The events of the chamber had a much more lasting effect on Ginny. This story begins with Ginny exploring how to deal with her experience rather than continuing to suppress them. (Unconventional songfic chapters are inspired by songs by Evanesence.)--WARNING- this story strongly features cutting and it will be mentioned in several chapters as well as include a suicide attempt at a later date.Category: Works in Progress
A/N-Update is thanks to getting a beta, no significant plot changes have occurred.
I agree that the idea of adding a warning is a good one. There have definitely been fics that should have been labeled with a trigger warning, but weren't. That being said, we really don't have a pre-selected warning button for cutting. Maybe one should be added.
Anyway... this is a strong start for a fic, and it feels meaningful. I love authors who write Ginny as she really must have been at that time after the CoS-- wounded, struggling to survive, nobody listening to her voice. And hopefully it'll even get a little bit cheerful at some point! ;)
Author's Response: Cheerful probably isn't a word that I would use to describe this story, but it will get better and there will be happy moments, hehe. Glad you like it ;).
Seven kisses, seven stories, seven drabbles, seven tales of love blooming in the most unlikely place.Category: Completed Short Stories
I've been meaning to review this, and better late than never! :)
I love the concept of the linked drabbles, and I agree that it works so much better than random ones (although it can't always be pulled off.) There's such a progression in the D/G interactions here, and things don't jump unrealistically from one to the next-- it's much more organic, like something that would actually happen in a growing relationship. Again, good job!
Author's Response: Originally, I had intended them to be completely different stories, but I changed my mind. I'm glad you enjoyed the progression of the drabbles and, as always, thanks for the lovely review! :)
If all they had left was that moment, then that was good enough for them.Category: Completed Short Stories
??!!??? THE END???
(ahem)
Anyway, I, um, really hope there's actually more of this. :) Near-death! Hot sex! Draco and Ginny stuck in a cabin in the snow! What's not to like?
Author's Response: Well, I wrote this story for a competition, which dictated that the story had to be a one-shot. But, maybe once the competition is over (sometime in July) I might continue it. I do have some ideas for this - backstory and a resolution to whether or not they survive it - so I suppose we shall see! Glad you enjoyed, though. I've never written any kind of length sex scene before, so I was a bit nervous about how this would read :P
Ginny Weasley thought her life was going well, until the day Harry kicked her out. What will happen when she has a surprising saviour?Category: Works in Progress
Great start to this fic! I LOVE Ginny/Colin friendship fics, so major points for that. And that's always how I picture Harry... that kind of behavior really makes the most sense for him after his ego has been inflated by the post-war hero status.
Author's Response: Thanks! Who doesn't love Colin and Ginny as BFFs? I frequently think that in canon they would have automatically connected since the Trio didn't hang with her and she and Colin were Harry's biggest fans when they were firsties. Nothing brings people together like mutual love of the same celebrity. Harry definitely exhibited this kind of narcissism throughout the books, especially in OotP.
!!!#@@!$#@%$#&%$
A NEW CHAPTER I DON'T EVEN.
Love, love, love, love...
Did I mention I love it?
Your Ginny is just so... subtly, delicately, beautifully drawn. She's completely believable. Her interaction with high society clearly is new to her, she's obviously nervous about it, and yet we also feel that this world was never exactly 100% closed to her. it's just that her family made the decision to have nothing to do with it. While I'm not a canon stickler at all, that's why most Draco pairings never felt realistic to me. Aside from all of the other problems with D/Hr, D/H, etc etc etc., Draco wouldn't have realistically ended up with anyone who would have been totally excluded from his society to begin with. The Slytherin pairings (Draco/Daphne, Draco/Astoria, etc.) tend to be realistic, but boring. So, we always come back to D/G. ;)
And her relationship with him has been really realistic, I think. Ginny is the type of person who has a lot of natural passion and sensuality, but the pining-for-Harry thing would have gotten in the way, and she would have ended up thwarted and frustrated... which I think is what happened here. yay for un-thwartedness with Draco! ;) And looking forward to the next chapter!!
