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i wholeheartedly agree with francie that having someone, a legilimens, look inside your mind and also figure out things you hadn't even know yourself about yourself is deeply upsetting and kinda terrifying to be honest. but just seeing her with aine and how well she knows francie once again warmed my cold lil heart because, idk, i guess that's what friendship is, right?
especially when you put it in context how if aine had been awake early enough to actually have breakfast she most definitely would have noticed francie staring across the great hall at lily potter haha. i love this fascination with lily where francie doesn't even know yet why exactly she ends up staring at her but it's all sorts of adorable!
i am excited to see when lily and francie actually manage to get over themselves and at least talk instead of just think about each other and stare at each other haha. but yeah i also wonder what's up with aine - if francie things something is up, it probably is, right? hopefully nothing too terrible :/
and i am eyeing that party with interest especially if lily is going to be there as well!
kris / ss voyager
i’m really enjoying the fact that francie is friends with aine while at the same time she acknowledges the fact that aine can be off putting and a difficult person to be around - personally, i feel like those types of people know that they are difficult but more often than not don’t particularly want to be difficult but it’s a part of them…an if they’re not real dicks to others which i don’t think aine is, she’s mostly just a teenager lol, then they also deserve friends. and i doubt francie would be aine’s friend if she were terrible towards her.
and wow obviously aine knows francie really well if she picked up on the fact that something significant did happen at rachel goldstein’s party, even if francie doesn’t want to admit it herself hehe :P
love that francie recognised lily by her scent, it just kinda tells us that obviously there’s something more to all this fascination with lily even while francie is or pretends to be oblivious!
them becoming potions partners is a trope i love and i’m excited to see how that affects their..friendship? future relationship?? we shall see
‘although I was pretty sure Lily wasn’t a vampire who wanted to shag me senseless.’ i am dyinggg at this but also it could actually be true and i am dying even more at the possibility hahaha
lily walking into francie and then having her covered in dragon blood and then going bright red and basically never talking to francie again is just kinda sweet and adorable actually? because despite what aine is saying, i’m thinking lily was just super embarrassed about it. reminds me a little bit of harry to be honest hehe
looking forward to reading more!
kris / ss voyager
i've been meaning to check out this story for ages and i'm finally getting to it!!
and like i already love francie because she just seems kinda really laid back, which might just be my first impression of her but compared to aine she's absolutely chill haha.
i liked that you started this story with what seems like an accidental and random meeting between lily and francie at the party which makes sense because parties are like that, but what got to me was how much time francie just spent noticing lily and the things about lily and then later just thinking about lily, it's maybe subtle but it's also actually really telling that there's obviously something about lily that intrigues her and from her thoughts and comments she makes to aine i'm not getting the impression it's a matter of lily's famous parents and family. which is obviously great and i am very much looking forward to seeing how the two of them develop!
aine seems...i don’t know, she's not annoying, maybe just a little but in a way that for me makes her fun to read if that makes sense? like she feels realistic, people aren't just sunshines and alll that, they can be a lil grumpy and a lil annoying but she's francie's friend and obviously there's more to her than just what we see in this chapter and i'm already intrigued and want to know more about her heh
and of course francie herself! we don't know much about her besides her in relation to aine and lily and that she's fascinated with wizarding historical/famous figures but i already like her and she makes me wanna read more!!
this was a lovely first chapter, very hook-y and i'll definitely be back for more soon ^_^
kris / ss voyager
good one! cant wait for the next update:)
good chapter!
Author's Response:thank you!
great chapter! hope you update again soon
Author's Response:Thank you!
Aloha!
I read this in one day because WOWZA this is an AMAZINGBALLS story! I love this! It's so realistic, but honestly Aine is getitng on my nerves but I'm also REALLY scared for her. And Aine should NOT have exposed them in front of everyone even if she was telling the truth because OUTING is NOT okay!
But it's TOTALLY going to go downhill from there. Aine might come up with evidence, Lily is MOST DEFINETLEY going to end this with France and UGH! So much is going to go wrong! Tennagers, honestly (ignore the fact that I'm a teanager)
Anyway, please update soon! First story that I've ever reviewed on this site so yay!
Ciao!
Author's Response:Hey hey hey! Thank you so much for this lovely review! I'm really glad you liked my story! You have no idea how flattering it is to hear that you read it all in one day, literally makes my heart melt, and that this is the first review you've left! It's just too sweet. Hahaha if you can say 'teenagers, honestly', you're a lot more self aware (so probably better!) than I was when I was a teenager- it does all seem to be going a bit wrong for Francie, though. Thank you so much again for your review! The next chapter is in the queue, I hope you enjoy it x
A new chapter!! <3
AW this left me feeling so sad for some reason!! The way that Francie is so obsessed with Lily, that she’s letting her own personal future drop away a bit in favor of keeping Lily! I just want to sit down and give her tea and explain to her that this relationship dynamic is not at all healthy, that she needs to ensure that her lifelong career comes first! The way she described their clandestine meetings -- “It transformed us into people who could be together, but it meant we weren’t quite ourselves when we were” -- is so perfect and true, and it makes me so sad that it’s the case! Neville seems properly worried, which is good, but students and teachers often don’t communicate well when it comes to addressing personal difficulties. D:
I keep thinking about what you said about Francie and Aine’s friendship -- how it’s been intensely monogamous. I wonder if that translates to how she feels about Lily; there’s a sort of possessiveness in the way that she thinks, part of which is natural I think for all budding relationships, but this makes me nervous: “I couldn’t imagine [Lily] speaking to other people…” ID ON’T KNOW HOW I FEEL, I just want all these darlings to be healthily happy!
