I haven't been so intrigued by a story in a very long time. (And when I say very, I *mean* very.) I love Draco's characterization in this. In a way, it reminds me of fandom Snape in Snape/Hermione stories. Just kind of rich and dark and sarcastic and sneering. If the comparison is strange, I hope you'll at least take it as a compliment. :) I can't wait to see how this story goes.

Author's Response: Though context and meaning doesn't travel very well over the interwebs, I know you meant it as a compliment. Can't say I've ever read that pairing nor that characterisation but it sounds complex - which is what I wanted for Draco. Multiplous, never fixed. Thank you thank you thank you for reading and loving and reviewing and I really hope the upcoming chapters measure up to your expectations ><

To defeat... the Huns!

I like how Ginny and Narcissa's timeline is the "correct" timeline. I think normally we would consider canon to be the right, original timeline, but here it's the wrong one. XD

“There is old magic here. Ancient magic, that I suspect may leave a mark on any who wears it.”
So the reason Narcissa is affected by time being rewritten is because the ring used to belong to her? So, unlike Ginevra, who only knows her own timeline and is protected by the ring, Narcissa knows about both of them?

“I see that you’re eager to return to your other family,” Draco’s father remarked coolly, and Draco was overcome by an overwhelming sense of sadness.
Yes, Ginevra is a stranger to Draco and Lucius, but I'm glad you brought this up as well, because suddenly Narcissa is no longer the exact same person she was to them a day before. (Or has Narcissa been aware of the dual timelines longer than Ginevra's been in the new one?) It's interesting because Narcissa's lives in both timelines are similar, even if the public's opinions of the Malfoys are different. So, for Draco and Lucius, it's not as obvious that Narcissa has suddenly lived two lives as it is that Ginny is a completely different person.

“You are the same, in this world and the next, and so is my love for you both – just as a wife and mother’s love should be.”
Is this why they haven't been been affected? I still don't really get why Narcissa has these new memories and no one else does. I mean, I get that Ginny is protected by the ring, but why did her timeline collapse and why are she and Narcissa the only ones affected? OR ARE THEY?

OH MAN stuff gets serious with the Unbreakable Vow! I feel like that's going to come back in a big way later on. Obviously they can't go back to the original timeline, not just because the timelines have merged and I'm guessing there's no going back, but also because Ginny is going to fall in love with this Draco, who is actually going to be in love with her too, unlike the Draco from her timeline.

This review was full of questions and a bit incoherent. You've introduced what I'm guessing is the confusing part of the story and I'm just trying to work it out and make sure I'm reading it right. I really appreciate Ginny's strength here too. I think that's definitely her character, and not just her Malfoy upbringing. You're doing a great job of digging into the complexities behind this situation. What the characters think about the alternate universes, and how they feel about the people affected by the timeline merge is probably even more important than the physical plot elements of the merge.

As always, loved the chapter and can't wait to read more!

Author's Response: YOU GOT THE REFERENCE! *loves*

Yes, exactly. Ginevra gets the full brunt of the magic in the ring, since she's wearing it, but Narcissa gets more of a residual effect because she wore it for so long.

This is one of the reasons this chapter took so long, editing delay aside, because I had to at least address some of these less-plot-centric things. Narcissa's timelines converge, but she's only "aware" from the time Ginevra wakes up in the alternate reality - the significance of this time should be explained later on, if I tell the story right.

Good questions! I've kind of answered the first few, but I won't answer the last. u_u

Yeah, this chapter is SRS BSNS! Obviously I'm not going to give you spoilers about the story, but I will say that her opinion of Alt Draco's feelings for her is kind of biased and based on assumption. I'll explain a little more about society in the next chapter that hopefully puts her description into a better context, but he did have feelings for her... She's really just having a pity party and feeling sorry for herself (and you know, fair enough. It's pretty shit all around at this stage).

But yes, very confusing stuff lol. I had fun dissecting Ginny's core traits and incorporating them into Ginevra's character... the point I'm trying to make is kind of a nature vs. nurture kind of thing, I suppose. Ginny will always have certain characteristics no matter how she's raised, but obviously how she was raised is going to affect how those characteristics manifest, etc. etc.

Glad you enjoyed, thanks for reviewing so thoroughly! ;) Haz

I'm validating your next three chapters and figured I'd go ahead and read the first two before doing that. :) You've crafted a really intriguing story here. You don't give away too much information too soon, which makes the mystery all that more interesting. I'm really curious about this alternate reality Ginny arrived from. Is she merely jumping from one universe to another (and if so, how/why?) or is she time traveling? Or will she time travel in this universe? I think the best stories are the ones that make us constantly ask questions, and you're doing a great job of that. :)

Author's Response: Haha, you are an asset to this site. ;) I'm really glad you enjoyed what I've got so far, hopefully I don't drop the ball later (pressure's on!). There's a note in my FFN profile and in the Story Notes here sort-of explaining the alternate reality, since I've had a few questions on it, so feel free to check it out. Thanks for reviewing! Haz :)

This isn't a premise I usually enjoy because I like to think of Draco and Ginny as happy together, but in this one chapter you've shown me that just because their marriage didn't work out, that doesn't necessarily change the essence of the characters. The dislike, insults, and wit are all still there; they're just wrapped up in an underlying pain that makes me hurt on their behalf. I think it definitely takes a mature person to tackle this scenario, and on top of that, you have a mature, beautiful style of writing that I can't help but envy.

