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Tweak says, "lion lion lion lion"

beholder_mod (beholder_mod) wrote in hp_beholder,
@ 2011-05-13 13:50:00

Entry tags:

beholder_2011, charlie weasley, charlie/millicent, charlie/ofc, fic, het, millicent bulstrode, rating:nc17

FIC: "Big Girls Don't Cry" for odogoddess
Recipient: psyfic
Author: ragdoll
Title: Big Girls Don't Cry
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: Charlie Weasley/Millicent Bulstrode, Charlie/OFC, mention of past Millicent/Theodore Nott
Word Count: ~11,000
Warnings/Content Information (Highlight to View): *forced bondage, hurt/comfort, verbal humiliation by OCs, frottage, hand-jobs*.
Summary:When Millicent Bulstrode was found guilty of colluding with known Death Eaters, she was forced to endure two years of indentured servitude at the Romanian Dragon Reserve waiting hand and foot on Charlie Weasley. It doesn't get more draconian than that.
Author's Notes: psyfic, I was elated when I got your assignment and tried to give you as many things that you loved as I could. This was not even close to what I had originally planned on writing for you (or who!) but these two shouted the loudest and made their demands known. I certainly had fun giving in to them. I hope you enjoy it and will forgive me for the lack of Snapeness.

Thanks to R. for all of her support and nurturing, as well as K and S for betaing and cheerleading, and of course bethbethbeth for being so patient and understanding.

"Big Girls Don't Cry"

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

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psyfic
2011-05-14 12:55 am UTC (link)

First, dear mystery author, fret not -- I love Milly & adore forced bonding & h/c so really look forward to reading this. Which leads to my second point, I'm dealing with a migraine today :-[ so ask your forbearance with feedback. It's in a lull atm, but I can tell it's just biding its time to return full-force. So a quick Whee! My fic posted! and I'll R&R as soon as my head allows. Ta!

(Reply to this)

	lookfar 2011-05-14 04:25 am UTC (link)
	Millicent is a hero! I love the way she makes the best of her servitude here and the way she takes her opportunity, finally when it comes. Many funny bits, such as her irritation at Charlie's tomcatting. Oh, and Harvey Ridgebit? A great, JKR-worthy name for a dragon trainer and writer. (Reply to this) (Thread)

ragdoll
2011-05-30 07:29 am UTC (link)

Thanks so much for the kind words. It was a fun story to write.

Btw, just so you know, Harvey Ridgebit is a canon JKRverse character who showed up as a Wizard of the Month (January 07):

A Dragonologist famous for catching a Peruvian Vipertooth and establishing a Romanian dragon sanctuary.

I always figured he'd be one of Charlie's heroes. :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

psyfic
2011-05-14 08:53 am UTC (link)

Dear Mystery Author, that was delightful! Thank you so much. :)

I love Milly as a character in all her permutations and this was definitely Milly as I see her, strong, but vulnerable, tough but lacking a bit in self-esteem, and very, very Slytherin in her mind-set, keeping things to herself.

The draconian Ministry law I could see/believe. They didn't seem to have any qualms throwing Hagrid in Azkaban for most of a year -- and I still wonder at times if he wasn't tortured for information in CoS or, for that matter, why he wasn't given Veritaserum to find out the truth when he was a kid? Nothing the Ministry could do would surprise me, whether it's run by incompetents (Fudge), law-and-order types (Scrimgeour), Death Eaters (Pius), or the "good guys" (Shacklebolt). Each has their own blind spots.

Punishing all those they felt were Death Eater sympathisers is par for the course and I believe even if the Ministry didn't, that wizarding society most certainly would and will. That's made clear in Death Hallow's infamous epilogue when we see how diminished Draco is, as well as in Ron's still-bigoted assertions against Muggles as well as Slytherin house. The war taught them much about life, but little about tolerance and acceptance, so yes, I could easily see this sort of thing happening.

The extrapolation of Charlie's life on the preserve was fascinating. I could imagine him exactly this way, treating going to face killer beasts like it's just any other job. I could also easily imagine him being the sort to ignore his hurts and deal with them on his own (he must have driven Molly spare as a child).

Having Milly notice him first due to his lack of modesty, then to first touch him in the context of healing was a nice touch. I do like Charlie -- and Percy, among the Weasley men -- who strikes me as the sort who is quiet, but intense which definitely comes across in a physical context. Lucky Milly didn't burst into flames! ;)

Having Charlie be revealed as a typical male easily led by drink and the promise of debauchery was amusing & one could buy that he would behave that way without thought for his "housekeeper" (if one is feeling generous, one might wonder if he didn't seek sexual release due to being worked up over Milly). The very real hurt and disappointment Milly feels over his thoughtlessness was a lovely drop of angst and their dialogue over it was very in-character. I especially loved how she forgot herself to confront him, only to be undone by the sudden revelation that he does, indeed, see her as very much a woman.

