Thank you very much.  The next chapter should be up soon, hopefully, and I hope that you enjoy the next one too.  Thank you.

Thank you very much.  The next chapter should be up soon, hopefully, and I hope that you enjoy the next one too.  Thank you.

Thank you for the review.  I hope that the next chapter will hit the spot.

Thank you for the review.  I hope that the next chapter will hit the spot.

Thank you for the review and the stars; glad that you enjoyed reading it.

Thank you for the review and the stars; glad that you enjoyed reading it.

Thank you.  I hope that you enjoy the journey with them.

Thank you.  I hope that you enjoy the journey with them.

Thank you very much :)

Thank you for the review.  You're right. 'Witches and wizards in lime-green robes were walking up and down the rows...' OoTP pg 428. :)  You seem to be the only one who noticed the ermm... bout of forgetfulness :D.  *kicks self repeatedly*  All I can say in my defence is that I was under pressure :D  Thank you for the compliment; I hope that you find Enduring Recovery to be a satisfactory read. 

beyond satisfactory.  you gave me chills.  NOT what I should have been reading at 3 am....  :)

I'm torn! lol.  Should I be thrilled or mortified that I gave you chills? 

be thrilled. really.  it's an excellent story. 

Thank you for the review :) I may very well write a sequel, even if it is to put across all the bits that had to be cut from this story.  Perhaps I shall focus on what they do in the run-up to that letter, and what transpires after she reads it... hmmm... mind is working.

Thank you for the review.  Snape suspected that he had to tread carefully, despite his feelings, as he didn't want to ruin what they had cultivated.  I feel that their emotional state would have made them both highly vulnerable, and he feared doing her harm... after all that he had done for the Greater Good, I think that he would have cherished being able to prove that his own sense of morality was intact. 

Thank you for the review :)  The letter was a good and simple way to pass across a lot of information while still allowing readers to come to their owm conclusions--did he leave through cowardice or some innate nobility?  Did she dedicate her life to that particular field of research out of curiosity, a sense of responsibility to the wizarding world or because she was desperate to find a cure for Snape?  The reader could create their own answers... Yes, thank you :)  Their feelings would have been in turmoil, and I considered that anything of a romantic nature would have smacked of exploited vulnerability.  I hope that Snape's dilemma was put across (although I admit that I'm a blighter for being subtle) when he begged that she make them equals before he kissed her by saying his name.  It was as close to romance as I dared to get, and after all that they'd been through, I think it feasible that they should consider themselves equal.

Thank you for the review :)  I hope that your research goes well; in this instance, the basic principle was that the potion never worked as a prophylactive because it was already curing him in other ways.  The potion, poor thing, was struggling to tackle both of his prevalent afflictions--the bite and his other main issue.  I was toying with the idea that Nagini's venom had the same characteristics as Dark curses, inasmuch that healing it would be nigh on impossible--hence the difficulty to cure Arthur's bites--and therefore, be lurking under the skin ready to strike once more whenever the potion struggled.  This made Snape bound to the potion until he could find a way to nullify the effects of the bite completely... a tough thing to do given that the current potion with the Bushmaster's Venom had been the only one that he could, at that time, create. 

Thank you for the review and the compliment :) I thought that they were too fragile at that particular time to do anything other than try to support and help heal each other.  Thank you for staying with the story :)

Hmmm ... you're a busy woman; no need to apologise... in fact I'm honoured that you took the time to leave a review... bit like some deity pausing in their work on the wonder of creation and the mysteries of the universe to make a comment about their masterpiece of biological engineering discovering fire... lol 

Thank you for th review :) I had to laugh... it's not quite the ending that I had envisioned either, but life was getting very hectic and frantic here for the three weeks leading up to the final chapter.  I now have a streak of grey hair!  No need to thank me; I have enjoyed writing and posting... I thank you! 

