melindaleo
Thursday 27th October 2011 14:01 | For Love of Family |
| Now you've done it! I'm all sniffly, and I have to run out the door to a class! Am I mistaken, or was the warmth Harry felt on his legs from the fire new? My ears perked up and a little thrill went up my spine, so I hope it was new. I can't bear the thought of my Harry never flying again! Oh, LOVE the thought of him with a Ferrari, btw! Would love to see Uncle Vernon's expression at that! |
| Thursday 27th October 2011 16:50 | For Love of Family (Author Response) |
Yes, Melinda, Harry feeling the warmth from the fire is a new development. He's still taking nerve regeneration potions and they're slowly helping to heal the severed nerves in his spinal cord. Remember Silvia told Ginny in the last chapter that she and Healer Stilwell were going to start him on pre-walking exercises after the holidays? It's because he's feeling so much more that that will be happening. So go ahead and squee all you want!
I hadn't thought about how his uncle's expression if he ever saw Harry in his Ferrari, but yes, that would definitely be worth the trouble for Harry to park in their drive and just sit there and gloat!
Thanks for reading. I'm looking forward to more of your reviews. |
hawkeye58
Sunday 31st July 2011 21:58 | For Love of Family |
| Great chapter, keeon writing |
| Sunday 31st July 2011 22:33 | For Love of Family (Author Response) |
| I will. Keep on reading. See you on Thursday... |
Grandma Kate
Saturday 30th July 2011 10:34 | For Love of Family |
| Well done. You have captured the cadence of everyday life and the trials of the unfamiliar journey. Poor Harry and Ginny have yet to communicate enough of what is bothering them to start to work toward a modification that will be better for each of them. Every couple needs to accept change. Harry and Ginny are just younger then many. |
| Saturday 30th July 2011 16:56 | For Love of Family (Author Response) |
| You're right about Harry and Ginny needing to accept the changes in their lives and marriage, but with the coming of the holidays and all they entail, they have not had the time or the privacy to really communicate. It sounds like you enjoyed the chapter and I'm glad you did. Thanks for writing to me. Until next Thursday... |
Patches
Saturday 30th July 2011 01:29 | For Love of Family |
| This is a bitter sweet Christmas for all the family. I'm glad Ginny isn't trying to do "everything" now. At least she is able to suggest things he might need in a way that doesn't embarrass or frustrate him. Giving him a choice of where to sit in the van was good. Lily and James got to share the individual seat. Harry got some rest after all the magic he used the day before. That was good and it was good he recognized his need to rest. It isn't unusual for family that hasn't been directly in contact with an injured family member to make obvious mistakes. Harry still has a lot of healing to do. Time will help all of that. It was amazing that George understood Harry wanting to give him the Ferrari and it was thoughtful of George to refuse and the reasons he did so. I hope Harry will be able to walk again and drive the car he loves again. That is way in the future however. I'm glad Harry was able to share how he felt before he proposed to Ginny with Teddy. I'm sure it did make Teddy feel better. It was also excellent when he offered to help Teddy with the wedding. Harry is very generous and Teddy is like a son to Harry. I was waiting for more of the intimate problems of Harry's condition to affect him and Ginny in their private moments. I can understand Ginny's frustration and anger over things not being what they were. A simple holding of hands is so important to a couple. I think the woman especially feels that gap in the relationship when an injury or illness interfer with the intimacy between a husband and wife. I have experienced that as my husband and I grow older. He has a very bad back and has never communicated well. That hasn't helped our older years together. I look forward to more of this story. I hope Harry can recover to a reasonable level so they can be happy together again. For Ginny, her hero has gone from vanquishing all the bad guys in his past to being confined to a wheelchair. I remember when my father had his first heartattack when I was 14. Suddenly overnight he physically seemed to shrink and wan't able to do what he had done before. Of course I was growing taller myself so that added to the change in my perspective. Then he was confined to the bed and house for months after he started to recover. I realized that my father was mortal for the first time in my life. That was a real shock to me. That is what Ginny and all the family are dealing with when they try to work out how to think and interact with Harry. The man who saved them all from V cannot even shrink his chair. p |
| Saturday 30th July 2011 18:09 | For Love of Family (Author Response) |
I meant to make this Christmas as awkward and bittersweet as it is because that’s the way life is. We all know that the first big holidays after a death or traumatic injury are the hardest for all involved because there’s either an absent person or the person afflicted is unable to participate fully in various activities; the rest of the family feels the absence acutely and needs to deal with those feelings.
