Tonks smiled slightly then looked nervously around the courtyard. "Do you have any invisibility detection equipment?" She whispered as they parted.
Harry nodded and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his brow. "It's a wonderful day for a Hogsmeade trip," he said as he glanced around the area, peering carefully through the enchanted fabric before folding it back up and putting it into his robes. "Nothing," he said quietly as he cupped her cheek with his hand. "What's wrong?"
Tonks led him to a bench and cleared her throat. "Poppy wouldn't refill my prescription," she said nervously.
"What? Why?" Harry asked confused. "You're my wife and spouses have access to the medical facilities as well..."
"We do, but..." She took his hands in hers and gulped nervously. "Please don't get mad..." She whispered as tears started to form in her eyes. "Promise you wont' be angry," she said with pleading eyes.
Harry wiped the tears away and nodded. "I promise I won't get angry, what's wrong? Are you ok?"
"W-we're both healthy," Tonks stuttered as she wiped her sweating hands on her jeans.
"Yes, we are," Harry said concernedly.
"No," Tonks said in a whisper, "we're healthy." She emphasized her explanation by pointing from her chest to her stomach, the color draining from her face as Harry's look of confusion switched to that of shock.
"A... You're... We..." Harry stammered nervously. "Baby?" He asked quietly as Tonks nodded nervously. "We-we're having a baby?" Harry asked again, his voice rising to a high-pitched squeak.
"The birth control potion hasn't been effective for the past three months," Tonks said hurriedly, "and I didn't know that I needed a different prescription... I'm sorry..." Her eyes began to water up again as her shoulders started to shake. "We're going to lose our jobs for this..." Tonks sobbed as Harry pulled her into a tight hug.
"They can't fire us if we're married..." Harry said determinedly.
"We're not really married..." Tonks said desperately.
"We can't let our baby be born without proper parents," Harry explained further. "We can be married in fifteen minutes." He said with a smile.
"You really want to marry me?" She asked skeptically. "Or is it because of the baby?"
"Love, the baby pushes the timetables ahead a bit, not to mention losing our jobs, but given enough time I would have asked you to. We've known each other for some time now and spent a lot of it saving each other's lives. Circumstances could be better, but will you marry me, Nymphadora Tonks?"
"Y-you're serious?" She asked, taken aback by the sudden proposal.
Harry nodded. "If you'll have me as your husband, and I know you hate your first name, but I had to use it for it to be proper and all..."
"Yes," she whispered after she'd stopped his rambling with a press of her finger to his lips.
Harry smiled widely and hugged her to him. They kissed and he quickly glanced to his watch. "We have enough time if we can get to Dumbledore..." Taking her hand in his, Harry and Tonks ran to their friend's office.
"Ah, James, Marion, what can I do for you?" Albus said with a smile as they stepped into his office. Harry quickly closed the door behind them.
"Is it safe to speak candidly?" Harry asked quickly. Dumbledore nodded and Harry quickly reverted to his normal form, followed closely by Tonks. "I have a favor to ask, Albus," he explained his plan as quickly as he could, watching a surprised then knowing look cross the old man's face.
"You realize you'll need witnesses, don't you?" Dumbledore asked as he pulled the proper artifacts he needed.
"How quickly can Remus and Moody be here?" Harry asked his wife-to-be.
"They can Floo here in a few seconds," Tonks said with a shrug.
Harry pulled out his secure crystal and contacted Moody, within moments the two men were standing in the headmaster's office looking rather confused.
Harry and Tonks handed their rings to Dumbledore as he began the ceremony. The looks on the two Aurors' and friends' faces went from confused to shock as vows were exchanged and rings placed on fingers.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife," Albus said with a smile. "You may kiss the bride."
Harry brought Tonks into a tender kiss just before Moody spun the young man around.
"What's the meaning of this, Harry?" Remus asked concernedly, holding back the fuming older man.
"Well, it's a long story," Harry started, "but Tonks and I have been together secretly for the past three years."
"I screwed up yet again and according to section sixty-nine, paragraph seven, we would lose our jobs if we weren't a married couple." Tonks said quickly.
