Thanks for the review! We've got a lot of "party" to come -- and, of course, a few glimpses of what Albus is up to -- and I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that we haven't seen the last of Valerianna and "Franky"! And Quin, of course!

Thank you for reviewing! 

Yeah, Frank was a little out of sorts, wasn't he? And Minerva's there for a few more days, so we'll see Frankie again, and Valerianna, too! And, of course, Quin.

Thank you for reviewing!

Yes, I thought this might be a "FINALLY!" sort of review!Very glad you enjoy reading Quin so much -- and that his in-your-head voice is as charming as it should be! (His dialogue always had me going over it a few more times than that of other characters, so it's good to know you like it.)Thanks for the review!

The poem that Albus enclosed is one that he had written earlier in the summer. He'd started with that funny bit back at the beginning of the summer when they had their misunderstanding about their meeting & his "beard conditioning," then when he was missing Minerva when she was at the Gamps, he wrote the rest. He figured that in for a penny, in for a pound, so he enclosed it with his letter, trying to let her know how important she was to him, and how deep his feelings for her were. He certainly waited with trepidation, wondering what Minerva would think of his strong feelings for her. I remember when I was writing this story, people were worried that it would end as soon as the two of them got together, but no such luck! LOL! (Just kidding!) I figured after such a long time getting there, and such a bumpy road, the two deserved a bit of happiness together in the story, and readers deserved a bit of "payoff," seeing how they related to each other once they had put the misunderstanding behind them -- and also, I wanted to be able to reveal, to Minerva and the readers, why Albus's misgivings and insecurities were as strong as they were -- after all, he's normally a fairly confident wizard, and even with some worries about age-difference, etc., he was a bit over-the-top with his reaction to having kissed her that time. There's more of a story to that, but Minerva will help Albus uncover it and get past it. Thanks very much for the review! I'm very glad you're still enjoying the story!

The poem that Albus enclosed is one that he had written earlier in the summer. He'd started with that funny bit back at the beginning of the summer when they had their misunderstanding about their meeting & his "beard conditioning," then when he was missing Minerva when she was at the Gamps, he wrote the rest. He figured that in for a penny, in for a pound, so he enclosed it with his letter, trying to let her know how important she was to him, and how deep his feelings for her were. He certainly waited with trepidation, wondering what Minerva would think of his strong feelings for her. I remember when I was writing this story, people were worried that it would end as soon as the two of them got together, but no such luck! LOL! (Just kidding!) I figured after such a long time getting there, and such a bumpy road, the two deserved a bit of happiness together in the story, and readers deserved a bit of "payoff," seeing how they related to each other once they had put the misunderstanding behind them -- and also, I wanted to be able to reveal, to Minerva and the readers, why Albus's misgivings and insecurities were as strong as they were -- after all, he's normally a fairly confident wizard, and even with some worries about age-difference, etc., he was a bit over-the-top with his reaction to having kissed her that time. There's more of a story to that, but Minerva will help Albus uncover it and get past it. Thanks very much for the review! I'm very glad you're still enjoying the story!

Oh, don't worry, Fate will intervene!Remember, it isn't quite endless for them, since Minerva's fit of temper in the first chapter occurred on the fourth of July and the Headmaster's holiday is only at the very beginning of August. But you are getting very close to Fate intervening! (But it won't be a hot tub, though that's a lovely idea! )Really, though, the tension is mounting for them, too, and it will lead to, um, well, to the relief of your tension! I do hope that it doesn't kill you before it reaches its crescendo and gets relieved!

Thanks! I'm really glad you're enjoying the story! (I do hope you manage to leave your computer occasionally, though! haha!)I saw that this was a review for "Hagrid's Hut," and my automatic reaction was, "*groan* Somebody's gonna tell me how very gross this chapter was!" So very glad I was wrong!Yep, there were little clues sprinkled around that Hagrid & Wilhelmina were having a bit of a "thing"; so happy that you caught on!Resolving a Misunderstanding is sort of the "mother" for a bunch of my other fics, and I'm very fond of it and put a lot of time into it (!), so it's always great to hear that someone (like you) appreciates the backdrop and the supporting characters. I always say that RaM is my favorite of my stories and Death's Dominion is my best and a close second in my heart. Thanks very much for your review! It made my morning. (BTW, I think that by the end of the story, you won't be sayin' "vanilla Minerva"! haha!)

You are very welcome! It makes me happy to know you've enjoyed it so much!

