Thank you!

We do get to see Draco again, but not for a while. It's good for Severus, too, to be able to help him. I'm not going to give their costumes away, but I hope you will enjoy them! Severus puts a little more thought into his and gets some help with it. ;-) (One of your suggestions was particularly interesting -- you'll know which one in a couple of chapters!)Minerva will take Severus's advice and tell Albus, but try not to worry him about it. You're right -- it's no fun finding out that someone you love has not told you about something like that!Thanks very much for your review! Glad you enjoyed the chapter!

LOL! Yes, Severus and his knees and embarrassment about his legs. As you say, it's his opinion of them, though.You'll see their costumes! There's a couple of Halloween chapters. Hope you enjoy them, too!Thanks for the review!

Ah, yes, I'm sure you would be thinkingabout the different kinds of "playing" he could get up to! LOL!Draco certainly is making a great effort to become his better self! Glad you liked his name. Severus is having more fun, even if he's loath to admit it right now, and he enjoyed talking with Minerva about Halloween and making plans with her, as opposed to doing everything all on his own simply out of obligation.Thanks for the review!

Glad you're enjoying it! The Halloween party will be eventful for Severus, certainly.Not yet! It's Severus's story, so we're following him even when he's at school, seeing what's up with his life and how he's adjusting. If you look back at the list of chapter titles for this section, I'm pretty sure I listed the primary characters for each chapter. Anyway,she'll be returning again before Part Three begins.Thanks for reviewing!

I'm sure you listed the characters.  I just read chapters without looking at the character lists most of the time.  DOH.  Silly me.  Anyway, yes, it is Severus's story.  Still, I do enjoy his interactions with Hermione a lot.Thanks!Mim

It's not completed yet -- it is still a WIP (TPP has a feature that marks completed stories as being complete). And there's a long backstory to this relationship and to this particular Severus in earlier stories that brings us to this moment.If Severus wished to leave, he could. The point is, he did want and need the help, and so he did not leave and he said "stop" once, Gareth stopped, but then Severus decided to continue. If he didn't want it, Severus could have left at any time. He does, in fact, stick around for lunch and an afternoon tour of the house, helping him to come to terms with a part of his past he hadn't wanted to face. Gareth is a good friend to Severus, and he knows this about Severus, even though Severus would never admit it at this point. (And personally, I do like friends who truly care about me and who don't want me to founder when they could help.)And you're right, regardless of where the story is at any point that someone reads it, it is pointless to attempt to influence any of my multi-chaptered fics through a review: I write the stories based on a long-planned plot line and have an outline and plan for the stories and characters, so it's not a "choose your own adventure story." Some authors do enjoy writing that way, I'm sure.I'm sure I must have simply overlooked any earlier reviews pointing out things you enjoyed before you decided you didn't like something. I do hope that you were enjoying at least some of Severus's postwar/post-Death's-Dominion journey until then.Hope you find another story on TPP more to your liking! This one is all about Severus growing beyond his past, particularly his past as a Death Eater, and there's a fairly good dose of Gareth and Gertrude to come, and of Severus gaining the ability to live without being crippled by his feelings of guilt. There will likely be many other well-written stories here that may be more to your taste. Enjoy them! Cheers!

Just because I was bugged by one aspect of a couple of chapters doesn’t mean I dislike the whole story. I wouldn’t be all the way beyond Chapter Twenty-Nine if I did. I’m starting to get annoyed with Gareth and his wonderful understanding, but a reader is not expected to like every character in a work of fiction. My apologies if I gave offence by expressing my opinion too brusquely. I tend to do that, sort of like our beloved potions master.

It's not that you didn't like something a specific character did -- all my characters will do thing at times that different people won't like, and I don't endorse all that they do, either -- but two aspects of the review: 1)"I know the story is long over and completed so there’s not much point to it," -- sounds like you wish you could have me change the chapter & that I might do that if the story weren't completed (which it isn't -- it is still a WIP), and as though that were the point of reviewing a fic, to tell the author the direction you want a story to take; and 2) all you mentioned was what you didn't like in that one chapter.JUst in case you actually might consider continuing to read the story, I wished to point out that there will be more similar occasions in the future and that Severus becoming reconciled with his feelings about having been a Death Eater, and specifically what he did to Gertrude, so you could avoid it if you don't like it. I also took the time to explain the "Severus side" of the chapter so you realize that Severus isn't a wimp who couldn't manage to have walked out if he'd wanted to, or that Gareth was somehow forcing him to stay.