"You did not screw up, Love," Harry said quietly, lifting her face to his. "This was unexpected, but you did not screw anything up."
"What in blue blazes are you talking about?!" Moody barked.
"Sexual relations between agents are acceptable if they are married," Harry explained, "According to the bylaws, we would have lost our jobs..."
"Damn right you would have!" Moody growled at them. "I knew what you were doing, but what happened to make you... You're not?!" He said incredulously, looking at Tonks with wide eyes.
Tonks nodded feebly. "Harry and I are having a baby," she said quietly, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks again.
Remus smiled awkwardly as Moody began to fume. "I thought you were being careful!"
"We were," Harry interjected, putting a protective arm around his wife, "but she built up an immunity to this version of the potion and it quit working a month ago..."
"How far along are you?" Moody asked quietly, setting a comforting hand on Tonks' shoulder.
"Three weeks," she mumbled feebly. "I'm sorry..."
"Don't be sorry," Moody sighed. "I guess congratulations are in order then..." With that, he shook Harry's hand and hugged Tonks briefly. Remus followed suit with a smile that looked less like a grimace and more genuine.
"Things don't always turn out how you plan them," the old werewolf said as he shook Harry's hand. "Take good care of each other."
"We will, Remus," Harry said as he tried to calm his crying wife.
"You should head down to the courtyard," Albus interrupted quietly. "The students should be arriving any minute now."
Harry and Tonks returned to their alter-egos before thanking Dumbledore for his speedy help. They had just gotten outside the door when Harry stopped suddenly.
"Is everything alright, James?" Tonks asked as she wiped her cheeks.
"I'm going to be a father..." He said dumbly.
Tonks nodded and looked to the floor. "I'm sorry..." She was interrupted by a tight hug from her husband.
"I'm going to be a father!" Harry said excitedly and kissed his wife.
"You're ok with this?" She asked tenuously.
Harry pulled her into a tight hug and whispered into her ear, "I love you, Mrs. Potter."
Tonks let out a sob of relief. "I love you too!" She whispered back. They held each other in their arms for a few more minutes before they pulled apart and kissed once again.
"We have to get going..." Harry said with a wide smile on his face. "Why don't we stop by the bathroom so you can freshen up a bit and I'll meet you in the courtyard?"
"That sounds like a wonderful plan, Love," Tonks said with a smile.
They separated once again at the girl's bathroom and Harry rushed to the courtyard. He sighed in relief when he saw that he'd made it there before the students and waved at the other professors.
"Where's Marion?" Hermione asked with a smile as she walked up to him.
"Had to stop by the loo," Harry said with a grin. He was bouncing with energy, wanting to share the good news but he didn't feel right without having Tonks with him.
"You seem to be in a very good mood this morning, James," Minerva said with a smile as she took her customary place by the exit.
"Just happy to be alive, Minerva," Harry said with a cheerful laugh.
"I know that look, James," Hermione whispered with a smile. "You've got big news, don't you?"
"I can't say anything without talking with Marion first," Harry said cheekily. He felt a slight pang of guilt shoot through him at Hermione's bright smile, remembering his promise to be patient with her.
"There she is," Hermione said with a laugh, "Marion! Maybe you can shed some light as to why your husband is so happy today?"
Tonks linked her arm with Harry's and looked to him with a raised eyebrow. "Is this a good idea?" She whispered into his ear.
"We'll be right back, Hermione," Harry said with an apologetic smile on his face. He took Tonks aside and shook his head ever so slightly. "I don't know," he whispered quickly. "I sort of feel guilty hiding our true identities from her..."
"I know," Tonks said reassuringly, "I didn't mean for thi-"
"I know you didn't, Love," Harry said with a kiss, "but whether it's a mistake or not, I love you and now you're my wife..."
Tonks smiled at what he said and returned his kiss before the students arrived. "Let's hold off on the news for now, we could always invite her over for dinner and explain things to her tonight..."
Harry thought for a moment but the raucous laughter of the approaching students snapped him from his reverie. "That sounds like the best plan... let's tell her before we get swamped..."
They returned to Hermione's side and smiled. "Sorry that took so long," Tonks said with a smile, "but right now wouldn't be a good time so we thought we'd invite you over for dinner tonight."
