
poor leopold, they're really making it hard for him to do his job aren't they. poor bloke just wants to hand in his reports and get on with life. imagine how embarrassing it would be for him to show up to his meeting and not even realize that wards had been put up. although that generally seems to be what happens with the ministry in all honesty.
i hope i don't become as jaded as him when i'm older. i hope that when i eventually make it into the adult working field properly, it'll be just as exciting as it looks like it'll be, or at the very least as interesting.
you know you really forget that Essie is a literal child in this story just because she always acts way tougher and more grown up than she actually is, and i think that's pretty normal for kids, they're always trying to be more adult than they are until the time comes when it becomes very obvious that they're still children even though they try their best to act otherwise. but i'm glad that maisie realizes how lonely she must be feeling and makes it obvious to her that she's there to talk if essie needs it. even when we know we can talk to someone it's good to hear that reassurance that you're not bothering them by venting.
this went about as well as we all expected it to go. judging by the way that david described his parents, it was fairly obvious that they weren't going to be okay with this. but the rage i felt at seeing their response anyways just gets my blood boiling. i really had to take a moment and breath to calm myself down because i just made me so fucking angry. the fact that their love for their son doesn't go far enough to accept him the way he is or to even ask questions and learn about it. i am curious to see what david does from here on out and where this story goes from here for him. i know luna would take him in in a heartbeat if she heard the story of what his parents did.
Holy shit that was FAST. Can you imagine if we could all be as honest in one go as Lorcan was with David, that would solve so many problems and save so much overthinking . I'm glad it worked out for them though, Dave and Lorcan really did seem like they have close bond and understanding between each other and it's been made quite clear that Lorcan has a difficult time establishing those with people. I did think it was a little abrupt how quickly they got together, I thought maybe there would've been just a little bit more build up or it would've slid into the topic smoother but I can also see how it could be reflective of how Lorcan approaches these sorts of conversations. Maybe he just has an easier time getting straight to the point and saying what you want to say than building up or beating around the bush.
it's so nice and sweet of lys to comfort dave and provide him with a fresh perspective on the situation. i know lys says that they really love haversham's but i feel as if the large population of hogwarts would've suited him better just because there's so many people and he's so extroverted that it would be good for him. i feel like haversham's is more for the people who are more quiet and introverted since there's not a lot of students that attend.
the beginning of this chapter really hit hard. it was like seeing all of my biggest fears put down into words. but you know sometimes it really just do be like that and as sad as leopold's life is, at least he's made his peace with it, maybe he'll even make some changes to his life once he submits his report.
for a second i really thought essie was going to give dave a hard time about his feelings and i was ready to get so fucking heated but i'm glad to see that she was actually really helpful and talked dave through it. i can appreciate that she's recognized how her actions affect others and that she's making an effort to be a better person. that's really mature for someone as young as her.
ohhhhhhh my goshhhhh i knew i sensed a little something between lorcan and david there but i thought i was just seeing things but in reality i was doing the eyes. you know what i mean. i really appreciate how you approached david exploring his sexuality and trying to learn about himself. i can't imagine how tough it must be for him to be home with the kind of mother he has constantly making remarks like the ones she does while having to hide who you really are from her. i'm really curious to see how that will pan out and how this will affect the friendship between lorcan and david. and to experience all of that while being isolated at school where he doesn't have access to the internet and further support.
also i love how you ended the chapter, it's very suspenseful and is that a hint of FORESHADOWING that i smell in the works. what fresh problems is our man leopold going to bring to this lovely school of misfits.
Lorcan seems like he's the sweetest I'm so glad he's got a solid friendship with David and that David is ready to square the fuck up with whoever tries to pick on Lorcan or belittle him. We all deserve a friend like that. I look forward to seeing where their friendship goes. I thought it was so interesting that Mrs. Leebs had gone to a muggle university because you would never expect to see that at Hogwarts but I'm glad because obviously it taught her that different students require different ways to learn.
I am experiencing second hand pain for Leopold oh my god. He's very visibly stiff compared to everyone else, which makes sense he works for Percy Weasley after all. I love the general air of cramaderie when you described everyone working in the ministry department, there was a certain sense of chaos to it that I really liked.
