Dear Lariope,This chapter left me speechless.  It is powerful and moving, but still moves the plot along.  And somehow you managed to keep it from getting maudlin which it could have given what occurs.I very much enjoy that Hermione is so mature and practical about things.  For example, when Severus tells her that Harry is a Horocrux, she doesn't rage at him, or blame him for not telling her or for telling her or anything like that.  She does get angry at Dumbledore, but it's appropriate and she doesn't beat it to death.   And when she asks Severus "how much time do we have" ... instead of making things harder on both of them by refusing to accept the situation as it is.  I don't like characters who aren't willing to face facts and who agonize.  I struggled to find the word to refer to this quality -- I used mature and practical above, but I'm not sure those are correct.  I'm talking about a certain detachment and the ability to not let emotion cloud one's judgement (but not being a robot, either).  This is all by way of saying that I like your Hermione very much.RR 

Hay !
I think that you are writing the most beautiful story . From the beginning
I can t wait for more chapter to read.
It seams to me that their love and partnership will save them in the end .
good work

That was just....beautiful. Their feelings for each other really stood out. :)

This chapter is incredible.  I loved all of their interactions.  Thank you for writing such a beautiful story!

Oh, Lariope. You do wring a tear or ten thousand out of me on occasion.

Now onto the exposition per L72:
The opening scene was powerful! I felt like I was watching a movie (they ought to have your write the screenplay for DH-- um, your version, of course). Especially wonderful was that thoughts of Hermione propelled him forward through his exhaustion and pain.

"Snape."  "...or just a sound her heart was making..." First breakdown. Plus, that phrase was so beautiful, so perfect. I find great sections of your work read as a blend of poetry and prose, it's stunning.

The sex was beautiful. I mean, what can I say? I really shouldn't tarnish it with "the sex was, uh, beautiful." But it was....

When they were working (Oh! And OpalJade's artwork for the scene is so perfect! How much do you want that poster-sized in your house! I loved it!)--he had that little fantasy, where  ..."He could not see himself sitting down to a meal, but he could see this..." Well, if we were in Hermione's head, I bet she was thinking that she couldn't envision herself going to a romantic, candlelit restaurant with Snape, but this! This is both their versions of marital bliss. LOL. Love Snape and Hermione.

His finding out about Nagini? I could kiss you right now. No tongue. But kiss you.

Love ya babe. This chapter was particularly exquisite, altho obviously, I am not speechless! LOL. Stupendous work.

Author's Response:

Lulabelle! Thank you. I couldn't be happier that you liked it.

I've framed OpalJade's artwork for this chapter. It is perfect, absolutely my vision of this pair and their relationship. 

No tongue! I'm offended. lol.

And I'm glad you weren't speechless. :)

xoxo

Thank you for writing this amazing story, Lariope. You know I'm always happy to alpha, beta, (kappa, delta, etc...)  read for you!What really moved me in this chapter was their self-sacrifice. This is a couple who has been married for well over a year, and yet, have never even shared a meal, or spent a whole night in each other's arms. They've come to care for each other very deeply, and it really touched me how they still managed to put the War first after being apart for so long.I loved how you solidified their working partnership in this chapter. They both have great intellectual minds and it was nice to see them working together. To me, that's what makes SS/HG such a great pair!Bravo!

That was such a sweet and much needed chapter- for both the characters and the readers. One of the things that annoyed me about JKR's writings was that she took too much for granted. It's odd to imagine a character like Hermione to be a constant tower of strength without needing occasional reinforcements. Thank you again for taking the time to write SSHG with such depth.

This chapter was so good I don't even know where to begin. Word seem inadequate.You have the most amazing ability to convey severus' and hermione's emotions without explicitly describing them. When Severus saw Hermione for the first time in a long time "She did not speak, but he did not blame her, for suddenly he could think of no words but her name." I just... oh. So good.

The intensity of this chapter when they meet again in person was well worth the wait.  After all those chapters of long distance relationship, it must have been hard to make the feelings of their actual meeting intense enough in comparison, but you have done a lovely job of that!

Oh, that was an amazing chapter! SO sweet and lovely and desperate. I am on the edge of my seat as always!

If my roommate wasn't sitting next to me, I'd be crying my eyes out right now instead of trying to stay cool. But I enjoyed this chapter immensely, it was so bittersweet and wonderful and I can't wait for the update!!!Terrific work!gab

I've re-read this chapter several times this morning, and I am still absolutely floored by it.  There's such a tender desperation in both of them and in everything about this chapter.  What a beautiful fic.

I noticed a problem in this chapter! When Severus is talking to Hermione he says: “The scar, the connection between their minds, the Parseltongue… it is the bit of Lord Voldemort in Potter that creates those things. Dumbledore did not tell me about the other Horcruxes. ..."     Severus probably wouldn't have used the name 'Lord Voldemort' at all, much less after the Taboo was in affect. Imagine the problems they'd all have if the Death Eater's found Severus consorting with the enemy, naked!You know, I absolutely love this story!

You hit this one out of the ballpark!

This was an amazingly wonderful chapter.  The description of the moment when Severus and Hermione see each other for the first time outside the tent is some of the most beautiful prose I've read in a while.   You conveyed again in this chapter just how much these two need each other and how much strength they give to each other.  I especially like the fact that Severus can't imagine normal home activities with Hermione like cooking and eating a meal, but he is mourning what he thinks is the loss of a life to work together.  It fits their personalities so well.  "“Dumbledore is a fool, and he wastes your talents,” "  This totally encapsulates my feelings about the entire Snape plot of DH.  We know that Snape was trusted with the majorly important information that Harry is a Horcrux early on in the book so it's not that Dumbledore didn't trust him, but yet he is not used to help three teenagers actually find the other ones.  It makes absolutely NO sense, plotwise.  Sigh.

I've always thought Hermione did more than sit around the campsite while Harry found the Sword.

I'm really impressed with the amount of time and effort you have put into blending your story with JKR's final book.

Oh, god.  This is sooo brilliant.  I just adore this fic.  It's been such a pleasure to read so far.

OMG, I am crying my eyes out. This is so tragic. Yet so incredibly hopeful. This is the same feeling I get from Casablance and GWTW and Anastasia AND A Tale of Two Cities. Fingers crossed. I want him to live!  Nail biting. OOH! OOH!

This was amazing. You are weaving this together so skillfully, it's absolutely seamless. I could easily believe I had read this in Canon itself. What talent:)Thank you for this chapter. I hope at some point you are able to give us a clearer understanding of what Severus and Hermione saw in each other's minds.This was wonderful!

That was such a lovely chapter, everything about it was just.... touching, emotional, sad and many other things, it really was great!I want to beg you to update soon, but as I won't be able to get within sniffing distance of the computer for a week I guess it doesn't matter! Keep up the good work and I can't wait for next week!

My freakin' god! Please tell me you're gonna update soon! I'm sitting in front of the screen in shock, it seems... Just- WOW.

You didn't give us a hanky warning at the beginning of the chapter.This was so sad, but affirming.  They got to have an interlude before the next series of events.  They know that their relationship is rock-solid before things get even worse.  Severus has something to live for, if he can manage to get out of this alive.  That can be a tremendous source of strength for both of them.Well done, Madam Author.

A fantastic and very emotional chapter. I had hoped that they would meet again sometime, and now they did. It was heart-wrenching to see them both being so desperate, but at the same time the chapter expressed so well how much they have come to love each other.

Lovely chapter.  It's filled with all sorts of tension.

One more magnificent chapter... Thank you!