"We can talk to you then," Harry said with a grin.
"I'm free tonight," Hermione said with a laugh. "Should I bring anything?"
"Just yourself," Tonks said with a laugh. Harry noticed she seemed to be feeling better already and he took his wife by the hand as they followed the first batch of students to the wizarding village, talking happily with Hermione about dinner that night.
The morning and afternoon went relatively smoothly. No unplanned events reared their ugly heads aside from a fight or two between a few Slytherin and Gryffindor students. Harry's spirits began to soar as he and Tonks whispered to each other when they had a chance. It seemed that many of the fifth, sixth, and seventh year boys were totally smitten with Marion Baker and there seemed to be a group of them around at one point or another.
"I'll get us some icecream," Harry announced to the two women when the sun had gotten to be too intense. "It's warmer than usual..." He said as he started towards a new icecream parlor that had opened just this past summer.
"A chocolate flake for me," Hermione said with a smile as Harry waved away her money.
"Banana strawberry for you, Love?" Harry asked brightly, watching the twinkles in her eyes multiply and her smile grow wide as she nodded. "Be right back!" He said with a quick kiss.
He kept his eyes open, looking in the shadows and along rooftops as he made his way to the store. It was busy and he stood in line, happily bouncing on his feet and looking at the wedding band on his finger for the first time.
I'm married, he thought happily, and I'm going to be a father! The last thought caused him to smile broadly as he stepped to the counter. He placed his order, thinking about the change his life had suddenly taken. His mind wandered to Hermione and sadness began to fill him, but the thought of becoming a dad brightened him back up.
Harry stepped into the street and turned back to where he left his wife and friend only to hear screams from that direction. His smile fell, along with the three cones in his hands as he grabbed his wand and ran down the street at full speed.
"Get back to the school!" Hermione shouted above the panic. "Go with your groups! Stay together!" Her wand was out, countering spells being shot at her from three Death Eaters. Tonks was further down the road doing the same, gathering the children and fending off the attacks of others.
He wasted no time and stunned two of the black robed assailants as he ran towards them. Hermione finished the third and rushed to a group of frightened third year students.
"James!" Hermione screamed as she shot a stunner over his shoulder, catching another Death Eater square in the face.
"Thanks!" He huffed as he clapped her shoulder. "Keep getting the students to the school, I've got to help Marion!"
Three more dark wizards apparated around his wife, lifting their wands to take her down, but Harry was the quicker. His wand went in rapid succession, sending curse after curse into the black robes. Tonks was taking care of herself easily, but she looked green in the face when Harry finally reached her side.
"Are you alright?" He asked as he pulled her to the side of the road.
"I feel ill," she said, bending at the waist and vomiting. "Morning sickness, why now of all times?"
Harry rubbed her back and glanced around carefully. "Get to the school with the children! I'm going to make sure there aren't any stragglers!"
Tonks nodded as she wiped her mouth. "Be careful," she said quietly as Harry kissed her cheek and sent her off.
"You too!" He shouted as he ran down the road towards a group of students who were cowering in an alley. Hermione wasn't far away, stunning another Death Eater that was sneaking up behind Professor Sinistra.
"HERMIONE, LOOK OUT!" Harry turned to see Tonks running full out at the young woman. Hermione looked up in surprise, not seeing the tall, robed figure standing on the roof behind her. Harry raised his wand but not before a bolt of blue, crackling lightning shot out of the Death Eater's wand. Time slowed as if everything was happening in a large vat of molasses. Harry shot off a stunner, catching the robed wizard in the stomach. He turned to another Dark Wizard that was raising his wand at Tonks and stunned him as well.
Tonks' unlucky clumsiness suddenly kicked in and she tripped on something in the road, putting her off balance. Harry watched in horror as she knocked Hermione out of the path of the blue bolt, but Tonks took the curse full in the back.
"NO!" He shouted as he ran full out across the road, time suddenly speeding up to what seemed twice normal speed. Aurors poured from other parts of Hogsmeade, some at a run, others with Death Eaters levitating behind them wrapped in magical bindings.
"No students were injured!" Shacklebolt bellowed as he ran from the direction of the school.
