This Is Now
Hechicera22 Reviews | 22 Ratings, 0 Likes, 0 Favorites )
An encounter in a Ministry office holds surprises for both parties
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About Hechicera
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Hechicera
Member Since 2009 | 12 Stories | Favorited by 67 | 49 Reviews Written | 355 Review Responses
Reviews for This Is Now
Oh, I approve. Not too sappy, not too contrived... well done, well done indeed!
That was surprisingly touching! Well done 
Nice and (heart) warming like a good cup of coffee. :-)
Oh, I like this. I like this a lot. There's honest emotion there; we get right into Draco's head, feel what he feels. The line about being stung about the normalcy of other people's lives - excellent. Well done!
Response from Hechicera (Author of This Is Now)
Oh wow, thanks! I kept thinking about how hard it must have been to be Draco, after the war.
Oh, your post-war Neville is such great fellow: "The ghost of a grin, pride and embarrassment in equal doses. 'Apparently I do.'" And your Draco, desperately avoiding the family legacy? This is grand.
Response from Hechicera (Author of This Is Now)
Thank you so much! This is what I was going for--that postadolescent period when they're becoming their true selves; deciding what to keep and what to leave behind.
Lovely turn around and chain of events/background between these two - yes, love it that Neville is with Luna, and Draco is accepting the invitation!
Response from Hechicera (Author of This Is Now)
Thanks! I had been thinking about what might have happened in those twenty years, to get Harry and Draco to the civil stage they seem to have arrived at by the dreaded Epilogue. Not best buds, but civil.
If he can make a mean coffee, even a prat can redeem himself.
Response from Hechicera (Author of This Is Now)
Yep! All God's critters got a place in the choir...
Somehow, I feel as if I read something fundamentally important. From the implications of Draco's profession, to his insecurity in how to treat Neville's upcoming fatherhood, to his reluctance to accept a simple invitation. As short as the story was, it was earth shattering in how important it was for Draco. God, I wish him well in this world.
Response from Hechicera (Author of This Is Now)
Oh, thank you SO much for this. That's exactly what I was going for--a brief snapshot of a moment when the course of events shifts direction. No high drama, no duels, just a couple of quiet decisions that change the roadmap.
Nice to see a little forgiveness. :)
Response from Hechicera (Author of This Is Now)
Exactly. I think coming off the Sept 11 anniversary brouhaha kind of nudged me in this direction: forgiving, and becoming what we have the potential to be.
Nicely done. Neville extending the hand of friendship to Draco seems natural, and you've packed an emotional wallop into a few words.
Response from Hechicera (Author of This Is Now)
Thank you! It seemed the sort of thing that Neville might do. He always seemed to me to have the courage to do the quietly right (as opposed to the ostentatiously right) thing.
Forgiveness is a wonderful thing.
Response from Hechicera (Author of This Is Now)
It is, isn't it? When I sat down to write this, I had every intention of writing some crowd-pleasing pr0n, but forgiveness was what kept appearing on the page. And let's face it, writing is so not about being in control...
It's nice to know that they have matured beyond their childhood pettiness and rivalries. Nice job.
Response from Hechicera (Author of This Is Now)
Thank you. JKR gave us a hint, in the Ep, that they had, so I started wondering about the 20-year path that got them there. Had to start somewhere.
Neville is strong and brave, and he's just wonderful here. Excellent.
Response from Hechicera (Author of This Is Now)
Isn't he? I just lurve me some Neville. A highly underrated character IMO.
I like the way you've given us one of those moments after the war, when people were still learning how to deal with each other. I like the progression here. No one is friends, yet, but they're willing to try.
Response from Hechicera (Author of This Is Now)
Exactly, exactly! We're not suddenly all best mates, but there's the courage (why Neville was sorted into Gryffindor!) to take that difficult first step.
Absolutely lovely. Loved his thought process. Great interaction with Neville. Hope it works out with Luna.
Response from Hechicera (Author of This Is Now)
Thank you so much! It just cries out for a little pen-and-ink illustration, don't you think? *cough, cough*
Oh, wow. This one packed an emotional wallop! They were both so in character, and yet you added such depth. Excellent. Well done!
Response from Hechicera (Author of This Is Now)
*blushes to the roots of her hair*
Good to see people can make ammends. If only real life were always that easy.
Response from Hechicera (Author of This Is Now)
Well, I don't think it was easy for Neville, here, exactly. But there's a reason he was sorted into Gryffindor, no? And the other thing I wanted to show is that it's not necessarily a big dramatic moment--just a small first step that has to be followed by innumerable others. A gradual unraveling of old hatreds and rancours, but someone has to give that first little tug at a loose thread.
Don't you wish we all could make friends with our old bullies like that in real life? Nice premise.
Response from Hechicera (Author of This Is Now)
Yeah...but I confess my own personal fantasies are rarely as generous as Neville's 
This is sweet. I love grown-up!Neville here :)
Response from Hechicera (Author of This Is Now)
Thank you! I love imagining the evolutionary journey of these characters.
This line: "Draco blinks hard against the treacherous pricking behind his eyelids," made this perfect.