DVD (Passsage) Commentary: In His Absence
When unoriginal_liz asked for commentary for my Harry Potter fic In His Absence (all thanks to this meme), I wasn't expecting that I my commentary would be longer than the selected passage!! Just like with DVDs, please read the full fic before you read my commentary.
In His Absence passage - DVD Commentary
[This fic was written before Book 7 was released. Even though I had no idea what JK Rowling had in store, I knew that (1) my ships were going to be officially sunk at the end and (2) since my interest in the series had been waning since the 5th book, I would likely never write fanfic for Harry Potter again. (Which turned out to not exactly be true.) The concept of this fic is that Ron died during the final battle/confrontation and now Hermione and Harry are left to pick up the pieces.]
In some ways, it would have been simpler if it had been one of them that had died in Ron’s place. It’s only natural to think that two blokes, friends since their first day at Hogwarts, would want to room together. [Sort of like the Odd Couple. I really could see them in their old age just putting around. Neither of them ever married. Ginny would stop by to check up on the one a week with a couple of her children/grandchildren in tow. And somewhere in their apartment a portrait of Hermione tucked away.] And everyone, even Harry, half expected that something would happen between Ron and Hermione. [Even if Harry had died, canon!Ron/Hermione would still happen. I think one of the (many, many) reasons I hated Ron/Hermione is how it sort of left Harry out. Ron had his family and Hermione had hers, but Ron and Hermione were truly all that Harry had and it was sort of sad to think of him being left behind. Okay, yes, there's Ginny. But I had issues with her too.] No one would have questioned those pairs. No one would have tried to interfere with either scenario. [I think that's actually why I wrote this piece in first place. In light of book 6 canon, it was pretty easy to imagine what would happen in the future if Harry or Hermione died. It was what would happen if Harry and Hermione were the ones left behind that was the most intriguing, since Rowling clearly hadn't planned for that scenario.] No one seems to understand that when they are together, a part of Ron still is there. No one can grasp that if Harry and Hermione now lose each other, they will have truly lost everything. [I really like the idea of the Trio as one strong unbreakable unit. Sort of like soulmates, only with three people instead of two. By book 6, I was strongly for an unbreakable platonic bond between Harry, Ron & Hermione as I was for Harry/Hermione. Maybe even more so, since Harry/Hermione had a snowball's chance in hell of happening anytime after the second book. Now that I'm thinking about it, I guess my fic Trio, which I wrote at the same time as this fic, is the fanon for what would have happened if Ron had survived. The more distance I get from those books, the more than my Harry/Hermione shipping tendencies have gained footing. (It also helps that all those insane fangirls that gave Harry/Hermione a bad name have moved onto Twilight.)]
They aren’t comfortable when they’re with the Weasleys anymore. Ron’s absence is far too obvious. Ron had stayed behind at his parents’ behest, leaving Hermione alone to destroy the last horcruxes as Harry confronted Voldemort. [I had originally expected that Book 7 was going to be a quest book where Harry, Hermione & Ron searched the missing Horcruxes, facing greater and greater challenges along the way. (This might be why I don't have much use for "Harry, Ron & Hermione's Camping Trip From Hell." I was expecting something so much more. ) I never really got into detail about the final battle, but my idea is that Harry confronted Voldemort alone, as a distraction so that Ron and Hermione could destroy the final horcrux without Voldemort realizing what they were doing until it was too late. Except Mr. & Mrs. Weasley tried to get them to leave things to the Order of the Phoenix and Ron felt obligated to stay behind for his parents sake. (Plus, I think Ron felt that if he gave in, Harry and Hermione could slip out on their own.) Except the Burrow was attacked by the Death Eaters, which nobody had been expecting. Ron, who like Harry & Hermione, had learned more in their few months on the run than he ever had during formal study at Hogwarts, was able to fight them off, but at the cost of his own life. If I were writing this last confrontation, it would keep intercutting between Harry fighting Voldemort, Hermione doing something completely insane to destroy the last horcrux and Ron fighting for his family.] They both know that if Ron had been aware that staying behind would have meant his death, he would still have chosen to do so in order to save his family. They find that comforting, but perhaps it’s a torment for the Weasleys. [I made the Weasley's slightly culpable in Ron's death, because I didn't want them blaming Harry, nor did I want Harry blaming himself. Which he definitely would have.]
Surprisingly, it is Hermione who feels the estrangement with the Weasleys more keenly. [It should be Harry who feels it more, since the Weasleys became Harry's surrogate family and it's not that he doesn't miss them. But in a lot of ways the Weasleys were just extensions of Ron, so it all covered in his grief. Hermione had probably always viewed her friendship with Ginny as being independent from Ron and so wasn't expecting to lose her friend.] She had been almost as close to Ginny as she had been to Ron and Harry and now, in losing Ron, she has lost the friendship of his sister as well. Or maybe Ginny, like any other girl Harry had been interested in romantically, didn’t understand how Harry and Hermione could be so close. And, just like all the others, when she forced him to choose, he chose Hermione. [That's actually what probably happened. Jealousy reared its head. And Harry in canon had a tendency to pick his platonic best friend over a romantic interest.] But a female confidant is easier to replace than a friend like Ron. Hermione already knew someone who could fill the empty space Ginny had left behind. Luna is flighty, disorganized and totally illogical, Hermione’s complete opposite in so many ways, [which is why they were never close friends in canon] but she is also a kind, intelligent, accepting soul [which is why they are close now. Those are all qualities that Hermione not only values, but needs]. Her little house, filled to the roof tiles with the most astonishing number of knickknacks, is as warm and welcoming as Hagrid’s hut. Hermione could never trust anyone the way she trusts Harry or trusted Ron, but Luna comes close. She honestly feels like she could confide anything without Luna judging her.
