OKAY so FF doesn't let me reply to reviews in the review area. In the past, anyone who put a little more in a review than "this stinks" or "I liked this" got a personal reply from me in post. But holy crow, I got a lot of well thought out reviews for this tropeville. So Imma start (as my students would type) by saying THANK YOU to each and every one of you for reviewing. It really is such an incredible boost, even when you point out my many, many misteaks (I did that on porpoise) (that, too).

~~ this is not more writing, it's just answering questions and responding to comments in reviews ~~

So, some of the reviews I'd like to reply to:

I am SO EMBARRASSED. I'm a chemist. Reagent is how I always spell it. LOL. LOLOLOL. This is where a beta would come in handy, but I work in such a sporadic manner that a beta has never stuck with me.

Those who commented on how I presented the Granger family: I tried really hard to give them a background story. Bringing in Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Cordelia fit for me (right time period, Shakespearean name, and obv, this means Hermione has magic on both sides). Jason is not a squib, but he had the BITTERNESS of a squib. I've exaggerated that in this fic, BTW. Anyone who's read my other tripe knows that I don't like Figg's character much. Once in a while I give her the benefit of the doubt, but mostly, she KNEW Harry was important, and she didn't do ANYTHING to help him. Grrr. Filch is funny but not really. He really did get quite disgustingly excited when he thought he'd be able to employ corporal punishment. People like that shouldn't be near kids.

Several of you wanted more of a punishment for Dumbledore. I tried very hard to show that Dumbledore is a complex character. He's capable of great magics and great mistakes, as Harry realizes. Dumbledore's single-mindedness in trying to usher the prophecy to its fruition was really the impetus of his own downfall. He refuses to listen to anyone else - he even still believes that Harry's a horcrux when Harry says the soul piece was removed. Dumbledore, though, did NOT have anything to do with the will. He didn't do anything to Sirius or Remus or have anything to do with the deaths/incapacitations of the other characters. Sorry if I wasn't clear on that.

There are things that the characters get wrong, and sometimes, believe it or not, that's on purpose. An example is the "stopped clock" analogy. I know the analogy; Harry doesn't. He's a kid. Kids get that stuff wrong all the time. I try (usually I fail, but I try) to make the characters fallible in lots of ways, big and little. Oh, and someone asked why it was up to Harry and Hermione to fix Hogwarts? Because he's Earl Gryffindor. :)

Another thing I really wasn't clear on (and I wasn't sure how to be) was that SNAPE was mostly the bad guy in this story. He cursed Poppy to not treat Harry. He cursed McG to not report it. He potioned and cursed and mind-raped Harry. Some of you were wondering who did this to them? There you go.

As for writing more, one review said "ha you just jinxed yourself". Maybe I did? I got a whole herd of plot bunnies at the beginning of quarantine; the only ones that came close to being fleshed out were this one and Up In Smoke. Maybe one of them will "nibble me in the bum" as Mr. Python might say and there'll be another oneshot or short in the future. Never say never.

Other random review replies (how's that for alliteration?):

I know Mayo is in Rochester (my niece works there). I had them take a portkey from Minneapolis. I think I even said that? But yeah.

Why was Hermione so upset at the oracle? Harry was incapacitated. Think of walking into a scary situation with your best friend/boyfriend who's stood up to every darn thing you've ever faced. And suddenly, he falls to his knees and is unresponsive/ catatonic. For like five minutes. She got wigged because it was clear danger and she couldn't see it or do anything about it! She's good in a fight, but to see him like that?

I am bitterly disappointed that Google let me down. I googled how old you had to be to get a driving license in Britain and it said 15.5 years. Should have gone to more than one answer. darn it.

If you're still reading, thank you for reading. Thank you for reviewing. Have a great day and pass it on (as my own Mom used to say). Peace out.