That conversation with Aine in Madam Puddifoot’s made me want to cryyy, there’s a degree of that restrictive “keeping tabs on you at all times” thing that Aine does, that all easily jealous friends do, but the fact that Francie so easily left behind her fondness for Aine makes me sad! I AM SO CONFLICTED. <33
Another wonderful chapter!
Love, Eva
Author's Response:Hey!! I'm so sorry it took me so long to reply to this, because it was such a lovely review! I'm so glad you noticed the line about the clandestine meetings because that was actually what I really wanted to get across/explore in this chapter! I really think that for both Lily and Francie the room of requirement is initially a really transformative space for them- it allows them to be a person who they can't be in their outside lives and to do things which they can't outside the room, but then that transformation becomes sort of problematic for them I guess? Because I think Francie sort of loses her sense of who she is, and also kind of realises that she only knows ~transformed~ Lily rather than normal Lily, which definitely adds to that sense of possessiveness which you've pointed out- if Francie tries to imagine her and Lily with others its not just that she's losing the ability to like keep lily sort of 'to herself', she's losing the Lily who she knows because it's outside of the liminal, transformative space they know each other in.
I felt so sad writing the conversation with Aine! Because I think to some extent the 'keeping tabs' isn't /just/ jealousy, it's also because I do think it's sort of normal sometimes to know what your friends get up to, especially when you live with them? Like when I've lived with my friends I have mostly known what they've done from day to day, just because we'd sit and talk to each other about our lives, and so I think Aine's attempts to keep tabs on Francie are sort of her trying to maintain that sense of intimacy and knowledge which goes with friendship, and doing it in an inappropriate way because, as you've said, Francie has already metnally left her behind? And also! Francie /is/ lying to Aine! And they've been good friends for a long time, so I feel like Aine definitely knows somewhere deep down that something isn't right, which makes it more difficult for her to behave well? Idk I definitely think at this point in the story things are getting really complicated between them.
Thank you so much again for your lovely review!
oh Francie :(
this chapter made my heart ache a little bit. Or a lot a bit. I really feel what she's going through, and how she's very caught in the middle of a lot of things, between being a kid and growing up, between her friends and Lily, her future reality and what she wants for her future, and then just not really being able to sort it all out in a logical or rational way? It reminds me a lot of when I was a teenager and there were a lot of expectations about how I would or should be, but then also what I wanted, and then never really having a clear direction forward for any of it. And it's kind of funny looking back because now, as an adult, I have a better understanding of how the world works and how I can move through it and make it work for me (to an extent) and what I deserve as well as how to tell when someone just isn't as invested in a relationship as me.
and I'm really worried that's where Lily is at, or that's what is being hinted at - especially with Francie having to be the one to bring up what she wanted to do, and their conversations seeming very Lily-focused otherwise. There are just a Lot of Feelings right now and I want them all to be okay ;-; <3
Author's Response:I think you're so right about Francie being in between a lot of things, and I really hadn't thought about it that way! She's definitely at this moment of change in a lot of areas, and I think even the stuff that previously made 'sense' to her is kind of fading away- I guess it's sort of that if she is radically changing the understanding of the self which she was previously comfortable in, she has to kind of reassess all the assumptions which she previously held about where that self would go? But you're so right that it is such a teenage thing lol, I think in those early relationships you do learn what you don't need/deserve in a relationship, and that is the process that Francie is going through.
As to where Lily is at, I think potentially you will have to wait and see haha, but yeah you've definitely picked up on something I was trying to portray, which is that a lot of Lily and Francie's dialogue is very Lily centred- it's all about Lily's thoughts, Lily's feelings, Lily's anxieties, which is definitely not a great place for their relationship to be.
Thank you so much for the review! I really appreciate it :-)
Oh, Francie grew up with a Catholic background! That’s really interesting! I absolutely loved loved loved that paragraph where she’s musing about perceptions becoming reality -- it’s so smart and brilliantly written, and I particularly find it powerful because how you perceive things -- how these things become your reality -- influences the way you walk through the world, the way you treat other people, and it’s not something to be treated lightly. I love that paragraph a lot; Francie has such interesting thoughts in this way
No, Francie, don’t join in on the Lydia-bashing!! I feel so terrible because Lydia sounds absolutely perfectly nice -- nothing they’re saying has anything to do with Lydia’s personality, just her looks. D: What I love so much about this story, though, is that it depicts so beautifully the unhealthy aspect of so many female friendships and relationships. I almost want to say that a lot of it isn’t really our fault, as the unhealthy standards for female beauty permeates every part of our lives whether we want it to or not, but we’re not as blameless as I think sometimes -- it’s always easier to give into it, and to put other women down, than it is to build our own selves up.
