Nerys Dax

The Gold Puppet, ch 19, review reply to Aviendha: "Yay another chapter! " - Nice happy face. Glad you were happy about the update. We're trying to work Puppet in our schedules, so we can update this fic once a month. We both have a solo projects that are a bit all-consuming at the moment. But we decided to somehow drag ourselves away from them for a brief period of time to continue this one. XD "I love how utterly dark Tom/Voldemort is." - Well, he wouldn't be him if he wasn't. "Serves Hermione right...if we can't have him, we can make him beat her. *snicker*" - ROFL. Okay, Serp, let's hand Aviendha one of our custom made Serp-Nerys Hermione voodoo dolls (registrated trademark). Serp ruffles through their huge supply and finds one that miraculously still survived the authors' frustration intact. "Got one!" *Hand out their Hermione voodoo doll ® to Aviendha* "ENJOY!" Thanks for reading and reviewing, xx Serp and Nerys

The Gold Puppet, ch. 19, review reply to Soniab: "What an intriguing chapter." - Intriguing ... now that's a new word to describe smut. LOL. As in intriguing good or intriguing bad? As in "please my eyes are burning, can you two stop trying to write lemons asap, so we can all sleep better at night" intriguing? *sniggers* Well, we're curious, because we noticed that we do get requests for lemons; but when we insert them in a chapter, all goes quiet. I can tell you that's quite disheartening at times and makes us somewhat insecure about the quality of it. Since, without any comments from readers, it's hard to tell what's liked and disliked about the lemon, so when we write the next one, we just muddle through as we deem fit. "LV shall prevail and rule the world " - Yeah, if it were up to him and us (which I suppose it is... oh shoot, did we give away the ending now? *sniggers*), then he'd prevail and rule the world, the moon, the stars, the sun... everything. *snnrkks* However, Hermione is still there and I am sure the two of her will have an opinion on this matter, too. "Thanks for the update." - You're welcome. We're going to try to work together once a month on a new chapter of this story. (Yes, that may seem slow, but we both have our other, private fics as well, which is why it's not faster). Anyway, hopefully we'll find some update rhythm this way. Thank you for reading and reviewing, with love, xx Serp and Nerys

Masters of Manipulation, review reply to Magentasouth: "LOVE this story - soooooooo very much. Especially the ending. LOVELOVELOVE!!! (happy)" Hi, I tried first to reply to your review on FFnet since I noticed a bit late that Masters had received a review, but you disabled PMs there; so ... I am glad you enjoyed the story, and the ending (why do I get the feeling you also read the FFnet ending? *giggles*). Thanks for reading and reviewing, xx Nerys

The Apprentice, ch. 29, review reply to NataliaGAG: Thank you. And I'll do my best to update asap. xx Nerys

the apprentice, ch. 29, review reply to Mr. Galion: "Weee Update!" - You're welcome. "I know this isn't a herm/harry story but all last chapter I was sort of hoping she'd seduce him to relieve that itch and then get caught." - It's funny you should mention this, because I did toy with that idea, seeing Harry is a Horcrux and as such it may work since only Voldy could relieve that itch. But I couldn't think of a sensible reason for Hermione to consider that fucking Harry would help her (after all, she doesn't know about the Horcruxes), so I let it slide. "I can see all the adults going crazy as this was Voldie's plan and how she would bring harry to him and such rot. But then again I am delusional." - sniggers. Well, according to Harmony shippers, there is only one delusional woman in this world and it's Rowling. LOL. And I think the others would definitely go crazy finding them go at it. XD "I liked the Florida scene." - thanks. "I humbly await your next update." - I'll do my best not to make it too long a wait. Thanks for your review, xx Nerys

The Apprentice, ch 29, review reply to Summer Leah: "Yayyyy!!!! Well, you already know how much I love this story, so I won't repeat that." - You won't? @@ *sobs, acts like a little baby and throws a tantrum* You have to tell me how wonderful I am! "But I don't think I mentioned how much I enjoy the bits about Hermione's research and magical theory. Not sure why, but in the hp books I loved reading about the lessons." - Me too. I think, because on the one hand it's so foreign and creative, and on the other, it's so recognisable, because well, the way Jo writes the lessons, it's like I was back in class again. *shivers at the thought* "And I'm so happy you added some more smut! It was wonderful." - glad you liked it. The next chapter will have smut too. "So, now everyone knows what's up (kind of)." - Yep, sort of anyway. XD "And Hermione Granger is now a pureblood. lol." - *glares.* You saw the reviews on FFnet about this subject and are now trying to drive me crazy, aren't you? LOL. Resists the enormous temptation to shout: "NO SHE IS NOT!" Pats herself on the back for her restraint. "Please update again soon!" - I am working on the next chapter, but it will probably appear on FFnet first since I have to add smut and change the LV-HG dynamic in it for this site. Thanks for reading and reviewing, xx Nerys