[So, Liz didn't ask me to comment on this next part, but since it comes next as an example of how Hermione can tell Luna anything without worry about being judged and might possibly be my favorite scene in the fic, I couldn't resist.]“Harry dumped my contraceptive potion down the sink at breakfast this morning,” she told Luna without preamble. They were sitting in Luna’s ridiculously cluttered kitchen drinking tea and, until that moment, had been discussing favourite tea blends. [Is that a British spelling, Quaggy? Why, yes it is! It drives me a little crazy when you see British slang or spellings in a fic for an American show. So when I write for Harry Potter or Doctor Who, I try to be extra careful. And have a Brit or two look it over.]
“On purpose?”
“Yes. I was reading the paper and, instead of sitting down across from me, like he usually does, he picked up my flask and dumped it down the drain. And then stared at me like he was daring me to say something.” [At this point, they had never discussed that they were now sleeping together in the less innocent meaning of the phrase, but this wasn't Harry was of starting the conversation. This was Harry's way of explaining what he wanted in the future and words were failing him a little at this point. Oh, and this is the first that Luna's heard that Harry & Hermione's relationship has become anything other than platonic, too.]
“What did you do?”
“I dumped his down the sink too,” Hermione said with a quiet smile. It took Luna one second to catch her meaning. One. [In other words, not only are Harry & Hermione together, they are trying to start a family.]
“Oh, I see,” she exclaimed with a wide smile, then pranced from her chair. She climbed onto the counter and removed a tin from on top of the window frame, the contents of which she offered to Hermione. [One of the many people that I got check this fic over objected to the tin on the top of the window frame. "We don't keep things up there," she had objected. "I know. Neither do we. That's the point," I shot back. I really enjoyed adding bit of Luna's lunacy here and there.]
“Have a globberdoodle. They increase fertility,” Luna confided. Though Hermione had never heard of a globberdoodle nor had any idea what it was made of, she ate one gladly. [No, I don't know what a globberdoodle is (I made the word up), but I have a feeling that I don't want to know!]
In His Absence passage - DVD Commentary
[This fic was written before Book 7 was released. Even though I had no idea what JK Rowling had in store, I knew that (1) my ships were going to be officially sunk at the end and (2) since my interest in the series had been waning since the 5th book, I would likely never write fanfic for Harry Potter again. (Which turned out to not exactly be true.) The concept of this fic is that Ron died during the final battle/confrontation and now Hermione and Harry are left to pick up the pieces.]
In some ways, it would have been simpler if it had been one of them that had died in Ron’s place. It’s only natural to think that two blokes, friends since their first day at Hogwarts, would want to room together. [Sort of like the Odd Couple. I really could see them in their old age just putting around. Neither of them ever married. Ginny would stop by to check up on the one a week with a couple of her children/grandchildren in tow. And somewhere in their apartment a portrait of Hermione tucked away.] And everyone, even Harry, half expected that something would happen between Ron and Hermione. [Even if Harry had died, canon!Ron/Hermione would still happen. I think one of the (many, many) reasons I hated Ron/Hermione is how it sort of left Harry out. Ron had his family and Hermione had hers, but Ron and Hermione were truly all that Harry had and it was sort of sad to think of him being left behind. Okay, yes, there's Ginny. But I had issues with her too.] No one would have questioned those pairs. No one would have tried to interfere with either scenario. [I think that's actually why I wrote this piece in first place. In light of book 6 canon, it was pretty easy to imagine what would happen in the future if Harry or Hermione died. It was what would happen if Harry and Hermione were the ones left behind that was the most intriguing, since Rowling clearly hadn't planned for that scenario.] No one seems to understand that when they are together, a part of Ron still is there. No one can grasp that if Harry and Hermione now lose each other, they will have truly lost everything. [I really like the idea of the Trio as one strong unbreakable unit. Sort of like soulmates, only with three people instead of two. By book 6, I was strongly for an unbreakable platonic bond between Harry, Ron & Hermione as I was for Harry/Hermione. Maybe even more so, since Harry/Hermione had a snowball's chance in hell of happening anytime after the second book. Now that I'm thinking about it, I guess my fic Trio, which I wrote at the same time as this fic, is the fanon for what would have happened if Ron had survived. The more distance I get from those books, the more than my Harry/Hermione shipping tendencies have gained footing. (It also helps that all those insane fangirls that gave Harry/Hermione a bad name have moved onto Twilight.)]
