Hmm, my popular-culture flash drive does not seem to be functional this morning. LPBW? Or am I just getting old? (Don't answer that! lol!)I agree about Gareth and Severus. Interesting way of offering friendship that Gareth used, wasn't it? Particularly given their first meeting . . .Catherine the Great stories *shudder* -- doesn't bear thinking about! And even though for some reason I've had that scene with Sinistra and Firenze together for quite some time, and thought that their mutual, though very different, appreciation of the stars might draw them together, I really would prefer not to contemplate it any further! LOL!Yeah, I'm not a Lucius fan, either, though I do think the actor brings that sort of polish to him that he needs. (It's funny how Isaacs is so much younger than Rickman, but the character is supposed to be older than Snape.) I'm glad that you were able to enjoy this as an alternative to Elmo and Diego. (And who is Diego? See, pop culture node is on the fritz!)CFR!

Hmm, my popular-culture flash drive does not seem to be functional this morning. LPBW? Or am I just getting old? (Don't answer that! lol!)I agree about Gareth and Severus. Interesting way of offering friendship that Gareth used, wasn't it? Particularly given their first meeting . . .Catherine the Great stories *shudder* -- doesn't bear thinking about! And even though for some reason I've had that scene with Sinistra and Firenze together for quite some time, and thought that their mutual, though very different, appreciation of the stars might draw them together, I really would prefer not to contemplate it any further! LOL!Yeah, I'm not a Lucius fan, either, though I do think the actor brings that sort of polish to him that he needs. (It's funny how Isaacs is so much younger than Rickman, but the character is supposed to be older than Snape.) I'm glad that you were able to enjoy this as an alternative to Elmo and Diego. (And who is Diego? See, pop culture node is on the fritz!)CFR!

You cannot imagine how unhappy I was to have Malcolm die that way, but every time I tried to have him NOT die that way, there was something that said that Malcolm would fight in the first Voldy war, be an obnxious threat, and die fighting. On the up side of things, Gertrude and Malcolm had a whole lot more time together than canon!Remus and canon!Tonks did! Almost 20 years. And they will appear together in future fics. Malcolm is my favorite of all my OCs, and I miss him!

You cannot imagine how unhappy I was to have Malcolm die that way, but every time I tried to have him NOT die that way, there was something that said that Malcolm would fight in the first Voldy war, be an obnxious threat, and die fighting. On the up side of things, Gertrude and Malcolm had a whole lot more time together than canon!Remus and canon!Tonks did! Almost 20 years. And they will appear together in future fics. Malcolm is my favorite of all my OCs, and I miss him!

Glad you liked that -- thanks!

Glad you liked that -- thanks!

Thank you! I really appreciate that. And my birthday is the third, just one day off. I am pretty sure that Minerva is my favorite female HP character, so it really pleases me that you like the way I write her.Thanks again!

Thank you! I really appreciate that. And my birthday is the third, just one day off. I am pretty sure that Minerva is my favorite female HP character, so it really pleases me that you like the way I write her.Thanks again!

Thank you! I'm very glad you liked it. The word counts always are somewhat inflated for some reason, though even the actual word count for this chapter hit a new record for me (unintentionally!), so I'm glad to know that you enjoy reading the longer chapters.Neville did need the advice and example of a more experienced wizard. He certainly did gung ho once he took Severus's advice not to be a victim to heart.We're very close to zero hour!

Thank you! I'm very glad you liked it. The word counts always are somewhat inflated for some reason, though even the actual word count for this chapter hit a new record for me (unintentionally!), so I'm glad to know that you enjoy reading the longer chapters.Neville did need the advice and example of a more experienced wizard. He certainly did gung ho once he took Severus's advice not to be a victim to heart.We're very close to zero hour!

