14%Wow, that was wonderful, and so amusing. I almost feel sorry for Harry, but not really. His little girl is all grown up and it seems he's finally realized that trying to stop her only makes things worse. He'll just have to move past the trampolining (which, incidentally, I would love to see Ginny's explanation of). Of course as far as explanations go, Mathew's to Harry should also be great(ly amusing). I am eagerly looking forward to Tuesday.
Author's Response: I think Hope has changed massively over the course of the story, and Ginny's had a whole week to work on making Harry see sense. He seems ok about the whole thing, mostly because he knows Matthew and knows he's not just taking advantage of a very happy Hope.
If I ever get bored I'll write the Ginny trampolining talk! LOL
I really like Harry in this chapter; he's just how I think he would be, in canon and in your universe. I don't know, somehow, in all his overprotective glory, he seems like the perfect father to me, like we'd all be lucky to have a father like him, and I really like that feeling about this chapter. It's all about Hope realizing what's always been there, from her parents not being ridiculous, to her love for Matthew and everything in between.
I can't wait for Tuesday's part. I've been dying for some good Harry stuff, because I really can't wait to see how he really feels.
Spectacular :)
Author's Response: Ginny's been talking to Harry a lot behind the scenes while Hope's been down in Cornwall. He's now seeing just how much Matthew is a good thing for Hope, and he's not going to interfere with that. Glad you enjoyed it!
An excellent chapter (or former first half!). The first part, where Hope and Matthew share more about their past love affairs, was very good. The sort of discussion they are capable of having at that point really bodes well for their future. Will there be more about Hope and Julius in the chapter about Julius's birthday party? It seems inevitable.
Like 'trampolining', the elephant and peanut metaphors were hilarious. I love the humour in this story. The talk between Ginny and Hope was heartwarming. Now I'm really curious what happens between Harry and Matthew.
Author's Response: Yes, there will be a bit more about Hope and Flint at the party. Not to mention a fair bit of bristling between Julius and Matthew now! They are both being honest (Matthew & Hope) so it is boding pretty well for the future.
Matthew and Harry will be along tomorrow!
Peace in the Potter household!! Ginny Potter is fantastic, and I can't wait to read the second half read how Harry's really feeling.
And Matthew...what a speech to Harry about how his own father was never there...that would melt the coldest heart! : ) He's perfect!!! LOVE him!
Another wonderful chapter, Imogen!!!
Author's Response: Awww. Glad you enjoyed it. I had quite a lot of fun with it once Darren actually made me write the thing. I think the second half is funnier than the first, and I'd love to know what Ginny tells Holly about trampolining!
Aw, YAY! Really lovely. And funny as well--your elephant/peanut joke had me in stitches. I feel like I should use it next time one of my students asks about extended metaphors...
Can't wait til Tuesday!
Author's Response: I couldn't resist the elephant and the peanut thing. I got to thinking about how adults can have an adult conversation in front of a kid, without the kid realising the content and it was the only way to go!
Just remember, elephants DON'T Apparate!
Ahh - lovely stuff. Well worth the wait. Poor Holly's getting more information than she really wanted, isn't she. That curiosity will get her into trouble one of these days...
Nice touch of Harry's to take Matt away so Ginny could talk to Hope. He can be quite sensitive sometimes can't he?
Author's Response: LOL Do you think it was sensitivity, or (a) did he want to escape the topic at hand or (b) did he want the chance to grill poor old Matthew on his own? At least Holly can rest assured that elephants actually don't Apparate ;)
Great new chapter! I really enjoyed the Harry and Ginny bits (always love those!). how close are we to the end? Will we get any epilogue? Thanks!
Author's Response: Very close to the end. I'm redoing Flint's party right now, then there's just the epilogue to come. Of course, the second half of this chapter will show you Harry's reaction a lot better than you've seen so far. That'll be posted Tuesday.
Wheres the other chapter?????? Iwanna read it!!!!!