This is the first line where I noticed it:
"He allowed her to drag him over for a dance and placed his hands where they ought to be quite mechanically, although not without his characteristic and effortless sort of grace."

I don't know how to describe it except with the word "expressive." You choose the perfect words (out of hundreds, thousands from which to choose!) to convey the right feeling or mood, and you seem to do it effortlessly. It doesn't come off as too much, AND you effectively paint a real picture in readers' minds. I'm in awe of the real characters you've portrayed here, and of how excellently you've crafted this story so far.

Author's Response: Jessica, in all honesty your review made me a bit teary eyed. This is such high praise, and more so coming from you, a writer whom I admire tremendously. Thank you! You totally made my night. :D

I like the idea, Pam. It reminds me of Three Thousand Days of Innocence, except both Draco and Ginny have forgotten who they are, and of course they remember more than Draco did in Three Thousand Days. I'd be interested in reading more, finding out what happened to them and where they go from here.

Author's Response: Thanks for the review, Jess! I know the memory loss plots have been done before, but I am going to try to put distance between mine and the others as the story progresses!

Whaaaat. Okay, I wonder if they're hiding from Death Eaters. Maybe DEs seeking retibution after the war? Maybe a rewrite of the war where Voldemort won? Why does Luna seem to know more? Does she have her memories back? So intriguing!

And Draco is a dick, but his reasons make sense and make the whole characterization in character. Can't wait to see where this goes!

Author's Response: Thanks, Jess! I don't want to answer any of your questions and give away important plot details, but I will say that there is a reason why Luna knows things that D and G don't. And I'm glad you think Draco is still in character. It is actually very difficult to write a character as another character while still keeping him in character... if that makes any sense at all. ;)

AND I FORGOT TO SAY, I enjoyed reading a little more about how Drew and Gwen came to be together. Their marriage from the beginning has sounded kind of... sad and more practical than loving, and their history together would explain why. Even if Drew is scared of the things he doesn't know, scared to lose Gwen to a past that they don't remember, he has to see after this chapter that all these events are making them a closer, stronger couple. Or they will be. He might see it as him losing her, but he also has to realize that the woman he married was not who she really was, at least not completely. You've just got so many interesting things going on in this story. :D

Author's Response: I am so glad you're enjoying that aspect because I am going to go more in depth with how they met and got together as the story continues. As I said from the beginning, this wasn't necessarily a conventional marriage, but they do fall in love rather quickly. More than anything, there was an attraction between them and then Jeremy happened ;). But I will say this - their marriage, their meeting in the USA was not coincidental!

Oooh. I wonder who else Ginny and/or Draco is going to run into! Maybe this is a curse affecting everyone involved in the war? Or the good side? Interested to see where this goes!

Author's Response: Thanks for the review, Jess! I can't really answer your question, but I promise that if you keep reading you will definitely find out who was affected by whatever has affected Draco and Ginny. :)

I was so excited to see an update today! But you're killing me, Smalls!

So here is my prediction: that baby that Ginny was pregnant with when Harry died? Draco's. That's why she's avoiding Harry, because she slept with Draco. I don't know what Draco's plan is (for her to miss him so much while he's away that she remembers everything? For her to recall her memories in dreams?), but woooow that was really awful of him. Like, it's one thing to abandon Gwen (especially without any money), but he left his two children, too, and when they're all back together again, they're not going to fully understand why he left. They're just going to remember that he was gone, that their mother cried about it often, that they were struggling and he wasn't there to help them. So he may be trying to help her get her memories back, but it was a low blow. Maybe he's going to come back, and she'll be so angry (like in her dream!) that she'll blow up at him and remember everything??

Love, love, love Fred and George. ;_; Their finding each other triggering their memories makes me want to cry forever. But then I want to cry even harder when I think about how they spent eight years apart. Their memory-dreams must have been super confusing out of context. XD

"I have a theory," Draco announced. "Can the two of you skive off?"

The twins grinned simultaneously. "Can we ever," they proclaimed unanimously.

!!!! SO GREAT. I knew they were using their Skiving Snackboxes!

It seems like this story is really rolling now, which makes waits for updates almost unbearable. But I can be patient. Can't wait to see how Ginny gets her memories back! And what she does to Draco when he returns....

Author's Response: I have been seriously slacking on responding to reviews lately, but I just had to comment on yours because you made me laugh. :P I am not going to confirm or deny your prediction because then that would ruin the mystery, but I will say that I /love/ that you didn't forget about Ginny's other baby... because you shouldn't! But your theory is very interesting, and I love that my story is making you think. That is the whole point of a mystery after all, right?

