Nice to have you back to this story. It's my favorite of all your stories. I like how you're moving this along, but I *would* like to see Remus and Tonks in a scene together. Hope it won't be too long until the next one!

Author's Response: They might meet up soon ... you never know. *smirks* Glad you're enjoying the story. ~Carole~

I've been following this fic since 2009, and it's one of my favorites. I was just rereading several chapters. It had been so long I had forgotten how well you both keep the characters true to canon and yet add more depth true to character. I used to check every time I got online to see if you'd added to this story, but it's been so long that I'm really losing hope. Do you ever plan to finish it?

Author's Response: Thank you for reviewing and rereading. I would love to finish this, and it is somewhere in my plans (especially as I have the epilogue half written), but I guess I got too caught up with other things. It has become rather unwieldy, but perhaps if I pick up the pace, I can get some more chapters on the boards soon. Apologies, anyway, because I do love this pairing and story and I really should update. ~Carole~

I was rereading this story; despite the "grave" topic, there's a lot of hope in it too. It's inspiring how the different characters help each other face going forward through their grief.

But this time through, I had a question. Why aren't any Malfoys present? There are cynical reasons for them to be present (good to be seen mourning the hero who was their friend), as well as personal ones (he did save Draco). Narcissa may not have wanted to leave Andromeda, but wouldn't she have insisted that Draco attend?

Author's Response: That’s a good question. Why indeed?
I vaguely remember working out who would go to which funerals. Did I simply forget the Malfoys?
I thought I’d decided that Narcissa would attend, perhaps not. I’ll take another look at the chapter when I get the time.

About halfway through -- one of the best descriptions of grief I've ever read. Sorry that you also know that's how grief is. Amazing that despite that, the story is hopeful and healing.

Author's Response: Thanks so much for the kind words. I think one of the good things about our own baggage is that it's a truthful place from which to write. I'm glad you enjoyed the story--thanks for taking the time to leave a review!

Glad to have another chapter! It's fun to have a smart Muggle view of Harry's and Ginny's world. I especially enjoyed Jacqui's assessment of Hermione. There are a lot of serious threads here though, not just the murders but also the links to Arthurian legends--and some of your other stories about Goyle, Nott, and perhaps the Ancient and Most Noble House of Lupin. But the red puffer coat? Red Riding Hood?? The cowboy boots threw me though--shades of Wonder Woman. I look forward to reading more, hopefully soon.

Author's Response: Thanks for the review. Jacqui continues to be an excellent observer. It’s fortunate that she’s also very good at rationalising what she sees, although she’ll have her work cut out in the next chapter. Some of the threads you mention are red herrings, but not all of them. -N-

Lovely, lovely. I love your writing, and how you get the characters true to JKR yet add an untold story that feels true. Remus and Dora are my favorites, and I love this one about the birth of Teddy. It seems so right that Tonks would be cranky in the midst of labor. (It's probably a good thing too not to tell those who haven't experienced it how long it takes.) Can you please oh please oh please write more to Apparently Asleep?

Author's Response: Thank you very much for the review, and I'm glad you liked the story. I will write more Apparently Asleep, I'm just trying to get some other things out of the way so I can concentrate on it. -Sorry for the wait, though. ~Carole~

I was rereading this fic, and trying to figure out whodunit. I think that Porteus is a vampire, which of course would make him a suspect, but it's too early in your time line for Lavender's vampire dispatch (and that's Exsanguineous anyway). So is the bird an animagus? Or is the Celtic ring and medieval arch a hint that this ties into the Noble and Most Ancient houses? The ring itself wouldn't be a test, or Pen would have died sooner. There are several ways this plot could go. I hope you'll post some more of this story with more clues soon. (Though I'd also like some more on George and Angelina. I was glad to get a bit of their story in Friends and Foes.) I really enjoy your writing!
--Melissa

Author's Response: Melissa
Thanks for the review.
I’m currently concentrating my efforts on Strangers at Drakeshaugh and Friends and Foes. This little read and reviewed tale is not a top priority, although I do occasionally work on it. I like your questions, so I’ll answer them. No. Possibly. There will be more George/Angelina soon.
-N-

Oh... don't leave us hanging here long! I see how many of the story threads come together here, but there's still more... How *does* Rabastan Lestrange link to Bletchley and Greengrass (other than being Deatheaters)? I can't wait to see.

