Hi! I thought maybe RL had gotten tough and you hadn't been able to finish it, so no worries! Late is better than never! :-)Yes, Severus has undergone a lot of change, and there's more to come, though he has no idea how to do it yet. Good thing he has friends.I'm glad that you enjoyed the epilogue and I hope you like its sequel! And I definitely appreciate the hug. Thanks!

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it! :-)

Yes, Hermione tried to show Severus that she understands at least a little of what he must be going through, and that helped him, whether he would admit it or not.Gertrude being a Slytherin dealing with another Slytherin wouldn't necessarily come right out and say "I've forgiven you," at least not in this context, not when this was their first meeting since that awful night. And whether she's forgiven him ... you may remember (or not!) that back when Gareth met Severus for the first time, he said various things about his mother which implied that she had come to terms with things better than he had himself, and Gareth said something about not "being the wizard his mother and aunt want him to be," or something like that. Remember, too, that Gertrude was fully informed about everything when she was doing the Arithmancy for Minerva, so she knows a lot about Severus and what he's done. Now that he's survived the war, Gertrude knows that he needs to be able to start again, and she wanted to make a gesture toward him that recognised him not just as the wizard who had maimed her, but as the wizard who was loyal to Albus (which means a lot to Gertrude) and who did his best in the fight against Voldemort. It wasn't really about Slytherin House and its students, or not only about them. In addition, it was for her own sake. If she's moving back into wizarding society again, she needs to be able to confront certain facts, too.Glad you liked the chapter. Hope the ending of the story works for you! :-) Thanks for the review!

I am glad you liked the final battle. I started writing that very early on when I was drafting the story, and I hoped that the pacing would work. Glad you liked the manner of the "toe-rag's" death. I wanted to have it consonant with the (first part of) canon and to have it echo back to the events in GoF. In a way, he was his own victim -- certainly a victim of his own hubris, but also of his actions.Thanks for the review!

Your questions first:1) Pilomena Yaxley is related by marriage to the DE Yaxley -- he's her husband's nephew's son, if I remember correctly (Philomena shows up in Resolving a Misunderstanding; her only actual appearance is in the chapter "Meeting Morag," if you'd like to read it -- she's mentioned elsewhwere in the story, but that's where she shows up). She's a Flint by birth, though. Oh, and she's a Ravenclaw. 2) The answer to that question will be answered in a future chapter of DD, so I don't want to give it away here, but Poppy tells Severus in the chapter "Guerdon unsought." Yes, Albus can be pig-headed and stubborn sometimes, and very sure that he's right. It can be rather annoying for Minerva at times! LOL! That's one reason that Minerva teases Robbie about being so agreeable. haha!My Scrimgeour is a pretty arrogant fellow, too, but as he says to Philomena, he's a better Auror than a Minister. He's another wizard who, like Albus, thinks a lot of his own abilities and opinions. A young Scrimgeour appears in Resolving a Misunderstanding in the section of chapters of "Minerva's Mission" -- Resolving a Misunderstanding is long, but it has distinct sections. That's Part 4, and begins with chapter 17. He's kind of full-of-himself there, too. But he became Minister for Magic for a reason, and has been an Auror for decades, so he's not like the parchment-pushing Fudge in that respect.

Oh, and thank you for the review! I'm glad you liked the chapter!

Thanks for answering my questions.  I think I only skimmed the chapter "Guerdon Unsought" or if I read the whole chapter I don't remember.  I will pay close attention when I read that chapter when I get to it.

I'm very glad you enjoyed the last chapters of the story, and that you found it satisfying. :-) I'm glad, too, that you liked the characterisations. I'm always partial to more MM, myself, so I understand the sentiment!DD's probably my best fic, but I hope you enjoy some of the others, too. You might like to try some of the one-shots.Thanks very much for reviewing -- I appreciate it. :-)

Those last days and hours that Severus spent were not as bleak as they could have been, and better than other occasions in his life, because he had people who were persistent in trying to be his friend and because he alllowed them into his life. As painful as it all was, you are right: Severus finds dying to be about more than just revenge and resignation, but he knows that he is loved and he finds comfort in it.I am really glad that you enjoyed the chapter, and that you found it satisfying. I hope that you enjoy the rest of the chapters!Thank you for all your reviews. I've enjoyed reading them and hearing what you think and what struck you. Thanks!

