Epilogue: Job Interview
Chapter 8 of 8
nataHermione sends Snape a job application letter. Snape wouldn’t want to associate himself with an irritable, annoying know-it-all on a regular basis, would he? He can do nothing but decline, can’t he?
ReviewedIrritated Severus Snape fervently strode to answer an obnoxious knock on his Spinner's End front door. He roughly pulled the door fully open to reveal a slightly alarmed Hermione Granger standing with a raised hand and reddening knuckles in his doorway.
"What do you want?!" Snape asked as he pocketed his wand.
Hermione blinked a few times and cleared her throat. "Oh, sorry. Good day, Professor. I thought you wouldn't open."
"Spit it out, woman," Snape hissed. "What possessed you to grace me with your company without a prior appointment the usual way?"
"I sent you a letter..."
"Haven't you received my reply?"
"I have."
"Haven't you read it?" Snape lowered his head slightly and leaned forward barely noticeably initiating a cramped feeling in Hermione of being thoroughly dominated.
"I have," she squeaked.
"Then you surely have noticed that my answer is no."
"But, sir..." Hermione stepped back to regain her personal space and composure.
"There was no room for further discussion in my reply. Henceforward, be so kind as to remove yourself from my doorstep," Snape said in an icy-cold voice.
He attempted to close the door, but Hermione called, "You've been sleeping less then four hours recently," and launched forward.
Snape hesitated for a split of a second before he resumed his motion. Hermione used the time to briskly slip inside. The door loudly shut behind her, but she found herself pressed to it by a firm body of her ex-teacher with the tip of his wand pinned into her throat.
"What have you done to my wards?" he whispered into her ear.
"Nothing," she said with a very shallow breath through her constricted throat.
"Don't lie to me!"
"Nothing, sir. I did research for my job application and calculated the time you spent working."
He intently looked at her and eased off. Her wand arm was however still firmly clutched in his grip, and his wand still pressed into her skin.
"Continue."
"I researched potions market for a possible career for myself and found that your company produces the most interesting range of potions."
"I've read your letter. On with it."
"Well, it's an impressive list!"
"All four feet of it, Miss Granger." Snape slightly increased the pressure of his wand.
"Ehm." Hermione cleared her throat and tried to pull away from the wand. "I tried to imagine myself brewing such exciting potions on daily basis, and as I lost myself in daydreaming..."
"Get to the point," Snape barked.
"It takes an awful lot of time. The apothecars told me you always supplied on time, you were exceptionally reliable with urgent, unexpected orders, and..."
"Enough!" Snape stepped back. "I see where you are heading."
"All times put together, you sleep four hours a day, less on busy days. You eat..."
"Quiet! I said I saw you point!"
"Well, you do need help." Hermione frowned in exasperation.
"Miss Granger, my answer is no as you have confirmed you had read in my generous reply to you. How many times must I repeat everything I say until it penetrates your skull and gets registered?"
"Not once. You know that. We've worked together during the War!" Hermione raised her voice.
"You stayed at Hogwarts while I stayed with the Dark Lord. That hardly qualifies as working together." Snape sneered.
"You know I'm capable of following your instructions precisely," Hermione tried to explain frantically.
"Yet, you still insist on your job obsession."
"If the instructions are reasonable," she added. "This one clearly isn't. Look, I've finished my advanced schooling in Potions with..."
"With special training in Arithmancy," Snape interrupted her. "I've read your CV as well. Thank you very much."
"The point is," Hermione sighed, "that I'm qualified, willing, and you know how I work from before. Plus, my research and work helped you to regain your position in the Order and then in the society," she said accusingly.
"I have served my sentence!" Snape charged.
"But nine months for killing, instead of life sentence for murder!"
"And you call that a favour I should pay back by employing you to nourish your insatiable urge to have fun during working hours?"
"No! I'm merely pointing out my stable role in your life and offering you valuable services of highly suitable personnel. Just imagine the research you could do if we shared the ordinary burden," Hermione exclaimed.
Snape groaned. The girl had a nerve. Calling his volatile, dangerous substances an ordinary burden.
