Yes, Minerva has eased up on Severus here. She certainly is in a good mood.Severus is just being Severus, whatever that may be! And he did get a nice pep talk from Minerva in this chapter, didn't he?Thanks for reviewing! I hope you enjoy the coming chapters!TTFN!

Yes, Minerva has eased up on Severus here. She certainly is in a good mood.Severus is just being Severus, whatever that may be! And he did get a nice pep talk from Minerva in this chapter, didn't he?Thanks for reviewing! I hope you enjoy the coming chapters!TTFN!

Yeah, not good to identify with Moody and Severus in this particular instance -- though you are not wrong to be suspicious!Severus and Hermione are comfy with each other, aren't they? Particularly Hermione. Probably left over from their being "co-conspirators" in An Act of Love -- that changed a lot of things. And what Severus told Hermione was more than had been planned on for her to know at that time, and he was fairly communicative with her, but he didn't reveal very much of himself here, really. Just a little.Thanks! (And I like your little pom-pom girls!)

Yeah, not good to identify with Moody and Severus in this particular instance -- though you are not wrong to be suspicious!Severus and Hermione are comfy with each other, aren't they? Particularly Hermione. Probably left over from their being "co-conspirators" in An Act of Love -- that changed a lot of things. And what Severus told Hermione was more than had been planned on for her to know at that time, and he was fairly communicative with her, but he didn't reveal very much of himself here, really. Just a little.Thanks! (And I like your little pom-pom girls!)

Well done, you manipulative author, you!Heheheheh! Er, I mean, .I am very glad you like my Poppy. Thank you! That scene, to me, is one of the essential ones, and not so much for any particular plot point it reveals as for its portrayal of the characters and the ties among people. Way back in RaM, you'll remember that Minerva's mother's seal had the motto, "To Comfort Enough to Bring Forth Healing," and Minerva scoffs slightly at the motto, but her mother says that true healing does require compassion, or something of the sort. Anyway, this is a bit of that theme.As for Minerva, I think you are right and that she can be as ruthless as she needs to be, and quite self-aware as she is, whatever Severus may think. Severus recognizes her mettle here when they talk about maintaining a cool facade in the face of something horrific -- and this is progress from his view of her at the beginning of the story, where he felt that she could allow her emotions to sway her too much -- so he is beginning to recognize more of her depths and strengths now that she must exercise them and he is in a position to see them. Severus saw himself as straightening Remus out -- you see that in his conversation with Minerva. He simply doesn't have much experience in doing that in anything other than a nasty way, not to mention his own emotional reaction to drunkenness and drunken fathers.Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!

Well done, you manipulative author, you!Heheheheh! Er, I mean, .I am very glad you like my Poppy. Thank you! That scene, to me, is one of the essential ones, and not so much for any particular plot point it reveals as for its portrayal of the characters and the ties among people. Way back in RaM, you'll remember that Minerva's mother's seal had the motto, "To Comfort Enough to Bring Forth Healing," and Minerva scoffs slightly at the motto, but her mother says that true healing does require compassion, or something of the sort. Anyway, this is a bit of that theme.As for Minerva, I think you are right and that she can be as ruthless as she needs to be, and quite self-aware as she is, whatever Severus may think. Severus recognizes her mettle here when they talk about maintaining a cool facade in the face of something horrific -- and this is progress from his view of her at the beginning of the story, where he felt that she could allow her emotions to sway her too much -- so he is beginning to recognize more of her depths and strengths now that she must exercise them and he is in a position to see them. Severus saw himself as straightening Remus out -- you see that in his conversation with Minerva. He simply doesn't have much experience in doing that in anything other than a nasty way, not to mention his own emotional reaction to drunkenness and drunken fathers.Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!