Author's Response:
Thanks for the review.
How related are the Hunt and Trap chapters? How much does Lestrange know about what’s going on? Next, we’re back in Edinburgh with Harry and co., and you’ll find out a little more.
-N-

I enjoyed that very much. It was satisfying that many readers' wish for the heir to be Teddy was fulfilled, and I was intrigued by the history you created of the Noble and Most Ancient Houses and nicely surprised by Neville's being the potential heir to such a house. Most of all, I *love* that the N&MAHouse of Black is now the N&MAHouse of Lupin - such poetic justice! Sirius, Tonks & Remus must be roaring with laughter while Bellatrix must be rolling in her grave. I hope you bring this thread of N&MAHouse of Lupin back into another story in the future. It's very original.

Author's Response: Thans for the review.
The words Noble and Most Ancient struck a chord with my interest in Arthurian legend, and when I found La Cote Mal Taillée on the Winchester round table and saw both shield and his name "le Noir" I had to use it.
The very different reactions of Neville and Draco to being a potential heir were fun to play with, too.
Male preference primogeniture meant, however, that there was no doubt as to the final outcome in my mind. You will certainy hear more about the badly fitting coat, and the black shield of Maledisant, but not for some time. -N-

Interesting... the interaction between Angelina and Oliver captured a great deal of angst, and I thought it captured well the tensions of a rough part of a relationship. However, as much as I enjoyed the story, there were some things that didn't seem right. Although I was glad that Angelina went home alone and also that George came back for her, the latter seemed too good to be true. There was nothing in the story that suggested he would do that. And the comment that it's the sex keeping them together -- "moments like this that stopped them unraveling" -- was so Hollywood (sounds good but not true). Hot sex is wonderful, but it can't keep a marriage together. I like happy endings, but this one didn't seem believable.

Author's Response: Um, well, I'd disagree with you. First off, it wasn't 'hot sex' keeping them together, it was the giggling and shared moment of him larking about whilst he takes off her boots before the sex that stopped them 'unravelling' - there's a difference. Although sex can be something that binds you to someone because it's not necessarily about hotness but being intimate. I think with Oliver she would have had 'hot sex' but the encounter would me meaningless and hollow. With George, because of everything else, it means something. I thought I'd conveyed this because if you read the story you'll see that she feels relieved when Oliver leaves. And, you missed the most important moment in the story which was that she tells George she loves him Secondly George giving up his Quidditch game for her birthday is actually based on a parallel event in my life (yes, this was written the day before my birthday when I was about to spend it by myself and then my husband gave up his tickets to a crucial football match to cook me food - without any prompting by me whatsoever). There's a certain amount of wangst going on in the story which is all me, but I reckon most married women, whose kids aren't as dependent on them and who have husbands who get careless feel the same way. As far as there being no indication that George would do that, Angelina had given him a fairly heavy hint - ie told him - that she wanted him to cook for her. It was only when he thought about it, that he realised what he should be doing - especially as Quidditch matches can go on for daysr.

Anyway, glad you liked the Oliver parts. As far as this not ringing true for you, well, this was probably the first fic I've written which has been 'true'. That doesn't make myself and the husband Brangelina, it makes us normal. Sometimes it's knowing the boringness ( the grey) of a person yet still being with them, that matters more than having a quick shag with an old flame despite the high drama that would entail.

I realise I have become quite defensive over this, but as you can see the subject matter is rather close to my heart.