You're welcome!...Now, imagine what I can do with my own stories...(psst:  www.jeanjohnson.net)  (and yes, I'm a shameless self-pimper)*hugs*~Lotm

Wow...I got to meet you in person...  COOL!!  (And even more amazing, I didn't feel an urge to go hide in the sofa-cushion fort!  ...Well, until just now, lol...)I hope I get to chat more with you at Norwescon 30!~Lotm

You're very welcome,

!  I loved how tightly paced and plotted this one was, myself (and the image of a tanned blond Snape in a kilt...*drools*...or a pale, snarky Snape in a kilt...*drools some more*...)  *ahem*, where was I?  Oh, yes...Anyway, I'll always have a soft-spot for this one in particular because it's the story that got me noticed by my editor.  Literally.  Her sister got her hooked on reading HP fanfics, and that led her to read my stories, and when In Annulo was still a WIP, she emailed me, wheedled me to give her a sneak peek at the advanced chapters I had written but hadn't posted yet, and also asked if I wanted to send her a manuscript for review...so yeah, IA is one I'll be proud of for a very long time, for several very good reasons....Not the least of which is the reason that I've made you happy with it.  (No good writing a story if it doesn't please and move my readers!)~Lotm

for not reviewing til now) and this chapter still gets me every time.  Surprisingly (or perhaps not), it is my favorite chapter in the entire story.  Not because of the sex (assault) but because of the raw emotion the chapter evokes. In my mind, it is HERE that the story really begins and I, as the reader, try to sort out who Snape really is.  It is a very carefully constructed chapter (and story, really).  Disturbing confusing, dramatic, hot - it's all of those things, and yet I see underlying it all, Snape's desire to be accepted for who he is.  A deeply moving chapter, lotm. 

...Then my hard work on that chapter has earned its reward again.  This is where I, too, feel the story really starts to take its true shape and get interesting, not to mention involved.  The stuff before it is important, yes...but like the description of a setting; here is where the action comes into play.I'm really glad you like this chapter.  Heheh, even if it "gets" to you each time you read it.  The story of In Annulo is about three relationships:  the Hermione/Severus relationship, Hermione's relationship with herself as she finishes maturing into an adult, and Severus' with himself as everyone--including himself-comes to grips with who he is and what he's done.But as important as chapter 17 is for setting out the meat of the story for the reader to feast upon, I think the three chapters of the trial near the end are what really nourish the reader's soul.  In the unfurling of truths during the trial, it isn't just Severus Snape who is stripped bare of all pretense; he rips the veils from the hearts of those around him, even as Veritaserum rips the veils from his tongue.  We're moved to pity him, and moved to compassion for him, because he is so bluntly honest about our reactions to him, as well as his clearly expressed cognizance of his own flaws.With the light of the truth glaring in everyone's face, what was hinted at in this chapter becomes undeniably apparent to all by the end of the trial.  As much fun as it was to write all that steamy smut, that's just the dessert course; this is the meat and veg that sustains us in our hunger for a truly good tale.*hugs*~LotmP.S.  Stop me, before I wax eloquent some more!!  *snerk*

But I don't want to stop you! Wax some more!! LOL It's wonderful to hear your take on it.

I totally agree with you regarding the three chapters of the trial. Oh my. I could go on for days about those chapters. I'm on pins and needles waiting for Subversa to reach the trial. Those chapters are some of my favorite in all of HP fandom, for exactly the reasons you mentioned; the no-holds-barred revelation of just who Severus Snape is and the way he exposes the truth about himself, others, even the Wizarding society as a whole.

Yes, this chapter is where everything takes off. The entire rest of the story from here on out is so ... so ... GUH! I love the complexity; there are just so many layers, so many plot points. And the way you bring it all together in those three chapters is just absolutely brilliant; it's perfection. Those are the chapters that kept me coming back to read this story again and again. But I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I? :)

PS I love your meat and vegetables, even more than your dessert - and that's really saying something! :)

Meat and veg are undeniably good; dessert makes life worthwhile, yes--I don't deny that at all--but meat and veg make life possible in the first place....Great, now I'm hungry.*toddles off to have herself a nice juicy Snapewich*~Lotm

Heheheh, thanks for sharing your reaction!  ...How long did it take you to open the screen once more and continue reading, if I may ask?~Lotm

About 5 seconds.  LOL  It was a totally instinctive response.  Once I realized what I had done, I had to log back in immediately!   And I wasn't disappointed by the confrontation - but that goes in another review, doesn't it? :)

You'll see...~Lotm

heeheeheehee...~Lotm

Thanks!~Lotm

Keep reading, keep reading...30 more chapters to go, and then you'll know for sure...maybe...*iz a terrible tease*~Lotm

Teehee, thanks!~Lotm

Heheh, sometimes they do get the message; they just don't apply it for a little while...~Lotm

A-yup.  There's lots of everything in this one.  Angst, drama, comedy, romance, smut, surprises, mystery...ooh, the purrrrrrness of it all!*purrrrrrrrs happily*~Lotm

Gahhhh...  WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG??  I could've sworn you'd read this already!  Sheesh!!  *gives you a stout five minute lecture, and revokes your trebuchet privileges until you've finished the bloody thing.  yes, iz a meanie!**snerk*Hugs,~Lotm

SSHG316 and I just finished reading ch 17 and are in the middle of an in depth discussion right now - this is such a powerful story, such exquisite work, and the plot just awes me.

Thanks; it was fun coming up with all those twists and turns!~Lotm

You're very welcome,

.  I'm glad I could entertain you so well.~Lotm

I'm glad you're enjoying those little touches I threw into the stew...and in fact, lol, I'd forgotten I had assigned Eileen a birthdate!  Thanks for the reminder...*hugs*,~Lotm

Thanks!  I worked hard to get her reactions just so, following such a painful, tumultuous revelation...~Lotm

Keep reading...you'll see...~Lotm

Eek, didn't even notice that typo!  As for knowing or not, that isn't the issue.  It's whether she realized it or not; even Hermione can get blindsided at times...~Lotm

That's true... And I do like how you worked that in in a later chapter!

Different women have different reactions to such situations.  I will never for the life of me understand the women who allow their husbands to beat them, to batter and rape them violently, and who stay with these so-called men.Yes, there are women who would sic the cops on their own husbands, and I agree that it is their right to do so; my only caution is to think carefully about crying 'rape' because if it's done for vengeful reasons over something that could have been misinterpreted, the woman in question could damage the man's reputation and future.  It's a very serious charge--as it should be--but it shouldn't be abused and taken advantage of.On the other hand, I have been violated.  And it wasn't nearly as traumatic for me as violation has been for other women.  So what may have made you angry to the point of calling the cops could make another woman choose to stand by her man for whatever (utterly misguided) reason, or it might make the woman think long and hard about what was done to her, and why it was done.  (For the record, if I ever run across the fellow again, I'd be interested in castrating him; not because what was done to me was awful, but because it was done to me when I was a defenceless, ignorant child.)For that matter, miscommunications and misunderstandings blow things out of proportion.  I know of one couple wherein the woman wanted to be pinned down and *cough* licked until she cried with ecstasy.  She thought her partner could manage this, since it was his idea of a good time, too...but *coughcough* according to her report, he didn't really have any talent for it, and so her tears were of frustration and disappointment in the end, because being pinned down as she was, she couldn't communicate what he was doing wrong.  And so when he finally let her up, she got into a row with him, and it took them a week to patch things up.  (This is why non-verbal "safewords" are important...)But other than that, I'm glad you liked the rest of In Annulo...~Lotm

Thank you for taking the time to respond.