Hey, this is really nice. You have a great style of writing and your use of dialogue carries the story really well. What I like about this is the emotion of the story, which some other writers fail to bring across successfuly, but you manage brilliantly. All I'd say is that you could perhaps extend the paragraphs in between the dialogue just to build up an even better picture of the situation, but this isn't entirely necessary as the story is crafted beautifully to begin with. Well done; I look forward to updates!

Author's Response: Thanks for being my first review. I'll submit the next chapter as soon as the queue is up again!

What an intriguing idea. Superbly written, with Snape's bitterness and coldness perfectly balanced with his own inner turmoil. I particularly liked his attitude towards Bellatrix - he seemed so unafraid of her or Voldemort, especially with the line "I will die my own man, not the puppet of another." A brilliant and enticing first chapter ;o)

Author's Response: Glad you enjoyed the first chapter, and I hope you have continued on. Let me know what you think of the subsequent chapters as well. I wanted to make sure that I have portrayed Snape in a believable way and as Canon as possible for his situation. In my mind this is how a man who no longer cares about his life acts. Why shoud be afraid of Voldemort, when the worst he can do it kill him. It\'s hard for people to accept but this is a man that has been locked in a small house for over a year alone. Very little outside influences, and nothing but his own self-loathing and depression for company. I am amazed he hasn\'t gone mad yet. Please keep reading. ~woomama

Author's Response: I hate typos. Please excuse them as I cannot edit.

This line: " “Is this seat taken?” Satan asked from behind her newspaper." actually made me laugh out loud. From then on I loved this fic! I felt at times that the dialogue seemed a little OOC, particularly from Draco, but the humour overshadowed any faults by far. I'm afraid at times it seemed like these were two original characters rather than canon. However, seeing as I thoroughly enjoyed it I can hardly give this a poor review. Very interesting and very clever, and the ending was wonderfully sweet ;o)

Author's Response: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it :) I know the story might not be the most realistic, but it was supposed to be a lighthearted story. I'm happy with the result, and I'm pleased to hear you liked it too. Cheers

Mmmh, very mysterious and utterly compelling. His constant mumbling and calling himself "you fool" is brilliant; at the beginning you're unsure whether he's talking to himself or someone else, but his obvious madness by the end is unnerving. Very well written, excellent.

Author's Response: Thanks for the review, Lucky! This is actually my first one-shot and my first challenge entry, so I wasn\'t sure how it would come across. I\'m glad you enjoyed it, though, it sounds as if it came across exactly as I\'d hoped it would. :)

Superbly written, very dark, very beautiful. This shows perfectly the uneasy balance between sweetness and madness in Bella's character, and the fact that Snape (it is Snape, right?) needs her so badly reveals elements of his character which are only discussed in the books, but which we never see. Excellent.

Author's Response: No, it wasn\'t Snape; it was Barty Crouch Jr. I could have sworn that was specified....I\'m glad it was enjoyed. Thanks for reading!

An achingly beautiful fic. There are so many little details which make this story superb. Both Hermione and Draco are absolutely in character, and you make their friendship completely believable. Well done. Lines like: “Yes?” I asked, my voice breaking slightly." are meltingly nuanced.

Hermione's voice-over is subtle and naturalistic but betrays a very strong character beneath her quiet and studious persona. I loved the moment when she met Draco's eyes across the Great Hall and simply stared him down rather than looked away. This fic is a wonderful discovery for me, well done ;o)

Author's Response: Thanks for the lovely review! ~ Eilime

A beautifully-written poem with some fantastic imagery and uses of alliteration ("the silver slithering Snake"). However, I felt there could have been more references to HP within the poem's context. The Snake and Phoenix are there, of course, but I think it might have worked better if we, the readers, knew who the "I" in question was ("I must be left,
behind"). I also wonder why swords are mentioned when wizards fight with wands... are you referencing the sword of Godric Gryffindor? Or is it supposed to be a metaphor?

I thought this line was excellent: "Touch my tears with your lips/Touch my war with your fingertips" - repetition and a dash of rhyme made it stand right out from the rest of the verse. However, again, I was unsure who the 'you' was. Perhaps you were just trying to convey the confusion of war, or the nameless nature of soldiers?

The poem itself was beautiful, however, so perhaps, in this case, clarity is not necessary.

Author's Response:

Author's Response: Ok so I wrote this whole lenghty response but the computer erased it -- so I\'m frustrated a bit with it, I\'ll re-type in a few hours. In the meanme thank you so much for the awesome review.

Author's Response: Hey, finally I can respond to this... my internet went crazy and I couldn\'t submit anything for quite a while! I have to admit, when I wrote it, everything seemed so clear to me - as to what was initially happening. But I guess along the way, I put in so much symbolism and imagery that the meaning dispersed... So, the \"I\" in question is Dumbledore - falling down from the Lightning-Struck Tower. Many probably know that the Lightning-Struck Tower is a Tarot Card from the Major Arcana; symbolises death but also passage for the Hero to pass through to get closer towards the ultimate Enlightment. It is an important link in the \"chain\" of Knowledge. Most words and imagery in this poem essentially refer to this particular meaning. Thus, this poem is based on the circular motion and repetition. Now, the \"I\" is Dumbledore; as he is the Phoenix. In the poem, the Phoenix is \"dancing\" with the \"silver slithering Snake\", like you pointed out. There\'s alliteration there and the S of Snake is capitalized to emphazise this particular phrase; this is the Dark Mark. That is where the references of \"green\" etc. come from, since the \"red and gold\" symbolize Dumbledore and thus courage. But entirely, the whole poem and scene told is an extended metaphor. The \"swords\" and \"blood\" is symbolic; the poem essentially symbolizes war - good vs. evil. You see, the Snake is always described as \"endless but last\"... The endless means that the core \"evil\", does not end; it exists in continuity. But the Mark is also \"last\" because the period for the sentence arrives with death. In this case, so is the Phoenix: it is endless and in harmony with eternity. That is why the Phoenix both Falls and fades, as well as Rises into the sunset. The You, in this case, would be, in a nutshell that Dark Mark, whereas if taken for the entire meaning, Evil and the Dark Side as a whole. Thank you so much for your review, I\'m sorry once again that I responded so late... I loved your review and thank you again for pointing out what you thought!! Senem.

I loved this - it was so funny and sweet, and I liked the Classical reference (Sapphist). I'd love it to be a chaptered fic - anything Fred and George is fine by me... The rivalry was brilliant, although, if I was her, I don't think I'd be too fussed about both of them fancying me at once! Great story ;o)

Author's Response: Thanks so much for reading! This is my brand new one, I\'m quite proud of it. I loved being able to work with Verity, as she is only mentioned once in the entire series.

I\'m going to try and get the big story centered around these three written, but it is probably going to take awhile, as school is starting for me in about a month. *sticks out tongue in disgust* Thanks for the great review!