Oh thank god Harry is coming to his senses. He should dump that fame hungry bitch Ginny and start seeing Luna. Luna understands him so much better that greedy bitch.

'Harry begins to think', indeed. Well, it seems Harry has made a few uncomfortable realizations. His disquiet with the idea of Severus and his best friend aside, the most distressing thing of all was clearly the way Harry's eyes were opened to Ginny's spitefulness, her overwhelming sense of entitlement, and her all-consuming desire for the spotlight, all of which Harry seems to find quite abhorrent.And then, here comes Luna, with her simple beauty and forthright honesty, which, especially by contrast, seems highly appealing to Harry.How ironic that both Ginny and Molly were, once again, so absorbed in their mean-spirited twisting of everything about Hermione that neither of them twigged to this potential threat to Ginny's hot pursuit of the title of Mrs. Harry Potter.Anyway, I pity poor Harry when he finally sits Ginny down to inform her that he needs some time to sort things out. Hermione will undoubtedly get the blame, but I can only imagine the fireworks that will ensue should Ginny take notice of Harry's seeming interest in the lovely Luna Lovegood.As far as I'm concerned... Go Luna!!!   HermioneDiggory's response:

The other thing that I found very interesting was Hermione's comment to Harry that Molly had always been inclined to assume the worst about her, as evidenced by the fact that she swallowed the lies Rita printed back in their fourth year without question.So easy to forget that while the Dark encourages secret vices and insecurities, it's only working with what was already there to begin with. So I'm guessing that at least a good amount of that spite, envy, mean-spiritedness, sense of entitlement, desire for fame and adulation was already within Ginny, Molly and Ron. Perhaps much more so than the people around them, which might be why they seem to be much more strongly affected than anyone else.Hm. 

Oh hooray!  More of Luna, and Harry is starting to see which way the wind is blowing as regards Ginny.  While I know this story is mainly about Severus and Hermione, I really enjoyed this chapter from Harry's POV.  I still harbor hopes of an eventual Harry/Luna pair-up in the future...    Nevertheless, I do hope that Harry will be able to successfully use his influence with the Weasleys to convince Molly and Ginny to get help with Auror Fran Warrington.  Maybe he and Arthur can tag-team them!Looking forward to seeing what's next for Hermione and Severus!

At first I passed by this story a few times because of the title, rather put off by the word Veela. I've never been fond of them, you see. I can say I am glad I decided to give the story a chance. I like what you've done to the Malfoy family (I've always had a soft spot for them), and the slow courtship of Hermione is amusing to watch. Judging from Severus' plan, it makes me wonder if he is actually making room for the possibility of love, or if everything he is doing is just for the sake of settling down and having children to satisfy the curse. I can't wait to read more ^^

I love the newfound maturity of the three students. Luna's comment about Molly was just golden!

Very Slytherin seduction tactics.

lovely!  i can just envision such a colorful and delicious party.  ginny still doesn't get it...i don't think all of her problem is from dark magic!  great update!  thanks and mucho smoochies

Well, that was quite the party!

Wonderfully sexy, but I don't trust the Malfoys one bit! Especially naughty Lucius!

What, she's not ready yet?  Get a grip, Herms, he's right there waiting for you to catch up! ;)

Oh my God!! That was HOT! I really like the way you write Snape.Harry seems to be catching on about Ron.(about time.)Can't wait for more.

Oh my, he's quite the smooth operator. And he's really, really good at it too.  This slow burn is definitely going to make her mindless with need.  In fact, how will she even get to sleep tonight?I'm glad she is able to trust the Malfoys enough to visit their home, and that they still seem quite sincere in their niceties toward her.  Looking forward to more.  Soon.

