I really liked your story, even if I always think that the story of Albus and Gellert is very sad!

livinging for the greater good

I love these ending lines in brackets :) They have a feel to them that makes them feel private/secretive. I'm really enjoying the way you are portraying the characters and I'm going to move onto the next part!

"Burn it all down, for all I care. It'd be the most interesting thing to happen around here in quite some time.", "warring over dominance.", "Neither bent under the scrutiny; neither broke the connection."
I love those lines so much! The first one really shows how little Albus cares for Godric's Hollow, the second shows the two strong personalities trying to establish themselves above the other and the third shows just how like-minded they are. I'm glad you showed that neither of them backed down under the other, at least not just yet. They're both quite dominant characters and I don't think either would back down from someone they had only just met :)

Flamboyancey is fun. *acts as flamboyant as she can while as tired as she is, which amounts to striking a pose and falling back against the propped up pillows*

At first, I thought that he was talking to Gellert. Then I remembered the requirements of Battleships and realized this was the “first meeting” chapter, so that would be unlikely. (I have no idea who Elphias is. He sounds like he can’t keep up with Albus though. Also like he has a crush, which is adorable, because we all know this is Grindeldore.)

Ugh, pure-bloods. *gags*

Oh fuck. Oh shit. Goddammit, I’m not mentally prepared to deal with the death of Albus’s mother and the consequences of that. Shit, fuck, damn, bugger, I really wish I have about three more cuss words that I could think of right this second but my mind is not up to the task. Fuck! O.O All I’m really able to say is: there goes any plans of going on tour.

Old arrogance, young here, shriveling up as the realization hits. I like those paragraphs. Though
what the heck is so bad about Godric’s Hollow. Sounds like my kind of place. Small, quiet, sleepy. (Not TOO small though – I don’t want the neighbors thinking they should know me and be all up in my business. (I just imagined myself trying – and failing miserably – to imitate Queen Latifah while saying that.))

ENTER GELLERT! Still at Durmstrang and about to be expelled, it would seem.

*snorts* “full of shit”—good one.

Okay, is Gellert’s snark partially inspired by Shane? I see him here… Except he wouldn’t bite his tongue. Probably. Eh.

Oh yeah. Totally seeing Shane here. Carefully worded. Arguing semantics. XD

That’s sudden. The departure, I mean. So sleepy. Maybe I missed something. (I think I might be cheating myself reading this while I’m so tired.)

I like the parallels between Gellert’s thoughts and Albus’s. Nicely done.

Oh yes. I have cheated myself reading this while I’m so tired. I shall have to read it again when I’m awake and can truly appreciate it. I rather like it while sleepy, I know I’ll doubly like it while more awake. (The idea of their magic being able to burst out of them with strong emotions is excellent. I always liked the idea that magic wasn’t always under their own conscious control. *nods*)

The way you opened this was a lot of fun. The way Albus winds up Gellert by making him explain the Hollows just so he can hear his voice is really cute.

How Albus asks Gellert on a date by challenging him to a duel is fun and I liked the way you showed how different they are through the spells they used to fight. Gellert's were made of a lot of hexes and such while Albus used transfiguration spells and things that are, usually, rather harmless. It was also cool because it sort of shows why he got the job of a Transfiguration professor.

The date the two ended up going on and Gellert creating those make-shift fireflies was neat and a rather sweet note to end the chapter on.

Ok, I'm a little drunk at this point, so bear with me here. Johan is marrying Aberforth's illegitimate kid that he named for his dead sister and hid from his older brother? Did I read that right? Damn those Dumbledores.

I like that a Dumble and a Grindel do end up together after all.

Ole' reliable Minnie. That's just what a gal love to hear.

Hmm I just had a thought, I wonder if Johan and his family will run into trouble for his last name. Ha, I share Albus' thoughts on babies. Aww it's nice that Gellert gets at least some updates. That's a nice way to end it.

I do find it just a bit odd, now that I'm done, that there wasn't really any mention of how far into the Dark Arts Gellert sank, and how far he went to get the wand and how far he was willing to go for all the rest of it. I know it wasn't really the focus of the story, but a little mention if it would have been good to see. That is literally the only thing I can think that would improve this. Really well done. :)

Oh Fawkes, it's not fair to his someone's whiskey. Not cool man, not cool. That's actually the first time I've ever seen Fawkes being more than a pet in a fan fic. It's interesting that he seems to have kind of more ability here than you'd think he'd have.

I bet I know what Albus is so agitated over. I've been waiting for this since the beginning, if it's what I think it is. Super harsh twist that it seems like it's on their anniversary.

Woooo you said the name of the fic in the story! Woooo!

Stupid life, not letting things be simple and good. Oh, was that the last thing Gellert said to Albus that crushed him? I expected something totally different. Ohhhhhhhhh Gellert gave it to Albus. Oh my, I didn't expect that, but I love it.

Oh that last line just gave me so many sad pictures of the both of them knowing each year what day it was, but just having to... be. Oh I'm so sad now.

