I currently live in the great state of South Dakota. Why do I live in a place with such nasty winters, I don't know. Since most of my family lives far away in more exotic places than I do, my life revolves around my four dogs, Sampson, Raphael, Seamus, and Mayhem. They are a min-pin, a toy poodle, a teacup Malti-Poo, and a Great Dane, respectively.
I've always had a fascination with the mental illness aspect that characterizes Bellatrix Black Lestrange. My first story is her story. On one site I was sorted into Ravenclaw but I think the hat made a mistake. Most days I feel like a Slytherin!
I must be getting soft or caught up in the romance but I hate to see Lucius' plans get all mucked up by Death Eaters. Geez, you'd think Malfoy Manor would have better wards around it. After all, Lucius is a fairly powerful, fairly intelligent wizard. I'm with Hermione--I believe in fairy magic over veela magic. I can imagine the fairy silk dress looks amazing on her. Great chapter.
You did a very nice job of describing the ball. But now I'm all confused as to who belongs with whom. I'd better not go to any dances at the school I work at--I'd probably have some sort of breakdown:) Great chapter.
Well, you should be ashamed leaving us with a cliffie like that:D I'm sitting here waiting for Snape or Draco to come to Luna's rescue. She seems to have figured out how to hold her own though. I think the key was to stop fighting Val and go all slack on him. Then throw a few aspersions on his manhood. I have one word for Val and that is "Ewww." Great chapter.
I don't care what Fleur does--she's just not going to impress Severus. What is she thinking with this wanton behavior? I was very much charmed by the honorable behavior of Draco, Harry, and Ron with regard to defending Luna. That was so sweet. Great chapter.
That was amazing. It was hysterical. I loved every second of it. Hermione is such a wily little minx. The thought of Severus in the lingerie shop was pretty hot. I laughed when he wondered at the necessity of Hermione ever wearing street clothes again. She took such a big gamble with all of this. So many things could've gone wrong. Is finding Fleur in the bedroom with Percy going to be enough to end the engagement? I'll just have to read and find out:D Excellent chapter.
How about Death Eaters not being able to communicate with each other faster because they're too stupid to figure it all out? Plus, they're engaged in illegal activities and don't have all possible options open? That was wonderful. I was wondering how Hemione would get out of that one. Then I figured Severus would come to the rescue. I'm always astounded at all the stress he had to go through to be a spy. I wonder who the Interrogator is--for a while I thought it was Snape. I'll always be mad that JKR let him die. I'm glad he lives on in fan fiction. Great chapter.
Snape does seem quite taken with Hermione's scent. That reminds me--I wish I had bought some strawberry oils at Bath & Body for my youngest daughter. She loves strawberries:) I'm really enjoying this bit of past history between Hermione and Severus. I can see him clumsily not knowing what to do with a female in distress. Great chapter.
Aww, that was so romantic. I just feel like melting:D I'm struck by how possessive Severus is with Hermione and how he was exactly the opposite with Fleur. It was adorable when Severus wanted to know when Hermione's parents would be home so he could ask for her hand and she said muggles didn't do things that way. Then he informed her she was HIS witch. I think that and when he told her he would buy her only rubies were the best parts. Great chapter.
Severus Snape has ambitions to rise above his humble beginnings. Eris Greyback has a family debt to repay. Their romance is a more complicated brew than the trickiest of potions. SSEG, LEJP. The sequel, The Potions Master's Apprentice, is also complete.
*Winner of the 2007 QSQ Award for Best Marauder Era Story*
That was so sweet. What a nice Valentine's Day. Sev is more romantic than I would've thought--but he does have that intensity I described earlier. He is a little younger than me but not so much to be disgusting--he's very intellectual which I can appreciate. Anyway, back to the chapter. I hope Eris shares her animagus skills with Severus soon, before Lucius says something. The thought of her being with one of the Lestranges is pretty bad. I finally got my laptop set up to be wireless last night, around 9:00. Yay--I'm so good--it took long enough, around four hours and I had to get upper management people at the help desk to advise but it's done. Those people are the ones who are good. They found ways to get around the problems I was having with my desk top. Great chapter, by the way:)
Author's Response: I thought for sure I'd responded to this. Geez, I hope I didn't review myself instead. :P I'm a sucker for Valentine's Day and every other holiday, and I know how disappointed I am when writers don't go all out to make the characters (and through vicarious identification, the readers) experience them in a memorable way.
Oh Sev--please be nice. Dani may sound like a blond, blue-eyed angel but I think she's more Slytherin than Eris. The vampire comment was very funny. How sweet of Dani to take pictures and give them to Eris. Eileen is presented in a very positive light. Great chapter.
