Title: Behind Closed Doors: A Portrait of the Malfoy Family
Author: AnnaChase
Rating: M
Genre: Romance/ drama
Status: Work in Progress (about 38, 000 words so far)
Library Category: Dark Arts , I think (for dark themes and Death Eaters)
Pairings: Lucius/ Narcissa
Summary: "There were all the right ingredients. Two young people open to the benefits this arranged marriage could bring. Qualities and characteristics, and even looks that matched. But even all the right ingredients were incapable of brewing a successful potion without a touch of magic. ". Lucius/Narcissa. Their story, at last.
Link: Link

Being fairly new to this forum, I would love to share this story I've recently been following. It focuses on the Malfoys from the start of the First Wizarding War all the way to the Second (so far).
I think it's well-written, especially for a non-native speaker (the author is Dutch), and I like the way the story just ' flows'.

Characterisation seems good to me, even the side characters that make frequent appearances (Bellatrix, Severus, Abraxas) are nicely fleshed out. I like this especially because it sheds a different light on the ' bad guys'. Not that excuses are being made for Death Eaters, but it seems the author likes to portray the ' grey area's' of people. There are some dark themes, and those are dealt with accordingly in my eyes. From about chapter 10 an OC is included in a way that I think works quite believable.

I wonder what you all think of it! I rate it 4/5 stars at this point.

 

I've read it all and it is awful. Truly awful. There is no real drama or even romance, just angst and the overdone victorian atmosphere which is grating. It could have been canon as far as the events are concerned but the characters are reaaally different. Not only sane Bellatrix but every Death Eater (not that we've seen many) complete wimps.

And that another thing, the woe-is-me attitude. I'm with Voldemort on this. Make the Malfoys suffer. They're not good for anything else. The very definition of vapid, useless dandies. Narcissa could very well be a victorian sickly lady and Lucius the absent father.

Truly, there is no magic in the whole story. There are mentions of a couple of potions (that could very well have been normal medicine) and a mention of a curse or two.

Anyway I won't bother to write anything more for this, it is that wretched. If you want to waste an hour of your life read it. If not...

1/5. Obviously...

 

I tried reading from the start; I got through about 6 paragraphs then I skipped 3 chapters, tried again. I skipped another three chapters. I can't try any more. This is terrible writing.

The dialogue could supply enough lumber to rebuild the Spanish Armada and the characters don't.

1/5