Thank you for the explanation! I'm sure when I go back and re-read I will see that you explained the spell and I just missed it in my frantic efforts to see what happened next. You are always so amazing at responding to reviews quickly and with such lovely answers and comments :)

Author's Response: Thanks so much! :) Always ask about anything you want to know, and I'll try to explain. (except calculus. Can't help you there.)

i missed reviewing last chapter.. I went back to post and THIS was up!! Woooo I will miss the frequent updates but I see how hard this would be to maintain. I am loving the direction that this story is going in. I do have a question for you though: at this point has Ginny managed to control changing her body back to own? or just her voice? I am pretty sure she has only managed her voice, but if she has found a way to reverse even part of the spell then I'm sure it will not be long before she is able to tackle the whole thing. the only question is.. will Nott leave them alone long enough for her to reveal herself?? another great chapter thanks :)

Author's Response: Thanks! It won't really be a long time, but there's a lot going on right now, and I feel that if I don't get the next few chapters just right, some very important things won't work at all. Ginny is actually just using a Disguising spell on her voice. As Theo pointed out, though, those usually don't work well enough to fool anybody. So there's got to be a reason why this one works. Personally, I think it's because of the connection between Draco and Ginny... ;) And here's a teentsy little cookie crumb hint: Draco and Ginny WILL go off on their own in the next chapter. The question is what happens then... and the answer, I think, will be quite a surprise.

Au, how could you leave it at that? And after informing us that there won't be any quick updates for now!

I was really moved by the final scene where Draco realizes that she is Ginny - their conversation.

Can't we just send Nott and Astoria to some deserted island? He gives me the creeps. Isn't Astoria going to wake up any time soon?

I'll be waiting very eagerly for what's next, things have been building up to a climax and we are all waiting for the big explosion.

Author's Response: It won't be THAT long... ;) Nope, they can't go to a deserted island yet. As for Astoria... you never know... you might end up being sorry you asked. (runs away) Some exciting stuff coming up next!!

Wasn't sure where to reply, but I wanted to say your 'mini essay' made complete sense. I studied Classics a bit in my undergraduate degree, so I'm familiar with the deux ex machina approach, as well as the use of 'immortal guides'. I'm glad that in your story there is a limit to how much that outside help can actually achieve. There's nothing more boring than reading a story where everything is solved with a magical drop of the hat, so I like the fact that, even though there are people like Prudence, you're still allowing Draco and Ginny to struggle it out on their own.

Author's Response: This is a good place. :) And thanks! Your thoughts TRULY mean a lot to me.

I've been waiting for Narcissa to show up for a long time! Is she suffering the same thing as Ginny? Probably not. I hope she gets well.

Things are becoming more and more confusing! i hope Draco realizes that it's Ginny in Astoria's body when he finds her! Let's see if draco manages to give the right answer to Prudence.

I don't believe Draco will admit what he feels for Ginny to Prudence. First of all, I don't think he is able to admit those feelings to himself. So I'm curious to see how he's going to tackle Prudence's questions.

Author's Response: Yay! Narcissa is finally here. :) No, she has a completely different problem than Ginny does, and it comes from something specific that happened to her a long time ago when everyone thought that she died. We'll eventually find out exactly what it was.

Oh dear, that was quite a revelation about Prudence! So she made Ginny realize in her heart that she loves Draco, is that it? Will she demand of Draco to do the same?

Is this the time travel you talked about? It's kinda confusing here. I'll move to the next chapter quickly!

Author's Response: I can't exactly explain what Ginny was seeing, but when she sees Draco in Azkaban, she sees something real. He either has been or will be there (or... you never know... maybe both.) She really can do something about it, but her ability depends on their bond being consummated. The problem is that she never knows exactly what any of this means-- and the Immortals can't tell her.

Astoria doesn't strike me as a very bright person here yet she manages to manipulate both Theo and apparently Harry too! On the other hand maybe they are just the kind of men that you only have to shake your womenly advantages in front of. Not that she has many of them...
She definitely doesn't feel anything for Theo but I refuse to pity him. Also, I wonder why is he so concerned about Ginny being killed. Is he afraid of draco's retribution or does he fear that Astoria won't get away with it.

This Cambio spell makes me fearful. It suits Astoria to try it again. She knows Draco won't sleep with her so she might turn herself into looking like Ginny again. Draco, don't be fooled by appearances!!!!

Is this marriage law brought in connection to Draco's marriage?

Author's Response: No, Astoria isn't nearly as intelligent as either Draco or Ginny (although I wouldn't say that she's exactly stupid, either.) I think that Theo and Harry are both very easily manipulated, and she's figured out how to do it. She's good at that. Theo doesn't care about Ginny as a person, but he'd certainly love to get his hands on her, so that's part of it-- mostly, though, he knows that Draco would hunt him down and torture him to death if anything happened to her. And yay to you for catching that clue about the marriage law! ;) Maybe....