Oh my GODDDDDDD I'm so excited to read this I've been meaning to for some time now but I never got around to it but this already sounds so exciting and I know I'm going to have so much fun reading. I already love the tone of voice that you've adopted for the story, it's my favourite tone of voice especially when it accompanies the sort of stories where capers ensue.
THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER??? I can’t believe I’ve read like two of your novels consecutively hahaha, but they were both so good, and I have absolutely zero regrets. Except for the emotional torment at the ends of each of them that you put me through omg. This has been such a wild ride, Lisa. Thank you for writing!! Your stories will stay in my memory for a long, long time; there’s just something about them that’s so incredibly human and heartwarming and touching, and I’d like to come back to these stories later on in my life. <3
So I love that the school helped each of their students adapt—how Lys was transferred to Hogwarts, which I’d really hoped would happen so that he could interact with more people and not be confined; how Essie would be allowed to take an extra year to further develop her skills, thankfully, because otherwise she’d be a fourteen-year-old in a very grown-up world, and though fifteen’s not too much better, at least it’s closer to adulthood; how Dave finally got the Muggle courses that he needed (the fact that he was even allowed to go to this school in the first place is so funny to me); how Lorcan got the highest Potions NEWTs score in a long time and got a job offer!!!
These are all amazing developments and I’m so proud of each of them. And Lucy!! She’s finally gotten a chance to do something worthwhile, something that she’s always been capable of doing!!! I can’t wait for her to prove her father and rest of family wrong omg, as soon as she introduces these new policies into magical education.
This has been an amazing journey. I have fallen in love with all the characters, and I’m so unbelievably amazed by the quality of your writing. Thank you for writing this! Seriously. <3
Love,
Eva
He’s okay omg. Not entirely, of course, but he’s on the path to recovery, and he managed to talk more to Albus than to anyone else in the past many chapters, and since Albus seems to be widely renowned as an excellent Healer (especially by Essie’s mother, who’s Daphne Greengrass omg, I’m so dumb, I don’t understand how I didn’t figure this out earlier haha), I have hope. I’m really glad that Lys regrets what he did, and that he’s able to recognize how bad a situation he was in when he took the potions. And I also think that dropping Potions as a class is probably the best move for him at the moment.
Luna, though. The way the chapter opened was so saddening, and I almost teared up, because Lys describes all of the amazingness of his mother, in her ability to move on from difficult things and take them in her stride, and then we see how pained Luna is from all of this, and how this is affecting her in a way that Lys has never seen before—which makes sense, considering he’s her child. I hope that these two can talk at some point, because I think they both need it. <3
And Lucy! Man, I love Lucy. She’s brutal and wonderful and I’m glad that people are being honest with him (even if she’s leaning slightly into the meanness haha). And Essie! Aw the little sweetie. I love Lys’s description of her as “twelve and angry” hahaha, it’s very fitting. But she’s come a long way, and has really grown to love Lys, I think, and I am unbelievably glad that they’re both fine and have counsellors to talk to. I also love how you talk about mental health so much in your stories; it’s really thought-provoking.
Is the Albus the same Albus in The Fred Weasley Memorial Scholarship???
Eva
Oh my god. I feel so overwhelmed by everything right now, I don’t even know what to say. I think I’ll start with Essie—it’s so extraordinarily lucky that she was awake at that moment, I can’t even imagine how terrible it would have been if her light had been off (she can’t either, which makes sense because it sounds like it was very, very frightening). I was braced for this moment, and more than anything I’m just so glad that Lys is alive, and that he said repeatedly that he didn’t want to die, and that it won’t happen again. But omg my heart hurts so much right now. This chapter was so well written, so I felt an entire flood of emotions from beginning to end—I thought the main problem was just going to be that Essie was going to burn herself out studying, but in the end it turned out it was lucky that she’d stayed up studying extra…
Thank goodness Luna was calm and took him to St. Mungo’s immediately. Thank goodness that Essie got a chance to talk to him, and that he called her “pipsqueak” and thanked her for saving his life, and that ultimately he’s going to live. I’m glad that he’ll be looked over by the hospital (and Albus), who I trust, I think. Oh my goodness my hands have gone slightly numb and tingly which is what happens whenever I read a really well-written thing about something scary like suicide. Oh my god.
