You know, starting to read stories that is obviously abonded aint what I usually do, but the plot intrigued me, especially since it is very different from most stories written today. To bad you didn't finish the story, the first five chapters were very entertaining:-))

This was a really fun read, thanks for sharing! : )

I'm sure Professor Hermione could provide Justine some education. And it could take her away from her home and her numerus fiances. Will Professor Snape agree with her modern education? That is the question I'd like to know about.

Justine is a great character and she is so smitten with Ron - how endearing.

Excellent chapter, as always. 

Thank you so much for the update! I loved Justines entrance at the end, seems like she took a quick fancy towards Ron:-) I can only imagine the horror he will feel when he realise that not only has he catched the interest of a 8-year old, but the daugther of Severus Snape. Not to mention said Snape when even the thougth of having a Weasley in the family runs through his mind:-)) Update again soon!!!

It's actually tenterhooks. See below:    1. One of the hooks or bent nails set in a close row along the upper and lower bar of a tenter, by which the edges of the cloth are firmly held; a hooked or right-angled nail or spike; dial. a metal hook upon which anything is hung. 1480 Wardr. Acc. Edw. IV (1830) 139 Tentourhokes, cc. 1492-3 Rec. St. Mary at Hill 186 Item, for tayntyrhokes and ffor wachyng of the sepulture, xijd. a1518 SKELTON Magnyf. 1002 Her naylys sharpe as tenter hokys! 1579 in Feuillerat Revels Q. Eliz. (1908) 324 Tainter Hookes at viii^d the c. a1683 SIDNEY Disc. Govt. III. xxxii. (1704) 369 The King of Marocco may stab his Subjects, throw them to the Lions, or hang them upon tenterhooks. 1688 R. HOLME Armoury III. 348/1 The Tentry Hook is a Nail with a crooked Head, yet sharp pointed, that it may strike into any thing hung upon it. 1777 HOWARD Prisons Eng. (1780) 404 The partition between this and the garden..strong palisades with tenter-hooks. 1825 WATERTON Wand. S. Amer. III. iii. 254 On examining his teeth I found that they were all bent like tenter-hooks, pointing down his throat. 1888 Sheffield Gloss., Tenter-hooks, the hooks upon which the valances of a bed are hung. 1889 N.W. Linc. Gloss. (ed. 2), Tenter-hooks, strong iron hooks put in ceilings and..joists.., on which bacon and other such things are hung.

    b. transf. = TENTER n.¹ 2b.

1665 HOOKE Microgr. xxxv. 164 It was arm'd likewise with the like Tenterhooks or claws with those of the sheath. 1713 DERHAM Phys.-Theol. To Rdr. 6 The Beards (or Tenter-hooks [of a bee's sting] as Dr. Hook calls them) lie only on one side of each Spear, not all round them. 1816 KIRBY & SP. Entomol. xxiii. (1818) II. 323 These tenter-hooks in the suckers of flies..are mere fancies.

    2. fig. That on which something is stretched or strained; something that causes suffering or painful suspense. Cf. TENTER n.¹ 3.

1532 MORE Confut. Barnes VIII. Wks. 797/1 The churche..is stretched out in the stretcher or tenter hookes of the crosse, as a churche well washed and cleansed. 1601 CHESTER Love's Mart. (1878) 138 Ract on the tenter~hookes of foule disgrace. 1823 BYRON Juan XIV. xcvii, [It] keeps the atrocious reader in suspense; The surest way for ladies and for books To bait their tender or their tenter-hooks.

    b. esp. in phrases to put, set, strain, stretch on the tenterhooks: to strain, distort the sense of (words) (? obs.); to strain (conscience, truth, authority, credit, etc.) beyond the proper, normal, or natural extent, limit, or scope; to put a strain on (a faculty, power, or capacity). Now rare.

1583 STUBBES Anat. Abus. II. (1882) 29 He racketh it, straineth it, and as it were so setteth it on the tenter hookes. 1603 H. CROSSE Vertues Commw. (1878) 58 By setting the conscience on the tainter-hookes, to rise vp by his fall. 1630 R. Johnson's Kingd. & Commw. 134 Nor doe I here stretch my discourse on the tenter-hookes of partiality. 1700 W. KING Transactioneer 57 The poor People have set their Wits, as if it were on the Tenter-hooks, to make Turnep-Bread in Essex. 1841 D'ISRAELI Amen. Lit. (1867) 213 (Invent. Printing) Honest men..sometimes strain truth on the tenter-hooks of fiction.

    c. to be on (the) tenterhooks: i.e. in a state of painful suspense or impatience: cf. TENTER n.¹ 3b.

1748 SMOLLETT Rod. Rand. xlv, I left him upon the tenter-hooks of impatient uncertainty. 1812 SIR R. WILSON Pr. Diary (1861) I. 127 Until I reach the imperial headquarters I shall be on tenter-hooks. 1897 Sat. Rev. 25 Dec. 754/1 The author keeps..the reader..on tenterhooks.

    3. attrib.

