love the award cermony!! love hermione & severus's discussion.. severus need long rest, stress free future!! overall wonderful storyline!!

the bomb will drop, once severus find out that albus is alive!

sad for injuried & dead witches/wizards!! onward if mineverus and garth is okay or nor.. great battle detail..

what a clever plan that minevera change at the last minutes.. happy that albus and hermione found severus, nad hopefully he will be okay.....

robbie removing his patch for some reason (his pretending to be him), severus dying to too much... onwqrd to find out, what happen

love the progressing of the story.. especially the plan to kill the MoM, minevra.. like plan love scene with poppy and robbie!!

not sure whether crouch should be trusted of not? great severus' pov, in the last chapie!!

This chapter was my Ah-Ha! moment, well there were a few, a big one while Robbie was helping Neville with offensive spells while training the DA, but this chapter was the clencher for me to finally understand just WHAT is going on with our dear Mr. Crouch. *grins*

And I'll just keep my yap shut so I don't spoil anything for anyone.

OH I do think its cute that Moody is all paranoid of Crouch ... tee hee

*snip*“Mmhm.” Severus would have agreed to almost anything at that moment. If the Dark Lord really wanted his cooperation, he could do worse than follow Poppy Pomfrey’s example, he thought, trying not to laugh. “What’s funny?” She had moved off the bed and was pulling the sheet up to cover his legs and buttocks.“Just thinking that if the Dark Lord really wanted more power, he could take a lesson from you,” Severus said, not suppressing his smile. “Putty in my hands, are you?” Poppy asked with a chuckle. Did I mention already that I love that?

*snip*“The attacking Death Eaters would have killed and injured far more if it were not for the leadership of one person, a witch whose foresight and strategic planning brought the defenders rapid success. Though it no doubt felt much longer to those who were fighting and who were falling, the attackers were overwhelmed in number and in tactics, and from the spell cast by Arthur Weasley shortly after sunrise to the moment the final Death Eater ceased resisting, the primary battle lasted less than an hour. Her leadership and her bravery were instrumental not only in the success of the battle, but also in Tom Riddle’s ultimate defeat. For the great debt of gratitude that the wizarding world has, I am proud to present this Order of Merlin, first-class, to Headmistress Minerva McGonagall.”Severus needed no prodding to stand when everyone in the hall who was able stood and clapped. Ogden placed the Order of Merlin around Minerva’s neck, the heavy medal resting on her chest, then he leaned toward her, kissed her cheek, and whispered something in her ear. That was all it took for her self-control to waver, and her tears spilled over. Albus, standing now beside her, handed her a surprisingly staid white handkerchief, and she wiped her eyes.Awesome! Only thing that could have been better would have been if angels presented the award to her... but Albus was there and that's about as close to a living angel as I've ever seen.

*chuckles* You got me... you got me... surprise, surprise, surprise.... and of course, Severus is back to being barely tollerable, now that he's well and healthy... *groans* I guess I'll have to tollerate his sulking nonsense a little longer. *winks* Oh, and Albus and Minerva were bloody awesome here... as usual - and Potter was respectable.Love the Minerva smooch that made Albus blush.Love that Severus was being selfish and intollerable and Poppy had to keep elbowing him... until he probably came very close to fainting in shock... haha!

*snip*Minerva smiled broadly. “I may miss our clandestine meetings, though.”“Whoever said we had to stop those?” Albus replied with a grin as he pulled her down into his lap.YUmmmmm

*snip*“Lovely.” Surviving the Dark Lord was just one party after another.LOLOLOLOLzzzzzzz

*snips*“You aren’t him. You can’t be! I know that old fool is dead,” Voldemort hissed.“Oh, Tom, Tom,” Albus chuckled. “You needn’t have a Horcrux to defeat death, you know; you don’t need to destroy your soul. Sometimes love and a little modern wizarding science is all you need. But then, you have to have someone who loves you and you have to be able to fully trust yourself to someone else, give yourself over, lose all control. You are incapable of that, I am afraid. I am indeed the wizard who met you all those years ago in that Muggle orphanage, the one who was your Transfiguration teacher, the Headmaster of Hogwarts who refused you a teaching position. I am the Albus Dumbledore who died. And I do beg the forgiveness of all those who mourned me aforetime, but as you see, I am now quite alive!”Voldemort backed up slightly, coming even to where Gareth still knelt in the trampled, dark-stained grass. The Dark Wizard’s breath was coming faster, and despite the twisted wizard’s inhuman features, Gareth believed he saw fear on his face.*sits here grinning like a fool* How long I've waited for this moment... such satisfaction...

*snip*“And I still had hope you would live and we would be able to become better friends, out in the daylight and not shut up in the library.”I have to laugh at this.... it so fits Snape, and I just can't picture him in sunlight, at all! I can imagine him living his entire life shut up in a library... I really can, and Hermione as well! But obviously, for different reasons - him hiding and brooding, her studying and unable to break from her rabid thirst for knowledge.

*snip*“Molly died,” Remus whispered. “I just heard someone telling Ron.”I don't mind you killing Percy, but THIS IS NOT COOL! *snorts*

*snip*“Look! Look!” One of the twins, Minerva couldn’t tell which one, began to shout and point. “A phoenix! It’s Fawkes!”Minerva held her breath as the phoenix landed on Harry. Oh, gods, Voldemort was raising his wand again, and so were the Death Eaters around him! Please, please, please . . . she did not know with whom she was pleading, but then there was another shouted curse, this one from her nephew, who had turned, still with Ginny over his shoulder.“TERRAQUATERE!” Gareth roared.A bronze-coloured spell issued from his wand, spreading out and flowing toward the Death Eaters. McGonagall stood facing Voldemort, the spell continuing to course from his wand. The ground began to tremble and a fissure opened up at Voldemort’s feet. The earth heaved and threw the Death Eaters to the ground, Voldemort himself losing his footing, stepping back, and then landing hard on his arse. Even as the earth cracked open, the phoenix rose into the air, singing loudly, almost trumpeting, Harry’s limp body held by one arm. Voldemort tried to follow the bird and the boy with his wand, but cried out in frustration when they seemed to vanish without a sound, the phoenix call abruptly ending. Voldemort took to the air himself, rising straight up, seeking his prey, but they were nowhere to be seen.That is BLOODY AWESOME!

