This is the first one I've read this year that had me crying at the end. *applause*

*bows* I'm glad you liked it - tears and all :)

Wow, this was fantastic. Such a lovely idea to have a series about a Muggle boy published in the Wizarding World. The titles are made of win! Inmante of the Île du Diable? Society of the Serpent? OMG! Most priceless thing, though, was Duchess Trixiebelle *laughs* Loved to read how it affects the adults as well and just ... awwww. The structure = love as well! And way to deal with the epilogue, I applaud this!
Also, poor Harry, seeing Albus and Scorpius together like that. But everything about Scorpius ... oh my. You painted him so vividly, in the first scene when he reads the book, and through Draco's choice of the rune 'love' and how this reflects on Draco and then ... The war. The figure '17'. The scene in the bunk is heart-breaking. And of course:
To Scorpius, with love and pride, from your devoted father. May you rest in peace.
OMG. That literally made me tear up. Love and pride *sobs*
The description of Harry and Draco's room after that is soooo lovely and heart-warming for reason, so ... domestic, and it's all so tragic. But, the last line. Oh, wow. Fantastic read.
There's soooo much I loved about this, there's so much detail, it's so wonderfully written ... I'm sure I forgot half of it, but oh my, what a wonderful story *saves to memories*

Hi S.C. :) Thank you so much for this lovely comment. I'm so glad you enjoyed "Wings." The book titles were my way of trying to introduce a bit of levity in an otherwise heavy fic. As was "Duchess Trixiebelle" *G*

The best of this fest so far. Kudos for making my cry.

Hi Alex :) I am glad to hear you enjoyed it, tears and all. Still contemplating that happier fic I told you I'd write someday.

Oh, you made me cry. I almost never cry reading things. That was beautiful and so sad. Scorpius! And Hermione and Ginny, all those motherless children. I loved the way you weaved the past and the present, how you showed us these characters in character, but still changed. How you took the 'back at school post-war Harry and Draco get together' cliche and did something so much more with it. I love the idea of the story. This is so beautiful I just cannot express it.

Thank you so much. I'm glad you enjoyed it. And, yes, many "motherless children" . . . that's one of the details that tended to get overlooked in this story. I'm glad you noticed it. I didn't want to make the women in Harry and Draco's life just seem "expendable": their lives and deaths had meaning and consequence, and I wanted to be sure that came across. I'm glad to hear that it did :)

I think you just broke me.

Stunning.

Thank you, Jamie. *hugs*

oh

That was completely beautiful and heartbreaking and perfect. Harry and Draco, and Ralph and Alford, and Albus and Scorpius, all mixed up together in a story that may not be true but is real.

Thank you!

You're very welcome. And thank you in return for reading and commenting. I'm so glad you enjoyed it :)

That was beautiful. It was bittersweet and evocative, and well worth the tears.

I'm so glad. Thank you for your lovely comment :)

A very, very touching story. I don't think I'll be able to fall asleep tonight.

Thank you very much, dear author. I'll definitely be reading it again and again.

Hi Lil :) And thank you a thousand times for the beautiful artwork you created for "Wings." I was so touched when I discovered it. And, as you know from reading my fest wrap-up post, this story was, in fact, written with you in mind. I'm sorry I chickened-out at the last minute and didn't give it to you :( But then again, you did get "The Kiss" and you'll be getting an out-take scene in the near-future, too. So, perhaps it all worked out for the best, yeah?

Love you, my dear. Thank you for everything.

Breathtakingly, beautifully written. Never cried in fandom before. Just...stunning, thanks.

You're very welcome. I'm so glad you enjoyed it - despite the tears :)

Something told me not to read this at work, but here I sit crying at my desk with my co-workers asking me what's wrong.

This was absolutely beautiful.

ditto. *hands over tissue*
We really shouldn't be reading sad stuff at work but this took my breath away. So vivid, utterly heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time.
Thank you

Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it :)

Opps! Sorry for the tearful morning, but I'm glad you thought reading this was worth it nonetheless. If it helps, I can assure you the ending is meant to be a happy, hopeful one :)

I'm rubbish at this guessing malarkey, but I'm almost certain I know who you are.

You surpassed yourself.

:)

i was certain after the first paragraph...

and yes, she has.

oh,god.
oh, you were right about the tissues... I ached for scorpius.... I... so beautiful. and then the end, going back and remembering... oh, god, this is so wonderfully done. I'm all woobly and incoherant.
oh, lucky lucky djinniyah.

I'm so glad you liked it :) And thank you, btw, for commenting on so many of the fest fics (including all three of my own). It's so wonderful hearing back from readers.

I was emailing with a friend tonight, and as the conversation went on, I noticed a link to this fic. So I opened it, expecting to multitask as usual. The correspondence from my end slowed to a crawl. I scrawled a note: "Have you read this? It's brilliant!"

I read and raved further, trying to guess the writer: "I feel sure I know them, it's so emotionally resonant ..."

Then I stopped emailing as I was caught wholly by the final third. I finished, and wrote to my friend: "Jesus, Mary and Joseph! I am destroyed and bereft and touched and moved and I bloody well teared up at fic!!!!!

I cannot believe that this writer killed Scorpius and I still love her (or him)."

I stand by those comments. djinniyah you are very lucky and very wonderful to have inspired such beautiful writing.

Hi there, B.B.

I now know, of course, who this fiend of yours was who you were emailing with :) I'm so pleased that this story touched you so deeply. As I've already mentioned to you elsewhere, "Sins of the Fathers" was definitely an inspiration in writing this. Thank you again for writing such a lovely story - and this lovely comment. It's a pleasure having met you, and I look forward to reading more of your work in 2008 :)