Thank you--Gringotts was one my most hated chapters in Book 7, and I cut the other one (the Ministry) out of the storyline, which I didn't feel I could get away with twice. And so it was both fun and hard to think about--what would I do with the chapter if I had it to do over again, and how do I hit the same basic themes/events of the chapter while still doing it my own way.I'm glad you liked it and that you thought it was scary. Thank you!

Thank you--Gringotts was one my most hated chapters in Book 7, and I cut the other one (the Ministry) out of the storyline, which I didn't feel I could get away with twice. And so it was both fun and hard to think about--what would I do with the chapter if I had it to do over again, and how do I hit the same basic themes/events of the chapter while still doing it my own way.I'm glad you liked it and that you thought it was scary. Thank you!

Thank you. This, I think, is my favorite chapter, and watching Snape relive his own life remains important to me, even all these months later.I owe this chapter to Elise_Wanderer, who, back in March, asked me to show Severus choosing his memories. I'm so grateful to her!And to you, for reading and reviewing. Thank you!

Thank you. This, I think, is my favorite chapter, and watching Snape relive his own life remains important to me, even all these months later.I owe this chapter to Elise_Wanderer, who, back in March, asked me to show Severus choosing his memories. I'm so grateful to her!And to you, for reading and reviewing. Thank you!

Thank you. I love Luna and the skewed and yet somehow absolutely bald and truthful ways she has of viewing the world. I'm glad you liked it. Shell Cottage was such a pleasure to write.

Thank you. I love Luna and the skewed and yet somehow absolutely bald and truthful ways she has of viewing the world. I'm glad you liked it. Shell Cottage was such a pleasure to write.

Thank you very much! I'm really glad you liked it. :)

Thank you very much! I'm really glad you liked it. :)

Thank you! I'm glad you liked Dobby. I was never a huge fan of Dobby in canon, but I enjoyed writing him very much. And yes, I think Severus would have lost himself that night. I never felt worse for him than I did in that chapter. My husband used to joke with me that this story should be called "The Torture of Severus Snape." :)

Thank you! I'm glad you liked Dobby. I was never a huge fan of Dobby in canon, but I enjoyed writing him very much. And yes, I think Severus would have lost himself that night. I never felt worse for him than I did in that chapter. My husband used to joke with me that this story should be called "The Torture of Severus Snape." :)

I hated that he felt he had to do that as well, but you can see why, I hope-- and I don't think Luna Lovegood is very easy to Obliviate. ;)Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!

I hated that he felt he had to do that as well, but you can see why, I hope-- and I don't think Luna Lovegood is very easy to Obliviate. ;)Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!

Thanks! I had to redeem Minerva--I just love her too much to let her be a fool. ;)Logistically, this chapter was a nightmare, so I'm really glad you felt it worked.

Thanks! I had to redeem Minerva--I just love her too much to let her be a fool. ;)Logistically, this chapter was a nightmare, so I'm really glad you felt it worked.

Thank you! I saw that in this chapter too, so I feel delighted that you did! I'm always baffled and awed by fiction that it allows people in different times and spaces to occasionally share one vision.

Thank you! I saw that in this chapter too, so I feel delighted that you did! I'm always baffled and awed by fiction that it allows people in different times and spaces to occasionally share one vision.

Thank you so much! This, to me, was the emotional climax of the story, though of course there were fictional climaxes later--but I always saw this chapter as their final commitment to one another, their actual marriage, if you will, and I hope it lays the groundwork for what a real marriage between them would be like.

Thank you so much! This, to me, was the emotional climax of the story, though of course there were fictional climaxes later--but I always saw this chapter as their final commitment to one another, their actual marriage, if you will, and I hope it lays the groundwork for what a real marriage between them would be like.

Thank you! I loved the Godric's Hollow chapter--the mirroring for Snape in it, though of course, yes, it means even more suffering for our poor hero. I'm glad you liked it. Thank you for reviewing!

Thank you! I loved the Godric's Hollow chapter--the mirroring for Snape in it, though of course, yes, it means even more suffering for our poor hero. I'm glad you liked it. Thank you for reviewing!

