can still laugh despite everything - because laughter isn't banished when bad things happen, it's just less frequent - the way they wait for Padma and Parvati to go before entering the common room, how the idea of them separating pretty much never really crosses any of their minds because they started it together and they'll stay together even after it's finished. There's not too many fics which go into friendship to this kind of level or detail or truth of it, but this is just such a perfect perfect presentation of it: of that kind of unspoken, soul-level friendship.
Kreacher is so good. I always had a soft spot for Kreacher in the books - he got such a bad rap from people because of his learned behaviours (from the Blacks et al, calling Hermione mudblood and others blood traitors, etc.) but his loyalty is incredible and so I loved how you developed that and him.
I'm so so excited to see how you take this. Given the start, I really want to see your portrayal of how they each - and the extended character lot - handle their grief and having to find a way beyond the war, after it all, and how they handle their PTSD and accompanying depression/anxiety/paranoia. It's such a fascinating and raw topic, and honestly, I couldn't think of anyone better to write it - and I just know it's going to be amazing.
I've definitely got to read on at some point :)
Aph xx
Author's Response:Hi! So I have to get this review response situation under control, and there's no place to start like the beginning!
Aah, I really appreciate you saying that. I enjoy writing canon characters and I try to put a lot of thought into how they should speak and act. Glad to hear it's paying off.
I thought it was important to ground Harry's emotional state in his physical condition. The poor guy had been through an awful lot in the 48 hours leading up to Voldemort's death. It made sense to me that there would be this euphoria that gradually gave way to complete physical and emotional exhaustion.
Hermione only briefly thought about separating from the boys out of some misplaced sense of propriety that came from being back inside Gryffindor Tower for the first time in a year. And Ron was having none of it. Good on you, Ron!
Kreacher's entire story, I think, is about learned behaviors. I hope that Harry can teach him some new learned behaviors in this story.
Thank you for all the great feedback. It's been a fun ride so far. Sorry for taking a literal eternity to respond to this!
-Dan
Great to see a new chapter and what a superb one it was! Glad to see our 2 favorite couples coming closer together! Sneaky little cliffy at the end there! Hope the next chapter comes sooner - sounds like it'll be exciting! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
Author's Response:Hi, there! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for leaving a comment and thanks for reading!
Hi! Here for our swap!
I just wanted to first comment on my amazement that all your chapters are so consistently long; I don’t know how you manage to write every single chapter between 7k and 10k, but you do, and I think that’s amazing.
This first chapter was a wonderful introduction to the story, and from the quality of the writing here, I can already tell that the entire story is going to be beautifully written. The level of visual detail you added into this story really helped me envision what was going on at all times, and it was really nice to have all the little bits and pieces of the world pointed out. I especially appreciated the details regarding Harry’s cuts and bruises, and just the Golden Trio’s general state of being. It really served as a harsh reminder of exactly how much pain and suffering the three went through in their year away from Hogwarts.
I loved that short little bit when the three just started laughing, all out of control, because it seemed to me that they were just so exhausted that they couldn’t stop themselves from laughing, you know? And it was also a nice break from the tragedy of it all, and that even though they were grieving, they managed to find one small bit of humor amidst it all (from their hygiene, of all places, haha). And I also loved the scene when they were standing outside the Fat Lady’s portrait, and she was gesturing to Harry to flip his hair up and reveal his scar, and he was just confused, and it was just a general confusing mess. I appreciated the small humorous moments, especially since you delve deeper into the darker aspects of Harry’s PTSD later.
The shower scene made me really want to give Harry a hug. I feel like he’s such an underappreciated character (which is a little weird given that he’s the main character, but based on fandom experience I feel like he is), but he really did so much and was such a good person throughout despite struggling so much in his life, and the fact that he undoubtedly went through more difficulties even after the war ended makes me feel so sad for him. Everything was so well-written, though, and every single line made me feel something for Harry. I hope that he’ll be able to get some sort of help, from either his friends or from Madam Pomfrey, but I know it’s not usually so simple.
Also! I need to mention how much I loved the friendship dynamic that you’ve captured so perfectly between Hermione, Ron, and Harry! Their characterizations are all so perfect, which makes every single one of their interactions feel so true to the books. I love Ron’s tactlessness (though he still obviously cares so much for Harry), and I love Hermione’s shrewdness and sensibility, and I love everything about Harry. (The way he interacted with Kreacher!! My heart was threatening to crack in two with the force of my feelings ahhh.)
