Thank you so much! This review made my day. I agree that Narcissa was criminally underdeveloped in canon, but then again, that's what makes her such fun for me to write. ;) Upon exploring her relationships, I realised what a complex character she is and I'm ever so pleased that you felt the complexity came through.

Thank you so much for all your thoughtful feedback on this story! I like to think of Narcissa as being very capable--smart, loyal and utterly Slytherin. I'm so pleased to know you found her inspiring. :) :) :)As for the last two paragraphs, my beta AmyLouise deserves a lot of credit there, as she nudged me to give the story a more satisfying wrap-up. She inspired me to do my best.Your comments have been so fun to read and so generous. Thanks again!

Thank you! I'm so pleased that you noted the strong ties of loyalty that bind Snape and the Malfoys. I feel they were each other's best allies in this situation, despite the complications Narcissa and Snape have created for themselves, for all of them, at this point in the story. That loyalty is ultimately what (could have) saved them all. It's lovely to read your thoughts on this!

*blushes furiously* Thank you so much!Your review touched on the things I worked hardest to achieve with this chapter: the twists, the careful laying of groundwork, the slow build of attraction. I'm so pleased you enjoyed!

Thank you! The scene between Narcissa and Severus is the first one I wrote for this story. I had a very clear idea of his agenda in going to see her, of their conversation. As you can see, things quickly spiralled out of control from there. ;)Thanks as well for sharing your thoughts on Narcissa's relationship with Bellatrix. Bella's such an unsympathetic character in canon, but once she must have had a good quality or two. I'm glad that comes across.

Thank you very much for this generous review! I'm more than a little in love with Narcissa as a character, so I'm thrilled that you noted those positive qualities in her. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!

Thanks! It's lovely to know this story brightened your day.

How kind of you to say. ;) I'm very pleased to know you enjoyed it. Thanks!

Thank you so much!

Do you hear the squee? Do you? *twirls you*Thank you, honey, for sharing your thoughts on this last part. I am so grateful you gave this fic a chance and found something you liked in it and, moreover, that you have been so generous in your comments. I'm very pleased that you enjoyed the opening scene and that the ending worked for you. The cooperation among these characters was very important for me; their loyalties really demanded that they help each other through.Also, I had to save Snape; it was so unfair of JKR to kill him just at the point where he might have been able to free himself for good. And, further, Narcissa couldn't just let that go; she had to intervene, and I let her 'cos, you know, she can be pretty scary when she wants. ;) But more than anything, I'm just so honoured to receive comments like these from someone whose writing I respect so much. *blushes furiously* Thank you.

Thanks! I imagine Draco feels his father's absence quite keenly and thus would be very protective of his mother during this time. So naturally, he would question Snape's motives--and not in a particularly diplomatic way. (Plus it made the story a little juicier. ;) )As for Bella, I'd hate to spoil the fun. Good to know I've raised  your curiosity, though. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this chapter!

Many thanks for your very thoughtful review!Arthur Weasley. He's so kind and bumbling in canon, because we only see him through Harry's eyes. But you know he hates the Malfoys, so I let my imagination have a bit of fun with him. ;)I hope you'll keep reading and that you'll enjoy the next parts. Thanks again for commenting!

Thank you! I'm so happy you've continued reading. You're very right that this situation is rife with treachery, malice and violence, but there's loyalty, too. (Well, and an awful lot of denial.) Happy to know the result pleases. Thanks again!

Many thanks, again, for your super encouraging review, dear! I'm so happy to know you enjoyed this part. As for how close I'm planning to stay to canon--put it this way, Part V will be ever-so-slightly AU, but if you turn your head and squint, you could still theoretically call it canon-compliant. ;)You know, I'm sure there are many stories on TPP that have got more reviews. I'm new to fandom, and I'm not very well known. But the reviews I have got for this piece, like yours, have been so thoughtful. I'm grateful for every one. I wrote this more for my own edification, without thinking about readers' responses. In fact, I'm very encouraged by the response I've had here.Please feel free to tell your friends about it, though! This story won't be everyone's cup of tea; it deals with some ugly ugly issues. But if you've found it worthwhile, it's likely that others who share your interests would like it too, don't you think?

I'm perfectly happy with going AU, but think that the fact that this fits in so well with canon gives it a special dimention.  In some ways it's easier to stick with canon events, and some ways it's much, much harder.  Since so much of the Malfoy's story is left up to the imagination in canon, and Narcissa's in particular, I've had a great time watching you color it all in.  And I think you can easily go AU without losing me at this point.  I'm completely hooked!

As for reviews ... well, I can't help but notice that SS/HG is king here.  Actually, they used to be my OTP, but ironically this archive along with a few others have drown it out with a multitude of really terrible stories -- ridiculously AU and OOC stories that would really have been better as original fiction, except for the fact that most of them are hardly even original.

Oh dear, that sound so b!tchy!  I don't want to trash people who bravely put their work out there.  It's the people who eat it up with such relish, rec them everywhere, and ignor really interesting and well written stories like yours that frustrate me so.I wrote a little ss/hg story and posted it to ff.net last year.  It's definitely not my best piece of work, riddled with errors and cliches, and I honestly cringe every time I see a review/favorite story alert for it in my inbox.  And, of course, the stories I'm really proud of get hardly any notice at all because they are not ss/hg.  Cest la vie.  As you say, we authors must write first to please ourselves.  After all, at least then we can be assured of making at least one person happy! I'm going to rec your story at The New Library on LiveJournal.  It's a great little comm for pimping new/under appreicated authors and stories.  I hope others there will derive as much pleasure from your story as I have, and that you'll get some more well deserved reviews.

