Okay, as you know, I am horrible at putting the thoughts in my head on paper in as coherent a way as they seem in my mind.  This is why you are the writer and I am the reader.  But, I will do my best to make sense.  Please stay with me and know that this is not a bad review.  If any of it sounds negative, know that if we were discussing face to face (which admittedly would be way more fun) it would be clear that I am not making derogatory comments, but you know, with just words on paper with no emotion and my crappy writing, well, just hang in there.  The first time I read this, my knee-jerk reaction was that this is a horrible ending (not horrible writing, just a horrible outcome for them) and I wasn’t sure how I felt about having that be a premeditated decision on his part.  Had he not known what would happen and this was a random misfortune, I could file it away as a great tragedy and move on.  But as it stands, it reflects on the character of Severus Snape, and while he can be angry and jealous and sarcastic and childish and so many other bad things, at his core, he always seems like he loves hard and would become completely devoted and selfless for the one he loves.  Not to mention the fact that he is often self-deprecating (he even mentions that he thought he wasn’t worthy of love) that he would think he deserved to remain in the mirror.  I wanted to go back and reread it at the time, but there were too many other stories to get through, and honestly, I live for a happy ending like nothing else, and I didn’t think I could make it through again.    Let me pause here for a moment and say that I don’t fault you at all for foregoing the happy ending.  I was just surprised because I feel like I can count on death, taxes, and a story from Teddy where the characters could be dragged to hell and back but ultimately will end up okay.  So, this was a surprise.  You never promised a happy ending, I was just used to it and therefore assumed.  And I think that it is a good thing to sometimes go outside your comfort zone and make characters do things that you wouldn’t normally have them do, especially in a case like fanfic where you write the same characters over and over again.  It exercises your writing muscles and keeps things from getting stale.  So while I live for the happy ending, I applaud you for doing something else.   Going into it the second time, I wanted to watch a little closer what else was happening, trying to justify the ending.  I know you have had a fair amount of people unhappy with this ending.  There are several things that I will point out, but most notably are two things:   1)This is your story.  Even if I end up deciding I hate the ending, it is the only one this story has, and I have no say in what happens.  Nor should I.  So I can move on and not say anything.  Or, if I am really careful and gentle, I can tell you that it isn’t my favorite ending.  But what I can’t do is tell you it is the wrong ending.  It isn’t my story to tell.   2)You can never say what you would or would not do in a situation until you are in it.  I feel like if I were in his position, there is no way I could do that to another person, let alone someone I care about.  But I also don’t know how crazed I would feel after being trapped for so long with nothing.  As we all know from real life, how you think you will react to a situation and how you actually do are often quite different.  Because I can not say with 100% certainty what I would do, how can I possibly know what Severus would do?  My feeling is that he would sacrifice himself instead, but again, he lived a horrible existence, and I think that he may have just been desperate.   I also thought of some other things.  First, he tried multiple times to dissuade her from trying to get him out.  Whether he really meant it or secretly hoped she’d try anyway I can’t know, but he did tell her they shouldn’t rush into it.  The most noble thing to do would be to have told her what he knew, so if she decided to try anyway it was an informed decision.  Still, I think that she would never have ceased trying to figure out how to get him out, and if this was the only way, they ultimately would have ended up in the same position, or she would have driven herself mad with the effort to find all the answers.   There is also more going on there than an intended trickery.  Why was his name in the Hogwarts book?  Did the castle just know, given the situation, what the two would do?  Or did Hogwarts want him back so badly that it put his name there to get her to search him out?  Did Dumbledore feel so guilty that he had some influence on the book because he wanted Severus to have his life back after he ruined it for him?  He certainly encouraged her to search for Severus.  That piece of things makes it feel like there is a component of fate involved.   In the end, he doesn’t turn out particularly happy, and neither is she, but if roles were reversed, they might not be any happier.   He would just not have the guilt that comes with what he has done.  I appreciate that he won’t let her be a spectacle at the Ministry, but I almost wish he would have continued to search for an answer.  But, it must be in the back of his mind that if they find a way to free her, it will mean he is once again sentenced.  What an impossible situation.   This is not my favorite story, but only because tragedy is not for me.  I read fanfic to escape the crap of life not to feel depressed, so I tend to seek out ones that take me on an emotional journey, but dump me out somewhere happy.  That said, you wrote a perfectly good story, and I think that anyone who felt that the ending was wrong, not only doesn’t get to decide that about YOUR story, but also has not put any after thought into what they’ve read.  I can completely justify the ending in several ways, even though I didn’t feel that way right out of the gate.  So, fear not, you can’t make all of the people happy all of the time.  No matter what you write, I think you have an amazing gift. 

This paints such a lovely picture.  Not nearly as good as if they were actually together, but they have found the closest thing to it and both seem to be enjoying their newfound connection.  All is right with the world for now.  Unfortunately, I'm going to have to finish this tale later.  It has been a whole different experience reading it this time, knowing where we are going.  Not better or worse, just noticing things that didn't seem important last time.  I suspect I'll have to wait and review the final chapter in front of a computer rather than on my phone while on the fly because I'm going to have a lot to say. :)

I find it really endearing how protective Aberforth is.  And of course she is falling for Snape; she is such a sucker for that man.  But what else is bound to happen when two lonely people of similar background and intellect spend all of their free time together? And their lively game of who has the gnarliest scar made me smile.  Just not sure she should be making any promises to him at this point ...

She calls him Wonder boy, lol.  I suppose it is safe to call him whatever she pleases given their relative positions.  I can appreciate both his gratitude towards Aberforth and his displeasure at having only one companion for so long.  I sort of feel we need a series of fan art of Aberforth trying desperately to break the mirror and Snape's reflected expression after each try. :). You can almost feel the excitement and the wheels turning for Hermione's next big project.

I have always been intrigued by what the head of Hogwarts might be privy to, or have the ability to do, just by filling that position.  Healing the ROR after so many years and so many folks have tried is heady stuff, even if Hermione doesn't believe it had anything to do with her.  What a shock to see the man she is searching for staring back from the mirror.  There is going to be a lot of explaining to do.  Good thing Aberforth seems to think the head mistress has all the time in the world ... :)

I read this back when it first posted during the fest, but I wasn't in a position to properly review it.  I remember feeling torn at the end and wishing i could go back and reread it, knowing how it ended, and see how I felt after, but I had neither the time nor the inclination.  So I am back for a reread and proper review. I don't really have much I can say at this point without spoiling anything for future readers, so I'll just say that it is a most intriguing start, certainly a shock for Hermione to find that a dead man will be her predecessor.  Oh and please excuse my chunky blocky review ... When I'm on my phone, I can't make paragraphs or it wigs out.

This broke my heart. (Short review due to sadness) Fantastic writing though.