LOL! Yeah, Spinner's End as the swinging bachelor pad!We will see some of the decorating, though! And some unintended consequences, too. (Nothing bad! Just probably not predictable.) There will be beer, however! Severus didn't have a mother at home during his adult life, let alone any women he'd want to bring home for sex during his "active" years when he was young, so he doesn't really relate to Gareth. And as Gareth says, sometimes you just want some "alone time," not just for sex, but w/o your mum hanging around! LOL!Yes, poor Harry -- still clueless! And trying to save Ginny w/o having realized that he's part of what she's suffering from. Thanks for the review!

I've just settled down with a big glass of wine, myself, so I feel in good company! (Except let's hope neither of us gets that "happy"! LOL!) I'm saying mine is for medicinal purposes. I am hoping my little titanium bits stop making themselves quite so loudly known . . .I've been a bit neglectful of the fic myself. (You can blame some fandom friends who twisted my arm and had me join Facebook -- that's what I'm doing!)Anyway, back to the topic!I thought it was amusing to make Area 51 a wizarding community, and their cover story be the UFO phenomenon -- and, of course, the Muggle government being in on it and covering up the cover story in order to make the cover story more believable! We'll see about Gareth -- and Helena! Interesting your mind has been going that way! (Have you been using your psychic powers to sneak a peek into my hard drive again?)It is good for Severus to have a "normal" friendship, one made w/ no prior history between them, and her a relative outsider, as well. I'm glad you like that.Thanks for the review! And happy reading!

"It is just that we are too lazy to write a review."LOL! I do adore the honesty! You're very sweet. Thank you! I'm glad you like all the various fics!I'm glad you're enjoying this story and liked the Minerva revelations in this chapter. It is something that would be explored in the RaM sequel, if I ever get to it -- I got rather side-tracked with these later fics!Thanks again for your review -- and maybe I might hear from you again sometime! (I hope to have the next chapter up by Sunday if I can work out the kinks and polish it up by then.)

I was kind of busy, as well as under-the-weather and distracted from anything fanfic-related -- I hope it didn't worry you too much!I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. I always enjoy writing chapters with just the two of them, or primarily the two of them. They do fit well together, I think. In a broad sense, I do think of this story and Death's Dominion as Severus-Minerva fics, just not in the romantic sense, though DD more so than this one, obviously. Glad you liked the revelations!I think we'll see Severus and Albus getting closer as Severus feels he can shed his old role more. I'm glad that you liked the scene with Fawkes being reborn. :-)I'll try to update sooner this time for you! The next chapter, from what I remember of it, still needs some work and some filling in.Thank you very much for the review! I appreciate it!

Like Severus said to Gareth, Poppy has lived in close quarters to flashy Gryffindors for too long to be able to appreciate her own qualities -- but she also does have other concerns, both for Severus and for herself. But maybe she should just toss caution in the wind and go for it, as you say!I'm glad you loved the duck. :-) It seemed to me to fit her, too. You can count on Quin! ;-)I'm glad you liked the part about Malcolm and Gertrude. Maybe some day I might write more about those two, either in their own little fic or in the long-delayed RaM sequel. I know you're a Malcolm/Gertrude fan, so I'll be sure to post somewhere if I begin writing such a story! :-)Thanks for the review!

Hi,

! :-) Yes, I'm still here, and glad you're still with me! And Severus!Minerva certainly did have some eye-openers for him!Thanks for the review!

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!No, no need to spam me for an update -- though you're likely the only one at this point who is noticing -- but the occasional nudge reminding me that time is passing wouldn't be amiss! It seemed I suddenly looked up and realized it had been more than a week since the last one.It's one of my favorite quotations, actually (yeah, I'm a geek -- embarrassingly so), though I rarely have occasion to use it. I was glad to give Minerva one! LOL!Severus & Minerva do have an interesting dynamic here, I think. Thanks for the review! Glad you're still enjoying it. :-)

You're right about that!Don't worry about getting over your mental block . . . ;-)Thanks for reviewing! :-)

Thanks,

! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Severus will be learning more about his and his family's pasts, and there will be new mysteries for him to wonder about and solve.You're right that Severus needs Poppy, and she is a steadfast presence in his life.It's good to see you again!

