InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "MSG'D!!"

Beth H (bethbethbeth) wrote in hp_beholder,
@ 2009-05-06 12:06:00

Entry tags:

beholder 2009, draco malfoy, fic, het, millicent bulstrode

FIC: "Dragon's Blood and Meadowsweet" for ragdoll
Recipient: ragdoll
Author: ldymusyc
Title: Dragon's Blood and Meadowsweet
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Draco Malfoy/Millicent Bulstrode
Word Count: 16,500
Warnings: Language, sex.
Summary:
"Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."
Draco Malfoy takes an apprenticeship with a potions master after the war, and discovers the way to make a brew he never expected with a component he never considered. Side effects may occur; results may vary.
Author's Notes: Ragdoll, I was terribly nervous to have received your name for this exchange, but I hope that this will catch your attention. I tried to incorporate your likes of fluffy angst, humor, banter, and exploration into an uncertain relationship, and even though I know these aren't your favorite characters, I do hope you enjoy.

***

Click here to read: "Dragon's Blood and Meadowsweet"

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	ragdoll 2009-05-06 12:59 pm UTC (link)
	Quick note for my Mystery Author -- this was magnificent, brilliant and just perfect. I need to go out so don't have the time to give you a detailed assessment of it yet, but I will. But thank you, thank you, thank you! This was amazing! (And any fears you had about writing for me or the characters should be vaniquished -- seriously, I adored it!) (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:32 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! Beth linked me to your post, which I appreciated muchly. I am so happy you liked it; I was flailing about this for ages. :) (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

ragdoll
2009-05-18 01:00 am UTC (link)

Oh good. I was going to do that now. I do have notes for a ridiculously long/detailed review of all the things i loved about it. Just have to put it together for you. I'm so sorry to have made you flail (unless it was the good kind). I know I sound hyper-fussy about thing things I like/don't like, but I'm actually pretty easy to please. Its just the things I don't like which I *really* don't like. LOL

This was honestly ones of the best gifts I've ever received in any exchange and I don't say that lightly. Thank you so much. :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	snapesgirl_62 2009-05-06 07:51 pm UTC (link)
	this was wonderful. ragdoll is very lucky to receive this story. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:32 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	sachael 2009-05-06 08:10 pm UTC (link)
	"We'll give it a go. Break my heart and I'll break your legs. For starters." I love your Millicent. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:32 pm UTC (link)
	:) She doesn't take any guff, that Millie. Thank you! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	bunney 2009-05-06 11:12 pm UTC (link)
	Simply beautiful. Everything about it was absolutely perfect! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:33 pm UTC (link)
	YOU MY DARLING COULD I POSSIBLY LOVE YOU MORE. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bunney 2009-05-20 08:47 pm UTC (link)
	YOU MY DARLING COULD I POSSIBLY LOVE YOU MORE Well, you're welcome to give it a shot! waits patiently for more lovin' (Reply to this) (Parent)

	ladylucius 2009-05-06 11:30 pm UTC (link)
	This is certainly a pairing I normally would skip right past... but I am soooooo very glad I didn't! I adore your Millicent!! I'm so happy to see her as a strong woman who doesn't take Malfoy's shit. It rocks! Very, very lovely fic! ♥ (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:33 pm UTC (link)
	Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! XDXD I had a lot of fun writing Millie; I'm glad she was liked. (Reply to this) (Parent)

kelly_chambliss
2009-05-06 11:46 pm UTC (link)

I'd never read a Millicent fic before this fest, but she's fast becoming a favorite. Here, I like that she's tough (and unapologetic about it), funny, smart, and vulnerable in non-sappy ways. Draco's arrogance is believable, and I can accept his gradual change of heart because it's nicely leavened with more typically Draco-nian moments. The potions details are quite fun, too.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:34 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! I like making Draco a jerk who grows up over time. :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	spikespetslayer.livejournal.com 2009-05-07 01:22 am UTC (link)
	This was beautifully done. You've taken the one-dimensional caricature that Rowling gave us and made her into a real person, for one. You've shown how difficult it is to be a big, beautiful woman in the world of the thin, for two. Thank you for writing this. It is, without a doubt, one of the best stories that I've read in a long, long time. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:35 pm UTC (link)
	M'darling, I adore you, and thank you so much. I know how difficult it is, and how much it can hurt. I wanted her to get a happy ending. Thank you for reading/commenting. XD (Reply to this) (Parent)

