The next chapter is indeed in the queue and should be up soon, hope you enjoy!

Thanks so much! Next chapter is in the queue. There you will find out a bit more. :)

Thanks so much! Don't worry about me continuing it. I'm in the editing stages of chapter 11, which I intend to post tomorrow on my LJ under shalimar1981, since I'll be leaving for Sectus on Wednesday and won't have time to post here on TPP as well before that. After my holiday it will be uploaded at the usual archives if you want to wait. The next few chapters are already started as well. I'm glad you follow my story still, even after the long wait! I thought after my hiatus writing for the sshg_exchange on Lj, I'd have lost all my readers. It's good to know this isn't so. :) I hope you'll like the next few chapters!

till soon,

Shal :)

Thanks so much! Am glad you are enjoying my story.

And go ahead and try fencing. It's an amazing sport. I practised for about a year, then gave up due to personal problems three years ago. Then I tried to think up something for this story, and fencing just stuck. I started it a few weeks ago again. It's awesome.

More about the rituals in the next chapter. Will be up soon.

Shal 

Thanks

! I'm glad you're still with the story!

As for the chapter title, I can't say just now. :)

But there'll be more on the ritual in the next chapter, which will be up soon.

Shal 

<How... twisted.  Heh, that has to be my favourite line so far.>

Well, that's Ron for you! lol Male psychology, tee-hee.

Next chapter will have more on the ritual, I promise! And there will be more of similar topics to come...

He,he

*enjoys dangling bits of info in front of everyone's noses*

I hope to have chapter 11 finished very soon, although chapter 12 will probably be finished way before that. LOL

Thanks for your review!

Shal 

This story is driving me crazy with guessing at Snape's motives and games. But a good kind of crazy.

Ha! Excellent!

*insert Mr Burns-like steepling and rippling of fingers here*

That's exactly what I want to achieve and I'm happy that it seems to work! *beams*

*innocent whistling to the rest of the comment* or as JKR would do: 'Sorry, can't say anything about that.'

Shal 

Ritus Ultionis is indeed part of the guessing game. I originally had it in English, but it sounded too maudlin in a way, so take a look at the online dictionaries and see what you come up with. It will play a large role in the ultimate plot-line.

King and Queen is not a reference to alchemy, or at least it wasn't when I thought it up. Am curious, though, what would it suggest in the field of alchemy?

*thinks maybe there is another field she can include into the mysterious plot-line!*

I'm glad you enjoy the story and the mystery so far! Though I hadn't originally planned on it, I will heed your call and include some info on rituals and the Ways of Old into the next chapter. But beware, this ritual is only the beginning of what Hermione will soon find herself embroiled in. It will get really interesting soon, that I can promise you.

Thanks for hanging in there so far!

Shal 

Nearly everything I know about alchemy and the use of its symbols in the HP series comes from the HP Lexicon forum here: http://wc6.worldcrossing.com/webx?14@@.1ddefb25/0 the first posts are particularly enlightening. Read the first posts to have an overview, and search the thread for symbols about "king" and "queen". Thanks for including some clues in the next chapters. I don't ask for you to explain eveything (where would be the mystery otherwise) but I feel like it's time to learn a bit more.Now, off to on-line translators.

OK, now I have an idea of the meaning, but I can't see how it fits with the story.

Ah, I looked a bit into the Alchemy thread and searched a bit, but it doesn't seem like I can use the references with King and Queen (re: R/Hr), but I will try to search some more to look for something else to use. It sounds very interesting so far!

LOL, I have to apologise. I am continually tired and sometimes I don't get things as quickly as I should. I had planned to include something on the ritual and have already written those bits for precisely the reasons you named and because of course Hermione wouldn't let that pass by without asking questions either. But due to your post I will now also include a bit about rituals in general, when she is searching for it, and about the ancient ways. I think your curiosity will be satisfied for a bit when you will read chapter 11.

So, some more on the ritual in chapter 11, nothing so far on it in chapter 12 (bridge here), and the ritual itself in chapter 13. Chapter 11 is halfway finished so far and I will continue writing on it the next few days.

As for the rituals' name... Well, think of who else was mentioned in relation with the ritual.

If you'd like to continue the discussion, I'd love to do that on my Lj at shalimar1981.livejournal.com on the update thread or you can mail me. Am bouncing in my seat about discussing this! Very exciting. :)

Shal 

Thanks! I'm glad you like it! The next chapter will be posted within the week.

Shal

Thanks! Next chapter is coming soon.

bye,

Shal

Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked it.

bye,

Shal

Sorry to take so long to answer, but I have been trying to work out some of the issues you mentioned. I hope I will be able to post the corrected version in the next couple of days.

First of all though, Thank you! *headdesk* I missed the Friday vs Saturday mistake. I have my timeline, but sometimes I miss something like this.

The rest is a very good point and I will try to clarify that in this and the coming chapters. The problem is that when Snape said that they would meet 'from now on' on those days, that he really meant it that way. He had no way of knowing that the routine he meant to establish for her would be interrupted constantly - or rather that I hurried the pace along! lol

It's a very good point though and I will try to make it more clear. Thanks for the concrit! Can always use some help. And thanks for the nice compliment as well! I'm truly lucky if there's nothing else to criticise!

bye,

Shal

Why do I have the feeling that Snape has plans within plans within plans? And we have only seen one other layer of them?

Well, because you hit the nail right on the head? Some questions are going to be answered in the next chapter, I promise, while some new ones come up...

I got rather lost in the fencing stances and moves, but this is the first I've every read anything about it. I suspect that will be true of most readers.

I'm sorry about that. I had hoped I had explained it well enough. But then it was hard to write enough but not too much.

I'm glad you liked the melt-down. I wanted to show some of her insecurities here.

Thanks so much for your review! I'm glad that you liked it. I was very worried beforehand how it would be received. It was especially hard to write.

bye,

Shal

Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked this chapter and especially the breakdown scene. I worried no end about it!

bye,

Shal

It's a brilliant song, and so fitting!

Thanks for your review! Am glad you liked the chapter.

bye,

Shal

Thanks for your review!

I'm glad you liked the chapter and especially the breakdown. I was kind of worried about the fact that Hermione has yet *another* breakdown. But it was the third.

So much for threes.

I'm happy I got you puzzled on that one, an explanation - of a kind - will be in the next chapter.

bye,

Shal

*beams*

Thanks for your high praise, it really makes my day!

I'm glad you are so enthusiastic about 'Wicked in Progress' as one reviewer termed it.

I didn't plan for the wait to be so long between chapters, chapter nine has actually been finished for close to two months already and should be back from one of my betas any moment (I hope). And chapter ten is also finished and should follow soon after.

*sighs in relief*

At least someone likes my emotional! Hermione. To have her constantly be perfect and composed as many fic authors portray her is simply not human in my opinion, so I chose to show her as a little more emotional, okay a lot more emotional. And Snape, is, well, hopefully as mysterious as in canon!

bye,

Shal

OMG! 2 more chapters! She cried 'More! More! More!'Yeah, I hate is when Herms becomes a Mary Sue. She's great, but by no means perfect. Which is why she's interesting. pythia

Yep, it is! :)