Thanks, Sniv!  *hands you a box of tissues*  Sniffle away!  There's plenty-o-angst in this particular tale...*Hugs*,~Lotm

As a person who dislikes her first name for being an ungainly mouthful...well, that's what middle names are for!  (And this is what got me into trouble at the polling office two votes ago; they didn't want to accept the way I've transposed my first and middle names, so I could use the one I like as my given name.)  'Hermione' has never really appealed to me as a name, and though 'Jane' is, well...plain...it just seemed to suit his personality to use it, partly to get rid of that "ridiculous mouthful" of a first name, and partly to nettle her because she does use her first name instead of her middle one...and partly to make her think 'Russel' was his own middle name.  (And you know how that turned out...)I'm glad you liked the way I treated Harry and Ron.  Of course, Harry was quite a prat towards the end, and you'll note it took quite a bit for him to even grudgingly stop blaming Snape for all the ills of the wizarding world.  Like Hermione's own struggle with the reality of Snape, his difficulties will not be easily overcome.  Real life isn't a sitcom, where all troubles are solved in half an hour, or maybe a two-part hour-long special.  *rolls eyes, thanks god she gave up t.v.*Ron's portrayal...mind you, I cannot abide the Hermione/Ron mould that JKR seems to be forcing them into as a pairing.  In real life, a pairing like that wouldn't last more than a couple months.  Their personalities, interests, and so forth are just too different.  They've got the shared experiences of best mates, and a little chemistry...but that isn't enough to sustain a true long-term relationship.  Conversely, because of this perceived incompatibility, Ron ends up getting the short, icky end of the stick in a lot of SS/HG fanfic.  He's portrayed as an obnoxious oaf, a bottomless-stomached twit, a total Quidditch-obessed nutcase, a bewildered thickie, an oblivious...  You get the picture.I wanted to write a Ron who lived up to the potential offered in his chess game at the end of his first year at Hogwarts.  I didn't want that to be a one-off fluke, which is how JKR seems to be portraying him lately.  I play chess.  You have to have a definitely logical mind, and a definite ability to make leaps of intuitive decision-making at lightning speed...or at least be able to reason things out quickly.  Chess is not a game for oafs and thickies.  Though I cannot stand the thought of him and Hermione in a long-term relationship, I wanted to make sure he didn't get the icky end of the stick, short-sheeted in his characterization by JKR and everyone else, as he seems to be of late.  (If it isn't a Ron-centric fanfic, that is.)Harry and Ginny have plenty of potential as a couple, and of course my Snape/Granger pairing gets pulled off nicely *grins*...but even though Ron doesn't get a girl at the end of this tale, he's in a good position in his level of comprehension and maturity to walk off into the sunset as his own man, free and ready to enjoy the rest of his life as he sees fit.  (I mean, he faced down his mum and dad about not going on to his seventh year.  That's got to make him a man right then and there.  Molly Weasley on the mum-warpath is downright scary!)As for chattel-status...do you really think Hermione--a woman armed with that eunuch-spell and who knows what else she might've picked up from Lucrezia's book--would let her husband get away with treating her like that for very long?  And do you really think Severus would let his "goddess" walk around the streets of Hogsmeade without Sigurd there, ready to materialize and protect her at the slightest stumble?  Plus I'd imagine the rings would be very handy in peacetime as well as in war for communicating with each other.  ("But Dad said we could go!"  "Not according to Sigurd, he didn't!")As for 'clipping her wings'...well, that depends on how you look at it.  Wizards and witches live a very long time...but they do seem to age.  Better to chase after those adorable little bundles of super-kinetic energy (aka kids) while you yourself still have the energy to give chase!  Though I'd think that Hermione, saddled with her own kids, would probably eschew teaching at Hogwarts in exchange for opening up some sort of teaching facility for younger-than-Hogwarts-aged children, just so that a modern witch didn't have to spend all her time at home, teaching them the basics of reading and writing--and, knowing Hermione, she'd probably insist on Muggle subjects being taught alongside wizarding ones, so that the pureblooded kids would have far less ignorance-based prejudice than they otherwise would...and the next thing you know, there'd be a whole reform movement, and purebloods trying to kill her, and...hmm, better not get rid of Sigurd, after all...  lmao!Okay, okay, enough flights of fancy.  And this is longwinded enough.  It all boils down to:  you raised some very interesting points and questions, and I thank you very much for your review!  So, nyah!  Made you read my entire review before I thanked you!  (Yeah, it was rude of me, but darn it, those were good points.)Hugs,~Lotm

