Birthday Wishes
Chapter 4 of 20
Dusty RoseHarry celebrates his birthday at Grimmauld Place. Now that he's old enough to join the Order of the Phoenix, he's hoping he'll finally learn some of Tanya's secrets.
ReviewedChapter Four
Birthday Wishes
The next week or so passed in a seemingly never-ending sameness. Members of the Order came and went, without enlightening the non-members; just a quick word or two reminding them to be careful about being seen, and the occasional update about Voldemort's suspected activities. Harry kept trying to corner Tanya, knowing she'd tell him more, but she was kept busy with learning theory as well as practical magic. They'd more or less given up on Pettigrew being a font of information.
He lay in his bed the night before his birthday, considering invading the attic. He rolled over to his side, barely registering Ron's mumblings; Ron had lately taken to dreaming of Hermione, by the sound of it, and Harry wondered if, in his dreams, Ron was brave enough to approach Hermione in a manner he'd never try awake.
But Harry couldn't reproach him for his cowardice; he was no closer to chatting Tanya up than Ron was to Hermione. He rolled over to his other side, wondering if Tanya was sleeping, whether her blanket was covering up her long legs, and what her dreams were like.
It was no good; he couldn't settle down long enough to get sleepy. If he couldn't clear his mind, his eventual dreams wouldn't provide him with any rest. Since his thoughts were so taken with Tanya, his hormone-racked dreams prevented him from looking her in the eye the next day. He finally rose from his bed to stand at the window, looking out at the dark lot below him. He could almost see the trash bins where Mrs. Black's portrait had been finally quieted, before the trash collectors had hauled her away. Looking further out, he could see the occasional car quietly speed past. Up in the sky, he could see some of the constellations Professor Sinistra had tried to teach him and his fellow classmates about. He still couldn't believe his destiny lay in them.
Turning back, half-tempted to wake Ron up, just to talk, Harry flopped back down on his bed, looking at the ceiling above him. He tried to imagine himself seeing through it, searching mentally where Tanya would have been asleep, lying on her shabby blanket, possibly tossing and turning in her sleep. He trained his eye on the corner of the ceiling farthest left and opposite the foot of his bed, willing himself to see her.
His mind began drifting, lazily turning thoughts over in his mind, his eyes getting heavy . . . he saw Tanya smiling at him, ignoring everyone else in the room . . .walking toward him . . . not even noticing that Raphael was trying to get her attention . . . he reached out for her . . . Ron gave a loud snort, and Harry sat up in his own bed with a jolt. Henry looked again up at the ceiling, coming to a decision. He'd get no sleep tonight, not while he couldn't stop thinking about her. He'd go up, and just sit quietly near her. If she woke up, fine; maybe they could talk. He resented that everyone seemed to know more about her than he. If she stayed asleep, he'd sneak away and she'd never know he had been there.
He quietly shushed Hedwig, who hooted questioningly at him. She turned her back on him spitefully as he slowly opened the door and tiptoed out to the hallway. With a quick glance toward the door that was the senior Weasleys' bedroom, he crept up the stairs and pushed open Tanya's door. Allowing himself a minute for his eyes to adjust to the dim moonlight coming in through the only window, he turned to the corner where she had set up her blankets. He fought down the yelp of surprise to find her sitting there, calmly watching him. She was sitting quietly on her blanket, as if waiting for him to approach. He did so, racking his brain for a plausible reason to be there.
He felt better as he neared, seeing her smile at him. He returned her smile as he sat down next to her, his back leaning against the wall. "So, you're not able to sleep either, ay?" she asked amicably. "I'm glad you came up."
This heartened Harry, and he began to relax. She took his hand in hers, and he felt the same magnetic electricity he'd felt once before, when he'd taken her in his arms to comfort her after her nightmare. It wasn't an altogether unpleasant sensation, and his belly did a small flip. "I was going to sneak back downstairs if you were asleep," he said nervously. "I didn't want to bother you."
"Nonsense," she said, making his heart thud. "I never seem to get a chance to talk to you unless you come up here after everyone is asleep. You'd think it was a conspiracy to keep us apart." Harry had time to revel in her attention as she shifted to sit closer to him. All the questions he had for her flew out of his head. It didn't help that her legs were bare, and he struggled to keep his eyes on her face, hoping it wasn't as red as it felt.
"You're officially sixteen, now," she said. "It's been your birthday for two hours."