	purelush 2009-05-07 06:54 am UTC (link)
	This was great. Loved it! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:35 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	(Anonymous) 2009-05-07 05:15 pm UTC (link)
	Absolutely AMAZING!!! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:35 pm UTC (link)
	Thanks! :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	margotlefaye 2009-05-07 09:58 pm UTC (link)
	Came here on a rec from bunney She swore it was an exceptional fic and I have to agree. Really wonderful characterizations and a believably developed romance. Whoever you are, and from whichever part of the fandom, I may have to follow you into it because this has made me want to read more of your work, whatever pairing you write. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:37 pm UTC (link)
	Mweeheehee! Fortunately I'm already in your corner of fandom! (Or one of them, at least.) I am so glad you liked this! Thank you muchly! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	secretsolitaire 2009-05-07 10:08 pm UTC (link)
	This was amazing. Your Millicent was a thing of beauty -- I loved her mixture of strength and compassion, the way she refused to let Draco take her for granted. And I liked that Draco maintained his canonical flaws: moments of cowardice and a tendency toward cruelty. I'm glad he grew to appreciate Millicent by the end. Really enjoyed this! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:41 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you so much! I really appreciated hearing this - and yes, Draco's flaws are crucial to him. He's a jerk, but he's got potential. ;) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	cheshyre 2009-05-07 10:08 pm UTC (link)
	Wow. A seldom-written pairing, but wow. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:41 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	miramiraficfic 2009-05-07 11:56 pm UTC (link)
	Yet another splendid, vivid look at both Draco and Millicent - and by pairing them together, I think you've managed to bring out their virtues and flaws in a way that make this relationship feel very real. Great job. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:41 pm UTC (link)
	:D :D Thank you so much! (Reply to this) (Parent)

terravayne
2009-05-08 02:02 am UTC (link)

This was heart-wrenching and beautiful and hopeful and yet, so everyday at the same time. Like, it's not sparks and passionate love but the kind that you can believe anyone can find. Your Draco was very in-character but your Milicent, god...she's magnificent in all her insecurities and headstrong wiles. Your writing just flowed perfectly and the whole time I was reading, I never noticed the time go by. This was wonderful, simply wonderful.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:42 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, man, I really appreciated seeing your review and it killed me to wait this long to respond. XD Thank you very, very much. (Reply to this) (Parent)

julesndairyland
2009-05-09 09:04 am UTC (link)

This is simply beautiful. I have to say I would never have thought in a million years that I would have pick much less LOVE a Draco/ Millicent story.

You did a great job taking Draco from a whiney snot to a young man working on his shit and examining his life. I really liked the character development you provided for Millicent, she is such a blank page in the books.

And being a volumptous women myself I appreciated the very sex-positive portrayal of Millicent (& Draco).

There are not words to convey how much I enjoyed this story. Simply Lovely.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:44 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you greatly! I'm not a slender willow either, so I'm verra familiar with how Millie might feel. So glad you enjoyed this! Thank you, thank you for commenting! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	(Anonymous) 2009-05-09 10:08 am UTC (link)
	Wonderful work! I adored your Millicent. Her bravery, determination and vulnerability. And the way Draco changed over the course of the story was awesome. The change from a whiney little boy to a man was spot on. Congratulations. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:44 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! XD (Reply to this) (Parent)

	r_grayjoy 2009-05-10 11:26 pm UTC (link)
	Eeeehehehe, this is so much fun. :D The slow build of the relationship is fantastic, as is the backslide when Draco ~~decides to have a typical male freak-out~~ panics. The gradual transition of Draco's view of Millicent is perfect. Great dialogue; they conversations feel very real Also, I love Richter, the calculating bastard. :P (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:45 pm UTC (link)
	Ahahaha, I liked Richter too. He trundled in and insisted I write him. :) Thank you so much for your comment! Very appreciated! (Reply to this) (Parent)

lookfar
2009-05-11 07:26 am UTC (link)

Beautiful! I love this! They are both so fully realized, especially Millicent with her pride and hurt. I appreciate that you give a full sense of what she looks like and how Malfoy comes to appreciate her body. You don't rush them to a detente and you don't give them a guaranteed happy ending, and that's good.

I would change this - "Richter spoke softer to him, with less insults" - to "Richter spoke more softly to him, with fewer insults."

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:46 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! Yes, I didn't want to rush them. Something like this takes time. :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	atdelphi 2009-05-12 10:48 pm UTC (link)
	Lovely! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:46 pm UTC (link)
	Thanks! XD (Reply to this) (Parent)

	lyras 2009-05-12 11:34 pm UTC (link)
	This was wonderful! I loved the gradual build-up, and your characterisations of Draco and Millicent were lovely. I like the way Draco is still an arse here, but that he learns and develops, while you've fleshed out Millicent beautifully. I really enjoyed reading - thank you! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:46 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, thank you! XD (Reply to this) (Parent)

	birdseyeview.livejournal.com 2009-05-13 08:07 am UTC (link)
	I adored this - the way the story unfolded, the pitfalls along the way and the characters! Your Draco is very much the Draco we see in canon with all his immaturity, cowardice and petty cruelty but he does learn and grow. Millicent is perfect - strong but very vulnerable underneath it all. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:47 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, this comment made me smile. Draco's a jerk and Millie's been hurt and it all works out and that's just what I wanted. XD Glad that came across so well. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	didodikali 2009-05-13 06:04 pm UTC (link)
	Fabulous! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-05-17 05:47 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	pelespen.livejournal.com 2009-05-28 01:54 am UTC (link)
	AHHHH! This was SO GOOD. I am in awe. I loved the characterizations - Draco was spot on, really and truly - not unrealistically glorified, but not demonized. Oh this whole thing just made my sigh. I am recc'ing it out like mad... SO GOOD. I'm GRINNING like mad. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ldymusyc 2009-06-18 11:59 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, I'm sorry for the delayed response! But I'm very happy that you liked this fic, and I really appreciate reading the comment. :D Thank you! (Reply to this) (Parent)