*snip*“No, Harry Potter! The Headmistress tells Dobby, ‘Harry stays here, Dobby, he stays here with you until I call for him,’ and so Harry Potter must stay here! The witch-who-is-a-cat knows much that Harry Potter does not. Harry Potter must listen and stay here with Dobby!”Harry looked over at his other minder. The Bloody Baron simply floated in a slight turn to look at him. Harry thought that if a ghost had breath to sigh, the Baron just had, deeply.AHhhh, even the Baron is working for Hogwarts... and Dobby is adorable... and brave as usual. I can't even go three lines into the stupid chapter without commenting... sheesh!

*snip*“Celebrare Adfectus Amor Ultimus!”Albus blinked in confusion. Melina’s spell hit Minerva, then as colour arced around Minerva and began to spread toward him, Melina was out the door and gone.“Oh, Minerva, you couldn’t,” Albus said, sounding anguished as the colours swirled around her and rolled toward him, beginning to tickle his magic. “You didn’t.”down to here*snip*“I spoke with Pomona and told her we would likely not be there for lunch and possibly not for dinner, either. She and Filius will look after everything for us.”“Good. I think we can fill that time quite well as the Celebrare lingers, don’t you, my dear?”“Absolutely.” And Minerva began demonstrating one of her ideas for filling that time.So beautiful.... sooooo soooo beautiful....

HOLY........ ROCK AND ROLL - I LOVED THE LAST BIT WITH SEVERUS!  And his Gryffie witch - cause he's got a thing for Gryffie witches and then... OOoh but could it be that wonderful, adorable, sweet, fabulous, silly, silly     *keels over in a swoon*

*snip*After he left her office, Poppy picked up a small object from her desk, put it in her pocket, and left the infirmary.OOOH! My Spidey senses are tingling!

*snip*“Before you go, perhaps you will help me with one last task?” Severus asked.“What’s that?”Severus pointed to the black robes heaped by the door. “Destroying those.”“You may need them again.”“No. I am never putting them on again, Minerva.”“Then it will be my pleasure.”Pure awesomesauce.

*snip*Down in the Headmistress’s Office, Minerva and Severus emerged from the Pensieve and Severus restored his memory.“You did very well, Severus,” Minerva said. “When you told me about it, you underplayed your manipulation of him. It was impressive.”Severus could not hide his pleasure at her words. “It was satisfying.”“I enjoyed the way you sprinkled the truth in your statements, particularly when you declared that Malfoy’s downfall would not be yours.” Minerva smiled at him and gave his arm a squeeze. “I cannot sufficiently express my pride in you. I admire your strength, loyalty, and cunning. Thank you.”Severus inclined his head slightly. “I wish the Headmaster were here to share our successes,” he said softly. “But it’s his sacrifice that has enabled me to continue as I have. Any gratitude should be to him for that sacrifice. I just . . .” Severus swallowed. “I just wish he hadn’t had to die and leave us both.”“You miss him. I know he would be proud of you, though,” Minerva replied, rubbing his upper arm. “He had great faith in you.”Severus looked away, but did not pull back from her affectionate touch. “I didn’t understand. I didn’t understand until it was too late. I didn’t want to understand.” He gave a mirthless laugh. “The story of my life, isn’t it, Minerva? To discover only after I’ve lost someone . . . lost them, driven them away, killed them . . . I used to tell myself that the Headmaster was just my other master, a master like him, the only difference being that I really did serve the Headmaster, though only because doing so also served my own purposes, which I defined narrowly, deliberately ignoring . . .” He let out a shaky breath.“Albus did not think of himself as your master, Severus,” Minerva said softly, her hand resting on his bicep. “Your boss, your leader, perhaps your commanding officer, to use a military term, and he wanted to believe he was also your friend, although that was hard for him with all of the other roles he had to play. He loves you like a son, despite the difficult road you both travelled to get to that point.”Severus turned his head, gazing down into her eyes with some amusement in his own. “Your habit is back, Minerva.”“Habit?”“Referring to the Headmaster as still living.”“I didn’t.” She paused. “He does still love you, though.”“And you?”“Me? Of course he still loves me.”Freaking awesomesauce - THAT is awesome there *points* right there... I am actually starting to loath Severus less, much, much less, not sure I can love Minerva more but its possible, I do like how she's not so concerned about letting the truth slip out - hehe - more the fun later on when... yeah... what ever that is...

*snip*After they had left the Headmistress’s sitting room, Robbie opened his eyes. He took a long, deep breath and let it out slowly. He stood, stretched, and poured more tea into his cup, passing his hand over it to rewarm it, then he took a gelatin capsule from his pocket and swallowed it, washing it down with the tea, then grimacing slightly. He crossed over to the window where Minerva had stood in the dark and waited for Severus to reappear. AHA!

*snip*“The Headmistress has a very strong will,” Severus said. “It is natural that she would find it easy to learn.”“She certainly is an obstinate, hard-headed one,” Poppy agreed with a grin.Minerva snorted.“More tea, anyone?” Robbie asked mildly.*grins* That's my Minerva!