"AGENT DOWN!" Harry shouted hoarsely as he cradled Tonks in his arms.
"A-Agent?" Hermione stammered as she watched the scene unfold before her eyes.
"The school would take too long! Get her to St. Mungo's high security!" Moody barked as he clomped up the road, tugging the man who had cursed her behind him.
Harry didn't waste any time and immediately apparated his unconscious wife to the wizarding hospital. "Unknown curse!" Harry shouted as a team of mediwitches and mediwizards ran up to him.
"What's her name?" One of the mediwizards asked hurriedly.
"Nym... Marion Baker!" He corrected. "Auror, security ward, code eye-ex-eye-eye!" He rattled off. He followed the team as they ran to an operating room and was stopped at the doors.
"Sorry, you can't come in..." A mediwitch said sympathetically. "You'll have to wait in the sitting area!" She turned and followed the rest of her team into the room, leaving a shell-shocked Harry Potter staring at the doors in front of him.
A deep depression began to settle into his heart as he walked dumbly to the sitting area. He'd just gotten married, just found out that he'd become a father, and he may have just lost that future he so craved. Why does it have to happen to me!? He thought as he slumped into a chair, blind to everything happening around him.
"James?" A female voice came from somewhere around him.
He glanced about with a futile attempt to find the speaker but returned to staring directly at the operating room door.
"James..." Hermione said as she sat next to him. "How is she?"
"What? I haven't heard..." He said distantly. "I just got here..."
"You've been here for four hours..." Hermione corrected quietly, turning him to look at her.
"Four hours..." Harry said dumbly, looking at his friend but not seeing her. The words sunk in and he shook his head. "Four HOURS?!" He asked incredulously.
"The students are safe, no professors were injured," Hermione said quickly, "three Aurors and your wife were the casualties; we were able to stop all but a few of the Death Eaters."
"But my wife..." Harry said, feeling the tears start to sting his eyes. "My wife!"
"I'll see what I can find out," Hermione said compassionately, leaving him in the waiting area. She returned a few minutes later, a frown on her face and sat back down next to him. "She's in her room, but they won't tell me anything, you're going to have to talk to them."
Harry nodded dumbly and followed Hermione to the information desk. After explaining he was Tonks' husband, they let him and Hermione visit her.
They stepped from the lift and walked down an infinitely long hallway. The walk seemed to take forever, yet almost instantly, he was standing in the doorway looking at a pale-faced Marion Baker lying deathly still in her bed. He rushed to her side immediately and took her hand in his as he sat down.
"Can you hear me, Love?" He asked with a trembling voice, feeling her cold skin in his hands.
Tonks' eyes fluttered open slowly, fighting the brightness of the room. She looked blearily at Harry and a wide smile crossed her face. "H-hi," she said weakly, barely able to squeeze his hand.
"Shh, don't talk," he said as tears began to roll down his cheeks.
"Is she ok?" Tonks asked quietly with a ragged breath escaping her lips.
"I'm fine, Marion," Hermione said reassuringly, taking the woman's other hand. "I'm right here, James is here with me."
Tonks smiled at Hermione as tears began to streak from the corner of her eyes. "Take care of him, Hermione..." She whispered hoarsely, a sob catching in her throat.
"What?" Harry asked taken aback. "You're going to be fine, Love!"
"Mr. Baker, can I have a word with you?" A mediwizard asked solemnly from the door.
Harry stood on gelatin filled legs and nearly stumbled to the door. He couldn't grasp what was being said to him as his hope began to drain away.
"She's not going to make it through the night," the man said sadly. "She was struck with a modified killing curse, meant to prolong the death... It wasn't meant for a pure-blooded witch but a muggleborn, and we don't know what the effects would have been should the intended target have been struck."
"S-She's dying?" Harry asked in a distant voice that didn't seem to be his own. His heart crumbled as the mediwizard placed his hand on Harry's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.
"I'm afraid so," he replied softly.
"What about the baby... our baby?" Harry whispered as all the feeling in his body began to leave him. He looked pleadingly to the man in front of him.