Anyway, I just loved this first chapter a lot. Hopefully when I have more time I can come back and review the rest of them!
~Eva
Author's Response:Hi, Eva!
Thank you for all of the kind words. I'm not sure where I fell into the habit of writing long chapters. Selfishly, I could get more read count and reviews if I split them up. But I started doing this with Conspiracy of Blood and never really changed.
I'm very, very pleased that you could envision the things that were happening. It felt important to me to ground the story in a physical sense, so hopefully the reader could pick up on just how much the war had changed everything, including the characters.
I don't think I could keep going with this if I didn't inject some humor here and there. It would be a horribly depressing story. Harry is, as you say, kind of a mess at this point. I agree that he can be under-appreciated in fan fiction. Maybe that's because we know so much about him from the books that he's just not as interesting a character for authors to explore.
Lastly, I really appreciate what you're saying about the characterizations. That is a huge focus for me and I'd feel badly if they came off all wrong.
Thanks so much for the swap!
-Dan
This has all been a lot of fun to read. You've done a great job keeping each of the core characters distinct with unique voices, and I've enjoyed how you've shown them coping with everything after the war. It does feel more like Harry and Hermione have been the ones recovering though, while Ron is actually processing his grief the best while Ginny buries her issues and hides it from Harry and her friends. Getting the hints of what happened to her were terrible, as well as her thinking after Harry told her about the Horcruxes and still wanted to be with her while she considered herself tainted. I'm hoping we'll soon see her talk with Harry or Hermione about what happened so she can start to heal as well.
Author's Response:Hi, there,
You're correct that all of the characters still have a long way to go to process and move on. Some, like Hermione and Harry, are moving a little faster. Others, like Ron and Ginny, are still holding a lot inside for various reasons. There will be a lot more emotions to come to terms with.
Thanks for reading and leaving a comment,
-Dan
GREAT CHAPTER AND GREAT STORY! HARRY REALLY PLAYED DOGE LIKE A BANJO! LOVED THE INTERACTION AMONG OUR 2 COUPLES! CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
Author's Response:Hi, there!
I'm starting work on the next chapter now. Hopefully it will be ready in a week or two.
Glad you're enjoying the story. Thank you for the comment!
Hi Dan!
So I’ve been back to this story several times since you’ve started posting it, and I confess that I haven’t had the time for a proper review. But I’m here to fix that now!
I love that you started off with that particular quote. So many people take it and run with it, and I see that you found it equally inspiring. “The Beginning After the End” seems a fitting title, considering what your story premise is. It’s just so good to see you taking an idea and running with it again. I love when that happens! It’s like coming home again.
“In a quiet moment of aching, numbing exhaustion, Harry Potter realized that the struggle which had defined his entire life was over.”
I think this encapsulates the entire idea behind this story. What now? The poor boy has been through so MUCH… and now what? He’s done everything that anyone had expected him to do, and even gone beyond it. I can’t even imagine how he’s going to process all of the events over the last seven years. But I guess that’s what this story is supposed to be all about. Heavy stuff, Dan. Heavy.
It’s a miracle, really, if I let myself think about it too long, that all three of them managed to survive this. I don’t blame Harry one bit for collapsing on the floor after having the thought settle around him. There’s that word again, Heavy. That moment when all the responsibility shifts off his shoulders, and then the “have to do’s” slip away, only to be replaced by the “God, what have we just done?” thoughts… very fitting to this scene. I love how you broke it up with Hermione’s trip back to reality. Hugs are one thing, but they do probably smell really, really bad right now. I’m happy they had a light moment in all of that.I think you balanced that well, because then they had to see a reminder of just how much they would have to face with the Patil sisters. That’s gotta be the worst too. They’re trying to find the relief of everything being over, when there’s all that picking up of the pieces still left to be done.
“Everything looks... smaller,” Ron mumbled. “Was the room always this small?”
What a perfect way to show what Hermione is about to realize! Nothing’s ever going to look the same to them again.
Oh, but Kreacher! I knew you were going to include him, but it’s still a nice surprise to see someone care for him and have him react, even in a subtle way, to kindness.
There are so many Things these characters are going to have to deal with now, I’m sure it was agony for you to figure out what to present now, and what to hold off for later. After such a traumatic time, who knows what’s going to hit them immediately inside their heads? I’m sure it’s different for every individual, and I thought the choices you made were realistic and paced really well.