It was a heavy chapter, and an emotional one to write, as well.I'm glad you like the musical metaphors and such.I actually wrote a Mrs Figg, Tabby!Minerva, and Harry drabble a while back, called "Tea." It's in the "Five Afternoons" section of "Circadian Rhythm." (My favorite set of drabbles in "Circadian Rhythm" is actually "Five Nights," though.)I'm glad you liked the references to possible negative outcomes. Thnks!

It was a heavy chapter, and an emotional one to write, as well.I'm glad you like the musical metaphors and such.I actually wrote a Mrs Figg, Tabby!Minerva, and Harry drabble a while back, called "Tea." It's in the "Five Afternoons" section of "Circadian Rhythm." (My favorite set of drabbles in "Circadian Rhythm" is actually "Five Nights," though.)I'm glad you liked the references to possible negative outcomes. Thnks!

Yeah, that annoying man in a skirt who smiles and gets chummy with Hermione on first meeting. Not easy on poor Severus!

Yeah, that annoying man in a skirt who smiles and gets chummy with Hermione on first meeting. Not easy on poor Severus!

It helps that very, very few people know anything at all of the real secrets, so that limits what she needs to keep straight, and since each was informed sufficiently to perform their individual task, that makes it somewhat easier. There certainly are other difficulties associated with the secrets and keeping them, since the secrets are woven through things that others do know -- so remembering, especially when tired, not to let anything slip is hard. Sometimes, too, she simply feels bad that someone is in the dark, though she knows it is better that way.Glad you like the Hermione bits. A lot of people like to get a fix of Hermione every so often!Thanks for the review!

It helps that very, very few people know anything at all of the real secrets, so that limits what she needs to keep straight, and since each was informed sufficiently to perform their individual task, that makes it somewhat easier. There certainly are other difficulties associated with the secrets and keeping them, since the secrets are woven through things that others do know -- so remembering, especially when tired, not to let anything slip is hard. Sometimes, too, she simply feels bad that someone is in the dark, though she knows it is better that way.Glad you like the Hermione bits. A lot of people like to get a fix of Hermione every so often!Thanks for the review!

Thank you! I'm glad you found the conversation delightful!

Thank you! I'm glad you found the conversation delightful!

Yes, ordering the chapters has been difficult. I wanted to create a puzzle, but not make it completely obscure, and I wanted the two primary story lines to be told non-linearly, but I still wanted to create enough coherence so that the reading experience was intriguing and not merely bewildering (at least not too bewildering!), and I have played with moving them around quite a bit. Sometimes the order in which I thought I would put them, according to the initial outline I made, didn't work for one reason or another. I liked it personally, but I knew that, especially for a story being posted serially, it would be too confusing to the reader. The chapters that were eleven and twelve were originally going to be earlier, and with other chapters coming between them -- eleven was going to be after what is now chapter seven. Creating slight confusion is okay, but I decided that that placement would be too confusing. There are also particular parts of dialogue that I honed so that certain bits are revealed gradually. Little hints dropped here and there.Thanks for the review! I hope you continue to enjoy it and find some squee-worthy moments!

Yes, ordering the chapters has been difficult. I wanted to create a puzzle, but not make it completely obscure, and I wanted the two primary story lines to be told non-linearly, but I still wanted to create enough coherence so that the reading experience was intriguing and not merely bewildering (at least not too bewildering!), and I have played with moving them around quite a bit. Sometimes the order in which I thought I would put them, according to the initial outline I made, didn't work for one reason or another. I liked it personally, but I knew that, especially for a story being posted serially, it would be too confusing to the reader. The chapters that were eleven and twelve were originally going to be earlier, and with other chapters coming between them -- eleven was going to be after what is now chapter seven. Creating slight confusion is okay, but I decided that that placement would be too confusing. There are also particular parts of dialogue that I honed so that certain bits are revealed gradually. Little hints dropped here and there.Thanks for the review! I hope you continue to enjoy it and find some squee-worthy moments!

Thank you! *bows and blushes*

Thank you! *bows and blushes*

Fleeting thoughts can be most interesting, though, can't they?The Heart of Hogwarts is one of the things that's first introduced in Resolving a Misunderstanding. There are a few RaM "spoilers" in later chapters, but they don't spoil things too much.I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.