Author's Response: Oh yeah, Dani's a lot more cunning than Eris. Thank you for liking the vampire comment! There was a SNL parody of Twilight with Taylor Swift as the Bella character and Frankensteins instead of vampires called Firelight you might get a smile out of watching. :D
I think Eris has been dancing in quicksand during this entire chapter. I really admire how she got around Sev's anger at the beginning. Kind of reminded me of something I'd do. Eileen seemed charmed. The halitosis hex was pretty funny--I almost laughed out loud at that one. It was hard to keep my snickers to myself. This last part--I don't know how Eris is going to get out of this one. She should've told Sev she had an animagus form a long time ago. Great chapter.
Author's Response: Eris is in trouble, and even though she brought it on herself, I couldn't help feeling sorry for her...and neither can others, a fact that will annoy Severus, heh.
This chapter was amazing. I hope I remember to make all my points. I wish there was some way to make notes in the margins. James seems like such a kind young man, almost gallant. I appreciated Kendrick's comments about knights being chivalrous--even if they are Death Eaters. Oh Severus--what did you do when you recruited Peter? What a sad day. Tom is so vengeful--a good friend but a nasty, powerful enemy. And, just when things were working out, Eris gets crucioed. I'll probably have to read the last chapter tonight. I hate to leave one last chapter hanging. I saw "Firelight" on SNL last Saturday. That was so funny, I laughed out loud and I usually try to keep quiet at night so my little guys aren't disturbed. I couldn't believe how well done that was. Again, an amazing chapter. I can't wait to see what you do for a finale.
Author's Response:
Yay, you won't wait to read the last chapter! That's a lovely compliment. Thank you so much!
James has a good heart and had lovely parents. I got to write them in the Christmas chapters of Semi Charmed Life and they were delightfully eccentric. Here's a quote from when the Potters meet them at the station.
“Sirius!” Mrs. Potter called. “Where is my second son?” She leaned heavily on a cane, but her smile was mischievously girlish. “James owled that my black sheep had Rapunzel hair. Yours is much too short. You can’t be Sirius.”
Sirius took her hand and brought it to his lips. “A woman who loves puns is a pearl above price.”
She kissed him on one cheek and patted him with gloved fingers on the other. “Handsome and charming…you are Sirius, after all.”
“I am seriously famished,” Mr. Potter interjected, coming forward to shake Sirius’ hand. “I do not believe I have eaten all day. Have I, my dear?” he asked his wife.
“You skipped afternoon tea,” she said, “avoiding my ladies’ group.”
“What cause are you championing now?” James asked. He grinned at Sirius, who smiled, remembering his joke that he was the most worthy cause Mrs. Potter had ever supported.
“The Society for the Preservation and Acceptance of Muggles.”
“S.P.A.M…what kind of name is SPAM? It will never catch on,” Mr. Potter said sceptically.
“Do not argue in front of the children,” Mrs. Potter scolded, walking past her husband at a brisk pace that belied her age and use of the cane. “You play with your toy trains in the attics, and I will make a difference in the world,” she tossed over her shoulder.
“Model Railway, Madam!” Mr. Potter retorted. “King’s Cross and its environs, circa 1920, complete down to the Caledonian road and its station!” He glanced at the boys and winked. “Hold out for strong-willed women, lads.”
Okay, back to the current story, heh. The finale, I hope, will have you eagerly searching for the sequel. ^_~
That was totally wonderful. I have this feeling of satisfaction--kind of like Elpis purring. I never expected Lily to be throwing crucios around. I was very happy with their solution to the problem. The drunkeness hex was pretty funny. Poor Sirius. I can't believe Severus was ballsy enough to remove Lucius' memory. That was very good. Then for Eris to alter Erik's memory--well, that was just necessary. The last part was excellent. I take it Severus will be accompanied by his cat. Excellent book. Thanks for writing this. I'll probably see you in the sequel next.
Author's Response:
Thank you for being such a wonderfully encouraging reader! P L Travers, who wrote Mary Poppins, said, "A writer is, after all, only half his book. The other half is the reader and from the reader the writer learns" and you certainly prove the quote true.
*hugs*I couldn't read the last story in the series I was reading (Severus/Tonks; looked too sad) so somehow I ended up here. So far, so good. Is it possible for you to write anything bad at all?? I like reading about Severus and the new character sounds interesting. Gotta get to work. Maybe I can read at lunch:) Great chapter.
Author's Response:
I don't blame you, it is sad. I freaking wept writing it and get still get misty thinking about it. I vowed never to kill R/T off again.
This story is much more entertaining and uplifting, even when it's Snape curling his lip, heh. Professor Kettleburn was so much fun to write--very Monty Python--and, of course, I had to stuff as much mythology and various lore in as possible. Yay for you reading! You've made my day. :)
The cat wasn't Eris was it? She did split away from James to patrol the halls. I'll read the other Severus/Tonks story, but some other time. Fenrir is creepy as always. I was afraid at the beginning that he was Eris' and Erik's parent. Although she seems significantly brighter than Fenrir. I can't write much cause I'm at work, but I'll probably see you tonight. Great chapter.
