Thank you for continuing the story! Perhaps instead of thinking how much you disliked the last book, tell yourself that you are re-writing it. And if you can save Snape while you do it, you will be thanked by many!

I have to admit that my heart leapt when I saw the alert for this story in my email inbox! I crept over here to TPP, half fearing it was merely a computer glitch, but to my great joy, it was not! Yay! And thank you, a million times thank you!I agree with so much of what you said about DH -- well, with everything, actually -- but I ranted terribly about it right after reading it, then have pretty much set about doing as good a job at a self-Obliviate as a Muggle can do. I still can get annoyed when I think about it, and I don't have any plans to see either part of the two-part movie, but that's good for me & it works for my fics. I think it'd be really quite a bit harder for me to write in my DH-free universe if I were to see the movies -- I don't even like discussing the plot of the books, or who died, or all the myriad failings of the narrative, the lack of coherence with the preceding books, yada yada (though as you may imagine, I have done that!), simply because it reminds me too much of DH & I like my HP universe DH-non-compliant.I am very happy you're back to writing -- I was just thinking about you & this fic a few days ago, in fact, hoping that you'd finish it someday, but understanding that writing & creativity (and the energy that goes into it all that we sometimes need for other things in our lives) cannot be forced.Now for the review of the chapter: very well done, of course! After all that frustration over all those weeks, I could understand Hermione being suddenly nervous about it when it came time, suddenly obviously "the moment," and not just gradually happening. Severus was amusing as always here. I enjoyed the dialogue, especially -- though the description of their love-making, and of Severus's reaction to Hermione's successful caresses, were wonderful, too.Witty, lively, and flowing naturally -- great chapter, and a very welcome one!Thanks again, Pooka! (And I'm very glad to see you here again, just aside from the delights of the chapter!)

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (in a good way)I was just about to go to sleep when I got the email!  I almost couldn't believe it, but I was so excited!  This is one of my favorite stories of all time and I'm glad to see that you are coming back to us, at least for a little while.  I'm especially glad that after all they went through together, they're finally able to be at least a little open and intimate with each other.So glad to "hear" from you again.  Thanks for updating!  It was an excellent read!

this was a very happy surprice

Whoopee!  I'm so happy you're back.  It's a total surprise, a real bright spot in the day (and probably the week).

I have ignored the Endless Camping Trip from Hell and moved on to a lovely land where Severus and everybody else I care about are alive and happy. No thanks to JKR.~Bitchslaps JKR.~Onward to much happiness and hotness and squeeage for this new chapter! It may have been a long time, but I picked this up as if the last update were yesterday. The last chapter ended with such promise and that promise has been fulfilled. Suddenly scared Hermione was a pure delight, as was this tender, dare I say sweet, now sane Snape. The man knows what he wants and knows how to be patient!Thank you so much for posting this. I do hope the PTSD caused by Book 7 is finally easing up and that you will consider continuing this and eliminating that one tiny little bump in their road to happiness. Yes, Voldy is a tiny little bump. Severus is loved now and all will be well!Welcome back, dear!~Laughs in JKR's face.~

First of all, Thank you.  Thank you for continuing this story.  I appreciate where your imagination has taken it.Second of all, Thank you.  I love this tale.  I love the interactions of the characters and how Kreacher gets into all of the "whore" talk.  I love how everyone around Hermione does not think she is expendable.  I love the gentleness; that compassion and forbearance rear their heads, instead of irritation, impatience, and stress-induced rage.Third of all, Thank you.  I appreciate your sentiments regarding book 7.  As one who also suffered from intense disappointment with the cardboard-ification of the characters in the last 4 books, I can agree that it does make it hard to splash around in that world with joy.  And book 7 ... the characters are so flat.  I just wanted it to be over.  Thanks for how well you expressed yourself in this regard.  I am with you.Fourth of all, Thank you.  Thank you for coming back.  I have an unreasonable affection for your sense of humor and for your deft touch with all of the characters -- the major ones and the minor ones, from Turpin to Bob.  I missed you.  Your writing is unique and irreplaceable.  I am so glad you have stopped in again.I wish I could convey my gratitude for all of the days that weren't so good but got a little brighter from re-reading your stories.  You have a gift for making life lighter.Thank you. 

I could not believe my eyes when I clicked on the 'recently added' button and saw this come up! I even squealed a little...  I am so, so incredibly glad that you've come back - it's always a sad thing when such an amazing and original fic is abandoned, and I have loved your writing for a long time.  It's never too late to come back, and oh my, am I glad you have.Dee x

OMG, you're back!!!  This chaper was lovely.  The sharing between them was better than 'slam bam'.  There needs to be more love and maybe less 'sex'.  [But not too much less.]I have to agree with most of your commentary in A/N.  The last book just didn't have the same feel to it as the other six.  I always felt as if the Epilogue was an afterthought that was tagged on.  It didn't even read like JKR's writing.  I understood Snape dying [didn't like it] ... but why, of all people, one of the twins. It was cruel.  I thought that taking out Remus [and Snape] was intended to end the Marauder Era.  Nearly all the young people from that generation were gone to the wars.  It closed a chapter, so to speak.  I've learned to let it go.  There's nothing to be done about what she did.  The best of it lives in fanfiction where the possibilities are endless.  Thank you so much for writing more of this story.  I've clung to it like my faith in Severus! 

