Oh dear. Talk about a cliffhanger, eh?

So, yup. This was once again brilliant. Actually, I'm rather fond of this chapter. The others have been awesome (do doubt you know, I've been fawning over every one) but this one had a certain je ne sais quoi.
I'm guessing that now that they've sort of found Daphne, that (some) answers will be coming our way?

And I get the feeling that the Crystal Palace is going to be important somehow. (Fingers crossed that I'm right - no doubt that would make for some fun times.)

I hope Ginny gets her art done in time for Halloween though! Let me channel my matronly side for a moment to say that she really ought to be putting her professional life ahead of her personal one. But then, what fun would that be?

Marvellous chapter! =)

Author's Response: Oo, thank you. :) More answers very soon, as you've correctly guessed. Ooooooooh.. um, yes. The CP will be very very important. (snickers with glee, thinking of upcoming chapters.)

Just a warning, this review is going to be a long one. You might want to go get a snack if you're hungry.

First, let me apologise for my suspicious absence from reviewing in the past little while. I came to the decision that it was a bad idea for this story, no matter how wonderful it is, to be taking up all my Anise-story reading time. So I went on a tiny binge and read Unforgiveable and The Bat Bogey's Cometh (which I've reviwed in more detail). I'll admit, it was hard to take a break from this story, because there are so many questions that need answering, but I'm glad I did.

Reading those others made me realize what it is I love about this story above so many others. The brilliant, realistic blend of horror and comedy, drama and romance, fantasy and (dare I say it?) smut. It's a melange of all sorts of different genres, which in many cases would make for a case of sever 'WTF?!' but not for this, not with you. Because you write so realistically that it's hard to believe these things aren't really happening. You've woven characters so that they seem like real people, not just creations that you're moving around on a stage.

But now, for a productive review of this chapter. I'm terribly glad Draco's back, and it seems like he'll be back for a while, too.

But he says he can't have been in that creepy hallway, and I'm inclined to agree with him, because I can't see what he would have to gain my denying it. So, is the bond still there? And if it wasn't actually Draco in that hall, who was it? Anyone? No one?

And completely randomly, I really liked this line. Not for any particular reason, it just stuck out as awesome: “I’ve already informed you,” she said glacially, “that I’ve stopped.”

And now, it seems, they're gone someplace completely different. Malfoy Manor? One of the Malfoy properties somewhere? I don't know...I'll just have to keep reading. But I do hope that the others are safe. And who is this mysterious running person? Since they seem to have left St. Mungo's, will we find out?

Brilliant chapter! =)

Author's Response: The evil computer ate my long reply to your review. (glares at it.) Anyway.... thanks so much for the long review! (I think there was a Happy Long Review Dance involved.) I think a lot of what you might be seeing in DDD is that so much of it was written before I ever posted ever any of it, and while none of the original content has made it to the site EXACTLY as originally planned, I think that that fact has shaped the fic in ways I can't explain. Because this didn't happen with any of the other fics.

Now, about Chapter 45. Yes, Draco's back, and he'll be back for awhile! (Evil cackling... speaking of smut, funny you should mention that... ;) All I'll say is that Draco really doesn't *remember* being in the creepy hallway. So he's not lying to Ginny about that. What really happened on the night of June 8th... well, we don't know that yet. And we'll find out the answers to all your questions very, very soon... ;)

Oh dearie me. (Yes, you've done it again).

I should have known Ginny wouldn't believe him. She's terribly suspicious, but then she has been through quite a bit. She tries so hard to stay strong, to resist temptation, but it's hard, isn't it? She succeeded for about a minute in the middle there, but Draco was a Slytherin for a reason, and he certainly has a way of manipulating her into doing exactly what he wants. (I don't think of the latter half of this chapter as anything more than shameless manipulation on his part. Incredibly well done, but still.)

And now when you end the chapter like that, I've simply got to keep reading. Amazing, as always. =)

Author's Response: Ginny's suspicious, but then, she'll have good reason to be... eventually. The thing about Draco's motivations in the matter of trying to get into St. Mungo's is that they really ARE pretty innocent, for once, although they're not very straightforward, as you've probably guessed (and as Ginny has too.) It does have something to do with the money, but, well, that could cover a lot. However, things will become more devious, in time. ;)

Oh my goodness. So, I'm guessing that the next chapter or so will be in a similar vein as this chapter? Well then...

So, it seems Ginny is going to finally succumb to Draco's wiley ways. Would that kind of thing strengthen the bond, I wonder? Anyway, reviewing this chapter is proving to be incredibly hard to do, so suffice it to say this was quite well written and that you're really very good at salaciousness.

Author's Response: Ummm.... yes, as you may have figured out by now, Draco and Ginny only dive deeper and deeper into the cauldron of smut after Chapter 49. ; ) And thanks!

Oh my. Wow.