"But I don't want an assistant. Much less you."
"You are being unreasonable!" Hermione threw her arms wide in frustration.
"That's it, Miss Granger," Snape shouted. "Shall I bodily remove you from my house, or will you leave by yourself?"
"I'm the best option you have to get some sleep. Look how grumpy you are!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Hermione realised that this time she pushed him too far. He grabbed her neck and Apparated them both to the other side of his entrance. Casting a silent Disillusionment Charm to prevent unwanted attention, he pulled her close to him and whispered, "Don't you dare come here again, you insolent little chit."
Hermione trembled and fell to the ground as he forcibly pushed her away from his porch. She took a deep breath and said as fast as she could, "The antidote to Vacuum can be improved by substituting charcoal with quartz."
Snape paused with his back towards her and a hand on his doorknob. He slowly turned his head.
"Why?"
"Quartz is composed of silicon while charcoal is carbon. Silicon is heavier than carbon, but belongs to the same group according to Mendeleyev table."
"You are forgetting oxygen forms quartz together with silicon, and magical properties of carbon and silicon are not complimentary. Moreover, charcoal in the antidote is chemically an absorbant; quartz has no such qualities."
"This approach worked for Distant Tracking, so the idea merits at least some testing in Potions."
"Distant Probability Tracking." Snape corrected her.
"Your way. Distant Tracking my way. They are separate patented procedures. The Aurors establish 'how' their colleagues on duty are your way and 'where' my way," Hermione fluently explained.
Snape gritted his teeth. "You are insufferable."
"So you say." Hermione smiled at him sweetly. "And I've found your weakness."
Snape only inclined his head and lifted an eyebrow.
"If I say something intriguing, you stop shouting, and your brain gets the time to think and revaluate."
This time Snape positively smiled. At least that's how convention would simply describe the slender uplift of the corners of his mouth and slight narrowing of his eyes. Hermione watched him, thunderstruck.
"This arrangement is only temporary. Start applying for your other jobs straight away. My free advice for your future job applications is to shorten your letter to four inches. I will test your ludicrous idea while you handle the ordinary burden. Today, you will brew Felix Felicis, Wolfsbane, Draught of Living Death and remaster the brewing of Beautifying Potion, which is now doubtlessly ruined by your untimely visit."
"Yes, sir."
"And the cost of fixing the Beautifying Potion will be deducted from your pay. I don't intend to spend my money on such frivolous mistakes," Snape shifted his weigh in discomfort as if he was caught in disgrace for associating his name with brewing a Beautifying Potion. "It is your sole fault that it needs fixing."
"Naturally, sir."
"Naturally?" Snape quirked one eyebrow, and the tiniest of smiles threatened to break on his face again.
"Well, you could've admitted straight away you needed me and the potion wouldn't..."
"Quiet! Get up and get to work. I'm not paying you for sitting around in dirt," Snape said disdainfully and disappeared into the dark recesses of his house.
Hermione shook her head as she stood up, cleared her clothes, tried to tame her hair, straightened her back and marched after him.
Author's notes: As per your request, I'm adding an epilogue in hope that it closes the story to your better satisfaction.
A mention of Vacuum is a tribute to one of my favourite stories Walk Through the Fire by WonderfulChild. She describes the effects of Vacuum in her third chapter as: "It some how dampens the magical core for three minutes so that any spell or potion applied during that time will bind to a witch or wizard's magic. Whatever that spell or potion is, it lasts for the rest of their lives." It is truly a dreadful potion as 'Fire' eloquently depicts.
Once again, thanks to KDTheRavenclaw for beta reading my story, and I'm grateful to admins at the Petulant Poetess for selecting this story as a featured one for April 2007. It is a great honour for me.
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Latest 25 Reviews for Cleared of the Murder
28 Reviews | 6.5/10 Average
It was an intense chapter. So much anguish in the aftermath. Wonderful writing.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Oh, an unanswered review. Oops! Thank you for your compliment.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Oh, an unanswered review. Oops! Thank you for your compliment.
