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beholder_mod (beholder_mod) wrote in hp_beholder,
@ 2011-05-02 13:31:00

Entry tags:

beholder_2011, fic, het, minerva mcgonagall, rating:r, viktor krum, viktor/minerva

FIC: "Time On His Side" for nimrod_9
Recipient: nimrod_9
Author: kinky_kneazle
Title: Time On His Side
Rating: R (for adult themes)
Pairings: Viktor Krum/ Minerva McGonagall
Word Count: ~12,000
Warnings/Content Information (Highlight to View): *Character Death (kind of) *.
Summary: Minerva met Viktor when she was six and he was thirty-three. Viktor met Minerva when he was seventeen and she was sixty-nine. Somehow they make it work
Author's Notes: Inspired by Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife. nimrod_9, this idea seemed to come to me out of nowhere, and ended up being a real struggle to write. With love to my beta, F, for making sure this made sense, walking the dog while I wrote and convincing me to stick to the ending that fit the piece. Many thanks also to bethbethbeth for her endless patience with my inability to get through the editing process.

"Time On His Side"

(Don't forget to return to this post to leave feedback for the author!)

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swissmarg
2011-05-02 06:47 pm UTC (link)

That was absolutely brilliant. Really, one of the best fan fics I've read in a really long time. I know the Time Traveler's Wife as well, but you've made this your own, and Vikky and Min's as well. It must have been a real trick to keep everything straight, but it all works, so kudos to you and your beta as well for making it so. One of the things I like the best is how Viktor and Minerva feed each other information, each affecting the decisions of the other based on information they got from earlier (or later) episodes. Completely clever and fantastically satisfying.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	kinky_kneazle 2011-08-07 04:38 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you so much for your lovely comment. I'm so glad you liked it :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	irena_candy 2011-05-03 12:29 am UTC (link)
	I'm a big fan of "The Time Traveler's Wife" too, and I think you have done a wonderful job of adapting the idea to the Potterverse. Very well done!! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	kinky_kneazle 2011-08-07 04:39 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	synn 2011-05-03 02:28 am UTC (link)
	this is very moving - I don't want to call it sad, though it certainly is, and happy too. Really Beautifully written, and all around well done. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	kinky_kneazle 2011-08-07 04:39 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you very much :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	atdelphi 2011-05-03 02:54 am UTC (link)
	Oh, this lovely. I haven't read The Time Traveler's Wife, but what an intriguing idea, and I really enjoyed how you executed here. Very moving work. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	kinky_kneazle 2011-08-07 04:41 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you so much! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	featherxquill 2011-05-03 09:29 am UTC (link)
	I love this. I adored The Time Traveller's Wife, and you've used the idea beautifully here, but really made it your own. I especially love the way you've taken the ability to change the future from HP canon and woven it into this piece seamlessly. What a wonderful, inventive fic :). (Reply to this) (Thread)

	kinky_kneazle 2011-08-07 04:42 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you so much. I adored The Time Traveller's Wife as well, so I'm glad a fan of the original enjoyed this one. ♥ (Reply to this) (Parent)

	nimrod_9 2011-05-03 12:58 pm UTC (link)
	I just can't wait to read!! I'm in over my head at pervy_werewolf and the LMOM..and rl...well....the weekend it will have to be! g (Reply to this)

	leela_cat 2011-05-05 01:11 am UTC (link)
	I've never considered the effects of cleaning up all that time sand before. A fascinating way to get them together and have Viktor bounce around the timelines. So sad and happy for both of them. They get their time together, but she already knows how it will end when she sends him back. That says so much about Minerva and Viktor. Very well done! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	kinky_kneazle 2011-08-07 04:43 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you so much ♥ (Reply to this) (Parent)

nimrod_9
2011-05-10 03:52 pm UTC (link)

It's like christmas! What a lovely gift! I've never seen the movie or read the book, but this was amazing! I would have ripped my hair out long before I managed to get it all together! I loved their relationship and seeing Minerva at all her different ages, places and the journal was very cool! Viktor was an interesting pairing with her and the depth of his character...wow!