1576 FLEMING tr. Caius' Dogs (1880) 37 This dogge..is violent in fighting, & wheresoeuer he setteth his tenterhooke teeth, he taketh such sure & fast holde, that a man may sooner teare and rende him in sunder, then lose him and seperate his chappes. 1907 Westm. Gaz. 12 Sept. 2/1 What may be called ‘tenterhook living’ or existence on the crust of a volcano. 1980 P. VAN GREENAWAY Dissident ii. 41 Alex had listened with tenterhook attention.

    Hence tenter-hooking a., laying hold with tenterhooks (in quot. fig.).

1615 R. BRATHWAIT Strappado (1878) 197 Avoid such tenter-hooking men.

What a cute young lady Severus has.  He will probably spank her for visiting Hermione, but I love this little scrapper.

I had a thought, several actually, about what Hermione should do to discourage her suitors...First would be to research exactly what the Law entails, and then, because they can't leave her home, she should make suitable accommodations for (the most disliked of) her unwanted suitors.Here is how I pictured the accommodations: a single, largish room with an attached bath; charmed to prevent things from breaking (including the walls, windows, floors and doors), and for privacy (for the rest of the house, not that of the room); three sleeping bags (and suitors to go in the bags) thrown into the room, and a quick accio to remove offending wands; the door hastily locked from the outside; and a cat-flap attached to provide the undesirables with food...After all, all you said the Law said was that they had to live there until the conditions were met, not how she had to treat them!I'm sure I'll like your story much better, but I burst out laughing as I thought of this, so I thought I'd share.

Loved this bit:

He shrugged. "She also told me that if I marry you, I should kill you whenever I get the chance." Hermione's eyes widened at this. "Well, I guess that leaves you out." "I assure you if we marry, I will not kill you." "A likely story," Ron replied, rolling his eyes.

and this:

"Who is Justine?" Harry asked. "And how did she get past our wards?" Ron inquired. Justine sighed. "I'm Justine." She turned to Ron, greedily taking him in with her eyes. "I'm ten, by the way."

Looking forward to more! 

Hah!  I love it.  (sorry there's nothing constructive here)

One more down... Well, I never thought Draco had a chance either. I loved Hermione's interlude with Justine, I am looking forward to much more. Good story...

Good chapter! Just a lil nitpick. When Hermione says, "You're immediate family?" to Ron, it should be "Your." :)

 Also, when Blaise is talking, is the word "marry" not changed so that we'll know what he's saying, with the understanding that the wards changed it so he actually says "martyr"?

 I've said this on Ashwinder, but I loved this story the first time around, and I'm looking forward to the New and Improved Version!! (I hope you'll still put Drunk!Proposing!Sev in there. That was my favorite part)

I am very glad you are giving this story a do-over!  I liked it the first time, and from what I remember of it, this is truly "New and Improved."  I like it even more.  Much better detail and characterization.  Looking forward to more!

A interesting chapter. Though I would prefer the views of Hermione, I liked getting to know Justine a bit more. I must say that Severus sounds like a terrible and lousy father. He is either punishing her for something she aint responsible for, like being born or being born by a certain mother (in both cases does he have total responsibility, unless he was raped he sure did his part in assuring the possibility of a child, presuming he knows about the birds and the bees that is). or he is just emotionally creepled, unable to care for any one. If the last alternative is correct, someone should take Justine away and give her a new home before he destroys her emotionally too. Severus should then seek professional help, and maybe there is a possibility that he someday will become a human and compasionate being, but at the moment he should not be allowed to take care of as much as a canary, not to mention a child.  Update again soon, I wan't to see the how the meeting between Hermione and Justine is working out, and preferably a Hermione who hexes Severus balls off for treating Justine so badly. That way she will assure that other children won't be dealt such a deadbeat father. You must of course know a counter hex she can use to fix the balls back on when the day comes that Severus have learnt how to treat people left in his care:-)) (After all, I do want some lemons at the end....:-))

Tenterhooks! Or however the expression goes, I can't wait for the next chapter, please!

"Don't glare at your betters, girl!" Justine looked up at her, eyes wide and innocent. "I was glaring at the floor.""Precisely."    Poor Justine!!!

Who else votes to kill the old harpy?    I do, I do!

I don't suppose Hermione is looking for (or could be persuaded into) a tutoring job... 

Adoring this fic! 

Really quite sweet. I almost feel sorry for Justine...

aww evil! Cliffhanger durn it at! I hope that next chapter comes up soon!

Thank you for filling the blanks about little Justine. I already can see, when the times comes, she will be a Slytherin, no less.

Interesting insight into Justines life.  Sounds like Hermione has come into her life just in time.  Poor Severus, he won't know what has hit him!

It was a very interesting POV. Poor girl, she really needs Hermione in her life. And Severus needs his ears being boxed! One does not treat one's daughter like that!

If nothing else, you can tell who raised Justine. More on the background of Penelope's Law would be interesting. And yes, we must stop the comma, in our lifetime, before it takes over the world. Evil things, commas.

I don't usually review, but peter skeeter?  Too funny.  Looking forward to updates,

Skk 

*smirks*  Penelopes law??????  How very interesting!

Justine may have not his father's brain (well from Severus' POV which could be discussed sometimes) but she undoubtedly has his touch of sarcasm if I can say so.