I'm glad you are thinking of finishing the story...it was always one of my favorites when I first found this site and always wanted to know how you would end it. I hope writing gets better for you, I'v been there my self and im sad to say i still am.Good Luck and thanks for the great story!P.S. I agree with you about the seventh book

<blockquote>The release of book seven really took the wind out of my sails. I think, and this is just one Pook’s opinion, that it is one of the most poorly written pieces of drivel I have ever read.</blockquote> Ah yes.  I haven't touched my fic in well over two years, and book 7 is a big part of it.  I. just. can't.<blockquote>The pacing of the book is atrocious.</blockquote>Also known as "the endless camping trip of pointlessness and stupidity".<blockquote>Some of the plot choices are nonsensical.</blockquote>Such as the rather tacked on "Deathly Hallows"?  Which would have been a FANTASTIC story line, IF IT HAD BEEN DONE RIGHT.  As it was, it felt tacked on and horrid.<blockquote> It reads as if JKR was sick of the whole mess, and eager to do other things, so she just wanted to get it over with. </blockquote>See, *I* read it as "holy shit, some of the fans have figured out the ending, I have to change it!"<blockquote>it seemed to me that her story got bigger than she could handle. </blockquote>That's kind of how I feel about Snape. She *HATES* Snape (my boyfriend says Snape has to be the manifestation of everything bad in her life, and I think that's true), and so many fans loved him, and he was such a multi-layered and complex character, and I think she just couldn't handle it.  Which freaks me out, because it kind of means the multiple layers and complexity *are a mistake*.<blockquote> I wasn’t at all surprised that she killed off Snape, I was expecting it. </blockquote>I was shocked, but more than that, I am *completely disgusted* by the manner which she chose to do it.  Don't get me going or I'll get on my soapbox and start raving. And then it'll be ugly. <blockquote>JKR killed off both Remus and Tonks, leaving us another orphan, </blockquote>OMG.  Yes.  And she did it to "show continuity"....what is this I just don't even...!?<blockquote>then she went and killed one of the twins, which I think was just cruel. </blockquote>Yes, and the character that got the reprieve was Arthur Weasley, who I do genuinely like, but honestly, she'd have had as much or more impact to the Weasley family and Harry and reality if she'd just killed him.  (And for what did he get his reprieve?!)And let's not forget killing Hedwig.  For no reason.  Because of course it makes more sense to *CAGE A BIRD* and travel around with her when you know you're a target than to *let the damned bird fly somewhere she knows where she's going in the first place*.  I mean, really?  And I understand that the entire purpose of her death was to completely isolate Harry on the aforementioned endless camping trip of pointlessness and stupidity, but that could have easily been done by the bird being INJURED.  She didn't have to die, pointlessly and STUPIDLY.<blockquote>writing love in a way that doesn’t sound all trite, that’s what’s hard. </blockquote>Yes, well that last part has NEVER been JKR's strong point, TBH.  Jesus.  Everyone in the series gets together with their high school sweetheart, except Snape, who never had any reference for normal ever in his entire life, and held a creepy stalker ideal until his death.  *shudder*  (Because a person like that is of course a good candidate to work around small children...)Haven't read the chapter yet because I'm going to go back and reread at least a couple of chapters before it so I remember what's going on.  God knows people are going to have to do that with my fic!

OMG!!!Welcome back!!!I couldn't wait until after reading the new chapter to tell you that. I am sooooo excited to see you posting again.~Tosses confetti, squees and runs off to read.~

Squeeeee!!!!!!! I am thrilled to see that this story has been updated.  Thank you, PlaidPooka!

OMG, OMG, OMG! The Price of Madness! Thank you, Pooka, for coming back to us. I tremendously appreciate the will and dedication that you have shown.Now, that the exclamation marks are out of the way, I can scroll back up and actually read the chapter.*chapter read**fans self*This was an amazing return of an amazing story. If this is what your strugglling with writing reads like, feel free to let go of all inhibitions. It's hot, it flows and most importantly, it grabs the reader and transports her into the scene. And what a scene this has been! I'm happy they are learning to be with one another now that Severus is out of Albus's influence.

I was utterly gobsmacked to see the alert for this story pop up in my inbox.  What a lovely surprise!!  I have only this say before I treat myself to read the entire thing again from the beginning....SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Thank you!  Thank You!  Thank You for updating!  This is one of my all time favorite stories.  I had almost given up on an update.  What a wonderful surprise! 

I've been reading this story and am even more impressed by how brilliant it is, knowing what we know now.  The characters are all ... in character... the pacing is perfect, the humour is very close to JKR's own (if she could have used sex humour) and I particularly love the attributes of the goblins.  You've done the same sort of world building - extending naturally from HP - that many, possibly most - writers don't bother to do.I'm glad I had forgotten so many details, so I get to reread this as if for the first time.

Wait! You're one of the BEST authors here! Is this story PERMANENTLY abandoned? There are thousands of words here already and the reviews are astronomical! Are you planning on finishing this? Please? Please please pleeeeeeeze???!!!   

Why oh why hasn't this been updated in forever?  I read this fic ages and ages ago, and it's been sitting, lonely and (not?) abandoned in my WIP folder on my Favourites list.  Please write another chapter!I hope you and your Muse are both doing well and that soon you will be able to finish this lovely story.Thanks for sharing... but please continue to share for those of us who can't write nearly as brilliantly as yourself!

That's a terrible place to leave us hanging you know.  I mean, Poppy will probably come check on Severus soon, which could be interesting poor woman, but with the battle so soon and all those questions about Harry in the room and Severus apparating to a Master who thinks him dead...  Don't leave us there.  the end would be preferable.

I have waited for a year now *sniff* did you abandon this story? I hope not.

So, he can't use people's names, and for some reason what he does use has to be "whore" like. Certain things trigger strong emotions, be they sadness or anger. His inhibitions are gone and at times he has the concentration span of a five year old, yet cognitively behind all that he is intact.  Is that the general gist?

why won't he ask for help with the cure?

now they are getting the idea!

Shopping, not snogging! ROFL