Fleeting thoughts can be most interesting, though, can't they?The Heart of Hogwarts is one of the things that's first introduced in Resolving a Misunderstanding. There are a few RaM "spoilers" in later chapters, but they don't spoil things too much.I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.

I'm glad that you liked the chapter!

I'm glad that you liked the chapter!

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it!

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it!

Minerva knows how hard Severus's life is right now, and how bereft of friendship he is (remember her reflections in AAoL about whom among the staff he might consider a friend), and she also knows that he discounts everything, minimizing any positive regard anyone may have for him, so to get through to him, she is blunter than she might otherwise be.Yes, those last few lines on the stairs are intriguing! Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the chapter!

Minerva knows how hard Severus's life is right now, and how bereft of friendship he is (remember her reflections in AAoL about whom among the staff he might consider a friend), and she also knows that he discounts everything, minimizing any positive regard anyone may have for him, so to get through to him, she is blunter than she might otherwise be.Yes, those last few lines on the stairs are intriguing! Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the chapter!

It's just that Snape's heebie-jeebies are contagious. The scene from Minerva's POV would have seemed much different. And remember that this is still the same Minerva I always write, and wrote in AAoL. Can't say more than that! But I think you'll like chapter seven. But yeah, Moody and Snape both have a sensitive spot there! Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy chapter seven!

It's a mark of your writing skill that Snape's emotions are contagious.  I was so disturbed that I forgot to mention the delightful scene with Hermione and the fact that I'm loving Ron with Luna.  I'm so glad it wasn't Lavender.  I'm kind of tempted to stop reading and read RaM to get the full back-story, but I'm too hooked.  I promised somoene a beta this weekend, but I'm also going to read this whole story for sure.

I think you'll enjoy RaM when you get to it.I'll be posting the next chapter of Death's Dominion this weekend if RL doesn't get in the way.I'm glad you liked the scene with Hermione in the library. I think you're not the only one who forgot the first library scene because of the second library scene!(BTW, remember what I told you to remember back in one of your reviews for AAoL -- it was a hint. And I'm wicked -- I shouldn't give hints at all! )Have fun beta'ing!

It's just that Snape's heebie-jeebies are contagious. The scene from Minerva's POV would have seemed much different. And remember that this is still the same Minerva I always write, and wrote in AAoL. Can't say more than that! But I think you'll like chapter seven. But yeah, Moody and Snape both have a sensitive spot there! Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy chapter seven!

It's a mark of your writing skill that Snape's emotions are contagious.  I was so disturbed that I forgot to mention the delightful scene with Hermione and the fact that I'm loving Ron with Luna.  I'm so glad it wasn't Lavender.  I'm kind of tempted to stop reading and read RaM to get the full back-story, but I'm too hooked.  I promised somoene a beta this weekend, but I'm also going to read this whole story for sure.

I think you'll enjoy RaM when you get to it.I'll be posting the next chapter of Death's Dominion this weekend if RL doesn't get in the way.I'm glad you liked the scene with Hermione in the library. I think you're not the only one who forgot the first library scene because of the second library scene!(BTW, remember what I told you to remember back in one of your reviews for AAoL -- it was a hint. And I'm wicked -- I shouldn't give hints at all! )Have fun beta'ing!

Yes, and he continues to look after her, as you will see, particularly once you get into chapter seven. Glad I could give you a happy sigh!

Yes, and he continues to look after her, as you will see, particularly once you get into chapter seven. Glad I could give you a happy sigh!

Thank you! I really appreciate it!

Thank you! I really appreciate it!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Yes, and it will benefit Severus, although he won't realize it for a long time, and it won't be immediately evident that it does. I think that by about chapter 7, it begins to become a little bit clearer -- to the reader, though not necessarily to Severus -- but it's still a long road ahead for him.I'm glad you like the way it builds from the previous story!Thanks for reviewing!