I think my favorite part of this chapter was how you wrote Ron. I felt it when he commanded Harry not to talk about how the battle affected him. He was right. He needed to keep it together, and he wasn't ready to deal yet. Just like Harry wasn’t ready to deal. Just like Hermione just needed the basics, like food and sleep. The last year had taught them all a lot about how to get through the tough times, and even though the war is over, they have many battles yet to face.
I’m enjoying your words, your thoughts and the way you wove them together in this first chapter! Thanks for writing this. The characters deserve it!
Pix
Author's Response:Hi, pix! I'm going to get these reviews answered. I think I can, I think I can...
I was trying to give the feel of sliding right into this story from the end of Deathly Hallows, so that was the obvious place to start. It's funny, the story title and the first chapter title were two of the easiest things to pick. It all got more difficult from there.
You're absolutely correct about Harry. What do you do when everything you were supposed to accomlish in life is done? That's what I'll be trying to explore, not just for Harry, but for a lot of the other characters, as well.
There's a lot of heavy material in this chapter. I just didn't see any way around it. So much emotional weight lifted, yet so much loss and sadness. I really couldn't imagine the characters reacting any differently.
I couldn't leave Kreacher out. His story is one that didn't get its due in Deathly Hallows. He was so central to Harry's victory in several ways.
If I don't accomplish one other thing in this story, I am going to stay away from writing typical fanon Idiot!Ron. Ron is not an idiot. He was just as important to Harry's success as Hermione. I hope I'm able to draw that out.
Thanks so much for the kind words! I'm really going to be better about review responses in the future.
-Dan
Really enjoying this story so far! Hope it won't be long for some new chapters! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
Author's Response:Hi, there!
The next chapter is around 75% written at this point. For better or worse, I'm posting as I go, so there will be some delays between chapters.
Thank you for reading and commenting!
heya! i'm here for the review tag at hpft. i meant to read the first chapter, but then this one caught my eye. i know i'm doing it all wrong, but i don't really regret it!
this chapter was so wonderfully handled. I think your writing style really pulled off Ginny's panic attack, and i really understand what she was going through.
i also find it pretty hard to transition scenes, especially depending on the scene, and i'd classify going from panic attack to sex is a pretty hard one. it wasn't awkward or clunky as it might have been, and i really have to congratulate you on that. i would've been hard-pressed (and embarassed!) to write it.
i also really like hermione's and ginny's conversation. it was really authentic, and it was a just a fun talk between two girls that wasn't bogged down by ptsd, ya know? in that moment, they were both leading a pretty normal life (aside from fred, of course).
i'm really excited to see how ginny would handle telling harry about what happened to her, though i probably should start from the beginning first!
Author's Response:Hi, there! Sorry for the absurdly late response to your review. I'm trying hard to catch up.
I'm glad that Ginny's panic attack seemed realistic. It's not something I've personally dealt with, so I was going off of sources I could find and people I could talk to.
To me, the transition is more of a defense mechanism on Ginny's part. She can't deal with sharing the truth with Harry, so she finds a way out.
All of my characters are struggling so much to find normality. To get back into routines and situations are are comfortable and familiar. It happens for them from time to time, but it does take effort.
Ginny will eventually share the truth with Harry, but it's going to be a struggle for her.
Thanks for the review!
-Dan
Detail I liked, Harry's initial argument with Ginny reminded me a lot of the Cho break up in ootp. Harry almost handling things as badly and in simular ways just fits well.
Author's Response:Hi, there. I'm glad you found it realistic. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment!
Very nice beginning. You get the feelings very well. Liked them watching the Patil sisters and the attention payed to food/exhaustion. There are probably a million scenes like this.
Author's Response:Hello!
I tried very hard to capture the reality of how they would have felt after the battle. I'm glad you liked it.
Thanks for reading and leaving a comment!
Hi, great story. I saw the tag for sexual assault and there seem to be allusions something happened to Ginny. While I respect the choices of the author, personally I don't like reading stories where things like that happened. Again, no judgment if you think it makes the story better, just personal preference. If you could give me the heads up whether this will occur, I'd appreciate it.
Author's Response:Hi. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.
It's difficult to answer your question without giving something major away. Will there be present-tense sexual assault depicted in this story? I'm definitely not planning on that. Will there be references to and recollections of traumatic events that characters suffered during the war? I believe there will be. That's as specific as I'm willing to be at this time.
Thank you for reading and reviewing.
Hi this is Whapples from Reddit. Great chapter. Poor Hermione, stuck in a situation where books can't be as much help as she's used to. I'm glad Ginny was able to talk some sense in her (at the expense of poor Harry). I also can't help but think that the current events are exactly what Molly Weasley feared was going to happen!
