This was great!

so Neville controls his emotions so well, that he never really gets a chance to accidentally spew magic. at least thats how I took it.

That summed up Neville very well.

I always try to add a bit of constructive criticism, here it is: Neville is hanging from a window by a guy who will probably drop him. Shouldn't he be screaming right now? He's so calm!

Author's Response: Neville's "early" magic is purely accidental, which somewhat makes sense for him. I get the feeling that if he'd consciously tried to do magic at all, he wouldn't have been able to achieve it. He comes into his own by the end of the series, certainly, but I have a soft spot for bumbling, befuddled early-book Neville. ♥

He is quite calm, isn't he? :P I'm rather under the impression that he's in shock!

Thank you for reviewing! This and your other reviews really have served to make my entire day, and again, I'm very sorry it took me so long to respond to them. I seriously am so happy you reviewed in the first place!

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Loved it. Neville is just right.

Author's Response: I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your comment about Neville, too. :) Hope to see more from you soon! Thank you for reviewing!

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TenthWeasley,
A perfect ending and beginning. I will mention that you left Victoire off the list of cousins that James will have around. For Harry it was the send off he never got, well until he had Sirius in his life. A bit too late. But your whole story was very canon. Thank You.
FoM

Author's Response: I am aware that Victoire is missing from the list; there are a few other cousins missing, too. Harry didn't provide his son with an extensive list. ;) I'm really flattered that you think the beginning and ending were "perfect," though! It was indeed the send-off Harry himself never got, and I think he would have tried that much harder to cement his kids in the magical world he never had, growing up.

I work very hard to make most, if not all, of my writing as canon as possible. And I'm just really pleased you saw that here. :) Honestly, all your reviews just really, really made my day, if not my week. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for your reviewing every single chapter, and in such a short space of time, too! Thank you!!

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TenthWeasley.
You have a perfect shot of Seamus as a tot. Of course he wanted a sparkler. It was so much like his Mams wooden stick that shot colors. I'd love to see what happen when she was forced to admit to her Hubby that she was a witch. All Seamus said that it was a bit of a surprise.

Author's Response: I'm happy that you enjoyed this story, too! I think out of all of these chapters, Seamus's was the most difficult to write, but I'm pleased with the end result. You should definitely think about writing a one-shot about his father discovering his mother was a witch, though -- that's really not a bad idea! I wonder if anyone's done that...

Well, what can I say that's not been said before? So glad you're enjoying the story, and even more glad you took the time to tell me so! ♥ Seriously fab!

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TenthWeasley,
Bravo and a BIG Thank you. I always love reading when Harry thwarts Dudders. I wonder if some friend of Lily and James enchanted the tree just so Harry would have a bit of magic around him? Or perhaps this was Lily protecting Harry from the beyond! Coyld happen!
FoM

Author's Response: Harry will always thwart Dudley -- that's just how the world works! ;) It would have been hard, I think, to write a story about Harry's childhood and NOT include Dudley. I think the tree would have been a bit of accidental magic on Harry's part, much like him finding himself on the roof, or turning his teacher's wig a different color. It could have been Lily from the beyond, though! You never know!

Thank you, as always, for taking the time to review this chapter for me! :)

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TenthWeasley,
I found some irony in this chapter too. Amos "flicked" on the lights? That would indicate electricity. With a strong Magical presence electricity wouldn't work. Amos being in charge of Magical creatures, Ced should know his father would control them. Cedric was so talented Magically, he certainly was inventive when he didn't have a wand.
FoM

Author's Response: Ahh -- I think that's one of those Muggle sort of words that just crept into this chapter, isn't it? ;) Then again, one could "flick" their wand to turn on the lights... I'll probably leave it, for laziness if nothing else, but you're quite an astute reviewer, pointing that out! I loved writing little Cedric battling a monster under his bed, though, and you're right: He certainly was quite inventive. :)

So glad that you liked this chapter, too, and I just have to tell you again how much your reviews mean to me! ♥ You are awesome!