Essie is so young. I hope that she turns out okay, and talks to Anna. I hope that Lys will be okay. I hope everything omg. These children have been through so much. <3
Eva
I like how Lorcan calls Dave “David”, especially since he’s the only one who does it so it’s like a special thing between the two. And it’s so so so adorable how these two ended up sleeping together every single night after the first one, and how Lorcan has grown so accustomed to Dave sleeping there that it would feel weird not having him there… It’s so cute, sweet, and wholesome omg. (Though I’m sure they go beyond just sleeping haha.)
I’m beginning to love Essie more and more. I know that Lorcan doesn’t entirely understand when she calls them “gross,” but since the last chapter from her perspective, she clearly secretly thinks that they’re adorable, so I’m glad.
You know, I feel like I should feel happy about Lys starting to study Potions again, but he’s only focusing on Potions which gives me a really, really sick feeling… Like, will he make a potion that’s life-threatening, so that he can kill himself? I keep thinking about what he said to Luna, and I’m so worried. Especially considering the description of his recent behavior, about how he wasn’t sleeping, how he rarely emerged, how he only came out for food. The others were teasing him about it, and I could tell that they were relieved he was finally doing something, but I wonder if everything will be okay in the next chapter. I’m so worried, Lisa.
The confessions from Teen Witch Weekly were really funny hahaha. And their discussion about who’s going to hell first. :P I love these kids so much. Please don’t let anything bad happen to themmmm. (Why am I even saying this, the entire story’s written. *sobs*)
Eva
Lisa, I have a very bad feeling about Lys. I am getting exceedingly worried as the chapters go on, because he doesn’t seem to be doing well (like, this chapter showed him smiling and joking, but we saw how he’s been feeling when he talked with Luna), and I really, really want him to be okay. I don’t know what I’d do if he ends up hurting himself in some way. I really really hope he’ll be okay.
Dave’s relationship with his sister is amazing, and I’m so thankful that she’s there to support him! The social media war that she started was the funniest thing, and I was extremely delighted that she would start battling with her parents for the sake of her younger brother. Okay, but Dave’s mom using Instagram passive aggressively is also kinda hilarious, even though she’s being terrible, mostly because I still can’t imagine people older than forty using Instagram accounts, even though I know it happens all the time. But I’m glad that ultimately Dave concluded that he didn’t need his parents to be happy, even though he began the chapter thinking sadly about the previous Christmas and whether or not his parents were missing his absence.
Good on you, Dave. I’m really proud of you. <3
The dialogue about Rolf Disapparating from the Manticore that nearly gored him was so funny hahahaha, I like let out this huge laugh and my sister who was sitting next to me stared at me and said, “Waaat ?” so thank you for that. :P
Rolf is kinda awkward but quite a sweet dad. I’m glad that he’s trying his best with Lorcan, and acknowledges that though Luna is naturally better than him, he’s still working to meet her level. I love Dave and Lorcan together. I’m glad he said that he loved Lorcan.
These chapters have been generally more positive so I’m nervous for some painful chapters upcoming. Eeek.
Eva
Oh, oh no.
(I feel like I’m starting off most of my reviews for this story this way. But everyone is struggling and I just want to help all of them!)
But first, I just wanted to say—Luna is the most perfect mother. She’s wonderful and kind and loving and open-minded. She clearly loves her children and wants the absolute best for them (as shown by her appreciation when she heard them being loud and rowdy and happy), and I’m really glad that she’s finally getting a Christmas with loud housemates and happy cheer, because this woman deserves absolutely everything in the world. And that paragraph where she talks about Lys’s gender made me so happy. It made me feel a little bad because I’ve just been going along with Lys’s “he/him” pronouns without thinking too much, but it’s such a testament to Luna’s care and powers of observation that she uses “they/them” when talking about Lys. Like, there are not many parents in the world who are much like Luna Lovegood, and so I am eternally thankful to you for writing one.
If I’m ever a mother, I’m going to use your interpretation of Luna as my role model, because she is phenomenal and is everything that I’d ever dream of being.