Author's Response:Hi, there! Thanks for stopping by.
Hermione is struggling, but this is a good growing experience for her.
Molly would indeed be horrified, but you'll soon see that she has many struggles of her own. This story is mostly about coping and healing.
Thank you for reviewing!
This is one of my favorite chapters you've written. You really play with your talent in creating seamless transitions. Harry's confusion, the argument, the anger and fear, all the emotions of two people who are so absolutely terrified of each other and being hurt. Your considerable talent just shines so well in this.
The contest about who had it worse was one of my favorite parts. They're angry, hurt, neither taking enough time to see what the other endured, but still childish enough to fight about it. I actually see a lot of Ginny's side to this. I know Harry had a very difficult destiny thrown at him, but he was also on an adventure. Okay, was it ideal? Of course not. Terrifying, deadly, a constant game of survival. But, they were still out *doing* and for someone with Ginny's personality, being left behind to simply wait and endure what happens to her, it had to be torturous.
Something I didn't pick up on when I first read this chapter was Ginny's own emotional state. Or at least it didn't come to me as strongly as it did now. She's really desperate to make something <I>okay</I>. She's heart broken, confused, and still so in love with Harry but unable to trust either of them. And she throws those feelings into sleeping with Harry, compensating for the fact that she's inexperienced and scared with her over confidence. It almost feels like a different take on the 'girl sleeps with guy because she wants him to love her' but more layered here. It actually seems more like, girl sleeps with guy because she can't handle her own emotions and wants to feel something else. Anyway, girl has some serious stuff to work through.
And poor Harry. This was pretty much the sum up of his life: goes along with what he's told and somehow muddles through. Lol! Please, God, give me a scene where Ginny confronts Hermione about not being sure about it all and everything not being exactly like she expected, and PLEASE let Hermione have a book to lend her. I'll line you forever! But in all seriousness, I love that they're going to figure out each other together. I think what they've been through, what they're feeling, and how they really don't know where to go from here was the perfect scene to have them making a relatively rash decision based off those emotions. Did they get it all right? No, but they'll get there :P!
I love even more that you show this wasn't Ginny's plan to get them back together. She's still so uncertain if where they stand, and she deserves her own time to wade through what she's feeling.
Amazing and powerful writing. Love this chapter <3.
Author's Response:Hi, Jami!
You've got the right basic read on Harry and Ginny's emotional state at the start of this chapter. They've both been through something so terrible that they aren't even sure how to function like "normal" teenagers anymore. They're both struggling with a huge amount of anger, hurt and grief that they haven't even started to deal with yet. The "who had it worse" contest is just one way they're expressing their frustrations, and you're spot on about how Ginny feels about being left behind.
Again, good read on where Ginny is coming from. She just wants to feel something other than fear, anger or sadness. There's a huge hole in her heart from losing Fred, Remus, Tonks, Colin and so many other people. She's lost nearly a year of her life to the war. She's trying to fill the void with something. Whether or not it's a good thing, at least it's better than succumbing to grief.
She and Harry will work through their issues, but it's going to be messy at times.
Thanks for all the help and for the lovely review!
Hey again
I'm a little speechless because i didn't expect a scene like this and certainly not in that much detail... I'm amazed at your skill. You wrote this so well..
I can picture this exactly this way. It makes me sad how this chapter ends but i can understand Ginny so well. It's really hard to trust someone who has already hurt you once, even if you lover03; them.
You make this moment seem really right for them, despite all the chaos and everything surrounding them. It's relief, love, passion, a distraction... It makes sense. I always thought harry would be a lot more awkward about intimate things but i like the way you wrote it because it makes him seem more mature.
Can't wait to read the next chapter
xxx Anja
Author's Response:Hi, Anja,
I debated a lot whether I wanted things between Harry and Ginny to play out this way. You could certainly make the case that it happened far too quickly. What I wanted to try to convey is that they are normal teenagers who have been through hell and back and therefore were in a very emotionally vulnerable state. People in that situation tends to make rash decisions that don't always makes sense the morning after.
I tried to hit a balance where Harry didn't seem too mature relative to his age and (lack of) experience. Maybe I didn't quite get there... :-/
Thanks so much! Hope to see you soon.
-Dan
Hey :)
You linked me to this story a few days ago when i asked for some recomendations & i only now got around to reading it.
I'll keep this review short because i'm on my way somewhere right now, but i didn't want to skip it completely and then forget...