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TenthWeasley,
Oh Yeah,I can see Hermione doing just this. She's being a bit bossy, no surprise there. If only she hadn't held her temper in check so long, she would have decked Draco that much sooner. It's funny how when she first hit a muggle boy it was with magic. The first time she hit a wizard it was with physical force. Irony!
FoM

Author's Response: I said this in an earlier response on this chapter, but I think a lot of readers and writers identify a lot with Hermione -- I used a lot of my own memories in writing this particular chapter! There is definite evidence here of what she does to Draco in the future. ;) And I love that parallel between the magical/physical force! Brilliant!

Thank you for your review! ♥

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TenthWeasley,
I think you came up with the best idea for Oliver. It was more than his Dads poor eyesight that led them outside the lockerroom. Perfect!
FoM

Author's Response: I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed Oliver's chapter. :) Writing Quidditch has never been one of my strong points, but of course I'd decide to do a Quidditch-centric chapter here. It wasn't as bad as I anticipated, though! His extreme passion for the sport is great for me, though, just because... I don't know. It's a very honest thing, that obsession, and I admire it.

I honestly cannot thank you enough for doing this for me, though. Seriously -- it means a LOT. So glad you're enjoying the story thus far!

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TenthWeasley,
Draco sure didn't change much. He defied authority all his life. Of course every kid wanted to sneak into their parents parties, you'd think he'd have a little more stealth.
FoM

Author's Response: Draco really didn't change much! I do like to think that these stories are as canon compliant as I could make them (although I do realize I've got a massive bias to that end), and I think he really might have been like this, before his family's views on blood purity really had opportunity to imprint themselves so firmly in his mind. Stealth is, to be sure, not one of his strong points... Not here, at least!

Thank you, once again, for your amazing string of reviews on this story! I really am very, very appreciative! ♥

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TenthWeasley,
I think you did a perfect job with this chapter. I think perhaps Luna and Ginny met sometime after her Mum was killed. So of course her friend would be her shadow and her Mum. Brilliant name for the shadow!
FoM

Author's Response: I'm glad that you liked this chapter! I love writing Luna, and this chapter was a lot of fun, seeing as how I had my share of imaginary friends in childhood. And I love the name Dandelion for a shadow, too! Luna seems very much the sort of person who's have a shadow friend, don't you think?

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! :3

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TenthWeasley,
I, thank you for including the Muggleborns. They have the most excellent reactions. So I'm guessing both boys added a little magic to the day. Sweet!
FoM

Author's Response: Of course I include the Muggle-borns! I made a point with Colin, Hermione, and Harry (who, of course, didn't grow up in the magical world) to include little magical elements inside the chapter. Growing up with MAGIC, and all that, yeah? :D The boys did indeed add a little magic to the day!

And while I'm thinking about it: Honestly, it just means so much to me that you took the time to review every single chapter in this story. Not a lot of people do that, and it means more to me than I can type here. ♥ Thank you so much!!

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TenthWeasley,
I learned of you through another author. I am intrigued. JKR gave us hints of the growing years of the principle characters. I'm glad you have expounded upon them. So for, so very good.
FoM

Author's Response: That is fantastic! I love it when people tell me they found my name through someone else -- that just really makes me feel good about my writing. :) I think a lot of why I wanted to write these growing-up stories is because of those hints of JKR's you mentioned.

Thank you for taking the time to review for me, and I'm looking forward to hearing your opinions on all the other chapters, too!

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Eeeek! This was the perfect way to wrap everything up. I really wasn't sure what you were going to do to link all of these together, but the last thing that I expected was for it to be when they were older sending their own kids off to school! The little comments that were linked throughout the story really pulled everything together, so kudos on that! Also, I adored the way that you wrote James! His fear about going off to school was so genuine and you captured the moment really well!

Author's Response: For both this and GUW, the epilogues were some of my favorite chapters to write (though I realize I probably have said that at least once about every chapter), because tying everything together was like a really fun puzzle. And I liked them especially because I intentionally wrote them without any sense of finality -- in each, there's a bit of a carrying on theme, that childhood and growing up in this magical world will go on forever. And I'm really happy to hear you liked James, too! I'm not normally a fan of the next generation, but I'll make some exceptions where wee kids are involved. ;)

Seriously. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I appreciate all these reviews you've left for me -- and not just on this story, but on all the ones you've stopped by recently. It seriously is so amazing of you to do that, and I hope you know that. ♥ Thank you so, so much!!