"Is it really that late?" he asked, just for something to say.
"Aye. How long did you lie in your bed wondering if you should come up here?" she asked, seeing right through him.
"It seemed like quite a while," he admitted.
Her hand was warm in his, and he began to notice other things . . . her breathing . . . her eyes, so direct, looking into his . . . the way the moon highlighted her black hair . . . her soft fragrance . . .
"Why were you sitting here, awake?" he asked.
"Sometimes I have a little trouble falling asleep," she told him. "And I was thinking about you. Thinking about how you were going to feel about the birthday present I'll be giving you."
"You didn't have to do that," he said shyly.
"It gave me a lot of pleasure, deciding on what it would be," she murmured. "It will help you pass the summer, as well."
He didn't have time to wonder what it was, because she leaned toward him, her lips coming nearer to his, and his eyes got heavy as he leaned closer to her. As her lips softly brushed his, he felt her hand tighten around his, and her other hand came up to his head, running her fingers through his hair. It was such a pleasant sensation, and he lost himself in it. As her lips became more demanding, he put his hands on her hips, pulling her closer. To his surprise, she came willingly, and more so. She straddled his legs, sitting on his lap, both her hands in his hair now. He ran his hands down her legs, feeling the silky smoothness, and allowed himself a small sigh. As he moved up her legs, traveling under her nightshirt, his hands froze at the realization that he couldn't feel any panties on her hips. He felt her tongue prodding at his lips, and he opened his mouth to let it enter. He tasted the sweetness of her mouth, moving his tongue against hers, and moaned when she rocked against him. His breath was coming in gasps now, and he blazed a trail of kisses down her neck as his trembling hands moved up to her breasts.
He was gratified to realize that she was breathing just as heavily as he was, and he daringly touched her breasts over her nightshirt. He wasn't sure what he expected them to feel like, never having been this close to any girl, but he liked what he felt. He felt her hard nipples through the shirt, and he lightly rubbed against them, becoming even more excited when she moaned softly into his ear. She had unfastened his pajama shirt buttons, and Harry loved the feeling of her hands on his bare skin; he never imagined how good it would feel to allow someone so close.
She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down with her to the blanket. He leaned on his arms, amazed at how good it felt; his hard body pressed into her warmth, her sighs and soft moaning at what he was making her feel, the way her hands were touching him all over.
Suddenly, he felt her freeze up. Had he hurt her somehow? He felt her quick intake of breath, and lifted his head to look in her eyes, questioning. She began pushing him off her. "I heard someone downstairs, something's happening down there."
Harry remembered where they were, and knowing it would not do to let anyone know what he and Tanya were doing up here, he readjusted his pajamas. He glanced at Tanya, who had wrapped her destroyed nightshirt around herself, and was now reaching for her dressing gown. He hadn't realized how carried away they'd gotten. He dimly remembered ripping open her nightshirt, scattering the buttons everywhere. They both fought to get their breathing under control, then Tanya was pushing him in front of her toward the door. "Wait, we have to find out where it's coming from. They can't see you leaving here; we'll not hear the end of it."
She opened the door just a crack; the ruckus was coming from the first floor. Harry heard Ron's voice, sleepily complaining that he didn't know anything. Harry hoped fervently that Moody wasn't among the folks moving around down there; his eye would see right through the ceilings and doors to find Harry lurking about where he didn't belong.
Tanya pushed Harry forward, and followed him quietly down the stairs to the second floor. Hermione was just coming out of her room when she caught sight of them. She stopped, speechless, and Tanya pressed her finger to her lips to signal to Hermione not to say anything. She pushed Harry down the hall toward his room. Hermione was smiling annoyingly now; apparently, they had her seal of approval. Tanya waved her hand, and amazingly, she was now carrying a tray of snacks and a couple of soft drinks. Before she could say a word, however, Ron and Mrs. Weasley were coming up the stairs. As they all faced one another, Mrs. Weasley frowned. As she opened her mouth to speak, Tanya cut her off. "What's going on now?" she asked innocently. Amazing how composed she sounded.
"I could ask the same of you lot!" Mrs. Weasley responded suspiciously. "Ron woke and found Harry's bed empty, so naturally, we were all concerned that he'd gotten himself in some kind of trouble."
"We only wanted a snack," Tanya lied. "We did try to be quiet about it."
Hermione jumped in. "We didn't mean to alarm anyone. We were just sitting up, talking."