The Apprentice chapter 29 review reply to Anon, Magentasouth and Nicky123: Anon: "Yay! Another chapter. I can't wait to see where you take this story. I love your characterization, it is spot on." - thank you. I'll do my best to update asap, but the next chapter will require two different version and I'm working on the FFnet one first. But it does have Hermione-Voldemort interaction, and that always makes me write easier and faster than Order scenes. LOL. Magentasouth: "Awesome!" - Thank you. "I liked the little conversations with dumbledore and with harry best." - That's funny. Those bits were written the fastest on my end. LOL. "Need more - update soon!" - FFnet will be the first to get the next update. Considering I have a Hermione-Voldemort scene up ahead, which interactions would be different here since they got much more intimate on this site already. So, I have to tweak it somewhat and possibly add some lemons to it. Nicky123: "This story is so good!" - Thank you. I am glad you like it. "I can't wait to see some more interaction between Hermione and Voldemort." - Next chapter. For as far as I can tell right now, it will be solely Hermione-Voldemort. "I am still hoping that Hermione stays good but Voldemort has to save her a few times. " - Ermm... you don't honestly expect me to spoil something that big, do you? Thank you all for reading and viewing, xx Nerys

The Gold Puppet, review reply to hero_jaejoong: "ladies i have no words to the describe the brilliance of your fict. after months of banning myself from the internet and to return and find such treasures of chapters you have written. i'm forever humbled in the presence of masters. bravo! bravo!" - curtain call - alleged masters bow - another curtain call, since there were two bravos and we are sooo marvellous we deserve those. *snnrkkss* "p/s: i hope my shameless obsequiousness will induced the masters of tomione kingdom to write the masterpiece that is the golden puppet." Obsequiousness ... whoa! Big words! It seems our brilliance is attracting a different breed of readers now. *flap through dictionary frantically to avoid looking like a morons in their response* Alas ... Too late. Our secret is out. XD "if that doesnt work, i'm not above begging!!" - Really? We should probably warn you, we're not above receiving begging. So ... get on with it. Muahahhaha! LOL Anyway, thank you for your funny review. It made our day. xx Serp and Nerys PS. Banning yourself from the internet? @@ We'd get major withdrawal symptoms after a few minutes of inability to go online. *shivers to think of it happening for months* You're a true hero, Hero.

Puppet reply to Lady Miya: "Hm... my memory are not that good when it comes to fanfictions, it would seem. I'll just have to wait until more chapters are out and reread the whole thing Since I know how busy you are, I'll probably manage to forget this before the next one is out and all anyway. So take your time I'll read again when this story is complete!" - Sure, we understand perfectly. (We do? Serp asks) (For now, Nerys replies, whispering conspiratory, out here in the open for anyone to see, we are very, very understanding. Yet, when we arrive in her msn...) (We shall bombared her with emo!Tom, Serp suggests deviously.) (Nice, Nerys replies, liking THAT idea very much) Loud maniacal laughter enveloped the planet as the two scheming writers open their messengers. Run Miya, RUN! Emo!Tom is heading in your direction. Muahhahaha!