I really really like where you started and how much detail you added to a scene that all of us have probably pictured many times before. I feel like this works really well and I absolutely love how ypu included kreacher and how harry treats him with respect and gratitude. That was so sweet, it almost made me cry.
Harry blaming himself is such a typical response to his trauma, and it hits kind of close to home - i always have to work hard to not let scenes like this trigger me...
That being said, I love it anyway, because it feels so true and so right. I'm sure there's more to come and I really want to stick with this and see what happens next.
xxx Anja
Author's Response:Hi, Anja! Thank you for the reminder to respond to reviews. It's very important, I think, to let people know how much they're appreciated.
I've always felt like Kreacher was one of those interesting loose ends from the books. There's really no closure to his story, per se, which makes it fun to write about. I'm glad you like what's happened with him so far. You will see him again...
Harry is in a pretty bad place at the start of the story. He will get better, as will all of our heroes, but it's going to be a tricky, touchy journey.
There is much more to come. After i finished Conspiracy of Blood, I was pretty sure I'd never write anything that long ever again. I have a feeling that this story might end up surpassing that one. We shall see...
Thanks so much for the review!
For some reason I never thought a lot about the worries and stress Hermione would feel when it came time to find her parents and bring them back into the people they used to be. Nor did I think about the feelings Ginny would deal with learning she'd been possessed by a portion of Voldemort's soul.
This was an amazing follow up to the last few chapters. It sort of feels like everyone got to a point where they had to stop running from the more terrifying aspects of 'what's next' and start facing it. And I love Ron. Ginny has her tempers and her passion, Hermione a solid strength in her beliefs and levelheaded nature that helps her to see all sides of things, Harry and his general mess of feeling either not worthy, regretful, angry, or all three... Then Ron. He's had his moments, but in the whole of things he's so good at simply accepting something and taking the next step. I love it. It makes my heart happy.
I'm so proud of the part of Hermione that's letting herself take what she wants even if it's not entirely appropriate. At leash little by little. Until portraits get in the way.
I love Ginny's contrast to Harry in this chapter. She's so strong, and it makes my heart hurt to think about how someone that age shouldn't be that strong. She's lost so much but is still able to give Harry what he needs, lets him unburden himself to her, though I'm sure she has many breaking points in the future, the stench she finds for Harry is beautiful.
I'm so excited to find out what happens next!!
Author's Response:Hi, Jami! It's review-answering day!
There are a thousand little aspects to the end of the war. I'd be lucky if I could address even 1% of them. I just try to hit the ones I think make a good story. Hermione's parents seems like a fairly important one to me. She sent them away because she didn't want them to be hurt or killed and she wasn't certain she'd survive the war. Now that it's resolved, bringing them back would feel like the right thing to do to her.
I hope you keep liking Ron. I loathe the way that most authors write him. They either dumb him down or turn him into a jerk. He does not deserve this.
Hermione is going to do a lot of that sort of "three steps forward and two steps back" when it comes to her relationship with Ron. She's not the type to just let go.
To me, that's the single biggest theme of this story. A group of young people who've had to endure far more than they should and the only way they make it through is by supporting one another. I'm really pleased you like it.
Thank you for all the help and support and the awesome review!
Is it bad that I wanted Ron to find them? Eh, I know you're not as dramatic as I am. And that's pretty cliche but still. Make me giggle.
"And you got lost along the way because the moving stairs aren't like you remember them," Ginny supplied helpfully.
I love how quick on their feet they are. Hermione is ready to lie for him while Ginny is ready to add more flavor to the story. There Harry sits, dumbfounded. Ha-ha. Classic Harry.
Hermione was sure that she was never going to feel whole again. Too much had been taken from her. Giant chunks of her life torn away, leaving nothing but raw, open wounds.
Oh Hermione. I understand her disapproval. If anything it was completely shocking to walk in on them. I doubt she thought that's how she was going to find Harry or Ginny. I mean they just fought a war. They haven't been able to sleep. They haven't been able to eat. They haven't even had time to think. And here are her friends jumping into bed together. I get it. I also get that she was trying to keep herself together (like always). Hermione is the rock. She's the sensible one which is why she's always the one to run off searching for Harry. She's the one that can turn her nose up at this very moment because she's right. Sex wasn't the best coping mechanism. I think her disapproval has more to do with the fact that she needs to have her breakdown now. She needs someone to comfort her and care for her needs.
"Missing," Ginny replied breathlessly, pressing her palms against her cheeks. "Oh, my." She was playing up the act to an absurd extent.