He didn't find forgiveness for Moody -- and remember what Gareth said about forgiveness, that he couldn't forgive certain things, but that he could accept an apology and move on, and maybe come to find that he managed to forgive somewhere along the way. Severus didn't even *quite* manage to accept the apology, but he came as close to it as possible: he restrained his vindictiveness and desire for revenge, and he's going to try to let Moody go on from there and prove himself better than he was in the moment in which he cursed him; at the same time, Severus did manage to rise above himself and his usual habitual reactions. He restrained himself and felt the desire to be more and better.I thought the Peaced-out Severus provided a little light relief for the reader as well as for poor Severus. It is poignant -- and both amusing and sad, simultaneously.Harry has come a long way in a year. Coming to certain realizations about himself and his presumed fate have helped him.I'm glad you liked the chapter! Thanks for the review!

He didn't find forgiveness for Moody -- and remember what Gareth said about forgiveness, that he couldn't forgive certain things, but that he could accept an apology and move on, and maybe come to find that he managed to forgive somewhere along the way. Severus didn't even *quite* manage to accept the apology, but he came as close to it as possible: he restrained his vindictiveness and desire for revenge, and he's going to try to let Moody go on from there and prove himself better than he was in the moment in which he cursed him; at the same time, Severus did manage to rise above himself and his usual habitual reactions. He restrained himself and felt the desire to be more and better.I thought the Peaced-out Severus provided a little light relief for the reader as well as for poor Severus. It is poignant -- and both amusing and sad, simultaneously.Harry has come a long way in a year. Coming to certain realizations about himself and his presumed fate have helped him.I'm glad you liked the chapter! Thanks for the review!

Yes, trust me! And Malcolm is my absolutely all-time favorite RaM character -- you have no idea the anguish I went through before I bit the bullet and let him have his heroic death in the first war.Oh, yes, Robert knows it was Severus. And Severus knows that Robert knows that it was he. And Robert knows Severus knows that Robert knows -- and so forth!Harry can just as easily believe that Severus is just being a nasty git. Harry isn't very subtle. Just have faith in Chapter Six! Do not lose faith in MMADfan or in MMADfan's depiction of Minerva! Remember POV is vital!Thanks for the review!

Yes, trust me! And Malcolm is my absolutely all-time favorite RaM character -- you have no idea the anguish I went through before I bit the bullet and let him have his heroic death in the first war.Oh, yes, Robert knows it was Severus. And Severus knows that Robert knows that it was he. And Robert knows Severus knows that Robert knows -- and so forth!Harry can just as easily believe that Severus is just being a nasty git. Harry isn't very subtle. Just have faith in Chapter Six! Do not lose faith in MMADfan or in MMADfan's depiction of Minerva! Remember POV is vital!Thanks for the review!

I'm glad you like Poppy here!No red herrings here! *grin* In fact, I don't tend to use red herrings. I have certain bits of ambiguity, of course, and I have characters who may lie to or mislead other characters, and a character's p.o.v. is important to take into account, but something like the prophecy . . . not a red herring.

I'm glad you like Poppy here!No red herrings here! *grin* In fact, I don't tend to use red herrings. I have certain bits of ambiguity, of course, and I have characters who may lie to or mislead other characters, and a character's p.o.v. is important to take into account, but something like the prophecy . . . not a red herring.

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you very much! I am very glad that you found the massage scene so moving. Severus needed to cry, and the massage let his body process his pain and his tears in a way that he hadn't allowed himself, and he felt what it was like to be taken care of, too, and by someone who didn't find his tears remarkable but just let him be, which was what he needed.Thank you very much for your review! It made my afternoon!

Thank you very much! I am very glad that you found the massage scene so moving. Severus needed to cry, and the massage let his body process his pain and his tears in a way that he hadn't allowed himself, and he felt what it was like to be taken care of, too, and by someone who didn't find his tears remarkable but just let him be, which was what he needed.Thank you very much for your review! It made my afternoon!

Why do I have a feeling that there's a plot twist coming?Gee, why do you? I'm glad you liked Poppy's massage. It helped Severus process his emotions physically, and helped him to keep going. I'm glad you want to sit and hold his hand!I'm glad you liked my version of wussy Lupin! Thanks for reviewing!