"If we can find a surrogate mother that matches your wife's blood-type, then we might be able to save it," he said softly. "But your wife has a very rare blood-type of O negative..."
The world faded to a haze and he nodded his understanding the only things clearly in view were Hermione and Tonks, in the room he was now entering and shutting the door to.
Hermione turned in her seat and saw the look of despair on her friend's face and the tears came unbidden from her eyes as Harry made his way to his wife's side once again.
"I know that look," Tonks said with a slight smile. "I wasn't lucky this time, was I?" She asked with a hollow chuckle that caused her to roll into a coughing fit.
Harry smiled lovingly as he helped her calm down. "I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough this time either..." His tears came unbidden even though he tried to be strong. "Just when I thought I'd finally found a family..."
Tonks' eyes went wide. "What about the baby?" She asked desperately. "Can the baby be saved?" She clutched Harry's arms tightly, pleading for a positive answer.
"Not without someone who has O negative blood..." He whispered sadly and pulled her into a hug.
"Baby?" Hermione asked in surprise.
Tonks wept in Harry's arms as he nodded. "We just found out today..." He explained as a sob hitched in his throat.
"How can O negative blood help?" She asked determinedly.
"A surrogate m-mother..." Harry said looking up to Hermione.
She looked nervously from Harry to Tonks, weighing something in her mind. "I'll do it," she said with a fire in her eyes that Harry had only seen when she was truly serious about something.
"W-what?" Tonks asked in a whisper as Harry set her back in her pillows. Her face had become more gaunt and tinged with blue even in the short span that she'd been in the bed.
"I have that blood type," Hermione explained, "I'll carry your baby for you."
"Hermione..." Harry said quickly.
"No, my mind is made up," Hermione interrupted.
Harry shook his head as he looked into Tonks' hazel eyes. "There's something you need to know first."
She looked at Harry in confusion. "What is there to know? My friend is dying and the only way to save her baby is for me to carry it..."
Harry took Tonks hand and nodded. "Go ahead," he whispered and with a sigh of relief, Tonks reverted to her normal self.
"Tonks?" Hermione whispered in disbelief. She looked hurriedly to Harry just as he shifted back to normal as well. "H-Harry?" Her hand shot to her mouth as she stumbled out of the chair in shock.
Harry's head drooped as he nodded. "This was our undercover assignment," he explained quietly. "We were posing as husband and wife..."
"Don't be angry, Hermione..." Tonks wheezed as her eyes fluttered closed then back open in a very lazy way.
"You've been with me the entire time?" Hermione whispered.
"Inadvertently, yes," Harry admitted softly. "I couldn't reveal who I was, only Albus, Moody, Remus, and Kingsley knew..."
"But a baby?" Hermione stuttered, tears flowing down her cheeks as the realization that Tonks was wasting away before their eyes settled in.
"Accident," Tonks breathed, trying to catch her breath, "p-potion..."
"She built an immunity to the birth control potion..." Harry said with a sob, taking her head in his hands and kissing her gently.
Hermione didn't become angry, the scene before her shunting any thoughts of it from her mind. She looked between the two of them and shot out the door in a hurry.
"Can you change back?" Harry asked. "Let me see those wonderful hazel eyes of yours?"
Tonks opened her eyes and smiled, watching Harry's reaction as tears fell from her eyes. "I kept my natural color, Love..." She breathed, but shifted to her Marion Baker persona as Harry shifted to James'. "Hermione will take care of you..." She whispered. "She p-promised..."
"Love? Tonks?" Harry gently shook her shoulders but she didn't respond. Her breathing became weaker and weaker as he broke down, cradling his dying wife in his arms.
"Sir, you'll have to sit back," a mediwitch said earnestly as he rocked back and forth with Tonks' limp body in his arms. "We have to transfer the baby now!"
A pair of strong hands grabbed Harry by the shoulders and dragged him from Tonks as a flurry of white-robed people dashed between Tonks and another bed that had been set up next to hers.
"We're losing her!" One of them shouted as their wands waved frantically in the air. Harry watched as Tonks shriveled away as if every ounce of muscle and every drop of liquid drained from her body. She seemed to mummify before their eyes and he fell to the floor on his knees.
