You, yes, you, want to help me brainstorm a missing moment for this fic?

[starfishstar]

Calling all fans of Tonks, of strong, active female characters, or just fans of discussing the writing process and brainstorming about character and plot!

My big (22-chapter, 100+k) Harry Potter fic "Raise Your Lantern High" is pretty much completely written, and halfway through posting. BUT it's missing something in the middle. Throughout the earlier and later parts of the story, it does pretty well at balancing Remus' and Tonks' storylines. (A tricky feat, since they're apart most of the time, during the HBP year!)

But right here in the middle of the story, around Christmas, there's moew Remus story (because in canon we know more about what Remus is doing, since Harry sees him at the Burrow that year) to the point that it feels unbalanced. I want to add at least one more scene for Tonks, here in this middle/winter bit, and I've been wracking my brains as to what! It could be basically a like a one-shot, that happens to take place at that point in the timeline – it doesn't have to related closely to the overarching plot of the story.

Thus my question:

What do you wish we could have seen of Tonks during the winter of HBP? Is there a character you'd like to see her interact with? Moody? Kingsley? Luna??

(That's my one idea so far, that maybe I can somehow engineer a situation where Tonks is patrolling at/near the school, and runs into Luna, and Luna takes her to see the Thestrals in the Forbidden Forest – because Tonks is still grieving Sirius at this point, and Luna seems like someone who would take one look at her and decide she would benefit from a not-quite-school-sanctioned ramble into the Forest to hang out with the Thestrals – now that she can see them. Plus, I'd love Tonks to get to interact with another female canonical character.)

Anyone want to weigh in?

(I've posted this same question on Chapter 12 of the story at both AO3 and FFN, with a bit more detail about other things Tonks is doing around the same time in the fic. But again, it almost doesn't matter what else is happening around it – I just need something cool and interesting for Tonks to do for a bit during the winter of HBP!)

Comments

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

As I started reading this, I was thinking that what might be fun might be some kind of Order mission or other action-y scene for Tonks to show her stuff in.

But then I got to the part about Luna and the thestrals, and that sounds like a really excellent idea to me... interaction between those two is bound to be interesting -- presumably Luna remembers Tonks from the fight at the Ministry in OotP? -- and an encounter with Luna (and the thestrals) might well be an important piece of Tonks dealing with the loss of Sirius.

[starfishstar]

Ooh, thank you! Yes, I definitely want to write the Luna and the thestrals idea. (I was quite relieved when that idea came to me, because before that I was totally stuck and had nothing.) Though I may also write a Tonks and Moody scene... This chapter is now going to have lots of good Tonks stuff in it, instead of woefully no Tonks in it, and that's very good!

And never fear, the whole first half of Raise Your Lantern High Tonks has a plot/mystery arc of her own, and the second half some of that too, though not as much. That was one of the most important things to me in writing this story, that Tonks got her own plot/story line just as much as Remus did. (Which is why it was so frustrating to find her STILL missing out of the middle of the story, despite all my efforts!)

Thank you for your input! I've now gotten enough suggestions that I've got some ideas churning again, which is exactly what I'd hoped for. :-)

[gilpin25.livejournal.com]

I was also having ideas as I started to read this - initially leaning towards interaction with Moody-type ideas, FWIW - but the thought of Tonks and Luna and Thestrals has many intriguing possibilities, both serious (or Sirius, as shimotsuki has said!) and humorous. So my vote would be for that.

I've only recently had chance to start reading 'Raise Your Lantern High' again, and I will do some commenting, but it's proving a lovely way to start my day. (I get to read it at breakfast time!) And the work and thought you've put into it... Wow. :)

[starfishstar]

I think I'm actually going to try to write both a Moody scene and a Luna scene to add into the chapter! The "votes" (in comments here, at AO3 and FFN) have come out pretty much even between Moody and Luna, in fact. I was still stuck because I had no idea what form the Moody scene could take, but I think I've got at least the start of an idea now... Now I just have to find time to write, somehow??

And OH, I am so pleased to hear you're reading Raise Your Lantern High and enjoying it! Seriously, it warms me so much to hear that. (Heh, yes, years and years of thought went into that story before it was finally in a state where I could start posting it!)