A Grateful Mind

[gilpins_tales]

Title: A Grateful Mind
Genre: General
Ratings & warnings: PG
Word count: 4104
Summary: Remus Lupin has the chance of a lifetime; more than that, he's being given a life. But does he know what it will cost him? (Set at the start of PoA.)
Author's note: Written for fandomfusion's Harry Potter genfic challenge, "Beware the Ides of March." I've used a famous

Comments

[mrstater]

Whoa, somebody was up late!

But I've been having myself a big fanfic reading evening, so it was a real treat to find yet something else to read! Especially when it contained this line: “You’ll find Severus isn’t much of a cake person,” he said. which made me snort my Cherry Pepsi. Just the sort of apt line that characterizes every fic you write

[gilpin25]

Not only was I up late, but it was a big - and nice - shock when your review appeared so quickly. I thought I was all alone in the world at deadline hour, lol.

Thank you very much for the thoughtful and kind words. I've always wanted to try writing PoA time, and my one regret with this is I never got the story on quite as far as I intended to. Actually there's two regrets: I didn't realise there are sites that are most helpful with ye ol' pirate speak until after I'd spent at least ten minutes translating the first couple of lines. Duh! Good job it was fun

[gilpin25]

Am just finishing off answering my reviews here, and suddenly realised I never commented on this description in yours: Remus the boy who never really quite left Hogwarts.

I think that's exactly it. :)

[calyndra]

There is so much that I love that I'm not sure where to begin. You're definitely high on my list of fanfic heroes. I've always loved your Remus, and this is no exception.

You got all of the teacher bits astoundingly accurate, particularly the cake in the staffroom. All teachers love cake in the staffroom. Well, except Snape. ;) Along the teacher-iness, the pirate essay. Oh my goodness! My only regret is that I don't know what Fred handed in!

I think what I love about this the most is that I laughed so many times, and yet the deeper more serious side was there as well. There's brave little Ginny facing her fears, for example, and of course the whole Remus and Sirius internal struggle. I'm not sure how you balance those things, but you do it exceptionally well. Seamlessly.

I also love the way you bring little teeny characters to life. The cameos help so much to fill out the picture in my mind of random teachers like Flitwick. Even Lockehart gets his own little mention, and it's fabulous.

You're wonderful. Thank you for writing.

[gilpin25]

Thank you very much for such nice comments

[train_lindz]

First, I can't believe that you posted this at what I believe must have been 2am your time.

Second (and most important), I love this. In particular, I really liked the staff room scene and the potential awkwardness of it, and yet your Remus manages to shine through, as he always does, and embrace the situation and making it his own.

McGonagall was excellent, especially the way that she bounced between her gruff, yet lovable, exterior, and being the sentimental person that we all know that she is inside, trying in her own way to help Remus.

I now want to submit work reports in pirate speak...

Thanks for sharing this!

[gilpin25]

Aw, thanks very much for the kind words!

It's great to hear you enjoyed it: I've always wanted to try writing Remus during PoA as he must surely have been pretty happy. At least until everything went pear-shaped and Remus-like again. So it's nice to hear you liked the moments of him teaching, and just settling down to being a teacher as he's always wanted, and trying to live all the time with the memories that are at every turn. I always like writing McGonagall, I'm sure she was the ultimate Marauders' fangirl, lol.

I can't believe that you posted this at what I believe must have been 2am your time.

I was going for the Last Brit To Beat The Deadline Award. ;)

Thanks again, and for running a great challenge. :)

[anonymous]

Bravo, I liked this a lot! Lovely characterisation of Remus and his surrounding cast. I could hear the no nonsense style in McGonagall's dialogue. Several giggles in there, too. It is VERY hard to imagine Snape tucking into a large cream donut now I think about it.

I also liked the reasoning why Remus would finally come to accept Sirius as a mass murderer. The Prank is such a nasty, thoughtless thing to do and he wouldn't forget what might have come of it.

More please? :)

[gilpin25]

Thank you very much for reading and the nice comments. I've always wanted to write Remus during PoA time as there's such a lot to explore. A longed-for opportunity must, presumably, have arrived for him, except that the past is about to return with avengeance.

It's nice to hear that McGonagall comes across as no nonsense as I think she'd be the fairest and most down-to-earth of teachers and colleagues - and if she had a soft spot for James and Sirius, then I like to think there'd have definitely been one for Remus as well. As for the Prank: I can see Remus forgiving it as that's the kind of person he is, but would he ever quite forget something like that? Being a schoolboy at Hogwarts meant everything to him and he could have lost it all in one thoughtless moment.

If I get chance, I would like to write some more round this time. Many thanks for the encouraging comments! :)

[snegurochka_lee]

What a wonderful portrait of Remus! I love stories that focus on him during PoA, although they are so rare these days. :) Loved the scene in the staffroom, loved Minerva, loved George's essay, loved the glimpse you give us of Remus loving teaching. It warms my heart. :) Also, the glimpses of Snape were marvellous. "Not much of a cake person," ahahaha! And of course the fact that he doesn't yet know the truth about Sirius breaks my heart. Nice job!

[gilpin25]

Like you, I could do with a little more lot more PoA Remus fic in the world! I only managed to cover about two months' worth at the beginning of his year here, but it must surely have been nearly the best of times for him, with seemingly such a lot within his grasp. My first reviewer described him as, in a way, the boy who never quite left Hogwarts, and I think she was spot on. It was lovely writing him relishing every minute of teaching so I'm delighted you enjoyed reading it.

Thank you for the kind words! They're very much appreciated. :)