Ginny Weasley, you're a bad girl.
Ron lightly slapped his own forehead. "Wizard, right."
I LOVE THE SEXUAL TENSION.
HOW AWKWARD.
I NEED MORE.
"I've heard the rumors, Harry. That you willingly answered his call and went into the Forbidden Forest to face him. I don't know why you did it or what happened, but I want you to know that you will always have my gratitude for stopping that monster."
I don't know why but I started crying at this. It's just you could have picked any person out there for them to show their gratitude towards him. I'm thinking Molly Weasley, any of the Weasley's actually, several students, McGonagall but you chose a person I wouldn't have thought twice about and who in return is helping him. I don't think she's making it awkward. I don't think it's outlandish to hear her say these words and I appreciate the fact that it's not this big drawn out thing. It happens so quickly because she's focused on what she's supposed to be doing--helping Harry.
Sorry my review is relatively short but I'm off to the gym! I don't have much to say about the ending except I just want the next chapter to be posted soon!
Author's Response:Hey, what's this? It's an older review I also haven't responded to. Let's fix that...
I think I said it in another review response, but I'm trying so hard not to lean on the "Ron, the over-protective big brother" cliche in this story. Harry and Ginny have enough problems to work through, and I just don't think it bothers Ron that much. He doesn't want a big bunch of PDA waggled in his face and he doesn't want them messing up his relationship with Hermione. Beyond that, I don't think he's put out by Harry and Ginny in the slightest.
Hermione and Ginny stepped up and took care of the heavy lifting on making up Harry's cover story. They completely have his back. Ginny also has his front and the sides, but that's the previous chapter.
I interpreted Hermione's breakdown a little differently. Nagging Ginny and Harry is part of her coping mechanism. It's a familiar feeling when she's in an emotional place where nothing makes sense. She's trying to avoid dealing with this massive load of grief and pain that threatens to come crashing down on her. Then Ginny says something about Fred, and suddenly she can't avoid it any longer.
Ha! I really enjoyed writing the awkward sexual tension between Ron and Hermione. They're both kind of pathetic, but in an adorable way.
Pomfrey isn't someone you think of as being a huge Harry supporter. We generally see her show more annoyance with Harry than empathy when bad things happen to him. So I thought she was a good foil for this moment.
Awesome review! Thank you!
Hi Dan! As I transfer my reviews from HPFF to here I realized there are some stories of yours that I haven't read. Shame on me!
"You didn't think I'd let you win, did you, Harry?"
Do you enjoy breaking my heart? Was it seriously necessary to go through each death like that? Uh, poor Harry. Voldemort is finally dead and he can't catch a break. Every single person he lost...will just follow him forever. He might be able to have a normal life but there's going to be that hole in his chest forever. That darkness because of all the pain he went through.
"Are you going to stand there shuffling your feet all night or are you going to say something?"
Why are guys like this! Just suck it up and comfort the girl. For the love of...this has happened to me so many times before. It's like just do the right thing. If she responds negatively at least you tried to do the right thing. Don't ignore her because that's just the worse. Harry doesn't know how to talk to girls in general though so I shouldn't be surprised. If Hermione cried I don't know how he would deal with it. He would probably ignore her too.
She drew her arm back and lashed out. Her palm connected with the side of his face and the noise echoed around the empty room. Her pale, tear-stained face twisted into a mask of fury.
I am not a big fan of violence. No one deserves to be hit but I mean...Harry does deserve a stern talking to. He is rather self centered. I mean okay so he does consider everyones feelings but he's obviously more intune with Hermione and Ron. Everyone else...eh...he's concerned for their safety and would do anything to protect them but he has his moments.
"You left me," she said simply.
OH BOO-HOO GINNY, BOO-HOO. You'd think she'd be a bit more understanding. Yeah, yeah I get it her brother died, her friends are dead and she's not in a good place right now but he left her? There's a bigger argument to be had. Plus, she's one person. Sorry not sorry but he had to leave in order to save the world. No big deal though Gin, cause he left you. *rolls eyes*
Instead, he wondered how they would feel against his palms-
I know it's not supposed to be funny but I had a crap day and this just really made me laugh out loud.
"That it didn't last longer and it wasn't, you know, better. That you didn't... you know..." Harry fumbled for something to say that didn't sound completely stupid. Nothing came to him. "I'm just... sorry."
Damnit, I wish half the guys I've slept with apologized to me like this.