Harry turned quickly to hide his grin from Mrs. Weasley. She narrowed her eyes at the lot of them, then turned and called down to Lupin, "It's all right, he's up here, safe and sound." She turned a jaded eye to Tanya. "You all should be asleep in your beds, this time of night."
"Well everyone gets insomnia now and then," Hermione said. "And we don't want to wake Ginny, do we?"
"C'mon, then, finish your snack and then it's off to bed with you." Mrs. Weasley looked like she didn't want to take her eyes off them, but then, apparently assuming Hermione would make a good chaperone, she grudgingly passed them by to go back to bed. The sandwiches did look good, so they all went into the boys' room to eat. As Tanya leaned the door closed behind her, she mouthed "Thank you" to Hermione.
Tanya and Harry sat on Harry's bed; Hermione and Ron sat on his. Ron didn't look as if he was fully awake, but he grabbed a sandwich anyway. "You lot pick a fine time to get hungry," he said around a mouthful. "But I'm glad you brought enough for everyone." Hermione rolled her eyes at his obtuseness. Harry gave a quick, but slight shake of his head to signal her not to mention what she knew Tanya and Harry had been up to. She smiled and took her own sandwich. Harry felt secure that she'd not tell Ron anything he didn't need to know. It was bad enough that Hermione knew, but at least she wasn't a gossip. Not when she didn't need to be, anyway. Some things were best left private, at least for a while. Harry needed time to sort out all these new feelings, and he wouldn't have that with Ron's demands for all the details.
"So," said Tanya. "Happy birthday, Harry."
The others looked briefly surprised, then added their good wishes. "That's the ticket," Ron said, a little more alert by now. "Start the birthday good and early; that way you get to enjoy it longer."
Harry smiled. He'd almost gotten more than he had bargained for upstairs. That would be taking birthday presents to the extreme.
Hermione asked the question that Harry forgot about in all the commotion. "I wonder that Mrs. Weasley didn't ask how you managed to pass her on the stairway. After all, you would have had to pass her by, right?" Harry and Tanya froze, taking it in. They glanced at each other, then at Hermione. Ron was puzzled, but not really understanding what puzzled him.
"Well," Tanya put in, "here's to hoping that question doesn't occur to herself."
"Here, here," said Harry, nervously. "Tanya," he added thoughtfully, "how is it you can conjure up an entire tray of food with just a wave of your hand? None of us could do it."
"None of you are gypsies," she said conclusively.
"I wonder why you wanted to come to Hogwarts," Hermione asked. "Is there really something you still need to learn? Something you can only learn at a wizarding school? Not that we mind your being there, of course," she added hastily.
"I'm just trying to find a world to belong to," Tanya said defensively, shrugging. "That's all there is to that."
Harry wasn't so sure. It seemed too coincidental that just when Dumbledore needed all the help he could get in fighting the dark forces, a gypsy just happened to show up actually asking to be part of their world. And why? What could his world possibly offer to gypsies that she didn't already have? He glanced over at her, disturbing thoughts of how easily she could lie going through his mind. But Tanya ignored Harry's questioning look, pretending to be interested in opening her can of soda. Harry felt a heavy ball in his stomach. Why did Mrs. Weasley raise the alarm when Harry was found not to be in bed? Would she have done the same if it were Ron or Ginny, or even Hermione? Was he still under the care of babysitters?
When the girls cleared out and Ron and Harry once more climbed under their covers, Harry tried to rekindle the wonderful feeling of being so wanted that he'd shared with Tanya such a short while ago. He had no doubt what would have happened if Tanya hadn't heard Mrs. Weasley raising the roof. Was he ready for that? And what about Tanya? Did she make a habit of it? She couldn't be as inexperienced as he was; she seemed to know exactly how to touch him to make him crazy. Was that the real reason Mrs. Weasley didn't like her? Because she knew that Tanya would try to seduce him? Was Mrs. Weasley right in thinking that Harry needed protection from Tanya?
Did he want protection from Tanya? He still got warm fuzzy feelings just thinking about her and the attention she gave him. Was it all an act, or did she really fancy him? Remembering how she'd let him touch her, and how she'd touched him, he wondered if gypsies took a less serious view about things like romance and sex than other people did.
With all these questions churning inside him, it was a wonder he fell asleep at all, much less slept as soundly as he did. If he dreamed, he didn't remember, and when he awoke a few hours later to Hedwig's hooting, the sight of birthday presents at the foot of his bed sent all those lingering doubts away, at least for the time being.
