Name: Stella Blue (Signed) · Date: 07 Apr 2018 03:00 PM · For: hope is foolish

Hi Paula!

So, I found this story when I was looking for a fic to review for the hufflepuff monthly newsletter (i.e. someone finds and reads an underappreciated story and talks about it) and so I ended up here. And seriously, I can't believe this story doesn't have more reviews already because it's phenomenal.

First, I love your summary! I love that it doesn't tell much, it's just this ominous, mysterious, and desperate question, which really sets the tone for the whole story.

And to the story itself. Gah, it's heartbreaking. I didn't realize it was going to be about a child dying in a hospital after having cancer. Stories about people dying too young, especially with cancer involved, really get to me on a personal level and from the instant I read about Mia's past struggles I was already really invested in Laura's quest to find a way to save Mia. So, yeah, reading this story was kind of like being run over by a truck, but I mean that in a good way I promise :P like, it was so powerful and so sad and then there's a glimmer of hope but then stomps on my heart at the end, and you should be proud that you wrote something so powerful. I was amazed that you said this was out of your comfort zone. For someone who only writes fluff and happy endings, you did an amazing job with this angst fest. You should write sad stories more often, because you're really good at it.

Not only that, but the perspective is really unique, since Laura is a Muggle, and it shows a really interesting eye into the wizarding world from the outside. It breaks my heart that she knows things could have been different if she'd been able to gain access to a wizard hospital. But what she does end up doing was really interesting - it was quite a leap to decide to steal the invisibility cloak. It was interesting that stealing it was her first thought, I felt she should have thought that over a bit more :P but I loved the way you put a spin on the use of the cloak, it was a really clever use of a familiar object in a new way. And the way the doctor wants to keep using it to save children! Wow, I just loved that use of it and how it really puts them in a whole new light, because I was almost indignant at the Potters for hanging onto it as a family heirloom when they have this miracle cure to themselves.

speaking of the cloak, there was a bit of a weird moment in the third chapter when Laura sees Mia's hands sticking out, covers her back up, and summons the nurse... but wouldn't the nurses not be able to see her?

Okay but anyway, the descriptions are truly wonderful, from Laura's bold midnight theft to the sweet moments with Mia in the hospital. It's easy to see this whole story play out right before your eyes because of how detailed the prose is, focusing on the little but important things. There's a lot of visual description, but most of all what's described are feelings and sensations, like her heart beating, or the way her mouth feels dry because she's so nervous. These are such important details and I feel like stuff like this often gets forgotten, what's going on with a character's body, but those are important details because you notice these things as a person in real life, so of course a fictional character will feel these things too. And so it places the reader right there in Laura's shoes so effectively - I feel what Laura feels. I love that you included that. The emotional power of this story is its strongest feature.

Overall, it's a beautiful story. It's incredibly well written and I'm so glad I stopped by!