The Apprentice, ch 28, reply to Lady Miya: "Do I dare hope that we'll see Voldemort shopping in the next chapter? At the same time as Hermione and C:O does?" - *sniggers* Well, I am sure he will time his shopping just right. "Oooh, and maybe he can take care of that spell he put on her then and make her be able to come. Yeees, that would be nice." - And seeing he's anything but nice ... LOL. Well, you'll see. "Hehe, and that thing Dumbledore was doing inside Hermione's mind, learning her how to turn her mind into a weapon, was so cool. It's really facinating those sorts of illusion and I think you described it wonderful!" - Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed her lessons with Dumbledore. It was fun to write for me (to my surprise, usually DD gives me more troubles in scenes). "I find it very interesting that Harry and Ginny seem to be able to do Dark Arts and not Ron. Is it because they have been influenced with Voldemort before while Ron hasn't?" - Yep, it's what I have in the back of my mind while writing those scenes. Plus, it's Hermione teaching them. Harry and Ginny are pretty certain of themselves, while Ron has those envious, I-don't-measure-up feelings; so, he has more problems when she bluntly tells him he's not doing it the right way. "Hm... but I do wonder what it is Voldemort wants Yaxly (sp?) to do. Do he want him to mess with Hermione's papers so she appears to be fullblood or halfblood or something like that? Well, I guess that would be needed if he were to include her among his Death Eaters. Merlin knows he can't be seen with a Mudblood." - No, the horror! *sniggers* And the thing with Hermione's papers will show up soon. Not in the next chapter, but the one after that. "Ha, and Hermione is such a little masochist, getting turned on when Voldemort humiliates her. And not to mention, hurts her. It was a hot scene though!" - glad you enjoyed the smut. I daresay it's been a while since the last smut scene, so ... "You really do well on both making him evil and with humour. And he is so charming as well and it's all a great combination." - Well, he's in the process of trying to lure Hermione to his side, so naturally he's got to be charming. *giggles* And I couldn't write him without humour, I'd get bored myself. And he has to be evil: if ever emo!Tom fluffs bunnies in my pen, I shalt kill said bunnies and hang them by the rafters. "I've just started watching Dexter (not sure if I'll be able to continue, it's rather gruesome with all the chopped up bodies and such) and he kind of remains me of your Voldemort. Although, Dexter got a very strong sense of moral... only kill the people who have killed and all that. Nice little monster. And Voldemort isn't nice... hehe... and he doesn't mind sex. Okay, so I probably like your Voldemort better, but I still see some similarities." - *snnrkkss* Well, they're both serial killers - just with different targets. I think I saw one or two episodes of Dexter, but it didn't struck my fancy. Although the voice-over is hilarious in all its darkness at times. The excuses he makes up in his mind and the comments on his "victims". *giggles* "Okay, enough ramblings. I should go to bed like a good little girl and dream pretty little dreams... about Voldemort. Yeeees... winks." - Hope you slept well. And there can never be enough ramblings. NEVA! Thanks for reviewing again, xx Nerys

The apprentice, ch 28, reply to Nicky123: "I still love this story and can't wait for the next chapter!!! " - Thank you. I'll do my best to update asap.

The Apprentice chapter 28 review reply to Amber: "I love it on here it is so different and Hermione's darkness rocks I hope that she picks gray tho " Yes, keeping the smut out of this story on FFnet posed me with several challenges to get the same information across without the smut since I add plot-relevant issues to my smut, and that created the rather huge difference between both versions. I am glad you enjoyed it here, too. As for what she's going to pick, ... well, you really didn't expect me to spoil that info, did you? Thanks for reading and reviewing, xx Nerys

The Apprentice chapter 28 review reply to Anon: "I love this fic. You are an excellent writer. I hope you will continue writing this story, I am dying to know what happens." - Oh, I'll definitely continue (I'm already working on the next chapter, but Order scenes always take me a bit longer to put together), and thanks for the compliments. "I found two grammatical errors that you might want to correct in the future. Most of the times you use the word "of" when it is supposed to be "off." Also Hermione should be putting her hands "on" her hips, not "in" her hips." - *snnrkkss* Did I type "in her hips" somewhere? *giggles* Well, that's a typo, but I can't believe I missed that when I edited. Oh well. Was it in the last chapter? Because it's a lot of work to check the entire story for that error. As for "off" and "of", I know I make those errors, I just get confused about the usage of it. And I got even more confused a while back when someone tried to explain it to me. LOL. But if you know of a good method in which I may be able to remember when to use what, I am always willing to learn. "Keep up the good work!" - Will do. Thank you for reading and reviewing, xx Nerys