Man I don't know I'm conflicted. Obviously they're going to end up together in the end but why does he have to be so dense? He kind of doesn't deserve someone so understanding but then after everything he's been through does he get a pass? i don't know. I just wish he had more of an emotional capacity for this type of relationship. But Ginny is right after all. His entire life is going to change. He might not think so but he's going to need plenty of time to readjust. He might want to be with her but he can't be with her, at least not right now, even though he wants to be. But he can't be on the fence about it. That's what pisses me off. You can have sex with a girl but you're not entirely sure you can put in 100% of the effort. Uh, that's my life. Harry is every person I've ever dated except at least he follows through in the end.
Dan, I cried, I laughed and now I'm frustrated! I kind of wish she would have smacked him again. Ha-ha-ha.
Author's Response:Hi, Deeds! It's taken me shamefully long to respond. Please forgive me.
I don't enjoy breaking hearts, but I seem to do it kind of often. Which makes me think that maybe I do subconsciously enjoy it. I guess I'm subconsciously a bad person?
I think many guys are feeling the exact same thing Harry is feeling here: terror. They don't want to mess up. If Hermione was crying? I think Harry might still panic, but err on the side of doing too much. Hermione crying would freak him out. You might get a chance to find out...
I agree that Harry didn't deserve to get slapped, but he does need someone to start to knock some sense into him. I foresee Ginny taking on this role with gusto.
I actually meant for most of that scene to be kind of funny. Poor Harry is so awkward and Ginny is overdoing things heavily. It can't help but be humorous in places.
Harry quickly goes back to being overcome with guilt when he's done being overcome with lust. That's just the state of mind he's in at this point.
Harry is dense because nobody has ever shown him how to be any other way. Sorry, ladies, but that's pretty much how the male brain works. We have to learn to be empathetic. It's not built in. And to be fair to Harry, you have to admit that Ginny sort of jumped him. She has a lot of her own issues she's going to need to work through in the story.
Thank you for the awesome, long, though-provoking review!
Hey Dan,
Here for our review swap!
How is it that you aren't a published author? Seriously. Your writing is top notch. No matter what character you've focused on our your plot, you always do such a convincing job. I'd love to see what you could do with an OF piece.
This chapter was brilliant. I thought you captured the immediate affects of war perfectly. Everything from the violent flashbacks to the bone deep fatigue to the water stinging against all of the war wounds. I think this is possibly the best day after portrayal of the trio that I've ever seen.
I also want to say thank you for writing Ron right. All too often, people make him a buffoon or super selfish, but I think you've nailed his character. The line that really stood out to me is when Harry goes to apologize about Fred and Ron says he can't talk about it because Harry and Hermione need his strength. That's Ron. The quiet, sometimes humorous strength giving support to those he loves. It was beautiful testament to their friendship.
The scene at the bottom of the stairs was another lovely moment. The way that Harry just collapses and they all have that tender moment together. Then Hermione realizes they stink and they all fall over laughing. It's great because you show that even in life's hardest moments there has to be some sense of humor. I remember when I lived on a military base, most of my friends were combat soldiers....and even when they were dealing with some truly difficult things there was still humor....sometimes incredibly warped humor...but it still existed.
The scene with Hermione seeing Harry naked was amusing. It's a funny thing to think she'd be so squeamish about considering that they've just seen people get mauled, but I think it also hints at a sense of normalacy returning to the world.
I've been keeping a list of stories to recommend for the sitewide awards that'll be coming up in a few months. This is definitely going on that list. I'll certainly be back to read the next chapters soon!
~Kaitlin
Author's Response:Hi, Kaitlin!
Oh, you hush! ;) You're going to give me a big head.
I want realism to be the name of the game in this story, so I'm glad you felt like I captured all of that. Too many post-war stories that I've read ignore the immediate after-effects of the war.
There is so much Ron-hate in the world. I don't get it. You almost have to wonder whether some of these people have ever had a real friendship. They're complicated and messy and you go through periods of time where you don't get along. But real friends always come back in the end. Like Ron.
I hope you'll find a lot of humor in this story, because I think it's the only way a group of people so young could have survived the difficult times and the outirght horrors they lived through.
Exactly! All of the characters in this story are deperate to get back to something that the consider "normal". Normal teenagers with normal teenage activities and normal teenage problems. Unfortunately for them, it's not going to be easy, considering the massively abnormal series of events they've just survived.
Aww... you are way too kind! Thank you for the swap!
In a quiet moment of aching, numbing exhaustion, Harry Potter realized that the struggle which had defined his entire life was over.
