Name: beyond the rain (Signed) · Date: 27 Aug 2020 01:57 PM · For: migration patterns

I have no idea how I'm going to get all my thoughts and feelings in one review because oh my god this was such a rollercoaster. A good rollercoaster too (Not that I've been on many, my days at Blackpool Pleasure Beach are long since behind me.) - but asdfgfdsasdghgfds hello Rikki! I am here to review your excellent entry to my underrated character challenge. 

 

A perfect start, not for Perry, but for the readers!!!! Holy heck!!! "He only grunts in acknowledgement when Pa says that he loves him" - I love how this was a really important moment to Perry's dad and yet Perry's just like....ice cream. It was so natural and realistic because in life, that's how it goes. You don't know something important is happening until it's happened. Well, mostly, not counting big life events like graduation etc. I was going to review this in a live-response style, but then I got too caught up in the fic. However, I will say, I like that Perry's father jumps ship at the earliest opportunity whereas his mother is desperate to stay with him forever. Perry is a nice blend between the two, he leaves, but he will return. He's loyal, but not...clingy? I want to say? 

 

Charlie and Perry. They could have been friends. It could have been the beginning of who Perry really was, and led him down a different path entirely. I'm picturing a brotherly figure, who introduces him to a team of suspicious Weasleys who eventually become...less suspicious? Then again, I don't think Perry chilling in the Lion's den would be right for him. Imagine: Perry's not a normal Slytherin, we like him. The stereotype still would have been hanging over his head, and it would have been a whole mess of beliefs and conflicting opinions etc. It's an alternate reality I would like to see but I know it wouldn't play out well for him either. Is there such a thing as a happy ending for this boy? Why won't you give us one? Why do you hate me Rikki, w h y ? 

 

You keep giving Perry more Gryffindors and I don't like that I like this. Colin!!!!! Another weakness, why would you give me Colin Creevey, my best boy?! These two are so different, and yet I'm not sure if Colin brings out the best in him - or if the best was already in Perry? Does he want to apologise because it's the right thing to do, or because Colin is such a beacon of goodness and purity that he inspires the rest of the world to be slightly less terrible? I can't decide, I'm still sat here an hour after reading this masterpiece trying to work it out. 

 

We also need to talk about Bole. I think that Bole definitely likes the sound of his own voice, but he's almost entirely alone in that opinion. So why wouldn't he have Perry around? I don't think he's using Perry, but once he got his own opinions and started defending himself, we saw Bole break away a little bit. Perry needs people, needs to be able to blend in - and Bole needs an entourage. They have each other's back...kind of...it's complicated but I love it. Like it's such a realistic and imperfect friendship to the point where I was shouting at Bole - don'T YOU DARE GO AND FIGHT WITH THE DEATH EATERS YOU LITTLE SHIT  - do I like these characters? I mean, the fact is they hate muggleborns and have these opinions that I do not like at all. Then at the same time, do they really have these opinions? The fact that they've expressed them is enough for me to be unhappy with Bole and Perry, but at the same time, their feelings sort of move with the tide. Which you captured perfectly here:Fucking You-Know-Who, he continues, in the same way he had said fucking Harry Potter just two years back. Like they’re the same. I just get the vibe that they're two angry boys who weren't very popular in school, aren't particularly gifted, and they're bitter. Bole is a lot more bitter than Perry obviously. Classic "nice guy" vibe, except Bole doesn't even hide that he's not a Nice Guy, in fact he thinks he's allowed to be trash.

 

Oh Higgs. It was such a sweet, intense moment when Higgs pours his heart out and this idiot, absolute IDIOT Perry - is like...I need to go see Penny. No, you numpty, you do not!!! Do that later!!! Sort out your priorities Perry! That bit had me, I was like are they....will they - and then he yeets. NO COME BACK! Then, of course, like I said earlier - he always does. EXCELLENT. Their relationship is so complex, but I'm gonna say it again Rikki, it's realistic. Your writing, from the dialogue to the thought process, all of it is so natural and authentic and I love. all. of. it. asdghjhfdsa I have so many emotions about this. 

 

I'm in two minds about him needing to make amends with Dennis, because he doesn't really. It's just for Perry's peace of mind, so he knows his conscience isn't clear. In my mind, there isn't really anything he can do to undo....life? What happened? I'm not sure if he's genuine and confused, or if it's all just a bit performative. Then again, I don't think Perry has it in him for grand, empty gestures. So, I like this, and again, it feels right....but yes Perry you have confused me. The ending was excellent, of course, oF COURSE THERE IS A PHOTO. This is my sweet, wonderful boy Colin, who captured the perfect moment. As did you. You and Colin are the same. 

 

This is quite possibly one of the best pieces of fanfiction I have read in years. Definitely the best one shot ever, without a doubt. I don't think the ending needs to be resolved as such, but you definitely wrote it well. My advice to you is that you should definitely look into writing Migration Patterns 2: life after the battle - and give me more of this. Please and thank you!!! Seriously though, this was [chef's kiss] pure excellence. I loved all of it!! 

 

Name: magnifique (Signed) · Date: 19 Jul 2020 07:50 PM · For: migration patterns

HELLO RIKKI I'M HERE TO REVIEW!!!