"Transfer is complete!" Another said as the same strong pair of arms lifted Harry from the floor and pulled him into the hall where a chair was waiting for him. "Check her vitals and make sure she's not rejecting the fetus!" The mediwizard said hurriedly as the door closed.
"Harry..." The man's voice whispered in his ear. Harry looked up to find none other than Albus Dumbledore standing before him, a look of profound sadness on the old wizard's face.
"Doesn't it ever end, Albus?" Harry asked in a pathetic voice, having seemingly reverted to the scared little boy that used to live in a cupboard under the stairs at his uncle's house.
"One of the Death Eaters was the person you were looking for," Dumbledore said quietly. "I've taken the liberty of finding someone to cover your classes until you're fit to return, if you decide to return that is..."
"Thank you," Harry said in a daze, attempting to get to his feet but the old wizard's grip kept him firmly in place. He looked to his old mentor in confusion and saw something in his eyes. "What is it?"
"Ron was one of those who attacked the village today," Albus Dumbledore said sadly.
As you can see, this took place during the Hogsmeade visit. I wasn't really satisfied with the way Tonks died here and after speaking with Tawny about it, I decided to cut everything and expand it to the several chapters you read in the actual story. I didn't think it was quite a fitting way for Tonks to leave and found the new part much more heartbreaking.
With this chapter, I conclude The Ties That Bind. I wanted to have the entire story written before I went about posting the chapters, but I got so excited about it that I couldn't help myself. Look what happened: A posting nearly every night (or two nights) up until the last three chapters then I had to make you wait. That wasn't fair so I made the final chapter very long and put in hints as to what would happen in the sequel.
This has been a wonderful story to write. I'm a staunch supporter of the Harry/Hermione ship but writing Tonks this way opened my eyes to another exciting relationship that I hadn't really looked at before. This story started as a plot bunny for a challenge that had been pulled or deleted quite some time ago. It dealt with Harry and Tonks being lovers and Tonks would change into different women for Harry, to keep things spicy. One night, Tonks changed into Hermione and the challenger wanted to see what Harry would do in such a situation.
Long story short, I tried to track that topic but it disappeared *sigh*... I went a few months when the story came back in my mind and I pictured Harry standing on the edge of a building looking for someone. That's the opening scene for chapter 2. The rest of the story, however, went with the wind and I followed the situations that I had set up for the characters. Some of the scenes were based on actual experiences I had to deal with. Hermione, in this story, is based off a friend of mine that went through a similar situation (she, however, had 4 children at that point), Harry, of course, has some patterned behavior that I went through as well. In my situation, I ended up marrying Tonks and leaving Hermione as a friend because she was never really ready to move on from her divorce.
I know I promised more Harry and Hermione in this story, and I have to apologize for not giving more than I have. I have to admit, this story started as a Harry/Tonks where they would have gotten married and been happy, but since I wanted to post this here, I made the changes to reflect Portkey's rules. Starting with Harry/Hermione, ends with H/Hr, and has an underlying H/Hr throughout the story, though Harry eventually makes Tonks his choice to marry.
What many people seem to forget is this story was for Erin, it was an explanation of who she was; who her mother was, and just how much her father loved them both. That's why there was so little H/Hr fluff. I came close once or twice but I had established a character flaw in Hermione that kept them apart. This, of course, was all of Harry's emotions, thoughts, and memories projected into Erin's mind for her to witness what happened instead of hearing about it orally. He felt it was better to show her so she could understand just why they didn't want to remember those years that the trio had broken up.