Whenever I read your stories I get so lost in the descriptions and everything that’s going on I forget that I’m supposed to be reviewing the story. I’ve never really sat back to think about how Harry, Ron and Hermione would have felt once everything was over. They can’t even be excited over something so monumental because half of the people they know are dead and I’ve never considered that. One minute Voldemort was there and the next he’s gone. After all this time, after all these years. This person or this ‘thing’ because he really wasn’t a person anymore, that had taken over their lives, that took their freedom and their innocence is gone. They had the weight of the world on their shoulders and now they’re free. Crazy, when I read the above part I got really emotional for Harry and co.
“We smell so bad!” Hermione finally blurted out before crumbling into a fit of laughter.
This would be my reaction after everything too. They’re still processing everything. It’s heavy but you can’t even take anything seriously right now because you can breathe again. Imagining all of them falling and Hermione’s face in Ron’s armpit = priceless.
Really gave me a good chuckle.
“I never knew how brave she really was.” Padma replied, gripping her sister’s hand tightly. “Not until it was too late.”
One minute I’m sad, the next minute I’m laughing, and now you have me with tears in my eyes. I can’t handle this emotional roller coaster. Uh, this part. I don’t even want to read it. Do I have to?
Harry stepped into the common room and let his eyes sweep over the first place he’d ever truly felt at home.
My heart is so heavy in my chest.
He looked frantically around the room, anchoring himself in the here and now.
Oh god, I feel for him. I really do. He just came back from war. Harry has gone through so much in his life but this…I feel like this really destroys him. No matter how old he is he’s still going to carry with him this huge weight of everything that happened. He could go to therapy. He could take potions. He could let things go but it’s still going to be there, no matter how far in his brain, forever. The images will haunt him forever.
Harry naked. Hermione on all fours. I go from laughing to crying back to laughing again. You’re really working my emotions here.
Uh! I got lost again. I loved this. I have to read on but I feel emotionally drained. The moment with Kreacher when he finally gave in and said what he wanted. The pure respect he has for Regulus and Harry, rang true to my heart. Seeing Hermione and Ron comfort each other and then Ron just trying to be there for the two of them and pushing his own pain aside. My heart. It breaks. Dan, I can’t even begin to understand the process and the energy that goes into writing chapters like this. I would be drained.
Author's Response:Hi, deeds! Thank you for stopping by!
It's kind of a huge deal if you think about it. Just not anything that any normal person (or even most abnormal people) can relate to. To have this massive, singular focus in your life and suddenly it's over. I guess maybe the closest thing even remotely relatable would be retiring from a very selective, life-consuming profession?
I think I'm going to need a lot of small moments of humor to make this story work. Otherwise, it will be a complete mope-fest. So much grief and loss and sadness...
I was really pleased with the Common Room scene. I don't think it would have felt the same to them after the war, even if it was exactly the same. It wasn't home anymore.
Unfortunately for Harry, his struggles with PTSD are going to be a frequent topic in this story. Therapy? Well, of a sort. But I can't give too much away this early. ;)
I hate when people leave Kreacher out of post-war stories, or just marginalize him after a quick mention. His own story is wrapped up so tightly in all of this.
Very pleased that you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading and reviewing!
This was beautiful and poignant. Extremely well-written. After validating it in the queue, I had to come and leave a review for it. The characters were all perfectly in character and the explorations of each of their personalities were terrific.
The PTSD scene with Harry in the shower hit me hard, as most of the characters of who had battled would be suffering to some extent, but with the way Harry feels everyone's death is his fault, he would be hit hard.
I really also like the scene with Kreacher wanting to go home. I can see him wanting to return to Grimmauld Place and just get on with his life. Kreacher's redemption from simple kindness gets so often overlooked and it's good to see Harry still wanting to do right by him.
Author's Response:Hi! It's always an honor to get a review from the person who just validated your chapter. I know how much work it is to stay on top of the queue, so it means a lot that you would stop and take time to do this.
I read a lot of post-war stories. They're my favorite genre of HP fan fiction. The thing that bothers me most is a story where the characters seem to jump right back into normal life after the battle. I believe that the physical, psychological and emotional scars sustained by all of the characters during the war would have taken a long time to overcome. Or even just learn to deal with, for that matter. I don't want there to be anything quick or easy about this story.
I love Kreacher as a character, both his acidic personality and what he represents. I definitely wanted him to have a meaningful role in this story.
Again, thank you so much for taking the time to stop and review. I really appreciate it!
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