Argh. Did Aurette put you up to that mother of all cliffhangers? Please tell us the next installment is edited and ready to go...

Congrats on getting published!
hm88

Love it - happy to let it progress naturally.

WOW...Good for Severus, telling her he was having a "date"...Maybe that will make her THINK how silly her ideas are about them not getting together...Good For Severus..

And Hoorah that his magic is returning perhaps, still slow, but definately there...Can't wait to see what happens next...WELL DONE!

love it:3
good call on their part, i think snape/you are right about her guilt

Good to see him getting healthier in every way.

Which book had the line, "What. An. Idiot." That's what I think of Severus right now. But as you said, they have to grow into it.

Worth the wait even though it ended rather painfully (or uncomfortably, at least). Thank you so much for updating amidst all the goings on in your life. Congratulations on your piece of writing going to publication!

Well, so long as I get my HEA, you can torture my for a couple of chapters more. Thank you for this chapter - I am really enjoying this, it hits all my light-hearted fic buttons.

gahhh, hopefully things work out!

"It's a temporary placement for six weeks. That's how long before the cast comes off, and I'm back up and running full steam ahead."

Lara may think she’ll be running full steam ahead the moment the cast comes off, but she won’t. It’s when the cast comes off that the healed limb starts hurting, badly, as one learns to use it again. It will takes her weeks for the tendons to stretch out enough so she can bend her arm and wrist without pain, and to strengthen her atrophied muscles enough to lift things. I’m still not fully recovered from a broken arm of almost two years ago, but it was a particularly bad break, and I have other problems. Lara should keep Severus around for at least six months.

And you’re quite right that the whole business between Snape and Hermione does not look a bit healthy for either of them. The one-armed librarian is probably a better choice. Snape will feel better about being the helper in the relationship rather than he helpee. It’s not actually necessary that emotionally traumatized people pair up only with other emotionally traumatized people.

I had to think about the last two chapters a while before I commented on them because I had a strong reaction to it and felt sorry for Hermione more than anything. From Hermione's perspective, she's confessed to Snape that she fancies him, but he doesn't exactly reciprocate, instead he immediately tells her the impediments to their dating from his perspective. From reading from Snape POV we of course know how he feels, but Hermione doesn't. If I'm her, I'm probably re-thinking how I feel about him at this point, because he didn't rush to assure me he felt anything at all. And what she may discover next is that he's turned around and gotten involved with someone else? That wouldn't inspire jealousy in me so much as feeling like he had let me down easy to spare my feelings so that he could pursue something with a woman he was interested in. I've been there and it's an awful feeling, so I ended up feeling sympathy for Hermione more than anything else.

The emotion of this story aside, you write beautifully and I'm enjoying reading what you've crafted.

Great chapter! Loved the scene with Draco and love that he's messed up but not actually a bad guy. Snape has mellowed, but not in an unbelievable way. I like it!

What a complex scene with Draco! Love the poisonous ingredient.

I bristled at the cute librarian! Back off with all your talk of fondling! He's Hermione's! *grin*

Also: I never heard the term "rumpy pumpy" until I fell into Inspector Lewis fandom, and this is the first time I've seen it outside of there. It's extra adorable coming from you.

And this is not the first time I've wanted cookies while reading this story! Although maybe not the ones Snape has just scorched.