Another one of those chapters. Not that I mind, of course. Just saying. And with this chapter came more name drama. Oh, you have no idea. Silly me got my hopes up at the beginning there that Draco might say something like 'you can call me Draco' but more suave and sexy than that. But nope. I really should have known better.

On a related note, that man must have Herculean willpower. Though I must say, his sexy ministrations are kind of creepy. I mean, I know Ginny's perfectly willing here, but it still seems like he's taking advantage of her, it always kind of does. Like she's somehow just playing right into his hands, even though she, and to an extent we, don't know it.

Anyway, I apologize for the shortness of this review. But this was another brilliant chapter, and I look forward to reading more soon. =)

Author's Response: Thankyou! :) And you obviously must be psychic... (snickers with knowledge of plot devices to come, VERY soon.) You're perceiving exactly what I'm foreshadowing here, I think. Some major developments are coming up in the next couple of chapters, and it remains to be seen what Draco will reveal, and how Ginny will respond... ;)

Oh, of course. He finally says her name, and ten minutes later, he can't even remember it. Lovely. And that's exactly something you'd do to us, isn't it. Oh well, I can't say I don't love it.

But I'm glad, at least, that the bond is cemented, and that things seem to be at least a little bit more clear in the future. Though, this IS you writing, so how clear it could possibly be, I'm not quite sure.

And of course you say that it's all gon' go down in the next chapter, which leads me to believe that no, their futures will not be bright and cheery the way I half wish it were. Does this mean we'll find out what sinister things Draco's plotting? (Because I have no doubt that he's always plotting sinister things.)

Another brilliant chapter. =)

Author's Response: Thanks! ;) But that's kinda how Draco is at this point. (in the first half of Part Two, that is.) The part of him that can call Ginny by her name has been very much suppressed, and when he's back to himself, he really *doesn't* remember it. Yes, a lot of what Draco's actually plotting at this point becomes clear in the next couple of chapters, all right... snerk... I sort of see Draco's character development continuing to happen in these chapters, though. We can see how he's evolved from the previous May (Chapters 20-35), where he first let the really cruel side of character have its way when it came to Ginny, and then reined it in and married Astoria in an attempt to protect her. But he's still trying to have something else, and we soon find out what it is, how he tries to do it, and how Ginny responds to it. Another major character development for Draco is actually coming up after Chapter 70, and readers will soon find out what it is... so just keep reading. ;)

Oh wow. I don't know whether my heart breaks more for Ginny or Draco. (Yes, I know that sounds a bit silly.) This chapter was just...incredible. I feel like it may have been a bit of a turning point. I'm not sure, of course, and I could be absolutely wrong, but it had a sort of 'turning point'y feel to it.

And hey now! Those corridors are Draco's heart? Finally, a bit of explanation on that! The surreal-ness of those corridors always gets to me.

I think Ginny was probably right for leaving Draco then. He probably thinks she's being selfish and stuff, but I think she was actually being a bit more reasonable than usual. Though those semi-doomsaying bits from Draco about safety did tend to sway me in his direction.

The two of them are so damn stubborn, though! It's like neither of them can really say what they want to. I'm curious if Draco actually has feelings for Ginny, though. His actions in this chapter tend to make me lean towards 'yes', but then at other times they make me lean towards 'no'. My theory is that he's (still?) using Ginny as a sort of replacement for Marie (who I'm still dead curious about!)

Well anyway, I feel like I've done a good bit of rambling. This was an incredible chapter.

Author's Response: It doesn't sound silly at all! What I always hope to do is to bring the readers into the mysterious world where it really feels as if these things are happening, and we sense Draco and Ginny's pain as our own (but it's all a metaphor. Yes, that's it. Nervously eyes that white van following me. I can SEE those butterfly nets in the back... well, anyway... ;) The corridors are very surreal. They're a real place (part of the Crystal Palace), and when you catch up to the present time of the fic, you'll see that they can be other places too, but yes, they always represent Draco's heart-- it's just that Ginny is the only one who has really figured this out.

And I agree that Ginny did need to leave. She finally understood that at this point, she cannot know whether or not Draco has feelings for her-- if he does, he won't tell her, and he won't prove it to her by truly sacrificing anything for her. He may be doing this because he doesn't really feel anything for her besides obsession, or it may be that he does care and he's just trying to protect her, or... who knows what, really. But if he can't show that he cares about her, then she can't stay with him.

Much more to come, and I can't wait to see what your take is on all of it. :)

Oh sweet everloving Jesus. I nearly died reading this chapter! Really, it was just too hilarious for words. And aah! I was right about Sir Sniffingsworth! I was totally not expecting to have gotten that right.

And I have to repeat that I absolutely adore your Daphne. She's such a good friend and a good person. Her little friend speech near the beginning made me smile, and her 'bitchiness' is wonderful too.

But holy goodness! Ginny and Draco are going to have to work together? I can't imagine that will end well. The both of them are so infuriatingly stubborn that I doubt they'd be able to work well together. But it will definitely be an interesting read.

