I cried when Snape said, "Believe."  And bringing back Moody to give her strength there at the end was brilliant!  ~Ruthie

My heart aches for Hermione! Great chapter...Please update soon...

Ohhh. This was tense! I loved the bit with them sharing the Felix Felicis... but poor Hermione. I can't imagine what she must be feeling now! I trust that given a bit of time, she'll start understanding what happened (and Moody does seem to know something!), but understanding is one thing and coming to terms with her husband - the man she has come to love - actually taking a life, no matter the reasons behind it, is still something else.

Phew, what a breath-taking and thrilling re-narration of this crucial chapter. The twist with Hermione and the Felix Felicis is quite ingenious, as well as it gives her so much reason to hold herself responsible. It's good that Moody was tere, too - but will she believe him in the long run?

Author's Response: Thank you for this lovely review. I'm very glad you enjoyed it. We'll have to see about Moody... ;)

what a great way to refocus that chapter, especially how Hermione shares the felix with Snape.  I hope the last line foreshadows that Moody also knew about Snape's task, and Hermione will have some support in dealing with and hiding the truth.  Well done continuation.  Look forward to more soon

It's as marvelous on the second reading, over here at PP, as it was yesterday at Ashwinder.

I see what a few of your other readers have pointed out, that the timeline seems rushed, and I find I simply don't care, because, from Hermione's point of view, there could barely have been enough time to figure out what to do and then to do it. It may well have taken longer, but it must have seemed like no time at all to her.

Him forcing her to share the last drops of Felix with him was brilliant, and explains quite beautifully how they were both able to accomplish their tasks for the night. I could quibble about the fact that Luna seems to believe she was with Hermione *outside* Snape's office when Flitwick arrived, but then again that's Luna, and she's not the most reliable of witnesses under the best circumstances. I love your detail that he casts "Stupefy" verbally so she will know how to undo it (otherwise, how would she?).

And I had completely forgotten, until he showed up at the end, that Moody knows her role in this and wants to make sure she understands that everything is still going according to plan.

And, finally, I found myself wanting at last to give Dumbledore the benefit of the doubt for perhaps recognizing that he would have to give Severus some ammunition in order to motivate a really effective Killing Curse. While many of the cruel things Severus is able to recall at that moment actually predate Dumbledore's encounter with the ring, some of them did come after, and maybe (just *maybe*) they were said more nastily than they were meant, in order to make it just that much easier for Severus to carry out his orders.

And shortly we have a bit of time unaccounted for in canon--make the most of it, you fabulous writer, because there's a long separation coming up for our amazing couple! (Sorry this is one solid paragraph - it doesn't seem to want to take my formatting today!)

I totally love this story.  It's my new favorite!  I can't wait for the updates, and thank you so much for making them so often!  Keep up the amazing work!

I do not know but it seems Moody knows something by saying she did exactly what the headmaster would have wanted but maybe I am reading too much into the comment. The Felix scene with Hermione and Severus was a good one and it was interesting - I cannot wait to see what happens next.

What a thrill to read this chapter - "the inevitable" - and how miraculously beautiful you managed to make sense of what happened that night from Hermione's and Severus' POV. Those moments full of fear and anticipation before their separation, before Snape's alleged betrayal (that he knew must estrange his loved one from him), before Dumbledore's death and the confrontation with the Death Eaters inside the castle - the tension is seizable in this chapter, you wrote it so well!! Congrats and thanks!!

I had chills running down my spine with this chapter.  THe reality of canon and what I hope will be the reality of this fan fiction are warring within me.  It's a rough ride, but I hope to get into a smoother stride and a happy ending.

That was a very harrowing account of the events of HBP... your descriptions go above and beyond in the ability to tug at the heartstrings - I don't remember feeling quite this touched when I read the incident in canon. I love it, and can't wait until you update!

I loved reading this scene again from your fics and Hermione's POV. I think you conveyed the emotion here really well, I really felt Dumbledores death and all the other elements that were happening here a lot more than when I read HBP. But then I guess the books are all from Harry's POV and he was mostly still shocked and angry at this point.