They aren’t comfortable when they’re with the Weasleys anymore. Ron’s absence is far too obvious. Ron had stayed behind at his parents’ behest, leaving Hermione alone to destroy the last horcruxes as Harry confronted Voldemort. [I had originally expected that Book 7 was going to be a quest book where Harry, Hermione & Ron searched the missing Horcruxes, facing greater and greater challenges along the way. (This might be why I don't have much use for "Harry, Ron & Hermione's Camping Trip From Hell." I was expecting something so much more. ) I never really got into detail about the final battle, but my idea is that Harry confronted Voldemort alone, as a distraction so that Ron and Hermione could destroy the final horcrux without Voldemort realizing what they were doing until it was too late. Except Mr. & Mrs. Weasley tried to get them to leave things to the Order of the Phoenix and Ron felt obligated to stay behind for his parents sake. (Plus, I think Ron felt that if he gave in, Harry and Hermione could slip out on their own.) Except the Burrow was attacked by the Death Eaters, which nobody had been expecting. Ron, who like Harry & Hermione, had learned more in their few months on the run than he ever had during formal study at Hogwarts, was able to fight them off, but at the cost of his own life. If I were writing this last confrontation, it would keep intercutting between Harry fighting Voldemort, Hermione doing something completely insane to destroy the last horcrux and Ron fighting for his family.] They both know that if Ron had been aware that staying behind would have meant his death, he would still have chosen to do so in order to save his family. They find that comforting, but perhaps it’s a torment for the Weasleys. [I made the Weasley's slightly culpable in Ron's death, because I didn't want them blaming Harry, nor did I want Harry blaming himself. Which he definitely would have.]
Surprisingly, it is Hermione who feels the estrangement with the Weasleys more keenly. [It should be Harry who feels it more, since the Weasleys became Harry's surrogate family and it's not that he doesn't miss them. But in a lot of ways the Weasleys were just extensions of Ron, so it all covered in his grief. Hermione had probably always viewed her friendship with Ginny as being independent from Ron and so wasn't expecting to lose her friend.] She had been almost as close to Ginny as she had been to Ron and Harry and now, in losing Ron, she has lost the friendship of his sister as well. Or maybe Ginny, like any other girl Harry had been interested in romantically, didn’t understand how Harry and Hermione could be so close. And, just like all the others, when she forced him to choose, he chose Hermione. [That's actually what probably happened. Jealousy reared its head. And Harry in canon had a tendency to pick his platonic best friend over a romantic interest.] But a female confidant is easier to replace than a friend like Ron. Hermione already knew someone who could fill the empty space Ginny had left behind. Luna is flighty, disorganized and totally illogical, Hermione’s complete opposite in so many ways, [which is why they were never close friends in canon] but she is also a kind, intelligent, accepting soul [which is why they are close now. Those are all qualities that Hermione not only values, but needs]. Her little house, filled to the roof tiles with the most astonishing number of knickknacks, is as warm and welcoming as Hagrid’s hut. Hermione could never trust anyone the way she trusts Harry or trusted Ron, but Luna comes close. She honestly feels like she could confide anything without Luna judging her.
[So, Liz didn't ask me to comment on this next part, but since it comes next as an example of how Hermione can tell Luna anything without worry about being judged and might possibly be my favorite scene in the fic, I couldn't resist.]“Harry dumped my contraceptive potion down the sink at breakfast this morning,” she told Luna without preamble. They were sitting in Luna’s ridiculously cluttered kitchen drinking tea and, until that moment, had been discussing favourite tea blends. [Is that a British spelling, Quaggy? Why, yes it is! It drives me a little crazy when you see British slang or spellings in a fic for an American show. So when I write for Harry Potter or Doctor Who, I try to be extra careful. And have a Brit or two look it over.]
“On purpose?”
“Yes. I was reading the paper and, instead of sitting down across from me, like he usually does, he picked up my flask and dumped it down the drain. And then stared at me like he was daring me to say something.” [At this point, they had never discussed that they were now sleeping together in the less innocent meaning of the phrase, but this wasn't Harry was of starting the conversation. This was Harry's way of explaining what he wanted in the future and words were failing him a little at this point. Oh, and this is the first that Luna's heard that Harry & Hermione's relationship has become anything other than platonic, too.]
“What did you do?”
“I dumped his down the sink too,” Hermione said with a quiet smile. It took Luna one second to catch her meaning. One. [In other words, not only are Harry & Hermione together, they are trying to start a family.]
“Oh, I see,” she exclaimed with a wide smile, then pranced from her chair. She climbed onto the counter and removed a tin from on top of the window frame, the contents of which she offered to Hermione. [One of the many people that I got check this fic over objected to the tin on the top of the window frame. "We don't keep things up there," she had objected. "I know. Neither do we. That's the point," I shot back. I really enjoyed adding bit of Luna's lunacy here and there.]
“Have a globberdoodle. They increase fertility,” Luna confided. Though Hermione had never heard of a globberdoodle nor had any idea what it was made of, she ate one gladly. [No, I don't know what a globberdoodle is (I made the word up), but I have a feeling that I don't want to know!]