Poor Severus, to believe that he's a monster... I'm so glad Hermione rescued him from his loneliness and his distorted way he viewed himself.

Great story! Thank you.

I really loved your story.

I should be working this afternoon, but instead I'm having a Dicky-fest. What a delicious treat this story is! Your characters are so detailed and nuanced, reading them is always pure pleasure.

Excellent!  I love the interaction between Hermione and Severus. 

And thank you, thank you, thank you for not making Ron an ass!  I know that he was in the books to a certain degree but he was also a teenage boy.  And just about every story that I've read where he and Hermione break up he's protrayed as someone who doesn't give a damn about her if he can't have her.  And, really, I don't think he'd be that way.

I think he would react exactly the way that you portrayed him. He might not understand it right away but if everything was going well he would give it a chance.

Once again, well done.

What a lovely story!  I loved the vulnerability of Hermione and Severus and how they were drawn to each other.  Congratulations on your nom for SSHG Awards, although I'm finding this particular category to be an incredibly tough one to decide!  Well done!

Wahhhhhh!  That was so gorgeous!

what a lovely and touching story.  every bit of it rings true.  thanks so much

vERY GOOD BUT IT NEEDS SO MUCH MORE....SEEMS LIKES ITS JUST THE BEGINNING. gOOD jOB.

Beautiful!

I just love that his first post penance word is Hermione. Its so damn sappy I love it!!

I can imagine the magical store, with all the forgotten rooms. Great story!

Beautiful and touching!To have him mute by choice is particularly moving, and it is very believable that her anger would disappear that quickly in the face of learning more about him and her own feelings, "through silence."A quite lovely job--bravo!

This is really moving!  Very sad to have a mute Severus, trapped even more within himself, but how lovely to have him finding a way out and helping Hermione at the same time.  And I wish I couldn't relate to her situation as much as I do, but you've captured that sense of melancholy isolation exceptionally well.

this was gorgeous. i loved how severus warmed to hugo, and i was heart-broken with hermione over her feeling betrayed, and all choked up over the final scene. i had vaguely wondered in the beginning if snape might be the 'ghost,' but gave up that idea somewhere in the middle as implausible, but the way you wrote it, it was perfect. all in all, a really terrific story. : )

Almost wish I didn't know yet who the mysterious but demanding partner really was--but knowing that he's lurking gives a lovely promise of things to come.  A perfect job for Hermione!  I don't think she's going to have a problem passing her six months' probation.  And I have the feeling she's going to find a lot of interesting things in her new job.Love the lawyers' credentials, too.  Would love to have a degree in dissimulation (though my BA probably qualifies, come to think of it!).

Wonderful!!!  About a quarter to a third of the way through this chapter, I was all 'I want a Snape!'  Seeing him with her kids, especially Hugo, made me go all gooey inside.  Only a couple paragraphs later, I was ready to start a lynch mob for Ron and Molly!  You had me crying when the misunderstanding about her job and the truth that he had kept from her came out.  And I was all waffy [(full of) Warm and Fuzzy Feelings], happy sighs and all, by the time the story ended.  Great story-telling!  The descriptions and characterizations were marvelous!  Perfect ending. 

all I can say is WOW.

Oh, wow. Snape, Hermione, books and even more books, a happy ending, and very moving characterisations - what's not to like? A fantastic story!

This was delightful! I like how you split Ron and Hermione up without making Ron into a villain; I like how you show Snape finally accept the redemption he's earned; I like how Hermione grows to feel valued and appreciated. Beautiful job!!!

What a beautiful story!  I can't tell you how happy this tale made me when I realized that Hermione and Severus loved each other so well, and when he spoke her name I got chills!!!Absolutely wonderful!  I love it!!Beth

That was an incredibly sweet and wonderful ending.  It made me cry, (out of happiness, of course.)

Nice way to have his voice recovered...A great ending for a great story.

Oh, how sad he has lost his voice.  Dangit.  Nicely done chapter.

a really fine, feel good story.  Loved it

I love the detail of your story so far.  I'm no fan of the HG/RW ship, but I like the way you are ending it, with them going back to what seems more natural to many a reader: a great friendship.