Thanks so much for all your hard work!! I'm sure I'll read it again and again!

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	kinky_kneazle 2011-08-07 04:45 pm UTC (link)
	As frustrating as it was at times (and as frustrated as I'm sure bethbethbeth got with me), this was actually a delight to write. Thank you for the opportunity to write it, as I'm sure I never would have thought of it myself, and I'm so glad you enjoyed it ♥ (Reply to this) (Parent)

kelly_chambliss
2011-05-12 04:03 am UTC (link)

Oh, I like this story very much. I first read it two days ago, and it's really stayed with me. I keep finding myself thinking of your excellent versions of Minerva and Viktor; they've become very real to me.

I haven't read The Time Traveler's Wife, but I quite like this premise (and the idea of cleaning up the time sands -- how clever). The whole notion of time travel short-circuits my brain, so I always give up trying to figure out how it might work and instead just go with the flow of atmosphere and developing relationships, which is just what Viktor has to do; it's a nice example of structure merging with theme. The very act of reading and rereading is like jumping through time, back and forth, each new reading showing us more. (I've just reread yet another time while I wrote this feedback, dipping in and out at random, and the story weaves its spell all over again.)

Yet since I'm also one of those people who always plots out the chronologies of stories and feels out-of-step when the dates don't fit, I have to say how impressed I am with how beautifully you've maintained the complicated time-line -- the characters' ages and the dates of the meetings and the careful way every moment circles back to itself, growing deeper and more complex.

I also love the way you maintain the continuity of Minerva's character: she remains essentially herself at six and 69; at 22 and fifty. (And oh, that poignant dancing scene -- how painful would that have been for Minerva, seeing him again and yet knowing she can do nothing to acknowledge him. That Viktor at 17 should see her as just a "disapproving presence in tartan" makes perfect sense, yet. . .ouch.)

Plus, what fun to find that Hooch is their daughter -- it's something that fits so well with the intertwined nature of the magical world, despite the canon complications it would cause. I enjoyed that glimpse of young Mara talking to "Dad."

Your Viktor is just so appealing overall. I'm glad you didn't try to reproduce his accent; that sort of thing often gets in the way of our responses to a character. (But I love the way you acknowledge the existence of the accents[s], in that scene with Min, er, Mineee.)

Everyone builds a life not knowing how long it will last.
Great line.

One last comment -- you chose a perfect ending-spot, giving us a touch of hope and a future immediately after that lovely, sad, bittersweet final encounter in the time room, when Viktor at last feels his love. Thus his and Minerva's end is at once their beginning -- just the right circularity for a time-travel story. It breaks my brain in the best possible way /g/.

Such a moving and satisfying story.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	kinky_kneazle 2011-08-07 04:50 pm UTC (link)
	I can't explain how wonderful it was to get this comment and how many times I read it. I was caught up with the H/D Big Bang when reveals went up, so I'm sorry it's taken so long to reply. Thank you for leaving such a wonderfully thoughtful comment. I really appreciate it. ♥ ♥ ♥ (Reply to this) (Parent)

psyfic
2011-05-12 11:14 pm UTC (link)

What an unusual pairing, but you make it work very well. Gripping, romantic, fascinating and thought-provoking. When I finished reading I had Billy Joel's "This Is The Time" running through my head, particularly the refrain although the entire song fits this fic beautifully:

This is the time to remember
Cause it will not last forever
These are the days
To hold on to
Cause we won't
Although we'll want to
This is the time
But time is gonna change
You've given me the best of you
And now I need the rest of you

Very fitting, indeed, and I adore your Minerva. Very well done!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	kinky_kneazle 2011-08-07 04:35 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! Your comments are always so wonderful and leave me smiling ♥ (Reply to this) (Parent)

woldy
2011-05-17 04:11 am UTC (link)

What a great story! I haven't read the original, but I love the structure and how you've woven bits of canon into it - Victor telling Albus about Harry, the Prewetts dying, and the gradual revelatation of who Mara is (both in relation to Victor, and in canon). I've thought for a while that there should be more time travel stories in HP and this is a wonderful example of how that premise can make an unusual pairing work.