Anyway, I love this story so so much! Please please keep writing it -- I love all these characters and want to experience more time with them all. <3
Love, Eva
Author's Response:Hello! I'm beyond glad that you liked the perception/reality paragraph because I was so worried it would be confusing! I mentioned in my authors note that it was quite influenced by some complex (i.e. I find it extremely confusing) scholarship so I was worried it would come out either sounding like an academic article or making absolutely no sense, but those ideas have definitely influenced my writing, and because of that my portrayal Francie's thought process about her peers, so I felt like it was something I really wanted to discuss when I was talking about the relationship between our internal lives and our bodies.
Yeah the Lydia bashing is so much about what Lydia represents, rather than who she actually is, and you're so right I do think it all comes down to these unhealthy standards of beauty and competition that are so ingrained in us as women. This story is, for me, really about the relationships women have with each other, both platonic and sexual-romantic, and the way in which the line between the two can be kind of blurred, so I'm so glad you think it depicts the unhealthy/toxic side of female friendship well! It's something I really wanted to dig into.
Thank you so much again for your lovely review! I really want to thank you again for all your lovely reviews- reading them was so fun, and they were all so kind and interesting! The next chapter is in the queue, hopefully you'll enjoy it!
I love this story so so much omg!! It’s so complicated and features wonderfully complicated characters, and I could just wrap my arms around this story and hug it forever. There are so many things happening that inspire so much thought, and I’m just rambling below, so please excuse me! :’D
I wish that Francie wouldn’t badmouth her friend like that, or let others do so -- I agree that Aine has some really negative tendencies that someone should probably gently point out to her, but I don’t really trust people who badmouth anyone. It’s one thing to give advice to someone who’s struggling with a friendship/relationship with a petty/toxic person, and another to kind of gang up behind that person’s back. So Tess’s complaints about Aine left me with a slightly unsettled feeling, even though I’m sure she didn’t mean to be awful.
Joe’s perspective is really interesting because he’s only really seen Aine around Quidditch-related things, and Aine’s always more positive around Quidditch! While I think it’s potentially fair that the ladies are accusing him of being biased because of Aine’s blonde-ness, I think the majority of it is simply that Aine IS nicer around him. Now, that could very well be Aine’s internalized misogyny -- I’ve gotten the feeling that she judges women much more harshly than she does men -- but that’s a separate conversation, haha.
Aw, I’m so fond of Francie. And the more chapters I read, the fonder I get of Aine, too! That picture sounds absolutely precious, and I’m just fawning over the concept of it. Whatever Aine is going through, I hope she pulls through!!
Love, Eva
Author's Response:Hello! Thank you so much for this review! Omg whenever you say nice things I just start grinning like a crazy person! You're way too generous to me hahaha, I'm so flattered!
Yeah that little bit where they were walking back up to the castle made me so sad to write! I think it's such a thing though, that people 'bond' by gossiping and being unpleasent about other people, and Francie is in such a complicated place with her friendship with Aine- it's like she can't quite complain about what's actually going on because losing Aine means she's lost the close friend she talks about stuff like that with, so she has to just be semi-complicit in everyone else's bitching.
Omg you're so right that Aine judges women more harshly than men! I've never thought about it like that but you're definitely right. I think she would say that because ~~all men are bad because of the patriarchy~~ it's not worth critiquing them, but actually it ends up being that she lets men get away with a lot more than women, and tends to get on better with them. She's definitely got a lot of internalised misognyny, and I think also feels mcuh more competitive with other women than the boys in her year.
Thank you so much again for your lovely review!
!!! You keep drawing me in with these beautifully written quiet moments, that are tense with this unspoken emotion. With every interaction that Lily and Francie have, I find myself scrutinizing their words so much -- I’m so invested in these two, and their concerns about the relationship. As much as I love Lilly, I feel that she’s being really unfair to Francie; I think just because someone is willing to go along with something (like pretending to be complete strangers outside of the Room of Requirement) doesn’t mean that it’s an acceptable thing to do to them. Every time Francie asked “Is there something wrong with me?” my heart broke! That’s just such a natural insecurity to have if the person you’re with doesn’t want to be with you in public.
It’s even sadder when Lily said that she can’t even pretend to be just friends with Francie -- I think because her feelings are too strong and she’s afraid of giving it away. ARGH it’s so hard! I understand her fear so well; Harry suffered so much under Rita Skeeter, who twisted everything he did in the worst possible way. But I just want her and Francie to be happy, and I wonder if things won’t be as intense as she thinks, if they go public.
Aine’s condition is scaring me -- she says that she tells Francie all the important things, but I wonder if it’s just the opposite? I wonder if they’ve told each other a single important thing in their lives. “She reminded me of a vole or some other small rodent, the kind that dies of fright when your cat brings them in” this description is so sad to me!!! I don’t know what’s up with her but I would love to find out so I can ensure she’s not miserable in some way. D:
Love, Eva
Author's Response:Hello! Yeah I do think Lily is treated Francie pretty badly. I think I kind of wanted to show how even good people can be really bad in relationships; we get into these dynamics that aren't necessarily helpful, and we get so close to people that things are toxic for us become bad for them too, even if we don't want them to. Lily, I think, feels so bad about herself (and actually that there's something wrong with her) that Francie can't help to catch that a bit. There's so much more to relationships than just 'getting together' and now Lily and Francie have made it to this point I guess their hang-ups (Lily's in particular) have to be dealt with for them to get any further.
