Thank you! I know, Neville's fate is heart-breaking -- it was very important to me that Snape acknowledged his bravery, because I think there was a lesson in there for him as well...My beta needed a little break over the Holidays, but I just got the next chapter back from her and will be uploading it to the queue tomorrow, so there'll be an update soon. :)

Hehe. That's ok, Snape and Herione didn't see it coming either, at least not the way it did! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing my story; I'm glad you're enjoying it :)

I'm so sorry I made you cry! Neville's death was so hard for me to write, but I felt it was so important, not only for Neville as a character, but for Snape as well, because I feel that somewhere inside him, he must realize just how wrong he was about poor Neville. I can't even write anymore about it, because I feel like crying -- I think that is one part of this story that I will never read again! But oh, yes, there's a lot more to be done, as they're all about to find out! I just got the next chapter back from my beta, so it should be up soon. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing my story.

Thank you for your reviews. You're right, there are still a lot of 'horrors' ahead, but some nice surprises also. I just got the next chapter back from my beta, so it should be up soon. :)

Thank you! This story is all twists and turns from here on! Neville's death was emotionally hard for me to write, because I care so much for the character. Thank you again for reading and reviewing my story. :)

Thank you for all your kind reviews. I'm glad you're still enjoying the story. Harry alive =

Thank you for your review. Yes, Harry is still very much alive, and I too feel for Neville -- his death was an emotionally hard part to write. I just got the next chapter from my beta, so it should be up soon. :)

Thank you!Things will get better towards the end -- although I don't think there's a way they could ever be 'great' again -- not for these characters. But better -- we're almost there :)

Well, you will have the answers to your questions very soon. :)Thank you for all the encouragement and great reviews.

Thank you! :) The next chapter is already in the queue and should be validated in the next day or two (maybe even later tonight!). Thanks again for your feedback; I'm really glad you're enjoying the story.

You're welcome, and hank you for reading my story! Yes, this is a very intense, fast paced story -- and I think it's about to get a lot more intense *grin*Thank you so much for reading and reviewing.

Thank you; I'm glad you enjoyed it -- and the plot is about to thicken a whole lot more. ;)Thank you so much for reading and reviewing.

I'm glad you liked it! Thank you for reviewing. :)

Thank you! You're right, there's a lot more to be revealed. *grin*Thank you for all your insightful feedback, and for reading my story. :)

I'm glad you liked the chapter; the next one should be up very soon. Thank you for reading and reviewing my story. :)

Me too! hehe It gets worse before it gets better -- but it does get better. :)

and her Computer, sitting in the office, n*a*i*l*b*i*t*i*n*g ;-)

Yikes! Don't bite your nails too short; you're fingers will bleed! Thankfully, you won't have to wait too long to find out what happens next -- the next chapter is already in the queue. :)Thank you so much for reading and reviewing my story.

Thank you!I understand -- even I felt I needed to pull back a little bit after the last chapter! There's still a lot of darkness ahead, mostly in the form of Hermione's and Snape's memories as I reveal the events that took place immediately following the Dark Lord's victory, and the fate of some of the other characters, but nothing quite like that scene in the last chapter. Thank you again for reading and reviewing my story, and for your compliments. I'm glad you're liking it.

Thank you, I'm glad you're liking the back story! :) There's more about it in the following chapters, although some of it is very grim, and sad, and not pretty. Hopefully I balanced it out enough with some nice surprises. Thank you again for taking the time to read and review my story.

Really? Because I'm continuing to look forward to when you finish writing CoMC, so that I can read all of it at one time, since I loved the story but I had to stop reading it because I kept forgetting what was happening from one chapter to the next -- so stop reading my story and go finish yours so that I can read it! hehe Just kidding ;) Thank you so much for the feedback; it really means a lot, specially coming from you. (Although, I am looking forward to you completing CoMC)!

When I first started writing CoMC I was writing several chapters a week (but posting one or two a week). There were times when I wrote a chapter and posted it one day, then wrote and posted another chapter the next!  But the last few chapters have been so intense it has taken me so much longer to write them, and I do sense some people backing away and waiting, and I can't blame them.Suffice it to say, I'm writing, I'm writing!  Thank you!(And I'm watching for your next chapter to pop up, too!)

Thank you! It's funny you should mention that about the house, because when I was writing a scene for the next chapter, at one point it felt to me almost like the house itself was a sentient being who was trying to protect its inhabitants, even though I know it is not and that it's just a bunch of spells and charms that Snape has put on the house, because he is a very skilled (and paranoid) wizard. It was a very strange feeling; I'm sure you'll recognize the scene when you read it.  There's more backstory, darkness and nice surprises coming up ahead. I'm glad you're continuing to enjoy the story, and thanks for all the feedback. :)

Thank you for reading, and for reviewing! :)

I know, Hermione's unshaven legs and other parts. LOL It's all part of that gritty realism I like so much, but makes others cringe. : /I think you got this chapter -- I wanted readers to get a sense that Snape and Hermione have 'some sort of feelings' for each other, without revealing just what kind of feelings, or how far those feelings go. Even though Snape's 'confession' might seem like a big revelation now, the truth is he still hasn't told Hermione the half of it, just enough to mitigate her depression/suffering, and to insure that she had a way to save herself in case something happened to him -- which IMO was enough to convey some idea of the way he feels about her. But no, Snape is not about to give it all up so easily. heheThank you again for reading and reviewing. :) 

Thank you. :) There's still a few more chapter left (four to be exact), but I don't know if they'll be quite like this one. Things are going to happen very fast from here on, because there are a lot of things happening 'behind the scenes' that are propelling the story forward, even though Hermione and/or Snape are not yet aware of them. I hope you continue to enjoy the story, and thank your for the feedback!

Thank you! :)