Oh, well done!  I was getting really curious about how you were going to pull off this scene from Hermione's POV.  I knew that she would try and see him one last time, but having her share her Felix with him was unexpected and perfect (not to mention very sexy!).One nitpick--(and this is my first one in 17 chapters, so bear with me!)--the timeline seems a bit rushed.  If Harry was just then going off with Dumbledore to the lake where he had to force the poison down his throat, then get him back to the castle in time for the death scene at the top of the Tower, then how could they have already returned so quickly from the point in this story when Harry left?  Not sure if I worded that question correctly, but hopefully you understood. Was it just a convenient rushing of time so everything could be neater and more compact, or did I miss something (quite possible, actually)?The dramatic tension was done really well, I must say.  The moments leading up to when Hermione was going to hear about Dumbledore were laced with a fragile, tight energy....even though I knew what she would hear, I couldn't bear witnessing her hear those horrible words: Snape killed him. What she must be feeling!Hmm, interesting ending.  Moody might know a bit  more than we were aware of, eh?Super job, as usual!

Oh wow! This chapter was amazing! I knew that the battle scene would have to be dramatic, but I had no idea just how intense it would be! I love that Hermione went to warn Severus, saving him her swig of Felix Felicis. I love that Severus made sure they both got some by kissing her. That scene was just so powerful and lovely and wonderful and almost made me cry! Absolutely lovely!The almost desperate emotions Severus displays in his reminded to Hermione to simply 'Believe'… wow! I think it's absolutely wonderful how you had Severus gather the strength -the intention- to cast the Killing Curse -- Albus has always been manipulating everyone and everything and I think it's very believable that Severus would latch onto that in order to do the deed, but still feel guilty afterward. Wonderful portrayal!“You did exactly what the Headmaster would have wanted you to do.”I can only hope that it won't be too long before Hermione uses that brilliant mind of hers to piece the puzzle together and realize that she really did do what was meant to be done; that Severus had completed his and Albus's plan. Wow. Once again, you have amazed me with your writing. I absolutely cannot wait to see what happens next!

I love the way you are weaving the story.Oh, and I'm still swooning over that kiss.

Excellent work! Great chapter. I loved how they kissed before he left!Livvy

Another brilliant chapter!!! Oh how I love this story:-))

Interesting phrasing at the end there.  I look forward to seeing how many of my guesses based on those last lines are correct!

Does Moody know something or were his words just a coincidence?

Oh--ouch!  Oh, poor, poor Hermione.  Love-sick, headstrong girl.  She couldn't help herself.  Just to touch "her" professor's handwriting, to soak up some of his expertise--man she's got it bad.  But then, who can blame her, really?I liked in the first section where she kept leaping to Snape's defense everytime Harry or Ron would make a snide comment.  They're too dense to notice anything though.  Which is a good thing, in this case!My heart was racing while she was hiding in the Room.  I loved how Snape had the presence of mind to tap his palm repeatedly to cover up his sending a ring message, to raise his voice to cover any accidental missteps she might make, and then to fling the door open in his "temper" so she could slip out.  But he couldn't keep her from getting hurt, after all.  Reviews like: "You're so talented!"  might start to ring meaningless after the umpteenth time, but there's not much else to say.  How does one critique something that's flawless?  "Keep it up," I guess? ;-P

I've been away from my computer for a few days and upon returning, was rewarded with 2 new chapters of your amazing story. Thank you! ;-)It seems like now, there's no way of denying any longer that our two protagonists very soon will have to go on their long and tough journey that'll separate them for such a long time.... Wonderful portrayal of all participating personae!

The next chapter can't come up soon enough. Severus is under a lot of stress so he will certainly have his moments, but it sure sucks to be an unwitting punching bag like Hermione.

Oh my! The tension continues! I would have run away from Draco too. Meep!

Hermione is not going to have a good night's sleep after this incident. I hope it doesn't end the blossoming relationship between the two.

Please do not stop writing this one you have me completely involved.  Truely love it!!!