Author's Response: It's posted now :)
oh my dear me! you've done it again Imogen! Not that it is really that surprising, because this amazing peice of work is the norm for you but this is a whole new level of . . .perfection. way too cute! matthew's reaction was classic! absolutly love it! But do we really have to wait all the way till July 26th?! are you sure you dont want to give us over on this side of the pond a nice 4th of July treat?! it would be greatly appreceated!
loves!
Sockless
Author's Response: Unfortunately 26th it is. I'm working mad hours at the moment and can't find any spare time at all. The bad news is that there are only 2 chapters and the epilogue left to go...
Eek - I haven't left a review yet - terribly remiss of me!
Suffice to say that was wonderful, and my favourite chapter to date. Hope really is Arthur Weasley's grand-daughter, isn't she? And Matt is now doomed - nothing matches the feeling of 'being loved back', and there ain't no cure, mate.
But enquiring minds need to know - did my wife bribe you to write Legolas into that???
Author's Response: No, she didn't. But I'm always open to bribes ;)
Well, I've finally gotten caught up reading this story. I'm quite enjoying it! I haven't read any of the other stories in this universe. The story is still very interesting to read. Its making sense too (I'm not left scratching my head over certain references or anything like that). Keep up the good work and I'm looking forward to the next chapter!
Author's Response: It's always been an aim with all of my fics, that although they're all interconnected you should be able to read them as separates and still know what's going on. Or mostly, anyway. Good to know that's true of this one. Thanks for letting me know you're enjoying :)
Okay, so I just posted, but this:
Full steam (literally) ahead.
requires a response.
YAY!!! We get more smut? :D
Author's Response: LOL, Not from me you don't (or not right now anyway), but Alphie has an outtake that follows on directly from this chapter. We'll get it up in the next few days for you to read.
I can't believe after the number of times I've checked for this you posted it in the morning and I didn't find it until late in the evening! *g*
It took her long enough! But when she finally did it, it was perfect. Like so many major moments in their relationship, it just slipped in there, no bells and whistles needed (even if Matthew thought it deserved them ;)).
*squees happily like a fangirl*
Author's Response: And this is why ou should join the mailing list ;)
Glad you approved ~ I felt like it was typically Hope for it just to slip out at some point, even catching herself unawares. Of course, now it means that the relationship is on a whole new footing. That's not something Hope's ever said to anyone before...
I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT!!! Admission of love=mad passion!!! Finally!!! I can see why this chapter is your favorite, Imogen. Such wonderful wonderful dialogue and humor. The whole film bit was hilarious--I laughed out loud!! I can't wait for the next installment (hehehe). Oh, and since I haven't mentioned it in a few weeks---I love Matthew Belford. : ) So glad you're feeling better again and up to giving us lots of yummy PA goodness!!!
Author's Response: Hehehe! He knew he needed to give her space to clear her head; once she'd worked out what was going on then... *grins* Just wait for Alphie's outtake! Full steam (literally) ahead.
It's about bloody time!
Author's Response: Yeah, but worth it when it happened ;)
Awwww.
"I read Tolkien's books long before I ever knew that magic really existed." -- so either Matt read LOTR before age 7, which would be awfully early, or he it took him years to figure out that the snake thing with his dad was really magic.... I assume by the time he got his Hogwarts letter he had a pretty good idea that he could make weird things happen.
Although the movie scene was hilarious, especially the bit with the folding chair, I'm not convinced it's really in character. As an auror, Hope ought to have studied Muggles some. (She just finished an assignment where she was supposed to act as one, after all.) At the very least she knows better than to talk about magic in public Muggle settings. Apart from that, it's hard for me to believe that any grandchild of Arthur Weasley's, and especially one with a muggle-raised parent, could possibly be that clueless. Kids adore grandparents, and Hope must have spent some time puttering about with Arthur, plus countless more hours listening to Arthur ask Harry about Muggle inventions.
Someone commented on Hope's being the person everyone hates in movie theaters....but really, wouldn't that be Matthew? Standing up and giving away the ending.... (I might have thought there was nothing to give away, but I'm always amazed at how many people didn't read LOTR years before seeing the movies.)
