Well, I guess since she's used to ghosts, she wouldn't be all that scared... however since the 'ghost' isn't white like the others, it could be a bad ghost.Now, I would not have calmly gone and made tea or whatever. I'd be turning on all the lights of the house, telly, and hiding under the covers with my wand and a teddy bear. lol.I was scared here... veryyyyyyyyy good!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I have to say this before I read ANYMORE...When she looks up with Mark toward the window and sees the figure! HOLY SHIT! And then she runs up there!!!! She's soooo brave because I would have took off running down the street, never to return. hahahahaha...Okay... going on...

This is so interesting! How did you come up with this plot? I could never have done this, I am so very impresseD! Very complex and smart stuff here. I can't wait to see what she does to bring his soul back... or whatever it does! lol...

Ahhh, Mark was so cute... I love the thought of him having an 'outside' life like that. It wasn't all just teaching and war and spying.

I am so impressed with the depths that you went into about her research and the sould stuff... You details are wonderful too, very descriptive! Another excellent chapter...

Well, I came over because Lulabelle72 rec'd your story... and I'm glad I listened. Plus... she would have my hide if I didn't lol... Seriously though, you've set up a good start... and I love how she is thinking about all the things she's going to do to the house because I do that too!!! lol

Shell~

Oh my god!!! Okay, I know that I wasn't supposed to scream too... Was I? Cuz I did!

Girl, you need to get chapter ten up immediately! My eyes are watering, I'm so overwhelmed. This is an awesome ghost story. Or is it... another kind of story?

Brilliant work! Fascinating and highly enjoyable.

Author's Response: I'm glad you screamed! It is pleasing to know. :) Chapter ten is in the queue right now, waiting to be validated. I'm so, so, so happy that you're enjoying the fic so much - and thank you hugely for recommending it to others! :-D

lulabelle72's response: It was my pleasure. You have a decent amount of reviews, but gosh, this deserves more readers. I still have chills thinking about reading chapter 9 last night!

Author's Response: Thank you so much - I have no actual idea how many readers I've got, but I wouldn't complain about more! Although, looking at how many reviews AUM got, I'm surprised you didn't have to quit your job just to answer them all... :-D

I'm not sure if I was Hermione and had Apparated into the house to find the... ghost or whatever there, that I would have asked it what it wanted. At least, I don't think I could have got the words out had I wanted.

Like your Draco! Bit different than I usually see. How refreshing.

Author's Response: Well, yes, Hermione is very brave. Much braver than I am, too! :)

Thanks for the compliment about Draco, too. I really like writing him, but as a peripheral character. Perhaps one of these days I will try him on for size. :-D

Oooooh!!!!  This is so spooky and clever.  I can't wait to read the next installment.

Ohhhhh I love it. That is so creapy. I think that you have grasped exactly what would be the most frightening thing about an encounter with a ghost, not only Materilization but touch.Can't wait to see what hapens next. Bravo.

Very interesting. So many threads weaving together, but I'm not sure yet how they all fit. And I like Mark, but I do wonder exactly how much Snape told him...

Good work! I got jumpy myself with that man in the window!

Author's Response: Thank you! I really like Mark too. :) More jump-inducing stuff is in store!

Ahh that's creepy! But good!

*screams, too*You can't STOP there! Argh. You are killing me. But since I do enjoy doing exactly that in my stories, I guess turnabout is fair play, huh?

Rock on!!  What more could she have divined if she's considered a Quiji Board.  I love that he can touch her, its kinda creepy in a really cool way!

uh huh, very skillfully written. I am sorry to hear that Snape is dead indeed. I have a problem now, but that is not your problem.

Way cool use of marbles.Nicely written.

She is brave, but that would make me scream also.  I like Mark, he is fun.  And I take it Hermione never got to Avogadro's number?  My high school Chem teacher made himself a stuffed mole he named that. 

*gasp*

I love your story. The basic story is intriguing on its own, but the addition of the delighful Mark is inspired. I can so clearly understand how he and Severus formed a quite, mentoring friendship. Mark's friendship helps to humanize Severus, and Mark himself gives the reader a glimpse of what Severus may have been like as a young boy and provides an unknown character through which to provide Hermione with important information.

