I loved the idea of Wizard Take-In food. What they had sounded great and now I am hungry. The Christmas tree and ornaments was really a lovely idea. It's nice that Harry and Snape had a good Christmas holiday together.
Author's Response: I actually came up with the concept of Wizard Order-In a couple of years ago, & I was waiting for the right time to get it into a story. I don't doubt Snape can cook, but sometimes you just want to take the easy out. And in Harry's case, allowing him carte blanche with the menus was strategic on Snape's part. (That man is soooo Slytherin!) Yes, I enjoyed doing the Christmas tree, but that idea literally came to me in the moment of writing, and it worked out beautifully-- yay! Thanks so much for another nice review, & sorry if I whetted your appetite! ;-)
Good chapter. I liked the way you contrast the quiet winter sunset and the joyful Christmas holiday against the hatred and violence of Harry's situation at the Dursley's. Having the odious Marge there was a nice touch.
Author's Response: Harry needs a sense of peace in his life, and the beauty of nature is one thing he can always count on to soothe his soul. As for Marge-- if there's one thing that can make Christmas with the Dursleys even WORSE, it's her! Thanks for another review!
Busted! If they hadn't had the Slytherin robes on, they might have gotten away with it. I think I enjoyed the 'female thing' explanation as much as Snape. The beginning with Mrs. Norris finding the unconscious boys was good, too.
Author's Response: Hee! As for the "female thing"-- I think poor Ron was at somewhat of a disadvantage, coming from a predominantly male household. So Harry stepped in! It kinda makes me wish I could've seen Hermione's reaction BEFORE Snape ripped open the curtains! And yes, I just had to have Mrs. Norris in this story! Proof that she doesn't just stalk curfew-breaking Gryffindors! Thanks for the review!
Happy Christmas! Thanks for sharing this neat story.
Author's Response: Thanks for reading, and especially for letting me know you enjoyed it! Merry Christmas! :-)
Excellent idea using the tree and decorations to show Harry's treatment at the Dursleys. Also a good description of nature and the lace.
Author's Response: It still amazes me that I did not plan that Christmas tree to play an active role-- it just HAPPENED at the moment I began writing the scene! All of a sudden, my pen ran away with the story (yes, I write by hand!), and the tree took on a life of its own! But I've discovered that much of the stuff that I DIDN'T consciously plan in advance often works out far better than whatever I'd had in mind, so I just hang onto my pen and enjoy the ride! Wild!!! Also, thanks for your compliment about describing nature & lace-- I've wanted to use "winter lace" in a story for so long, and I just loved getting it to work out here! Many thanks for reading and taking the time to review! And Merry Christmas, too! :-D
Awww cute :) Such a lovely christmas story! Good job!
Author's Response: Thank you so much! It's always a challenge to try to bring something "new" to Harry Potter, but this story was a lot of fun to write! And, of course, I love seeing Snape turn over a new leaf where Harry is concerned! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Merry Christmas! :-)
I'll admit it, I teared up a bit when they ripped the scarf up..little wankers.
But this was adorable..Happy Christmas :)
Author's Response: Oh, yes-- that was quite shocking! I could hardly bear to WRITE it! But Slytherins are ... well, Slytherins. More's the pity. And I needed to address the idea that Draco had put 2 & 2 together concerning Crabbe, Goyle, & catgirl! And then, of COURSE, Draco wants revenge-- NOT an auspicious way to begin Christmas day! Many thanks for reading and reviewing! Glad you got a kick out of it! ;-)
This is really good.
Author's Response: Glad you enjoyed reading it! Thanks for taking the time to let me know you liked it! Merry Christmas!
Aww that was beautiful. Cruel Slytherins!
Author's Response: Oh, yes! Draco just HAD to go and ruin everything! But I wanted to build a bit on canon, and we never actually got to see Hermione in the Hospital Wing or what happened to Crabbe & Goyle, so I decided to revisit the aftermath of the Polyjuice episode. Still, as traumatic as it turned out, the result was to get our two fave characters together for Christmas dawn, so it worked out, even if I deliberately left a bunch of stuff open-ended. Many thanks for reading and the reviews! Merry Christmas!
This is beautiful! I love the tree!
Author's Response: Thanks! :-) Like I said in my text, I hadn't consciously planned for the tree to play an active role-- it was just going to be sitting there on the table while Harry became very defensive responding to Snape's questions-- but the scene took on a life of its own when my pen ran away with the story! (I write much better with a pen than with a computer-- when the computer does its own thing, it's NEVER good... :-P ) Thanks for the review!
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