The next story in this universe will detail in several chapters what happened from that fateful Christmas Eve to just after the marriage of Harry and Hermione (probably 6 months to a year afterwards). I'm hoping the story will be between 10 and 15 chapters, but we'll have to see where that takes us, won't we? :)
I've really enjoyed writing this story, and despite some of the negative reviews I've gotten and the whole 'shipping war' incident, I've been pleased with the reader turnout. I was extremely surprised at the number of reviews I've gotten, seeing as the only other story I have with anything above 300 reviews is my entries into the Summer Writing Series Challenge. This is a personal record for me and I'm so addicted to hearing what people have to say about my writing that, needless to say, I was OVERWHELMED with the positive response. I guess people are really craving those unique stories! Though, I wonder what would have happened if it was fully Harry/Hermione would the response have been better or worse? I guess we we'll never know :)
Thank you all for such a wonderful response, so many well thought out reviews and taking the time to think and speculate about my story. It felt like I was J.K.R. and I got to watch people wonder who would end up with who or why this happened versus that! :) Of course, I'm not J.K.R. (not by any stretch of the imagination) but it still made me feel really good to see people like izzeq, London Lupin, and Romulus Lupin leave such great reviews (and there were many others such as Amynoelle and coriander whom I love hearing from since they're some of the best authors here on PK!)
I hope to see many of you leave reviews for my next stories (or current ones if you haven't read them) and I'm going to leave you with a snippet from a current story at the end of this chapter! YAY! More bonus features!
(Curt on behalf of Muddgutts) Muddgutts has known about the story from the beginning, he's the first one who read it besides me and unfortunately, he didn't have the time to write anything. He's currently working hard, drawing, and writing his own fics. Let's not forget taking care of his wife and beautiful daughter. KUDOS to Muddgutts for taking the time he did to read what he did and I'm sorry he didn't have the time available to write something. Let's wish him luck! :)
Now, really, betaing for Curt has been quite enjoyable - if not only because I got the chapter a long time before you - the readers - did. I can't say I've done that much to this story; honestly, Curt wrote all 200-300 pages himself :) I only gave a running commentary.
I wouldn't mind betaing for him again - if he wants me: I can be quite cross (I assume all females here around know what I mean). But really, it is a great learning experience, especially for me, since I can't procrastinate all that much when I have this rather serious dead-line (Chapter will be posted anyway if you don't reply).
Curt, get your tail in gear - write!
He.
Go me. (Haven't said that in a while) :P
Qu: What did you think overall about the story?
Ans: Well, when I first started reading the first few chapters, I was a bit disturbed by Hermione's circumstances and why Harry saw fit to 'fall in love' with Tonks. Tonks also seemed a bit 'out of character' with how I imagined her to be in the books and also perhaps a tad too old for Harry. However the story was so well written, that I 'went with it' anyway. :)
Qu: What was it like to beta read?
Ans: Well sort of carrying on from the first part... it's bizarre because you are reading something which is not necessarily what you would read yourself given the choice... and this is where you have to be - er - a 'professional' about it.
You see, I didn't necessarily agree with Excalibur's point of view about Tonks and Harry - but that didn't mean I didn't appreciate a very good story or - more to the point - was able to see past that and simply look at the structure, spelling, British-ness (in my case! :blush: ) in terms of phraseology etc...
As a beta reader I think you have to read at least three times, because the first time you are generally so caught up in the story line - you miss tiny little details... a beta reader of mine once recommended reading it sentence by sentence backwards!! But - she says because you're looking at one sentence at a time - you pick things up. I have to say I didn't do it in that much detail :whistling: , but it's surprising what you pick up on a detailed read through.
It is hard - you have to really try and look - if the author is keen on 'mistakes'... but it's kinda fun. You get to see what happens before everyone else. :)
Deadlines are the other thing! It's easier if an author sets a deadline then you know what you're working towards if you have RL commitments. If you can't make a deadline - I guess it's easier for the author if you just say you can't do it by that date and they can make a decision from there...
Qu: Would I beta again?
Ans: Of course I would! You're a great writer - and if I didn't think so I would have probably given up after the first section! :D You wrote with such a lot of detail - and it read very easily - that's what draws a reader in I think - even if they're not too keen on the initial story line! :blush:
(Curt on behalf of Steve) Steve is an old friend of mine from middle school days. We recently started catching up again and it turns out we both like to write. While sharing the stuff I was working on with him, he suggested the title The Ties That Bind for my then untitled story. Well, as you can see, the title stuck! So, you have Steve to thank for this lovely title :) He's provided some great insight into what he's read of the story and, in a way, helped develop some of the twists that I took. He also read the story before Erin was introduced and when he reread it, he was upset at the news. Before Erin came into the picture, he was pro H/T all the way, though he's pretty open about most of the ships, especially those on PK :) Give him a break though, he's still in the middle of PoA so there's a lot of backstory he's missing :) Our motto: If he doesn't recognize it, I made it up ;) (though we both know I didn't...)