She wanted to go, she simply didn't believe it would be prudent or that it would look appropriate to go off for the weekend. I don't think she minded being talked into it!Yep, Severus was able to help Albus a bit with his sense of being "past it" and bored, as well. But if he wants to be supportive of Minerva now, he's got to figure out how to deal with his new situation. Fortunately, he's very aware of all that she sacrificed for him over the years -- but that also makes him feel guilty for wishing things could be different. Not a happy position to be in! But he has time to work it out. :-)Thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the re-read!

Yes, Albus is having a tough time of it, and feeling guilty about having a tough time, on top of it all. Severus and Albus are gradually mending their relationship, and they will get closer. That's not to say there might not be a few hiccups along the way, though! We'll have to wait and see . . .Severus enjoyed being needed in a different way than he was used to, and he did enjoy helping his friends. Of course, the centaur mead may have helped a bit, too! LOL!Thanks for reviewing!

Thank you,

! And I won't whisper a word to Severus! ;-)I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Yeah, it got Snape practically mushy! haha!Thanks for reviewing!

And I hope you had a Happy Minerva's Birthday! You know I enjoy writing Minerva, so I'm glad I was able to share that with you!Well, Minerva will have a good time having drinks with her nephew and her friends for a bit, and he'll be home soon!I'm glad you're looking forward to the conversation between Gareth & Snape -- I am, too! lol!Thanks for reviewing! :-) (Or should I say, "CFR"?)

And I hope you had a Happy Minerva's Birthday! You know I enjoy writing Minerva, so I'm glad I was able to share that with you!Well, Minerva will have a good time having drinks with her nephew and her friends for a bit, and he'll be home soon!I'm glad you're looking forward to the conversation between Gareth & Snape -- I am, too! lol!Thanks for reviewing! :-) (Or should I say, "CFR"?)

Glad you're not complaining! LOL! 'Cause it's much longer.He is certainly trying to turn over a new leaf. We'll see how far he gets! He'll have help along the way.Thanks!

Thanks, Truly! Glad you're looking forward to part two! :)

We shall see,

, we shall see! Glad you like it.

We shall see,

, we shall see! Glad you like it.

I hope to work on updates to Charming the Scottish Garden soon. Johannes & Siofre deserve a bit of my time, too, I think!I hope you enjoy this strand of the story about Drusus, Eileen, and Tobias.You're welcome! I'm very glad that you enjoyed them! I know it's been a long time. I'm glad you're still with the story!

I hope to work on updates to Charming the Scottish Garden soon. Johannes & Siofre deserve a bit of my time, too, I think!I hope you enjoy this strand of the story about Drusus, Eileen, and Tobias.You're welcome! I'm very glad that you enjoyed them! I know it's been a long time. I'm glad you're still with the story!

Yes, Severus had a little slip there, and Poppy was quite flustered! Glad you liked that little bit. :-)It is a bit of a doozy!Thanks!

Yes, Severus had a little slip there, and Poppy was quite flustered! Glad you liked that little bit. :-)It is a bit of a doozy!Thanks!

Gertrude is very quick, and particularly after having seen how friendly Poppy was with Severus at the party, and knowing that she wasn't speaking of Quin, she made the connection that it had to be Severus. Not that she would say anything -- "discretion" is practically Gertrude's middle name, after all!I always thought it was funny how messy Floo travel could be, and I thought that Severus wouldn't like that much and would come up with a Floo Powder that would keep soot from smudging up him & his clothes. Glad you liked that!It's fun to write Moody, all blunt & a bit suspicious -- well, a wee bit paranoid, too!Thanks very much!

Gertrude is very quick, and particularly after having seen how friendly Poppy was with Severus at the party, and knowing that she wasn't speaking of Quin, she made the connection that it had to be Severus. Not that she would say anything -- "discretion" is practically Gertrude's middle name, after all!I always thought it was funny how messy Floo travel could be, and I thought that Severus wouldn't like that much and would come up with a Floo Powder that would keep soot from smudging up him & his clothes. Glad you liked that!It's fun to write Moody, all blunt & a bit suspicious -- well, a wee bit paranoid, too!Thanks very much!

