Ginny's support of her husband's quest seems to be just what he needs and while she might not be saying much, just her presence seems to be helping him as he researches the answers to his questions. Well done.

Author's Response: Up to this point, Harry has been talking only to strangers, people whom he never has to see again if he doesn't want to. It is a big step to open up to his wife, someone from whom he cannot run away afterwards. It was wise, on her part, not to say too much; she is demonstrating to him that he can be frank and honest about these matters and nothing bad will happen as a result.

This story just keeps getting better and better. Ginny's a genius for figuring out how Harry can say good-bye to the person he was before 31 October 1981. He's needed to do that for many years because as a child he didn't know how to mourn the loss of his parents and Petunia and her family certainly weren't going to help him grieve. Now that he's had the chance to say good-bye, it seems to me that with the acceptance and support of all the people at The Burrow's table, Harry will hopefully stop having the bad dreams. Harry took a big personal risk in confiding his activities and experiences and I'm glad that they all acted in character, right down to Molly's indignation and slightly prejudicial remarks. Your Arthur is just as he is in the books, patient and willing to share his thoughts at the moment they have the most value. I'm glad it was him who identified the root of Harry's dreams.

Author's Response: Ginny went to so many funerals after the Battle of Hogwarts, including her own brother's funeral, so I suppose that by now she understands and appreciates their value. And everyone instantly agrees to her suggestion without objecting because they sense the value of it also, for the same reason. It was a welcome challenge to try to keep all the participants in character during this rather emotional chapter; they are all unique, reacting in their own way but complementing one another so well. And although Arthur can seem to be a humorous character at times, who doesn't take himself too seriously, he is also observant and wise, as you note, and says the right thing at the right time. Molly is too emotionally involved to see the true meaning of the dream, and the others are too young.

One last thought on this story…this is a story I will be coming back to and reading again and again. You're a masterful storyteller who knows how to engage an audience and keep its interest until your tale is told. The world needs more writers like you.

Author's Response: I began my writing career with the compulsion to write this one particular story, and then continued posting stories in a feeling of brotherhood with the other authors who post stories here also, wanting to see if I could at least keep up with them. Friends would ask, "Are you going to write a book someday?" and I would just say that I was only trying to learn how to write and was far from publishing anything, if ever. Your remarks have given me the idea that maybe it is not an impossible dream. Thank you very much for your support.
Vicki

I really like this story, especially the little preamble or prologue that shows Neville's burgeoning interest in Herbology as a contrast to the young man he has become in the rest of the story. I'm glad that Greenhouse Seven has become a sort of refuge for the sixteen students who study there; it's a place where house affiliation--at least in Neville's group--doesn't seem to matter because what's important is the role each student plays in the research projects. I find it interesting that one person's remark could get Neville thinking about how the four plants could be used in war, as weapons in an arsenal, and his realization that Professor Sprout was quietly doing her part to get ready for war. I will definitely be coming back to read this story again because it takes a seemingly throw-away line in DH and shows the history behind the remark. Well done.

Author's Response: Yes, Neville has changed tremendously during the 6+ years that he has been at school, and I always assumed that House affiliations became less important during the final two years of NEWT classes because each class, being elective, probably included students from each of the four Houses and there may have been more interaction. During my Missing Moments class I wrote a drabble in which Neville and Wayne are feeling some sadness about throwing their carefully-nurtured plants over the ramparts to their doom during the Battle of Hogwarts.

A companion piece to this story is my 2014 Cotillion entry "The Crofter and the Snake", told from Tracey's point of view, and a work-in-progress is these events told from Howard's point of view. I'm glad you enjoyed this story.

Vicki

I have a feeling these two will have much to talk about in the coming months. Hopefully, someday they'll find out the entire story—possibly from Harry himself?—or as much as people are willing to share. No matter what, they have created a friendship that is more than likely to stretch many years into the future because of the circle they are completing. Lovely story, one well worth reading.

Author's Response: Yes, they will have a lot to talk about, and sooner or later much of the story will come out. My feeling was that Edward did not know as much about the Second Wizarding War as Eileen did, since her son was killed in that war, whereas Petunia had kept her father ignorant about Harry's activities due to their estrangement. But sooner or later Edward will be reunited with Harry, though I question how much Harry would reveal about the relationship between James and Severus or even about the extent of Severus' double-agent activity in the years leading up to the war. Interesting questions to speculate about.
I'm so glad you liked it. Thank you for reading and reviewing.

Vicki

I thoroughly enjoyed Tracy's side of the Greenhouse Seven story. It takes a great deal of courage not to go along with the rest of your friends or acquaintances just because that's the easy thing to do. The fact that Tracy felt she could be herself in the mixed group and also be attracted to someone of a different house says a lot about the sort of person she is and wants to be the rest of her life. Some of the things she says to Howe about Slytherin girls made me sad for them because their worlds were so narrow; at least with Tracey, she's more open-minded enough that she's willing to entertain the notion that she can be more than just a decoration after Hogwarts. The other thing that made me sad was the fact that Tracey and Mandy had to admit to each other that they wished they had become better acquainted prior to the night of 2 May 1998. However, I also think that those two girls will remain at least friends after Hogwarts because of their shared experience that night.

I'm glad that Howe showed his Gryffindor courage and approached Tracey early in the school year. They went through a lot together and stuck by each other when the going became tough. Her worry for his safety after the battle was palpable, showing the depth of her feelings for him. I'd love to read a story about their romance after the battle and how they plan their lives together so that they can both pursue their desired careers.

