Aw, thanks! Glad you're finding it delightful! :)She did tell Severus she has plans . . . so we'll see!Thanks for reviewing!

I was delighted with another peek at what Suzie Sefton is up to. Still pigging out on sweets, lol. I hope we see more of her in future, she really is a fun character.

Albus is bored. And trying to make himself useful. What could be more useful than finding Severus a witch who will love him and put up with his moods -- and find it worth the work? LOL!Glad you liked the little look at Suzie. She's doing a little bit better!Thanks for the review! Glad you liked the chapter!

Ah, there will be reactions, more reactions, and reactions to reactions! I hope you will like! ;-)Thanks for the review. :-)

I think in the right mood (or is it the wrong mood?), many of us do this, and many of us have also been the victim of someone else doing this -- where we say to ourselves, "what the heck got into her/him today?" and without a clue that they took offense at something they perceived but that was nothing to us! LOL!So I can understand even your being upset with Poppy on his behalf!Thanks for the review!

Yes, neither of them was completely listening to the other, and as much as Poppy did hear, she really wasn't willing to believe, unfortunately.I'm glad you liked the chapter! Thanks for reviewing. :)

She really is trying to keep from getting hurt, as much as or more than she's trying to make sure that Severus gets his chance at a fulfilling relationship -- but just as you say, she's making a decision about what she thinks is best for him. Part of it is just plain disbelief that Severus -- the Severus whom she's known for so many years, no matter how much things have changed in his life and no matter how good things feel when they're together -- could actually develop any kind of feelings or relationship with her. She is aware that she's doing it primarily to protect herself, but she does think that it's best for him in the long run, as well -- which is one reason she thinks it's necessary to protect herself. “And I am sorry, too, Severus. But it’s for your good, too. It’s better this way for us both.” She says "I am sorry, too" because she knows that in a sense, it's unfair to make a unilateral decision as she did, and she knows that he thinks his feelings for her are strong and real, and she's also sorry because she would like to continue seeing him, as well.We'll see how open they can become about their hearts. Being honest with themselves (individually) would be a start.Thanks for the review!

Whoops! That's in the NEXT chapter, not the one you just reviewed! Well, the principle is the same! LOL! I hope you enjoy the next chapter, too!

"[B]ut I couldn't help but wonder about their different attitudes toward the "kinky" sex. Poppy seems open enough and willing to indulge Severus in his curiosities, etc., but she doesn't seem to get the same pleasure from it that he does. It's reassurring that he's still sensitive to her needs and feelings, but he was definitely pushing her limits despite her having told him that she would rather defer any attempt at anal sex to another time."Ah, I wondered if anyone would notice that and bring it up.It's partly the "heat of the moment" for her, but it's also that she knows what a stretch it is for him to move from having had so many hang-ups to being willing to try new things -- and to make himself vulnerable, himself, by expressing his desires. To the extent that she could have verbalized it herself during the heat of passion, Poppy would have said that she didn't want to discourage him or have him believe there was anything "nasty" about what he wanted. Such conversations about their preferences could wait -- she was also confident that if she did say she wanted him to stop, he would. In fact, as you point out, he was sensitive enough to decide on his own to stop (although, rather frustratingly for Poppy, at one point he stopped entirely, rather than just that one activity, and had to be encouraged to continue), and her trust in him was validated.Only, of course, to have the coming day . . . well, no spoilers! LOL!I'm glad that you found it hot!

Yep, it was not a happy-happy joy-joy kind of chapter for anyone -- except maybe for Sarah Duffy, who can now eat without fear of being savaged by Severus! LOL! (Although she might enjoy a certain sort of savaging! hee!)Poor Arthur. So many times, the people who everyone considers competent and happy are the ones who fall through the cracks when the going gets tough, and they're also not used to having to ask for help, being the ones who are usually giving it. Hopefully, things will go better for both him and for Ginny. And for Ron, too. Going around "boinking blondes," as Hermione put it, might be a kind of escapist behavior. But this fic is about Severus, so I'll put aside all my Weasley speculations for now! LOL!Thanks for the review -- oh, and you'll be glad to hear, I imagine, that my flu-bug has finally fled. I'm now just worn out from it, but that's a relief! (Yes, my chattery self probably gave away my flu-free state already! haha!)Hope you're enjoying your vacation!