The depths of Charlie's warm generosity in accommodating her, revealed in his help in bettering her situation and obtaining her first the job, then the apprenticeship, was lovely. IMO, the main grace of the Weasley family is that core of warm generosity and I also believe each of the clan shows it in their own way and not always in the way one might expect. It makes sense to me that Charlie (who is, at worst, a man not given to deep introspection, and who daily, literally risks his life to deal with dragons) would see the formidable and intimidating situation Millicent is in as being something easy to overcome. Milly's very real fear of worsening that situation plays nicely to their growing desire and I loved, loved, loved the UST here. I didn't include that in my wishlist, but UST to RST is one of my favourite tropes, so brava!

Finally, their steamy interlude was delicious and I loved that they couldn't just shag, but had to be creative. The handjob was sizzling and I really loved that Charlie had zero clue he was dealing with a shy virgin. With some stories, I feel stinted, but this time I don't regret the lack of a proper shag as the lead up to it was heated enough to allow me to imagine their first time... and I have a vivid imagination. ;)

So thank you, thank you, for a delicious, steamy, heaping helping of UST to RST, angst, h/c and beautiful character considerations/extrapolations. All my favourites! I loved it. :)

(Reply to this) (Thread)

ragdoll
2011-05-30 07:38 am UTC (link)

First of all, mere words cannot convey just how happy your comments made me. I was honestly worried about writing for you and the lack of Snapeness, so when I saw this, I practically cried tears of joy and relief. :)

I am beyond thrilled that you liked it so much -- I tried to encorporate as many of your requests as possible in it and clearly that worked. I am also thrilled that you 'got' Millicent and Charlie here and they worked with your views on them too. I was a little trepidatious about using a Weasley as a love interest for her, but since you hadn't said no to him, he was fair game. So even happier that you really liked it.

I wasn't sure about putting in a proper shag -- I might have misunderstood your requests by not including that at all, but within the framework (and really loving your request for people choosing less conventionally forms of sex), it didn't seem right for them to just jump into bed immediately. There was too much baggage on both their parts although obviously, it IS coming in the future ~~and so are they~~. I am glad you didn't feel stinted -- if you did, I would happily include an epilogue of nuclear proportions. LOL

Again, thank you so much for your enthusiastic and detailed comments on the fic. I rarely get such indepth feedback from people I write for so this meant a lot to me. I'm so glad I was able to give you something you really enjoyed. :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	ships_harry 2011-05-15 05:49 am UTC (link)
	I really enjoyed this! Millicent was very appealing with her anger and longing, and Charlie was decent but not perfect :). (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ragdoll 2011-05-30 07:39 am UTC (link)
	♥ Thanks so much, my dear! Even though there wasn't anything close to what was going on in your Charlie/Millicent fan art for luvscharlie, I can now admit that it was definitely an inspiration for me while writing this fic. :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	atdelphi 2011-05-15 06:22 am UTC (link)
	Very interesting premise, and a great execution of it. I was really rooting for your Millie. :-) (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ragdoll 2011-05-30 07:39 am UTC (link)
	Thanks so much for your kind words. :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	luvscharlie 2011-05-15 02:53 pm UTC (link)
	I love this fic SO MUCH. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ragdoll 2011-05-30 07:40 am UTC (link)
	Without you, I would never have considered pairing these two together. So you deserve some of the credit, my dear. ♥ (Reply to this) (Parent)

exartemarte.livejournal.com
2011-05-15 03:25 pm UTC (link)

I enjoyed this, it's well written and I think it's really quite realistic. In the aftermath of war the rules are made by the victors, and justice can be a bit rough and ready. And the prisons might well be full.

Millicent bore her situation with dignity, and was lucky to end up with Charlie Weasley who, for all his imperfections, has the basic decency and tolerance you would expect in Arthur Weasley's son.

I liked that Charlie wanted to find her something more stimilating to do than housework, that the Dragon Healer recognised her potential and wanted to develop it, and that Charlie would do nothing to jeopardise her chances.

All in all, a nicely crafted story.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

ragdoll
2011-05-30 07:42 am UTC (link)

Thank you so much for all the kind words. As much as JKR wants us to root for the good guy Gryffindors (and I generally *do*), I find the all-Slytherins-are-evil-cowards thing a bit much and like to show diversity amongst all Houses. And even the best people with the best intentions can be right bastards when they get put into power...