AHHHHHHH!! I was so excited to see you'd uploaded a new chapter!

I really hope Ginny (and the readers!) get more answers soon! It looks like she can't take much more. ;o;

As I've said multiple times while reading this story, you've done such a great job differentiating between Drew, Draco, Gwen, and Ginny, and the paragraph where Draco observes how Gwen and Ginny are two different people is definitely testament to that. Ginny comes off a little crazy sometimes, but that's completely understandable, not just because she's under a lot of stress because of her lost memories, but also because two people, two personalities, are fighting for dominance in her body. The person she used to be, and the frightening memories that come to her in her dreams, and the person she thought she was for ten years, including the life and family she built during that time. And now she knows she's got a child from her past that she doesn't really remember, and a new child not even born yet! How confusing for her (and her current children!).

Also, dang that Prewett fertility!

I can't wait for more!

//“Drew never knew how to dance like this,” she commented. “It’s nice.”


“So maybe there are some benefits to having Draco Malfoy around?” he quipped.


“Eh,” she answered, feigning nonchalance. “I don’t know that I’d go that far…”//

Loooved this interaction. Ginny is now treating Draco and Drew like two different people, and she's already grown so accustomed to the idea that she can joke with Draco about it! Meanwhile, she's being called Ginny, and she knows she's Ginny, but until she gets all her memories back, she's still partly Gwen, too.

But Draco forgets that Ginny is still mostly Gwen, which is why he slips when she asks if he remembers how they met, which is another thing I love about this chapter!

//Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his children looking on at him. His son had the smallest smile on the corner of his lips, and his daughter’s eyes were wide with wonder. It occurred to Draco then that this was probably the first sign of affection towards their mother that they had witnessed since he had come back to them.//

I actually interpreted the smile and the look of wonder as referring to Draco showing Ginny some affection at all. Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly, but I assumed that Gwen and Drew weren't overly affectionate with one another, partly because they were pragmatic people, and Drew especially seemed to be a hard person, but also because of Drew's affair tainting their relationship. So when I read this part, I saw it as the kids seeing their father doing something chivalrous/polite/respectful for their mother, which maybe they hadn't seen much of before. It's still sad that such a small thing could capture them so much, especially because just a little while ago, they were wary around Draco and a little cold to him because of his abandonment. But it was good for them, too, because they could see that Draco really does care for Ginny, and if he cares for her, then maybe he cares for the kids, too. Maybe that's what they've been worried about this whole time, that Draco doesn't really love any of them anymore. Otherwise, why would he hurt all of them and abandon them?

I don't really know where I was going with that, but I appreciated the small gesture (Draco's opening the door for Ginny AND the children's awe over that) in this chapter. It's tiny things like that that may be easy to read over that really flesh out this story. And you utilize those small details so fabulously!

Another great chapter. Can't wait for the next one!

Pam!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I see chapter 16 sitting in the submission queue awaiting approval and I am so excited!! If someone else doesn't get to it first, I'll go through the submissions tomorrow! Can't wait to read!!!!!!!!!!!! (Is that enough exclamation points for you, or nah...? 6_6)

Author's Response: Yess! I am so glad to see you are still active. I am planning to catch up on TDC very soon!!

When Ginny and Draco are talking to Arthur and Molly before everyone else shows up, and Ginny says that pretending to date Draco is the fastest way to get the press to stop discrediting everything she says, I suddenly got this image of what their situation could possibly look like to her parents. Like... how sly would it be of Draco to say, "Hey, if you want this favorable outcome, the only solution available to you is to date me." I mean, of course he doesn't say that exactly, but just imagine if his ONLY motivation was to get Ginny to date him, and he kinda tricks her into it. XD So I'm imagining Molly and Arthur listening to Ginny explain why they're putting on this charade, but behind Ginny's back, they're looking into the camera, The Office-style, because they suspect there's more going on. Ahahaha.

Anyway... I was giggling throughout this chapter, especially when more Weasleys rolled into the Burrow. Hermione and Draco's exchange in front of Ron, Percy's "She is not!" interjection when George says Ginny is the smartest of the lot, George insinuating that Ginny was hot for Draco back at Hogwarts, Draco and Ginny's "you're so bad" "no, you are" quips and Ron's reaction to them.... Soooo many great lines and interactions in this chapter. Even now, scanning through the chapter and writing this review, I'm trying not to smile my mouth off at work because I know I look like a loon grinning at my computer.

Fabulous job with this chapter. :D

Author's Response: That is the best visual, hahaha. I now want to write a spin off where Arthur and Molly just deal with their children getting themselves into ludicrous situations, and they're just looking at the camera like 'did we seriously bring this blight upon the earth?'
I'm so glad you enjoyed - as you know, your opinion means alot! :3 Thanks for reviewing (and betaing!)!