Author's Response: Wow. Such glowing praise. I fear it might be misplaced,Hun. I don't think I'm worthy, especially since I've been having a hell of a time making Draco in character and not too fluffy. I'm really ecstatic that you like it so much. This is my first attempt at a chaptered fic; I'm trying to see if I have what it takes to write a novel-length fic. If you like it, I'm happy. Thanks for letting me know your thoughts. All (and I mean alllll) critique is welcome.
Incidentally, your views on D/Hr are mine. I just cannot see such a staunch pureblood marrying a muggleborn. That just wouldn't happen.
Nine years after being hurt by Draco, Ginny finally gets her chance for revenge.Category: Long and Completed
CHAPTER SIXTEEN QUOTE:
I sighed and went to the door, removing the deadbolt that I had put in, and opened it without even looking. I gasped when I saw who it was.
Great, great chapter!! The plot progressed, and so did the issue of the D/G relationship. SO good to see that Ginny is being realistic at this point. This seems to sum it up:
I wasn’t really sure how to answer him. Was everything all right? I certainly felt good – satisfied, pleasantly exhausted, and sated of my pent up desires – but how could I know what a conversation between us would bring? The thought that Draco could tell me that it meant nothing crept into my mind, as did the fear that what we’d done had been simply another way for him to manipulate me. It said a lot about our relationship – or lack thereof – that, after hours of being wrapped up in each other, I still couldn’t be sure that what we had shared had been real."
I don't think that she can or should be sure at this point in the narrative. And Draco does feel something for Astoria-- is it that he cares for her as a person who once meant something to him, or does it relate to his present feelings about her? We know (and Ginny knows) that Draco isn't just a totally insensitive jerk, but she's smart enough to understand that this doesn't mean he actually wants a relationship with her. And that's just where she should be.
More soon, I hope! :)
Author's Response: Thank you! I thought you'd be happy to see Ginny not just jump back to being head-over-heels in love with Draco without considering that what he had said to her might be his way of manipulating her. Don't get me wrong; she's still absolutely in love with him, but she is being realistic... and I think that's a lot healthier. I'm glad you're enjoying this story! I actually have the completed first draft of the next chapter written already (yay!), but both of my betas disappeared on me, so I am giving it a little time before I post it so I have some extra time to go back and see what the hell I wrote before I post it ;). It should be soon, though. And there is actually an end to this story in sight, which is also exciting! :) As always, so glad you're enjoying this story. :)
So, you should know that I have NO business reading and reviewing any more fics!!! (Anise waves the single visible hand sticking out of a pile of fics that must be beta'ed on all sides. :P And I have to write a critique for this month's novel in the novel critique group... BUT... I'm going to review this chapter!
Because it's really good. :)
I don't know what it is with all the fics I'm having to read for this writing group. They're just not very good... and the authors could learn so much from reading the fics here. This is such a great chapter, and so much is developed here-- plot, theme, characters, relationships. We still really do not know what Draco feels for Ginny, only that his feelings are very complex. What would really happen if Astoria turned up alive, for instance? What's going to happen now? It doesn't seem likely that he'll look at her actions as anything other than a betrayal. And was Ginny right when she thought that if Draco didn't even try to understand her motives, then their relationship couldn't work out? Is she acting from all those years of anger and a desire for revenge, even a little bit?
Anyway... I hope there's more soon!!
(and now, back to that horrible sci-fi novel for the writers' group. :P)
ETA: And, oh yeah... I didn't know what you had in mind for the actual Draco/Blaise backstory, but in Aniseworld, they've always had that one drunken fling back in the Hogwarts days. ;)
Author's Response: My poor busy Anise!
P.S.: This fic is now featured! Yay! That means that you win... um... lots and lots of valuable points that can be redeemed in the 64th dimension. :) Anyway, it's a great fic, and I decided that it really should be featured on the front page. Just look on the left hand side.