If you want to know more about Harry & his Muggle job (which was supposed to just be a temporary thing that he did to unwind and have a break from everything, but which has now dragged on for months), it's mentioned in a couple different chapters of Draco's Heart, including the one where Ron visits Harry. I don't have the story handy at the moment, but I think the chapter title has Grimmauld Place in it. The bits in Draco's Heart are actually chronologically after the Easter holiday. You can also see what Hermione is up to, see Ron, see Luna, and catch up with more folks than just Draco & Ginny, if you're interested. The chapters are all pretty short in that fic.Yes, there is a lot that Severus will learn about his father after he gets back from his holiday -- or he will if he will look at what Gareth's unearthed! And we'll learn what he does -- it is all very mysterious! Thanks for the review!

As my son would say "thats so mysterious!" It was a word he fell in love with from his show "Backyardigans"

If you want to know more about Harry & his Muggle job (which was supposed to just be a temporary thing that he did to unwind and have a break from everything, but which has now dragged on for months), it's mentioned in a couple different chapters of Draco's Heart, including the one where Ron visits Harry. I don't have the story handy at the moment, but I think the chapter title has Grimmauld Place in it. The bits in Draco's Heart are actually chronologically after the Easter holiday. You can also see what Hermione is up to, see Ron, see Luna, and catch up with more folks than just Draco & Ginny, if you're interested. The chapters are all pretty short in that fic.Yes, there is a lot that Severus will learn about his father after he gets back from his holiday -- or he will if he will look at what Gareth's unearthed! And we'll learn what he does -- it is all very mysterious! Thanks for the review!

As my son would say "thats so mysterious!" It was a word he fell in love with from his show "Backyardigans"

I can safely reassure you that her middle name is not Pudenda. Now you can sleep soundly knowing that, I'm sure!Oh, yes, much plottening going on. Ya think maybe Gareth's trying to lower expectations? Or maybe he's a bit nervous? Or perhaps a bit of both? But I agree, I think he can do just fine!Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

I can safely reassure you that her middle name is not Pudenda. Now you can sleep soundly knowing that, I'm sure!Oh, yes, much plottening going on. Ya think maybe Gareth's trying to lower expectations? Or maybe he's a bit nervous? Or perhaps a bit of both? But I agree, I think he can do just fine!Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

Heeheehee! That was a funny one there! I like your left turn. *chuckles for a bit before returning to the review*Yes . . . Seers, house-elves, all sorts of characters I thought I'd find annoying to write, but actually turned out okay once the characters actually arrived on the page. So I'm glad you like the Seers in these stories. And you're right that it's kind of funny (both peculiar & ha-ha) that the primary Seer is treated as a farce and divination in general is a source of amusement. Of course, there's a long tradition of Seers being ignored, etc., but that's a bit different from them being more objects of amusement than anything else.I'm glad you like Aine! And yes, Aine knows . . . Aine probably knows more than the author! lol!Thanks for the reviews! It was lovely to see them when I got up this morning. Hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Ooh I forgot to add my guess as to what Gertrude & Severus were talking about (since I did so well guessing that Gareth was Max......) I think Gertrude wants to help get Milicent's injury sorted out (maybe funding & sending her to America for treatment), not wanting it to color her future as Gertrude's injury did her.  And she has approached Severus to help facilitate.I was going to ask you if Severus was secretly 'squeeing' inside when he met "Max" but I see you already answered my question in one of the other reviews.  He is SUCH a fanboy......

Oh, yes, he certainly was squeeing a bit! But reining himself in. As you say, good that his witches are looking out for him!Your guess about what Gertrude wanted . . . well, it's partially correct. You have picked up on one bit of it, though not the motivation. However, you'll see it soon! Glad that it's intriguing you!

He does like to see "a happy ending," as he put it! And now that he doesn't have anything of earth-shaking proportions to have to deal with, he is trying to find other ways to encourage a happy result for Severus!Severus is going to try not to hate it, and we can see whether he succeeds or not -- with Poppy there, maybe he won't have such a hard time of it. Thanks for the review!