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Oh my goodness, he was just too adorable! I almost died when he mentioned that he wouldn't be able to make himself cheese sandwiches because he wasn't allowed to use a knife! It was something that little kids would think about in that sort of situation. I am so glad that you ended up writing this, knowing where Seamus got his love for all things explosive from was cute!

Author's Response: Seamus! Not a lot of people write Seamus, and I think that's one of the main reasons why I set out so intentionally to do so. I'm really pleased that you seemed to think I got into a kid's mind here, too, because that's exactly what it's supposed to be, this story: Snippets from the eyes of a child. Hearing little things like that is one of the best things about writing -- I can know that what I want to get across to readers, it's making it's way there!

Thank you so much for this review, and again, for all of the others as well!

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I knew that Harry's chapter was going to have to deal with Dudley (how could it not?) but I thought it was hilarious how he and his friends were chasing Harry around for fun. The way that Harry managed to escape via tree was cute, especially when he used his magic to keep him out! I really think that my favorite part though was when it was mentioned how hard Dudley tried to get back up there, even years later! The little details always make the biggest differences.

Author's Response: Dudley was a very large part of Harry's childhood, and it's just too easy to write a fun little scrape with the pair of them involved for me NOT to have done it. You know? :P In looking back and thinking about writing each of these chapters, I think this is one of the ones I had the most fun actually writing it. And it came very quickly, if I recall correctly. Poor Dudley, never quite understanding Harry's magic... and I love that bit, too, about his always wanting to figure out how it happened! I love details, and I'm so happy you do, too.

I'm grinning like a maniac right now, watching football and responding to these reviews. They seriously make me so happy. :3 Thank you for them!

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Awww! The monster under the bed is such a classic idea, but you did a really great job of making sure that this was still interesting and funny and such. Though I thought it was so sad when Cedric was mentioned something about dying at the hands of the monster because of his premature death. But his Dad was such a typical dad, and he had such an active imagination, that it all just came together so perfectly!

Author's Response: When I was thinking of what to write for Cedric, I was almost astonished to realize I HADN'T written about monsters under beds yet -- because you're right, it really is a classic! I'm kind of a masochist, though, inserting little barbs about death like that. Oops. :(

But anyway. I'm glad you liked this chapter (and all the rest) anyway! Thank you so much to taking the time to tell me what you thought!

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I'm pretty sure that I was Hermione as a little kid, mostly because I always got mad that no one else knew how to read and I could. Though that was mostly due to wanting to out-do my older brother, so maybe it wasn't like her after all. Either way, little Hermione was really really funny, going around and bossing people around. Something that I can really see from her, especially if she isn't used to being around other little kids all the time!

Author's Response: I've heard that a lot, actually -- and in truth, when writing this story, I was picturing my own preschool classroom and attitudes. :D Some habits die hard, and I think a lot of readers and writers were a lot like Hermione when they were little! She's so bossy and endearing, and I think it would be a bit hypocritical of me if I didn't like her, really. I honestly do have a lot of her personality traits...

Have I mentioned yet how happy your reviews have made me? Because seriously, you are AMAZING for leaving them all for me! ♥ I can't tell you how much it means!

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Eeee, this was probably my favorite one so far! I think that it was because Quidditch was SO important to Oliver and this was his first exposure to it. I think that the way that he met the Keeper was really adorable. I know so many people that went on in sports because of someone that they met when they were younger, so this was a fun thing to do with that idea! He was just so immersed in the game and super excited and it was super cute!

Author's Response: I'm so happy to hear that this one was your favorite! I don't suspect I was thinking too much, in planning to include Oliver in this collection -- I do hate writing Quidditch. :P It wasn't too bad, though! I do love Oliver's character, and went through an Oliver/OC reading phase, so that's probably where this stems from.

Isn't he adorable? I'm unhealthily attached to all these little kids. I do kind of miss writing them, actually. Maybe I'll try it again someday! :) Thank you for your review!