I am lucky enough to have Excalibur around to bounce my crazy writing ideas off of as well as ask for advice and opinions -- well, I was going to say from time to time, but it's a lot more than that, actually -- I'm sure to him it seems like all of the time! :) So when he asked if I wanted to look over the first few chapters of this story, I was more than happy to. Aside from wanting to return the favor, I also got to take a sneak peak at the work of Portkey's latest Best New H/Hr Author Reader's Choice Award winner, and who could say no to that?!
It has been fun to watch this story change and evolve over the past couple of months. I remember when Excalibur first mentioned to me that he had an idea for a Harry/Tonks story, and we discussed whether it could end up being PK material or not, what the rating would be, and more. It was only a day or two later that he had upwards of 50 typed pages for the story, and it just kept getting bigger and better. As it grew and developed, it became clear that it was a Harry/Hermione story all along, and perfect for PK. Originally the opening chapters where we meet Erin weren't there and the reader dove right into the action of the Harry/Tonks story, so when they were added about 1/3 of the way along, it really started coming together. Throughout the ride I saw Tonks' death - twice! - and some laborious edits, redo's, undo's, additions, deletions and more, some of which you've read in this special chapter. All in all, this piece took hours and hours of work oh his behalf! Let's just say that Excalibur put his heart and soul into this story and I think you'll agree that it paid off.
I'd like to thank Excalibur for his hard work and dedication, for sharing his talents with us, and for letting me have the privilege of beta-ing for him…it's been a fun ride! I'm looking forward to getting my hands a sneak peek of…err, offering my assistance with his next great story, whatever it may be!
Beta-ing The Ties That Bind for Curt has been great. All of Curt's works are excellent, and he rarely makes mistakes. And when he does, he listens to all suggestions attentively, and always takes up the opportunity to improve his writing. I enjoyed The Ties That Bind very much.
Though I may not have agreed with some parts of the story, like the extensive Harry/Tonks shipping, I think it was a wonderfully written piece of literature. I know Curt put in a great deal of hard work into writing it and I think he did fabulously. I hope that all you readers have enjoyed the story as much as I have.
The past couple of months of beta-ing for Curt have been a great experience for me and also a great deal of fun. I will certainly jump at the opportunity to beta for Curt again in the future. I really hope everyone has enjoyed The Ties That Bind and will review, because I'm sure Curt will appreciate any and all feedbacks!
It's not much, but here's a little snippet of my next story, again, a rather unique storyline and only a few people know about it so far. With luck, it'll get as much attention as The Ties That Bind! Enjoy the cookie! :)
Hermione wished that those who had helped her through the years were able to get out of the school safely, but she had more pressing matters to concern herself. She directed Cho to the last known spot on the map that Hagrid had been spotted and hoped that he was still in the area.
They landed silently in the underbrush, quite a ways into the forest. Hermione knew that McNair rarely entered more than a few hundred meters but if they were to go any farther than they were now, they'd run smack into the middle of Acromantula hell.
"How close are we?" Cho asked quietly as Hermione opened the map once again.
"Not far," she replied in a whisper. "Point me," she said firmly to her wand and watched as it pointed to their quarry.
Wordlessly, they set out at a careful pace. Hermione kept her ears and eyes open, scanning the canopy above and the surrounding underbrush as well. A whimper of some sort echoed to their left and Hermione stopped Cho in her tracks.
"Something's following us," Hermione whispered so quietly that it took Cho a second to understand what was being said. "Change and head for the trees, be careful of webs..."
Cho did as she was instructed and flew off into the night. Hermione had just turned around when the growling of a large dog came from behind her.
She went still and slowly turned around to face whatever it was, praying that it wasn't another werewolf. Hermione stopped and her mouth gaped open when she saw the largest black dog she'd ever seen. It resembled a Grim, but she could tell that this beast was far more solid than that mythical apparition.
Well, that's it for this story, the cookie, and the special features section! Thank you all for riding along! :)