A Murder of Crows
HogwartsClassof911,052 Reviews | 7.3/10 (1,052 Ratings, 0 Likes, 798 Favorites )
Adult Hermione wants to forget the mistakes of her past. Snape
knows all about secrets and lies. Forced to work together, their dislike for
one another turns into reluctant desire. Will they learn to trust each other in
time to stop the insidious plot bent on changing the future of the wizarding
world forever?
Chapters (33)
About HogwartsClassof91
Author
HogwartsClassof91
Member Since 2008 | 6 Stories | Favorited by 316 | 137 Reviews Written | 1,552 Review Responses
"A Murder of Crows" was my first foray into fan-fiction, and I treasure the lessons I've learned while posting it.
Reviews for A Murder of Crows
Whew! There's a lot going on.
I can't make up my mind about Minister Ustinov. Is he friend or foe? Or maybe he's just in it for himself, whatever that may mean.
I love Milly. Before all is said and done, with Milly and others like her on his side, perhaps we'll see Severus Snape elected as the Minister of Magic. Now that would be note worthy!
I'm glad that Severus is going with Hermione to see her parents, too. His skills with wards and enchantments will come in handy.
Their short sojourn at the Leaky Cauldron for a bit of whiskey could have led to an argument or an unending silence, but apparently both of them are more concerned about finding ways to communicate with each other without one of them taking offense where non was intended.
A fine chapter HCof91, and a dab hand at writing, you are.
Beth
I forgot to vote in the last review (I'm still a bit new at this). Sorry!
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
Yay for newbies - I was brand new to the world of fan-fiction this time last year. :-) Thanks so much for coming back and bestowing me with lovely, shiny stars!
So many things happen in this wonderful chapter! The fact that Snape refers to the minister by his first name and that he could meet with him so soon makes me wonder... And Hermione's new patronus is great! But was Snape's reaction to it truly disdain or something different? I hope Hermione's parents will be allright. Seeing those photos must have been so terrifying for her... I can't wait to see what happens next!
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
Thank you so much for this lovely review! I'm delighted to note all the nuances you've picked up on ... Snape's relationship with the Minister ... his disdain (?) for her new Patronus, etc. The next chapter should be up soon, and it will hopefully shed some more light on some of your questions. Thanks again for reading!
Lucius Malfoy is just "wasted space" who should be eliminated! Ugh and normally his presence doesn't affect me this much. I hope that Hermoine listens to Snape and not let her emotions get in the way. I believe that there have been enough subtle hints that Severus is plotting a way to get HG out of this mess! Great update and please, please update soon. This story is just brilliant.
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
Yes, I must agree with your assessment on Lucius. I'm rather surprised Snape hasn't "eliminated" already, LOL. Perhaps those 'subtle hints' you've noticed will shed some more light on that soon. :-)Thank you so much for the lovely review and compliment - what a nice thing to say!
Yay! This new chapter was like getting a birthday present when it isn't my birthday. I checked out Ellygator's art for Murder of Crows (read it in Stephanie76's review) and she is a wonderful artist... and I can't wait to read the chapter it is about.Lucius gets more and more evil, or perhaps more insane, with each appearance. I hope that Severus' meeting with the Minister on Saturday goes according to his plan and that Hermione will be able to master her tongue and not spill all the beans... Azkaban is NOT where she wants to end her days.I liked the wagering that Minerva and Albus were carrying on. Glad that Minerva isn't opposed to the "romantic" bent that has become a part of Severus' and Hermione's relationship. And for what it's worth, I think they are very much falling for each other, more than just very good friends or shag buddies. Oh yes! The new form Hermione's Patronus has taken is a good indication of that. LOL! A bat, now that's cool.I'm delighted that you've begun posting again. It's a wonderful story!
Beth
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
You are too kind, as always, Beth. I'm delighted you enjoyed this latest chapter. I hope to have the next one posted soon! Your take on Lucius is spot-on, I believe. More evil ... and more insane! The meeting with the Minister will feature in the next chapter, so we shall see if Hermione is able to keep quiet. What do you suppose the odds of that are?! :-) So glad you liked the wagering and the form of the new Patronus. Living in Austin, I am a great lover of bats. We host the largest North American population of Mexican free-tail bats in the summer months ... They colonize beneath a lovely bridge over our lake downtown, and it is just amazing to watch at sunset, when over a million bats take to the sky at once like a giant, black ribbon. Bats rule!!!