What a loot! He engaged Ron's help in opening them. From Hermione, he got what was labeled an auto-checker. After turning it around a few times, he decided he'd have to wait until he could ask Hermione what it did. It no doubt had something to do with lessons, knowing her. Mrs. Weasley, true to form, had given him some mince cakes, some assorted candies (some of which she must have gotten from the twins; Harry was happy to see that she'd begun to come around to accepting their choice in profession), and a pullover sweater. Hagrid had sent along a miniature replica of a Norwegian Ridgeback dragon, just like Norbert. He could keep company with the mini-dragon Harry still had from his Goblet of Fire events.
Harry put the Norbert-look-alike in the drawer where he was keeping the other dragon, but when they began snorting fire at each other, he felt it would be wiser to put them out of reach of anything flammable. They'd calm down once leadership was established.
He opened the gift from Ron, and found a bottle of Old Spice cologne. He looked questioningly at Ron, who grinned and said, "I heard Tanya tell Lupin that she liked it. She said it's dead sexy." Harry flushed and opened the bottle. It smelled quite nice, so he put some on his neck, hoping he hadn't been too lavish.
Hermione and Ginny came into the room, with Tanya not long after them. Hermione explained that the auto-checker would scan his essays and automatically point out where his errors were. Harry thanked her, knowing it would be less work for Hermione, as she was the one who kept Harry and Ron both from failing all their subjects at school.
Tanya narrowed her eyes and looked around the room. Her eyes settled on Harry, and she smiled. "Is that Old Spice I'm smelling?" She came to sit next to Harry on his bed, and to Harry's somewhat embarrassed chagrin, she nuzzled his neck and whispered in his ear, "It's an aphrodisiac, you know." He wasn't entirely sure what an aphrodisiac was, but he could guess it was something he didn't want the others to know he was using. He felt the hot flush creep up his neck and face, and quickly tried to get everyone's attention elsewhere by opening another present. He mentally kicked Ron, who wasn't going to let him off so easily. "Should we leave you two alone for a while?" Ginny rolled her eyes and cuffed Ron, who, unabashed, stole a chocolate frog from Harry's pile of goodies.
Harry opened a package from Lupin, and found a Pensieve inside. It looked just like Dumbledore's, except a little smaller.
From Ginny, he got more candy, and as he dumped the boxes onto his bed, Ginny warned him, "Most of those came from Fred's and George's shop, so mind what you try." Still another package came directly from the twins' shop, and in it were things that Harry was loath to try without direct instructions from them. Still, as he was the main investor in the business, he supposed he'd better keep up with what went on there.
Hermione tossed him another package. Tonks had given him a small crystal ball, with a note attached: "Just in case you miss your Divination classes!" As if. But since he could look into this crystal without the nuisance of Trelawney breathing down his back, perhaps he might just see something in it one day.
Moody had sent something as well; it looked like a hand-held mirror, which Harry took to be Foe-glass, something Moody would not want to be without. If Harry were to become as suspicious as Moody, he might do well to consider a different line of work.
At last, he opened the present from Tanya. Four books fell out of a box onto his lap. Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", Ray Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes", and one from an author he'd never heard of before, a David Bowery, entitled, "The Wanton Adventures of Lucy Braddox".
He smiled at her. It had been a while since he'd read anything but textbooks and books about Quidditch, but it would help pass the time. He thanked everyone and Hermione and Ginny rose to leave. Tanya hung back a bit, and whispered to Harry, "They're bewitched, you know." She smiled secretly at Harry, and followed the girls out of the room.
What are bewitched? he wondered. The books? He opened the top one, and quickly skimmed the pages. As he read about Marley's ghost, he tried to imagine the scene in his mind. The dark house, cold because Scrooge couldn't bear to spend money on coal, the rattling of chains, Scrooge's fear . . . Harry felt himself being pulled toward the pages. Whoa! The last time he felt anything like it was when he was trying to steal a look inside Snape's Pensieve. The books are bewitched? Ron was prodding him to get going, so Harry closed the book and put it aside to get dressed. He promised himself that he would find time today and check into this further. He wouldn't mind actually falling into one of these books, and living adventures he'd only previously read about.