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I absolutely adore anything that has to do with Draco that doesn't completely bash him, and baby Draco cannot be bashed. He was just too cute! Sneaking out into the big adult party just to find himself some desert! It captured the whole pureblood society but through a child's eyes, something that I really haven't seen before. These one-shots are just too cute!

Author's Response: I love writing about Draco for a lot of the same reasons I love about Snape -- and that's that he's actually a pretty complex character. And like Snape, people seem to favor either writing him in a really sympathetic or really unsympathetic light. I try and go for a middling approach with both: They have good qualities just like they have bad ones.

That being said, I do think I made him a bit more adorable here than I perhaps see him in the books. :D But it was hard not to, writing these stories! Your compliments and reviews really have made me so, so happy -- seriously. I can't thank you enough for them! ♥

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The way that Luna was watching the Weasley kids really reminded me of myself as a child because I probably leaned over the fence for hours watching my neighbors play before I finally met them. Her mother inventing the whole 'shadow friend' was super adorable, Luna does seem like the type for imaginary friends! She is a tricky character, I'd never dare to deal with her myself, but I think that you really managed to keep her cannon in this!

Author's Response: Oh, how cute! I was never the fence-spyer, but my neighbor actually did peep over our fence to watch my sister and me play, come to think of it. Maybe that's where the inspiration comes from -- who knows? And I think out of all of these kids, Luna is the most likely to have an imaginary friend (with the possible exception of Colin).

I'm so pleased that you found this to be canon, too! That's something I really focused on in all my writing, and in these short story collections in particular. It's just awesome to hear you're enjoying the story!

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I was so excited that you did this with Colin! He was just so bouncy and excited and adorable, like you imagine after meeting the Colin in the books. He always seemed to have so much energy, and this really captured this. The relationship between Dennis and him was super cute as well, I love sibling relationships!

Author's Response: This chapter is, I think, one of my favorites in this collection. ;) Colin really is just so adorable, and I had a lot of fun writing him here. Bouncy's a good word for it! I think he's sort of an underappreciated canon character, too, and I wanted to give him that credit here. He's a great one -- and he sacrificed his life for Harry. That's no small thing, to be sure.

Thank you once again for the review -- it really made my day to have all these! :)

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I love tales about magical upbringings! I feel like most authors steer clear of them, because stories about eight year olds don't have the huge mass appeal, but this was so adorable! I think that Neville being a 'late bloomer' in terms of magic is something really realistic, and I like how his Great Uncle had to 'scare' it out of him! Must have been scary to be him though!

Author's Response: I'm happy to hear that people besides me are interested in stories like this! I started this sort of theme with 'Growing Up Weasley,' and was amazed at the response that story had, so I moved on to write about the other Hogwarts-era kids, too. I think it's interesting to hear that you think there isn't mass appeal (which you're right about, really), and yet I've had such luck with these stories. I'm truly grateful!

Poor Neville, though; I can imagine it'd be scary to be him. :3 Thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a review on all the chapters in this story, too -- I'm aiming to sit down today and knock them all out! ♥ I really do appreciate it!

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*sighs*
It has been ages since I last read one of your updates. Even though it took a while, I am just glad I read this chapter. Once again, this was the perfect way to end this story collection. It felt so familar to the epilogue of Deathly Hallows. This time we get to see Harry's bond with James instead of Albus.
I hope you know how much I appreciate reading your stories. They always bring a smile to my face.

Author's Response: Hey! I'm sorry that it's taken me a bit to respond to this review -- it's been an absolutely crazy month! I try not to leave responses for this long normally, but I will always leave a response to reviews I receive, so no worries about that. And here I am now!

I'm so happy that you came by to read this chapter, too. ♥ Your opinion on this collection of stories means quite a bit to me! There were definite intentional overtones of Deathly Hallows to this epilogue, but it's also an open sort of ending: A lead into a new generation of childhood, if you will, which is the approach I sort of took with the end of Growing Up Weasley as well. But James needed his moment with his father, too!

I appreciate your reviews, believe me. :) It really flatters me to hear that they make you smile, and I'm so happy that you've taken the time to stop back by my author's page! Thank you so much for leaving this review for me!!