I really enjoyed reading this story. I especially loved the epilogue. You write a deliciously snarky Snape, and for that I thank you!
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you very much. I'm delighted to hear that you liked my take on Snape. He is a charmer the way he is, isn't he?
excellent story. i think you handled the rape spot on. congrats on featured story, it's well deserved. thanks for sharing your vision and talent.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you for the wonderful review. I appreciate it very much.
This should be at with the Epilogue, as I have read the whole story and enjoyed it ... but I started to reread the first chapter when it occured to me that in your opening line you have Mundungus Fletcher at the Order meeting. Granted, I don't think it's nailed down tight in canon as to how long he was to stay, but the last we knew of Fletcher in HBP, he was in Azkaban and Harry wasn't happy with him.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Hm, that did not occur to me. As far as I was able to check (HP Lexicon), he was sent to Azkaban for impersonating an Inferius during an attempted burglary. He could have been released within months for such a minor crime. Theoretically, if the Ministry did not accuse him of spreading panic and lock him for good on their policy that they need to arrest someone, he could have been free by the first meeting in this story without Harry knowing - hence, without mention in canon.There. An explanation. But only as an afterthought. In fact, I missed that. Thank you for your comment, I will think about a different character that could serve the purpose.
As I mentioned on Ashwinder allready - I like the ways the dialogues are led, so I have to rate this story also here.Congratulations to the second closing and I am looking very very much forward to the dragon (nudge nudge - when wil you finish them ?!?!?!?)
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you for all those stars! The dragons are on their way - see my lj for more updates.
Thank you -- that's much better!
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
I'm very happy that it has done the job for you.
Nicely done. I love the Vacuum reference, too. :-)
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you. 'Walk Through the Fire' is a captivating story, but that potion definitely deserves a working antidote. Even though they might never find it in Wonderful's plot plan, they have a good chance in this one.
I love this story. Absolutely love it. While I don't fully understand the cube graph things or the magicmeters, I get the concept behind them and I think they're very clever. I think you handled Hermione's rape in a very mature way, and I'm glad that you didn't just brush it off like some writers do, that you allowed Hermione to have those after-feelings and crazy emotions. I hope you update this soon and can't wait to read more!
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
What a very lovely message to find early in the morning! Thank you for making me smile. I'm very happy that you liked the story. The epilogue has now been sent to my beta.
You developed some really intriguing ideas. Have you given any thought to what might happen next? I'd be very interested to see it, if you ever write it.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you. I've just sent an epilogue to my beta and a sequel is well on its way. However, I will start posting it only once it is completed. I kind of like this universe, so there definitely will be more.
Response from firefly124 (Reviewer)
I'm very glad to hear it! I understand not wanting to post until done - there's always the possibility something you do in a later chapter will make you want to tweak something in chapter 1, after all.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
It does not usually happen to me. I tend to plan the story beforehand to a considerable detail - plotwise, not method-wise. My hessitation is rather due to the fact that I often have long hiatuses between intensive writing sessions, and I don't want my readers to suffer the wait. *sigh*
I like ths story so far, its looking good.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you very much. I'm posting the next chapter today.
Interesting thoughts on the conditins Snape has set and the Patronus messages. I wonder why none of them can see at least the possibility that his concern is for it to fall into Voldemort's hands. I look forward to reading more.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
They are generally suspitious about anything Snape does in these conditions. They had trusted him, most of them reluctantly, and he marched right up to the Astronomy Tower and shattered their trust in the worst possible way. They view his actions as dubious - to put it mildly. Thanks for reviewing each chapter. It feels wonderful!
Response from firefly124 (Reviewer)
Oh, I totally understand their suspicions and sense of betrayal. I just want to knock their heads together for missing it. Glad you're enjoying the reviews!
Oh, I just love Mr. Granger's misinterpretation of the magicmeter's readings. Nice touch!
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
;-) Thanks! I'm happy that you interpreted the magic of love and the owl otherwise.
It is intense indeed. I think you have rendered her response very well.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you very much. I tried my best.
