Fic: Held by the Thorns for hikarievandar

[genficsanta]

Apologies for the late posting today. Enjoy the weekend - next fic will post on Monday.

Title: Held by the Thorns
Author: thornyrose42
Written for: hikarievandar
Rating: PG
Length: 3526
Character(s): Andromeda Tonks, Narcissa Malfoy, Harry Potter, Teddy Lupin
Warnings: (if applicable)

Comments

[lyras]

I really enjoyed this! Such an original take on a postwar world, with Andromeda and Narcissa really having no idea how to approach one another. Lovely, assured writing, too.

The problem was that there would always be three of them: three sisters, two dark bookends with the light child between them, continually tugged back and forth. Of course, this was the first time in a long while that Andromeda felt that she had a chance in hell of winning that particular battle.

I love this. It really feels like a turning point, and the rest of their conversation is lovely - tentatively hopeful, without every quite resovling things that can't be resolved.

[hikarievandar]

Oh wow. Thank you so much. This was absolutely fantastic. I loved the flow of it and how both Andromeda and Narcissa don't seem to know how - or if - they can get past what happened but still love each other so much. The line There just wasn't enough Rosier blood in her veins - not enough of the right blood - hah, if only Bella had been here. Just to see her sister's face as Bella realised that she wasn't up to the standards of a plant really stood out for me.

I loved the fairytale idea of the briar boundary spell as well. It was a brilliant way of tying Rowling's Wizarding world to the more traditional stories we have about witches and magic.

This was a fascinating insight into magic and family drama. Thank you!

[author_by_night]

I love it, especially the end, and the tie-in with the beginning. I loved the imagery as well. :)

[sassy_cat]

Very intriguing! I love how you used Andromeda and Narcissa's ties to the Rosier family to expand upon post-war politics. Choosing an international setting was a brilliant touch.

'No one important love.' Andromeda lied. The relationship between them... the genuine love, disappointment and betrayal from both perspectives is so honest, and the ending with that hint of hope that could only be realized with repeated effort and lots of time. Really well done.

[delphipsmith]

A really fascinating take on the Black sisters' relationship -- "three sisters, two dark bookends with the light child between them, continually tugged back and forth," beautiful. The end of their conversation, with the interlocking complexities of love for a sister, a husband, a child ("Who would you have saved? Because, Cissy, if it had been Nymph, if it had been my beautiful girl, I would have chosen her, without a thought for you.") was beautifully crafted, as is the hint of hope in the last line: "Not yet."

And of course the thorn barrier makes me reconsider everything I thought I knew about Sleeping Beauty :)