My bad. I thought I responded to all your reviews but I missed this one.  Sorry

Since you read and reviewed several chapters in one day I like to think I hooked you a bit with my plot. Plus I agree with you, I think my attempt at writing has improved over time and I'm looking back at first chapters and wondering if I could have done a better job.  But re-writing will have to wait as I still need to put the rest of the story on paper (or internet)  But I'm very proud of this so far.

Harry & Draco just might end up having a grudging friendship. You'll have to wait and see but for now the relationship between these two characters is just too good not to have a bit of fun with for awhile.  And yes, you are correct, the harshness right now is necessary not only because Harry's lost his best friend but he is shouldering a great responsibility.  Plus he and Draco never really resolved certain issues from DH, and what he said holds water, it's not about them, there are children involved.

I'm glad you liked Kreacher.  I really loved the house elves in HP series and knowing that respecting them goes a long way in their fidelity to the Wizard I wanted to expand on it.  Harry is a good sort of fellow and I knew he would be kind to Kreacher once he fully understood the psychology of Kreacher's betrayal in OotP.  Thanks again for reviewing.  I really have to get cracking on the rest of this story so I don't leave you hanging.  I'm not abandoning this challenge to myself.  ;)

Hmmmmm,  who is the murderer?  I'm still working that part out but I have an idea but need to work out the details.  It will be interesting to see whether your prediction is correct but you won't find out for quite some time. It's best you didn't put it in writing cause then when the name is revealed you can always say "I knew it!" [whether you really did or not ;) ]

I wanted to repair Draco's relationship with his father in this story.  Because of the whole Voldemort thing, it was obviously in disrepair but I like to think that the Malfoy's each had a love for their family members which would explain why Draco did what he did in HBP.  He needed to save his family and himself from Voldemort as well as their reputation.  Well he's really going to get an opportunity to redeem his family name in this story.

It's good to feel sorry for Draco.  Right now he is a bit vulnerable as anyone in his situation would be and I need the reader to be on his side once and a while in this story.  He will still on occasion need to hide behind his snarky mask but in the long run he'll be a good guy (or will he?)  We'll see.

Thanks for the review!!

Either you missed a chapter or just didn't leave a review to Chapter 7.  Just thought I'd mention it in case there was some important information you may have missed ;)

I could never have Ron be abusive or neglectful. That just isn't him. But you are right, in order to provide a reason to make this a Dramione, I had to have him die.  I think I mentioned in another review that I have an alternate version of this story in which Ron doesn't die.  Maybe someday I will get around to writing that idea.

I'm glad you liked the murder/attack scenes.  I wanted to make them fast and edgy to keep up the suspense of the moment.  I'm glad they didn't read as cliche.

Thanks for the complements on characterization.  I really feel it's important to this story to keep them in character as much as possible as well as in their roles as Auror, etc  to make it seem believable.   Thanks again for reading!

The fact that you thought my interpretation was very convincing leads me to believe I'm becoming a better hack... I mean writer ;)  Fortunately, both of my boys were healthy and all of my relations have been full-term healthy babies.  I did a bit of research before I wrote the topic in order for the events to sound feasible.  Even the magical medicine the baby is receiving is real.  Surfactant is actually the name of the prophylactic treatement used for Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Preterm Infants. Hindmilk is just a term used to refer to the fatty milk the baby consumes near the end of the breastfeeding session.  There is a method to my madness!!!!  I really do have a plan if not a half baked, fly by the seat of my pants idea ;)

Narcissa, to me, was a character who valued family (at least her family.)  I always felt she & Draco were unwilling pawns in  the whole thing (more Draco than Narcissa as he was just a child)  The adults should have known better but we all know, even in muggle life, that at times it's hard to steer clear of bad influences.  It takes a strong character which the Malfoys didn't possess.  I'm trying to steer them in that direction with a few twists to come.  In DH I got the feeling the Malfoys all wished they weren't involved in this whole fiasco.  They were scared for their lives which is all they cared about.  I was pleased JK didn't kill them off because to me that opened a door for some redemption if they chose to take it. 

