Good to see Thunder's ploy with Lucius' broom worked so well. So one down and a probable change of direction for Sprout and Argus is in order. Heaven help Hermione if Severus gets a whiff of what she's planning to do. One one hand he'll be in awe, on the other livid. I'm thinking livid may well outweigh any awe. Harry, however, needs to grow up and though he's been through a horrendous time, trying to change his friends so that he is secure is definitely not the right way to go about it.

I should imagine Lucius will be ecstatic about the thought of Xia having his children.

I love the perplexed conversation between the familiar's as they try and understand that the ritual need not be done in order to have a litter. :p

So, the sidhe actually did Hermione and Severus a favour of sorts once they'd escaped the hunt.

No doubt Duster and Crooks will be well pleased that their dream magic seems to have done the trick, and that a thorough exploration will be on the cards when the pair of them stop bandying words around.

I love the way the familiars are plotting, trying to find ways to get their pets together, though tripping Argus down the stairs might be a little drastic. ;)The detention and research with Duster keeping an eye on proceedings - and keeping his pet in line, is just gorgeous, as well as the clawed touch to keep Severus in line and stop him cocking things up. :)I think they need to get Harry occupied too.

The familiars plans appear to be paying off for Lucius and Xia, as well as Argus and Ivy.Severus, however, seems determined to wring Hermione's neck for stupid stunts instead, and of course he knew how to force her out of the dodgy transformation. A shetland pony and a sea serpent sren't really suited to swimming together either, unfortunately.

I adore this story, Doom, and I'm so pleased you managed to coax the familiars out to play again. :)I'm re-reading again because though I know the premise, I've forgotten a lot of the backstory. It's not a struggle to re-read, in fact I'm planning to thoroughly enjoy myself. I love their matchmaking attempts, and though Minerva has the idea of creating such a potion, I daresay they'll be experiments that meet with marked failures if Duster and the others have their way.

This in-depth look at 'pets,' both human and other species, is absorbing, humorous and revealing.  The last few, crazy hours before students arrive is written so clearly, I wonder if you, Doomspark, are not an educator?  On the other hand, I also like your animal characters...except you lack an animal familiar who is truly a dummy.  As in humans, some can't find their way out of a paper bag without help...although cat familiars are not unknown around my house.  Those are truly scary.  Worse, I'm almost sure they have the ability to apparate, practice human mind control and plot...a lot.  Great story that makes me happy to see continued.   JF

Thank you so much for another update, I am so trilled to see a new chapter added, not to mention the knowlegde that you are still writing fanfics:-))

So glad to see an update .

I feel no sorrow for Peeves, as he feels no sorrow for those he has hurt, he is not sorry for what he has done, he is sorry that he will have to pay the price for his cruelty.

It is good to see Hermione opening her mind, to the magic that exists beyond the pages of a book. 

Harry has "lost so may people he cares about" that he stalks Hermione into the potions classroom for fear that she will be, not insulted, annoyed, or given tiresome tasks, but KILLED by...Professor Snape? Snape, who puts more effort into protecting children from actual danger (as opposed to preventing injuries to their tender little egos) than any other ten characters in the Potterverse combined. Alright, maybe Harry is dunderheaded enough to believe that, but how can Hermione be such an idiot as to put that forward as an excuse? Duster had better look elsewhere for a woman intelligent enough to partner with his pet. Hermione has just disqualified herself. Surely there are women in their thirties and forties available somewhere in wizarding Britain who won't insult Severus with such childish nonsense.

Snape doesn't seem to me the sort to carry on long conversations with his pet. A word or two here and there, but that's all.

I am so happy to see you have updated!

Oh noooooooooo! Doom, you've made me feel sorry for Peeves! I mean, I still think he's a terrible trial to tolerate, and if I lived in the castle I'd do what I could to be stop him causing trouble, but.... in that last section, you made me pity the beastly bu— You made me look at things through his eyes. Just a bit.

Love this little universe you created where the familiars seem to be leading their pets around lol Thanks for a very amusing read in places and darker in others. I do hope you are going to finish this at some stage.

Thanks for writing and sharing.

Sorry for the late review, and thanks for the update! Great chapter. Loving the various developments. Can't wait to see how many pregnancies Fawkes tries to manipulate. Looking forward to seeing how Neville and Millie's joining goes and what the by-product result will be on Severus and Hermione!

Totally happy to see the update, you made my day.

Hi,I'm so glad you came back to this story.  Are you also updating on Ashwinder?

Squeeee!!!  Thank you for the new chapter.  I am thrilled that Duster and Crooks will not erase Severus and Hermione's memories.  I do hope they can make the potion in secret just for themselves; I hate to see all their work go to naught.I hope they succeed in controlling Peeves, although I will not be hasty in guessing who or what was responsible for trashing the student potions stores.  Those stains sound dangerous, almost sentient.Thanks again for the new chapter!  BTW, can you give us a quick list of what has changed in the rewrite, in terms of plot or characters? 

Love the familiars' voices and all the side stories, such as Neville and the Sidhe. :)

What a terrific story!  I can hardly wait for the next installment.  The familiars are so individual and appropriate to their 'pets.'  Severus and Hermione are well characterized.  Congratulations!

How nice to see an update for this!  Hmmm, the familiars are missing, but black and orange stains are winding around Severus and Hermione's feet.  Crookshanks and Duster after being covered by potion ingredients??

First of all thank you so much for a great update to a great story, I was so happy to see it!!! Seccond, I am just as trilled to see that you still write fanfiction for your avid fans to enjoy! I do allow myself to hope that a new update will come along in the not so distant future, both to this story and to " The Varlet", both stories on the top-10 list over WIPs I would love to see finished.
Again, thank you so much for this update, you really made my day!!!

What a brilliant idea for a story! I'm enjoying myself very much as I read this. Great job!

I didn’t see Lucius as Headmaster coming! 

Those familiars had better think fast or the jig will be up! 

I can imagine that exploration will be extremely thorough. 😉