I am so glad you liked it and liked the portrayals of both characters. Thank you again. :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

leela_cat
2011-05-15 06:29 pm UTC (link)

Characters who are human beings and have flaws are one of my biggest kinks and you hit that one hard with this story. Your Millicent is grand. She is aware of her flaws, excuses some of them to herself, and stands up for herself. As for Charlie, this is one of the better portrayals that I've seen of him. He is who he is, doesn't suffer fools gladly, is oblivious to the people around him at least as often as not, and still has a heart as big as it gets.

I was glad to see them actually talk it out at the end, instead of stomping around, throwing out nasty-grams, and not communicating (one of my anti-kinks when done too often or as a convenient plot device). This is a story I'll come back to and read again.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

ragdoll
2011-05-30 07:45 am UTC (link)

♥ Thanks so much for all the kind words, my dear. I actually love flawed characters and love to play with that myself, so am glad you enjoyed it too. It was a bit difficult writing Millicent here -- she kept wanting more free rein and I had to hold her back because the situation she was in. On the other hand, I didn't want her to be a mopey, weepy little thing either because that's so not her. So glad she worked out the way I intended. As for Charlie, well, you know I love to write him -- warts and all. He's fun to mess with.

I couldn't see them not talking it out in the end -- there was a lot of baggage to be dealt with so fighting one minute, then falling into bed (well, SOFA) the next wouldn't have worked for me. I think I have the same anti-kink. To me, communication is key in the end.

Your comments really made my day. Thank you again. :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

ncp.livejournal.com
2011-05-15 10:00 pm UTC (link)

What's with all the amazing Millicent stories this year? This one is amazing, with a strong, proud Millicent stuck in a bad situation (and although I don't like the way the Ministry handled the situation, it's a very realistic way for the 'victors' to punish the 'losers' in a war). I loved the way Charlie was portrayed as well, not really wanting to be a part of everything and doing his best to stick to his basic decency while playing by the rules.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

ragdoll
2011-05-30 07:47 am UTC (link)

Thanks so much for the kind words -- I'm so glad you liked this. It was my first attempt at writing Millicent as a main pov character so I'm thrilled that she went over as well as she did. It was hard writing her in this situation -- she kept wanting to do/say more and of course, she couldn't. But she couldn't be a wimp either.

One of the requests was forced bonding and the idea that the Ministry could and would force indentured servitude on people didn't seem that far fetched, as horrible as it is. I always love writing Charlie so I'm glad he came off the way he was supposed to. Thanks again. :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	secretsolitaire 2011-05-16 12:49 am UTC (link)
	An intriguing (and sadly believable) premise, and I enjoyed your warm-hearted but flawed Charlie. :-) (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ragdoll 2011-05-30 07:48 am UTC (link)
	Thanks so much. :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

alisanne
2011-05-16 03:49 am UTC (link)

Oh, I enjoyed this a lot!
I love your Millicent and the way she manages to stand up for herself despite her circumstances.
And Charlie was so clueless until she all but smacked him. :)
Sadly, I can see the Ministry doing this, after all, they've locked up many innocents over the years, so I wouldn't put such Draconian (heh) measures past them.
The erotic buts were steamy and I love how they found creative ways to be together.
Well done!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

ragdoll
2011-05-30 07:50 am UTC (link)

Aw, thanks so muchy, my dear. I'm so glad you liked it. I loved writing Millicent so am definitely going to have to do it again in the future. It was tough keeping her held back for so long given her circumstances -- but it was fun to try. Charlie *was* clueless which was part of the fun too.

Sadly, I can see the Ministry, even run by Kingsley, doing stuff like this. It's more humane than throwing everyone into Azkaban and being tormented by Dementors, but it's hardly kind. I'd think that the Wizarding population would be crying for blood and retribution after the war, so there would be some sort of reckoning.

Anyway, thanks again for all your kind words. :)

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	chantefable 2011-05-17 07:53 pm UTC (link)
	Very sweet and romantic. :) A delightful read. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ragdoll 2011-05-30 07:51 am UTC (link)
	Thank you so much. So glad you enjoyed it. :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	snapesgirl 2011-05-21 01:59 am UTC (link)
	This was wonderful. I like how Charlie is considerate of Millicent and helps her as much as possible. Millie is such a nice strong woman. The dialogue between them after his coming home drunk was amusing. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ragdoll 2011-05-30 07:52 am UTC (link)
	Thank you so much, my dear. I'd like to think that Charlie could never be a total bastard, even in the presence of someone who is thought to have colluded with Death Eaters. I loved writing Millicent - she was really awesome to play with. So glad you enjoyed it. :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	juniperus 2011-05-22 05:02 am UTC (link)
	Very believable premise, great characterization and the interactions between Charlie and Millie are lovely--wonderful story! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ragdoll 2011-05-30 07:52 am UTC (link)
	Thank you so much for your kind words. :) (Reply to this) (Parent)