I never got the idea from JK that Draco was unintelligent so I didn't think he should be portrayed that way.  Of course he was cocky in regards to certain lessons which he didn't value (Care of Magical Creatures)  But in those lessons he did value (Dark Arts, Potions etc.) I felt that he would excel.  Especially since Lucius ,at times, commented on a muggle beating his son out in school.  To me that gave the impression that he had a head on his shoulder.  He will be using those brains quite a bit in this story from time to time. 

I'm glad you are enjoying my version of the Epilogue.  It will be interesting to see what you have to say about the next couple of chapters.  Thanks again for the review!!

So glad you enjoyed Red!!!  I had to keep them in character and that just seemed like something they would say. It also, to me, was sort of inspirational.  They are still willing to believe that their grandchild, no matter that he wasn't born "perfect", in their eyes, was perfect!!  That is true love.  I could even see them embracing a child that had a handicap and still believing he was perfect because that is what grandparents do (and parents and family) they love unconditionally. 

The magical aspect of the story, with the potions and hospital, were researched before writing.  The medicine is real. Surfactant is used in hospitals for preterm infants and as you know, hindmilk is the fatty breastmilk.  I'm glad you liked.

Keep reading.  You will be surprized by some of the upcoming chapters.

Thanks for revisiting this story Pookha!!  I'm glad that my writing is evolving.  I worked hard on the issues that you and other's mentioned and I'm glad to hear I'm improving. 

I agree that I too like Draco's plot line better.  At times I don't know why I veered off with the Trio other than the fact that I loved their story line so much in HP that I wanted to add my 2 cents.  I also wanted to give the reader an idea of what I thought about their relationships, especially to their spouses.  That is was a respectful  loving marriage.  You'll see some of my reasoning in the next couple chapters. 

Draco was a character that I felt could have changed if guided properly.  Dumbledore tried to give him that opportunity but fear of Voldy and fear for his parents prevented that.  I understand JK's reasoning for how she wrote her characters.  After all, not everyone is worthy of redemption. But I wanted to give him that chance in mine.  I hope his character in my story is worthy of it ;)

Thanks for the review!!

Even Draco wouldn't believe Harry could hurt an innocent child ;) 

I'm glad you enjoyed their exchange.  They have some issues to deal with which will be dealt with along the way in this story.  Due to the circumstances each of them have experienced (death of loved ones) I felt they needed to be touched upon but not fully explored just yet.  The issue at hand for Harry is to find a safe hiding place for Hermione.  Draco has enough on his plate for now and Harry arriving unexpectedly in his home with such a request was not what he ever planned for. 

Thanks you for reviewing and commenting on the details.  I want this to be as detailed as possible as everything I include will be important at some point in time .  Even the mention of Draco's wand or  the way Harry & Ginny discipline James is important to me.  It shows that they will not allow him to be disrespectful to Kreacher (whom they believe to be part of the family) and that they are good, responsible parents. 

Ok, now I have to get working on Chapter 11 or you will be wondering if I gave up on this story ;)

I couldn't wait to bring Dumbledore and Snape back!!  There were unresolved issues with Harry & Snape and I wanted to give them an opportunity to work things out.  You will see them return in the story from time to time.  And who better to train Harry?

Child care seems to come easier to women even if you haven't had much prior experience.  It's very second nature to us.  By the time I had my first child I had 11 nieces & nephews and had cared for all of them at some point or another through cloth diapers, chickenpox etc.  On the other hand, my husband had never been around a baby in his life.  I remember mentioning this to my mother-in-law and how he was worried about being around a baby.  Her response was that of course he had been around a baby.  Surprised by her reply, (as I knew he never had been) I asked when?  Her reply was when he was 6 years old & younger.  They brought his brother & a sister home from the adoption (they are all adopted)  I meant as an adult!!!!   The man had no clue what to do with a baby.  I thought it was reasonable to have Draco experience some awkwardness as I doubted he had ever been around an infant either.  I have some funny moments planned on this subject.

Funny you should mention the Snugli as I plan on Draco using on in Chapter 11 (if I can ever get the darned thing written!)   Keep reading!!