I like how you've balanced the possibilities here. Snape could realistically still be on either side.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
We won't know until HP7, will we? Perhaps his true loyalty will remain a mistery even afterwards. I, however, believe that he might get a chance to be redeemed in canon.
Response from firefly124 (Reviewer)
That's what I'm hoping, too.
I find your magicmeter idea very intriguing, especially the way it maps out Albus' magic for the days leading up to his death. Onward to chapter 2!
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you! I'm glad you like it!
This ain't half bad, I'm baffled as to why nobody reviews!
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you so much for being so generous and leave me four reviews in a day. You were wonderful, you really made my day. Reviews are possitively addictive, and a writer can never have enough.
That magicmeter sounds interesting!
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you! It's also almost canon. Almost. Except that Jo does not like science. I do.
Poor Hermione! I can understand her reaction to Ron, though.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
I agree. I still feel guilty for putting her through such horrors, but it was necessary to separate her from Ron and Harry were quickly and abruptly.
Promising start!
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you very much! I hope you will like the rest of the story too.
Interesting ideas. The letter from Hermione's dad at the end particularly intrigues me.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you for your review. There certainly is a reason for the way those letters are worded. I hope you will enjoy revelation behind them in chapter 7.
I can't believe that nobody's reviewed this story yet. You've done a good job so far and I'm looking forward to the next chapter.
One small thing, though—in this chapter you have Ron saying "Potter's friends would be more valuable to them alive" in a conversation with Harry and Hermione. It seems a bit odd to have him saying this, especially since the remark seems to be directed towards Harry and doesn't appear to be a quote.
Otherwise, though, good work so far. Keep it up!Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you VERY much for your review. In fact, it is the second, but my first review on this site was lost during the server breakdown on Monday.The way I picture Ron in that scene is that he is sitting a bit apart from the girls and Harry, deep in thought. He tries to contemplate what had happened and he still does not understand why the DEs did not harm Hermione, but rather attempted to capture her. Therefore, being lost in thoughts about Death Eaters, Ron says rather 'Potter's friends' then 'us' or 'your friends'.
Response from Pennfana (Reviewer)
Ah, I see. It still seems a bit odd, but I understand your reasoning now. 
Fast-paced chapter... very good. I enjoyed the argument as they dissected Snape's motives; Harry was sceptical and blinkered and Hermione typically open and objective. The cube idea is a very good one, although, I'm wondering about the two variables on one axis? Did you have time versus spell strength as part of the magicmeter function? Were the cubes discussed by Tonks, displaying the same data as the 'graph' generated by Minerva's magicmeter?The way I read it, the magicmeter slope was time versus spell strength; it also generated a sort of ballistics analysis of the spell being cast (am I way off?).The cube discussed by Tonks, reminded me of the spirometry graphs you can get, where the quadrants relate to a particular lung function/dysfunction--upper left quadrant may indicate emphysema, for example, and lower left, asthma (just an illustration, as I don't know exactly how the chart works), and the placement within that quadrant suggest a severity of the observed condition. I extrapolated from that, to think that the placement of the light within the cube indicated the type and strength of the spell at the time of the test, and conveying the efficacy of the spell, i.e. how effective that particular spell would have been, dependant upon it's location within the cube.I did struggle to see how Tonks could have deduced from the results that Dumbledore could have been killed by any charm, even if it was a Healng Charm, but I liked the idea and thought that it was a lovely irony.Either way, I enjoyed the chapter; the structure matched the content incredibly well, and I was caught up in it. Wonderful.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
The magical charts. Yes. An enigma. The magicmeter measures magical residues (what stays around after magic has it an object, imagine it as vibration, or a comet tail) in time. Magical residues can represent magic around a person, something like a personal scent, or as you say the spell strength. That is Minerva's chart. She sets one chart for magical residues of Dumbledore's corpse and one for a specific spell, the Killing Curse.Tonks uses more sophisticated device. Where McGonagall has to tune her magicmeter for every specific spell she wants to test, Tonks has a third dimension in her results, marking if the spell was good or bad. The axis then show time, spell strength and intent/goodness. The spirometry analogy you mention might apply to a certain extent. With this, one can also more or less diagnose the spell.Tonks also creates a death probability chart, and we do not see the device she uses for those measurements. I expect that it is based on changes in individual's magical signature, or residues in time, but I'm not certain it can be measured directly with a magicmeter as I envision it. Good point,