The Potter Family is still learning to cope as a family unit again. It doesn’t help that the children are away at school, and even though they’ve been allowed to visit Harry, it’s not the same as living with his challenges day to day. The scenes of the journey were meant to show how the children were learning to adapt to what’s happened to their father.
I chose George as the Weasley brother to receive Harry’s offer of the Ferrari because of all of them George is the one who lost the most after the war: his identity as one half of the Weasley Twins. He understands what it’s like to lose a part of yourself you count on to be there every day, so he was able to reason with Harry and give him a modicum of hope.
Since the description of the Tonks house in DH terms it “modest,” I decided it wouldn’t be off-putting to Teddy for Harry to offer financial help when it comes to making the wedding a memorable one. I remember how expensive my own wedding was back in the ‘90s and I can’t imagine they’d be any less costly thirty years later!
Finally, thank you for sharing your personal story with me. I’ve discovered that of all my stories, this one seems to be eliciting the most real-life experiences from my readers and I appreciate you taking the time to share yours with me. Many of the stories are full of courage, some sad and others more eye-opening than anything. As I continue to write about Harry’s struggles, I’m now keeping in mind what people have shared with me and I know that if all these people can overcome their challenges, Harry can, too.
I look forward to next Thursday and what you’re going to think of the latest chapter.
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gymnastgal19
Friday 29th July 2011 19:14 | For Love of Family |
Nice chapter! I thought Hermonie seemed a bit out of character with how she acted to Audrey, yet I could still see her doing that lol
It was nice to read how the family was interacting with each other for the holidays, made me wish that I had a large family.
The ending was sad
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| Friday 29th July 2011 22:42 | For Love of Family (Author Response) |
| Thank you for your comments. The various points of view for the Potters' homecoming were fun to write because of how different everyone's personalities are. There is more family interaction coming up in the next chapter. Until next Thursday... |
Aurorofthelight
Friday 29th July 2011 18:46 | For Love of Family |
| This chapter was absolutely brilliant! It was very heart-warming, with a tear here and there and an occasional tickle of the funny-bone! I had to laugh at the antics of all the Weasly clan especially the kids! When the Weasley clan gets together you get more fun, thrills and spills than the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus! Really enjoyed the Teddy/Victorie engagement scenes! It's fortunate for Audrey that Ginny didn't here the "poor Harry" remark - Audrey would have been picking bat bogeys out of her girdle for a month! I really like how you handled the unease and concerns of many of the family towards Harry and his situation! It's very hard to see a hero and a vibrant loved one in that situation let alone deal with it! Also like the way George handled the Ferrari offer - very subtley letting Harry know he shouldn't give up hope of walking and driving the car again - well done! It seems Ginny is still having a hard time with her husband's predicament, but if any love is strong enough to survive this it's Harry and Ginny! Can't wait til next Thursday! |
| Friday 29th July 2011 23:13 | For Love of Family (Author Response) |
It's good to know what you liked about my latest chapter. This one was a fun one to write because of all the different personalities involved and various perspectives due to age and place in the family. I giggled myself when I came up with Audrey's comments to Hermione; Audrey had to be slightly air-headed and very snooty at the same time to be the right person for Percy. And yes, I had invisioned a very one-sided duel between Ginny and Audrey over Audrey's careless remark.
I wrote George's interaction with Harry because of some backstory that comes out later in the story and George is returning the kindness and support he was given as he was coping with the loss of Fred.
As for Ginny, she's just beginning her own journey towards healing. She began the process when she and Harry talked in the last chapter and in the next few there will be more of her healing process to come.
All in all, I think the Potters are slowly beginning to recover emotionally from Harry's accident. It will take some time, but they are definitely on their way.