But anyway, Lys needs help somehow. I hope that someone can help him at some point, and that he’ll listen to Luna’s advice for him, but I don’t know. The way he said it sounds really worrying, how he’s not going to do anything because it’s Christmastime, and I’m really glad he told Luna, but then what? That icy chill that Luna felt when he told her about his difficulties in the past weeks made my heart hurt. I really really want Lys to be okay. I hope he can find help. <3
This chapter was just perfect. <3
Eva
THIS CHAPTER WAS COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY DELIGHTFUL, AND ESSIE’S SUCH A SWEETHEART OMG. She’s really grown as a person throughout the story, and though I loved her from the beginning (on account of the fact that she was twelve and adorable), I love her even more now. Like, when she realized that she thought Dave and Lorcan were cute, and she said “ew” aloud at herself, it was SO CUTE. I was unbelievably happy. And I loved how Dave called her a “little black kitten” and she said “racist” haha. She keeps pretending that she’s all tough and untouchable, but really she’s just adorable and lovable! And the card she made for Leopold omg, how she called him an “unlikely Auror” but told him to prove her wrong! That was so sweet. <3
So my favorite line from this story has to be: “Luna showed up to Side-Along Dave, because Muggles couldn't travel by Floo and they didn't want to set him on fire.” Hahahaha I don’t know why but I snorted so hard at this one; I was really glad that no one from my family was around to witness it, but it was the funniest thing for me.
I want Luna to adopt me as well omg. The way you described the Lovegoods’ home (the Love Shack omg) made me so so happy. The house sounds beautiful, and I want to live in it, especially one with a circular room and a fireplace and windows that lead to a beautiful view of the forest outside, and a kitchen that’s warm and filled with tons of different things. It seems so cozy, and I love it. I want to live in a house with yellow wallpaper someday, so that when it’s sunny it’ll make things glow. Luna’s house is inspiring. :P
Also, Luna’s “we don’t believe in gender” and “as long as you’re happy and safe, that’s all that matters” HOW IS SHE THE MOST PERFECT PERSON IN THE WORLD? God I love her so so much, her very being makes me want to cry. Essie’s reactions to her are the absolute cutest, how she wants to be adopted haha. <3
I loved everything about that mulled wine scene. I have absolutely no idea how it’s made, but vanilla and cinnamon and exploded oranges sure sound like the way to go haha. :P
I loved this! So so much! It made me unbelievably happy. <3
Eva
Everyone is struggling with so much, and I just want them to be happy so that they don’t have to hurt anymore. Because, I mean, of course Lys is having difficulties feeling excited about Christmas; he was having problems with boredom and feeling trapped even before he went to the bars, and after the traumatizing incident with Cass, there’s every reason for him to be shell-shocked and scared and numb about it. I don’t entirely know the feeling of what he’s going through, but I really want him to be able to receive the support he needs.
I’m glad that the school cares about him and about his mental health—honestly, they’re doing so much better than the vast majority of schools in America, for sure—but I’m not sure that they’re experts. I think it would be better for them to let him talk to the people who would help him most. I was so so frustrated when August wouldn’t talk to Lys about this!!! Like, I understand there’s a boundary, but this student is struggling, and ugh. I just have so many mixed feelings haha. Also, it totally escaped my notice that August had HIV (I must’ve been really tired and dumb) but oh my god, it’s really terrible that he’s still literally experiencing physical reminders of his assault years ago.
I’m so glad that Lys can talk to Lucy. Like, really. She’s probably the best person he could’ve gone too; they’re not so close that she would be smothering him with worry, but she knows what happened, and she knows how to talk to people dealing with these feelings. And everything that she said was honestly perfect. I’m so happy that she insisted, over and over, that it was not his fault, and would never be his fault, and that he came nowhere close to saying “yes.” It also made me tear up. I love Lucy Weasley so so much.
I love Lys, too, and I hope that he’ll feel better. <3
Eva
Hahahaha Hester Liebermann and Neville Longbottom drinking together in the Three Broomsticks while talking trash about their respective schools (perhaps talking trash is not the right word, but complaining about internal difficulties, perhaps) is my new favorite thing ever. Like, it didn’t even occur to me that Leebs and Neville (now Headmaster!) would know each other, so this has been a wonderful development. Also, I love the new shift to new points of view! First Lucy, then August, and now Leeds—all of your characters are so interesting and fascinating and have a wonderfully defined way of looking at the world, which you express so well, so it’s always really good.
I love all of your characters, haha, if you haven’t gotten that already from my endless fretting over their personal well-beings.