Why do I have a feeling that there's a plot twist coming?Gee, why do you? I'm glad you liked Poppy's massage. It helped Severus process his emotions physically, and helped him to keep going. I'm glad you want to sit and hold his hand!I'm glad you liked my version of wussy Lupin! Thanks for reviewing!

Yeah, Moody really needed sorting out, didn't he? I'm glad you liked the chapter! Thanks! :-)

Yeah, Moody really needed sorting out, didn't he? I'm glad you liked the chapter! Thanks! :-)

Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked Poppy's treatment of Severus. I appreciate your review!

Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked Poppy's treatment of Severus. I appreciate your review!

Hope you aren't late for work!Severus was able to use his nasty-git-ness to irk Harry enough to drive him from the school -- can't go "gallivanting" if you have detention every night! haha!Minerva is being coolly detached from Severus, as you will see later, and her role has changed drastically, as well.Robbie. Heheheh. Yeah, Severus doesn't like him much here, does he?Thank you for the review!

Hope you aren't late for work!Severus was able to use his nasty-git-ness to irk Harry enough to drive him from the school -- can't go "gallivanting" if you have detention every night! haha!Minerva is being coolly detached from Severus, as you will see later, and her role has changed drastically, as well.Robbie. Heheheh. Yeah, Severus doesn't like him much here, does he?Thank you for the review!

Yep, the first several chapters are in chronological order, though the first couple chapters are prior to the events of the prologue, the next few follow the events of the prologue. It is fairly nonlinear, though, and the early chapters don't follow one another closely, but as things draw closer to the end, the timeline grows tighter, unlike in RaM and AAoL, which follow events very closely, practically one day after the other. So you're right -- it's very different from RaM.Robert Crouch is Gertie's son by Reginald Crouch -- Minerva first met him at the Gamps. Remember that Minerva's mother was helping him and Thea with Thea's medical problem? There will be several characters whom you will recognise from RaM, or who are related to RaM characters, so that should be fun for you!I loved having Harry throw up on Vernon. He sure deserved it! haha!Glad you liked the chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

Yep, the first several chapters are in chronological order, though the first couple chapters are prior to the events of the prologue, the next few follow the events of the prologue. It is fairly nonlinear, though, and the early chapters don't follow one another closely, but as things draw closer to the end, the timeline grows tighter, unlike in RaM and AAoL, which follow events very closely, practically one day after the other. So you're right -- it's very different from RaM.Robert Crouch is Gertie's son by Reginald Crouch -- Minerva first met him at the Gamps. Remember that Minerva's mother was helping him and Thea with Thea's medical problem? There will be several characters whom you will recognise from RaM, or who are related to RaM characters, so that should be fun for you!I loved having Harry throw up on Vernon. He sure deserved it! haha!Glad you liked the chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

Yep, an update! I'm glad to give you a happy dance in the middle of the week!Severus has shown some growth here, even if it's reluctant and grudging sometimes. I'm glad you like my take on the events leading up to the final confrontation! It's not as full of action and adventure, of course -- I'm just letting Harry & Co. do most of their thing off-screen, so to speak -- but I like this side of the story, and the twists I've made, myself. (Well, guess I'd have to since I am writing it! haha!) And there's no camping . . . sorry about that to anyone who enjoyed the camping aspect! I'm bad this morning!Thanks for reviewing! I hope you're having a great summer!

Yep, an update! I'm glad to give you a happy dance in the middle of the week!Severus has shown some growth here, even if it's reluctant and grudging sometimes. I'm glad you like my take on the events leading up to the final confrontation! It's not as full of action and adventure, of course -- I'm just letting Harry & Co. do most of their thing off-screen, so to speak -- but I like this side of the story, and the twists I've made, myself. (Well, guess I'd have to since I am writing it! haha!) And there's no camping . . . sorry about that to anyone who enjoyed the camping aspect! I'm bad this morning!Thanks for reviewing! I hope you're having a great summer!