This chapter was seriously one of my favourites. It was riotous. I. Loved. It.
(and I'm sorry I'm not reviewing very often anymore. Who knew classes and work could actually take precedence over enjoyment? I didn't.)

Author's Response: Thank you! :) I loved this chapter, too. And I really did try to lay the Sir Sniffingsworth = Andy Warhol hints-- kudos to you for picking up on them. The D/G coworker drama will be... interesting, let's just say.;) And thanks for any and all reviews. Life does get in the way!

Oh, this was kind of sweet. Like, the depressing, tragic kind of sweet, but sweet nonetheless.
I especially liked what you did with the last paragraph, the 'would, could, should' thing.

Author's Response: Thank you! I'm not even sure if you're reading replies to reviews for this fic, but well, if you are, then... thank you. :)

Oh goodness me. I don't know what to say about this. Your writing is erratic in this fluid way that makes it not erratic in a bad, spastic way, but in a way that everything seems to be mixed together in turns. I mean, you've got weird, creepy dreams, drama and humour. Piles and piles of humour. Loki literally made me laugh, he's so...I don't think there are even words for what he is. But then of course there are the intense dreams and the Draco/Ginny/Astoria drama as well.
This little added bit of the story was awesome and interesting and just all round super. =)

Author's Response: Snerk. Thanks.... Anyway, this ficlety fic was... I don't know if I would exactly say it was FUN to write, because that seems to imply a degree of ease in writing that really did not happen here. Many revisions went into the making of TWNoDaAM (it even has an unwieldy acronym.) But I think that it was important for the development of Draco's character. It was the only way that he was able to get even a *little* bit of distance from his obsession for Ginny. That obsession has never really gone away, but he's made a conscious decision to let go of as much cruelty as he can. As extreme as he's sometimes been since, the frightening Draco that we saw at the cottage in May has never really returned, and it's because of the choices that he made here.

WOW.

So, by some awful change in my email system, I never got any alerts for this, and I didn't realize it had been updated (eight times over) until today.
I have a LOT of catching up to do. *sighs*

But more to the point. This is fast becoming a favourite of mine. I really love the way you've characterized Scorpius here. He's such a normal child, and yet not quite normal at all. He seems so sad, and so alone, even when he is with his friends, there's something of a distance. I just want to give the poor boy a hug. =(

I really liked the way you began this chapter, with the very distant sort of description of his life as time passes, with less focus, in a way, on him, and more on his father and his dreams. Those seem to be what really guides him, the important things, I suppose.

I'm also curious about something, and I'm not sure if I'm just reading into this too much, but Scorpius mentions dragon's fire to Trelawney, and when Draco sees him, he mentions the dragon's fire pox is coming again, and I wonder if there is any subtle connection, considering Scorpius' give of Sight.

Further, I want to know if this, "He always wakes up just before he begins to harden into stone, gasping for air" is a very subtle way of saying something of his 'sexual coming of age.' Not sure if I'm reading into things too much.

In closing, this was marvellously written, I can't wait to keep reading, and I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to review.

Author's Response: Hi TN! :) Wow, how perceptive you are!! You caught TONS of things here that I don't think anybody else did... yes... dragon's fire pox will come into this fic again, and it will be very important. And er, yes, the hardening-into-stone thing did indeed imply just what you thought it did. I'll be updating this fic pretty soon-- it's just that DDD has been on such a roll! :)

!

*shock*

Is that the same Marie from DDD? The mysterious one? Oh my, more mysteries...

Hmm...so some new information, of sorts. Draco wrote something awful to Ginny, which made her cry. And I must say, there's something rather disturbing and wrong about the way Scorpius feels about Ginny. Not so much the fact that she's so much older, but the way he seems to want to (the way I see it) step in for his father.

The interaction between Draco and Scorpius is very strained, almost to the point of being painful. Draco really isn't a good father, and it's times when I see them together that I really feel bad for Scorpius. I mean, I suppose Draco IS trying, but their interaction is so tense. It really is as if they're strangers.

...and now I will reiterate the fact that Scorpius being in love with Ginny is rather disturbing, as is the way both Scorpius and Draco seem to be treating her more as an object than a person, with all this, "she's mine!" "No, she's mine!"-ness. It's interesting, actually, because for all their supposed posession of Ginny, she has had no say so far, and I really wonder who, if either of them, she would choose if given the choice...

Also, I really like Rose. She's like a little Hermione, it's sort of cute and rather funny.

Once again, I loved this chapter.

Author's Response: Is it thse same Marie from DDD? In a way, yes, absolutely. In a way, not at all. (hahahahahha.... Anise runs off laughing....) Anyway. You're right that there's a terrible tension between all three members of the Draco/Scorpius/Ginny triangle, in every permutation of those relationships. In the next few chapters (that aren't posted yet), things become much more clear. I also like Rose very much, and we're going to see more of Lily soon, too.