My first inclination was to think what an idiot Harry Potter is.  Voldemort is no more, and it slipped his mind to mention it?  But when you think about it, in a short amount of time, he learned of, or was involved in, a kidnapping, a rape, a murder, an attempted murder, and a possible miscarriage.  He was thrown in front of Voldemort, nearly caught by Death Eaters, and maybe most shocking of all, met this odd boy named Dudley Dursley who surely can't be the same Dudley Dursley he suffered living with for ten years. Under this much stress, it is valid to think that he might not have all of his wits about him.  I do hope they are able to sort things out, and everyone can get back to normal.  What ever that means at this point.

Harry forgot to mention he had killed Voldemort.  *shakes head* A slight oversight indeed! :)

I was almost expecting to see Severus as the last person killed by the sword with the wasy Scrimgeour's been going about this.  Looking forward to seeing how Scrimgeour has to eat his own words even if it is only to a small crowd.

Right now I'm not sure who is the bigger idiot,  Scrimgeour or Harry Potter.  One thing I am sure of is that Dudley is the hero of the moment.Now it's time to take Severus back to Hogwarts so Madam Pomfrey can heal him properly, and Hermione can fuss over him and see that he takes care of himself.  Oh yeah, and it's time for Rufus Scrimgeour to be tossed out the MOM on his arse.  BTW, how did everything go with Ginny and the baby?Great chapter!Beth

Ugh, Scrigemoor (sp?)--"Don't confuse me with the facts" should be his middle name.  Loved Snape going off on Harry, whoops forgot to say . . . LOL 

Brilliantly done.

Is Srimgeour an idoit or what?  I pray that when this is over and done with that he is out on his arse.  I hope the Severus recovers.  This was a really good and compelling chapter.  All I wanted to do was reach thru the screen and slap the sh** out of the Minister.  Leave it to Hermione to save the day.  I am glad that you have brought the Dursley's into this and kept Dudley more human.

Dudders to the rescue! Love the idea of "is there something you forgot to tell everybody, Potter?" Brilliant! Glad Hermione was there to force through a few "minor" details. Now, release the man, and let's get him well!

Good for Dudley.  And Wow, I want to turn Harry into something small and furry permanently now.

yay dudley!  great upddate.  thanks and mucho smoochies

And here I was safely sure that Severus was going to be fine based on information in the previous chapter. Gravely injured, but well cared for.I guess I should have known better.From a literary point of view, the decision to have him arrested in his condition is perfect. But personally, I hate it. Nevertheless, this gives me a fantastic opportunity to struggle reading the story. And the experience and emotions are the reason that we all always come back to letters ordered across a page. I'm looking forward to further ride.

Arrrggghhhh... I can't believe Scrimgeour would send an injured Snape to Azkaban without first hearing what Hermione has to say.  Yes, allegations were made, third hand, but the "victim" had not bothered to file charges... once again the MOM has shown itself to be less than helpful.  I just hope Severus doesn't die when they get him to Azkaban.  Somehow I don't see the Aurors or the prison guards doing anything to help him.I do hope Ginny and the baby are all right.  I can only imagine how Dudley's news would have frightened her!  BTW, I really like your Dudley.I will wait patiently for your next update (she says as she gnaws her nails).  Don't you just love logic issues?  Me, too.  8^)Beth

Fantastic plan!If Voldemort was half as bright as JKR would have us believe, he would have come up with a similar plan himself. The plan to capture Potter using his faithful servant. I cannot say I see Severus's plan. We were given all the ingredients for it to work, yet I fail to see how the potion, the need to catch Voldemort wandless and his potential to go after Hermione mash together.

Unkissed comes to mind in relation to their interaction. But where in the older story Hermione uses Severus to ease her pain and fails spectacularly, here she seems more mature in her reasoning and execution. In Unkissed, Severus was wonderfully magnanimous towards her outburst and was able to salvage the situation by taking control in the end. Here, I like that he doesn't need to, because Hermione knows what she is doing. Consequences, responsibility and all. I hope it helps as much as they think, even knowing that it cannot as we still have six chapters of heavy chilvaric plot.

Last chapter I praised the beginning with its ability to grip and hold the reader. Here, the story changed drastically. It skirts madness so closely it had me worried. Hermione consumed with rage is not the person I like to read. She seemed empty, devoid of life and spark. For long stretches of the story, I worried that we would not see her brain emerge any time soon. Its return is most welcome even though it came only after realisation that Voldemort's sense of humour is indeed sicker than seems possible. They seem to be on a good path now.

In a way, you gave us a fair warning. You said there was a plan forged by Voldemort, that is bound to be unpleasant. You said there would be rape and violence. You clearly state that this is Potions Under Duress. So it is definitely my own fault that I want to scream 'No!' on top of my lungs now.Excellent beginning. It left me unsettled and eager to read more. Not a pleasant beginning by any stretch of imagination, but excellent nonetheless.

Oh, didn't figure on that last bit. Hope someone else knew the plan.

*huge sigh of relief* I know Snape is not out of danger yet but they made it alive, and Harry has THOUGHT before acting more stupidly than he already did. Apparently killing a dark wizerd makes young hot blooded boys mature ! I'm also very glad Dudley is helping.

I love how you've portrayed Dudley.  It's good to see him stand up to his parents.  And Vernon's reaction to Harry telling him he'd killed someone and not to mess with him was priceless!  I never saw this story going in this direction when it started, but I've really enjoyed this last chapter.  I look forward to more Dudley and Harry.

Smashing chapter!  I loved that Harry finally figured out that Severus had been on his side all along.Taking hm to his aunt and uncle's home was a stroke of genius, and I enjoyed seeing Harry not taking anything off Uncle Vernon.  And ickle Dudders grew into a pretty decent fellow, didn't he?Thank you so much for this strory.  I'm all caught up, but waiting with bated breath for your next update.Beth

The only thing that happened in this chapter that I even remotely saw coming, was the fact that Snape lived.  I'm glad that it worked out so that Harry found out that Snape was really doing what was in everyone's best interest (well, clearly not Voldemorts) as all of this was happening, and didn't turn into a long drawn out process.  Not that Harry probably feels 100% sure yet, but he at least has pieced enough together to be headed in the right direction.I love that he went to the Dursley's, but this time he isn't taking any crap off of Vernon, and Dudley has actually grown up!  Who knew?While this isn't an ultra cliffhanger, I am still really anxious to see what happens next!  Especially Hermione's take on the whole situation.

OMG!  So that's what Severus planned to do with the Sorting Hat.Had Severus put some of the potion he brewed into Voldemort's wine?  The monster did seem to do as Severus had suggested.I hope Harry hasn't dealt Severus a fatal blow with Godrick Gryffindor's Sword.  No I simply go to the next chapter!!!Beth

What on earth is Severus planning to do?  Whatever it is, I know it's got to be dangerous and must involve Voldemort.  Poor Harry has been blindsided and has no idea what is about to happen!  And what did my favorite Potions master do with the school's Sorting Hat?I loved the scene when he was in Hermione's rooms and everything went so smoothly, and I'm happy that they are getting on so well after the Dark Lord's folly had caused both of them to be living hell.Yes, indeedie, this is getting very interesting!  Loved the chapter!Beth

This chapter was awesome.  It drew me in and kept me interested. I loved the grown up Dudley.  Took Harry long enough to start figuring things out.  Can't wait for your next update.

Yay for Muggle medicine!  I'm a bit worried about a supposedly retired doc having the wherewithal to inject sedatives into Snape...  and the drugs.  Sounds like the very person to go to for help when your problem is a little... sensitive. ;)