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my review in such depth.  I agree wholeheartedly with your view on Ron.  He is the strategist of the team.  I have a feeling that the chess game in PS may be an omen for things to come ie Ron will make some noble sacrifice for the greater good and likely die in the final battle. Unless this happens, in canon, he and Hermione will get together. I agree they have little in common and probably won't last more than a few years but they're teenagers and they fancy each other - try telling them that. I would like to point out that i am a fan of the SS/HG ship - in fact your story 'Bottled' was one of the first fanfics i ever read and it hooked me on this pairing.  Personally i find it works best when Hermione has had a chance to mature and live a bit. She has fought a mountain troll, a three headed dog, been petrified by a basilisk and help take down a dark lord and all before she's 19 - give the girl a break - let her have some fun before you saddle her with kids.  (I also think she would make a lousy teacher - she's too bossy and, like Severus. doesn't suffer fools gladly).  As to her 'chattel' status, on the one hand you say she is more than capable of taking care of herself and then ask if i think Sev would 'let his goddess' walk around the streets of Hogsmeade.  Don't you think being protected by a dragon is a bit of overkill in peacetime - we're talking a village in darkest Scotland here not the Bronx!  To me it all boils down to trust - the ring is to prevent her going off with someone else.  Anyway, enough rambling.  The upshot of all this is that you may have provided the catalyst to get me off my arse and write something myself.  I can see a plot bunny waving its arm about trying to attract my attention.  Maybe i'll call it Hermione or maybe i'll just cut down on the Chardonnay!Kind regards Melusin

Well, I didn't know that.  But you'd think the Weasleys and Potter would've covered that, right?Heck...considering it'd be cheaper just to get the license for the Burrow as soon as they knew they'd be having so many offspring, the Weasleys probably already planned to just hold all family weddings and receptions "down home", as we say on this side of the pond!But thanks for the info!  Hugs, ~Lotm

I'm working on it!  ~Lotm

P.S. Update - I am published, now! www.JeanJohnson.net

Coolness, eh?
~Lotm

I'm sure you've read the ending by now...Am I truly evil?  Well, I keep putting them through all that angst, don't I?  ;-D  Some would say that qualifies!~Lotm

LMAO!!I hadn't heard that chant, before!  Marvelous!Myself, I liked the Time-Turner deal, but that vibrational spell is splendiferous, isn't it?~Lotm

Oh, yes, the whole time turner thing was absolute genius.  Though, at first, when he appeared, my heart skipped a little.  But, wow, the possiblities.  Two in one.  Mmmh, good. 

*snickers in agreement*Always wanted to get away with that, a good hard shag in the Headmaster/mistress' office...~LotmP.S.  Yes, there is.  Severus and Russel moaning it in stereo whilst they simultaneously plunder your piratess/privateeress's treasures...oh, damn.  My canon-balls just melted...

Yes, that little time turner thing melted mine, for sure.  And when he chants, "Jane, Jane, Jane."  My God. 

Lol--I couldn't resist.  I have a fair number of Canadian friends, from BC to SK, and it just seems like Canadians and Canada always get overlooked, you know?Hugs, and glad you're enjoying it so far,~Lotm

Not my fault!  I didn't hold a green-glowing wand to your head...muweheheh...though I seem to be unable to repress an eeeeviiiil chuckle at the thought of having sucked in another victi...er, at the thought of having enchanted another reader with my prose...  ;-D  ~Lotm

Not responsible for timing, nyah!  lol  ...Seriously, this one was plotted a lot tighter than FSS.  (It's also shorter, too, huzzah!)Enjoy!~Lotm

Thanks, and you're welcome, HPWylie!  I did want to make sure Hermione came across as a maturing young woman, and I wanted to keep Snape as snarky as possible, while still giving him room to grow and change as a three-dimensional character.  Two-dimensional stereotyped portrayals are just boring, imho...Hugs,~Lotm

Lol, actually I had fun with those parts.  I did my best to skim verrrry close to canon, and JKR is forcing the two of them together.  I just squished 'em close together...and then let their natural differences and a bit of assistance from my lovely assistant Russel (gawd, what gorgeous knees under the hem of that kilt!) help drift them apart again...As for laughing at Voldiebutt...I'd be doing that from early on, I think.  It's a good defence-mechanism, and a good way to unfreeze your fear.You're very welcome,~Lotm

Well, she does make an appearance in the very first book, and it turns out in book 5 that she's more important than she first appeared to be.  It seemed a shame to leave her out of the end of the story, too...and Moody really deserved someone to snog.  Someone close to his own age...~Lotmbig romantic softie at heart  *makes face at self*

The nitpicks will eventually be corrected, but for now...I'm working on other things.  I am glad you liked it overall!  (And you're quite welcome.)~Lotm

  MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!*cheeky author's grin*  ~Lotm

*eyes nearly empty can of polishing creme, wonders if a tiny bit more wouldn't hurt...*  Nahhh...;-D~Lotm

Yeah, go Hermione!  ~Lotm

Thanks!  Alas, I'm working on original stuff at the moment...but there's plenty of my stories here, at Ashwinder, and at RestrictedSection.org to enjoy!  (some that overlap, some that don't)I'm very glad I could entertain you so thoroughly!~Lotm

I'm glad, too!Hugs,~Lotm

Thanks, Mama...and that just sound sooo wrong, considering this story contained oodles of smut.  Still, great screen name!  ;-D~Lotm

Thanks,

.  I would like to, but I need to focus on my own original stuff for the time being...  Hey, if you want to know what happens next, you could always try writing it yourself!  Seriously, that's how I got started as a writer.  I didn't like the way how a story ended, so I rewrote the ending!~Lotm

Thanks, Mekareami.  I did try, and it was a very plot-heavy fanfic, I'll admit...and since good plots are driven by the characters starring in them...I'll continue with the good 'ship SS/HG later; right now, I'm concentrating on original things.~Lotm