Thanks,

! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Severus will be learning more about his and his family's pasts, and there will be new mysteries for him to wonder about and solve.You're right that Severus needs Poppy, and she is a steadfast presence in his life.It's good to see you again!

Hi! Life has just been keeping me from writing, unfortunately, but I have missed my stories, too!I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. The name game will continue!I do hope to update Charming the Scottish Garden soon, too, and Draco's Heart, as well. Draco's Heart has only one more chapter I can post before we get into BIG SPOILER territory for LVS, so DH won't be finished until we're past some of the major events in LVS. (That's what comes from starting the DH plot after the LVS Easter holidays!) I'll also keep up with "Stray," which isn't a RaMverse fic, I hope. Thanks very much for the review!

Hi! Life has just been keeping me from writing, unfortunately, but I have missed my stories, too!I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. The name game will continue!I do hope to update Charming the Scottish Garden soon, too, and Draco's Heart, as well. Draco's Heart has only one more chapter I can post before we get into BIG SPOILER territory for LVS, so DH won't be finished until we're past some of the major events in LVS. (That's what comes from starting the DH plot after the LVS Easter holidays!) I'll also keep up with "Stray," which isn't a RaMverse fic, I hope. Thanks very much for the review!

That sounds like fun! Bring your woollies, though! Yes, poor Snape . . . but I'm glad you're enjoying seeing all the various relationships. I find those all fun to explore, the interactions between and among characters, the links between them, the effects various relationships or characters have on other characters, even when indirectly -- it's all fun to explore!Thanks for the review! Have a good time at the exhibition, and have a safe trip there and back!

LOL.  I live in New Hampshire which is north of Boston.  Woollies are always necessary at this time of year.  LOL.  For some weird reason everyone else in the country is getting more snow than we are.  Usually, it's the other way around.  We've hardly had to use our snow blower at all this year.

OT: I grew up with lake effect snow off the Great Lakes in northern Central New York, and I've lived in other cold climates, so I know what snow and cold weather is, but I never expected to see this much snow here (D.C.), especially not two storms within a week. Usually people around here panic at two inches of the stuff, too, so this is pretty incredible. My parents live up north, and they don't even have any snow on the ground where they are, as it all melted during a warm spell. A strange winter!

I grew up in the burbs of Philly.  I lived in London for a year doing some grad school work (Oh how I WISH I'd know of Alan Rickman in 1993-94) then the burbs of Baltimore for 8 years.  Then Texas for just under 4 years prior to coming to New Hampshire.  Being away from snow 4 years made the weather up here quite a shock!  I love it, though.

Yep, it's going to be revisited!! And you should have confidence in Gertrude, at least in this regard -- she's always been level-headed, with her feet on the ground, after all! (We will also find out why it was that she insisted on staying on the island after Riddle was gone that first time. It's not what Gareth and Reginald guessed, though Albus knew, and agreed.)Very cool that you guessed that it was Hooch! You're the quick one! We're probably being hit in the same storm system. I am not happy. But I do still have power, so that's a big plus!The wind is picking up here, and I've been meaning to get off line for about an hour and a half, at least, but I keep finding one more thing to do! So I think I'm off to bed. I hope you stay warm and aren't too adversely affected by the storm! (I'm in DC, BTW.)

Okay, now you have me intrigued as to why she stayed on the island -just when I thought my questions were all answered:). I just read someone else's review (Hogwarts Duo I believe) and your reply to it.  I laughed when you pointed out that Gareth is interested in an older woman with a bad arm and scarred face.  I had almost written in my original review that Gareth seems to be looking for another mother figure/replacement.  Perhaps now that he's feeling more settled he'll no longer need that, although I still find the idea of him and Hooch intriguing.  We are being hit by the same storm.  I'm just a bit up I-95 from you.  Don't know where I'm going to put the snow that needs to be shoveled.  The piles are already over my head.  Stay warm and inside if you can.        

