I have been meaning to read this for ages. I actually told my friend over whatsapp that I was going to read this sometime late 2020, and then proceeded to…not.
Pardon the digression, but: one of the biggest personal fallouts from the whole “JKR is an unrepentant transphobe” issue is that I’ve felt weird and icky reading fanfic. Which is sad, and doesn’t make sense! Sort of like transphobia!
The vast, vast majority of fanfic writers, and certainly all the ones that I’ve avidly followed, have no patience for She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s antics. The death of the author, the author is dead, and her work is now ours to do with it as we will, as we have been doing for ages. And yet the most HP fandom I’ve perused in the past year or so has been a) some fanart that does a great job of fleshing out the “jock marries high school girlfriend”-ness of the Harry/Ginny relationship (https://www.instagram.com/potterbyblvnk/) and b) old pieces that I saved down in my earlier HP days, because you know the second you don’t something will get lost never to be seen again (RIP Absolut Angel).
Which is a pity, because the fandom as a whole has changed in such amazing ways! Some authors I used to read are still around and have made their worlds that much more diverse and inclusive over time. People have realized that Snape is actually just an abuser and not super worthy of redemption without a proper, canon rewrite arc. So I’m glad that I gave this story a shot, because it’s everything I love about HP plus a number of things I’ve grown to love as an adult.
First: the adult trio friendship! I never appreciated adult friendships when I was a younger adult, because why would you? Your friends are your friends forever and that’s just the way it’ll be. Well, now I’m an older adult and I’ve come to realize the truth of the other Girl Scout Adage: old friendships are like gold. And while in this story we’re still talking about people in their early 20s (nothing makes me feel quite so old as realizing that most stories about Harry and Co will feature them…much younger than me) it’s such a balm to my heart that there are multiple, conflict free story threads that involve Harry, Ron, and Hermione enjoying one another’s company in the way that can only come when you’ve known someone for many, many years and have no more secrets.
Second: the brown Harry! I have to say I bought into Black Hermione way easy but found myself resisting the idea of brown/desi/other brown Harry for a while…maybe because it’s harder to see myself represented than seeing fellow ethnicities of color represented? Either way, it’s so lovely to see the idea of brown Harry being seamlessly integrated into the story.
Third: ah, the Keening Bond trope. I first read it in a Reylo fic that I enjoy very much (Variations on a Theme of You) so it was funny to see it here. What I love especially about this iteration of the trope, though, is how long and drawn out the entire courting/romance portion is. Too often a romance happens over days (ugh), weeks (okay), or months (sure?) but in all honesty love is shown over years. This story takes place over years, and it’s honestly the epitome of the classic exchange from Veronica Mars:
Logan : …I thought our story was epic, you know, you and me.
Veronica : Epic how?
Logan : Spanning years and continents. Lives ruined, bloodshed. EPIC. But summer’s almost here, and we won’t see each other at all. And then you leave town… and then it’s over.
…
Veronica : Come on. Ruined lives? Bloodshed? You really think a relationship should be that hard?
Logan : No one writes songs about the ones that come easy.