Yes, and it will benefit Severus, although he won't realize it for a long time, and it won't be immediately evident that it does. I think that by about chapter 7, it begins to become a little bit clearer -- to the reader, though not necessarily to Severus -- but it's still a long road ahead for him.I'm glad you like the way it builds from the previous story!Thanks for reviewing!

I think she said a "platonic companion" in RaM. Don't worry, it will become even MORE delightfully confusing! That's the "mystery" part of the fic. I hope you continue to enjoy it!

I meant that she said "platonic companionship" in AAoL, of course, not RaM.

Thanks for clarifying  :)  Then I can definitely put off reading it until next time I have a weekend to kill.

There's still lots of back-story in RaM, but it's sort of a saga, so pace yourself! She says even stronger things than that in RaM, by the end of the story! haha!

I think she said a "platonic companion" in RaM. Don't worry, it will become even MORE delightfully confusing! That's the "mystery" part of the fic. I hope you continue to enjoy it!

I meant that she said "platonic companionship" in AAoL, of course, not RaM.

Thanks for clarifying  :)  Then I can definitely put off reading it until next time I have a weekend to kill.

There's still lots of back-story in RaM, but it's sort of a saga, so pace yourself! She says even stronger things than that in RaM, by the end of the story! haha!

Yes, now that it's safe for Severus to know the truth, Minerva doesn't want to wait any longer than absolutely necessary. Poor Severus, though -- he has no idea what to make of having lived.They really have grown as friends, and they each see the other as a three-dimensional person, not just as "Hogwarts teacher" and "Gryffindor student (though less annoying than most!), and they have a good basis for a friendship or further relationship now. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you! It's always fun to read the things that stand out to you.

Hi,

! I'm really glad you are enjoying the story! Thanks for letting me know! A lot of people in the story have hope for Severus, too. We'll have to see how things work out for them all.I hope you continue to enjoy it! Thanks again. :-)

Hi,

! I'm really glad you are enjoying the story! Thanks for letting me know! A lot of people in the story have hope for Severus, too. We'll have to see how things work out for them all.I hope you continue to enjoy it! Thanks again. :-)

Thank you! Glad you liked it. :)

Thank you! Glad you liked it. :)

So Albus's secondary wand v2.0 was of dragon heartstring.  Same dragon as his primary and Minerva's wand?  [How many heartstrings does a dragon have? :-]Nope, remember that Ollivander only made two wands with that dragon heart -- it also would have destroyed their wand-effect if he had made more than two (according to RaM wand theory which carries through to DD). Albus got the other wand 75 years after he got his primary wand with Mother Dragon's heartstring. (And in the chapter in which Albus tells Minerva about the wands, he says that wandmakers generally never make more than one wand using a single dragon heartstring.) He got that second wand in the same way that anyone would get a new wand from Ollivander's -- he tried a few, and that one chose him. There is a way that Albus's primary wand could easily be hidden in plain sight, but I won't get into it here. But there may be a teeny, tiny hint of how if you read the scene with Albus and Robert in "Yet they shall not break." It's just the tiniest hint that can be extrapolated from, not a specific hint. (Robert's wand is of ebony & hippogriff feather, which would look really different from Albus's primary wand of yew and dragon heartstring -- the colors would be opposites. But yew is not an uncommon wood for a wand, and you can't tell what a wand core is just by looking at it.)As for the Patronus change, his relationship with Minerva primarily influenced the change, but so did someone else whose support gives him some comfort and some fleeting moments of happiness. (Remember the end of Chapter Fifteen: Lift its head to the blows of the rain.) And yet you are right -- it is totally him, and it expresses a part of himself and isn't just a reflection of his obsessive love for Lily.Yes, it certainly is a good thing that Robbie doesn't need to send her a Patronus message!The Peace Draught was brewed earlier, before the current school year.I'm glad you enjoyed Peaced-out Snape! It was nice for him to feel so good for a little while! I also thought it was a nice moment of levity in an otherwise heavy chapter.Severus certainly would never have dreamed such a thing -- particularly about The Boy Who Lived and Neville. Those conversations, particularly with Zabini and Longbottom, are important, and not just for Severus or for the two boys.The first scene of the next chapter (as the draft stands now) has some of what you talk about here -- the fact that Minerva does not hold him in any less regard now than she did before and that Severus is not the only one culpable, even though he had to actually administer the potion. And brewing the potion himself is not something that Robbie would have naturally thought of, though once Minerva brought it up, he agreed immediately because it would ease things for Severus at least a little. Minerva shares in the culpability more concretely than she would have if she had simply told him to go along with V and brew him a lethal potion, since she handed it to Severus. There's also the small consolation knowing that a) Higgs was already marked for death, and b) that at least he was no longer serving as Bella's plaything, which would be a miserable existence. Thanks for the review!

