20/20 - O (Outstanding)
Notes from Wolf:

"The characters were written so well. They were rounded, and complicated and interesting. I loved how you wrote Markus especially. He was just amazing.I've never read a Circus!AU and I've never written something based in that time. Not only that, but the whole story was so different from anything I've read before. The way you separated the different sections were perfect. I never felt disjointed for the story, and I read it though without feeling like I'd been interrupted. I didn't spot a single SPaG mistake, so well done. How you used the base prompt was exactly how I wanted it used. The trust prompt was so obvious. It was amazing. The additional prompt was also used very well (though, I'm surprised you didnt' use: (word) breathe as it seemed to fit in really well). This story was amazing to read. I loved reading about these two characters, and the details you included was amazing. They truly added to the story."

So I marked this story, and now I'm reviewing it for Story Showcase (how did I not realise they were the same stories until I clicked the link?) Anyway, I loved this story. Really! It was powerful, emotional and such an enjoyable read. The trust that developed between Markus and Katie was so strong and it dominated the whole story, which was great. The scenes were short, but extremely strong, and they suited the story as a whole.
The circus!AU isn't something I've read before, and neither was the 1920s!AU so it was such a different read to what I've read before and the way it was written, just, wow! It was so easy to picture in my mind. The scenes, the clothing. I can imagine that I am there a part of the world. It was so clever.
The trust, as I said before, was the most powerful aspect to this (as the assignment asked for). What you included, which was above and beyond the assignment criteria, was the lack of trust in oneself. This was my favourite aspect of this whole story. The scene where Markus suddenly realises that she is trusting him, and he isn't sure if he can trust himself is so amazing. This is what made the piece one of my favourites.
I didn't notice any SPaG mistakes (not that I'm all that good at spotting them), and the flow was excellent. I really feel quite bad that I can't give you any constructive criticism, but I really loved this story a lot. It is an amazing piece and I can't wait to read any more submissions you have for Defence Against the Dark Arts. Seriously well done XD

I may have told you already that I love this fic, but I'll do that again. What I love the most is the vivid descriptions that allow me to actually picture the scene clearly. You have excellent skills at describing (so envious) and setting scenes and expressing feelings of your characters without overdoing it. You give us just the perfect amount.

Secondly: the plot. The characters (as you know) are not a pairing that I ever really consider. I don't ship Katie with anyone, nor Marcus... but seeing them in this fic makes me see how wonderful they could be together. You write them perfectly, and I love the amount of trust that you've got between the pair. I believe that this is possible. Sometimes, you just feel like you can trust someone, even if you don't really know them, and it can be overwhelming.

I think Marcus' fears are justified too. He's scared because he's lost so much already. What if he lost Katie too? I can see why he's so reluctant and terrified of it all, but Katie is so calm in response. So rather than making the issue bigger, she's the one that calms him.

I love the bit on the end going over the show itself too. It's nice that you've included the performance at the end, it was a good way to finish the fic, showing that Marcus had overcome his issues!

Great story, Carmen. I feel like I need to tell you that you are an excellent writer! :)

Ooh, a Circus!AU! I love the idea of that. I've never read one before, and this one was definitely a wonderful start :) I also haven't read many Katie/Marcus fics, either, but I have to say that you portrayed them spot-on. Absolutely amazing job you did with this :)

I like how you incorporated how his parents died and Katie was putting so much faith into him. You incorporated the task (trust between two people) into your oneshot really well. I loved the ending, as well, and you used awesome vocabulary!

As for errors, you needn't worry about SPaG. It was spot-on, and I didn't find any mistakes - or any obvious ones, I should say. But some other things come into play. I don't know if it was said in canon, but I think Katie's eye color is brown, according to pictures on the Harry Potter wikia. And, this one is rather a question. Is her name really Katherine, or did you just create that name for the story?

Anyway, nice job :) Thank you for writing such an amazing story!

Beautiful! Spectacular! Extraordinary!

Hey, Carmen. This is great not just as a cute pairing story, but ALSO as a character study AND an in-depth historical AU with a fun setting. You juggled so many ideas at once and it all came together perfectly. I adored the descriptions in the first few sections, especially the part you used for the summary - "moving slowly and patiently, she bent and turned in the air, held only by the veil wrapped around her arm or leg." It's so simple an image in my head, but somehow there's no better way to write it than how you did. You capture the movement in the words... This is so great, I can't express it right! :D

I don't read much Marcus besides what you write, so the picture of him I see in your fics is basically the only fanon vision of him I get. It's great to see him as more than a mean, bulky Slytherin Quidditch player - I don't think J.K. would agree with your characterization, but it's yours and it works. Anyway, you kept some confidence and apprehension in him, aside from the cutesy banter-y parts, so he was pretty deep as a character. Katie was great - obviously - but the focus was more on Marcus (I mean, it's his perspective) and I loved that.

Okay... I basically loved everything. xD There were a few grammar issues I noticed while reading, but I can't remember what they were, suggesting that they're not that important. ;) This is a great story. You're a good storyteller. AGGHHGH I LOVED IT

This was an absolutely lovely fic! I adore your writing style.

You really incorporated the circus element nicely. And it was fitting that two Quidditch players in canon would be trapeze artists. I love that you drew that parallel.

Another parallel I loved was the bit about her hair looking a bit like a lion's mane as she jumped. This really stuck out to me.

I love the depth that you gave Marcus. So many Slytherins are portrayed unfairly as just evil, nasty characters, but you made him so real, and I could feel his pain when he opened up to Katie. Wonderful characterization.

There were a few grammar mistakes, but they were small and didn't distract from the overall story.

Well done. I think I might ship this a little now.

Another great Marcus/Katie from you. I have you to thank for my new love of this pairing and I very much enjoyed reading this. I like how fearless and fiery you make Katie, and how at the same time you also show her as warm and kind-hearted. The scene where Marcus first meets her was by far my favourite part of the story, with Marcus's admission about his fear to trust and be trusted a close second. I also love your portrayal of Marcus as you've made him charming and perhaps a little bit cocky, but with a vulnerability about him that makes him easy to root for. I love the ending with them performing their act successfully and Marcus being able to overcome his fears. So glad the story ends with their first kiss. Great job.

This is such a sweet story, I enjoyed it a lot!
I like that even though there was a love-at-first-sight situation, you took the time to let that love develop, and I like that it didn't go too easily but that Marcus struggled with letting Katie trust him, it gives his character more dept.
Well done!

This is really sweet! I was super excited when I saw the circus!au prompt in the thread and I was curious to see how many people would do it. Your Katie is a lot like the one in my head and I love how fearless she is. And Marcus feeling so conflicted about having someone rely on him is realistic and sweet. It's nice to see that he has so many mixed emotions about finding what he was looking for in the circus. It gives some great depth to his character. The trapeze sort of taking the place of flying was a nice touch and overall I loved what you did with this piece. Awesome!

Ah, so cute!