I'm glad they know what this means.  Sneaky author with your cryptic chapter.  And your little friend-author too!

But of course.  She's not dumb.  She knows the good guy here.

Good thing there's another chapter up!

Gah!  Now what?  I seem to say that a lot in this snippet fic.

Forgive the use of a superlative but I love the way you both are writing this story. The shifts in perspective are invigorating and the allow the story to move quickly but without gaps in the continuity of it. Remarkable. I'm looking forward to the next group of chapters. Well done! 

 What! Wait!  That's it?  Where is the rest of this?

Ah, now that makes little sense. It's part of the Horcux lore and used in marriages? Not a heart in a box? Nah... hmmmm?

AH, Dumbledore, me thinks, hit it right on the nose - Some one who might care about him. Severus obviously doesn't think himself worthy of 'care.'

I'd think the no was the lie - look at what happened to her hand!  Should have thrown it in the bin when she had a chance!

Grrr, I'm back to thinking it's a Horcrux.

Gads! Her poor hand. So much for trying to do a good deed. This time she's being punished.

Oh, he's angry now. But it's his box. He shoul dgo get it.

SHouldn't her hand be wrapped in the Mertlap bandages? That's got to be horrible - blistered palms.  Now i'm not so sure what the thing is anymore. I mean, Severus wouldn't have made a horcurx.

Nooo? A Severus Horcrux?  It can't be?

Uh, oh!  Dat not good!

AH, so he deos want it or he's, once again, trying to protect her.

So she hasn't tossed the thing in the bin, then. He obviously doesn't want it back, why is she keeping it?

Hmmm cold, broken and nearly unbearable - his regrets?

Ingnorant, isn't she?  Plonked a book on it? YEah, right. Like that's gonna stop it, whatever it is.

EEk, she's tainted and it likes her? WTF?

Persistant, isn't she?  Still wondering what's in the box.

Ah, what?  Dark magic - likes tea?  What?

Oh, now I'm curious. Rattles, smells - and hmmm?

Wow! This is awesome! lol..I hope there's something good inside the box. It's making me think of Rincewind's walking Luggage!

Pardon the late review; RL has been crazy for me, and I've only just now got around to reading this.  It's marvelous!  And as a longtime fan of Victorian literature, I'm absolutely over the moon at your reference to Casaubon's <i>Key to All Mythologies</i>.  I love George Eliot!  Thanks for writing, both of you!