Author's Response: Awe! Thank you soo much, Anise! I look forward to using my points in the 64thworld dimension!
Wow. It's over. I can hardly believe it...
(walks around stunned for a second)
Okay, on to the review! ;)
I think you've done something here that we almost never see in fanfic. Or to be more accurate, this is a type of ending that we almost never see. It is an open ending rather than a closed one. Here's an example of what I mean.
John Fowles *The French Lieutenant's Woman*really is one of my favorite novels of all time, and probably one of the great late-twentieth-century novels too. The most distinctive feature is the overtly omniscient narrator who shifts between portraying characters and events in the Victorian world and reflecting on them from a modern perspective. (I feel like I should be getting a grade on this... ;)
Near the end of the book (trying NOT to give any spoilers here,) the main character is riding a train. Once it stops, he has to make a decision that will determine the course of the rest of his life. The narrator steps in for an entire chapter (he actually plays a passenger in the same train car, in fact) and muses about how the ending should turn out. Basically, it's a story with two endings-- and as the author, the Godlike figure, he could obviously choose one and end it. But he sees that given the type of world he has created, he has to allow his characters the freedom to choose what the ending will be. The problem is that in a Victorian novel, there really was no such thing as an open ending. He couldn't leave Charles riding the train into an indeterminate future, which is probably what would have worked best in a modern novel. So the author presents *three* separate endings: the first is the future that Charles imagines for himself if he doesn't really make any choice at all, and the other two represent the two choices.
It was a fascinating way to end that particular book, and I actually used the two-endings device in a very early fanfic that never made its way onto this site. What strikes me about YOUR fic is that it's as if you've written an open ending that contains the possibility of all the choices the characters could make. That's why it's open rather than closed, and almost all fanfic endings are very closed. ("And in the epilogue, Draco and Ginny had eighteen kids and lived happily ever after...") It's not a happily-ever-after ending. The course of Draco and Ginny's relationship may or may not run smooth; we really don't know for sure if it will run at all. What we do know is that they are remaining true to their characters. The resolution at the end isn't a specific event (I don't think it is, anyway); it's that they're both willing to let their characters evolve, and they're committed to seeing what happens as a result of that choice. So I think it's a great ending, and the kind of ending that we all need to see more of in D/G fanfic if it's going to continue to evolve.
That having been said, there is ONE thing that I would have liked to see resolved just a LITTLE bit more, and that was the question of Astoria. How much did she really want to get Draco back into the former relationship they had? Is he really through with her? Is she really through with him? If there's anything I would want to see resolved just an eentsy bit more in the... thing from Draco's POV, not an epilogue, I guess... that point would be it.
All in all, great job, and looking forward to what you come up with next! :)
ETA: Dang, but this ended up being long. I might possibly be trying to avoid trying to finish the billing for the business this month. ;)
Author's Response: This is the most epic review I have ever received. I just want you to know that! I'm glad that you could appreciate how I chose to end this. In my mind - and in the mind of most DG shippers, I think - this story continues on and eventually it /does/ lead to happily ever after... because I love them together and that's what makes me happy. But the reality of this story is that that can't happen. Not really. Not in this particular story. Not in a reasonable length of time. And if I had written this to be a closed ending, I don't think I would have been true to Draco and Ginny in this particular story.
What a great chapter!
At the end of it, I wanted to find Draco and slap him upside the head for awhile. (The boy ain't right; he just ain't right.) He just-- ugh!!! The way he tries to make Ginny feel, and succeeds!! (Hands Ginny a 2x4 to hit Draco over the head with.) But then, there's the way that she plays into it. I don't know. The relationship is obviously VERY twisted, which is the point.
(smack smack smack)
Sorry. I'm better now. :) Well, your Draco is definitely one who can't be forgotten, no matter what. And your Ginny, too! It's not fluffy at all-- I mean, not just that they're not baking chocolate chip cookies and hugging fluffy bunnies, but that there are serious, serious reasons why she maybe shouldn't be with him and he maybe shouldn't be with her. Getting them together is not something that could happen automatically, as it does in so many fics.