I totally had Harry in mind when I was writing this chapter! I always imagine that some of the other next-gen Weasley/Potters would have had much better relationships with fame because of their parents- George's children and Bill and Fleur's children, I think, would have taken to it much more naturally because their parents were less 'against' the whole thing, than Hermione and Harry's children, who grew up with people who'd personally experienced just how bad the press could be.
This chapter made me so sad for Aine when I was writing it- I think that part of Aine and Francie's problem is that their dialogue is stuck in a time where they could talk to each other about anything, but their lived reality has changed, so they haven't found the new language they need to communicate with each other. Ideas like 'oh we always tell each other everything' are clearly no longer true but because they're so stuck in the mindset that like 'keeping secrets from each other is wrong' they can't admit to the stuff they've not been talking about.
Thank you so much for the lovely review! I appreciated it so much
I love the room that Lily conjured -- it so perfectly fits her personality! It’s quiet and muted and a little bit rough around the edges, like Lily and her jumper that Francie noticed. I am so fond of Lily; she seems like the exact kind of person I would get along really, really well with. I’m so glad that she’s in Hufflepuff! It suits her and her personality. AND THE KISS. AND THE FEELINGS.
Aww, but I’m a little nervous about how this will affect Francie, because it seems as though Lily has such an intense fear of being outed. I wonder if it’s because of the scrutiny she receives that she alluded to this chapter? Is she worried about the massive wave of backlash that would ripple through the wizarding world if word got out that the daughter of the Boy-Who-Lived likes girls? I sympathize with her so much, but I feel that Francie might struggle having to keep everything a secret, and dealing with Lily’s detachment outside of their safe spaces.
I know that Aine is temperamental and grumpy, but I’m really worried about her. At the same time, I get why Francie doesn’t want to hang out with Aine as much; she can be really unpleasant and toxic-seeming sometimes. Please let Aine be okay, though!!
Love, Eva
Author's Response:Hello! Thank you so much for the review! Lily is suchhh a Hufflepuff! I feel really bad for her because yeah, as you said, she's so worried about the backlash if people found out her 'secret'. Tbh I think she isn't so much worried about homophobia as just people being really involved in her life? She is just quite shy and hates being the centre of attention, so by keeping her sexuality a secret she's gaining control I think not just over her sexuality but also over the rest of her life in regards to the press- like if she can keep the 'truth' about her secret she doesn't have to worry so much about anything else that's being revealed.
Thank you so much again for your lovely review! As always, I appreciated it so much :-)
A BREAKTHROUGH HAS HAPPENED.
Francie keeps referring to feelings as a “sickness” and if that’s not the most relatable thing I’ve ever read, then I don’t know what is. This actually makes me think that she’s never actually really liked boys before -- if the squirmy, butterfly feeling that makes her tense up is so unfamiliar that she finds it surprising, then I think this type of romantic attraction is new to her! But we shall see; she’s still figuring everything out for herself. <3
“Madame Longbottom was normally fairly nice, but clearly my injury had surpassed what she thought was reasonable” HAHA, poor Francie! Breaking the standards of even wild magical Hogwarts infirmaries! And that poor green boy with the frog leaking out of his ears!! That sounds so terribly unpleasant hahaha.
I shouldn’t be glad that Francie ridiculously tried holding the cauldron together, but I am! It’s allowed this shy, awkward, charming development to happen! I do hope her poor wand’s alright, though, haha!
I love this story so very much; it’s so sweet and good and everything. <3
Love, Eva
Author's Response:Hello!! Yeah I think you might be on to something haha! Obviously sexuality is really complicated so the fact that she hasn't really been that into boys doesnt really mean that much in the long run (and I also definitely /don't/ think Francie has figured that out yet so yeah, we'll have to see where that takes her haha...) but yeah, you're definitely right!
Haha I'm glad you liked the bit with Madame Longbottom! One of my favourite things about the HP books were the endless stream of weird injuries people got and Madame Pomfrey reacting to them, so that definitely influenced that scene! Especially the green boy- I can't hope to match Ron and the Slugs in Chamber of Secrets, but I try!
Thank you so much for your kind review!
I love seeing the care Francie shows towards Aine here! And -- oh! -- the revelation that Aine once kissed Francie is really surprising and new! I was wondering from the beginning whether Aine’s dislike of Lily Potter came from a more personal place, because she wanted to keep Francie to herself in a romantic way, but then I dismissed that idea when it was revealed that Aine had a boyfriend. But now I’m wondering again! Most girls do not kiss other girls just for the sake of it (though that does happen), so I’m wondering if there’s really something deeper that Aine feels towards Francie.
I particularly adored Francie’s musings about whether things had changed between her and Aine; I want to say “no” because platonic friendships do exist between people who theoretically could be attracted to one another, but I’m not sure that their friendship *has* been 100% platonic.
