Hi :-) A long-time reader of your stories here. I've been into HP fandom (and your stories) for a very long time, but I only discovered the joys of commenting recently (and in another fandom). Now that I have left lurkdom, I want to tell all the authors that I enjoy most how much I love their stories. Which is how I ended up on your profile again :D It seems, though, that you've taken almost all of stories down. Or my browser doesn't display them correctly, I'm not sure. In any case, I'm sad that I can't read those stories anymore and that I can't leave comments on them now. So, I'll just have to pour all my appreciation and love for your stories into the two that are still available :D

Some notes on individual chapters and my favorite lines: Chapter 1: I always like an outsider's perspective on the main plot. That you take that even further and have a more-or-less clueless muggle observe the effects of the wizarding wars in Godric's Hollow is especially cool. I love how some things are instantly recognizable, while others leave me wondering about the connections to canon wizards (Abbots, Shunpikes). And apart from that, it's great that you touch on the worries of elderly people who are the only ones remaining in countryside villages.

Chapter 2: “Some fifteen years back, the residents had rebuilt the old covered wool market here, in a bout of optimism prompted by a sudden influx of visiting campers” And now you give us a glimpse of how wizards see the muggles in Godric's Hollow. I love it!

Chapter 3: “It would certainly taste of Dearest.” Hahahaha :D

Chapter 4: Madam Malkin! Baby Muriel! So great :D

Chapter 5: “They say they're doing it as a service to mankind.” :D :D

Chapter 7: “Wizarding Britain didn't take much of an interest in developments on the Continent, unless it was German Quidditch” :D
“golden-locked Wonder-Warlord” This is a superb line!

Chapter 8: “The war hadn't come here. Neither this nor the last one.” Ooof, how wrong! (But of course understandable from his point of view.) I've said it before, but I really like that you include the perspective of an outsider. In the case of this particular story, it somehow adds to the 'drama', so to speak, because it highlights how everybody's experiences differ. Even in the midst of a war, personal fates and losses are, well, personal. Not even neighbors may know what huge events are going on. And also such outside perspective draw attention to all the other untold stories, that unfold everywhere, without my notice…

More general comments: I remember that when I first discovered this story, I was a bit skeptical of the pairing and the time period. I don't often venture far from canon events (Even though, when I do it's often fabulous) and I'm so glad that I gave this story a shot. Even though it is, for the most part, far removed from the events of the books, there are so many cool references to canon characters and events. It's beautifully written. You make the characters very much own. Whether canon or original, they become interesting and distinguishable persons with their own mannerisms, quirks and history. That's outstanding!

Also, I absolutely love that you include topics like education and feminism into the story, in a manner that fits the time period it is set in. Moreover, it feels entirely natural to include things like that, because it makes sense for these characters, who are canonically scholars, researchers, educators,… to shape their lives around that.

Lastly, I like what you do with Griselda's and Bathilda's relationship. How they meet and instantly settle into a life together is so sweet. I'm sad that events forced them apart. As much as I would have liked them to happily stay together, though, their break-up makes total sense here. And the ramifications of the memory charm in particular, that it might have started Bathilda's dementia later on and how Griselda still deals with that (of course!) after so many years, is heartbreaking.

All in all, this is a fantastic and original story, that I enjoy a lot. Thanks for writing and sharing!

This was so good. So good. An excellently written, well thought out and thoroughly consistent backstory. The time skips were expertly handled. Well, all of it was, really. Very nice work.

I don't think the nods to the Ladies of Llangollen were accidental, were they? :)

I cried. Thank you.

I love this!

It's such an eminently sensible solution, indeed, to ask Eliza Shunpike. Oh dear.

/dressed in a pink, frilly frock that somehow looked like a mother's last, desperate attempt at turning her daughter into a proper little lady./ Brilliant description.

/"Yes," Muriel said. "They say they're doing it as a service to mankind."/ I love ickle!Muriel.

/"Brilliant. Troubling, but brilliant."/ Sums Dumbledore up, doesn't it? And sums up Tom Riddle, too. One sees how easily the one could have gone the path of the other.

/careful not to break the virginal spine because that was owner's privilege / Exactly! These little details give such density and such depth of character to your Griselda.