(off to smack them both around some more. Ack! They're driving me nuts.)
Author's Response: Draco is a bit of a jerk, isn't he? I really really want to respond to this review, but everything I say is going to reveal something, so I'm just going to shut up. I'm glad you're enjoying my story! :)
Another very good chapter. I HOPE that Ginny isn't going to give in just yet, though. She shouldn't forget the past nine years so easily, and hopefully, she won't. I do have to say that your Draco is a lot more realistic than many of the fanfic Dracos are. This is what he would *be* at this point; there was so much darkness in him, and it would not have led to considerate or nice behavior towards anyone, even if he really did try to change. Basically, I still think that Ginny should smack him around for awhile. ;) But it will be fascinating to see what happens next.
Author's Response: Thanks for your review! I am so glad you think my characterization of Draco is realistic because that it something that's really important to me. I won't give too much away in my response, but I will say that there is still a ways to go in the story... plenty of time for Ginny to smack him around if she so chooses. ;)
Sorry it took me so long to review! I'm prepping for NaNo. So Ginny really DID figure out at least a bit of what's going on... I won't say what, because I hate it when people leave spoilers in reviews. ;) I love Pansy. After canon was closed, I actually started writing her differently, and I think that you, too, are creating a more accurate portrayal. (She was the only one who showed any common sense right before the last battle of the war, correctly pointing out that if they shoved Harry out of the school, then Voldemort just might, um, NOT KILL THEM ALL.)
I loved Ginny's reaction at the end. Don't just give in to Draco! (realizes that characters in fanfic can't hear you. It's kind of like yelling at a movie screen.) I'm so glad to see that her first instinct isn't just to forgive. This Draco has some serious, serious issues, and I hope he proves to her that he is really willing to change and show her some genuine consideration before she just dissolves into a puddle at his feet. Looking forward to more!
Author's Response: Haha. Yup, Ginny is starting to make sense of things, even if she is a little bit scatterbrained and lacking in common sense. There will be a little bit more on why and her reaction in the next chapter. I'm really glad you enjoyed it! And I'm glad you like Pansy in this chapter. I was really nervous about whether or not people would think she was OOC, so I'm glad you liked her characterization!
Wow, this Ginny is fascinating-- not completely likeable and a little disturbed. But we identify with her; we feel what she's feeling even when it seems like such a bad idea to be acting on it. I LOVE the Malfoy couple here-- you've actually made me feel sort of sorry for Lucius, which is another astonishing feat. :P
We really don't know what to expect next in terms of either what will happen in the narrative, or of what the D/G interaction will be. And that's what makes for a good story.
Author's Response: I am so happy that you're enjoying this. I'm really trying something different with Ginny's characterisation, so I'm glad that you find her fascinating. I've honestly never written anything with such a complex plot before, so it's good to know that you don't find the storyline predictable. ;)
Sorry it took me so long to read this fic!
This chapter, this chapter... VERY intense. But I appreciate that you had a warning at the start-- a lot of authors don't do that. It kind of scared me off from reading it for awhile, though, but it's been such a great story so far that I knew I had to do it. You really know how to use an incident of violence to define who the characters really are, which is the only reason (IMHO) that it should exist. By the end, I wanted to slap everybody upside the head, including Ginny. :P You definitely DON'T give us a nice, sweet Draco, but that would not be realistic here. I actually end up feeling sorry for Harry, and that's quite a feat. But that's another aspect of who he could be by this point.
So all in all, another great (and disturbing) chapter!
Author's Response: I'm glad you enjoyed it, even if it was a bit more graphic than what I usually write. I didn't want to make it too intense, but this was something that had to happen. I know Ginny isn't totally likeable here, but I figure most people wouldn't be if we actually knew what people were thinking, you know? :)
Argh! I want to smack Ginny. I really do. How could she NOT know what a bad idea it was to walk by herself down a dark street when she already KNOWS that Marcus is after her...