Well done.

Author's Response: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. It is a challenge to make original characters as attractive to the readers as known-and-loved characters are, but I learned a lot about Skye while researching for this chapter and can use that information if I write about Howard again (which I would like to do).

Yes, Tracey does present a narrow view of the Slytherin girls' traditional prospects. It reminds me of the British aristocracy and "Downton Abbey"; those who consider themselves the elite are not always really the most well-off. And in truth it was sad about her and Mandy, that they had not become friends earlier because of the stifling effects of the House system. Hopefully the world is changing.

As for a life together for them in the future, my initial thought is that it would be really hard to arrange, but I keep forgetting that they can Apparate wherever they want to go (assuming that Howard eventually gets his license :) ), so perhaps it's not out of the question.

I'm so glad I read this story after reading "The Skeletons' Tale" because I can see the development of Scorpius' maturity between the stories. What I really like about this story is that, while he's so sure of how his plan is going to play out just as he envisioned it, when faced with obstacles and complications arise, he rises to the occasion, modifies his plan and works to stay cool on the outside when he's paddling like crazy to restructure his vision and work with the authorities. That's real maturity in my books, and when all is said and done, not only does he have a memorable evening to remember his last month at Hogwarts by, he has the added reward of sharing a historical evening with Rose and the two professors.

I'm looking forward to your next Scorpius story, whatever it may be.

Author's Response: Thank you for saying that this story co-ordinates well with "The Skeletons' Tale". I hadn't really thought of writing a series of Scorpius stories, but that's not a bad idea. As you say, he plans everything out (which most of us do), but when things go in unexpected directions, he rapidly restructures in order to keep on top of the situation and get back into control. I guess we could learn a lesson from that. Even when I write a story outside the timeline of the seven books, I like to tie it back into the previously known Potterverse history; it's kind of fun to do that. And spooky to think of having to keep that secret for the rest of your life! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing.

Vicki

It's sad that Harry and Dudley have parted this way, but because of the complications of their past, it isn't possible to mend the "rickety machine made of broken-down parts" enough to truly make them want to be a bigger part of each other's adult lives. There's just too much that went on between them as children and teens to repair the rifts created by Dudley's parents and Dudley himself. I do think that Dudley moving Petunia to another house is best, just because the move represents a new phase in her life and his. Maybe Vernon's death is a good thing, since it just might repair a few of those broken-down parts that is the Dursley family.

I also was struck by the fact that this is the first story I've read in which the Death Eaters tried to target Harry after the Battle of Hogwarts. I've read many fics in which Harry goes back to Privet Drive, prior to the Dursleys reinhabiting it, to have it cleaned and put back together, but never any in which a booby trap was set. I like your premise that Vernon would just shut the door and not open it until absolutely necessary, but there's a part of me that says that Petunia with her cleaning fetish, would have wanted to empty out the room long before Vernon opened it... it's just her nature to want every single room to be spotless, so it very well could have been her who died had the three of them not agreed to ignore Harry's room altogether. No matter what, though, I thoroughly enjoyed this chapter and the entire story. Thanks for posting it for all to read.

Author's Response: My premise was that the Dursleys, who were always somewhat leery of Harry's magical abilities, especially after Dudley was attacked by Dementors in the summer of 1995, became very afraid of any association whatsoever with the magical world after their forced exile in the summer of 1997. So when they returned to the house in 1998, they were sufficiently traumatized that even Petunia did not want to set foot in the room at all, and they didn't need the space anyway. Dudley was at boarding school for one more year and then off to the university or wherever he went, so they essentially had two empty bedrooms beyond their own master bedroom. Thus, they were in complete denial about the implications of what they had lived through, and pretended that that room just didn't exist. In my story I assumed that Harry's old room was at the end of the hall, thus making it easier to ignore. I'm sure Petunia kept the rest of the house spotless; obsessive cleaning would have been a way for her to deal with her fears and post-traumatic stress.

Perhaps Petunia did go into Harry's room in the old days, seeing that Harry felt it necessary to hide things under his loose floorboard while he was living there during the summers.

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing.

Vicki

This is a great story. You've kept the pride of the original characters, but also added a bit of humility that rounds out their characters. Silvestre's enthusiasm made me smile because only the young have that deep, driving curiosity that makes them so enthusiastic for whatever interests them. Thank you for sharing this delightful story. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Author's Response: Thank you so much, Arnel, for reading my story and leaving such a lovely review. I am very glad that you enjoyed it.
Silvestre was a joy to write, at that age where he is half boy, half man, feeling his convictions so strongly and embracing his passions so vigorously. I wrote him also, in his persona as Scorpius, in my story of last summer, "Dark Enough To See The Stars," which you may enjoy also if you have not already read it.

Vicki

This is nice. Since you don't need to make it a specific year, it could be any year of Harry's tenure at Hogwarts or even through his years with the Dursleys or anyone, as a matter of fact. Love the imagery, no matter what. Well done.

Author's Response: Thank you for reviewing my poem, Arnel. My first thought was to contrast the experience of the Trio and the Muggleborns on the run in the winter of 1997-1998 with the experience of people still living in the castle, but verse one sounds too cheerful to be occurring during the reign of the Carrows, so I changed my mind and decided that verse one refers to the same people (now on the run) during their earlier and happier days at the castle, such as Harry's first Christmas there. I'm glad you loved the imagery; it is a challenge to present a vivid picture with so few words.

Vicki