LILY IS BACK. She’s so awkward and shy, I love her! I wonder what she’s been doing all this time. Whatever it is, I hope she’s willing to confront her fear of facing Francie and to come back to Potions! :D
Love, Eva
Author's Response:Hi!! Omg when I read your review I was thinking like what??? I swear the Aine and Francie kiss thing is in chapter 12? Because I had literally totally forgotten that I wrote about it in this chapter hahaha I literally thought I only thought it up recently! I had to read back and check I hadn't been totally inconsistent (which like thank god even if I can't remember what I write I'm not creative enough to be inconsistent). But yeah I think the Francie/Aine kiss is really complicated because I have definitely had experiences of straight girls kissing each other for whatever reason (it often is about attention from men or like 'getting rid' of men in clubs I think), and that's all well and good until you're not straight lmao because then it becomes a like ?was this an into women thing or just me and my friend being friends?, but then you're right there's the additional layer of why the 'straight' girl even wants to get with another girl so badly- surely there are other ways of dealing w attention/getting attention from men? And Aine and Francie's friendship is so complicated because it's been so intense and almost monogamous, so it is definitely something which Francie is going to think about as she like ~~discovers~~ her identity.
Thank you so much for your lovely review! I always really enjoy seeing what you point out because it's so often the thing that I've thought through and so it's so exciting being able to like spew out my thoughts and the process around my writing.
It’s unbelievably pleasing to see Aine enjoying something, genuinely! I was smiling a bit the entire time she was holding a conversation with the Gryffindor captain -- it’s so good to see her passionate about something! I wonder if she’ll pursue professional Quidditch after she graduates Hogwarts? I am so worried about her, though, health-wise -- I don’t know what happened at the party to make Aine so disturbed -- I really hope she’s okay and that nothing traumatizing happened to her. I really hope that nobody took advantage of her somehow; she just seemed so disturbed and upset in the bathroom, and the following day.
I did feel really bad for her when Francie chose not to follow their tradition; yes, Aine definitely could have been open and expressed her wish for Francie to go with her, but when one initiates the breaking of tradition, it’s hard for the other to stand up for it, if that makes sense, so I definitely sympathize a lot with Aine! I hope that Francie will be able to figure out what’s bothering Aine soon, because it seems to be affecting her both mentally and physically, which is so sad! I hope she feels better after her fall. <3
AhHH, Lily seems to be avoiding Francie. She should address the kiss at the party! It’s only right! I really love reading about Francie’s exploration of her own identity; it’s written so honestly that I feel so much love for her as she tries to puzzle out her feelings.
I am really really enjoying this story!! Thank you for writing it! <3
Love, Eva
Author's Response:Hi! Thank you so much for the review! I definitely think we see a different side of Aine in this chapter! I have actually thought about what I see Aine as doing after she leaves Hogwarts and I am so undecided! I definitely think she'd be interested in pursuing professional Quidditch but I also think she's a bit more of an intellectual than we generally see her as being (potentially because Francie and her don't share Aine's favourite class, History of Magic). But yeah it actually makes me quite sad writing her like this because as I've said she's one of my favourites! I don't want to see her down.
Yeah I agree haha I think Francie was in the wrong! I think she's unconciously distancing herself from Aine for a lot of reasons and she's trying to intellectualise it and make everything she does make like 'logical' sense so she doesn't have to admit to herself that the problems in their friendship aren't just Aine's fault!
Thank you so much again for your review! Honestly every single review you've left has left such a smile on my face! I can't tell you how nice they all are to read.
Oh, no, is Aine okay? Sometimes I think that I understand the kind of personality that she has, and then at other times she feels like a true enigma -- which is so true of people in real life, and makes me remember that I shouldn’t be so quick to judge people when I don’t know them very well, even characters! I love how you capture such a complex person in Aine; I am concerned for her and frustrated with her at the same time (as one often feels with many people in our lives hahah), and I’m hopeful that she’ll become more open-minded in the future! She’s likely my favorite character so far, even though she’s so contrary, because I love the thought and time that you’ve put into building her as a person. <3
Ooh, a detail that I cannot remember if I’ve mentioned before but that I continue loving: Lily’s glasses!! I feel like it’s actually a trend not to give the Potter kids glasses -- and if they do have glasses then it’s either James or Albus. But I’ve never seen a Lily with glasses, and I love it! It makes sense that someone would have inherited Harry’s poor eyesight, hehe.
LILY POTTER IS AN ENIGMA TOO. I am so curious about what she’s up to! What she’s thinking! Does she not remember the kiss? Does she want to pretend that she’s not attracted to girls?
The way that Francie felt herself open up after the kiss with Lily is so so beautiful -- I think you captured that feeling unbelievably well. Onto the next chapter!! <3
Love, Eva
Author's Response:Yeah I think Aine is such a difficult character! Like I know I said about two responses ago that as the writer I ~~get~~ Lily, but there are definitely parts of Aine that I don't even quite know about. I think part of Aine's complexity is definitely in the telling- like this story is so much about Aine and Francie's friendship, and because Francie is the narrator her feelings about Aine change from day to day and influence which side of Aine we see. I love her though! Even though she doesn't always behave well I agree she's one of my favourites. Like, we can't all be easy, pleasent people all the time, especially not when we're 18, and I think in many ways Aine /is/ trying her best, it's just harder for her than other people.