Yay! This new chapter was like getting a birthday present when it isn't my birthday. I checked out Ellygator's art for Murder of Crows (read it in Stephanie76's review) and she is a wonderful artist... and I can't wait to read the chapter it is about.
Lucius gets more and more evil, or perhaps more insane, with each appearance. I hope that Severus' meeting with the Minister on Saturday goes according to his plan and that Hermione will be able to master her tongue and not spill all the beans... Azkaban is NOT where she wants to end her days.
I liked the wagering that Minerva and Albus were carrying on. glad that Minerva isn't opposed to the "romantic" bent that has become a part of Severus' and Hermione's relationship. And for what it's worth, I think they are very much falling for each other, more than just very good friends or shag buddies. Oh yes! The new form Hermione's Patronus has taken is a good indication of that. LOL! A bat, now that's cool.
I'm delighted that you've begun posting again. It's a wonderful story!
Beth
This story is truly amazing. I only found it a few days ago and have been delighted to read so much in just these few days. But now I must wait with the rest of your fans, of which I'm sure you have many.Heart pounding. I am on the edge of my seat. Lucius is really horrid in this story, as Hermione observed, quite mad!And I love the way Hermione and Snape's relationship has grown. They are both well developed and very much true to their characters.Great job!
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
Oh, I just love it when someone new decides to read the story! I'm delighted you found it and thrilled with your feedback.I agree with your assessment of Lucius—he is truly horrid. But I enjoy the dichotomy of Lucius being firmly ensconced in darkness while Draco has (apparently) embraced the light. I had the sense from the book that both Draco and Narcissa made decisions indicative of their ability to be redeemed ... But I wasn't convinced that Lucius did the same.Thank you so much for the lovely review and shiny stars. I hope to post the next chapter in a week or two.
I still have the feeling Severus knows more about what's going on than he's letting on. Maybe that's the reason why he doesn't want Hermione going to the Minister. Maybe that will somehow reveal his secrets to Hermione.
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
He does seem awfully reluctant to have her meet with the Minister, doesn't he? I understand exactly what you're saying. The next chapter takes place in the Ministry (and elsewhere), so we shall just have to watch him carefully and see what he does.Thanks so much for reading and reviewing - I truly appreciate your comments, suspicions, and theories!
a bat?! lovely! wondeful update. thanks so much
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
Tee hee. I'm rather obsessed with bats, so it's little wonder that happened, really. Thanks so much for the review!!
Thank goodness you are back and what a chapter. Damn you Lucius...please don't keep us to long for the next one.....
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
Yay - you're still reading! So glad you liked the chapter ... I am hard at work on the next and hope to post updates far more frequently. Thanks so much for the lovely review and stars!
Love Minerva and Albus in this, typical pair. Interesting about Hermione's patronus. Look forward to more.
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
Thanks so much,
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
- I'm delighted you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for the shiny stars, too!
I was "please" with your update, too. Ugh.Seriously, excellent chapter! I love Minerva and Albus in this one! You brought smiles and worry to me in the same breath...damn you, excellent author, damn you!!!
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
You are too kind. I tried to temper the angst with a bit of humor, just like in real life. Thanks so much for reading!!
Yay! It's back up - I'm so glad to see this new chaper posted - and what a chapter to bounce back with! I just find the way you write so good and your story lines so intriguing. This fic seems to have a bit of everything: mystery, romance, angst and humour. It's what I call 'well rounded' or multi-faceted; different from so many other 'one track' fics!
I just love the way that, despite all her worries, Hermione is finding such comfort and strength in Severus (I know I would too!) I also loved that Minerva and Albus had been wagering about Severus and Hermione's relationship - you've incorporated great banter between all of them! And as for Hermione's Patronus... hmm, well, interesting! Simply can't wait for more now!BTW: Thank you for your lovely response to my questions the other day. I really appreciate you spending the time to answer in such depth :-)
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
Thank you for your kind words and high praise, my friend. Writing this story has been a singular experience for me, full of highs and lows, but nothing creates the highs like receiving reviews such as this. It is truly inspiring!As far as finding comfort in Severus ... It's taken her quite some time, but I think she is finally realizing it's okay to accept help, to allow herself to lean on someone. I've always found the SS/HG pairing intriguing because I think they are very much alike: they both have the need to prove themselves, they are both stubborn, and they are both perfectionists. As such, it must be exceedingly difficult for either to relinquish even the slightest bit of control. I know some readers get annoyed by the characterizations (I had a reviewer on another site say something to the effect of "she's supposed to be grown up - when is she going to stop thinking she's the only one who can solve a problem?"), but I think such traits run so deep they aren't easily (and certainly not quickly) modified. And in my experience, being a perfectionist isn't something that ebbs as one matures—I know plenty of "grown ups" who act the same way. :-)But I digress. I'm delighted you enjoyed the banter with Albus and Minerva. It was nice to break up the angst with something a bit lighter. And I simply adore the new Patronus. More on that in a later chapter, though ...Thanks so very much for your lovely review,
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
. You certainly make me eager to post the next chapter!