Sure, blame poor innocent me. *sobs* I can take it. *wails* I am The Corruptor. *cries in outrage* Naturally, we all know that sex is bad - corrupting and all that. Must not write about evil sex, it will shock our little kiddies feeble constitutions too much if they read about The Act. Better let them read about murder, torture and such other really delightful human activities. Smut, what smut? Where? Did I miss a scene in SIT? *runs off to read immediately and returns mighty disappointed* Just kidding. I love a good Tomione smut scene from time to time, but I prefer a good plot any day. And SIT definitely has a great plot. UPDATE SOON! Can't wait to see Draco in trouble. LOL. Eh, you know how much I loooove ferret boy. XD

The Appretice chapter 28 review reply to Nell: "So now you're spoiling us, hmm? Another chapter so soon, well I'm certainly not complaining." - Eh, I post them when I am finished, so that's why my updates are irregular. Right now I have a lot of inspiration and time to write, so hopefully the next chapter won't take me too long. I'm not making any promises though, dumbledore can at times be difficult. LOL. "I think you intended "hump" when you wrote "humph" in there somewhere, but I'm not aware of the actual words I see as I'm reading them so who knows." - Yes, thanks for pointing that out to me. It's one of those things my mind just reads over when I edit and Word's spell check doesn't catch homophones, alas. "Voldemort certainly has Hermione tied up in a ball now, doesn't he? And with the way she's being bounced about between these Keepers it's a wonder she knows which ends up. Though she's having a spot of trouble with her orientation, isn't she? This balancing act between light and dark, it seems to be overwhelming her, to Voldemort's delight." - It's definitely overwhelming her at the moment. She's not used to dip into her darker powers, so naturally that is causing problems. And she's not getting any concrete answers either, so it's even harder for her to see which end is up as you stated. "I don't know how other's read it, or how you intend it, but I always see him as the villain." - OH YES. Was there any doubt that he isn't the villain here? He's still planning everything he was planning to do in canon, only now he's got more info. I also added the Shangri-la scene in a previous chapter to show that despite that he's tutoring Hermione and may seem rather "nice" to her, he's still everything he is and was before. He's just got a vested interest in her. "Granted, an incredibly intelligent, powerful, and skilled villain, but a villain nonetheless. He's the enemy that notices the value of his foe, which is attractive, I admit. There's some wish fulfilment involved in a worthy rival coming to covet you." - Eh, it's what's at the heart of the attraction of this pairing most of the time, I think. "I'm anxiously awaiting Hermione's rise, though. When she stops being an impressive bit of prey and becomes a predator in her own right." - Give her time. She's still young. "You know, philosophically, it's not good to love your enemy. It leads to pacifism, and eventually defeat." - Ermmm... whose philosophy are you stating here? Obviously not Ghandi. LOL. But in Hermione's case, yes, in reality it would be a very disasterous choice to love someone like Voldemort. I'm not sure she loves him at this point though, cares for okay, but I think love is a bridge too far yet. "But I suppose the conflict of loving something else more, [cough] Harry [/cough], should be more than enough to keep the tensions high." - And I do love to create conflict. LOL. It's what makes life interesting. "Hermione's going to have to make some tough decisions. I simply love the way you've set this up, though, so that the enemy has become the authority. She's being forced to trust him, listen to him, learn from him, live with him, and he's grown to admire her. At the very least it will lead to extensive personal growth. It's also burgeoning a romance that is as delicious as it is horrifying." - Exactly. It's very creepy. Let's face it, a 16 year old being dependant on a sociopath like Voldemort isn't a scenario for fluffy bunnies. "Oh yes, horrifying. When I said I saw Voldemort as the villain, as I always do, I truly meant it. Not in the "Ooooh he's so bad he's good" kind of way, he's more of the "sick, twisted piece of work that needs to die" variety. Another reason I enjoy your stories so much, though. He wouldn't really be Voldemort if he didn't deserve death." - *sniggers.