Spirit-Severus is a wonderfully spooky but oddly comforting creation. I can't wait for your explanation of how a spirit is able to become corporeal (seemingly anyway) at will. I know Diary-Riddle did that in CoS, but that was achieved through dark magic, something I don't believe is going on with Spirit-Severus. Is it possible that Severus is able to appear thusly because of information he found in the Ars Magica?

I am very interested in knowing Edward Teach's motives. Your story has prompted me to read about Blackbeard on various Internet sites, and I am beginning to suspect that Soul Man's Edward Teach is a blood descendant of Blackbeard. At least, the family history given by "Southern American pureblood" Edward Teach roughly corresponds with what is known about Blackbeard: that shortly before his death, he accepted an official pardon, settled in North Carolina, and supposedly married legally for the first time, which would support the idea of a Teach heir inheriting his fortune in the early 1700's, a time when money + land = instant aristocracy in the Southern US (a social perch the Teach family would have largely lost after the Civil War).

There are legends that Blackbeard had supernatural powers. He he was able to survive eight potentially fatal wounds until finally dying from beheading; his headless corpse is said to have swum around the ship several times before sinking; and his ghostly headless body is rumored to appear on occasion swimming in the coastal waters of the Carolinas, looking for its head. So Blackbeard was apparently a wizard.

I'm guessing Edward Teach's broad interest in soul magics is more specifically an interest in communing with his pirate ancestor. Why? To discover the hiding places of Blackbeard's legendary hidden treasure, I would assume, which possibly includes rare or unique magical objects.

I'm not convinced that Edward Teach is evil, but I do have the sense that there's a dark edge to his motives. Or at least, that he's not being upfront with Hermione, even though he chided her for holding back from him. I don't find it credible that this man--who clearly had an interest in soul magic going back at least two years, who knew of the lost American Indian soul magics, and who appears to have an extensive (and probably somewhat unsavory) group of contacts who feed him information--only learned about the Ars Magica a few weeks go after "making a few phone calls." Maybe I'm too suspicious of him, but my gut says he has known about the Ars Magica for much longer than he's letting on and that finding the book has been his primary goal all along.

And then of course there's Severus's warning to Hermione . . .

Oh, can't wait for the next chapter!

I like your Hermione! But this Teach fella... Hm. Not much for monochrome myself, preferring the contrast of light and dark. ;)

Honestly, how I wish I had some sort of occupation like Hermione's. For one, the thought of spending a Sunday afternoon floating about with books and papers all by myself is... positively heavenly. But any profession involving large amounts of time spent in a library... Good lord, I'm sighing like Alan Rickman just came in the room! What a geek I am.

Really enjoying this!

Author's Response: I know, I've given Hermione an enviable life... :-D She is really following in my footsteps, though, as of course I had to do all of the same research when I was planning the story! Alas, it was winter at the time, so no floating about in punts...

Glad you like Hermione, and the story! Thanks for the review. :)

Ack!  What a place to end the chapter!  You will be posting another one immediately, right?  I know you won't leave us in agony for long...

Oh, too tingly for words. Excellent build up. But you leave me hanging in mid gasp.  Please update soon. Thanks for a wonderful read with my morning tea. Love this story.

Kingsley is one of my favorites, and you gave me a very nice one to read about! (now if only Hermione had shagged him on the four-poster...hehe)

Also, I love good, intricate description. When I'm reading, I want to see the place I'm reading about. You did really well with this, and despite the filth, I'm with Hermione -- this place has potential. I'd move in too.

I am neither fond nor biased against Horror warnings, so I look forward to what will be so Terrifying and Scary, especially as your details will probably make it thrice so.

Thanks for pointing me towards this! (don't know if you remember, but you did!)

Author's Response: Thanks for reading! I'm glad you're liking it so far. Kingsley is one of my favourites too. :) The 'horror' warning is definitely not for gore of any kind, so no worries there. Hopefully you will find the fic scary, though - but in a fun way, of course. :)

eeeck!  I knew to expect something after the first candle but it was still a great build up to the startle response!  Spooky.  Of course it would have to be a cliffy!!

Amazing. AMAZING! I don't think that I can convey how much I absolutely love this story, but I really, really, really do! I'm positively salivating for the next part. I want to thank you for posting this -- you're doing such an amazing job!!!