Oh, a shiny new chapter - and with a shiny new Patronus as well :-)I really liked her new Patronus.Apart from that it was very angsty. I fear for the Grangers.
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
I do so adore shiny things!! And bats. :-)Thanks so much for the review and stars. Shiny, lovely, stars.
HUZZAH!! You came back!! and what a chapter!
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
Oh, dear, look what you started! Now I will be forced to say, "Huzzah!" to everyone I meet today. :-)Thanks so much for the review and shiny stars! I'm so glad the looooooooong lag in posting didn't chase you away!
I hope that Severus is right about Lucius' time-release threats: he doesn't act on them immediately. I'm afraid for the Grangers. As if this weren't angsty enough!Loved the conversation between Hermione, Albus and Minerva about her "relationship" with Severus. Her patronus should make great discussion later. LOLGreat chapter.
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
I'm afraid for the Grangers, as well ... And I, too, hope Severus is right. Of course, if Lucius really wanted to scare her, he would have already snatched her parents away and kept them hostage (or something even more dreadful). So perhaps it is like a game to him. A very cruel game, but a game nonetheless. For now.*cues spooky music*Thanks so much for the lovely review. I'm glad you liked the other bits, too - the conversation with Albus and Minerva and the new form of her Patronus. More on that later.Thanks again!
I was planning to review at the end of Chapter 21 but feel compelled to say a few words here. This is an amazing story--- incredibly well written, the growth of the characters is so very realistic and I keep saying, one more chapter and then i'll go to sleep or get ready for work.......
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
Oh, I'm so delighted I could distract you from real-life for a bit! Who needs sleep (or a job, for that matter) when there's fan-fiction to be had! :-)Thanks so much for your kind words and this very lovely review!
Great chapter, even I'm afraid now, and I am sitting on a very comfortable couch...
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
LOL! I should warn you the next chapter was written whilst perched upon a very uncomfortable stool. We'll have to see if that translates into angst ...Thanks so much for the review and stars!
This was a good chapter. I am not sure it was worth the wait but I was please with an update non the less. Please update sooner. I know real life can be a bitch sometimes.
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
Yes, indeed. Thank you for your review and for continuing to read the story, despite the gap in posting chapters.
Oh! Imagine my delight when I saw this update! I had long forgotten about it, but just yesterday came across the artwork on deviantart.com for the fic, and wondered when /if I would ever hear the rest of it. You've made my afternoon. Hope there's more coming soon!
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
I'm so glad you're still willing to read! I feel so rotten for it having taken so long to get this last chapter out. But I am diligently working on the next and hope the lag won't ever again be this long. Isn't Ellygator's art just AMAZING?? And the chapter it goes with is either 23 or 24 ... So it will be coming soon.Thank so much for the review and your kind words! You've made my morning, as well!
are you positive I can't kidnap lucius and do me some torture? pleeeease? i promise i will return him in good physical health!well... i don't know what hours and hours of forced teletubbie and barney episodes will do to someone like lucius if his magic was bound...but i should think it would render him fairly useless! and no one would know, cause i'd take him to that island from the tv show Lost! XDgreat chapter!
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
Well ... If you insist on kidnapping him, I really couldn't stop you now, could I?Thanks so much for the review and stars!
Wonderfull you are back. I like your story very much. It is very angstry - but I notised that you have now warnings for death of characters so I read on while sitting on the edge of my chair.
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
Oh, please don't be alarmed ... That warning was only for that other story. I would have used the warning from the beginning if I'd intended character death in this one. (At least "main" character death, I should clarify.) So glad you're reading the story - thanks ever so much for the review!
