The detail you use in the story is marvelous!  The tricky spells and hexes, the madness of Cornelius Fudge, the forgetting that their first attempt to reveal the invisible writing didn't work because they were working on copies, the planning that went into the rescue mission... all masterfully handled!

I take my hat off to you! 
Beth

OMG!  Fudge has been a busy, self-serving, no-good toe-rag!

Now to figure out where the Minister is keeping Albus prisoner! 

Quite a revelation!  I liked the solution to the puzzle,  Well done!
Beth

Ahhhh.  Severus isn't happy about the Amorata she gave him, but then maybe he is.... or will be.... sometime in the future.

But they have bigger fish to fry right now... and I'm thinking that fish would be Fudge.

Very interesting story!
Beth

Hummm...  Severus and Hermione have made love without using a contraceptive potion.  Could that mean what I hope it could mean?  Hummmmm.....?

It doesn't surprise me one bit that Cornelius Fudge is a Death Eater.  That could only mean that he was willing to "do away with" every other Death Eater just to save his own butt.  I hope the gets what's coming to him.  This makes me wonder how many of the guards at Azkeban could be Death Eater friends of the Minister.  They really treated the prisoners horribly!

I think there will be some exciting times ahead with Hermione teaching Potions at Hogwarts and Severus pretending to still be soulstruck.

Great chapter!!!
Beth

I heard about your story on the yahoo group, and it sounded really interesting. I'm so glad I decided to come read it. For one, this was a refershing, unique, and intriguing way to bring Severus and Hermione together. There was also so much of your own creativity in this story. You really took the idea of the prompt and filled it all out in detail. Great story! I will be sure to check out the sequel.

What a great story, and really, really well done, particularly for a firstie. There are some open questions at the end - but as you are already posting the sequel, I'm not complaining! ;o) You really had built in everything important for a good story and a good fanfiction, too - suspense, unexpected turns and twists, a particularly nasty villain, interesting stuff happening to favourite characters and so on. The SS-HG bit is quite nice, too, particularly for me who is not really a HG/SS-shipper ;o).

Author's Response: When I first started reading fanfic (right after GoF came out), the idea of HGSS was just "bleah".  One of my friends inflicted the pairing on me and I finally got hooked. Then I decided that I could write at least as well... and it sort of escalated from there.  I'm very glad you enjoy my stories.

Oh my, what an atrocious thing to do - but quite fitting to your Fudge to do exactly this! And it's a relieve to know that Aberon got to have doubts and left possible backdoors to dig in. My, what a chapter!

Oh dear, dear Poppy... ;o) Good that Minerva knows, though. I'm quite impressed with Severus that he managed to act as Grim and be believable, even with this potion.

Oh dear, what has Hermione done? *giggles* And when is he going to find out about it? *cackles*
The idea about Lucretia being a witch is fitting and really good, by the way.

Did I already mention that I love it your characters always resorting to tea? Just too sweet, and so British, too, even if it might be a cliché - I don't know. I do drink tea in every situation as well, and find it very helpful *g*.
What puzzles me is that both vicitims regained full mental facilities rather right after the restoring. I would think that it would take some time to get in tune with reality again, even if the whole mental facilities kick right back in. I've already read the whole story and already do know how the whole procedure works and the vicitm feels, but still, in my opinion, this works a little too fast and to easily.
The exchange between Snape and Hermione is well done and quite believable all the same. I'm just glad you don't make him ranting and furious.

That Fudge is a death eater doesn't come as a complete surprise, as his rubbing his left arm earlier on aready got me thinking. But quite a brilliant twist!

Author's Response: Ah, the infamous chapter eight... it took me six drafts before I got the exchange between Snape and Hermione to my liking, and I'm sure I drove my poor beta-reader absolutely nuts. This was the hardest chapter to write of all of them.

Another great chapter! The whole riddle stuff is cool, even though mostly I don't get it in general. Using Muggle ideas is even better, and the "invisible idiot" thing rather brilliant. I thought about something like this on first glance, though I don't know how this is called in my own language.

This is a wonderful tale and I am thrilled that you are posting a sequell.  I hope it has Poppy chasing Severus in it, since she seems interested in him.    You did such a splendid job with a really neat prompt.  I have enjoyed other Hollow Man stories, (not implying otherwise,) but I love to see what different people do with the same prompt.  You put in so many of  your own clever ideas, that you have truly made this story your own.  5 stars

a natural mistake that they did not remember at first that the notes were copies and would not contain invisible messages.  This is such a good story.  Your imagination is very keen.  I like all the interesting ideas you have come up with.  It's always fun to see what a fan fiction writer adds to the magic of JKR's world. You add a great deal!

LOL Poppy!  oh my!  I'm certain she only wants to buy Severus for his own safety and good.  I am sure - well, almost sure - that she wouldn't take advantage of the situation if she did.

hurrying on to next chapter now!  So glad Minerva is in on the secret now.

another chapter that  I love.  Oh poor them!  (snicker)  great last line.

One more  thing I like about this story is that Hermione wasn't in love with Snape back when she was in school.  Thanks for that.  Thanks for this whole tale.

horrible backstory! Horrible memories.  This is quite a change from the typical 'best friends, godfather of Draco' relationship with the Malfoys that we often find in HP fan fiction.  But I feel less sorry for the Malfoys than I did.  And I didnt feel all that sorry for them to begin with.

But what about the charm that informs the ministry if Hermione calls SS by his name?  was that broken when the soulstruck spell was  broken?

Yep- good old Cornelius rubbed his left arm back in the first chapter!  This is such a clever story!

clever Bill!  both for thinking to ask SS if he can identify his own jar, and for hiding the jar to be certain.

I remember whan I read this before, your new poem/puzzle had me running the letters backwards, as for the carving on the Mirror of Erised. 

I got such a kick out of the homage to Tolkien.  And such a chill out of the idea that if one of these poor creatures had a child it would be a squib or worse!  At least he was human enough to leave a way out in case someone was falsey convicted.  Maybe Aberon has some second thoughts?  Maybe that's why he drinks?

this is very fast-paced, but you put in enough details that we aren't lost.  Oh, no!  I hope they don't have to go back to the Ministry!  Another great chapter.  I'm so glad you wrote this!

Another great chapter.  I really like Harry's good thinking that they will have to steal many jars or else the Ministry will come straight to Hermione.  I like the planning out.  I like well thought out tales. 

Clever idea, only someone who loves the victim can break the spell, and no one could love a DE.  You have a great imagination.  You really make this challenge your own.

I think the bidding would have gone higher for Snape.   But this is a great tale.  thank you for inspiring me to read it again with your sequel!  yay!I used to think that stories like this and the marriage law  challege were way off canon, then in Deathly Hallows, the anti-muggleborn laws showed us that wizards are no better than any other group of humans.

I know I read this before, I think on Sycophant Hex.  And if I did not review , I humbly appologize because I recall this being a fabulous tale.  But I was new in the ways of fanfiction back then. 

Oh!  I hope this works!  Wonder what the words of the stanzas mean?

I'm glad that Molly was able to break the Soulstruck spell on Percy!

And I really wonder what happened after Hermione said, “Amor Vincit Omnia!” ?

I've gotta go see what happened!
Beth

This chapter was full of tension!  I love the inspired mnemonic that Aberon devised to "undo the spell, if a person should be wrongfully convicted."  Very clever, indeed!Now Hermione only has to figure out which mnemonics were Severus' and Percy's.   I have to admit that I've spent a good few minutes trying to puzzle that out as well.  Off to the next chapter!Beth