Okay first off I love the start of this, I love the vibe that you've established like we're investigative reporters and we're here to discover the TRUTH. I feel like Perry is going to become my favorite character, how dare you. Anyway.

okay.... what the fuck I'm crying and im only FOUR PARAGRAPHS IN SLKDFJSLKF PERRY ;-; SKDFJSLKFJSF WHY DID HIS FATHER LEAVE HIM HOW DARE THIS BE A THING ;-; my heart cant take this, his mom's concern, and freaking out about him going to hogwarts and perry is just kind of doing his thing and he's not worried because he doesn't know to be worried ;-;

"Perry spends the rest of the train ride in another compartment, the sandwich Ma packed him keeping him company enough." I still hate this line and by hate I mean love because I am so EMOTIONAL ;-; little baby perry Deserves Better,,,,

OKAY THAT ENTIRE BIT WITH CHARLIE LKSDFSKLFJSLKFJ my son is such a good person ;-; and perry just??? god this is heartbreaking rikki, it's lovely and its heartbreaking and it really feels like, what being 11 and awkward and fat is like I HATE IT but also i love it and this line "Neither of them talk. It’s perfect." was beautiful goodbye.

okay i love that he has friends but I HATE HOW THEY'RE RUINING HIS SOFTNESS And they're like who cares about the lost hufflepuff, PERRY DOES BECAUSE LAST YEAR PERRY WAS THE LOST SLYTHERIN SKDFJSLFKJ and i hate how they made him insecure about charlie like it just really goes to show who you're friends with has a humongous impact on who you are as a person ;-;

"And the lard asked me to Hogsmeade! I didn’t know what to do." wow FUCK emma I hate Her that bitch ksjdfhskjfhsdkj but also, i knew so many 13 year olds like that and im skull.emoji asf

"Perry avoids the third floor corridor. He’s not a main character, after all." THIS IS SUCH A GOOD LINE TF !!!!!!! you're such a good writer rikki i cant teach me ur ways,,,,

SKDFSLKF COLIN !!!!!!!!! WTF !!!! I can't believe,,,, but also I love how you're incorporating canon events and making Perry relevant but in such a way that ofc he would never be mentioned in the books but he's -there- and it's just so good and the flow is Just Right.

and then perry tries to talk to colin and ofc because he's a slytherin and he's been a bully that's what is assumed is happening but IT'S SO UNFAIR LSDFSLK

okay i thought the luna part would be good and it was but it was also sad and it just feels like perry is losing everything that he felt he could have to himself and everything that felt right and it's JUST SO UNFAIR SLDKFJS

SDLKFSKF HIGGS SLDKSF "I promise, Higgs says, leaning closer. I promise I promise I promise—" this really got me rikki i mean this whole thing is just Getting to me but this bit,,, this is just, wow okay i am emotional and skdsf everything is just so ROUGH for them and it's so sad

"He doesn’t say it out loud, but he thinks: life isn’t just magic." this is a beautiful line get out

look the whole bit about the war and bole and their fight is chilling but then you get to this line "If Bole hadn’t been knocked out, he would have killed him." and it just hits home even more and ffs skjdhfsf I want Perry to have been better but I also empathize with him so much. 

"The picture ends up on Higgs’s bedside table all framed and nice. Perry smiles every time he sees it. Especially when it becomes their bedside table." WOW WE LOVE THE GAY ;-; <3 

AND THE END !!! FUCK !!! THE END WAS SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!! i love how you tied together the animal and bird and migration metaphor - and how all of these awful things that perry either did, or watched happen, did actually end up making him a better kind of person in the end ???? and i just want more perry content now, thank you, I have so many feelings ksjfdhddskjfs

Author's Response:

It's been a couple months, but I'm finally responding to your review heheh ????

I'm glad that you get an investigative reporter vibe, even though I sort of just used it for an aesthetic effect, but whoops. It sort of varies in theme, I think, which is something I'm trying to work on (creating cohesive one-shots that aren't so long). I made most of this up on the fly though but yes, I really enjoyed the contrast between his father and his mother so much! and Baby Perry made me so emo too, I love him. What could have been, am I right?? And I adore Charlie so much. I think that Bole and Higgs are both very complex people and both have very grey morals (though I do think Higgs is more stereotypically good hahah). Like, Bole's annoying and irritating in a ton of ways, but we have to remember that he's still been Perry's first friend. But yeah, neither of them are relatively soft, and as a Slytherin in the middle of the Second Wizarding War, there's no way that Perry was going to stay so soft. At least it happened with his friends! And yeah, I hate Emma too. That part made me sad :( AND HAHAH PLEASE I am not you need to teach me YOUR ways!! And YES Colin Creevey is my literal favorite I'd write more of him if I had time. 

What's interesting about the whole dynamic with Colin is that this kid is such a lynchpin for a lot of Perry's growth but in the long run, Perry is not really that important for Colin. I imagine that Colin was probably fascinated with Perry for a bit — and after Perry tried to talk to him, he just saw the good in Perry. He's always been this type of "innocent" in the books and personally I saw him as a vehicle for somebody who was just willing to see the good in Perry and accept it right off the bat. Higgs learns to understand it, and I don't think Bole ever does. But yeahhhh Perry and Higgs wasn't even supposed to happen but then I wrote it through and I was like ..... okay I see it, I'm going to have to write the romance aren't I. I didn't sign up for this!!!! So yeah, that "I promise" line didn't even come in until the second run. I think their relationship is also really interesting because in a lot of ways, while Perry is kinder than Higgs, Higgs is more open and vulnerable with his emotions. They definitely don't fit together perfectly, but there's something about them that just... makes sense. They improve each other in different ways.

And yeah! I really liked writing Perry's relationship with Bole as well, because it's a stark reminder that Perry just... isn't a great person. In the long run, he's okay, but he just is going to make some decisions that make sense for him and they don't necessarily align with a lot of our morality. It was a way for me to try to get into the viewpoint of other people who are like this, and I think as much as Perry tries to improve, he's never going to try enough. Even his actions throughout the course of the fic are more to assuage his own guilt than they are a way to make amends. On a lighter note, the photo line was also something that came in on a later run through too!!!

I'm really glad that you liked the end, I was pretty unsure about it. Thank you so much for this lovely review, you will absolutely not be getting any more Perry content ??