Matthew is so sweet! After Hope's ricidulous attempts to describe how she feels a few chapters back, he MUST have known she was in love with him. But no "I know" from him, and he focused much more on "she loves me" than on "she finally admitted it." I suppose this will go a good way towards curing some of his Hope-insecurities, but it would be too pat for them all to vanish immediately. For some time to come I expect him to have a quick moment of panic if he wakes up and Hope isn't still in bed, and I expect him still to feel threatened enough by Julius to be extra possessive of Hope at the upcoming party.
Good luck with your work. Is it still paper-grading, or are you on to something else?
Author's Response: Matthew wouldn't have realised the snake thing was magic at the time. I think he'd have slowly come to the realisation of what he was capable of over time. There's no reason why he couldn't be reading LotR at 8 or 9 ~ he read a lot as a small child - escapism? - so it's not unlikely.
I wondered that about the Muggle scene, then thought about it properly. Yes, there's a fair bit Hope does know, but not much of it is practical, and I'm willing to bet that neither Arthur nor Harry have ever done the Muggle cinema thing. I could see that being completely unchartered territory for her. Harry, I'm pretty sure, won't have really been too keen to keep in contact with the Muggle world, and Arthur's more fascinated with the gadgetry than anything else. I think as something which is completely Matthew, it's a viable choice for her to be on very unfamiliar territory.
You've got the Julius party reactions pegged very nicely - we'll get there soon, but there's a fair bit of bristling going on from both sides. If you talk nicely to me I'll show you the version I can't post because Julius wasn't co-operating!
Mwahahahaha!! :D:D I have to agree with you about this being a favorite chapter!!:D:D I can't say it's much better than that scene in Alpha and Omega when Harry says to Colin "protect her her from her husband" or something of the sort. Or the trampolining comment of Ginny's in Pensieve Affair. But still. Your genius is supreme and I bow down to you!
And Matt and Hope are just too cute!:P
Author's Response: I don't know that it's up there with the trampolining, but it was fun! Glad you enjoyed it :)
Ooh, a lovely chapter, thank you. Hope's problems with the cinema seat and then her comments while watching LotR made me laugh and cheered me up after a bad day.
I'm so glad she has finally acknowledged her feelings for Matthew and told him about them. Now Sunday lunch with the Potters and Julius's party to look foward too.....yippee.
Author's Response: Lovely to hear this cheered you up. A nice bit of fluff to pass the day with! It's only taken her 25 chapters to realise what she feels for him - no wonder he's a bit startled! Lunch with the Potters coming up next :)
I know I must be driving you absolutely bonkers with all the reviews but...I'd just remembered a scene out of Alpha and Omega just the other day: y'know, the one where Harry asks Arthur for Ginny's hand in marriage. When I started off with the Carpe Diem compendium, that particular scene just happened to be one of my favourites - especially when Arthur tells Harry and since Ginny was the only daughter he had, it would be tremendous fun making her husband-to-be sweat it out! Considering Hope is Harry's first daughter, I'm already wondering what "gauntlet" Harry will put Matt through, now that they're a couple (even if Matt doesn't ask for Hope's hand...or leg...or - oh, never mind!) ;)
I think the parallels (if there will be any) between Arthur and Harry when faced with their daughters' significant others will be fun to watch! *and now Leela falls back to everlasting lurkdom*
Author's Response: Don't think I've not thought about that. I'm going to go all mysterious and say 'wait and see'. Harry's not going to let him off lightly, that's for sure, and Matthew's not even asking to marry Hope.
Scroll back through the reviews though - there's a little spoiler for something to come that might amuse you!
I love Hope's first experience with the cinema. So charming! This chapter brings back a lot of warm and fuzzy memories of my recent trip to that region....thanks for helping me to bring it all back. Good luck with work and I'll look forward to your next update in a month.
Author's Response: Awww. Glad you liked it. Did you get to see this bit in your first read through or are we in unchartered territories now? Work is going... slowly but I'm getting there. Hoping to hit 25% done in a couple of days...