* So you don't go for the poor, misunderstand orphan who can be saved by the love of a wonderful, beautiful Mary Sue? *darn, there goes my plot out the window.* "I should probably comment on the actual content of the chapter before I finish, lol." - Well, the above is in a sense a comment about the story too. "Moody, Remus (heartbreaking to dredge up memories of Wormtail), Ron, assembled Order members, and frankly, Hermione suspects that something's up. That necklace is an enigma, hidden in a mystery, buried in a riddle, wrapped around some huge unknown power that's lashing out and worrying the heck out of everybody. Well, except Dumbledore, that is. Damn Dumbledore. That man IS infuriating. Trust him wholeheartedly, though. That's also infuriating." - Yes, Dumbledore can be quite infuriating. And though he's not worried about the effect the pendant has on Harry, Dumbledore is worried about the pendant's powers and their effect on Hermione (points to previous chapters), but he's gotten a bit more reassured with Hermione due to her reaction to her dark powers breaking the windows. And Dumbledore means well. He may not always choose an approach that's admirable or even sane (letting children fight a threat as LV?), but he has no evil intent. "What is this unknown element to his magic, anyway? So much more than anything Hermione's ever felt, so much greater than Voldemort's." - Come on, you know this. Remember what kind of wand he's carrying. "Is Voldemort aware?" - Yes, he's always been aware that Dumbledore's powers were so much greater and had something he didn't have. It's my explanation in this story for why Dumbledore is the only one he ever feared. "What's this similarity between Hermione and Dumbledore? Does it have something to do with this odd mingling of light and dark magic that Hermione has?" - good catch. Plus, Dumbledore had a thing for Gellert, and he's worried Hermione will make the same error. "Was Voldemort aware of the mixture in Hermione before hand, his tone suggests he was, but then why had he not devoted more thought to it?" - He was not giving it any thought, because it's not uncommon. He plans to make her choose the dark, naturally, and completely wipe out any signs of light magic inside of her. "Just how much power does he feel in her?" - enough to catch his interest. LOL "As much as she felt in Dumbledore?" - No. "Will it grow?" - yes. "What's with the white wolf? Hermione's rare in that regard, as well. It's something Ljudmila and her share, that Dumbledore doesn't. Or else he's being VERY discreet, more so than usual, and that's saying something. So she's got some unique similarities with Ljudmila, Dumbledore, and of course Voldemort. She's shaping up (somewhat vaguely) to be the single most complex witch of the century." - zips lips and moves on. "You'd better answer these questions at some point, Nerys!" - grins. Promise. "My wild postulations are incredibly unsatisfying! Not to mention incorrectly formed, since the details of all these clues are getting fuzzy as the months go on." - Mmm... I think you're doing fine with catching and theorising about them. "You've set yourself up perfectly to drop some hints in the next chapter, please do!" - LOL. Mmm... we'll see. It depends on how long Dumbledore will take and all if that one scene will be done now or later. And that should answer some questions. "So *ahem* I enjoyed it very much. Well done, very prompt -thank you- and... looking forward to your next update." - I'll do my best to update soon. I'm having a lot of inspiration at the moment. And decided to just write and see where it goes instead of worrying about all the scenes in my head that still need to play out at the right moment. "(It's always so difficult to end a good ramble.)" - I know. I love to ramble myself too. Thanks for this long review, I hope the lack of some answers wasn't too unsatisfying. xx Nerys