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
. Maybe it is a way of recalculating the values given by a magicmeter. I'll have to think about that. In any case, Tonks had known that by the time Dumbledore lay crumpled on the Astronomy Tower, he was so weakened that he was basically dead all by himself - probability of his death has been more or less 95-100% since the moment he began to desire water from the Inferi infested lake.Thank you very much for your reviews.nata
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
The magical charts. Yes. An enigma. The magicmeter measures magical residues (what stays around after magic has it an object, imagine it as vibration, or a comet tail) in time. Magical residues can represent magic around a person, something like a personal scent, or as you say the spell strength. That is Minerva's chart. She sets one chart for magical residues of Dumbledore's corpse and one for a specific spell, the Killing Curse.Tonks uses more sophisticated device. Where McGonagall has to tune her magicmeter for every specific spell she wants to test, Tonks has a third dimension in her results, marking if the spell was good or bad. The axis then show time, spell strength and intent/goodness. The spirometry analogy you mention might apply to a certain extent. With this, one can also more or less diagnose the spell.Tonks also creates a death probability chart, and we do not see the device she uses for those measurements. I expect that it is based on changes in individual's magical signature, or residues in time, but I'm not certain it can be measured directly with a magicmeter as I envision it. Good point,
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
. Maybe it is a way of recalculating the values given by a magicmeter. I'll have to think about that. In any case, Tonks had known that by the time Dumbledore lay crumpled on the Astronomy Tower, he was so weakened that he was basically dead all by himself - probability of his death has been more or less 95-100% since the moment he began to desire water from the Inferi infested lake.Thank you very much for your reviews.nata
Excellent start, and the magicmeter and associated data is a remarkable idea: magical forensic evidence. The concept opens up a whole new area of fanfiction. I admit that I smirked at Diggle's cynicism about trying to think happy thoughts when dodging curses, and I appreciate Tonk's observation about perspective being the key.I hope that you delve into the theory behind Minerva's evidence, as the scientist in me was sitting on the edge of the seat, begging for more--really appreciate the depth of thought that went into that scene. I'm also very happy to see someone wondering about why Dumbledore was hurled from the Tower--I had seen it as some ploy on JKR's part as to his survival; alas, no!Minerva's needed and desperate stoicism was lovely to read! You wrote her as being human and not some convenient character--as you defined all the characters. It's good to see that the characters actually feel.I'm waffling now, so I'll stop.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Oh, no, please don't stop! It is so wonderful to read and read into your review. Thank you very much for it!Magical forensics now has its own original story. This year I have been trying to get it published (in Czech). Unsuccessful so far. Well, it is rather weird and I'm not that good an author, so it is no wonder. It deals with concepts from here - what signatures magic leaves, what physical principles are involved in spells, how that can affect molecular processes in a cell... That sounds rather like a lecture, doesn't it? I tried to convey it in a story of an immortal wizard having his heart transplanted into a non-magical girl. The reviewers so far like the idea, dislike my language and my characterisation. So, it is very nice to find your review here praise my take on characters.Thank you,
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
,nata
Response from sweetflag (Reviewer)
Lecture away... I love the idea. I hinted at the suggestion of magical forensics in another fanfic, but I shied away from having to think, so I left it there. The knowledge that you've done an original story involving those principles makes me very curious. Is it avaialble to read? Hang on... it is in Czech. That will cause problems... lol. Not that good an author? No. There has to be another reason. I'm not fawning, but I find your style of writing to be fascinating, but I admit that I'm no professional critic or good author myself. I find it difficult to write the characters in HP fanfics because I'm only borrowing them, and I like them to be as close to how they are presented in the books so that my stories are more fitting for that environment. It's hard, and I much prefer original characters as the reader will have no preconceived ideas and expectations about them. The fact that characterisation has been frowned upon in your original piece is quite a surprise.As for getting it published, I wish you all the best with that and remind you that Charlotte Bronte had little success at first :), neither did JKR, if memory serves. Maybe you could get a second pair of eyes to read through and suggest a more reader-friendly phrase or two? I just had a flash of a magic-noir... a detective drama akin to the Maltese falcon... lol. I'll read the next chapters as soon as... the family beckons, and I have to read stories... Winnie the Pooh :D