Omg I'm so glad you like the glasses!! I have also noticed that people never portray Lily as wearing glasses and as a glasses wearer I disapprove ha! I
Thank you so much again for the lovely review! And all the other reviews! I appreciate it so much.
Aine’s insecurities about her clothes/body at the beginning are so relatable -- I feel like it’s something that a lot of girls experience, so I definitely empathized with her a lot there! She’s such a fascinating character, and I love looking at her and thinking about her personality. To me, she seems a little bit like someone who loves looking critically at the injustices of the world, but who never looks critically at her own privilege and position of power. This to me is exemplified by her conversation with Tess, who I’ve just realized is Dean Thomas’s daughter haha, about the privilege of being Professor Thomas’s daughter -- and Aine doesn’t seem to recognize that she gets a very similar privilege by being (I assume) Dean’s goddaughter. It’s so interesting! She’s so quick to criticize that I wonder if she gets enough positivity in her life.
So glad that Francie’s not the kind to be jealous! I shall strive to be like her in the future; it’s such an amazing way of living, not to be influenced negatively by the qualities of others!
Oh my goodness, the full name! Truly, I think using someone’s full name is a sign of serious fondness, and Lily Potter most definitely seems very fond of Francie. I MEAN, THE KISS. I am astonished and wowed and amazed!!! I love these two already, so so much, and I eagerly await future confrontations! :D
Love, Eva
Author's Response:Yeah you're definitely right about Aine! I think its actually quite interesting to contrast her with Tess who I think is actually in many ways a quite similar character to her? Like I haven't really explicitly talked about it in the story yet (although maybe I'll get there at some point, who knows haha), but Aine and Tess do know each other really well, they're good family friends! I imagine them as having been quite friendly as children but grown apart after starting Hogwarts (even though they're in the same house). Also I think they have a similar attitude of maybe being a bit ungenerous to others and cold at times, and also having the almost 'sidekicky' friend who is a bit nicer than them? But Tess is much more socially relaxed so is in a completely different position to Aine. I do think it's interesting to compare them though because yeah, they're actually very similar, at least in my head!
Looool it is when the full name comes in that you know what's happening haha. I'm glad you liked the kiss! It's always such a stressful thing, breaking all the tension you've created.
Thank you so much for your lovely review! I really appreciate it.
I love your writing so much -- it’s so soothing when you describe the changing weather and the passage of time! I always find myself utterly enchanted, and I just want to plop myself down right in the middle of Hogwarts and experience such lovely changes alongside the lucky students. :P
Why does Lily continue to sit far away from Francie! FRANCIE IS LOVELY, LILY. I am so beyond curious as to the reason behind Lily’s odd behavior; it really seemed, in that first chapter, that Lily was a generally shy, lovely person, so I’m really hoping that there’s nothing malicious behind Lily’s actions! For now, I will stick with my theory that Lily is simply very awkward. I can definitely understand being so awkward to the point where you attempt to avoid speaking to strangers. :D
SDGHSK the way Francie immediately decided legilimency was immoral when Aine read her mind! I was absolutely in stitches hahaha. I wonder what it is about Gideon that made Aine so disoriented; perhaps we’ll find out at the party?
!!! It absolutely makes sense that the magical community would be fascinated by odd Muggle quirks that we don’t even notice -- it’s so clever that you thought of this! I always love these little world-building details that amazing authors like you think about; it adds so much depth to a world that we’re already very familiar with.
I’m excited to see where the party goes! <3
Love, Eva
Author's Response:Hi!! Hahaha I always worry I'm being very English & weather obsessed when I write about the weather but I can always imagine it so vividly when I'm writing so I'm glad it works! I definitely imagine Hogwarts would be a very weathery place so it seems like the right thing to do to talk about it.
Loool the legilimency thing actually came about so randomly like I just thought oh yeah that's probably something seventh year charms students would do, then I suddenly realised that the way that Francie feels like Aine knows her so well she can almost tell what she's thinking is so close to legilimency haha! I'm always really interested in what the characters are actually learning about in their lessons and how it all works so it's just so good when it all works out so I can make jokes like that haha.
Which brings me too!! "Amazing author" I am blushing so much!!! You are too kind!! I have always thought that one of the really interesting things about the world JKR created is the way we can think about how it intersects with our own world (like I have pretty strong headcanons on how their economic system works in conjunction with the muggle one even though she never actually explained it), but it also goes the other way, like there are so many things that we barely understand about the way our own 'muggle' world works- political systems, obscure bits of history, etc., that if you were learning about our world you'd probably have to learn about quite quickly? Sort of how native speakers of a language never understand the grammar rules that they instinctively abide by- I definitely think of advanced muggle studies as being quite a lot like learning another language, it's just that the 'language' is existing in the muggle world. Idk if that makes sense but yeah haha!