Author's Response: I'm happy with whatever you write, so thank you for taking a fan fiction break and reading and reviewing at work! I'm sure you were much more productive afterward. ;)
I was so annoyed last night. My computer at home was acting up and I could pull in harrypotterfanfiction but not mugglenet. So my brother came over and worked on my computer and I didn't get any reading done. There was something strange attached to this website. To be safe, I'll bring my laptop home tonight. So, this is how Severus gets involved with the Death Eaters? I am somewhat charmed by Eris--you've just gotta love her. What I've been thinking about the Marauders--I'm starting to see them as just ordinary guys--they have their problems just like anyone else. They weren't obviously heroes--maybe they didn't want to be. My Grandma used to make crabapple jelly. It was delicious. There was nothing like a crabapple tree in bloom in the spring either. When I was little, I remember having a swing either in a crabapple tree or real close--maybe it was on the clothesline pole right by the trees--anyway, I remember swinging amongst the blossoms when I was little. Thanks for awakening that memory. Great chapter.
Author's Response:
That's so odd about your computer! Mugglenet's a lovely site, not spammy or viriusy, so I wonder what was attatched? I don't post on harrypotterfanfiction, but if you ever need an alternate reading site, I do post on fanfiction.net. It's the McDonalds of fanfic, huge with lots of choices, :D, but if you ever want to read my HP drabble short stories (that I can't submit here because they're under the min. word count) or my Star Trek fics, or Star Wars, Stargate, Nightmare Before Christmas, Being Human...and a few other non-HP stories, I'd love you to google Kerichi and click on my FF net link. ^_~
About this chapter, heh, I love crabapples and crabapple jelly too. In Rhode Island the trees in spring were so gorgeous they were almost unreal, like something from the land of fae. Thank you for sharing your memory with me!
Severus always had big dreams, didn't he? It's so sad that those dreams brought him down. It's so sweet that beneath his snarky, nerdy exterior, there's a soft, gentle heart. I couldn't believe that the future Death Eater was saving a cat from the Whomping Willow. There is something odd about that cat. And, what a pleasure to bump into Lucius. I just feel like saying "Sev, stop, it's not worth it. The fame will get you nowhere you wanna be." I love the whacky professor, Kettleburn. I was chuckling in my office again. People are going to walk by and go "What's so funny." It's these damn budgets--people think I'm going to pay for THIS--what a joke:D Great chapter. I think there was something odd with my computer last night. I told my brother that I can pull Mugglenet in at school and you can't pull much of anything in here, so I don't know what's going on. My brother has sworn to fix the computer, but I'm taking the laptop home just in case:)
Author's Response:
Hiltler liked dogs. Voldemort liked giant snakes. Severus is nowhere near the level of evil of the first two, but if they can be nice to creatures that aren't human, he can have a soft spot for a cat. :D
Wait until the Knights have an initiation ceremony. You'll really want to say STOP! (but of course he won't, deluded boy). Thank you for chuckling over Kettleburn, and for saying you'll take the laptop home just in case. Not that I don't have confidence in your brother...but isn't he in the medical profession? :P
That was so funny--I'm such a child--Sirius Black having dog breath. That was a great hex, especially considering he thought it stunk because of Slytherins. I think Eris has a little crush on Severus. Does Severus not know that Eris' uncle is a werewolf? I just thought it was odd to think she might be afraid of werewolves. Although, I suppose it's possible to be afraid of an uncle. They can be creepy. Great chapter.
Author's Response:
Thank you for grinning over Sirius having dog breath! :D
Eris' crush is little, now, but just wait, LOL. She isn't afraid of werewolves as much as guilt-ridden over what she thinks is her fault, Remus being turned by "Uncle Fenny".
I loved this chapter. I never really thought of Severus as a Quidditch player. Doesn't Sutton know that when you purposely try to interfere in things it usually doesn't work out. Eris is so cute, trying to help James. That cat's gonna become Severus' familiar. I'm still trying to get my computer, including the laptop, up to snuff. This is the first time I'm using the laptop and it's not totally ready to be used. But, we'll figure that out sometime Monday. So, if you don't hear from me too much, that's why. I did manage to get in and read this chapter, so if I don't get kicked out I'll keep reading. Great chapter.
Author's Response: Snape's so determined, I can't believe he didn't overcome his first year awkwardness and learn to fly, and envy that James was captain while he didn't make the team was behind his snarky comments to Harry about James' Quidditch ability.
Now I'm really trying to figure out what Eris is doing in Slytherin. She really does sound more like a Hufflepuff. I'm only saying that because she's so nice. How many people would give up a perfectly good evening to spend time with a lonely werewolf. I've never mentioned that I really like it when Tom, Sev's roommate, speaks in a heavily Yorkshire accent. I always read those parts out loud because they sound so cool. Great chapter.
Author's Response:
She feels guilty for "causing" Remus to become a werewolf, since nasty old Fenrir made her think he turned Lupin because of Sirius' taunts. I think she was probably like Harry and lots of others and had traits that suited more than one house and was sorted into the one they wanted to be in.
Thank you for liking Tom's accent! I had a lot of fun looking it up.