I am a thirtysomething mother of two, a boy and girl, both too young to read HP. I am obsessed with Harry Potter, especially anything to do with Severus Snape. However, my favorite author is Anne McCaffrey, and my favorite fictional character is Afra from McCaffrey's Tower and Hive series. Severus is a close second, though.
My favorite movie is The Abyss, but only the extended version. The original theatrical release made no sense.
I love reading HP fanfiction. I would like to write more myself, but alas, I have neither the time nor the patience. Maybe someday.
Oh, my, you wrote this BEFORE HBP came out? You are a genious. I don't know if you're still checking for reviews, but I figure I'll write one anyway, just in case.
Now that the series is complete, this story seems even more plausible. I wonder if this group came together again to determine that it was safest not to get involved in the final battle (though some were still underage). I hated that the Slytherin table was left empty in DH; surely there was someone in that House with the compunction to fight for Hogwarts.
I do wonder: Did you have someone in mind as a traitor? That was an interesting element of your story.
Hmm, I thought surely Hermione had "forgotten her potion" or whatever it was Severus said to her last summer. First she was throwing up, then her appetite had returned "and then some." Being 4 months pregnant myself, I am quite aware of these changes in appetite. I guess I'll have to await the promised sequel....
I enjoyed your story. I love this ship. And thank you for keeping it SHORT, as I have been neglecting my real life lately.
The premise of this story is hilarious, although the story, of course, is not. Yet I would not put it past the MoM to pass just such a decree. ("The Ministry of Magic are morons!") While I prefer your story "Improbably Felicity," I like this one as well. In fact, I stayed up until 3 a.m. to finish it in one sitting. This was a particularly bad idea seeing as I'm 3 1/2 months pregnant and have a sick child upstairs, to boot. Granted, I skimmed much of it (don't see the name Snape on the page? Scroll down...) I have added it to my favorites so I can go back and read it more thoroughly later.
Thank you for writing such a well-formed tale.
Just found your story today. This was the absolute LAST thing I needed--another fanfic to follow! But, alas, I cannot stop now. I LOVE Severus and enjoy reading others' interpretations of his actions.
Just one peeve--why must characters in stories always get pregnant from one missed dose (or whatever)? It's really not quite that easy...
Just curious: How old is your baby? My DD was born in January, and my DS just turned four.
Author's Response: Oh, I didn't mean to make it seem unrealistic or anything. I actually got pregnant once while I was on the pill! Sadly, though, we lost that pregnancy, but within two months I was pregnant again, and now have a healthy baby to show for it. :) My daughter is now four months old. Congrats on your wee one! But in any case. *bows* Do forgive me. I know it's not always so cut and dry! Well, I do hope that you like this particular Severus story, I have a good time writing it and just hope that it's as fun for you as it is for me. :) Enjoy! -KMM
It's not unrealistic, and I didn't mean to criticize your story in particular. I realize that it does happen, and I also realize that writers need to create situations for their stories to work. It's just a theme I see over and over again. But that's not your fault. I look forward to seeing where the story goes from here.
Author's Response: Ah, understood. I'll confess I haven't read any fanfics. *guilt* I got the idea when I read HBP, from Snape's little argument with Dumbledore. I got a harebrained thought about what might have started it, and voila. *laughs* I'm working on the next chapter, it's a little slow-going, but it's progressing. I hope that you enjoy it when it's finished! :) -KMM
Um, what exactly were Mr. Henderson adn Mr. Farner doing? And why were they invisible?
"He blamed his traitorous mind for taking more meaning from her answer than was really there, and his expression hardened."
Hmm, was it only his expression that hardened? Hee, hee!
I'm adding another review because I've been reading other people's comments.
I've noticed that some people have commented about your grammar, and I just want to tell you to ignore them. Some of them are wrong. For example, someone told you that "they had got detentions" should be "they had gotten detentions." Well, whoever said that must be American; the first version is perfectly correct in Britain. As this story takes place in Britain, you should stick with "got."
I have noticed a couple of other verb form problems in your story, but most of them could be typos (has instead of had, mostly). I would love to be your grammar beta (I used to be an English teacher), but I have no idea how to become a beta on this site. I only recently joined and began reading the stories here.
Just to end on a positive note, I want to say again that I love your story. I used to ship Harry/Hermione, but I have recently become a SS/HG fan. They are such kindred spirits. I am sad about what happened to them during the war, but I hope that Severus can learn to forgive himself.
By the way, I don't remember which chapter it was, but Nathan did some research about Snape and learned that Snape had "tortured and killed of his own free will" or something like that. Do you really think so? Have you read Deathly Hallows? I think it implies that Snape did NOT kill anyone (other than DD, of course). I think his role was always more spy/information gatherer, even before he became a triple agent.
