Review Replies

[Nerys Dax]

Hi everyone,

It took some searching, but I finally found a place on this forum where anon. reviewers and people who don't want to sign up to this forum can still read my replies to their reviews. I'll be using this place as soon as my next chapter update is done. So I can alert my readers with a link to this place. I hope it's allowed by the mods to post it here. It was the only place on the Harry Potter subcategory where the above criteria fitted. If this isn't the right place, please let me know, and I will try to find some other method to reply to my reviewers.

xx Nerys

[Nerys Dax]

The Gold Puppet.

review reply to magentasouth:

“I had thought this story abandoned.” – Nope, we won’t abandon it. Sometimes updates may be scarcer than at other moments, since we don’t hold chapters behind. We immediately post when we finish them, which means we haven’t got a reserve stock to post from in times when we have little time to write. Still, 18 chapters in a little over six months, I think that’s not bad. XD

“The characters are nicely developed, Tom is neither too fluffy or too two dimensional. Hermione is not insipid (as many people seem to find it easier to write her in connection with LV.)” – We’ll do our best. And yes, insipid Hermione annoys us too. Though, at times, she isn’t particularly using her brain in puppet either. However, for that, we blame Helga Hufflepuff. Winks.

“One point I will make though - I'm confused in all resurrection fics why Lord Voldemort never simply uses a muggle method to kill harry,” – Ermm… Lord Voldemort, the epitome of I HATE MUGGLES, using a muggle method? Sorry, but that sounds very unlikely and OOC to us. As for other methods, he’s planning another method now. He wants to incapacitate Harry till he can have someone else kill Harry for him, He doesn’t dare to do it himself anymore. In canon you can already see his hesitation at the clearing in the Forbidden Forest. It goes wrong so many times, it frightens him. And James Bond villainy or not, LV is the type who loves to watch his enemies suffer. The cup surely got that part right. So he fell for that hook, line and sinker. Plus, his arrogance is unmatched. So, he may recognise his snakelife self was behaving stupidly, but surely, that doesn’t count for HIM. He’s perfect. *winks*

“coyote syndrome.” – Oh, don’t worry, we have coyote syndrome too. *winks*

“Course if harry were dispatched so easily, it would remove a significant driver of the plot.” – exactly.

“What else is he motivated by, other than developing and dominating Hermione?” – Well, world domination, getting rid of his enemies, being all-powerful… the usual.

“Is he mortal now?” – This is a huge spoiler, but since you’re asking: no, he is not mortal at the moment. And yes, he has no more Horcruxes around. And that is all we will say about that.

“Either way - this fic is absolutely delicious and I cant wait for the next update!!!” – Thank you. We will do our best to update asap, but it won’t be as quick as we updated from jan to march. My wrist isn’t completely healed yet, and Serp hasn’t gotten herself fired yet (as I told her to do so we could write all day long again). XD Serp: And of course, I told Nerys that I'll get myself fired after she learns how to type with her feet, too. ;-)

[Nerys Dax]

The Gold Puppet

review reply to Summer Leah:

“Finally! Very, very hot.” – thank you.

“I do prefer a dominant Tom, and I loved this chapter because he does win at the end.” – Yes, we debated on that for a while and figured it would be too soon for Hermione to get away with something as big as she is trying to pull there, yet. But we do plan to have a dominant Hermione in this fic. Not that it automatically means Tom will roll over and become submissive. That’s not his style. We’re thinking more in the line of a relationship were the positions of power switches.

Can't wait for the next chapter!” – we’ll do our best. But you know… the bridge is open, the bus left too early, the alarmclock failed to sound, etc. *winks*.

[Nerys Dax]

The Apprentice

Review reply to QueenRuby:

"I could really use some HG/LV action right about now. Loved the update and the glimps of a possable dark Hermione. I really Really REALLY wish updates came faster. *Makes Puppy eyes* Please!"

Yeah, you and me both, QueenRuby, you and me both. I miss having them together. But it won't be long now. I'm glad you enjoyed the update and the slowly changing Hermione though.

I'll do my best with the updates, but I broke my wrist, and despite that the bone is healed now, the ligaments are still inflammed. So, I am only allowed to type 15 min in a row and then my fysio wants me to take a 45 min break. You can imagine that doesn't help the chapters to progress fast. And of course, NOW, I have tons of inspiration. LOL.

Eh, my golden pup does those puppy eyes all day long. I am immune now, IMMUNE! *pats puppy, because he wants to*

Okay, so I am a softy. LOL.

Thank you for reading and reviewing.

[Nerys Dax]

The Apprentice

Review reply to Summer Leah:

"Uh oh! Another great chapter. This is my favorite of your WIPs, so I'd love if you updated it more often! That said, I love all of your stories, so I'm happy as long as you keep writing."

I'll definitely keep writing. I enjoy it too much. Tomione is my secret or not so secret obsession. ROFL. Well, he's a lovely instrument to help you unwind and release pent up frustration. XD

I'll do my best on the updating front, but no promises here. I can say I will finish the story and not abandon it.

Thank you for reading and reviewing.

Goes on to second review:

"I just re-read this after getting your review reply to MoM part 2, and you're right; a new chapter is LONG overdue!! This is probably my favorite of your stories. I can't wait for Hermione to return to Voldemort!"

