Hello, I hope you're well! I just wanted to say, I absolutely LOVE your fic. Your writing is so sharp, and funny, and heart wrenching. I don't know what it is but the way you capture emotions is so vivid and immersive. You bring the pain and wonder of love and heartbreak to life so beautifully, I feel like I'm experiencing it all over again myself (in a gloriously angsty, cathartic way). I'm on my second read and I have a couple of thoughts I'd like to share - they may be WAY off the mark but here goes!
I have a feeling that Juliette's parents aren't finished with their mind games... My thinking is that they won't cut Juliette off/disown her without a fight, not because they love her, but because they aren't willing to let her ruin the family name. I think her parents are more than capable of Obliviating her and taking her memories of Severus as they, mistakenly, think that if they get rid of her feelings/memories for/of him, she won't leave/she'll be back to playing the dutiful daughter. They don't understand that Juliette's desire to leave is more than her feelings for Severus, so they may think that removing him from the picture is how they shut down the situation for good...
That being said, I don't know if Severus is capable of believing Juliette from her words and actions alone anymore, there's too much to misinterpret. I think this is where, maybe, Severus's canon skills could make an appearance... Could Juliette let him into her mind to see the truth of her feelings? Or is that too easy? She'd have to earn his trust again and he'd have to want to believe her to even try... who knows!
I have a feeling Sirius is going to be key to helping Severus and Juliette talk to one another. If anyone knows what Juliette is going through its him. I'm really looking forward to Juliette finally apologising and hearing his side of the story - after all, he left everything behind. He chose himself, he chose love, he chose freedom. I would love if Sirius chucked them both in a room and locked the door until they sorted things out. I think a locked room would be poetic, considering how everything started...
Nathan - "After all, what worse could he possibly do than what he’s already done?" Nathan is sooooo nasty and I'm worried we've not even begun to see how nasty he can be. Juliette, understandably, hasn't been paying much attention to him but I think she may be underestimating the rage building up in him. Why is he suddenly taunting her in corridors after not speaking to her for months? I sense an altercation...
ANYWAYS. Thank you for blessing us with your writing and for indulging my thoughts! Take care <3
First of all, I want to say a huge THANK YOU for your interest in my story, truly, thank you. Everything you shared made me incredibly happy, and it honestly means more to me than I can say ❤️
As for your first point, you’re absolutely right: Juliett’s parents are not willing to let her tarnish the family name. Her situation mirrors Sirius’s in some ways, but it’s also fundamentally different. Sirius has a brother, and for the Blacks, Regulus represents their chance to “do things properly”, the way they expect them to be done. That’s why they were able to let Sirius go without too much resistance.
But Juliett… Juliett is an only child. And her father holds a very prominent position at the Ministry, which places the family constantly under scrutiny. As you rightly said, Ophelia and Octavian think small: they see that boy as the problem, without realising that, for Juliett, this goes far deeper than just him.
On your second point, Severus doesn’t trust her at the moment. He feels like an object, a distraction, a pastime, but that perception exists only because he doesn’t fully understand Juliett’s feelings, and because he doesn’t know that her situation with Fabian is nothing more than a fabricated façade. They need to speak openly, honestly, but that’s incredibly difficult, especially given where they stand now. She tried in the last chapter, but he built a wall between them, a massive one, in an attempt to protect himself.
As for Severus’s canon abilities, it’s important to remember that he’s still a teenager in this story. He hasn’t yet become the formidable wizard we know from the Harry Potter saga. So no, Legilimencywon’t come into play here.
And as for Sirius’s role… I risk saying too much 🤭 For now, it’s enough to say that Juliett owes him an apology, and one she very much needs to give. The way she behaved with him deserves to be addressed.
As for Nathan, he was dangerous, and he remains dangerous. I despise him.
Thank you again for writing to me. I’m always here if you have more questions or if you’d like to hear a few behind-the-scenes thoughts. Your words truly warmed my heart, thank you, truly ❤️