Oh, and we finally learned about what happened to Leopold. Oh, the poor man. I felt so bad for him when Neville was describing the situation—I didn’t realize that something had happened and a student had ended up dying, when Leopold was dueling with him. I can’t even imagine the kind of trauma that must have put him through. Like, no wonder he didn’t want to take his Defense NEWT, when it was dueling that accidentally got someone else killed. (And the detail about McGonagall retiring because she couldn’t take the pain of having her students die after the war was absolutely heartbreaking as well.) I hope Leopold is successful in taking his Defense NEWT now!
It’s so interesting that Hogwarts will be incorporating Politics and Culture! That’s so amazing omg.
And…poor August. I understand where Leeds is coming from about how he needs to learn boundaries, though, as well as professionalism. I just feel really sad, knowing his history. And Pat. Pat honestly reminds me of most of the teachers I’ve ever had; it’s in a very different situation of course, because my classes were much larger, but most of them just got their job done and didn’t bother much with anything else. I hope Leeds can sort it out sometime. <3
Ugh what a wonderful chapter!
Eva
Oh no, August. <333
First of all, I’m really, really glad that Lucy Weasley came up to him and offered her services as a potential alcohol adviser for the students, as well as told him everything about Lysander. I hope that the board can approve, because it’s honestly really terrible that they don’t care about making sure students stay safe when they’re sneaking away. And it would be really good, I think, for Lucy to get out of the Snakeskin. <3
And it’s incredibly difficult to fault August for his mistake against Lysander—he knows what he did, he feels pretty much sick with guilt over it, and he did not intend to because he knows first-hand the kind of pain it can bring. Like, it’s really understandable—he was genuinely really, really concerned for Lysander (the care that he puts into his students’ well-being is honestly really touching and I really can’t appreciate him enough for all the effort he puts in, he’s a wonderful teacher) and he was worried, so he blurted out things without thinking. It’s really easy to say terrible things at people who made you incredibly worried, even by accident. But he did say it.
I hope he doesn’t get into too much trouble, though. His flashbacks made me feel so awful for him… I’m not sure if we’ll ever learn more about it, but it’s a terrible thing for anyone to go through, and I’m sorry that he’s still nursing wounds, and I just want everything to go better for him.
:(
Eva
LUCY WEASLEYYY. AHHH. SHE’S AMAZING, I’M IN LOVE WITH HER ALREADY.
I love the headcanon of Lucy Weasley being half-Asian; I’ve heard about it in a bunch of different places and it makes me incredibly happy. And that she was a Hufflepuff!! And that she has an endless amount of pride for both herself and her House, so she doesn’t accept any help from her father in landing her a job. I’m really proud of her, that she’s continued to keep this up for so long, and that she’s willing to do anything to not follow in her sister’s footsteps. I actually had this slightly unpleasant twinge when she mentioned that Percy landed Molly her Ministry job, and that Molly was living at home while saving all her excessive money for who knows what—it sounds like Molly’s being unnecessarily stingy for greed’s sake.
Her reason for getting hired at Snakeskin is really disgusting; “Asians are really good at hospo. Real polite. Deferential, you know?” THAT’S SO GROSS UGH. Her manager needs to shut up. For the record, I would be awful at these sorts of jobs, but that’s because I’m completely and utterly incompetent at doing anything that requires some form of physical ability (such as being a bartender). Don’t know about all that “polite” and “deferential” nonsense either, hmph. Her manager is a butthole.
I’m so glad she took care of Lysander—and she makes such a good point about requiring alcohol education in schools. I was just thinking, “What kind of school doesn’t teach this stuff?” and I realized that I didn’t officially learn about safe drinking until I was in college. But I definitely knew people in high school who drank a ton, and I think our school would’ve benefited from an alcohol program, in the same way they teach about safe sex. Like, people who drink after learning about alcohol would have drank anyway; people who never were going to drink will stay that way also. It has no dependency on the program, and Percy Weasley needs to shut up and listen to his daughter who actually works in a bar.
HER ENDING LINE THOUGH. “Then again, I guess you have a history of putting the Ministry before your family, so I won't be holding my breath.” AHHH THAT’S THE MOST BRUTAL THING SHE COULD’VE SAID, GO LUCYY.