Yup, this was a hard chapter all around for both Severus and Minerva. She will confront Albus about it (of course), but it will be a while before we see that.I'm glad you found it heart-wrenching in a good way!Thanks for the review!

Yup, this was a hard chapter all around for both Severus and Minerva. She will confront Albus about it (of course), but it will be a while before we see that.I'm glad you found it heart-wrenching in a good way!Thanks for the review!

Erg, your poor overheated motherboard! How annoying, too!I'm glad you like Severus here! Albus didn't stay angry long, fortunately. You'll learn in a future chapter why Albus is keeping it from her. Cheers! Thanks for reviwing!

Erg, your poor overheated motherboard! How annoying, too!I'm glad you like Severus here! Albus didn't stay angry long, fortunately. You'll learn in a future chapter why Albus is keeping it from her. Cheers! Thanks for reviwing!

Yes, it is a sad start. As I've occasionally described it, the prologue here is kind of like the hub of the wheel of the story, and the other chapters are spokes.I can guess which "cheerleader" that might have been! Yup, listen to her. Hope you enjoy the ride!There's lots more Severus to come, and sometimes he holds himself in check, and sometimes not so much . . .Thanks for reviewing!

Yes, it is a sad start. As I've occasionally described it, the prologue here is kind of like the hub of the wheel of the story, and the other chapters are spokes.I can guess which "cheerleader" that might have been! Yup, listen to her. Hope you enjoy the ride!There's lots more Severus to come, and sometimes he holds himself in check, and sometimes not so much . . .Thanks for reviewing!

I'm glad you are enjoying it so well! It's always nice to have a chunk left to read when the new chapter is posted.

I'm glad you are enjoying it so well! It's always nice to have a chunk left to read when the new chapter is posted.

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

The next chapter is very full, too, as things crank up. You can look at as a chapter containing mini-chapters. ;-)Glad you liked Severus's POV here.Thanks for reviewing!

The next chapter is very full, too, as things crank up. You can look at as a chapter containing mini-chapters. ;-)Glad you liked Severus's POV here.Thanks for reviewing!

Thank you! I am glad that the story is drawing you in so much and that you were moved by the chapter. Thanks for reviewing!

Thank you! I am glad that the story is drawing you in so much and that you were moved by the chapter. Thanks for reviewing!

“It would have to be a very superficial examination, Severus,” Minerva said. “That is not as simple as Transfiguring an actual corpse into something else. I don’t think I’m capable of it.”[Esoterica arches an eyebrow. Albus always did think that Minerva underestimated her abilities....and at the moment I'm tending to agree. <g>]Hmmm . . . wonder why Minerva would underestimate her abilities to Severus . . . hmmmm . . . As far as Severus's appreciation, I think he has some sense of it, but he's so (understandably) bound up in his own situation, he can't completely appreciate very much, even that. It's also in his nature to be more focussed on himself than on others, and that's a trait that's been reinforced by his abnormal life. As far as Albus & Minerva -- you are correct in a sense. Albus did accept his fate, but that was because he, despite his genius for changing things to suit him, could not see any way to change anything that wouldn't make things worse for others even if they were better for himself. With Minerva, it's not as though she was incapable of changing circumstances to suit herself, of course, but here, her talent for taking what was dealt her actually was an advantage. The changes that Albus considered when he tried to think of other options were not of the sort that Minerva could consider. Not only was Minerva able to take her own participation into account and what she was able to do in the situation, but she was able to look at it and say, "We can't change what's dealth us, but how can we use it -- have it remain the same but have it serve us to our advantage?" So while she creates change, she does it in ways that Albus wouldn't think to.Just FYI, the "abd" really was "abd," not "a__bd." It's the beginning of a word on the cover, and although you are correct that it was one of Albus's books, he obtained it many years before and he did not copy it himself. (He would have regularized the spelling. haha!) Also, Severus would have recognized Albus's handwriting.WRT the conversation between Robbie and Severus and Robbie's careful choice of words, when Robbie and Minerva -- and Gareth -- can avoid out-and-out lying to Severus, they do. (Like Gareth's answer when Severus asked if others lived on the island. An answer, truthful, and yet ambiguous.)Severus has grown in his trust of Robbie, and he gets that they are trying to help him even if he still feels entirely alone.