Aww, I'm glad you're fond of Poppy/Severus!He is just a confused mess. And until he's a bit less of a confused mess, Poppy probably is right . . . for now, anyway!Thanks for the review. :)

He certainly does need some perspective! I think he'll gain some even from this experience. Thanks for the review! :)

LOL! Yeah, that would be about the kind of behavior he'd exhibit. He'll learn, though. Sort of. Trouble is, often he knows he did something wrong but is mistaken about exactly what it was. Poor guy!Can you imagine being woken up at 4:30 in the morning by something like that? Over-the-top would be an understatement. But at least he's trying. Thanks for the review!

Did she "decide"? You think she convinced herself? We'll see. Thanks.

Thanks for reviewing.

I'm off for several days, so I don't know when the next update will be, and it will be a while before there's another lemon in the offing, as you can tell from their most recent interactions, so I'm glad you enjoyed that one. :P (I was flu-and-fever ridden when I responded to reviews over Xmas. It was a pretty miserable few days. Not festive. :( )

I'm so sorry you were sick for Christmas, I hope you are feeling better.  Have a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year.

Thanks

Thanks. Glad you liked it & found it amusing.

Merry Christmas to you, too! Because of my flu, or whatever this bug is, my travel plans are a bit changed, but that meant I could get another chapter up for you all to enjoy, so that was a good thing.I'm glad you enjoyed the introspection in this chapter, but you're certainly right about Severus. And his behavior will only get worse before it gets better. Then he'll want to give himself a swift kick -- but we're getting ahead of ourselves! And you know I hate to give too much away! ;)Thank you for the review! I'm very glad you enjoyed it. And if you want a peek at some of the chapter summaries for the upcoming chapters, I posted an update over on my WordPress blog today, too. All the summaries for Part Six are now up, along with the characters and ratings for each chapter. Thanks again!

LOL! Yes, he's not exactly the sort I might encourage a friend to start seeing, although if she were interested in him, I'd tell her to be careful! Much as Minerva told Poppy. haha!Albus certainly does have something whirring through his brain when he sees Severus stalk out!Thanks very much for your review!

Well, there will be rough patches ahead, I'm afraid! But I'm very glad that you're enjoying the two!I think I have a flu or something, so I'm feeling a bit "off," but I have the next chapter all ready to post, so that will be up soon.Glad you're enjoying the steam! ;)Thank you for the review!

Glad it pleased you! Yep, there are consequences for flirting like that! lol! Thanks for the review!

Thanks! I'm very glad you got a little break before your marathon!Severus really has come a long way since the beginning of Death's Dominion, that's for certain!Thanks very much for your review! I hope your paper writing goes well!

Absolutely positive. Even though it's Christmas. She's just at a bit of a crossroads at the moment, was perhaps a little PMS'y, and she's got other things going on in her life. That just isn't one of them! LOL!It would, indeed, help Severus move on! If the timing were right . . .Thanks for the review. Glad you enjoyed it.

Hi! I'm hoping to get at least one more chapter up, but we'll see how RL goes!Yes, they had a good time in bed, fitting together "personality wise" (loved that clarification!), and then they had a good time at dinner together, and he was more relaxed, too.I'm very glad that you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks for the review!

Hi,

!Thanks for the lovely review. I'm not certain when the next chapter will be up. I may try to post one tomorrow, since I hope to be travelling over Christmas & New Year's, visiting relatives.They'll be in for a different sort of time, and not a particularly easy one, but I hope that the situations and the story development continues to entertain and involve you!I don't like to give spoilers, so what will happen . . . you'll just have to wait and see! In my world, Helen Mirren would be too old and too, um, un-curvacious (sorry, but I have a fever -- some sort of flu? -- and my brain is a bit floaty at the moment, if you know what I mean) for her to be the Poppy in my world. I'm trying to think of some public figure, actress or otherwise, whom she resembles in my mind . . . I dunno. Facial features & facial bone structure a bit like Miranda Richardson, but not quite as rounded, a slightly pointy chin (which Poppy thinks is pointier than other people see it -- lol), about 5' 4" or so, slim but still curvy, she'd look in her late thirties or early forties to Muggles, since in my view of the wizarding world, they live a lot longer and just age more slowly once they're adults . . . I wish I could think of someone who meets my mental image, but I'm at a loss. Helen Mirren is actually a bit similar to my image of Gertie. Not precisely, but fairly close. She's kind of a cross between Helen Mirren and Sian Phillips, I'd say . . .Thanks again for the review! I'm glad you found the chapter hot! Now I'm off to drink some tea and take a couple aspirin . . .

Thanks,

!I think that if Severus had an inkling he was about to get caught in the midst of it, he would think very quickly and do something to keep from being caught. Of course, that's only if he were aware of the imminent danger! LOL!Thank you for the review. I'm glad you're enjoying it!