Fic: What Friends Will Do

[gilpin25]

Author: gilpin25
Title: What Friends Will Do
Rating & Warnings: PG - none
Word Count: 3775 words
Prompt(s): #38, "It was foolish, it was wrong, to take so active a part in bringing any two people together."; #29, Charlie Weasley pays a visit; and #18, "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."

Comments

[fragilesymphony]

I absolutely adored this.

I love the conspiracy of their friends, I love the way that Tonks comments on it being done for Remus, realizing it was done for her as well. I love how sweet this feels, how it feels like a nice reprieve for the two of them. Even though it isn't fixing anything or changing anything, I love how you created a moment that's nice and a gift among everything awful going around each other. I'm so in love with the way you've written their dynamic, and how easy it feels without entirely taking away the tension of the circumstance. This is really, really lovely.

[gilpin25]

I'm imagining you and I wrestling with a few similar problems for our stories: how to write these two at HBP Christmas time, without making it another session of the I-don't-care-merry-go-round. Or just very grim! My fear was I'd made it too nice and neat, when we know they weren't, and what was going on around them wasn't, so it's great to know you liked it.

I wanted Tonks to be the 'quicker' one here. Because Remus, always thinking he's bottom of the important person pile, wouldn't spot his friends organizing a surprise for him, whereas she would. And I wanted her to recognize that she couldn't push things again now as it wouldn't do either of them any good - to try and show she's gaining in strength and maturity as time goes on. (Harry thinking she seemed much older and more purposeful when he sees her, stuck in my head there.)

It was lovely to get this review. Thank you so much! :D

[drumher]

Can I just say"ditto" to what fragilesymphony wrote?

So many good things here, but I expect that from you. You've always had a deep understanding of the characters and wrap them lovingly in your words, even when putting them through the ringer.

Brilliantly written. Thanks!

[gilpin25]

Thanks for the kind words! I wanted to write something less angsty than usual, but it's not that easy in HBP times when constantly wondering when they had these million or so 'I don't care' conversations. Perhaps there were a lot of werewolf picnics in the woods, lol. Anyway, I tried to find a middle ground, which meant status quo on the relationship side, but I don't think Remus would ever see something like this coming from his friends. And it was fun to make everybody else the schemers.

Really pleased to hear you enjoyed it. As did I yours! :D

[faeriemagic07]

Quality of the writing is so good.

"The waves of longing and need are palpable." - nicely put.

The most beautiful part was the scene where they face each other with intense longing, yet they could not bring about to even kiss, or just talk that they are there for each other. Up till now I still don't know what to do with this RandT dilemma. It's so real I could almost touch it, yet I am afraid it's only my eyes and my mind playing illusions, and I will be tricked just like the rest.

[gilpin25]

Thank you very much for the kind words. :D

I didn't want to do anything too full of angst for them, when their entire HBP year seems to be just that, nor did I want this to turn into a 'I don't care' session. So I suppose it's a hour or two that solve nothing, but is a reprieve for them; a kind of cease fire in the middle of a war! It would have felt wrong to have them kiss, or do anything more, but I hoped a hug wouldn't feel like a let down. I did want it to end on a note of hope, having done them both some good.

[starfishstar]

I love the two of them reaching a detente, here at the very middle of the awfulness that is both their lives during HBP, finding a way to come together and find solace together despite all the questions of their relationship still being unresolved! That bit where Tonks thinks about how neither of them has it in them to have another fight about their relationship right now, with everything else they're dealing with - that makes so much sense. And I love how you've given them the maturity to recognize that, and to have a chance to take strength and comfort in each other's company even so!

Everything about this set-up, with all their friends conspiring to get them this evening together, is a great use of that "to take so active a part in bringing any two people together" prompt!

This line stood out to me, because it's such an excellent description of them during this time period:
Near lovers, who have declared love but not made it, and are now pretending to be just good friends.And was this deliberately a tiny bit a critique of JKR for

[gilpin25]

I'm usually taking the easier option at this time and writing OotP Christmas fic, when it's simpler to find a way to have a cheery outcome! But I couldn't resist using the 'take so active a part in bringing two people together' prompt in Murder on the Orient Express style (they all did it ;P)), and I wanted to do something that wasn't another round of the 'I don't care' arguments. Besides, I thought it feasible that Remus, always thinking himself bottom of the Important People List, would never see this coming, whereas Tonks -- thinking him far from that, for obvious reasons -- fairly quickly would

[huldrejenta]

Oh, it's so good to enjoy your writing again

[gilpin25]

Can I say how much I love that you felt this fic was under control? I won't tell you about the moments when it certainly wasn't! ;P

Funnily enough, I was originally only going to write this from Remus' POV, but then it was also going to be a lot shorter and cheerier. Things evolved, and it seemed important to get into Tonks' head, especially as one of the main ideas for this was Harry's HBP observation that she seemed much older, more serious and more purposeful. Hence I wanted her to be the one who is not only quicker to catch on, but who has matured enough to know it's not the right time or place to sort personal issues, and that for now it's enough they can talk and be together peacefully. Because they really do need that, above everything else.

I worried that it was too neat and nice, and that nothing gets resolved, because of course it can't, but you've said all the things that I've hoped were coming across. So thank you VERY much for such a lovely review, and here's to the next rt_morelove event. ♥