Thank you so much for this review! It honestly put such a smile on my face :---)
I am so fond of Francie. She’s a very ordinary person, which I absolutely love because most of us are ordinary people (or I know I definitely am :P), and so I love seeing her mildness and open-mindedness and caution. This chapter made the Aine pattern all the clearer -- it really seems like Aine is one of those people who likes to preach about social justice issues in the abstract without being kind to the people directly surrounding her. I truly understand her, because I was like that in school at times, and she’s only a teenager, but I want to know why she hates everyone so, and why she’s so vicious to Lily in particular.
It does sound like Aine’s jealous -- Francie mentions that Aine questions her numerous times about her quietness after the party, which sounds a little bit like Aine’s paranoid about something. I hope that this friendship dynamic isn’t too unhealthy for Francie; I feel like Aine can be quite overbearing at times and vicious about her opinions.
I’m also curious about Lily!! First of all, it’s terribly exciting that Francie and Lily are Potions partners (and also probably a good thing that Aine is not in the class, haha), but I do want to know why Lily didn’t apologize after spilling the dragon blood! Was it mortification? Was she shocked? Or did she genuinely think she didn’t need to apologize? Whatever it is, I am excited to find out!
Don’t badmouth Lily behind her back while she’s a few feet away, Aine! Don’t be that person!!! D:
This is so wonderful so far! <3
Love, Eva
Author's Response:Hi! Thank you so much for this review! It's so nice reading what you think! I definitely think Francie gets less mild over the story lol, which is part of her ordinariness I hope! Like I think we're not all born Aine style firebrands, and learning to be more assertive is such a classic ~teenage~ thing to go through so I really wanted to make that part of Francie's story haha. But yeah you're sooo right about Aine!!! It was definitely me in school at times too haha, I think it is again a classic part of growing up.
Yeah Lily is quite a mysterious figure! she definitely opens up a bit eventually but I found it quite hard writing her because I guess as her writer I like /get/ why she does certain stuff or acts a certain way in a way that Francie never will or should, but at the same time because Francie is my narrator I have to maintain some distance? So it's all about finding a balance between Lily's mystery, what Francie gets to 'discover' about her, and what will have to remain ~~~hidden~~~
Thank you so much again for the review!
hey, popping back in for rvg!
i love your prose so, so much - the visual of "rotting in bed while absently finishing off forms" is just such a priceless way of describing the anxieties many of us feel about these kinds of situations. (oh god have i been there.)
i just love francie's defensiveness and deflection here so much - i think it's just such a great illustration of how so many of us feel when we're still just trying to process something that we feel like other people won't understand. (which is often a valid fear! i totally feel why she feels that way about aine.)
amazing job!
Author's Response:Hi! Thank you so much for your review! Yeah haha I think I somehow always end up in bed when I'm filling out forms, it's such a thing for me and I've definitely transferred it to Francie haha! When I'm writing Francie and Aine I do think with both of them it's definitely a sort of game of deflection, defence and reflection- like I think their relationship is definitely a lot about unspoken stuff, and they've got to the point where they aren't really understanding each other anymore so the deflection has become all the more intense if that makes sense? Thank you so much again for the review!
HELLO. I DO LOVE LILY/OC STORIES. And your writing is so atmospheric and lovely in this -- I’m so excited to get to read about how Francie and Lily fall in love! Even though I don’t know the first thing about smoking, it definitely provides this lovely ~aesthetic~ and makes me want to watch this scene in a movie. :P Honestly, Lily sounds like a very sweet girl! That brief conversation she had with Francie + Aine made her seem so shy and charming.
My heart kept sinking when Aine showed signs of disgust and then kept badmouthing Lily the next day! I understand Aine’s concern about the institution and the wealthy, but there’s nuance, I think, that she should consider more carefully. Obviously it’s not great for any person to be born into a massively rich household -- really messes with your sense of privilege and worldview, I’d imagine -- but I feel like someone like Lily absolutely is not taking advantage of her fame and wealth, based on what we’ve seen. (Lily’s also underage, so she can’t do many philanthropic things yet like donating to charities, I’d imagine.) IDK I JUST DON’T WANT ANYONE BADMOUTHING LILY. I WILL PROTECT HER. >:(
There seems to be a minor bit of jealousy in Aine, which, to be honest, is entirely fair. Honestly, I’ve been that teenager, so I do relate to her. She’s not an immediately-must-hate kind of character, which I love -- I can tell that Aine’s going to be three-dimensional and well-developed, and I’m curious to see how these relationships all go!
Love,
Eva
Author's Response:Hi! Thank you so much for all your reviews! I'm so glad the image of them all out in the garden smoking works for you! I think I conceive of my stories in quite a visual way? Like even though in some ways Francie is quite an internal person, I can definitely *see* her in all the places she goes, having the conversations she's having in quite a cinematic way. This conversation was so vivid for me, especially as a starting point, so I'm glad it was aesthetically good haha.
Yeah I totally think the teenage thing really plays into Aine's badmouthing of Lily! Like when you're that age and you're trying to order the world it's a lot harder to perceive nuance in people around you- I think for Aine, Lily ~~represents~~ something she doesn't like as well as being personally jealous of her, so she finds it really easy to equate wealth with moral inferiority, even if that isn't necessarily the case.