Anyway. I think it's because this Ginny is so deeply, desperately flawed. Her saving grace is that she does know it. She has those moments of clarity when she knows, for instance, that she can't keep putting herself in those situations with Draco. On the whole, I think she'd be better off in Ron locked her up for awhile and kept the key... :P But she's fascinating, and it's impossible to stop reading about her. Every portrayal of Draco, Ginny, and D/G itself does not need to be sweet, nice, and perfect. So this chapter, maddening as it may be, really makes the reader want to find out what happens next!
Author's Response: Hah, as always, I love your insight. This Ginny is probably my favorite to write because, like you said, she does have issues and she knows it. It makes her stream of consciousness more exciting. And you're right. She'd probably be better locked away, but we know that a good Ginny could never settle for that. ;). But we'll see what happens next!
(pops head in)
Okay, I don't have time to leave a real review yet, but I HAD to say this!!! I knew, KNEW that "Plot Development X" was going to happen!! (If you know what I mean, and I think you do. But I'm not leaving a spoiler in a review. ;) Well, maybe you don't know exactly what I mean... that wasn't very specific... that thing at the end. That's all I'm going to say.)
Author's Response: Hehe, Anise. I hope I didn't make "it" too terribly obvious ;).
Wonderful! We're learning *about* Draco from others before we really see almost anything of him, and that is very intriguing in this fic. I like Blaise's character here, too. And you handle the non-jerk Harry very well. (I can't seem to do that anymore...)
Yes, I know what you mean about the review situation. :P It seems that lately, really good stories aren't getting many reviews at all. So don't take it as being any reflection on your work!
Author's Response: Thanks Anise! I'm really excited about this fic because this is the first time I've really had any kind of well-developed plot line that didn't involve a DG romance, heh. So I'm really glad you like how this is going! Harry is kind of an important character in this fic for reasons that will be seen a little bit later, so I have to make him into a not-jerk :P.
What a fascinating chapter! I don't think that we really see Draco being made into an unrealistically nice character here-- I wasn't sure at first. I'm still not sure how far Ginny should trust him. Maybe not because of what he would actually choose to do to her now, but because it has been in his nature to hurt her without even meaning to, and he might not be able to change that part of himself. Certainly not so quickly.
Also, I actually think that you've pulled off the feat of making a likable Harry believable-- and that's saying a LOT.
Author's Response: Thanks, Anise! You pretty much hit the nail on the head with your analysis of Draco. Simply as a character in canon, we really don't see a whole lot of instances where Draco has people to depend on. His mother may be the exception at times, but be he doesn't really have a great support system in his family. In this particular story, Ginny is even a bit overbearing with how supportive she actually wants to be, and he doesn't really know what to do with that. You'll see in the upcoming chapter or so how each of them deal with this. The important thing to remember here is that, at this point, no real exchange has happened in terms of "relationship" dialogue. Draco never said that he wants to have a relationship with Ginny. He only apologized for how he'd treated her in the past, but that still does not necessarily mean that what just transpired between them is the start of a fresh, healthy relationship. The tricky part is that it's all from Ginny's perspective, so we want to believe what she thinks is true, but that's not always the case. We have to remember to separate what Draco says and does from what Ginny /thinks/ he means by it. Hopefully that makes some sense!
"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference." ~Elie WieselCategory: Long and CompletedAnd in all of their incarnations, the one thing Draco and Ginny can never be is indifferent.
(A compilation of one-shots.)
Story #6:
"She's fallen under the strongest magic there is; she's fallen in love."
Yes. I really think that it does. And if this were continued (which would be great... but I know that you can't continue everything), then Draco would have some very difficult times ahead of him, let's just say. He's right about that! ;)
Author's Response: Thanks for your review! This one is definitely up there on my list of ones to continue as I've always wanted to try to write a DG force marriage scenario, but we'll have to see.