I'm glad you're liking their friendship. It's been essential in Severus's growth after he returned to Hogwarts following the war. It was good for him in DD, too, even though they were still a bit unsure of each other then.Ah, yes, Gareth and Hooch yet another older witch, this one with a bad arm and disfigured face (hmmm) . . . he's sincere, anyway! I'm sure his "protect and nurture" instinct is kicking in, too.Yep, I did, indeed, mention that back in DD about Gluffy and the wand, and Gertrude seeing things. Esmelle was recently rereading DD and asked about it (she's also reading LVS), and I told her that her questions were prescient and that answers would be forthcoming! (That's also where we first learned a bit about Gareth, including his rather eclectic tastes. Chapter 12, Till the sun breaks down.)To save you the trouble of looking for it, Albus suggests going to visit Gertie on the island, and Minerva nixes that idea. Then they have the following exchange: “I may go visit her in a few days, and I can give her your love then. You could write her a letter.”Albus nodded. “Is she doing better, then?”“Robert says that Gluffy hasn’t had to hide her wand from her in months, so I’d say that was good.” Minerva sighed, frowning. “She does still say she sees it all of the time, though. At least she isn’t talking anymore about trying to Apparate there. I have no confidence that she would do anything but drown herself or Splinch if she tried that.”“Is she still seeing the . . . the other things?”Minerva shook her head. “Either she isn’t or she has decided not to mention it because it upsets everyone. . .”So far, no power lost, though it has flickered, which was startling and worrying. I should really get off the computer . . .

Candles, oil lamps, logs -- though not enough, really -- and some nice red wine. I'm crossing my fingers! I'll still enjoy the wine, though, even without a power outage! When he's not directly involved -- and he puts in a little effort -- Snape doesn't do too badly.Glad you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

Severus learned it from the DL, not Albus. He is actually unaware that Albus can do it, too. We learn in RaM (in the McGonagall Cliffs chapter, I think) that Albus can fly w/o a broomstick, but Severus doesn't actually know that Albus can do it. He is simply speaking of some of Albus's other tricks -- the ability to go invisible with no shimmer of the Disillusionment Charm, his wandless, nonverbal casting abilities, that sort of thing. (Albus learned it from Master Nyima way back when!)I'd love some nice Vanishing spells for the snow! I'm leaving my car as-is. We're getting more snow today and tomorrow, I don't have to drive anywhere, and the plow drivers down here don't bother lifting the blade and turning it in order to avoid plowing in cars (silly me, as a Yankee, to think that was universal practice!), so the snow next to my car is high and heavily packed. After watching strong men a foot taller than I am take over two or three hours to dig out their cars, and then considering the various space-age bits in my back, I decided against trying that myself!I hope you make it to San Diego! Hopefully, the flights will be returned to normal by then and you'll also be able to get to the airport.

Don't get me started about plow drivers down here!  Maybe someone in Public Works Up North could do a series of instructional YouTube videos on "How To Plow > 1" of Snow."  Of course no one would watch them . . .

They ought to have someone from Buffalo or Syracuse come down and teach them! But they'd probably have some kind of excuse about how it's not possible . . . even though it's (un)remarkably routine practice in places with months of this kind of weather. *sigh!*

I'm glad you're enjoying it!

You're creating your own story. Have fun with that! (Selectively reading chapters, making up the stuff that wnet in-between the ones you did read, etc., creates a different story from the one I wrote.) Enjoy the version you're creating.

Wait, did you read my review? The only thing I speculated on (from your summaries, too) was that he slept with Poppy and had some sort of flirting/snogging/grinding session with Helena (from either one of the reviews or your response to the review)! The rest was purely connected to this chapter! But tell me this please - this is not ultimately going to end SS/HG, is it? 

Ella's fine -- she's off visiting her strange brother, Granville Longbottom, in Fiji, where he eventually settled down. She'll be back in time for the birth! :DGertrude iis doing okay, all things considered. You'll learn more in a couple chapters. I'll likely post the relevant chapter, "Muggle Business," later this week. Then you can decide for yourself!Severus will certainly try to concentrate on Poppy!Thanks for the review! Glad you enjoyed the chapter.