Please please please let us see her again omg, I love her.
Eva
No no nono Lysander, this is not how you deal with things—going out drinking for fun is fine when you have a group of friends who care to look after you and make sure you’re doing okay, but it seems like he’s drinking in part to like mute the uncertainty swimming around in his head. WHICH IS NOT GOOD. Bad Lysander.
I understand that he doesn’t want to turn out like Leopold Jones, who, admittedly, is probably not the best role model for how to survive life after Hogwarts (or, I guess, in Lysander’s case it’ll be Haversham Westley’s), but there are so many better ways of exploring the world than just hanging around in shady bars and pubs and drinking until you can’t stand up. I wish that everyone knew how to be safely drunk, instead of letting themselves go too far and then potentially getting hurt if someone takes advantage. I wish that Lysander would talk to someone about his problems—no one talks to each other and it’s really really saddening, watching them self-destruct at various points with no one to help them.
Lysander talks about getting called to August’s office as though they’d think it’s weird that he’d go sneaking out of school all the time, but I feel like they’d be more concerned about his drinking habits than anything.
Thank goodness for Lucy Weasley, because otherwise Lysander would’ve been in really serious trouble. I’m so relieved on his behalf right now omg. Please let him take care of himself, please please please.
Eva
ESSIE IS SO MEAN OMG. Like you can’t pick on people who clearly have not had the best luck in life, that’s just not how things go! You can only really pick on people for things that they’re not already insecure about, but I’m not sure if Essie actually cares about that haha. She needs to learn how to be nice! Be nice, Essie. You’re a child. You should not be making adults feel terrible about themselves, that’s absolutely not your job.
What happened to Leopold though?? What personal thing occurred in his life that made him unable to take his Defense Against the Dark Arts NEWTs? How does he remember the date so precisely? Did someone close to him fall seriously ill or die, making him have to rush away to take care of things? Either way, it’s really sad that he then never went back and took the NEWTs, because imagine the amount of fun and excitement he would’ve been having at this point in his life, instead of getting bullied by a particularly mean-spirited twelve-year-old.
The Haversham Westley’s School staff is so phenomenal though! I love how August told Essie off (it was short, but at least it was there), and then brought Leopold along with him to drink with everyone, and then they all managed to get him to tell his life story and dream… It was really sweet when they told him that he had the precision and intelligence behind his wandwork to hold his ground in stressful situations. I’m really glad that they brought him along, so that he could be peer-pressured into taking control of his life hahaha. Leopold is a sweet man, if particularly dumb at times, and I’d be really happy for him if he sat the NEWTs!
Also, omg, he got to talk to Harry!!!! That’s insane. (How does August know Harry again? Was he just standing up and grabbing him despite not having known him? :P)
Loved this chapter! <3
Eva
Ohh, Essie. Oh, my goodness. I have such a soft spot for little kids, and basically ever since I met her I’ve just been very stressed on her behalf because she’s hanging out with almost-adult teenage boys, but I’ve never really thought to consider how she’s been doing on the academic/mental front. Mostly because, like she said, she was a genius and so most people assumed she had it easy, but there should not be this kind of pressure on a twelve-year-old. Reading this chapter was so so so painful because she’s so small, yet she’s stressing out at the level of a university student balancing three degrees, and no child should be going through this aww.
And she has difficulties at home, too. I don’t know what her mom was thinking, doing this to her daughter; was it to prove something to her ex-husband?? Like, believing in your daughter’s capabilities is one thing, but just like blindly believing that she’s the best thing ever without actually talking to her is another. Though I suppose at this point even if her mom had decided to talk to Essie, she never would have gotten anywhere because of the stubborn mindset that Essie has worked herself into.
Ugh she can’t live like this. I’m really really glad that Leeds noticed something and, contrary to Essie’s former beliefs, didn’t force Essie to take lower classes. And I’m also really glad that Lys hugged her, because this child needs good emotional support, which she doesn’t really have. Like when I was reading about her trying to nonverbally conjure a spell despite using a wand for less than two years (SHE’S A BABY AHH), skipping dinner and breakfast and crying, I wanted so badly to just feed her something and tell her she was doing great.
I love Leeds. I’m so glad that she ended up telling Essie she was doing really, really great. Because girlie deserves it. <3
Eva