/cursed the cheap ink that left smudges on her hands./ The number of times I've done just that. And cheap editions on which the front cover is just a millimeter or two shorter than the actual book. And books that are cut in such a way that there is too little margin left between the spine and the text.

And the way you described how, perhaps, the relationship wouldn't have worked anyhow, is brilliant. There's rarely a black-and-white answer, and this gives us so many believable shades of grey.

/"Who tells me that this is how the owner will wear the dress when the milkman comes?" / *Grin*

/A sentiment that was not always shared by the maids and caretakers./ I can see their point. But I still love the way those two set up their household.

/Most of the time, though, she wished that the world was full of Bathildas./ Don't we all.

May I join the queue of people who have a crush on Eleanor Bones? Love her, love the pipe, love the way she deals with those girls. And the hand kisses!

/It would certainly taste of Dearest./ Great line. And you bring past and present together so beautifully.

/or unmarried life if the fates were ungracious. / Such a marvellous period detail.

/and completely without natural charms, as her grandmother rarely failed to point out. / Did Granny Marchbanks ever visit Germany? There's an Oma there she might get along with.

/Bathilda, dear, shy Bathilda, who could neither cook nor pin up a decent bun/ Pinning up a decent bun is quite a skill, you know.

/The rock in the surf and the breeze in the night. / Beautiful image.

That was absolutely beautiful. So well thought out, up to the slightest detail. I can see Bathilda as being just like that. And Griselda, one of JKR's 'strong women in the background'. The end was very moving. "She was my best friend. - She still is." I think it will stay with me, as a lot of your stories have.

Very, very good, Tetley. Strong end of chapter. Thorough attention to canon details. Interesting hints about all sorts of things in the Muggle world, that make me think I should reread your stories, as I might have missed some in my eagerness to follow the plots.

And your beautiful writing style and attention to detail make the scenes alive.

I love the backstory about Muriel. It seems we are going to get a better understanding of her, as more than the bitchy gossip we see in DH.

/trying to convince Gussie Longbottom of the charms of Majorca/ The word 'hopeless' springs to mind. Convincing Gussie?

/a rogue sprig of prickmadam / I had to google that one, but to think there is actually a plant called *prickmadam*. I wish I had half of your vocabulary!

/Griselda usually managed to calm her by explaining that no, the woman in the picture was for the young Tilda in the picture, and shouldn't old Tilda have a Dearest as well?/ This whole section is such a wonderful depiction of the Alzheimer process, and the amazingly loving way Griselda deals with it.

/Which shows that it is an award to be taken seriously," Miss Bones stated./ Another kick-ass member of the Bones family.

/She held a silver lorgnon and seemed to think it the most natural thing on earth to receive a hand kiss from a square-shouldered witch in a black reform costume./ I want Eleanor Bones backstory. This would be a good starting point.

I'll have to procrastinate a bit over the pleasure of rereading. Will be back!

Ah, this time I'll have the pleasure of reviewing line-by-line. That is to say, I will restrain myself and not quote every single phrase back at you. Not every single.

/it would be one of them art features where nothing ever happens/ Love the way you introduce John by his grammar. Love John, too. I want to introduce him to Argus, actually. I think they could be friends.

/that dead ringer for Klondike Annie / Rita feels flattered.

/Then again, Kate Pritchett also sent her toenail clippings to a fortune teller up North./ Yech. My heart bleeds for the fortune teller. What a thing to find on one's breakfast table - or whenever the mail is delivered up North. But the line is priceless!

And the clever introduction of Eliza Shunpike, whose son is now in the Navy! Not to mention the deft interweaving of canon details.

The advantage of writing about old ladies is that you can bring in more interesting issues. I mentioned aging. Here you write about history of women's condition and rights - a very important subject. As witches live longer, and the magical world still seems to have an old-fashioned approach to a number of things, it allows you to dig deeper and give a more interesting dimension to the usual romance tale. Good work.

(And I would love one of those adjustable decolletes.)

Typical Tetley.

Humour (I laughed at "convince Gussie Longbottom of the charms of Majorca") and poignant, the frighteningly accurate description of aging, as Griselda sees it in herself and even more in the older woman she has loved.

More comments when I've read more.

Good story!