You're on LJ? *runs off to friend* I just got an LJ recently; hope you don't mind me friending you! You've been so kind, really, and it's lovely to discuss writing with others.Canon-compliance can be a real challenge, but it's one I really enjoyed with this fic. I was so curious about what might have happened at Malfoy Manor during HBP and DH, all the things we never saw in canon. I couldn't find a story that gave me that experience, so I decided to write it myself. I'm happy with the result of my scribblings, and if others like it too, that's fantastic. It's quite rewarding to know this story spoke to you, even if you're not typically interested in Narcissa. I'm more than a little in love with her (is it horribly obvious?), so I'm not very impartial. ;)

I would be very honoured if you saw fit to rec this story, hon! These characters and their lives are so close to my heart that I would love to give them a wider audience--not to get the reviews per se (although feedback is love), but just to find others like yourself with whom to discuss.  Thanks for your very generous offer.

community.livejournal.com/the_new_libraryYou are offically recced!  And, of course, I'd love to be LJ friends, though I must warn you that I'm terrible about updating my own journal.  I go by paya27 :)

Thank you! I'm so happy to know you found these characters well-drawn. I really appreciate the feedback!

Thanks! There are two more parts to come. I hope you'll keep reading!

Oh, definitely! I'll be looking for more of your stories, too.

Hallo, lovely! Thank you so much for your encouraging feedback. I haven't blushed so much since Madame Pomfrey said she liked my new earmuffs. It makes me flail happily. :)

Bella and Narcissa's relationship is awfully complicated, true. I was hoping to capture that--the way sisters know how to both comfort and hurt each other.

I also wanted to portray a Narcissa who is certainly not helpless. So glad it worked for you. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts on this!

Thank you so much for your kind review! Narcissa's certainly in a bad spot; her options are limited and she has so few people she can trust. The idea was to explore what that would mean, not shying away from the ugliness of her situation. I'm happy to know you found the end result a worthwhile read. I hope you'll keep reading!

Thanks for reading and for letting me know what you think! There are four more parts to come.

Thank you, darling! You remembered right; the bit about Narcissa's birthday wasn't in the original version, but a bit of concrit got me thinking, and I'm pleased with the end result you read here.So good to know the tension of waiting for the ultimate decision on their post-Voldemort fate came through. Those first few weeks had to be tough for them all--well, except for Snape, who I imagine was enjoying a well-deserved holiday of sorts.Thanks again for your thought-provoking and very encouraging commentary! Your reviews have been such a joy to read. :)

Another thought (that I had in the shower): When Bellatrix died, she didn't have her own wand. Hermione Granger had it. (Yes, this is a thought based on *my own* HG obsession!) Canon doesn't tell us which wand Bellatrix uses--presumably it's Hermione's, Ron's or the short, stubby extra one Ron had taken from the snatchers who grabbed him when he walked out on the other two. I've always assumed she had Hermione's wand--if we follow the canon rules about wands submitting to new owners, then though Bella didn't technically take any of the left-behind wands from their owners, she did torture Hermione, and thus might have gained control of it that way. The trio took three wands from the Manon--Bellatrix's, Draco's and Wormtail's--and they left three behind. Since Wormtail was dead, there should have been an extra wand--two extras, really, because Draco took his mothers. Who do you reckon used the spare ones? You don't think the Malfoys might have managed to commandeer one of them? Now that I think about it, the snatchers should have had Dean's wand, too.

Isn't it funny how these ideas come to you in the shower? That happens to me a lot, too. lolAnd why am I not surprised that you would be totally on top of the finest possible points of canon? *g* You're absolutely right that there must have been a few extra wands floating around the house after the trio escaped; I considered it, but then I figured that Bella would likely make sure that Lucius wouldn't get hold of one, and that Narcissa wouldn't get a replacement when she gave hers to Draco (though I don't think she'd go so far as to take her sister's own wand, I do think she'd be vindictive enough to prevent Narcissa from getting an extra). I would also guess the wand Bella was using at the time of her death (and thus the wand Narcissa summoned in the first scene of Part V) was Hermione's, but I admit it didn't suit my plot-purposes to dwell on it too much. Remind me to turn to you, dear, whenever I need someone to bounce canon-compliance ideas around with. :)

Well, as you know, I became very, very aquainted with canonical events in book 6, and I've recently been delving into book 7 in a similar fashion . . . :)Bounce anything you want off me; I look forward to it.xo

Your comments have been so thoughtful and so generous. Thank you! Part of my idea for this piece was to explore the Slytherin conception of loyalty: looking out for those closest to you and remaining true to them even in difficulty. It's what I like about canon!Narcissa. She'd do anything for her family--I just took the liberty of extending that loyalty to Snape in this case. ;)I'm also grateful for your comment about the language; it's wonderful to know that you found the story so compelling. Thank you very much!

I'm glad you found something admirable in Narcissa here, despite all her flaws and all her mistakes. Thanks so much for your feedback!

Thank you! It's so true--Bella has always used her position as a Death Eater to settle old scores (at least in my mind), and she habours so much resentment towards Narcissa and Lucius, who were free the whole time Bella was locked away. In this part Narcissa finally feels pushed into using the same tactic.

Thanks! That's a really excellent way to phrase it: Narcissa did hold her family together with her bare hands. I'm so happy you liked this chapter!

Thank you for your comments! Yes, Narcissa's social and political views are questionable, but that's just who she is. Regardless, she does love her family, and that's her motivation throughout the story. So nice to know that came through. :)