I am trying to think of when Robbie may have been self-centred in the chapters up through 16, and I'm having a tough time. He does have a bit of humour at Severus's expense that time outside the Headmistress's Tower, but it was kinda funny . . .Yes, you'll find out all eventually. That's why this is "suspense"! haha! Anyway, it's all complicated, particularly since POV is important; each character filters what they see and how they react, what they say and what they think, through a subjective lens that may or may not provide a "wide angle," and which may have some details blurry and others in sharp relief, depending upon how they individually focus on events.Glad you're still enjoying the story. :-)

You mean, after what they did together? Minerva was quite happy.Interesting that Severus's POV is so powerful in this chapter. ;-)Thanks for the review!

Yes, Robert Crouch first appeared in Resolving a Misunderstanding. I think it is the first couple chapters here that you might need to reread, since it is in chapter one that Severus decides to tell Minerva about it all and in chapter two that he tells her about it. Fortunately, the Defense teacher that year is good, too. Robbie does quite a good job, though I think you learn more about that later on in the story.Enjoy!

He doesn't think that they're on a holiday. That's why he asks Severus where they are. If I were in a stranger's home, I wouldn't notice whether there were photograph albums and such missing. In addition, Riddle didn't grow up in a normal home. As long as everything looks superficially as though they just "stepped out," he wouldn't notice anything else. Besides, as I say, Riddle doesn't think they were on a long holiday. He does believe they're in hiding -- remember that he mentions the date on the calendar is from the previous summer (it's been a while since I looked at this chapter, so I don't remember the exact date). He's being sarcastic when Severus suggests that maybe they're just on holiday. Nope, he does think that they've disappeared and presumes that he won't find them before he attacks Hogwarts. That's one reason he tells Severus to keep an eye on Hermione herself. Hermione was expecting something to happen; it was actually something of a shock to her, since she'd become complacent and come to believe that nothing was going to happen to it. Yes, she was shocked, but not hysterical. Many people do not go into hysterics when shocked, I've found.Glad you enjoyed the chapter. Hope that cleared up anything that wasn't evident in the chapter! :-) Thanks for reviewing!

Yeah, "the little toe-rag" has a real ring to it, doesn't it? haha!Not giving up, being willing to fight for his life, is important here, and Severus won't just go to Voldy at the end and give up, even if it does seem hopeless. Yes, the flick blade that he originally threatened Severus with has now become both a symblo of their budding friendship and another tool for Severus to have at his disposal, even if he doesn't think it will help, and even if he does think the offer of friendship is pointless. Hopefully, he'll live to believe differently!Thanks for your reviews! I've enjoyed reading them!

Yep, Albus was stubborn, but Minerva was more stubborn -- and he's not quite used to being out-manoeuvered! Glad you liked it. Thanks for the review!

I'm glad you liked it, sad parts and all. And yes, Minerva did seem a bit deranged at first, behaving so oddly with Draco, but she wanted him off-kilter and ready to face and trust a new choice.You see here how Albus's death affected Severus, and how, too, he tried not to let it distract him from what he had to do.Thanks for the reviwe!

Severus hasn't had much practice in the "friendship" department; between that and the stress he's under and his firm belief that he'll die soon, etc., I guess it's not a surprise that he can't seem to admit yet that Hermione is a friend. Of course, he also wouldn't admit that he was jealous of Hermione's working with MacAirt, either -- whom he sees as a much better-looking, more socially-acceptable colleague than he is, making it harder for him to deal with. Glad you had a couple moments!The chapters begin to get longer as the pace of the story changes. Some of them may be too long to practicallly read in one sitting, depending on RL time constraints.You are right about Severus trying to get away from his guilt at the end of his conversation with Poppy. One reason he went up at all was because he was humoring Hermione, one reason he stayed and talked to her was because he thought he could get some valuable information out of her. It was valuable, although it didn't confirm what he'd wanted it to.You're right: Severus has no hope that he'll live to see the end of the war, and he has no reason for hope that he can see. Whether that changes . . .Thanks for the review!

It's one of the relationships that Severus develops during the course of this story that's either new or has a new dimension to it, and as you say, it does give him comfort and it helps to give him strength to make it through and not give up. The various sources of support are all important for Severus, and Hermione's friendship is not the least of those. He has spent too much of his life alone and isolated by his role and other factors. I'm glad you enjoy his interaction with Hermione. It is certainly a relief and something of a novelty for him -- as he noted in the previous chapter, there are those in the Order who are "kind" to him, but even aside from the issue of trust, he really has had no one aside from Minerva (and Albus, though that was a difficult relationship) whom he could consider a friend.Thank you for reviewing! I enjoy hearing from you!