Until next Thursday... |
carolebear
Friday 29th July 2011 12:07 | For Love of Family |
| *sniff* This Christmas will be bittersweet, as you said. I do hope they remember to celebrate that they ARE all there; Harry might not have survived at all, so they should be grateful for that. The new reality will take some time to get used to. I see that while Ginny and Harry are doing better, they are still not completely all right. Perhaps it's time for them to seek some counseling? I thought they had been, but sometimes it seems that they are just relying on advice from friends and family. Good chapter, but rather poignant. |
| Friday 29th July 2011 16:24 | For Love of Family (Author Response) |
The first Christmas/holiday after a death or tragic event is always the hardest and even though one is usually surrounded by family. That is the case for the Potter/Weasley clan; they're trying to hang on to all the traditions they've grown to love, while acclimitizing to Harry's new situation. I understand your concern for the fact that no one has voiced the opinion that they're grateful that Harry is alive. With that many people in the house, somebody has probably said something to that end.
As for Harry and Ginny, they may be headed toward counseling, but if they are, they probably won't tell anyone they're seeing someone. Therefore, it does seem they are relying on friends and family for advice.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I appreciate you writing to me. Until next Thursday... |
caesarcaesar
Friday 29th July 2011 06:38 | For Love of Family |
I love how, no matter what, you always manage to capture the true beauty and meaning of family within your chapters.
I know that when my family come home for Christmas, my mother is always waiting at the door ready to welcome us into her arms. The first time I lived away from home - it was amazing to come home to a family waiting to hear about my new life. That is how I imagine this family (i'm also blessed with six siblings!)
I loved the moment when Harry was asleep, resting on Lily. It shows how much she cares about her father, and how much he trusts and loves his child. Showing how far he has come from the man at the Groves, soon after his accident. When his vulnerability was something he was ashamed of.
I also laughed a little when Hermione had to 'bite her tongue' with Audrey - I think we all know how that feels. My ex partners sister in law used to require that kind of a reaction from me. But I also loved that she quickly snapped at Audrey, without being too harsh, when necessary - her loyalty is still outstanding.
It must be nice for Hermione, and Harry, who were both only children - obviously with very different upbringings - to be welcomed so compeltely into a huge family like the Weasley's.
I had always been interested to see other people's takes on Victoire and Teddy, yours is lovely. I can imagining her having her mothers looks, and her fathers vibrant personality. Their marriage is great news, will the fic include their wedding? I'd be so excited to read that.
"San Francisco more so than Vegas because of the latter's stigma of being free with the Galleons and adult entertainment." - this also made me crack a smile!
I was almost in tears at the end scene, it must be so hard for Ginny, - she is so strong, but strength isnt about always being 'okay' with everything, its about working through it and I have faith in her abilities to do that. |
| Friday 29th July 2011 09:08 | For Love of Family (Author Response) |
I'm so glad you found the point of this chapter! This is truly a family chapter where all the members show their warts but also the finer points of their personalities, too. I'm only blessed with one sister, but whenever we come home, our parents are waiting for us just like Molly and Arthur are here in this chapter. What was the most fun for me to write were the various points of view in reaction to the Potters' arrival: Hugo needed to take after his father and inherit his tendency towards occasional foot-in-mouth-disease and Audrey needed to be something of a prima donna if only for the reason that I think Percy would have chosen a "proper" wife, someone who unthinkingly grates on Hermione's sense of what is right. Also, Teddy and Victoire needed to be the typical young couple ready to embark on a new life together.
The references to San Francisco and Las Vegas come from personal experience. I grew up only a two-hour drive from San Francisco and I have relatives living in Vegas, so it was fun for George's two newest locations to be places I'm familiar with.
Finally, surrounded by her extended family, Ginny is beginning to realize that she doesn't need to do everything for her own family and will lean on the people who can help her most. There's definitely more of her working through her emotions in up-coming chapters.
Thanks for writing to me. I sincerely enjoy each and every one of your reviews and look forward to every Thursday because of your thoughtful comments. |