Well, I'm sure you're right that it doesn't actually work that way. ;)But I'm glad you liked the interaction between Harry and PNB.  Thank you!

Well, I'm sure you're right that it doesn't actually work that way. ;)But I'm glad you liked the interaction between Harry and PNB.  Thank you!

No, I tried to keep the camping to a minimum. ;) It was so universally hated. I was really interested in Ariadne's paper about the camping, and how we might not all have detested it so much if we hadn't had to wait between books 6&7, that our hatred of the camping was based on the fact that we'd been waiting two long years to know what had happened, what would happen, who Snape belonged to, and everything--that we simply couldn't sit still for the camping. Because when I took DH apart to write it, there was actually very little camping. It just seemed to take forever as we read it. Enough rambling. Thank you!

No, I tried to keep the camping to a minimum. ;) It was so universally hated. I was really interested in Ariadne's paper about the camping, and how we might not all have detested it so much if we hadn't had to wait between books 6&7, that our hatred of the camping was based on the fact that we'd been waiting two long years to know what had happened, what would happen, who Snape belonged to, and everything--that we simply couldn't sit still for the camping. Because when I took DH apart to write it, there was actually very little camping. It just seemed to take forever as we read it. Enough rambling. Thank you!

Yes, it's true, I was very hard on Dumbledore throughout. But I think it's who DD ended up being--for better or worse. I was always fascinated, reading reviews of SL, about how some people enjoyed hating this Dumbledore, and other's felt I'd justified his actions. I think it depends on how you define a good leader, or perhaps more to the point, a good General. I'm glad you liked the chapter. Thank you!

Yes, it's true, I was very hard on Dumbledore throughout. But I think it's who DD ended up being--for better or worse. I was always fascinated, reading reviews of SL, about how some people enjoyed hating this Dumbledore, and other's felt I'd justified his actions. I think it depends on how you define a good leader, or perhaps more to the point, a good General. I'm glad you liked the chapter. Thank you!

Thank you! Playing with canon was a challenge I'm not sure I'd ever take on again, but it sure was fun. :)

Thank you! Playing with canon was a challenge I'm not sure I'd ever take on again, but it sure was fun. :)

Thanks! And I'm really glad that you liked PNB--absolutely, he is a major character throughout. I find Hogwarts Portraiture fascinating. Thank you, as always, for reading and reviewing!

Thanks! And I'm really glad that you liked PNB--absolutely, he is a major character throughout. I find Hogwarts Portraiture fascinating. Thank you, as always, for reading and reviewing!

Thanks! I really, honestly, hated this part of canon, and so I struggled with it, and I'm glad you thought it worked. And thank you for the compliment about old Voldything! :)

Thanks! I really, honestly, hated this part of canon, and so I struggled with it, and I'm glad you thought it worked. And thank you for the compliment about old Voldything! :)

Yes, poor Mr Weasley. I think he was so brave--that he could let his child go off and do what had to be done. He was such a strongly moralled man, I've always felt. It is one thing to believe in right, and another to let your children fight for it. Thank you very much for reading!

Yes, poor Mr Weasley. I think he was so brave--that he could let his child go off and do what had to be done. He was such a strongly moralled man, I've always felt. It is one thing to believe in right, and another to let your children fight for it. Thank you very much for reading!

Thanks--yes, I had always intended Snape to be the one to Obliviate her parents, and when I was going through the text of DH to see how it would work, I freaked when I found that plot gap (how did I never notice it before!?) It was amazing--I felt like I'd somehow found the true and secret path--bwhahahaha!

Thanks--yes, I had always intended Snape to be the one to Obliviate her parents, and when I was going through the text of DH to see how it would work, I freaked when I found that plot gap (how did I never notice it before!?) It was amazing--I felt like I'd somehow found the true and secret path--bwhahahaha!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you! I'm so glad you're still enjoying it!

Thank you! I'm so glad you're still enjoying it!

