Oh, no! How will Hermione get back to the past? I'm sure that Severus is going to believe that she abandoned him, since he has very low self esteem. Perhaps the Ministry has some time travel devices that we haven't heard of before that can allow her to travel back to his time.I wonder why the Starglass disappeared. Was it making Hermione's decision for her . . . that she has to stay in the future. At least now she knows that she could raise Severus from the dead, but only if she had a Starglass. Now, I'm definitely on tenterhooks.

No Starglass?  Oh, my.  I want her to stay with him.  Well, I will have to just wait until you get back and see what you do. 

Wow, that's an evil cliffhanger you've left us with for a couple of weeks!  I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with it.  And the bit with Lily was bound to be a bit icky, considering what Severus was doing to her, but I think you handled it well.  (Mind, I'm as fond of horror movies and novels as you say you are, so I suppose I'm hardly impartial.)Oh, and wherever you're going, have a safe trip.

That wasn't at all what I was expecting him to want--I thought he'd want to get rid of the Dark Mark or something like that. It was creepy, the whole Lily incident, but the thought that he dug up her body was the thing that creeped me out the worst.

awesome chapter!  what happened to the starglass? and what happened to Lily's body for that matter?  I can't wait for more!

You are leaving on THAT cliffie? God, you are EVIL! Ugh... what do you mean she isn't holding the Starglass? How can she get back?I loved the horror part. I thought it was great the way it wasn't really Lily who came back.

OH MY GOD. I'm... I'm just struggling to articulate what reading that was like. My husband got a running commentary of No! and Oh, my God!I'm not complaining--though only someone as good as you are could have gotten away with it. But you shocked the pants off me, even though I knew he must be using the starglass to try to get Lily back. I simply didn't think of it in such a corporeal sense! I figured time-travel, somehow...And then to do so much emotional work, after something so grotesquely physical--man, I'll be reading this chapter a million times to figure out how it works. I am beyond impressed.And also, perhaps, beyond heartbroken at the end of the chapter. You are an amazing author--I'm sorry I've fangurled you to death over the  last several weeks, but I just don't think I can say that enough. You are an AMAZING author. I can't wait for the next chapter.

I liked the way you had them use the Patronus charm to send Lily back. It would have been too sad if they'd had to blast her to bits or something.  Anyway, I liked this chapter, and I'm hoping Hermione finds her way back to Severus, even without the Starglass.

Oi!  He certainly should have known better than to try and raise the dead.  In movies, TV, and anywhere else, that always goes badly.Now that they've acknowledged having feelings, it all goes south again.  At least the Lily debacle happened before Hermione left.

So, I am reading and thinking, OMG, I love this story, I love this story, I love this.... WHAT?! Oh Hermione, forget the damn cat and stay with Severus. I am so upset she just blew it big time. Can't wait for more, but I am so sad. Severus will be devastated and further damagedKat

Oh my god.Oh.My.God.I'm still not quite recovered from that, but what a chapter.Write quickly and well and have a safe trip and post the next chapter as soon as humanly possible.That's all.

This chapter was devastating... devastatingly scary, heart-pounding, thrilling, vicious.... devastatingly sexy....

But as phenomenal as it is, if you say that you are leaving us with this monumental cliffhanger that has me in absolute tears (!!!!!) for two weeks or more, we may have a problem. That's all I'm saying.

Yay for zombies. They're my favorite. Even if it was Lily.

Oh my goodness, this chapter was intense!!! It was well worth the wait.You are a very gifted writer...I don't know how you managed to plot something so creepy but at the same time be able to lace it with such moving moments.I really felt sad for Severus, Hermione and even Lily!I loved how they finally kissed and the fact that Severus scrubbed behind his ears! (so cute!)Your characterization is incredible! I love how you have captured Hermione's independent streak as well as her intellectual and compassionate side. Your young Severus has me completely captivated...he's so believable ! Now, I'm left to wonder if we're going to meet your adult version  of Severus Snape since Hermione "was no longer holding the Starglass" at the end of this chapter.I'm already anxious for the next part of the story and I'm so sad you will be away for a couple of weeks (selfish, I know!) If you have a chance to post while you're gone , it would be awesome! Thanks for sharing!

