I've been reading along for quite some time but this specific chapter has moved me to comment. Hermione's slipping sanity, Ron's madness and anger, and Snape's appearance at the graveyard all play nicely into one another. Finally in this chapter, I can really see why Hermione has given herself over to Snape - not because she was playing a role or because she needed protection, there is simply nobody else she can turn to. She had isolated herself so much from the magical world that the only other person she can cling to is another outsider. Nice work throughout of keeping Snape mysterious and difficult to read.

I do have one question for you - why are Harry and co. angry that Hermione was kissing Snape? I could completely understand Ron's anger, but Harry's and the rest of the Order's I don't get. They agreed to let her go into the Death Eater camp as Snape's "wife" but now she's suddenly betraying them by having feelings for him? Perhaps there are more answers in the next chapter, but I had a bit of trouble with this one point.

Regardless, keep up the good work!

Author's Response: Thank you very much for this review, I am really pleased that you have connected with the story. This chapter was probably one of the most difficult to write, so I am glad you managed to pick up on many things.

As for the Ordrs reaction, especially Harry's, I wanted to show how they did trust Hermione but also how they fail to understand her or the seriousness of her situation. Harry reacted that way because he still despises Snape, nevermind trusts him, and he only condoned her pretend marriage with him because he felt there was no alternative, but is extremely let down when he realises that Hermione actually ses Snape in this light.
Feel free to drop in another review, I'm updating soon because c20 is nearlly finished! Thank you again!

*sings "ding dong the witch is dead"* so malfoy finally got what he deserves, and impaled nonetheless! and i loved tonk's line about narcissa not being able to see things quite the same! :)

excellent chapter, even with the unintentional cliff-hanger! i admire your ability to write convincing, and logical, battle scenes. they are alway so complex but easy to follow for the reader. if this is just the warm up, i can't wait to read the final battle!

Author's Response: LOL! I think that is my favorite - ding, dong... :) Those battle scenes don't start out that way - my poor beta wvchemteach has a lot to put up with on those! I'm thrilled to know, though, the final piece ends up well done. Thank you!

So intricate, I don't know where to start! How about with snarky Malfoy? Such a perfect line for him. He's nasty even though his father just beat him to a pulp. Typical Malfoy. Also, I'm very excited that you're weaving elements of the Arthurian canon in here. I've had an attachment ever since my Medieval Lit class in college! I cannot wait to see what they find at Merlin's tomb! Oh, and finally: Luna, Luna, Luna! Ah, she's so smart in such a flaky way! Thank you so much for treating her with respect and knowing that thinking outside the box is sometimes extremely effective. :-)

Author's Response: Snarky Malfoy, indeed! He's so infuriating in his evilness, if you know what I mean. Ooo, well, I hope I don't screw the Arthurian legend up any, but as an expert, please tell me if I do! I'm glad you like Luna - she is a Ravenclaw which means she bright. She's an Original. I'm glad you think I'm doing her justice. Thanks!

What a wonderful chapter! Once again, I am in awe. Well, awe and tears. Yes, I actually cried reading about the ceremony. That was just beautifully done and balanced by the humor of Ron with the Cup and Hermione being, well, Hermione.

Narcissa is sneaky but I have a feeling that she's not too bright. I don't think she'll get very far before someone figures her out. Poor Anna and Nathan and the baby!

Author's Response: LOL - thank you! I hope you didn't cry too long - but I have to admit, I'm thrilled to know you found it touching. And I'm with you, Narcissa is sneaky, but I don't think she's the brains of the outfit.

Another touching chapter! The scene where Ginny and Harry completed the circlet made me cry, again (I always seem to cry when the circlet is involved)! Fawkes being there to help was a very good idea, and very Dumbledore. I was pleased to see Fred and George lighten the scene, as everyone else has said. I would suspect that it would be entirely in character for them to continue joking even in the most difficult of circumstances.

And now my attempt at a meaningful review: The only thing I can say is that I think this chapter might have suffered a bit from the need to separate it into two. It seemed like all of the action was in the previous "chapter" and then this "chapter" did little to move the story forward beyond the circlet. As one chapter this would probably not be noticable. You may want to bear shorter word counts in mind when breaking up the remainder of the story into chapters. I don't think the longer chapters split into two detract from the story in any way, but a better chapter split can only help, in my opinion. Of course, I'm sure you've considered this anyway but I just thought I would mention it for you.

Best of luck with the remaining chapters! I am eager to see how everything turns out!

Very interesting - following Through the Looking Glass and possibly using Percy as a guide. As usual I like how you've made Ron just self-conscious enough to need Hermione's and Harry's urging to believe in himself. I have a feeling this will lead to something much greater!


Also, the dream itself is very well written. I can see the desert and everything Ron is seeing there. You've done a nice job of sort of spotlighting that piece of the chapter by making it so descriptive. It's not an easy image to forget.


Well done, as always! I'm looking forward to the next chapter.