Re the way Albus's wand could be in plain sight...I didn't see any clues in that convo between Albus and Robert, but it did occur to me that Albus could have willed the wand to Robert, which would have made total sense if he viewed him like a son.  Robbie could thus be using it instead of his ebony one, being as sentimentally attached to it as Severus has become to his watch... and if anyone noticed the change there would be a totally logical explanation for it.  Though they'd have to be sure that Toe-Rag/TR didn't hear of it, else he'd go after Robbie for that wand instead of/in addition to breaking into the Headmaster's tomb.  But evidently a will is not what you're thinking of else you would have mentioned the watch-giving-scene instead of the Robert/Albus in the sitting room scene.  So I shall just live impatiently in suspense. :-) Re Snape's patronus...I had forgotten his thinking that Hermione's animagus form will probably be a big elegant cat; in canon her patronus is an otter so I wasn't linking otter and big cat.  (I don't know beans about otters, but that patronus never made sense to me....there are lots of other animals I'd have picked for Hermione before an otter!)

Yeah, I know -- and otter is definitely bizarre, but I think JKR chose it because of Ran and the notion that Hermione makes a connection between the otter and where Ron lives (Ottery St. Catchpole). Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. But I can't see Hermione's Animagus being an otter even though it's her Patronus form. I don't know as she'd be a cat, either, but she doesn't strike me as otter-like. It also wouldn't be the most handy form in the world unless you spent a lot of time near the water. They are kind of cute, though.

Otters are definitely cute.  I can maybe see HG as a cat, but maybe something else...some exotic European sheep-herding dog--fiercely intelligent, very hard-working and high-energy, incredibly loyal and always having to keep her friends in line and out of trouble!  Maybe a Puli, given her hair. :-)  Or an English or Scottish sheepdog of some sort.I still wouldn't be at all surprised to see that Minerva's had morphed into a lioness,  though I guess she's sent enough patronuses lately that we'd know...and maybe being such a strong tabby animagus for so long makes her patronus more tied to that form....and her fundamental personality hasn't shifted--it's just had to get incredibly thicker-skinned, calculating, and even more resiliant and focused.  She's one tabby I wouldn't want to cross....