Despite this story being listed under my favourites for some long while now, I've never actually had chance/time to read it in it's entirity before. Over the last couple of days I've now rectified that and so thought it was about time I sent you a review! I've now just seen your response to the previous reviewer and I'm absolutely delighted to realise that this story will soon be back - what good timing from my point of view! (Before I saw this response, I was actually about to send you an e-mail to beg you to take this story up again and, as I haven't seen you posting anything for a while or indeed replying to some of the reviews you've had on previous work, I was concerned as to whether or not you were OK. I hated to think that you would be having to abandon such a marvelous story!)I really am now a very big fan of yours (I adored your recent All You Need Is Love and have now read and enjoyed all your other stuff.) However, I just wanted you to know that this is simply THE BEST - wow what a story! I'm surprised you only got third place with it in the awards you mentioned - in my humble opinion it really should have been first! I think what I love so much about your fics is the slow build up of sexual tension you seem to create (you really are quite a mistress of this!) And I love your seductive Snape - really one of the best I've ever read. I'm guessing you are probably a true Alan Rickman fan as I can really see AR saying and doing the things your Snape says/does - not everyone seems able to 'satisfy' that criteria for me (silly I know but for me AR is Snape and vice versa!)I am just so glad that you are going to continue this story... it is simply too good to leave and, no doubt like everyone else who loves this, I am eager now to see it conclude.I hope you don't mind me asking a couple of questions, but curiosity has got the better of me! Are you by any chance:1) A professional writer in some way?2) English?I am simply asking these as, for the former, you write so terribly well and, for the latter, there are certain 'quirks' about the way you write which make me think you are not from the U.S! Feel free to contact me direct if you don't want to respond on the site. I hope I haven't overwhelmed you with my lengthy review but I'm afraid when I read work of this standard I just can't help commenting and I simply wanted you to know that I LOVE THIS STORY! (Did you guess that?!!) :-)
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
Oh, I remember your lovely reviews from All You Need Is Love - I simply adored reading them!! My apologies for the delay in posting and responding to previous reviews ... My life has been a whirlwind of late (complete DIY remodel of a house we just bought, various health issues in the family, etc.).Anyway, I'm delighted you were able to read this story, and I've been grinning all day after reading this review! You are too, too kind. And you were absolutely right about AR and Snape - I watched a lot of fan vids from YouTube whilst writing this ... as well as the "In Demand" video by Texas (about a thousand times!), so I definitely had him in my head!And of course I don't mind you asking questions. Enquiring minds need to know, after all! :-) Here are your answers:1) I am not yet a professional writer, but I have ideas for original work eating me alive, and I hope to devote myself full-time to writing them (as soon as I finish this story, since I can never multi-task my writing, and as soon as I move into the new house). So cross your fingers and wish me lots and lots of luck, please!!2) I am American, but for reasons I cannot even remember now, I decided to challenge myself by trying to write this story in UK English. I'm sure it's loaded with quirky bits, though. :-) I had a Brit-picker for the first several chapters, and my grammar betas are not American - one is Irish, and the other is a German who spent quite some time in England. And of course, I'm a rather quirky American (having lived equal lengths of time in NY/NJ and Texas!), so that might explain the writing sounding a bit different. Thank you again for your very lovely review. I've just posted the latest chapter and will continue to work on the next as much as possible. I really appreciate your feedback!!
I'm waiting forward for you next chapter! great story!
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
Thank you so much! I only have two more chapters of my exchange fic to edit and post, and then I'll be able to return to this story. Thanks so much for reading!
There are dark premonitions hanging upon this chapter. You are leading your readers on masterfully. The slip of his tongues, the loathing that was in his eyes for a moment ... was his reluctant admission to his feelings just a clever ploy to distract her from finding things out?You manifested the doubts your readers might have got with Hermione's dream. Masterfully done. *Applauds*
Response from HogwartsClassof91 (Author of A Murder of Crows)
Okay, it's official: reading your lovely reviews has completely inspired my return to this story! Thank you so much for your applause. I was hoping to relay some premonitions with that dream ... now I suppose I'd better hurry up and let everyone know what will happen next.
Response from apisa_b (Reviewer)
YAY!You know I just try to tell the author what I liked about his or her story. Sometimes I can't put a finger on it and can just say that I liked it; but sometimes, as in your story, there are so many things to actually name.I'm glad that my reviews inspired you and brought the muse back.