Thank you for the review and the stars :)

Thank you

:) While writing that letter, I imagined Snape wondering about his time with her, wishing that he hadn't had to leave her and having this urge to meet with her, and that is why so many previous letters had been destroyed... least said soon as mended!  He had thought that he was looking after her when he left, but I fancy that some need to protect himself also compelled him to maintain his distance from her.  The realisation that she had dedicated her life searching for a cure to his problem made it impossible for him not to respond--imagine how is heart must have burned to know that she had devoted her career and future to his continued existence even while not knowng whether he was alive or not.  He had to let her know; it would have been cruel not to let her know that she could stop and rest and turn her mind to her own needs and ambitions.

Thank you for the review :) Hint noted :D  I suspected half way through writing this that some kind of romance would be either hoped for or expected, but to be honest, I just couldn't write it... I hinted at it several times, but also alluded to Snape's discomfort about entering that kind of depth of feeling.  It just didn't sit well with me given that they were suffering, but as you say... sequel... lol

Thank you for the review and staying with the story :) I had the ending to this in my mind before I started; I saw Snape as the kind of man who would be more comfortable admitting his flaws and weaknesses from a distance--not through cowardice as some part of him claimed, but out of a need to be able to control how and how much he decided to reveal.  Also, he would have known that visiting her would have placed risks upon both of them; he would not have wanted to have risked his discovery or that she had been helping him.  Of course, I feel as though I have written a snippet from their lives rather than the total of it, and with that view, a sequel may be loitering with intent to be written :)

Thank you for the review and the compliment.  You are welcome; thank you for reading through it :)

Thank you for the review.  As I said in another response to a review, I am glad that you agree that a romance would not have worked in this instance, I had a difficult enough time writing the angst! lol.  I may be tempted to write a sequel; there was so much cut out to help achieve the deadline for voting, and at least then I'd be free to take my time... hmmm... ponders.

Thank you for the review and staying with the story :)  I suppose that it wasn't really an ending as such, we know that much more happened to Hermione from the book, and I think that it gives the true start of the healing, especially for Snape.  I guess that I'm saying that the happily-ever-after has not happened yet, and what that is can be whatever you decide... or whatever a sequel may disclose... lol.

Thank you for the review.  Also, thank you for supporting the idea that a HG/SS romance was not plausible.  I enjoy reading such stories (who doesn't! lol), but I was very wary of any such thing in this story given that both of them were so vulnerable.  To be honest though, I doubt that I could write romance anyway :D

Thank you for the beautiful review, the wonderful compliment and the stars :) 

Thank you for the review.  I hope that the next chapter helps, and if it's any consolation, my sister had to explain the principles of homeopathy several times and over several hours :D

Thank you

:) I always had the ending in my mind; I felt that Snape wouldn't stay with her.  On the face of it, his life would have been one vengeful wizard after another trying to ease their anger that Snape lived--he would have been a marked man.  To be in Hermione's life would have put her at risk, and for what gain?  Sad, yes, but also necessary, I think.  Of course, it doesn't preclude that they may meet up at some point... :)

Thank you :D and you are more than welcome; I am thrilled that this story has appealed to you.  Staying with it has been the greatest compliment.  In case you are interested, lachesis is a homeopathic remedy, and it so very neatly scuppered Snape because he was far too focused on what he wanted rather than what he needed.  Thank you,

; your reviews, and those of the others, have bolstered me to complete this... the final chapter is up through your efforts as much as mine :) 

You are more than welcome. In fact, if I may be so blunt, I would encourage you to adapt this story into an original one. There are plenty of fanfics that draw deeply upon universe created by JKR. But this one might be self-standing in any other circumstances. I even think that you do not need to specify the actual conflict that battered their souls so, only hint at it as you do here. It is so good that maybe even likes of Gaiman might like it.

I am flattered!  I don't know what to say... I love writing, and writing the few stories that I have has been a complete joy, but I never really expected this to be so well received.  The number and content of the reviews has been staggering and, if I'm honest, I have been overwhelmed and sniffled a few times.  I still can't quite believe it!  This time last year I was a new writer all excited about submitting my first story only to realise how difficult it all was, and I very nearly quit.  My lovely beta kept my spirits up and gave me that confidence to stick with it... and here I am... can't believe it!  Thank you for your support throughout these chapters... take care and fond regards :)