I do hope Hermione's legendary brain kicks in soon and she realises this was the plan all along!I wonder what exactly does Moody know about this paln anyway?

Oh what a chapter - please work a way out for Hermione's parents. I do not think she could forgive him if he did kill her parents. Good writing.

I am glad that Hermione has now realized that the plan all along was for Severus to kill Dumbledore. Hopefully she will still trust him, which was the purpose of their marriage. I wonder what Severus is going to do about Hermione's parents. If he fails, he will be punished. However, since she sends them to Australia, he likely won't be able to find them.

very well integrated into canon, Hermione's inner turmoil is shown beautifully

Glad she's figured things out.Can't wait to see what happens next!

Lariope -- thank you for pointing me in this direction!  I HAD to keep reading ahead - RS.org is a bit behind this one on updates! I wonder how long this fic will be?  I can see so many things that could happen!!!  I am loving the way that you are writing the characters!!  So far, it all just seems so true to their personalities!  And I love how you're weaving the canon with your own creation!  ((I can also forsee the use of the vita secundus!))  I can't wait to see where you go w/ this next ..... and I'll also vote for a visit between HG/SS before she goes to the burrow!!

better and better

I find myself thinking that Moody knows more than anyone else about Dumbledore's plans. Maybe he was told or warned or possibly by prearrangment was to be Snape-the-outlaw's contact person.

Poor Herminoe! It must be really tough, being in a situation like her - you did it really well, showing her insecurity and her fears opposite to what she wants to believe...
The Snape-part is well done, too.

Author's Response: Thank you! I really appreciate your review. I'm glad it worked for you.

Hermione is certainly a bright witch.  I wonder what Severus is going to do about his new assignment. 

Ouch for Severus, how will he kill his inlaws and still face his wife?  Dumbledor was part of a plan and can be explained, but her parents?  Boy I bet you got your work cut out for you.  Good job.

phew. Excellent new chapter!

ok cool now io know what happend to serveus and draco after the killing of dumbledore i have no imagination lol so i am glad you are filling in the blanks for me thankyou for thatand i knew hermione was just called the brightest witch in ages for no reason i knew shed figure it outgood girl on her part but please tell me there will be one last rendevous for our couple at her parents house before they have to go their seperate ways again they finally found love  id hate to see them not have at least one more fling but now the adventures really start wonderful chapter as usual my dearlots of luck with the next one and thank you for posting so frequently it keeps my hopes up 

*deep breath**wipes a tear away*Wow. I hoped beyond belief that Hermione would piece it all together, but a part of me still worried that she wouldn't. I am sooo glad that she remembered all of the hints and clues that Dumbledore and Severus gave her along the way and that she hasn't lost faith in Severus. The complete sense of hopelessness, of being lost was very tangible in the beginning of this chapter and I absolutely loved that you slowly made the transition from that to the determination she has at the end of the chapter. Wonderful job! I can't wait for more!

Poor Hermione! She is in such turmoil.  The man she loves has betrayed her, but what did Moody mean?  Well done again and as always, Irish

Of course Hermione would keep believing.  I really found her thought process over what happened and how she came to her conclusion about Dumbledore's plan to be really in character and well done.

And so sets in motion the snowball that becomes the giant snow ball.I can't wait to read your next installment to see how Snape deals with his orders and Hermione handles her revelations.I like how you interwove snippets of Hermione's memories into her lightbulb moment.

After I read HBP I really wondered what happened to Snape and Draco when they first meet LV.  I've thought of some and read some others but I really like the way you handled it in this story.  Kudos.

It is interesting to see Dumbledore's and Voldemort's methods are not so different, and as far as Snape is concerned they seem identical. Both manipulate. Both use fear. Both demonstrate how powerful they are when needed. One pretends to be nice and now we know he was not a nice person. The other uses his charisma and makes empty promises only to turn you into a servant when you are marked.The Malfoys, Narcissa in particular, I am so disappointed in. She placed Snape is an impossible situation. He performs the dreaded task to save Draco's ass. He spins an opening statement to the Dark Lord to put Draco in the best light even though it is not the full truth, and they both betray him. I keep wondering about Snape's character in general. Here is a man who wants to love and he would give all that he is to do so. When he gives his loyalty to someone he does so wholeheartedly, unless it conflicts with his love. His whole life is filled with neglect, torture, and rejection. And this is before he is out of Hogwarts. I guess this is what makes Snape such a fascinating character study.

I knew Hermione would figure it out, given enough time! And what perfect timing to figure it out, at Dumbledore's funeral! Now, if only she can convince Harry to trust Severus, but we know how difficult that will be.

A great turning point, in many ways! I was so very glad to see Hermione work out what happened - hopefully this gives her strength to go on, and to go on believing.Poor Severus, although I dare say he expected a punishment. Gah. Draco's attitude and behaviour certainly seems about right, in line with the way he acted for most of HBP, but that doesn't make it any less despicable.Oh, I do wonder what's going to happen with the Grangers - is Hermione going to send them off on her own or will Severus warn her first? I'm guessing the latter, but I'm certainly curious to find out.

When I started to read this and realized what you had set out to do, I must confess that I did not believe you would be able to do much and stay within canon at the same time.  As you have continued to build it, however, I have been completely mesmerized by what you are accomplishing--it is powerful, masterful, complex, rich, satisfying, moving, and every other adjective possible.  Forgive me for doubting you!The details you have come up with continue to seem as though they were there all along, just waiting to be revealed. JKR is an expert at creating circumstances that turn out to be completely different when viewed from a different perspective--especially where Severus is involved.  But what you are doing is even more ingenious: you are taking what she has created and building an entirely new story on the bones of her original one.  Your story makes the original even more compelling and uses the original to build almost unbearable suspense.You make the events of the original seem more plausible by providing complex explanations for them--why Hermione doesn't tell the boys how she's learned so many useful skills, for example.  Another genius detail is having the threat to Hermione's parents come directly from Voldemort and be given to Severus as a final proof of his loyalty--I cannot wait to find out how you develop that little plot thread!My dear, Scholastic should pay you and publish this for Potter fans everywhere.  We are indeed fortunate to get to read it here!

That nasty Draco and Narcissa!!!  I'm surprised the DL didn't see the truth when he went into Sev's mind.This makes me ache, it's so hard.Believe.Beautiful.

"What sort of plan was this ... Who set this sort of plan in motion?"I had my issues upon reading DH, but one of its unexpected benefits was how it liberated Dumbledore from all that  twinkliness once and for all. It seems to me that this awareness of the hidden dimensions of Dumbledore's character has really informed and deepened the way you retell events from Hermione's perspective. I also liked your take on how Draco manages to squirm out of his tight spot with Voldemort -- and how it becomes yet another thankless task Snape had to do.

This is such a well executed chapter. I really like the slow flow and the quiet melancholy of the second part. And the Voldemort/Snape interaction is wonderful. I like how you're tying Voldemort and Dumbledore togehter, both thinking that they have figured out how Snape works. It's very good twisting of canon to a more believable characterisation of Snape. Looking forward to the (I assume) confrontation at Hermione's parents' house. Great plot element! :-)See you