And because I forgot to say it, thank you for your review!(It's also gratifying when you see some of the parallels and such that I've set up -- the basic story here is fairly simple, even the part that is only gradually being revealed -- but its construction and writing haven't been so simple. Thanks!)

I see what you mean about A and M also still following their original characters.  All of your Gryffindors are really Gryffyclaws, compared to the stereotype one sometimes gets from canon of Gryffindors simply being foolhardy brave jocks, and Severus's equal stereotyping of them, even though he clearly has a thing for Gryffy witches!  Minerva and her rellies and Albus are all notable for their brains and wisdom first, and their bravery second.  And if Robbie had ever been sorted <g>, I think he'd come out Gryffyclaw too--the Gryffy part is clear from the dangerous exploit Albus had to rescue him from as a teen! Severus was so sure (and understandably so) that when he told Minerva of Albus's plan he would lose his last tie to human friendship.  But now 12-18 mos later, he has more friends than he's possibly ever had: Minerva, Robbie, Gareth in a way, and Hermione.  And all of them are truly going out of their way to befriend him.  Hopefully he'll continue to absorb this and take hope from it.

Whoa! This is one long review thread!Anyway, Minerva & her relatives do tend to be bright. Even Morgan, who we never see (though we have heard of) is very bright. He's a Hufflepuff and a homebody, though. Murdoch and Gareth are both Ravenclaws, though neither of them is a wuss. Gareth certainly isn't. Of course, in canon, we are told about very bright Gryffies -- in addition to Hermione, both James and Lily were supposed to have been very smart and gotten top marks. Pettigrew always puzzled me -- he's a Gryffy, but the only Gryffy thing that we see him do is turn on his friends and join Voldemort -- that would take guts, even if it's a really terrible thing to do.And yup, Severus has a thing for Gryffy witches! Smart Gryffy witches.Severus is very gloom-and-doom when it comes to his future. If he was wrong about that -- and yet he did what he thought was the right thing despite that belief -- what else might he be wrong about?

“It would have to be a very superficial examination, Severus,” Minerva said. “That is not as simple as Transfiguring an actual corpse into something else. I don’t think I’m capable of it.”[Esoterica arches an eyebrow. Albus always did think that Minerva underestimated her abilities....and at the moment I'm tending to agree. <g>]Hmmm . . . wonder why Minerva would underestimate her abilities to Severus . . . hmmmm . . . As far as Severus's appreciation, I think he has some sense of it, but he's so (understandably) bound up in his own situation, he can't completely appreciate very much, even that. It's also in his nature to be more focussed on himself than on others, and that's a trait that's been reinforced by his abnormal life. As far as Albus & Minerva -- you are correct in a sense. Albus did accept his fate, but that was because he, despite his genius for changing things to suit him, could not see any way to change anything that wouldn't make things worse for others even if they were better for himself. With Minerva, it's not as though she was incapable of changing circumstances to suit herself, of course, but here, her talent for taking what was dealt her actually was an advantage. The changes that Albus considered when he tried to think of other options were not of the sort that Minerva could consider. Not only was Minerva able to take her own participation into account and what she was able to do in the situation, but she was able to look at it and say, "We can't change what's dealth us, but how can we use it -- have it remain the same but have it serve us to our advantage?" So while she creates change, she does it in ways that Albus wouldn't think to.Just FYI, the "abd" really was "abd," not "a__bd." It's the beginning of a word on the cover, and although you are correct that it was one of Albus's books, he obtained it many years before and he did not copy it himself. (He would have regularized the spelling. haha!) Also, Severus would have recognized Albus's handwriting.WRT the conversation between Robbie and Severus and Robbie's careful choice of words, when Robbie and Minerva -- and Gareth -- can avoid out-and-out lying to Severus, they do. (Like Gareth's answer when Severus asked if others lived on the island. An answer, truthful, and yet ambiguous.)Severus has grown in his trust of Robbie, and he gets that they are trying to help him even if he still feels entirely alone.