The Apprentice chapter 28 review reply to Mr. Galion: "oh my that was a fast update.It seems like you updated already this year. >.>" - *palm-head* I did, already? My bad. Silly me, posting another chapter in the same year. tsk, tsk, tsk. Must make sure that doesn't happen again. ROFL. "Awesome line. Just AWESOME. Only issue is there.... not here but there... as if he is not there but here. in between. no longer dark but not light. Oh wells." - *snnrkkss* Well, he's here as in there. I do not mean here really (checks shoulders anxiously just to make sure of that), just there -errr- here with Hermione, meaning she and he are not here, there were the darkness lies nor where lightness is either. So, it's here nor there or anywhere, ... savvy? "I should sleep it be 4 am but I think I will reread again." - Oh, I'm not the only insomniac here. *high-fives* "Nothing like leaving a girl wanting more eh?-Voldie is soo mean." - Yes, that was definitely evil of him. Very evil. XD Thanks for reading and reviewing. xx Nerys

The Apprentice ch. 28 review reply to magentasouth: *Turns red at all the compliments and becomes mighty arrogant in the process.* Like Tom Riddle arrogant. Of course I know I am amazingly awesome. It's me, Supersonic Nerys. *falls on her allmighty arse hard and returns back to reality* LOL Anyway, thanks for the compliments. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter that much. Your review made my eyes go all @@. "Will he come up with a story or try another mass obliviate?" - I personally don't like to repeat things in a fic, so my plan is a story. We'll see how it pans out. "I wonder just how difficult ron and harry are going to be. And ginny too of course." - Mmm... zips lips and moves on. "I have to admit i've never really liked ginny. (or ron, obviously)" - LOL. I noticed many people who support this ship don't. For me personal Ginny turned a bit too perfect in book 6, but other than that, I never hated either Ginny or Ron. I also never had a problem with Hermione and Ron's relationship in canon as a teenage crush/love. However, 19 years of marriage was a bit of stretch for me too. I felt Jo wanted to tie up knots a bit too neatly there, and did Hermione a huge disservice. Come on, they've got nothing in common, no shared interests at all, except worrying about Harry's safety. And how does a relationship built under the constant pressure of having to fight Lord Voldemort develop once that threat is gone and everything returns back to "normal", to a life they never had before? I don't think it would go so smoothly. Oh well... that's all water under the bridge now. Canon is written. "When I was writing I first started out by killing ginny or ron but then after a while i realised that this was entirely counter productive." - LOL. Yes, it is. But I can understand that people see Ron as an obstacle for a Tomione relationship and if he's dead that obstacle is gone. Personally, I love obstacles. Like you said, useful for causing conflict. And yes, Ron can be a total douchetard; his actions in book 4/6 were proof enough of that. Ron's insecurity and need for attention always comes first. He totally ignores how much pain his actions cause both Harry and later Hermione - he's as Luna said very insensitive and sometimes cruel. "Like moody, really, in some ways. Suspicious old sod that he is." - Well, you can't really blame Moody here. He's right to some extent after all. There is a conspiracy involving LV-HG-DD. It's just not the one he's considering. "I can not wait for the next chapter. Please please please put it up as soon as you can!!" - I'll do my best. Thank you for reviewing.

The Apprentice chapter 27 review reply to mrequecky: "Yay, absolutely loved the update! So glad you're still writing!" Yeah, no worries, I won't stop writing my fics. Sometimes it may take me a bit longer to update, but I know what it is like to follow a fic you like and see that it never gets updated again. *sobs* I'm glad you loved the update and I'll do my best to type fast for the next chapter. Thanks for reviewing, xx Nerys

The Apprentice chapter 27 review reply to magentasouth: "HURRAH!!! More!! I am so glad that you have continued. Sorry to hear about your injury and i'm glad you are doing much better now" - thank you for caring. It was really annoying to not be able to write. And wow, those are all high praises. You're making me blush. "There are so many different little threads going on in this story that its hard to comment on any in particular" - I know ... it's hard to keep track of them for me as well, especially since I am writing two versions (silly me); but soon, several threads are expected to unfold ... I think. I won't say I am sure, cause I thought in advance that by chapter 27 I'd be halfway across their sixth year already. Yet, here we are still in the summer holiday. LOL. "I do wonder a little what will happen when the holidays come to an end" - Mmm... noooo, can't say. *zips lips* "but that is the faintest concern here now that grindlewald and his wife are causing intrigue," - Well, yes, Mrs. Grindelwald surely spilled some huge secrets to LV. LOL. Eh, whenever I can screw up canon events in this story, I just can't resist the temptation. And well, someone had to tell him about the Deathly Hallows. "harry seems possibly on the cusp of remembering/realising something that could expose hermione" - Mmm... checks next chapter and grins. I can't really comment on this since it would entail almost copying the entire next chapter and that would be pointless. "the whole assignment and keeper issue has been pushed to the background a little in light of occlumency requirements and dark magical outbursts." - Yes, Dumbledore wants Hermione to get some distance from LV. And the occlumency lessons are so she can keep her distance in the future if and when necessary. And while she was with LV, it was only logical for it to be all about her assignment as an apprentice and things like that, he would want her mind to be busy and away from thinking about the war that's going on and the moral dillemas she has. After all he's trying to get her to join his side. ALthough not all Keeper issues are really gone now that she's at the Burrow, they're indeed at the background. It's necessary for the war to become a bit more present. I wouldn't want to make things too easy for Hermione. Eh, easy is boring. LOL. And the dark magical outburst are very much a part of the assignment, even though Hermione may not realise this fully since she's only seeing the trouble they are causing her. "I'm glad that you have instigated a return to face to face interaction between LV and HG at the end of this chapter" - Me too. I missed writing their dialogues. It's always much more fun to write LV when he's getting some proper responses instead of all the grovelling and begging that his followers do. Hermione does pose a challenge for him with her stubborness and ideas that are completely opposite to his world views. "although the goings on in the burrow with Albus and Volkova and Harry (and..well everyone else I guess) have been very interesting and have pushed the story along considerably and moved it back closer to the context of the war with voldemort and hermione's life with her friends." - Yes, that was the point of her going to the Burrow. Conflict is interesting. XD "it is also good to return to LV/HG for a bit." - Definitely. I can't possibly do long without them interacting. I'm a tomione fangirl after all. LOL. "I cant wait to see what happens next!" - I am doing my best to write the smut fast, so I can post the next chapter here too. Thank you for reading and reviewing, xx Nerys

