Actually, this story wanted to keep writing itself -- I had to put my foot down and say, "NO!" hehe I started out with a very clear vision of what I wanted to accomplished with this story, and I feel I reached my goal. Maybe the way I chose to end the story will make more sense if you read Margarette Atwood's novel 'The Handmaid's Tale,' which inspired this story in the first place. It's a great read, and I highly recommend it. :)Thank you for reading and reviewing my story; I'm glad you found it entertaining. :)

Thank you; I'm glad you liked it! :)Yes, the premise and many of the elements in this story were inspired by Atwood's novel 'The Handmaid's Tale' -- one of my favorite books. (There's now an author's note at the beginning of this story giving Atwood credit). I guess this was a bit of a crossover, in the sense that it takes place in Atwood's world, but with magical elements and HP characters. I tried to write it in a way that someone who had not read 'The Handmaid's Tale' could still follow the story-line, but anyone who is familiar with Atwood's novel would recognize the setting and her dystopian elements. I obviously deviated from Atwood's model with the epilogue, but I still wanted to pay homage to the original premise, which is why I kept the emphasis on the sociopolitical ramifications of Voldemort's reign, rather than the romantic outcome of the story. Anyway, thank you for your thoughtful and insightful review -- I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the story. :)  

You're very welcome. Thank you for reading it! :)

Thank you! I'm already working on my next one, so keep an eye out for it. P. S. If you add me to your favorite authors folder, you'll be notified when the first chapter posts. :)

Thank you; I'm glad you're still enjoying the story. I like unexpected twists in stories, and I thought it would it be appropriate for this one that Snape would get captured not by Draco betraying him, (as would be expected), but because his heart over-rode his good judgment -- even the most practical people do crazy things when they are in love -- so I'm glad you liked it too. Final chapter coming very soon; hang in there!

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. :)

lele on LJ)Edited to add: the description of Hermione's realisation that the "hope" bit of parchment she had clung to during her hardship came from Snape made me *swoon*

You might not have left any other reviews, but you sure made up for it with this one -- I'm very touched and flattered by your words of praise. I'm not big on writing stories that involve pregnancy and children either, and I couldn't even tell you why I did it in this one, except that that's the way the story presented itself to me, and it refused to be written any other way. This is probably the only story I'll write in which Hermione is pregnant. Even though Hermione and Snape are the main focus of this story, I like exploring different themes, and JKR gave me a lot to work with when she created so many diverse and interesting characters. It's been great fun exploring each of their personalities and their relationships. The idea that Voldemort should be betrayed by those closest to him, and the same people who carried him to power in the first place, was inspired by the most famous coup d'etat in history -- the assasination of Julius Caesar, (whose death, of course, came about because his supporters felt betrayed by what they perceived as their leader commingling with their former enemies). I'm not ashamed to say that there're actually very few original ideas in this story! hehe. Don't worry about racing through the battle scenes; I'm sure it was all a blur for Hermione as well! hehe I sincerely hope that you're pleased with the outcome of the story, and thank you so much for taking the time to read my story and write such a thoughtful review. :)

Thank you. Yes this chapter was a bit of a roller-coster ride. Epilogue should be coming very, very soon, most likely some time tomorrow. I hope you enjoy it as much as the rest of the story. :)

The characters' deaths warning was general, for all the deaths that happened before and during the story, (I mean, let's face it, it's hard to find a chapter in this story that doesn't allude to someone dying!)Hope you have your tissues ready, even if you probably won't need them, because the final chapter just posted, (I'm a little behind responding to reviews, but that's because I'm already working on my next story. I know, excuses, excuses. hehe). I hope the ending pleases. Thank you so much for reading my story! :)

Thank you! I really enjoy writing action scenes. Are you asking me not to let him be dead, or are you praying to the Muses? ;)Thank you again, for reading and for reviewing.

Thank you. The ending/final chapter is almost to the top of the queue, so you won't have to hold out much longer! ;)

Awww, thank you so much, dear. I sincerly hope you feel the same way after reading the ending. *gulp* I worked very hard on this story; at times it felt like my brain was going to explode with all those characters, twists and turns, and nuances! hehe So it's a really good feeling to hear that my effort is appreciated.  Thank you again!

What she meant by 'safe' was that the girl was not injured during his attempt to rescue her and subsequent scuffle with Bella. (He was holding the girl when Bella first confronted him, so I think that would be his concern).  Hermione knows this because she heard Voldemort say that the Crispuses were 'most grateful' that Bella 'rescued' the girl, so the girl is with the Crispuses, and they wouldn't be grateful to have her back if they didn't want/love her. The child had been safe with the Crispuses up to that point. She looked healthy and happy in the photograph that Hermione got from Madam Crispus, so all indications are that they have taken good care of her; I didn't see any reason for Hermione to assume that that would change now. And with the radical pure-bloods defeated, there's no longer a threat of mass child slaughter -- so she is safe, just not with Hermione. :)I think you'll like the ending :) The next chapter is already in the queue, so it won't be much longer until you find out how it all turns out.  

LOL I love that emoticon! Hermione was not as much angry as she was hurt, and she didn't want him to see just how hurt she was -- she could understand why they couldn't rescue her right away, but it still hurts to learn that your friends no longer trust you even though you did nothing to betray their trust, and in all fairness, Severus wasn't completely truthful with her either. Anyway, next chapter is already posted, so read on! :) 

The die has already been cast, my dear -- final chapter is already written and in the queue. But I think you'll be happy with the ending. :)Thank you so much for reading and reviewing my story!

I really am sorry. My initial intention was to upload this chapter and the following epilogue as one document, but that would have put me over the 10,000 words per chapter limit, so I had to upload them as two separate chapters. :(But the next one is in the queue, so it shouldn't be much longer. Thank you for reviewing!

You'll be reading more soon -- the next (and final) chapter is in the queue! :)

Thank you! Next chapter should be posted soon -- it's already in the queue. I'm glad you liked this one. Thank you so much for your review. :)

Well, keep those fingers crossed! You don't have much longer to wait; the last chapter is the queue awaiting validation. :)Thank you for reviewing.

Ha! That's right -- don't mess with Lucius Malfoy! Thank you for reading and reviewing my story!

Snape didn't get the chance to rescue Hermione's daughter. Voldemort tells Lucius that 'Bella did the right thing by rescuing the child and summoning the soldiers' and that 'the Crispuses are most grateful,' meaning Bella managed to take the child away from Snape and the child is still with the Crispuses. :(Thank you for reading and reviewing!

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Thank you! More is on the way; the final chapter/epilogue is already in the queue. :)

I do hope they get to find out that they share the same Patronus.

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Hum, that will depend on the outcome of the story, which I don't want to give away right now, but I'll explain it after the final chapter is posted -- just remind me if I forget. :)

Alright, I won't. ;)Thank you for reviewing; I'm glad you're still following this story!

There's only one more chapter left, and it's already in the queue, so you'll find out Snape's fate very soon. Thank you for reading and reviewing.