After thanking everyone at breakfast for his gifts and receiving many well-wishes, Harry helped with the washing up and asked what everyone's plans were for the day. Seems the adults all had things to do, and Ron and Ginny were happy to spend most of the day dueling in the video game world. Hermione was talking about re-reading Hogwarts: A History, and Tanya mentioned something about sorting out the Herbology lessons that she had to finish before Snape's arrival today. They all wanted to get together this evening though, and find something different to do to commemorate Harry's birthday. Hermione suggested a trip to the nearest video rental store, and Mrs. Weasley decided that if Lupin would escort her, she could pick out movie or two to entertain them this evening. She'd pop some popcorn and they'd make a party of it. So, Harry had the morning, and probably most of the afternoon to peruse his books.
Harry wasted no time in returning to his books. He picked up the Bradbury book, and was soon running through a quaint American town, with his two new friends, preparing to see the circus come to town.
A couple of hours later, Harry lay back on his bed, marveling at what can be done to books. To actually live these adventures! One would scarcely ever have to leave the house! He glanced at the bedside clock, and decided he had time to peek into another book. He couldn't remember which ones he had, and he grabbed the first one his hand touched. It was the Bowery novel. Reading the title, his pulse quickened. "The Wanton Adventures of Lucy Braddox"? Perhaps he'd better read this one through before actually jumping in. It wouldn't do to get in over his head. It did sound a little racy.
He opened a page at random. As he read, his ears began to burn and his hands began to tremble a little. This was no ordinary adventuress in here. This Lucy Braddox had no inhibitions at all, from what Harry read, and he wondered if he was ready for such a novel. Surely Tanya knew what was in this book before giving it to Harry? Was she teasing him? Was she hoping he'd get his education from "another" woman before coming to her? Harry felt pangs of self-doubt creeping into him as he wondered exactly what Tanya had been thinking in bewitching this particular book? But curiosity won out, and Harry opened the book to the beginning to read the normal way, at least to start with.
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Latest 25 Reviews for The Gypsy
22 Reviews | 7.68/10 Average
nice - spent the las few evenings reading your story. I appreciated your OC. Keep up your writing.
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Thanks!
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Thanks!
That was really neat. I was hitting the random story link in search of something new and came across your story. I got a real gem this time.
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
I had a really tough time with the change-over from HP/OC to SS/OC. If the beginning had been told more from Tanya's POV rather than Harry's, it would have helped clarify the angle of the story, and would have made it flow easier, I think.Still, interesting tale, and of course, I'm always happy when Severus gets to have some happiness in his life.EM
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Yes, so sorry about that HP/OC-SS/OC switch. I had intended it to be all about HP and Tanya, but as it progressed, I realized the characters weren't all that compatible, so I began to lose my belief. Instead of going back and rewriting the story (which I should probably have done), I just let it continue to unfold.Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Hi, wishing to tell you that I'm reading your story. You've created a great turn of events, congratulations! Corrupted Auror trainees? Of course Malfoy finds out a flaw if he can use money to exploit it. You deserve more reviews but OCs tend not to get the same attention as canon characters even if bent to be unrecognisable. Me for one, I then prefer a new person. You're, however, close to creating a Mary Sue but maybe her exhaustion and some other drawbacks compensate for her power .. and beauty? Gypsis are outcasts in both worlds, that's so tragic, but I think Tanya is right in that the wish for it as well. Face it, out world isn't oo great thateveryone must embrace it. I will be reading on, I promise, but not today.
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Thank you!
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Thank you!
I have never liked Cho. Tanya is too much woman for Harry, seems more like Severus' type. Tamara
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Something she and Snape soon discover for themselves...
This chapter is very good. It had all kinds of emotions in it. Tamara
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Thank you.
Tanya reminds me of Hermione somewhat. Tamara
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Well, they are both carbon-based forms of life, I suppose...
What I don't understand is why more people haven't reveiwed this story. Tamara
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
*smiles*
It's amazing how detailed your story is. I'm enjoying very much. Tamara
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Thank you!
Happy Birthday Harry! sorry you didn't get what you really wanted lol Tamara
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
He got as much as he could handle... hee hee
This story keeps getting more and more intriguing. Tamara
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
*grins*
I believe this is going to be a very interesting story. Great first chapter Tamara
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Thanks!
Very beutiful story. It has met my expectations in almost every way. The fact that this could have been a book also impressed me. The drama and the suspence between the relationship between Harry, Tanya, and Snape seems to have been the most "encapturing" of the story. Though the ending of the feared wizard Voldemort could have gone better, I believed that the irony of his death being a knife seems off balance. Still Good Story.