The Apprentice Chapter 27 reply to Nell: LOL. Yes, I've returned so to speak. XD "How long's it been? Months it seems." - *hides* three months, actually, yes. *hides some more* "I realize your busy and yadda yadda yadda, but dammit I'm selfish and I want to read more!" - snnrkks. Well, I'll do my best to update asap. I finished the next chapter for FFnet already, but I am writing the "additional" bits for this site now. Whoa! Look at me using euphemisms on this site (where it is not necessary). giggles. "A cliffhanger, always a cliffhanger," - oh, oh... *checks out next chapter's ending and goes off to hide some more* "My excitement might be carrying me away!" - Trust me, excitementi s always great for an author to read in a review. "But the summary is, loved this chapter and I want another as soon as possible!" - I'm doing my best. Thank you for your review, xx Nerys

The Apprentice chapter 27 review reply to Mr. Galion: "I can Totally see Harry's POV. Hermione is Right there. and Old dumbles is stopping him. Just Right there. Why can't he see? Hermione can be saved! LOL" - Yeah, that's typical Harry, trying to save everyone, even those who don't need his assistance. But then again, he doesn't know that and it's logical for him to worry for Hermione. She's his friend and a Muggle-born. I'd freak out too. "well done. Loved the ending." - Thank you. I hope to update soon. I need to adjust the next chapter to the story here on AFFnet since there are bits in it on FFnet that don't fit the plot here, due to the lemons that have already occurred. Thanks for reading and reviewing, xx Nerys

The gold puppet chapter 18 review reply to Risotto: We're glad you were happy with the update and we'll do our best to update asap again. Thank you for your review. xx Serp and Nerys

The Gold Puppet Chapter 18 review reply to Fleur K. "A fluffy, sappy Tom scares the hell out of me " - sighs relieved. Fortunately, we're not alone. We've seen so many emo!Toms out there, it's an epidemic of fluff. We almost thought it was an fanfiction requirement. LOL. Not really. Emo!Tom just annoys us to tears. "Thank you guys for updating...." - You're welcome. "this chapter was fantastic and I cannot wait to read the next, what a cliffy!" - Cliffy, what cliffy? Nerys looks confused to Serp, whose face also expresses bafflement at the cliffy statement. Yes, I can see that from the other side of the planet. We have shared minds. And we have no knowledge of any cliffies, sorry. *bats eyelashes innocently* However, we're happy you enjoyed the chapter and we'll do our best to update asap. "Hope the wrist gets better soon, by the way!" - Thank you. And thank you for reading and reviewing, xx Serp and Nerys

The Apprentice chapter 27 Review reply to Punxrose: "i absolutely love this story! i think that its the best voldemort story out there!!!" - WOW, high praises. Thanks. I'm doing my best. "let that be dark mark mean that voldie and hermione are finally together again." - Well, as Harry stated, HE is there and she is too, so that would indicate they are together. "please please please update sooner becouse im dying to know what is going to happen and these long waits are killing me!" - Whoa! You type well for a dead person - twice even. B) But I'll do my best to update asap. thanks, Nerys

The Apprentice chapter 27 Review reply to QueenRuby: "Oh please let them be back together again and not just some wired magic signature of his showing it's self as she tried to control her magic." - Okay, I can spoil you a little there. It's him and not a some magic signature. Harry's not sensing him for no reason at all. "I know they say that waiting makes everything sweeter but please update sooner." - I'll do my best. I'm halfway into the next chapter, so it shouldn't take that long. Thanks for reading and reviewing.