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it all -- and that you continue to enjoy the other stories in the "RaMverse."Now, for what questions I can answer, here are a few!The revelation of when Minerva had fallen in love with him was actually written out as a full scene, but it never got used in the story -- just had to leave some things out (there are others that never made it in, either) -- and it began by them discussing again Carson's death and her rescue of Albus, and then his conviction at the time that it might be his fate to die defeating Grindelwald, that even if he was successful, that he might still have died, and how during that period, he had thought it might be some justice for his own inaction decades before, etc., but that obviously that didn't happen, and he has quite a different perspective on all that. Minerva responds that it would have been dreadful for her if he had died, and she didn't know if she could have gone on and ever wanted to be happy again. Albus tells her that of course she could, there would still be Rudolf, and if that didn't work, then Quin or someone like him, but Minerva said that it would have been worse for her, because she never would have had the opportunity to become closer to him, become good friends with him, to tell him how she felt, and eventually tell him that she loved him, even if he didn't love her in return.Albus tells her that she wouldn't have known what she had lost, that she would have missed him, but that she was so young at that time, she still had the time yet to fall in love with someone else. She tells him, no, she couldn't, that she had always loved him even before she was in love wtih him, and then she ends up telling him that even at the time of Carson's death and Albus's rejection of her sympathy, she was in love with him. It then proceeded to the discussion that Albus is thinking about in the epilogue.I'm not a big fan of beards, either, in RL, although sometimes on the right man, a short, well-groomed beard can be quite attractive. Somehow, though, when I think of Albus, I can't picture him without his beard, and the Albus in my imagination is quite the sexy guy, so I think he's the exception to the rule for me -- even if he's entirely fictional. I cannot imagine participating in the activity that Minerva did with his beard, though -- although the proximity to his mouth is, um, yeah . . . won't go there.I have, as you surmise, thought about probating the will. Doubt it will come into any active scene in DD, though. But because it's Albus and it's wartime, they could likely get it sealed, temporarily, when it's filed. The wizarding world's laws are different, anyway, and it seems the Ministry by that point was doing whatever it pleased, whether it was legal or not -- poor Stan Shunpike! I'm sure the will's precise provisions could be kept from becoming general public knowledge, even if some of them were obvious. (I actually have a small mini-scene in my notes between Minerva and Scrimgeour that supposedly takes place shortly after the funeral and that mentions the will and a couple other things, but it's not going to end up in the story, I decided.)Thanks for the reviews!

Thank you very much for filling in the details about Minerva and Albus's conversation.  It must have been very emtional, and I can see even more why Albus is now, finally, convinced of Minerva's complete and permanent devotion to him.I see we basically agree re Albus and beards--I just don't have as good an imagination as you do to be able to actually join long beard + sexy in my mind's *eye*, just in my mind!I thought that just maybe you'd pondered wizarding probate laws!   I worked for some probate litigation attys for a while, and it's quite the interesting field if you are the sort who likes observing family train wrecks....the things folks manage to get worked up about and the loopholes they look for and the grudges they pursue, all at $250--$500/hr or more, plus expenses.... So, leaving all of the complexities and mysteries of the DD plot aside, it's good that Albus's will can be sealed, and that as far as we know none of his friends or family would be likely to object to its terms.

Oh, and btw, today (Tues) is *my* birthday (I'm turning 7 yrs older than Minerva turned in this chapter), and I'd gladly take any of the birthday gifts Minerva received!  Alas, I have no Albus nor any reasonable facsimile at the moment....If Albus did all that for her 33rd, I wonder what he'll do for really big milestone numbers?!  That crafty phoenix will be sure to come up w/ something good!

Ah, Sylvaner! My favorite wine. Somewhat tricky to find where I live now, but I have one store that usually carries it. So I return your toast! Slàinte!I'm very glad you enjoyed it. Thanks very much!

"And why am I feeling compelled to make statements in the form of questions?"

Hmm, I'm not sure . . . maybe because this chapter raises more questions than it purports to answer?

Or maybe because there's a peculiar question bug that's spreading?

May I take this opportunity to thank you for reading and reviewing?

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it! The next chapter will be up this weekend.

All the portraits are rather cheeky, don't you think?

Maybe Dumbledore in the present should remember his own advice! And take it!

Thanks very much for reviewing! 

Thanks!

Thanks -- glad you like it. I'm surprised that more people don't write fics about the first CoS episode.

And yeah, sociopaths are an entirely different beast, and you want to avoid them completely -- don't even touch them with a ten-foot pole! Tunnel vision, egotism, and no conscience lead to a very dangerous individual! 

A very convenient accident!

Glad you liked it!

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

A number of "somethings" will happen! It's just going to take a while!

Thank you for reviewing! 

They certainly are working against themselves, aren't they?

I'm glad Albus' predicament elicited a laugh! :D

Thanks for reviewing! 

Thank you!

Thanks!

Hee! They do have a few problems, don't they? But remember that it's only been a day since Albus overheard Minerva talking to Poppy. It just seems like longer to us because of all the history in the intervening chapters. The next chapter should be up soon.

Thanks for reviewing! 

They are very stubborn, I'm afraid!

Glad you liked it -- thanks for reviewing!