And because I forgot to say it, thank you for your review!(It's also gratifying when you see some of the parallels and such that I've set up -- the basic story here is fairly simple, even the part that is only gradually being revealed -- but its construction and writing haven't been so simple. Thanks!)

I see what you mean about A and M also still following their original characters.  All of your Gryffindors are really Gryffyclaws, compared to the stereotype one sometimes gets from canon of Gryffindors simply being foolhardy brave jocks, and Severus's equal stereotyping of them, even though he clearly has a thing for Gryffy witches!  Minerva and her rellies and Albus are all notable for their brains and wisdom first, and their bravery second.  And if Robbie had ever been sorted <g>, I think he'd come out Gryffyclaw too--the Gryffy part is clear from the dangerous exploit Albus had to rescue him from as a teen! Severus was so sure (and understandably so) that when he told Minerva of Albus's plan he would lose his last tie to human friendship.  But now 12-18 mos later, he has more friends than he's possibly ever had: Minerva, Robbie, Gareth in a way, and Hermione.  And all of them are truly going out of their way to befriend him.  Hopefully he'll continue to absorb this and take hope from it.

Whoa! This is one long review thread!Anyway, Minerva & her relatives do tend to be bright. Even Morgan, who we never see (though we have heard of) is very bright. He's a Hufflepuff and a homebody, though. Murdoch and Gareth are both Ravenclaws, though neither of them is a wuss. Gareth certainly isn't. Of course, in canon, we are told about very bright Gryffies -- in addition to Hermione, both James and Lily were supposed to have been very smart and gotten top marks. Pettigrew always puzzled me -- he's a Gryffy, but the only Gryffy thing that we see him do is turn on his friends and join Voldemort -- that would take guts, even if it's a really terrible thing to do.And yup, Severus has a thing for Gryffy witches! Smart Gryffy witches.Severus is very gloom-and-doom when it comes to his future. If he was wrong about that -- and yet he did what he thought was the right thing despite that belief -- what else might he be wrong about?

I'm glad you are loving it! Thanks for letting me know! There are more than a few chapters remaining, but we are getting closer to the inevitable final confrontations with V.I hope you continue to enjoy it.

I'm glad you are loving it! Thanks for letting me know! There are more than a few chapters remaining, but we are getting closer to the inevitable final confrontations with V.I hope you continue to enjoy it.

He could prepare my bath and help me take it. Gareth might have gone into Potions or Healing if his education hadn't been quite so unconventional -- in other words, if he'd been able to take his Potions NEWT. It runs through the family on Minerva's mother's side.Gareth was finding Severus rather cute and amusing with the sandwiches, but knew that Severus would misinterpret any laughing. Severus has not yet developed a very good ability to laugh at himself unless he is being derisive. He has a hard time understanding laughing at someone without derision -- though he feels something like it when he talks to Hermione and she displays such supreme and artless self-confidence.There wre so many things in that Book-Which-Shall-Not-Be-Named that I found disappointing, and that was one of them. The lack of depth and some kind of salvation for Severus was another -- we learned more about his motivation in turning to Dumbledore years before (which most of us had already guessed at during HBP at least, if not before), but I think that motivation took the place of depth, and "balancing the scales" through his sacrifice took the place of salvation, if you know what I mean. I think of Seversu as a complex character, even more complex than he realizes, and while it remains important for him to remember his initial motivation for turning away from V -- Albus says something like that to him, not to forget that, not to forget why he came to him originally and why he has been at Hogwarts all those years -- but there is more to him than just that.Glad you liked his little self-pep-talk! The greatest Slytherin in the history of Slytherin! (And in some respects, he might be right, too.) And don't we all have those moments when we think, oh, to shut off the world! I'm glad you liked the chapter! I am trying to update at least every 10 - 14 days. The chapter with the Heads of House took longer to write. I had to put it aside after each scene and go do something else, then it took me a long time to be happy with it after I'd polished and repolished. RL is also not terrific right now . . . Thanks for the review!

