That is a very expensive way to get your heart broken!

I could hear them!  You made it very realistic.

I love it.  Evil Snape, and explains much.  (Although I DO trust Snape)

I love what a different spin you've put on the whole "they had to get married" theme and how you had it play out.  Not your conventional "happily ever after," but it seems to be working for them.

At first I was a little disappointed before I clicked on this chapter. I didn't know the end would come so soon!But after reading it, I am very well satisfied. It's a perfect ending without being a "happy" fairy tale ending. I love how you wrote their relationship and the various practical qualities that made them such a good match.

I loved this wry, unromantic take on the Marriage Law. I see it as a kind of "conte philosophique" about happiness resulting from well-understood selfishness and absence of illusions. Nicely done, and very refreshing!

Um, one of the issues with the contraceptive pill is that if a woman *gets* pregnant on the Pill and she manages to stay pregnant, then the child stands to have some rather profound birth defects.  How long did she keep taking the Pill?

Interesting ending. It feels a bit anticlimactic, but perhaps that's because I've been conditioned to expect Big Confrontational Revelations in arranged-marriage fics. As it stands, the spectacle of two smart people playing out their marriage like a series of chess moves is satisfying in its own way, if not wildly romantic! A very intriguing story overall.

Exquisite! You left them both true to their personalities even though they had rings on their fingers. It irks me when Severus and Hermione become so sweet to one another because "they are in love" ( personal note: If my husband of 20 years did that I'd know that it was either an affair or a terminal illness). Severus would never bring HIS child into an uncaring situation and Hermione would not have brought 2 children into the world without planning perfect lives for them (complete with time-tables...color-coded).When you do the sequel have the girls overhear the still bachelor Ron in conversation with the still-bitter Molly in regards to their parents and their marriage. I'm sure the 2 girls could say "wanker"  and "bitch" in 15 languages to be followed with equal amount of hexes as they explain how wonderful their parents are and how their life actually is for them! Thank you again for another wonderful fic!

Aw, over already?  Dang, I was looking forward to more snarking and subtle battles and lemons!  Great story, though. Thank you for writing!

Ha! I love Ron and Molly burning up with jealousy with only themselves to blame. Loved this story.

*squees*  Loved it, my dear!  Enjoyed it from beginning to end!  Thanks for writing it! 

A very Snape-ish happily ever after.  Imperfect and snarky, but loyal and protective in his own way.  He may be a manipulator, but he is a better man at the end of the story than he was in the beginning.Well done.

Hermione married the uber Slytherin, as this chapter clearly shows.  Interesting how you've managed to set his manipulations so that Hermione gets what she wants - after he's set the idea in motion.

Does Scrimgeour stay away nights thinking of new ways to make Snape's life miserable?At least Hermione and Severus seem to be coming along nicely, in a Slytherin sort of way.

I'm not sure I got to commenting at all on the individual chapters, as it was one of those rare stories where I didn't really feel I could say much before reading the whole thing and letting it settle for a bit.

It was certainly an intriguing story. I'm not quite sure how I feel about Snape not really being on the side of Light, but then again, it definitely added a whole new layer to the story. 

And the epilogue seemed to indicate that after having spent some time being married, he wasn't perhaps quite as much of a heartless bastard as he seemed in the beginning (or for most of the story). 

I loved the way Hermione adapted as well, especially with learning how to get Severus to do what she wanted! Blackmail always works, yes. :-D 

Anyway, excellent story! Thank you. 

Bravo! Good ending. I'm glad you didn't succumb to the lure of saccharine. Sev works really well when he's caustic, and even though they are clearly 'happily married' there's none of those irritating violins and fireworks getting in the way! It's been a pleasure reading this fic. Thank you very much.

Well, I certainly was happy to get my email, telling me that you'd updated.  I liked the epilogue.  You did a great job on this story, and I wouldn't be opposed to seeinga sequel (wink! wink!). 

Well, it was a sweet journey, but I'm a little dissapointed that Hermione didn't hex or do something to Severus for getting her pregnant by trickery.  It did seem a little rushed at the end because of this.   Perhaps you were bit by another bunny? 

lol Sneaky Slytherin.  Well I can't wait to see more, I wonder what will happen when Hermione finds out that he got her pregnant on purpose.....

Couldn't resist coming here to read the latest chapters. Absolutely loved the idea of Snape & Scrimgeor's faces reflecting bursts of fireworky colour and light as Snape learns he has to become a father in order to maintain his lifestyle. And then Hermione thinks she's reading him correctly, when he's actually successfully carrying out his plan! He's utterly indestructable, she doesn't stand a chance!

He's not as good at spotting all the possibilities as he thinks he is, is he?

Oh, it looks like Sev might be fooling himself.  LOL!!  I love it! 

Again a brilliant chapter:-))

I can’t see anything wrong with what the Dark Lord had made of his life, but I keep that thought to myself.

My first laugh of the day!

The backfiring of Severus's plan played out very well. Lovely look into his mind as it happened, too.