Fluff alert! Set up a Build-A-Gellert station! Nice scene there with Gellert and Johan with Gellert just chilling there on the floor, indulging him. I like how it is Gellert that makes Johan feel better when Albus gives him even that little minor bit of disappointment. It's sweet how Albus notices Gellert getting older, but doesn't care. He's always just so resignedly conflicted with him. Like loving him is work, but worth it.

Ha, blow back for Gellert never talking again. Albus has to deal with all the awkward kid questions. Life's just... complicated little guy, now hush and make sparks. Bwhahaha oh they really go all out. Love Gellert's thoughts. Ahh the innocence of children, they just seem to be able to uncomplicate things, don't they? This was an awesome way to to approach this prompt for this pair. You've don't a great creative job tackling two difficult ones for this pair. It was great that you brough Johan back into this one too. He's more tied into their lives now, in my mind.

Hmm interested to see how you get thru this prompt. Lol Gellert, soft spot for Muggle babies. That's unexpected. Interesting that wizards use coords and that he didn't have to look them up or anything. I like how he jumps thru many different places to get where he is going. It's like jumping thru different computers and clusters when hacking.

Bwhahaha 'Albus, take this baby, I don't do babies.'

He at least could have vanished the mess. What is it about guys that makes them dumb around babies? Interesting that Gellert shared it all in flashes of memories. Could he just as easily slip up there as if he was talking?

Well this was a creative way to deal with the prompt while avoiding the awkward Mpreg story. Nicely done.

Oh steamy warning. Bowchicka wow wow. I suck a smut too. You should read my first draft of my novella. I blushed most of the way through writing it and it's just subtly suggestive. Anyway, to the review!

Oh I just gagged a little at the term licorice and grease. Bwahaha I love the thoughts about Muggle clothing even as I'm wondering what he is up to. I like the addition of Fawkes. I don't think I've read anything yet where you find out how Albus acquired him.

I like the bit about feeling each other's magic/energy. It's got kind of a 'meant to be' vibe to it.

I find it interesting that Albus has no thoughts yet on what a horrible person Gellert must be by now if he had such a reputation as a Dark Wizard. Oh Albus, you know he's not talking to you out of love for you, don't tease the man.

Wooo maybe he's just thinking of smexy time. :O Heh I like the two alpha males battling for who is going to be the biggest alpha male, even when doing something... loving. Nicely done, way to smut.

Hmm interesting time jump here. It's almost a little jarring. I want them to have more flowers and butterflys and melodious teapots.

You really set the new mood well though. Everyone is sad and pensive and sick of it all. Albus' panic at knowing whose spell it was that hit his sister is well done. Poor thing. This makes me wish JK had spent a bit more time developing the whole Dumbles/sister/Gellert thing.

Wow, what a twist - here's a kiss, but I won't be talking to you again. Well, maybe once... to crush you! This was a really great way to approach something that most people would make a flowery cute story out of. (I did it in Batteries and Baking... but how would Arthur and Molly's first kiss not be adorable?) Albus and Gellert have one of those almost poison relationships where they can't be together but they really can't be apart either. Love it because there really are relationships out there like that. It's almost parasitic in a way because they usually end up destroying each other for all other people.

I was wondering how the whole no-talking vow was going to work throughout the rest of this! I like that they’re able to communicate through projecting thoughts, although really they might as well just verbally talk since the information Gellert’s hiding he could probably just ‘think’ it too. I guess the oath in the earlier chapter prevents him from speaking though. I liked the sentence that there was a bit of dark in Albus and a bit of light in Gellert, not only was it very pretty sounding as I read it but feels like it fits in with one of the themes of Harry Potter that there are both light and dark in everyone. Bravo on writing slashy smut! I shy away from writing anything like that :)

I love Albus' thoughts on Gellert and his clever little ways of getting what he wants out of him. And that he wants simple things like being able to hear him talk is so sweet. Oh hmm, I never thought that Albus might just be interested in the stone. I like that twist. I always assumed it was the whole thing that he was interested in.

Oh you sneaky minx, it's not THE duel. Nicely done. I love Albus' thoughts as they go, how he appreciates each thing about Gellert even as Gellert is trying to take a serious chunk out of him. Albus is fighting with butterflies, flowers, and vines and it's awesome. I'm guessing he probably didn't use that stuff later on in THE duel.

Such a sweet scene afterward. This is moving along so nice and smooth. Looking forward to another chapter.

Ooh, I was really excited to see this happened further in the future, after the fallout with Ariana dying. I was kind of expecting that most of their relationship milestones would happen before that so I enjoyed being surprised. Makes me wonder how you’ll fit the other prompts in the later chapters since this relationship isn’t the typical romance in terms of ‘first date, first kiss, marriage, kids’. I love that Albus has Fawkes at this point and I wonder how that came about.

Poor Albus, from the way he’s thinking it sounds like they both know that it was him who killed Ariana even if Albus didn’t actually see it. I think Gellert’s silence on the matter probably speaks enough, unless either way Albus couldn’t live with it. Cheers!