He could prepare my bath and help me take it. Gareth might have gone into Potions or Healing if his education hadn't been quite so unconventional -- in other words, if he'd been able to take his Potions NEWT. It runs through the family on Minerva's mother's side.Gareth was finding Severus rather cute and amusing with the sandwiches, but knew that Severus would misinterpret any laughing. Severus has not yet developed a very good ability to laugh at himself unless he is being derisive. He has a hard time understanding laughing at someone without derision -- though he feels something like it when he talks to Hermione and she displays such supreme and artless self-confidence.There wre so many things in that Book-Which-Shall-Not-Be-Named that I found disappointing, and that was one of them. The lack of depth and some kind of salvation for Severus was another -- we learned more about his motivation in turning to Dumbledore years before (which most of us had already guessed at during HBP at least, if not before), but I think that motivation took the place of depth, and "balancing the scales" through his sacrifice took the place of salvation, if you know what I mean. I think of Seversu as a complex character, even more complex than he realizes, and while it remains important for him to remember his initial motivation for turning away from V -- Albus says something like that to him, not to forget that, not to forget why he came to him originally and why he has been at Hogwarts all those years -- but there is more to him than just that.Glad you liked his little self-pep-talk! The greatest Slytherin in the history of Slytherin! (And in some respects, he might be right, too.) And don't we all have those moments when we think, oh, to shut off the world! I'm glad you liked the chapter! I am trying to update at least every 10 - 14 days. The chapter with the Heads of House took longer to write. I had to put it aside after each scene and go do something else, then it took me a long time to be happy with it after I'd polished and repolished. RL is also not terrific right now . . . Thanks for the review!

I'm glad that you liked that scene with the Heads of House. I am sure that it hurt Albus to see Severus upset. The gift for Severus was the easiest for Albus to decide on because it was, to Albus, the most natural and perfect thing to give him. He wanted Severus to know that apart from all else in their lives, that he was important to him, like a son, and he loved him. The knowledge that what they are doing will hurt and upset people bothers both Albus and Minerva, but they see it as necessary. Melina tells Minerva that a lot of people will be upseet when it's over, and Minerva tells her that's true, but it will be over, and that is what the two are trying to focus on -- getting it over, doing what they can to ensure that Harry has the best possible opportunity to defeat Voldemort.Harry will grow, and there will be a few hints of that, but since I'm focussing on the folks left back at Hogwarts rather than Harry and his crew, we won't see a lot of him. There will be a few scenes, though, that will show some of the growth he's undergone after leaving Hogwarts, and which I think you'll find interesting.Thanks very much for the review! I appreciate it!

I'm glad that you liked that scene with the Heads of House. I am sure that it hurt Albus to see Severus upset. The gift for Severus was the easiest for Albus to decide on because it was, to Albus, the most natural and perfect thing to give him. He wanted Severus to know that apart from all else in their lives, that he was important to him, like a son, and he loved him. The knowledge that what they are doing will hurt and upset people bothers both Albus and Minerva, but they see it as necessary. Melina tells Minerva that a lot of people will be upseet when it's over, and Minerva tells her that's true, but it will be over, and that is what the two are trying to focus on -- getting it over, doing what they can to ensure that Harry has the best possible opportunity to defeat Voldemort.Harry will grow, and there will be a few hints of that, but since I'm focussing on the folks left back at Hogwarts rather than Harry and his crew, we won't see a lot of him. There will be a few scenes, though, that will show some of the growth he's undergone after leaving Hogwarts, and which I think you'll find interesting.Thanks very much for the review! I appreciate it!