Emotional and intense.  I like that discription!!  I'm so glad those feelings were relayed in the chapter as that is exactly how I hoped it would read. 

I know previously you had some comments on the Auror Department and Hermione's exclusion at being privy to certain investigative details.  I hope I cleared that up for you in previous review response.  Since this is the magical world, they work on a different level than we do as muggles.  There will be so many more secrecy issues at play.  I felt that was the reason Dumbledore held back so much information in the series.  You know, the more people you tell the less chance of it being a secret.  Well, that would be 100 times more true in the magic world.  The Aurors will need to operate on a higher level than most with magical abilities.  Remember Scrimgeour's line in HBP to the muggle Prime Minister?  Something along the line of "but the other side can do magic too"

I'm glad you liked my set up.  I wanted it to seem like a surprise (even though this is a Dramione) I wanted the moment to seem like it came out of left field. 

Thanks for reading and leaving a review. As I said before, you are one of my favorite writers and I love to receive encouragement from you and others like you ;)

I'm not really sure who to blame for Ron's murder yet.  I have some potential canon characters but I'm still working out the motive to determine whether it's possible.  I'm flying by the seat of my pants here honey!!

Harry will never break the code.  I even plan on him keeping a secret from the Dept and the Minister in order to carry out the plan he has.  You know where this is heading.

You're almost there for the plots merging so don't hate me. 

I think that even though Harry thought Dumbledore had an issue with revealing too many of his secrets, he understood afterwards the necessity for those secrets.  If Dumbledore had revealed too much to the wrong person then the gig would have been up.  Imagine if he had put all of his eggs with Snape and Snape cracked or couldn't perform a Occlumency for whatever reason (torture etc) then Dumbledore's plan would have been ruined.  He had to work on the fact that Harry, along with Hermione's help and Ron's loyalty would work it out in the end.  Of course, since it ended up being Harry's life he was playing with, Harry would be ticked  off. But in the long run, especially once he knew the secret to defeating Voldy, it was well worth it.  I'm using that same thought process here.  Some secrets have to remain secrets, no matter what.

I'm so glad you caught that line!!  I thought it was funny line and you are the first person to comment on it!!

I thought I did a descent job with Draco's bit of mourning so I'm glad you liked it.  I will touch on his sorrow more later so don't think that he's emotionally challenged.  He just has so much more to deal with in regards to his son etc.

Thanks again for reading on.  You'll see what happens with Ron.

Don't give up on that original thought.  It's coming as by this time you've already read;0  Draco will have to cope.  He's pretty much on his own now.  Or is he...remember this is a Dramione ;)

You will see Dumbledore and Snape more. I definately have them in somewhere around chapter 9 or so (can't remember) and might bring them back later on. I'm not sure.  Harry will definately visit them.

I wanted Dudley to come to the wedding.  I had another idea for him later in the story but decided not to use it because I didn't think it would be "reasonable" in the plan.  But I think I will have Harry visit him from time to time so we can see more of Aunt Petunia and how she deals with her Dudders marrying a witch.  Oh my!!!  Could be fun to work with I think.  I didn't want the Dursley's coming because I didn't think it would fit their character. But based on what JK wrote about Dudder's I thought there could be a chance for him.

I was sorry to see Dean & Luna didn't hook up in JK's plan.  I figured they would so I decided to do it myself. I'm not sure how much we will see of them in the future.  I'm having a hard enough time writing my original plan let alone to add more stuff.  This really is hard to do!!!

I think I mentioned in earlier reply that I could have done the honeymoons better.  Once married of course Harry & Ginny are going to have at it.  I'm surprised she didn't carry him off to a broom closet during the reception to start the honeymoon ;)  And Hermione, well, I think Ron got her blood boiling a bit.  She's not as innocent as she looks, eh?

The elves will do a wonderful job with the wedding. Kreacher will play a big role and you will see him more in future chapters.  I hope you enjoy him. 

Ron grew up a bit since DH I like to think.  He is definately the Gryffindor and he knows what he wants.  And that is Hermione ;)  I'm glad you liked!!