Ah, but Severus saw events unfolding the previous spring, and he is very suspicious of Crouch, and later on in the story, he does worry that Crouch isn't Crouch. But enough on that. I try not to have spoilers in my review responses . . . (I know some people check out story or chapter reviews before they read a story, and given that this is in the mystery/suspense category, and that some people enjoy the mystery/suspense aspect of it ;-), I do try to avoid giving away too much!)As for Minerva . . . read on! ;-) But remember that when Minerva was crying in the library, one of the things she seemed upset about was how things weren't the same between her and Severus -- and see, too, how she was with Severus by the end of this chapter & their conversation.Thanks for reviewing!

In the future. if I ask a question and give a comment that compromises the mystery/suspense of the story then just say you will answer at a later time.  I will understand since I don't want to spoil the rest of the story for anyone.  I try with my reviews to think of each chapter as I've not read the end but sometimes it's really hard.

:-) Will do! If you're ever really curious about something specific that you're afraid might have a spoiler-response, just let me know and I can PM/email you through the TPP system. I understand, and also it can sometimes be hard to remember which events happen in which chapters and what the chapter order is (does that make any sense? I'm half-asleep after a long day), since there are lparts of the story that aren't told in chronological order, but which are in later chapters even though they are earlier events, so it can be confusing.Okay, before I become more confusing (and confused!) myself, I'm going to toddle off to read your next review!I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

Yes, Hermione and Severus are definitely becoming comfortable with each other.I guess "kinky" is in the eye of the beholder, or do-er, or something. The library is a bit of an unusual place, though! I guess some people always are face-to-face and that's just fine. (In later pregnancy, it's sometimes easier the other way, actually . . . Though not standing up, of course . . . Erm, so I understand . . . *blush*)Yep, Crouch was negligent and over-confident (over-confidence can lead to making mistakes sometimes!) in not checking the library FIRST! Eeep!Poor Severus, an on-looker again, and this time, unlike in An Act of Love, he had no place to retreat to! At least he was "himself" this time, and not in the thrall of that curse . . .Thanks for the reviews!

Ah, yes, Crouch merely has to BE to bring out the guilt in Severus. And that's not a bad thing here, as you likely realize, since Severus can't move forward w/o leaving the past behind, which means facing up to certain things. Hard, but hopefully worth it!Minerva is certainly holding him at a distance here; whether she actually dislikes him or not . . . you said yourself she'd be more likely to be angry with Albus than with Severus.Albus will keep going until he absolutely is unable to any longer. Thanks for the review. Glad you're still enjoying the story!

Yep, not wanting to spend the next month-plus in detention every evening, Harry left Hogwarts (hence his dramatic exit from the classroom, haha!), and he brought a couple companions with him . . . Of course, at that point, Harry just thought that Severus was being a git and trying to keep him from doing what he needed to do. As Robbie said, something akin to reverse psychology there.Thanks for the review!

Her fear of death probably had a little something to do with it! Especially death by magical means. Thanks for the review!

I think that Severus's fear that he's lost her friendship comes from the Vow to kill Albus and his admission that he likely would have carried it out if it hadn't been for the Adfectus. You're right, though, that her anger with Albus is greater, and that Severus is the only one present to lash out at. Severus is used to alienating others -- and finds it difficult or impossible to forgive hurts against himself -- so he has come to expect it, even now from Minerva. But thankfully, Minerva is not Severus and so her reaction will not be what he fears . . . I'm glad that you liked the chapter! Thanks for the review!

Yes, Albus is being stubborn and unreasonable -- although he wouldn't see it that way at this point. And this is one of the many brave things that Severus does. Facing Minerva with the news is a hard choice. As you say, he is in a catch-22 situation.Thanks for the review! :-)

I'm glad that you enjoyed what you read. The poem is a good one, and I thought it appropriate. My favorite Dylan Thomas poem, though, is "Fern Hill," which is a much brighter kind of poem.It certainly does give a different sort of point-of-view to the story to read the end of it first, particularly given the structure of the story and its design, but I'm glad you're still intrigued enough to begin again from the beginning.I don't know if either of them could have felt or done anything differently from the way that they did at the time that the first five or six chapters take place -- as you say, they both experience a lot during the course of a year and a half, and they both had a lot to learn and progress to make. Thank you very much for the review. I appreciate it very much. I hope that you continue to enjoy the story and that it's still a pleaurable read without the suspense and mystery! :-)Have fun!

Thanks!