Awesome start, Clell! I have to say, you are fast becoming one of my favorite authors. And that is in spite of my being a fairly serious Harry/Ginny shipper.
I thought that the mail sorting categories were hilarious. They reminded me of Heinlein's /Stranger in a Strange Land/.
And don't knock the potential maturity of a teenager as far as relationships go. My brother (aged 36) is halfway through the 3rd year of the most stable, healthy, mature relationship of his life, with a girl that he STILL cannot take out to a bar! And it is intended as a true compliment, not a wisecrack on his prior relationships. And who said anything about a 'love' interest? Tonks would make an awesome shag buddy.
The Hat singing Floyd? Awesome! I'll bet the Hat would be fun to get stoned with. The stories it could tell...
Unlike most of the rest of the reviewing public, I think that your Ron/Hermy dynamic is great. As smart as she is, she is still a hormonally active teen, and contrary to what the purveyors of prudishness in our society would have believed, teenage girls are just as interested in getting laid as teenage boys. (Maybe more so, as most teenage boys aren't capable of multiple orgasms.) After so many 'Ron drugged Hermione' stories (yours included), a 'Hermy boffed Red cuz she had an itch, and kept doing it cuz he scratched real good' is refreshingly normal. That does not mean, however, that I won't experience withdrawal if I can't get my 'Acts of Betrayal' fix. Soon. Twitch
Author's response
- Thank you. I've just never been able to wrap my mind around Harry/Ginny.
- Heinlein is one of my inspirations.
- Certainly there are mature teens. The vast majority however couldn't pour piss out of a boot with directions written on the heel.
- Not just Floyd, the hat managed the instrumentation and chorus as well... (I almost had it do Money)
- I recall far too many of my female friends who believed they loved utter bastards just because the clown was good in the sack.