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Oh, no, please don't stop! It is so wonderful to read and read into your review. Thank you very much for it!Magical forensics now has its own original story. This year I have been trying to get it published (in Czech). Unsuccessful so far. Well, it is rather weird and I'm not that good an author, so it is no wonder. It deals with concepts from here - what signatures magic leaves, what physical principles are involved in spells, how that can affect molecular processes in a cell... That sounds rather like a lecture, doesn't it? I tried to convey it in a story of an immortal wizard having his heart transplanted into a non-magical girl. The reviewers so far like the idea, dislike my language and my characterisation. So, it is very nice to find your review here praise my take on characters.Thank you,
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
,nata
Response from sweetflag (Reviewer)
Lecture away... I love the idea. I hinted at the suggestion of magical forensics in another fanfic, but I shied away from having to think, so I left it there. The knowledge that you've done an original story involving those principles makes me very curious. Is it avaialble to read? Hang on... it is in Czech. That will cause problems... lol. Not that good an author? No. There has to be another reason. I'm not fawning, but I find your style of writing to be fascinating, but I admit that I'm no professional critic or good author myself. I find it difficult to write the characters in HP fanfics because I'm only borrowing them, and I like them to be as close to how they are presented in the books so that my stories are more fitting for that environment. It's hard, and I much prefer original characters as the reader will have no preconceived ideas and expectations about them. The fact that characterisation has been frowned upon in your original piece is quite a surprise.As for getting it published, I wish you all the best with that and remind you that Charlotte Bronte had little success at first :), neither did JKR, if memory serves. Maybe you could get a second pair of eyes to read through and suggest a more reader-friendly phrase or two? I just had a flash of a magic-noir... a detective drama akin to the Maltese falcon... lol. I'll read the next chapters as soon as... the family beckons, and I have to read stories... Winnie the Pooh :D
I've really enjoyed this story very much. Particularly the magic-meter bits (Wonder why so few fics speculate on the science of magic? It is such a logical topic for Hermione to be speculating about) and the dialogue between Severus and Hermione. I would have liked for it to be longer, but can also see why this could be a logical place to stop. One thing though. Hermione's ordeal. Was that just a plot-point to make her return to Hogwarts and seperate her from her friends? If that is the case, it seems a rather harsh one. All in all I feel perhaps the aftereffects could have been addressed more, considerating how awful what she went through is....
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Thank you very much. I believe that the reason why science of magic is rare in fanfiction is the fact that the writer must know quite a bit about it. Here, I used bits of chemistry and engineering, but it is nothing compared to amazing science dialogues in ubiquirk's Ladder. Wonderful, wonderful scientific discussions there.Hermione's rape was there purely for the purpose of quickly separating her from Ron and giving her a reason to fully concentrate on something else then direct Horcrux hunt. She shouln't also grieve about her failed relationship with Ron (if I took that course), while I wanted to keep it HBP compliant. I'm sorry it had to be done. It's a terrible thing to go through. She was very much ashamed (not even telling her parents), wanted to avoid any humans she could (hiding away in Snape's lab), focused on a task that could consume her mind and keep it off the memories (research). That's what I would have done. I think, having not had the experience.
Is it really over? I want more. It feels like there should be more to it.
Response from nata (Author of Cleared of the Murder)
Yes, this is the end. All aspects that I intended to deal with in this story have been closed. However, I'm considering an epilogue. Several people at Ashwinder also noted that I ended this too quickly. Since readers are very important for every writer, I take such suggestions to my heart. And although I already have an almost finished sequel, an epilogue is definitely an option too.