I really liked this one! Clearly, this was a marital argument that had been going on for *quite* some time. ;) Really sweet that they finally both decided it didn't matter.... and Ethan has quite a future as a marriage counselor, if he really wants to go that route. ;)
Author's Response: Thanks for the review, Anise! Glad you liked it.
Oh! I LOVED this one. You got the emotions across so clearly and exquisitely, and most fics with this type of theme just don't manage it. We can understand *why* Ginny ended things, and we can see why she was willing to start them up with Draco again. Nothing feels forced.
Author's Response: Thanks for your review! So happy to hear it didn't come across as forced. This was one of those stories that just flowed as I wrote it, so I'm glad it worked out.
Sorry it took me so long to review, but here it is! Better late than never. :)
The last drabble was really enjoyable, and part of the appeal is that we see Ginny at her absolute worst-- but Draco is drawn to her anyway. Each one of the drabbles is great in its own way, of course. But I have to agree with the Sort of) majority opinion in that Caught has the most potential. The ending is more open than any of the others; we're left very curious about the range of possibilities for what's coming next. And yes, of course the forced marriage thing has been done, but EVERYTHING'S been done at some point. There is nothing new under the sun! What really matters is the personal slant that you bring to the writing. So that's my vote!
Author's Response: Oh no need to be sorry! Thank you so much for your reviews. I always appreciate hearing from you. I've always wanted to try my hand at writing a forced marriage scenario, so Caught definitely appeals to me for a continuation. Thanks for the input!
When Ginny is captured and held at Malfoy Manor, she discovers that that family's plans are far more cunning and ambitious than anyone, even Lord Voldemort, ever guessed—and they've decided she's a rather convenient pawn.Category: Works in Progress
Yay! Aerileigh is back! (runs around, trips over something, falls. Ow.)
What a great first chapter! We're thrown into the action right away, and you do not pull punches as far as the fate of the Weasley family. But yes, this is realistically what would happen in this situation. Okay-- I actually DO feel sorry for Harry here. (Sad that he has to be killed off for that to occur...)
Ollivander is a really fascinating character here. I have to wonder how much he knows. Did he deliberately send Ginny to Malfoy Manor (I'm guessing that's where she is?) The entire thing seems just a bit too well-planned.
I look forward to a great fic coming up! :)
When the Lucius Malfoy’s war trial turns towards leniency, Ginny Weasley cannot deny her own thirst for vengeance. She decides to make Draco Malfoy pay for his father’s sins in flesh, but underestimates the will of her prey.Category: Completed Short Stories
This isn't quite a review-- it's a "wish I could read this." Believe me, I'm writing a darkfic too, but there are some warnings that I know I should not try to cross. But I'm SURE it's very good. ;)
Author's Response: Thank you, for this. It's tricky with darkfic, especially ones like this, where literal subject matter would warrant a heavier warning than actual subtext and the situation would. I try to be overzealous so no one gets caught reading something that may trigger them or is much heavier than they intended to click-through to, but in my opinion this piece is more bitter than dark and actually has a hopeful ending. I don't see the validity of writing torture porn for its own sake. Another reader/reviewer said "(Anise its on par with the content of Unforgiveable, not that bad.)" so perhaps you can give it a try? Either way, thank you for this. It really is terribly sweet.
When Ginny hears a nasty rumor, she confronts the slanderer himself. One-shot.Category: Completed Short Stories
What I like so much about this fic isn't only the theme, although you handle it really well (and it's great to see a version of this setup that is actually really good! There have been so many bad ones.) The basic structure of the plot is so strong-- the pacing works, the rising and falling action work. We don't realize just how seldom we see these done so well in other fics until reading one like this.
Author's Response: Thanks! I think since I began writing fan fiction, my pacing has improved A LOT. I'm glad that, even though I haven't really written anything in a long time, I've still managed to produce something that does work on so many technical levels, especially since I didn't spend too much time writing this. It makes me hopeful for my writing in the future! And maybe I'm not such a bad writer after all! Hahaha. Thanks for your feedback! n_n