Thanks -- I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Yes, Helena has a bit of an outsider's/newcomer's perspective on things, and that's always fun to explore -- for me, anyway. (That's one of the things I enjoyed about writing Suzie Sefton in Slytherin House.)Gareth does add some zest to a chapter, I think! You'll see the nature of the Muggle business in the next chapter -- and it will give Severus a chance to stretch those friendship muscles a bit!Thanks for the reviews! I appreciate it. :-)

I'm glad you liked the PPSS-ness in the midst of this chapter! :-)Yeppers, Severus's Patronus changed to a panther in DD, and it's still that -- very lithe and agile! Certainly dangerous! :DThanks for the review! I hope you had a good weekend. It snowed here and was generally nasty.

haha! I'm glad that you can be newly intrigued on your re-read! No hints, I'm afraid! (Although ... I did write a one-shot several years ago, set a couple decades in the future, and you can discern the truth of it in that story. However, it's only posted in one place, which isn't a regular archive. I didn't want spoilers for those reading LVS -- particularly since there are multiple potential spoilers in the little story, depending on whether I stick with one ending or go with an alternate ending to LVS.)I've been re-reading the last several chapters of LVS in prepartion for writing the next chapter. I've got a full outline of the story, and notes for the next few chapters, but I need to get back into the flow of it. It's like reading something someone else wrote, it's been so long since I have been able to do anything fanfic-related. I hope I do get a new chapter posted soon for you and anyone else still around and interested in the story! :-) Thanks for the review -- it makes me more energized to start writing again.

Please update soon. My question about Gertie still wonders into my mind every once and awhile and drives me nuts. Lol. I hope you update soon because Gertrude is my favourite character and I really want to know how her story ends. And of course Severus and Poppy are awsome. I love that an unpredictable couple ends up matching each other perfectly. 

Ah, well, in terms of the story, you can actually thank Severus, since that scene would likely not have made it into the story if he hadn't interrupted them! So ADMM might have had their romance time undisturbed, but the GLM would have not had her "fix" of ADMM romance & lemonade! ;-) So you can be glad for the annoying interruption of their private time . . . LOL! (Did I convince the GLM that it's a good thing? ;-))Glad you liked the advice! I think that Minerva's got a good head on her shoulders -- though she is still worried about the one or the other being hurt, she also wants them to have a chance if they both want that. So she's in a hard position, being a close friend to them both.Thanks for reviewing!

NOPE! Still not convinced, though I won't harass the esteemed author! I will just sit and try to erase his presence from my memory so the ADMM lovefest can go undisturbed! And at least you acknowledge my ADMM lemonade addiction! Guess that's why I'm a GLM!!!I am hoping, though I can't be certain because a) I'm not the author and b) I'm not Minerva ... but I think she wants Severus and Poppy together. At least I'm hoping she does. That means she'll be a PPSS shipper like me. tee hee.

Oh, well! I did try! I thought it might be a futile effort -- after all, I do know of the GLM's ADMM lemonade addiction! ;-P"I am hoping, though I can't be certain because a) I'm not the author and b) I'm not Minerva ... but I think she wants Severus and Poppy together. At least I'm hoping she does. That means she'll be a PPSS shipper like me. tee hee."Well, she'll have a conversation with Poppy at breakfast the next morning -- not in the next chapter, when we see Poppy & Quin, but in the one after that -- you will be privy to a conversation between Minerva and Poppy, and you can see if you can glean her attitude from that conversation. It's not overt, however, but you might be able to get a sense of how she feels from that conversation. ;-)

It's still complicated and confusing -- but better than a Cruciatus from the Dark Lord, as he might say! Not easy, though!Thanks for the review! Glad you enjoyed it. :-)

Minerva tried to give good advice to our wizard! I hope you enjoy the big dose of Quin in the next chapter. :)Glad you liked that bit -- Severus does not always interpret things quite right, but in that situation, it's easy to see why he drew that conclusion! LOL!Thanks for reviewing! :-) Hope you enjoy the next chapter!