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	kinky_kneazle 2011-08-07 04:33 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! ♥ (Reply to this) (Parent)

miramiraficfic
2011-05-17 10:44 pm UTC (link)

I confess I am not a fan of The Time Traveler's Wife, and so I almost skipped over this one. What a mistake that would have been. You've done a fantastic job of letting the characterization drive the relationship rather than the narrative device; in spite of the causality at work, it genuinely feels like both Viktor and Min are making the choices that make sense for them at every point along the way. I love your supporting cast as well (particularly the Prewetts), and the twists involving Mara are incredibly clever. Well done.

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	kinky_kneazle 2011-08-07 04:29 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you for giving it a chance. I didn't want it to just be fate that ties them together, so I'm glad their choices come through. Thank you also for the lovely comment ♥ (Reply to this) (Parent)

tetleythesecond
2011-05-29 08:14 am UTC (link)

Wow! How absolutely excellent! I've never read The Time Traveler's Wife, but it isn't necessary to understand and love this. Your writing is beautiful, and I'm beyond impressed how you managed to keep it all straight -- timeline, who knows what at what time (at first I was surprised that Minerva would have the advantage over him after a certain point, but of course she would!), working in the journal with the clues ... my brain would have exploded just coming up with the plotline. Your characterisation is beautiful, and the way you work in Mara is genius.

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	kinky_kneazle 2011-08-07 04:28 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you very much! There were at least five timelines drawn for the fic at one point :) I'm so glad you enjoyed it. (Reply to this) (Parent)

alisanne
2011-06-01 07:10 pm UTC (link)

*exhales*
What a project this must have been! I am always in awe of people who can successfully write non linear stories (a gift that I do not possess).
I love the pairing. I really wasn't sure you could make it work, but you definitely convinced me by the end. Viktor and Minerva work brilliantly together and I love the other characters that you have scattered convincingly throughout. I also love your explanation for why Albus always seem to know so much. ;)
Like others here, I'm not familiar with The Time Traveller's Wife, nevertheless, this was lovely and I really enjoyed it.
Great job!

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	kinky_kneazle 2011-08-07 04:26 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! I must admit it was a struggle, and I don't normally attempt anything non-linear, but I'm glad I made it work for you. (Reply to this) (Parent)

purplefluffycat
2012-10-09 03:57 pm UTC (link)

Thank you for writing this breathtaking story! I'm here from a rec at

crack_broom by

kelly_chambliss, and so very glad I followed the link.

I've read the story twice, actually: once as written, and once with the sections in date-order, as Minerva would have experienced it. Both ways round, it is a magnificent piece of work! I'm so impressed that you kept the timelines consistent in the telling, with all the little details of the diary and who-knows-what-when. (I think I spotted one tiny way in which a piece of information was out of place, but it's so small in the grand scheme of things, it hardly bears notice!).

So much for technical expertise though, impressive as it is. The thing that will really stay with me from this tale is the emotional punch it carries - in so many ways, both happy and sad. I cried when older Minerva just wanted Viktor to hold her until he disappeared, and the scene where he 'gives an old woman some comfort' at the war memorial is so understated and poignant it hurts all the more.

I think it very fitting of what we know of Minerva that she had an atypical and somewhat confusing private life, and all the strength and tragedy that comes with that beautifully reinforces her canon character. Viktor, too, is wonderfully drawn as a strong, serious and kind person - so much more than the caricature of an Eastern European that is offered in the books.

Thank you again; this story will stay with me for a long time.

PurpleFluffyCat x

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