The Dursley's were invited but won't come.  I had to keep them in character and being surrounded by magic folk is not part of their character. Dudley on the other hand...

I picture Ginny as a no holds barred kind of girl.  Harry on the other hand would of course, do the noble thing and wait.  Heck, I think he would fear for his life at the hands of so many Weasley men and prefer to take on Voldy again rather than face the Weasley men. 

The more I read other stories which touch on the M+ ratings the more I feel I really flubbed the honeymoon part.  I might go back and re-write once I get more of a feel how others "do it"

Other's have mentioned the lack of mourning for Fred. I too believe he would have wanted a celebration of the good that came out of it all.  But since there have been so many comments, I think that too is something I have to redo. 

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for stopping in!!  I'm glad you got a chance to read.

Could their conversion be genuine or simply due to necessity?  Good question.  When I would read HP, especially the last 2 books, I felt a bit of hesitance in them with their continued support of Voldy.  They obviously (especially Narcissa) did not like her son being pulled into the fray to carry out Voldy's plan.  She wanted him protected at all costs and went behind Voldy's back to ensure some support/protection for her son.  Lucius was equally backpaddling with some of his comments in DH when he said things like "we did... I mean we do"  I think at this point in the game they are both just fearing for their lives and for their son's life and possibly wishing that things were different.  Narcissa got her chance to do the right thing in the Forbidden Forest. Of course it was selfishly conceived but still the right thing. I'm not saying that they entirely will let go of their bigotry for muggleborns etc.  Some people are just raised a certain way and they either embrace or are repulsed by certain teachings.  We will see how much of their change is genuine in future chapters.  I have some twists and turns planned which will leave you wondering at times.

As for Minoan, he will not be returning to this story. I pictured him as a pompous arse who could never in a million years think of being turned down by anyone.  Maybe I might need to rephrase his surprise at her rejection with some 21st century language.  You might be right that he sounds a bit overly poetic.   Europa had her fill of him and was tired of his pursuit and she finally put him in his place.  Did you happen to look up the curse?  He'll be in discomfort for a bit and I made sure Draco took the directions for the cure to this old spell with him.  Aren't I evil?

I'm glad to hear that you actually think I have a style to my writing.  As you know this is my first try at writing and I didn't want to sound to juvenile.  I know I have some things to work on but, in time, I think I can work it out.

Come back for more when you get a chance. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read these chapters.  When I get a few more done I'll put my name back in your queue for another round.

Your last comment was the best of all referring to the growth in my writing.  If I remained stagnant from 1 to 10 that would be bad, but knowing I'm hitting a groove in this whole writing business is a plus to me.  I think, knowing that it is improving will allow me to go back to previous chapters and rework them to include everyone's suggestions. Just finding the time is hard (she says whilst taking a break from painting the bathroom ceiling.)

Hermione will definately get more of a chance to mourn the loss of Ron.  I have a funeral to write in next chapter and will try to explore her grief further. I couldn't put it in this chapter as I needed to tend to the other stuff first. 

I will have to go back and space out the POV issues.  Sometimes I think about it and other times I just keep writing.  Every day is a lesson.

I couldn't wait to get back to Snape's portrait.  I touched on it in the wedding and planned on revisiting it. I had another idea in mind but decided to place it into this part of the story in order to keep the main theme moving along.  I hope I covered it properly. 

I'll have to re-read this to see what you are referring to in regards to the summary.  I like summarizing bits of the original story.  I'll try to see what you mean by doing it in a more natural way and see if I can work it out.  I'm not sure if I can since I'm still learning the process but I'll try.

You do read the responses to your reviews!!  Thanks for going back to read the one you missed.

I know what you are saying about the floo, however we are talking about Malfoy Manor.  One of the most heavily warded homes.  If you noticed, she tried flooing to Draco's from another location but couldn't as it was blocked.  The only access was via the Manor and any stray DE (which have mostly been rounded up by the Aurors) would never be able to access the Manor.  You will see later in the story that the floo will be shut down for security purposes and the reasons why. 

Thanks again!