Thank you! It's weird, this is a chapter that I really only like in retrospect--at the time it was very difficult to write. But I'm very interested in Draco as a character, and I'm glad you liked it. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Thank you! It's weird, this is a chapter that I really only like in retrospect--at the time it was very difficult to write. But I'm very interested in Draco as a character, and I'm glad you liked it. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Thank you! I loved this chapter, the writing of it, anyway. It dropped into my lap almost wholecloth, and I enjoyed seeing the Death Eaters as they would have been as they rose to power--And thank you about the women! I never felt we saw enough of the Death Eater women. So creepy and perversely powerful!

Thank you! I loved this chapter, the writing of it, anyway. It dropped into my lap almost wholecloth, and I enjoyed seeing the Death Eaters as they would have been as they rose to power--And thank you about the women! I never felt we saw enough of the Death Eater women. So creepy and perversely powerful!

I don't know that he was trying to tear her from her friends--I think there's something about new love that creates a kind of insular world that no one else can get into--it's just a luxury she can't afford at this stage in the game. I'm glad you liked the chapter. Thank you!

I don't know that he was trying to tear her from her friends--I think there's something about new love that creates a kind of insular world that no one else can get into--it's just a luxury she can't afford at this stage in the game. I'm glad you liked the chapter. Thank you!

Thank you so much, Helshez! I giggled over "gloriously dark and morose," for it certainly was that, but I'm glad you felt the hope underneath. I was awed, in canon, by the resiliency of our wizard friends, and their ability to love and hope in the darkest of times, so I hope that made it's way into SL.Thank you so much for reading, and for all your reviews and support along the way. I'm so glad you liked it. Thank you. xoxoxo

Thank you so much, Helshez! I giggled over "gloriously dark and morose," for it certainly was that, but I'm glad you felt the hope underneath. I was awed, in canon, by the resiliency of our wizard friends, and their ability to love and hope in the darkest of times, so I hope that made it's way into SL.Thank you so much for reading, and for all your reviews and support along the way. I'm so glad you liked it. Thank you. xoxoxo

This review means a huge amount to me. Because I really believe two things about the Potterverse: 1. She had to kill him the way that she wrote the story. If he hadn't died, he would have gone to Azkaban for certain, as there would have been no one to fight for him, nothing between him and the rage of a wizarding world as it mourns its dead, and he certainly would not have fough for himself. And had he somehow escaped trial/Azkaban? What would have been left? Memories of killing Dumbledore? Memories of Lily? Watching the rest of the world go on without him?2. It would have been possible to give him another ending, but she would have had to plan for it for a long time. When I began writing SL, my challenge to myself was to start back far enough that I could build something that could meet those needs. I originally wanted to call SL, "The High Cost of Living," and I still wish I had, because in many ways, that is what SL is about--what it would have taken to save him. I wanted to give him a relationship with someone not just who would fight for him in court, but who would make the struggle worth it--would give him some reason to live when it was over. Anyway, thank you

, for writing about the real stakes here, as I felt they were high and horrible. xooxox Lariope

This review means a huge amount to me. Because I really believe two things about the Potterverse: 1. She had to kill him the way that she wrote the story. If he hadn't died, he would have gone to Azkaban for certain, as there would have been no one to fight for him, nothing between him and the rage of a wizarding world as it mourns its dead, and he certainly would not have fough for himself. And had he somehow escaped trial/Azkaban? What would have been left? Memories of killing Dumbledore? Memories of Lily? Watching the rest of the world go on without him?2. It would have been possible to give him another ending, but she would have had to plan for it for a long time. When I began writing SL, my challenge to myself was to start back far enough that I could build something that could meet those needs. I originally wanted to call SL, "The High Cost of Living," and I still wish I had, because in many ways, that is what SL is about--what it would have taken to save him. I wanted to give him a relationship with someone not just who would fight for him in court, but who would make the struggle worth it--would give him some reason to live when it was over. Anyway, thank you

, for writing about the real stakes here, as I felt they were high and horrible. xooxox Lariope