Ron just sighed in disgust and replied, ‘You’re both crazy, but it isn’t any skin off my nose if you both get used by gits like that.’ Harry stared at Ron. Ron had always been his trusted friend, his sounding board and co-conspirator in all his schemes and plans, but Harry realised that Hermione would never have said something like that. She would never let him do something she believed was wrong, even if it meant that he would not speak to her or end up hating her for a while.So now Harry's just seen for himself just how much Ron has changed. Ron seems to be a bit calmer, but in the past, if Ron really believed that Harry was in any way at risk, he would have yelled until Harry started to see things his way. Hm. The whole Order was invited to the victory picnic at chez Malfoy, so I wonder... will Ron and the other Weasleys attend a Malfoy-hosted event despite their prejudices, or will their thirst for the limelight induce them to turn up in spite of their issues with the hosts and Slytherins in general?  If so, things could get interesting. Especially if they observe Severus' continued deliberate seduction of Hermione. And what a seduction it is... could any woman with half a gram of estrogen ever resist such a sexy Slytherin? Ohhhh, Hermione is definitely one lucky, lucky witch! HermioneDiggory's response:  will Ron and the other Weasleys attend a Malfoy-hosted event despite their prejudicesRather, will the Weasleys refuse to attend a Malfoy-hosted event due to their prejudices, or will their thirst for the limelight induce them to turn up in spite of their issues with their hosts and Slytherins in general?The above is what I meant, but apparently my brains and fingers were having communications issues.

yike!  i already am!  *pant, pant*  well done and mucho smoochies

ok, I am mindless in need for Severus Snape after that chapter! 

That was so evil of Severus to leave her like that...Goodness I hope he ravishes her soon or she is going to go insane with need. *Grins*

lucky girl.  my my

Oho, Harry dancing with Hermione--no matter how innocently--while giving the press and public a proper show of their continued friendship, it is also guaranteed to get up  the Weasley noses, Ginny's in particular. Harry just might  end up catching some of the unpleasantness that Hermione's been facing from the Weasleys. Should be interesting to see how Harry reacts to that.Anyway, between Harry's public show of support and the efforts of Severus and the Malfoys on Hermione's behalf, people should soon start to realize that the accusations against her are baseless. Perhaps they might even get an inkling that something is not quite right with the Weasley family as well. Should that happen, I wonder how they might react should their Dark-influenced misbehaviors start drawing unfavorable scrutiny in their direction?As for Severus and Hermione getting to know each other better on the dance floor, ooh la la!

This was a great chapter!  There is so much to like.  I was quite pleased that Harry and Hermione were able to have their little heart to heart and both come out feeling good about things, having a plan in place to appease (or upheave, depending on who you ask) the media frenzy.The shopping scene was fun.  I think clothes shopping is dreadful, but you make it sound so enjoyable.  Maybe if I had a twenty year old figure and a purse full of Malfoy money I would change my tune :)  If we still weren't convinced of Narcissa's genuineness, I think this chapter sealed the deal.Then their interaction on the dance floor had me feeling a little steamy.  And, I happen to think jealousy suits Severus well.  Sometimes he takes it too far, but when there is just a dash of it, it can be a good catalyst to their relationship.

excellent chapter!  Would love to see those dresses - they are beautiful in the imagination and your descriptions!

Between Severus and Harry they will have the Weasleys really ticked off! :)

Poor Hermione!  Still, at least she managed to have a good time at the Ministry Ball and again at Stonehenge.  I really enjoyed Severus' reaction to the idea of pairing himself with Hermione--like any true Slytherin, he had to weigh the pros and cons of the arrangement and never mind about the mushy stuff until it's deemed a feasible venture in the first place!    But at least he enjoyed himself with her, so hopefully he will believe that they can be spouses who are friends if he can't bring himself to believe in the possibility of love yet.The continuation of Cissy's manipulations on Hermione's behalf is great to read as well!  She will be a powerful friend for Hermione to have, and Hermione will be able to assist the Malfoy's reintegration into Wizarding society also.  Draco's characterization is shaping up nicely, but I must admit to being sad to hear that Luna may be moving to Sweden and we therefore won't see much of her in the story anymore.  Say it isn't so!  I love Luna!Let the dating begin!

i do so enjoy good slytherin plotting!!  cissy will be very good for hermione and help her develop a sense of style.  great update.  thanks and happy new year smoochies

I think this may be the first fic I've read where the Malfoys aren't trying to find new and disgusting ways to kill and/or humiliate Gryffindors/Muggle-borns/Golden Trio members, and I'm really enjoying it! Well done.

conversationally, someone in my family's history carved our british name, Skeates, on one of Stonehenge's pillars!I'm glad things are turning about for our Sev and our Mione ^.^