Excellant chapter, it reminded me very much of Stephen King's story, Pet Cemetary.  Your description of the way Lilly moved gave me the creeps and that story came to the forfront of my mind.

No, no, no, you're not leaving us with a cliffie like that! Why didn't she simply stay in the past and let the future take care of itself?

Oh my! That was so disturbing! It reminded me of Poe's "Annabell Lee". I was still so horrified by that that when I read the last part I thought, Oh, great! Very "Somewhere in Time." She'll want to come back and she won't be able.I am interested as to where you will take this story now.Livvy

 I like how Sev is 'green', not a sex god! The horror (particularly at the beginning part of it) was really good. Not so sure about the fact that there was no body afterwards, though – didn't the Starglass just bring the soul? The body was something else entirely. And what about all the traces left by her feet, etc.? LOL Guess in a chapter this long, the clean-up probably wasn't the most important part! I like the way you ended this. Guess there's more drama to be had shortly!

Author's Response: No, there was no body left - intentionally so.  While specing out the Starglass, I decided to model it somewhat after the One Ring and the Jewel of Four Souls in that it is semi-sentient and has ambiguous powers, but one's emotional state also has an effect on its magic.  When used as the catalyst in Severus' spell, it had a specific purpose, but he was too conflicted to concentrate on what he wanted, and the Starglass messed with him.  When used by Severus to put her to rest, her body became incorporeal and her soul was freed - his emotional state and intentions were more in line, and the Starglass chose to clean up.

You also see the Starglass working by itself when Hermione leaves the past for the last time when it leaves her.  A person's intention will guide what it does, but it chooses how to do it.  It had meddled with Hermione enough and was ready to move on.

I've left most of this up to the readers to infer - it's not something Severus or Hermione would know, and the story is written from their POV.  I've dropped hints, but maybe they weren't enough.  ;)

Angel Mischa's response: I did get that stuff, I just had a little niggling reservation about it. It was all just a little too convenient, maybe? I think that sometimes about JKR's invented magical objects. I like mess. LOL I think it keeps things in line with the idea of magical realism (or realistic magic, depending on how you want to think of it!). I guess its unpredictability sort of ameliorates that, though...

aaarrgghh. you can say it's not a cliffie, but you still leaving me wanting MORE, as any good author does. what a dense, meaty chapter! the scene in the jail was as terrifying as it could be - thank heavens albus came to the rescue! it was very sweet to see severus being tender towards heidi/hermione, and even caring about remus's well-being. mostly, it was so heartbreaking at the end. i admit to harboring a very tiny hope that the future has changed in such a way that snape survives the war. i can't help it, and it's ALL YOUR FAULT!!! anyway, i promise, i will trust whatever you decide to do in this wonderful world you are creating here. thanks!

you may say there's no cliffie, but I can't wait for the next installment.  I'm so sad to see the chapter end.   Thanks as always for your generous efforts!

So sad to think that Hermione can't tell Severus the truth.  If history has changed, maybe there is hope that she won't have to and he will understand why.

good stuff! can't wait for Hermione's trip back home and what have changed :)

great chapter ! wonder what she will find when she goes back?

The scene in the jail when Lupin transformed was scary but in a good way the fight scene was so realistic that I could picture it. I do hope that somehow Severus does realize that she does care for him and would choose him if she could.

You are a great writer, and this is such an enjoyable story.  I feel so sorry for Hermione, Severus, and Lupin!  And I am so glad that Dumbledore showed up.  It reminded me of the happy feeling I got when Dumbledore showed up to save the day in the books.  Your descriptions are so succinct and vivid.

I'm so glad they got out of jail safely, without much harm done. Doesn't Dumbledore always seem to save them? I'm happy that Hermione didn't blame Remus for the incident in the jail and for her scratches. I'm sure he suffers enough.Dumbledore probably looks at Severus in a new light, because Severus has shown caring for someone other than himself. Also, he was looking out for Remus, even though he used to be prejudiced against him.I look forward to seeing what has changed in the future. Maybe Hermione will learn that Severus survived the war, so that she feels she can go back and be with him. I hope that she at least breaks things off with Ron before going to the past again.