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AH! I have been waiting and waiting to get to this chapter…I cannot tell you how excited I am now that I have read it! I have always had this mild (Or, you know, rather large) obsession with Oliver Wood and Quidditch. I’m not quite sure what the draw was to his character (though Sean Biggerstaff is rather attractive…), but I’ve always been fascinated by his character and this really gave a much different view of his character!

For me, Oliver is always this darker character…I’m not quite sure where I got it from, but it’s the only way I can view him during his Hogwarts years. He’s much more serious and goal orientated. But after reading this, I find maybe that’s not all he can be. He has this softer innocent side, one that came about when he was first getting into Quidditch and I think maybe that does show through, just not as much, when he gets to the age of playing Quidditch…

But really, this was a lovely job. You did an excellent job writing the game (It’s a pain…basing stories off of Quidditch and Oliver are near impossible :P), and just overall handling his character. You made him quite an adorable six year old (who was practically all grown up ;) ) and I just…I love it. You did a fantastic job! Can’t wait until I can read more chapters (I will be getting to them soon, I promise!) :D

~Grimmerz

Author's Response: Ooh, an Oliver Wood fan! I'll admit that there was a point when I was rather hooked on any Oliver-centric story I could get my hands on. (Probably due to Sean Biggerstaff, likewise.) That phase has passed for the most part, but it was a lot of fun to revisit it here!

I find it very interesting that you see Oliver as a darker character in the books. Certainly there is more than enough room for a bit more information on him as a character -- and who knows? I like that you keep bringing up the word "innocent," though, because I think that's a key one in this case. People like Oliver and Draco may have turned a bit darker, but they were kids once. And kids are remarkably simple, innocent beings, when it comes down to it. Though bless him, he still lives and breathes Quidditch, doesn't he?

Quidditch stories are HARD! :P I'm glad you enjoyed it! Take your time reviewing the future chapters, of course; you've done so much for me already. ♥ I'm just beyond pleased that you've enjoyed the story so much this far! Thank you!!

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Can I just squish him, a little bit? He’s just so dang cute that I want to squish him and hold him and keep him *cough* And….erm…perhaps not sound creepy… (Oh gosh, I need sleep xD)

So….as I was trying to say…Draco was absolutely adorable in this chapter. I just…I was stunned by the simplicity you put in his character here, so different from how he is when he starts Hogwarts yet somehow it is just so fitting of his character. The innocence of really only wanting to be included in this party his mom refused to let him in on, in addition to wanting a bit of cherry tart…just really brought to life a different side to Draco, one that doesn’t appear in the books. It gave him a softer, sweeter side, one untainted by the evilness of Voldemort and pureblood-ism….

I realize I say this with every chapter I read, but really, this is just a phenomenal piece and the writing is absolutely beautiful. To close, I’ll share two lines that just made me smile and laugh just a little bit before shutting up and not rambling.

“Draco kept looking at his reflection in it, popping his head back and forth and becoming more and more delighted with the mirror-like shine. His mother and father should have parties every weekend, he decided, sticking his tongue out at the slightly distorted reflection of himself in the end post.”

“Good night, Mummy,” he said cheerfully, and without further ado skipped from the hall, not seeing his mother watching him in bemusement the whole way. Nor did he stop to acknowledge his father, whom he met at the base of the stairs as the latter was making his way into the party, who wondered why on earth Draco was out of bed and clutching a plate of something red and sticky-sweet.

Absolutely fantastic!

~Grimmerz

Author's Response: Ahaha! You can certainly squish Draco, if that's your prerogative. ;) No judging here!

I loved writing wee Draco solely for the reasons you expressed, which is why this review's making me grin like mad: He was brought up with really pretty messed-up values and ideals, but he was a little kid once, and that is so often overlooked, you know? He was once an innocent boy with really no concept of Muggle-borns and Mudbloods and all that. I'm glad you found it fitting of his character!

You are much too sweet. ♥ Also -- you definitely seem to be picking out all my own personal favorite lines from these chapters! Every time I read that last one, I just imagine this really confused look on Lucius's face while Draco trots away, and it's so funny in my head. :D Happy to see that you enjoyed it, too!

Shall I say it again? I feel I must -- thanks so much for this review! I really can't tell you what it means to me. ♥ You're awesome!

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