Thank you so much again for your review!
ahhh I have so many thoughts about what's going on with Aine and god while she frustrates me (especially at the start of the story) I'm really empathizing with her now because it's pretty obvious that something serious is going on and she needs help even if no one is really picking up on that :( not sure how I feel about Francie and Lily either at this point tbh, I agree with Francie, it does kind of feel like Lily is picking at them and sort of hoping she's the reason there appears to be a rift and nothing about that says "good relationship" to me and with how comfortable Francie is becoming with her sexuality like, this is just who I am and how I am, I want her to be with someone who feels the same way ;__; either way, looking forward to reading more in the future hopefully!!
Author's Response:Hello!!! Thank you so much for your review! Yeah hopefully at this point in the story it's becoming clear that Aine isn't just willfully really difficult (although she's definitely still a difficult person beneath all the stuff going on with her I think lol) and that Lily is maybe no angel! I think tbh Lily could never have been that great a person for Francie narratively because it'd kind of be too neat to have Francie's like '''journey of self discovery''' (sorry cannot think of a less grim way to put that haha) be an entirely positive thing for her? Like if it got her out of a pretty toxic friendship, made her know who she was and then have the "perfect" gf then it just wonuldn't feel truthful to me haha, although maybe that's because I'm a bit of a miserabilist in my writing. But yeah I totally agree that there's a rlly important tension between Francie's increasing comfort with who she is and what she wants to be, and Lily being quite stuck in how she's decided things have to be if that makes sense? Anyway, I'll be so interested to see what you think abt where the story goes as it continues and thank you so much again for your review! x
I'm really enjoying this so far!! I like how I can kind of sense the gay/queer vibes even though obviously the characters are either oblivious or purposefully ignoring what's going on and it all feels very relatable to me and to my own high school/teenage experience in that sense!! I'm also a sucker for a heroine/mc who is more on the average side of things but not in a typical way, I just like normal people leading stories and Francie is very normal and she's just kind of doing her thing and trying to get through, with normal frustrations and doubts and weaknesses and I just really like that and am looking forward to reading more!
Author's Response:Hi! Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad the whole obliviousness vibe worked for you! It's so true to my own experience and I think to some extent part of that experience is like the feeling that maybe it's just you and that everyone else knows immediately or is totally sure of themselves, and I think in writing this I had a bit of a flash of like ooh maybe it really was just me so it's good ot hear that it feels true to life haha. Thanks again for the review! :)
Hey!
So I think that I read chapter 3 before 2 somehow! Oops. I guess if anything seems out of place in three then you know why! anyway back to RvG.
So I was struck by their friendship in chapter 3 but I thought it was interesting that Francie is kinda aware of her friendship with Aine means that perhaps she can't be as friendly with other people. She knows how people view Aine but doesn't seem to care too much but Aine is really nice to her. It's cool to find out that Aine is a Finnigan. I love a little throwback to the Harry Potter days by including the familiar names.
I think it's nice to see that you've put a lot of thought into exploring the female friendship in her life though. I want to see how it develops. I kinda wanna see this from Aine's POV too like how would she feel about it? I think it does lead me to think that their friendship possibly being a bit unhealthy is rather true. I like that you throw in a bit of head canon about the school getting bigger and more able to have rooms for people to sleep in. I think that obviously helped build that idea of Aine and Francie being very much a duo.
Poor Francie getting covered in blood by Lily! I wonder what was going through Lily's mind at this point. She's not doing a lot to get rid of this narrative that Aine seems to have written for her as the spoilt chosen one's daughter which Aine seems kinda obsessed with at this point. I like the chapter gave us more of an inside with Aine but I'm still unsure about I like about her. I fee like I do like her but I'm just concerned for Francie's sake honestly. I may be missing something that what house are Aine and Franice suppose to be in? Not hufflepuff? also love Lily as a hufflepuff, don't think I've saw it done before.
anyway good chapter!
Abbi xx
Author's Response:Hello again! I actually don't think it matters that much if chapters two and three are swapped around haha like I guess chronologically two needs to come first but narratively I think it develops fine if you go three then two so hopefully it won't mess up your ~reading experience~ too much.
I think I said in a previous response but I genuinely could've written this story from Aine's point of view! I do think maybe after I've finished TOS I might do a shorter bit of writing from Aine's point of view although for reasons which I think will become clearer later on it would be difficult to make it as expansive as Francie's point of view. This is very much Aine's story too, though, even if she isn't necessarily the direct focus of Francie's attention. The idea for this story really came into my head as the concept of someone coming in from the outside (Lily) and disrupting a very close duo (Aine and Francie), so even though clearly the narrative in Francie's mind is about her own exploration of her sexuality and relationship with Francie, the narrative of what is actually happening is very much about Aine too.
Francie and Aine are in Gryffindor and I actually think you're right and I maybe don't mention that haha! I probably should find a way to work it in a bit earlier because it becomes clear in a few chapters time but yeah... definitely should have a think about how to bring that up!
Thank you so much again for the lovely review :)
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