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Thanks!
The story is keeping my interest. Tanya seems too mature and knowing for sixteen, but perhaps it's her gypsy heritage. Would part of her heritage be an inclination to hide her skill, or does she trust everyone at Grim Old Place?There was a crossover story of Buffy and Harry where Xander took out the portrait with a chain saw.
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Her wanting to hide her skills is part of her wish to blend into the background, never having been comfortable with other people's attention. And she will never completely trust everyone...
Okay, you got Harry out of the Dursleys without subjecting him to a lot of misery. That's good. It's a bit dull to me because the characters are acting predictably, but we have to balance this against introducing the new characters and the story line in a clear manner. Molly's reaction to Gypsies was a good touch. My suggestion would be to have Snape make Harry nervous by being nice to Harry.
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Snape's going to be too busy to bother Harry...
I have had this planted firmly on my favorites list for a long time, and I finally got the time to read it fully. Had to go back and re-read a few chapters to remember where I was, but I have finally finnished! And wow, what a story! I can't figure out if Tanya is a Mary-Sue or just a really good original character. The fact that she ends up with Snape supports the MS theory, but all the Gypsy history and its relation to the magical world makes me think Tanya was created to segway Gypsy magic into Harry-Land. If so they kudos to you. I was totally taken in by the new and interesting magical lore Tanya could wield. I also loved that you had her originally involved with Harry. The best stories always have some sort of love interest/antagonist to f#@$ up the works. I was kind of pissed that you didn't go further down that road before clearing the way for Snape. But hey, it all works! Excellent story - I am so glad I finally got the time to read this in its entirety. It must have taken a mammoth effort to get it right! Can't wait for the next story you put out as your writing style is really beautiful. lol
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Thank you,
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
! This story was written before I found a group that has helped me with my writing, but for a first effort, I'm still rather pleased I actually managed to finish it. When I wrote it, I had no concept of what a MS character was. I think I have a pretty good grip on things now, and am learning more all the time.
I have to admit that in the beginning I had such a pervy crush on young Harry, that I had fully intended this story to be a OC/HP pairing, but somewhere along the lines, I discovered Snape, and was completely swept off my feet. Just as well, because I don't normally find myself attracted to anyone younger than 40. Now I feel a little less perverted.
I headed Tanya away from HP, mainly because things had been getting too hot for them, and didn't want to cross any underage sex policy lines. It was going to be difficult enough to rationalize Snape's interest in so young a woman later.
Thank you again for taking the time to read the story, and also for taking the trouble to send a review. It is truly appreciated!
Response from Brizywitch (Reviewer)
I will confess the same dilemma - a pervy crush on boy wonder got me into this fan girl mess, and finding Snape hooked me like cigarettes (very hard to give up). Thanks for your rationalisation - knowing where authors are (brain-space-wise) when they are writing has always interested me. Being able to find, and hold the same wavelength while writing a novel length fic is a mission in itself. I am in awe of anyone who can. I also didn't know who, or what, a MS was for the longest time - then I spotted someone being bitch slapped for it on a Buffy site, and caught on pretty quick. The fact that you made Tanya so believable and flawed, makes up for the fact that she is an AU character. Again, fantastic story - keep up the great writing.
Worthy of J. K. rowling herself!
The characters seemed alive. As an author myself I can say that Dusty Rose has a better grasp of characterization than I do.
Her storyline flowed smooth as silk. No gaps, inconsistancies or errors that I could spot.
All in all this is the best piece of fanfic that I have ever had the pleasure of reading!
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Thank you! You are too kind!
Harry isn't as anxious as I am to see why she wants to see him alone in her room. ;) Excellent, excellent story. I am enthralled with Tanya.
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Thanks! Remember, Harry is just learning about things like romance. In future chapters, you'll see that they're not really all that compatible, because of events which will unfold . . .
notsosaintly's response: I am looking forward to it., even if Harry loses another girl (poor thing). I have my own suspicions (pushes Mrs. Weasley aside) ... I'll just have to wait and see, I guess. (updateupdateupdate *snicker*)
What a great story! Thank you so much!PS I was a little disappointed when the Harry/OC stuff didn't happen.Well, we cant have everything in life....Anyway, whatagreatstory!
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Thank you so much!
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Response from Dusty Rose (Author of The Gypsy)
Thank you so much!