Hrrm, but WILL he know it is her? That is the question.

Fantastic chapter, as usual. After having Draco skirt around and hide the truth for so long, it was nice to see him just bare everything. Of course, for him it would not have been easy - not at all. Especially when he looked into the mirror. We all have darkness, but his of a peculiar breed - an almost innocent yet twisted need to find purity at all cost in order to rediscover his own purity. I'm glad that he was able to see his desires were wrong, however. I don't think that means it can just be brushed away, but he's at least taken the first step to admitting he actually does/could love Ginny, not just want to possess her.

I can't help but think that both Ginny and Draco are VERY lucky that they have immortals helping them out. Those two would be completely lost without the pushes they recieve from certain immortal beings.

Look forward to the next chapter!

Author's Response: Yes... very, very good question, isn't it? Thanks!! :) I love your analysis. It took so much to get Draco to this point, and I just feel that it couldn't have happened before. I've thought a lot about how to use the Immortals, and I think the way that I've at least *tried* to do it is analogous to the way that magic is used in the HP series to begin with. (warning... mini-essay ahead...)

I remember when I was halfway through SS/PS, and Harry had just been rescued from his miserable life by Hagrid. It was a deux ex machina if there ever was one, he was now headed for a magical future, and I really wondered how JKR was going to pull these plot devices off. But she did, and I think that her naturalistic use of magic as the narrative background was one of the best aspects of the HP series. Yes, magical powers were always available to everybody, but that didn't mean that people could use them all the time in the ways that would have been the most convenient at the moment. Dumbledore couldn't suddenly use his powers to discover exactly where all the Horcruxes were and destroy each and every one, for example (that would have been a very short series.)

Similarly, mortal characters in Greek and Roman myths were able to utilize divine help, but there were very specific rules about when, where, how, and why this could happen, and I also tried to take some ideas from this tradition. Draco couldn't get Prudence to help him find the way into St. Mungo's and to see his mother until he had spent a long time searching for her and had done the work himself, for example. And as Prudence states many times, she can't really tell mortals anything they don't already know in their hearts.(If she could, both Draco and Ginny would be saved a lot of trouble later on, let's just say.) So this is defined as a world in which our characters do interact with Immortal beings at certain times-- just as they have the ability to use magic-- and as you've noticed, they're lucky to have these abilities, although there are others they don't have access to. (Ginny could learn a lot from Pubmed searches on the dissociative disorders!) But they may not be helped as much as they think, and they've still got a lot of hurdles to cross... Anyway! The essay is over now. (everyone's asleep) :)

What a cliff hanger! Looking forward to the next chapter. :)

Author's Response: Thanks! Yes, it really is a cliffhanger. I wasn't sure if that was obvious or not-- but it truly is, as readers will see in the next chapter.

Wow i loved this chapter! Finally we get some sort of insight into the inner workings of one Mr. D. Malfoy!
I love what you're doing with this story, definitely the best fan fiction I have ever read, and I love how Draco isn't so 2D in this story like some ff authors make him. You're sort of giving him an exterior, and slowly we get to pick away and see the inside.
Ah! Can't wait for the next chapter! Hm some Marie mentions in this chapter? I really REALLY want to know about what is going on there!
You're a fantastic writer, keep it up!

Author's Response: Thanks so much!! :) Yes, Draco is very guarded, and it's taken a lot to get to the point where he's revealed anything about what's really going on inside. But what will happen next... well, that remains to be seen. ;) More as soon as I can manage-- LOTS going on, and I may not be able to do another update as quickly.

So this butterfly is what was touching Ginny all the time! I melted together with her when I read that.

I can't believe Draco went with Astoria again! He's smart enough to understand that he inflicts more damage on his relationship with Ginny and yet here he goes!

I'd like to point out that it's great that you captured Ginny's kindness in this story. I think it is one of her central traits - she is always there to help people and she would help Draco even if that's the only thing he wants from her (which of course isn't) even at expence of her own emotional wellbeing. I find in many stories that the authors are so preoccupied with showing Ginny's snarky side that they often make her quite vicious. So I'm glad you captured that trait of hers here.

Yay, more chapters to read!

Author's Response: I loved the butterfly part too. :) Draco did go with Astoria again, but I think that he had his reasons... you'll see more about that a little later. Thanks so much for your comments about the Ginny characterization! I try to show that Ginny has a big heart-- maybe too much so sometimes, and she doesn't do enough self-care. But nothing that she's been through has kept her from caring about other people, which I think is important to show.

Oh man, things are about to hit the fan! Happy dance for Draco finally realizing his feelings!! Now I wonder how this all will play out, the clean and neat scenario in my head more than likely will not play out so I am more than interested in seeing what you will do...

Author's Response: Happy dance indeed. But Draco's problems are far from over, as you've probably suspected (ditto Ginny's.) Much more to come! :)