So Albus's secondary wand v2.0 was of dragon heartstring.  Same dragon as his primary and Minerva's wand?  [How many heartstrings does a dragon have? :-]Nope, remember that Ollivander only made two wands with that dragon heart -- it also would have destroyed their wand-effect if he had made more than two (according to RaM wand theory which carries through to DD). Albus got the other wand 75 years after he got his primary wand with Mother Dragon's heartstring. (And in the chapter in which Albus tells Minerva about the wands, he says that wandmakers generally never make more than one wand using a single dragon heartstring.) He got that second wand in the same way that anyone would get a new wand from Ollivander's -- he tried a few, and that one chose him. There is a way that Albus's primary wand could easily be hidden in plain sight, but I won't get into it here. But there may be a teeny, tiny hint of how if you read the scene with Albus and Robert in "Yet they shall not break." It's just the tiniest hint that can be extrapolated from, not a specific hint. (Robert's wand is of ebony & hippogriff feather, which would look really different from Albus's primary wand of yew and dragon heartstring -- the colors would be opposites. But yew is not an uncommon wood for a wand, and you can't tell what a wand core is just by looking at it.)As for the Patronus change, his relationship with Minerva primarily influenced the change, but so did someone else whose support gives him some comfort and some fleeting moments of happiness. (Remember the end of Chapter Fifteen: Lift its head to the blows of the rain.) And yet you are right -- it is totally him, and it expresses a part of himself and isn't just a reflection of his obsessive love for Lily.Yes, it certainly is a good thing that Robbie doesn't need to send her a Patronus message!The Peace Draught was brewed earlier, before the current school year.I'm glad you enjoyed Peaced-out Snape! It was nice for him to feel so good for a little while! I also thought it was a nice moment of levity in an otherwise heavy chapter.Severus certainly would never have dreamed such a thing -- particularly about The Boy Who Lived and Neville. Those conversations, particularly with Zabini and Longbottom, are important, and not just for Severus or for the two boys.The first scene of the next chapter (as the draft stands now) has some of what you talk about here -- the fact that Minerva does not hold him in any less regard now than she did before and that Severus is not the only one culpable, even though he had to actually administer the potion. And brewing the potion himself is not something that Robbie would have naturally thought of, though once Minerva brought it up, he agreed immediately because it would ease things for Severus at least a little. Minerva shares in the culpability more concretely than she would have if she had simply told him to go along with V and brew him a lethal potion, since she handed it to Severus. There's also the small consolation knowing that a) Higgs was already marked for death, and b) that at least he was no longer serving as Bella's plaything, which would be a miserable existence. Thanks for the review!

Re the way Albus's wand could be in plain sight...I didn't see any clues in that convo between Albus and Robert, but it did occur to me that Albus could have willed the wand to Robert, which would have made total sense if he viewed him like a son.  Robbie could thus be using it instead of his ebony one, being as sentimentally attached to it as Severus has become to his watch... and if anyone noticed the change there would be a totally logical explanation for it.  Though they'd have to be sure that Toe-Rag/TR didn't hear of it, else he'd go after Robbie for that wand instead of/in addition to breaking into the Headmaster's tomb.  But evidently a will is not what you're thinking of else you would have mentioned the watch-giving-scene instead of the Robert/Albus in the sitting room scene.  So I shall just live impatiently in suspense. :-) Re Snape's patronus...I had forgotten his thinking that Hermione's animagus form will probably be a big elegant cat; in canon her patronus is an otter so I wasn't linking otter and big cat.  (I don't know beans about otters, but that patronus never made sense to me....there are lots of other animals I'd have picked for Hermione before an otter!)

Yeah, I know -- and otter is definitely bizarre, but I think JKR chose it because of Ran and the notion that Hermione makes a connection between the otter and where Ron lives (Ottery St. Catchpole). Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. But I can't see Hermione's Animagus being an otter even though it's her Patronus form. I don't know as she'd be a cat, either, but she doesn't strike me as otter-like. It also wouldn't be the most handy form in the world unless you spent a lot of time near the water. They are kind of cute, though.

Otters are definitely cute.  I can maybe see HG as a cat, but maybe something else...some exotic European sheep-herding dog--fiercely intelligent, very hard-working and high-energy, incredibly loyal and always having to keep her friends in line and out of trouble!  Maybe a Puli, given her hair. :-)  Or an English or Scottish sheepdog of some sort.I still wouldn't be at all surprised to see that Minerva's had morphed into a lioness,  though I guess she's sent enough patronuses lately that we'd know...and maybe being such a strong tabby animagus for so long makes her patronus more tied to that form....and her fundamental personality hasn't shifted--it's just had to get incredibly thicker-skinned, calculating, and even more resiliant and focused.  She's one tabby I wouldn't want to cross....