Well, her return will take a couple of chapters I think. But they will interact before that. *grins wickedly.* I'm sure you'll enjoy THAT.

[Nerys Dax]

The Apprentice

Review reply to Danyealle-sama:

Well, I placed the replies here now. Hopes this helps you out.

[Nerys Dax]

The Apprentice

Review reply to hero_jaejoong:

"finally an update...seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.." - hihi. Sorry for the long wait again. Stuff happens. Alas.

"a fantastic chappie" - thanks

[Nerys Dax]

The Apprentice

Review reply to Mr. Galion:

"You can thank Serp that I am now a loyal follower...." - Done the thanking. And welcome to ship Tomione. May it sail forever. grins.

"I love your writings." - Thank you.

"Looking forward to an update!" - I'm posting a new chapter today.

Thank you for your review.

[Nerys Dax]

The Apprentice

Review reply to Rena:

"Awesome story only took me 3 days to finnish! Lol although from the sound of things the one on fanfiction.net is different so I guess I'll go read that while I wait for updates on your other stories!" - Yes, it's very different. It's up to you though, but I personally recommend picking a version and reading that one first. I know from other readers who read both that they got confused by it. But eh... it's not that I don't warn the versions are different. It's because FFnet allows no smut and my smut is often plotrelated, so I can't just skip it. I need to find alternative methods to get the same info across. And that takes some puzzling.

"Though I do hope that you are able to start writing for this story agian soon but I don't know what story I would want you to update sooner this one or MoM2...nope too hard to decide they are both just so good! Maybe you van update them both at the same time" - LOL. Well, you nearly got your wish. MOM2 was updated 18 june and The Apprentice will be updated today. Oh wow, that's longer than I thought. sniggers. Well, there was a puppet update in between.

"That Tardis reference was priceless I started laughing so hard!" - Another Doctor Who fan. *High-fives*

Thank you for reading and reviewing,

xx Nerys

[Nerys Dax]

The Apprentice

Review reply to Soniab:

"So much action in this chapter. I really do love your writing style. Everyone seems to have secrets, secrets they are not willing to part with." - Thank you. Yes, they are fond of their secrets. LOL.

"Is Harry going to defeat Tom in your story? I truly hope not, but I am just a humble reader and admirer." - Mmm... you don't honestly expect me to give that information up, do you? Sorry, I think I'll keep that a secret. Muahahaha!

Thank you for reading and reviewing,

Love Nerys

P.S. I am a Tom fan though. Just reminding you of that.

[Nerys Dax]

The Apprentice

Review reply to Lady T:

"Thanks a lot for the lovely, long chapter, I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the witty banter between Fred and George." - Thanks. The twins are a hard couple to write for me, so I'm glad you enjoyed the way I portrayed them.

"The way you write reminds me so much of Rowling's own style and you mostly stay true to the characters, which doesn't happen very often in fanfics, so that's a big plus." - Thank you. I try to stay close to canon even when I go AU on it. And when I do make changes to a character, I still want that to be logical. So, at times I look at the canon character and think: ... well, how would she/he react under these circumstances? What could make her/him change? What can I add to her/his character that is not in complete contradiction to canon and is something that could have slipped under Harry's radar (since canon is in Harry's POV)? I do always take great care to find a justification for changes I make to canon, because if you can't find them, you might as well write about an OC.

However, there is always the issue that for every reader of the Potter serie, there exists a Hermione. So there are many views on what she is and isn't, which makes life interesting I suppose.

"It's not easy to write a pairing like LV/HG and make it seem believable, but you pull it off, somehow" - Thanks once more. I actually like this pairing because it's so unlikely and implausible. It's what makes writing it fun and a challenge.

"I hope next chapter will be up soon, cheers." - Well, I know this wasn't soon. But eh... chapter 27 will be posted today when I am done with the replying.

Thanks for reviewing,

xx Nerys

[Nerys Dax]

The Apprentice

Review reply to mrequecky:

"Finally found time to read the new chap and I liked it a lot. I am kind of twisted about Dumbledore though. I think he is a good guy in this story. He cannot do anything against Voldemort cause he is bound as a keeper, right?"

I'm glad you liked it. And you're right about Dumbledore. He's bound as a Keeper. However, that doesn't excuse everything since he did "jail" Gellert. I think he doesn't try that road with LV, because he doesn't think Azkaban will hold LV. He might be right about that though. Azkaban is no Nurmengard.

[Nerys Dax]

The Apprentice

Review reply to magenthasouth:

No, this isn't abandoned. I broke my wrist and couldn't type, so that's the reason for the delay. I also don't stock chapters when I have inspiration, so that's why my updates are irregular. When I write a chapter, I post them immediately whether I posted the day before or not. So, that also means that at times when inspiration is less, there are no updates at all. However, I can promise I will finish the story. I hate abandoned stories too. I have several WIP's I'm following which hasn't been updated in more than a year. So, I suppose my three months ain't that big a deal. XD

Hopes this reassures you a bit.

xx Nerys

[Nerys Dax]

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.

[Nerys Dax]

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

[Nerys Dax]

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

[Nerys Dax]

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

[Nerys Dax]

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

[Nerys Dax]

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

[Nerys Dax]

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

[Nerys Dax]

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

[Nerys Dax]

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.

[Nerys Dax]

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

[Nerys Dax]

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

[Nerys Dax]

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