Do you have any idea how many chapters will be in the finished story? I'm hoping for at least another 50 or so!
"Merlin knows! If I could have a child and it happened to be a son, I would want him to be just like Nathan. I would be so proud that I would want the world to know he was mine… and you are Nathan’s father. You have the right to say that wonderful boy is yours, but you choose otherwise, even knowing you’re making his life more difficult because of this ridiculous decision."
This is why I love Remus Lupin. I really like this quote.
I love Severus Snape, too, but for different reasons. Good thing Hermione is so stubborn...
Something just occurred to me, so I have to write another review. It really belongs in an earlier chapter, but I'll put it here anyway while I eagerly await the next chapter.
If Severus is as honorable as Hermione believes, and if he feels as guilty as he claims, wouldn't he offer some sort of financial support for his son? He couldn't really do that at first, before he had confronted Hermione, but it seems that now he would somehow try to compensate her for all the years she reared Nathan alone. Especially after what Minerva said, I think Severus would feel compelled to do this.
"Lupin was the moron, then." Makes me laugh every time!
So Nathan feels bad for Devon even when no one is around to witness it. He is so much like his mother in that.
Ha, she'll end up in a bed and take Severus with her! Can't happen soon enough...
So, Severus can "sense" her hand on his head. I remember that Andy could "sense" Nathan while Kevin couldn't. We still don't know why that was. Is it a matter of whether their souls can connect?
I love this chapter; always have. Excellent interaction between Hermione and Severus. And poor Nathan, still struggling to understand what's going on between them.
So Nathan now has informatio that Professor Snape doesn't know he has (being unable to remember what happens in his dream state). Could be interesting.
Another great chapter (though I've read it already--many times).
"You're making progress, Hermione." Oh, but not enough--not yet. Make haste a little more slowly, Hermione. I know what's coming next, so....
Thanks for the update. I love your story.
Wow. Just wow. This is a really good story. I found it with 26 parts completed, so I'm writing a review here after reading it straight through. I'm doubly impressed that you wrote it in a non-native language.
I am very much looking forward to the rest of the story.
Question: Were Draco and Pansy a bit naughty? Their son is only a bit younger than Nathan, so they must have been quite young when he was born. Draco is almost a year younger than Hermione.
“Why didn’t you cast a contraception charm?”
The same question he’d asked himself several times since the day he’d realized the boy’s black eyes mirrored his. Severus still didn’t have an answer to that, so he kept silent.
I'd like to know the answer to that, too. Are we going to find out?
At last! I had read this chapter and then some elsewhere, but I was getting worried you had given up on MNFF. Glad to see you're back!
I love, love, love your portrayal of Severus. He is exactly the same as always, yet we get to "see" the inner soul that we always knew was there.
"The heart is a dumb thing. Take mine for an example, it chose you instead of him." Great line. And too true.
Keep up the good work!
Oh, you cut it short here; there is another half of this chapter. I already reviewed "elsewhere," but I'll say it again here--Why does Hermione choose NOW to give up?
I'm not sure why she would be surprised that Severus was Devon's godfather. Isn't it well known that Severus is friends with the Malfoys? Did you intentionally echo Ron's and Hermione's words from DH?: Always the tone of surprise. (I think each says it to the other at different times.)
It's good to see Severus defending Nathan to Devon. About time, too.
I've read this chapter many times "elsewhere," but I never noticed that Hermione uses Christian oaths. Doesn't Severus swear to Merlin? That makes sense since H was raised and currently lives in the Muggle world. Nice touch.
I love, love, love the scene between H and S. The interchange is perfect. And Nathan's confusion at the end is adorable. "That was an insult, right?" "He would never understand adults." No, he'll just never understand these two adults, LOL.
I find it VERY interesting that Andy can "feel" Nathan but Kevin cannot. I hope we learn more about why this would be so.
It is great when Nathan suspects that he is being fooled by an impostor. What a beautiful scene between father and son. You manage to reveal Severus's true soul without compromising the canon character.
Great work, as always.
I just re-read quickly to look for any Lily clues (yes, I'm a bit obsessed). IIRC, Lily and Severus's argument was in fifth year, so it was prior to this story. I am very curious to see how you are going to integrate that storyline into yours, especially the business with Severus's Patronus and such. I'm sure I will be thouroughly satisfied with whatever you choose to write.
Author's Response: My response ended up as a review. Go figure. You\'ll have to wait until chapter 59 to get your answer. :-)
I just noticed that your story's word count was 330330 and thought that was funny. You're number 1 on the Top Ten List of Longest Stories.
Author's Response: That IS cute--but I deleted half of Chapter 43 the other day while I was trying to edit it--and the site won\'t let me re-post it! So the word count--and the story--is missing a big chunk...!