The nymphs have departed

The end is nigh!

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:41:51 GMT

Not mine, no worries...

Dearest readers,

You may have noticed (in fact, I very much hope so), that there have been two updates to the 'Lioness' since I last posted. My problems in real life are still very much present, but they have become controlled in so far that I am able to concentrate on fiction again now and then. Because of that, I have decided to mainly concentrate on the Lioness now, although I hope that there will be a new 'Had I Known'-chapter in a week or so.

The main reason for concentration on the Lioness is, as I have mentioned a few times before, that we are close to the end now. In fact, unless plot bunnies attack me from behind and overtake the story, there are between three and four more chapters before the end, not counting the epilogue.

I hope to finish the story before Christmas. Notice the 'hope' in this sentence - things are so unstable at my end that no plan is secure. But when things go right, the story will be finished about four years after I began it (now that is a mind-boggling thought).

After that, I will concentrate on 'Had I Known', hoping to finish that with more regular updates than before.

Another word (and question) on the epilogue: I am still not very sure what to do abotu that. In other words: ideas are most appreciated, although I won't promise to actually use them. But if you always wanted to see a specific scene or part of our favourite characters' future, here's your chance!

All the best,
Kayly

Quibbler Awards

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:40:49 GMT

Dearest Readers,

Just a short note to thank you all for your kind words, to let you know that the next chapter of 'Lioness' is progressing steadily albeit slowly, and to tell you that

"When a Lioness Fights" has been nominated for the category 'Best Chemistry' at the Quibbler-awards. If you wish to vote for the story, please follow this link:

http://quibbler.this-paradise.com

Voting starts at the 26th of August.

All the best,
Kayly

Finally back on track… or something like it

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:13:52 GMT

Hello, dearest readers!

I won't apologize for the long absence, although I feel bad for making you all wait so long - but there are some really awful things happening in my life at the moment. I don't want to write too much about it, except for saying that my husband is still really, really ill. But although nothing's well yet, at least the chaos has subsided a bit and I can finally begin to think about writing again.

You know, I've never been one of those writers who thrive on stress and heartache, otherwise my account would be full of new stories. The way it is, I find it hard to concentrate on something that isn't real at the moment.

But I still know that I owe you the stories' ends, and I would never abandon them!

As it is, I have gone through my notes and worked on remembering where I was in the stories, and where exactly I wanted them to go. I have also started writing again, but it is a slow process and I can't promise updates in the near future. There are simply things that are more important, and unless inspiration strikes suddenly and leaves me with something finished, updates might still take some time.

Let me - instead of the chapters you are all waiting for - tell you at least what I know at the moment:

The Lioness:
There are five to seven more chapters to come before the end. This should tell you that there is only a limited amount of plot twists I will manage to cram in. I can also tell you that Hermione *will* wake up in the next chapter, and that we won't have a long and windy recovery, although she definitely won't be shiny and all right at the beginning. Beyond that, I don't know what you want to hear or what will spoil your reading experience. If you have questions you'd like to ask, feel free to post them and I will do my best to respond!

Had I Known:
Obviously, this story has a longer way to go than the 'Lioness', but it nevertheless won't be abandoned! It's just even harder to right the dry, ironic humour of that fic than the drama of the Lioness at the moment. Just this much: There are two or three memories left before the Harry of the past is captured by Voldemort. There are about ten chapters yet to come, although that might change if inspiration hits me...

I have read the concerns some of you described concerning Dumbledore and the threat of him becoming too two-dimensional, and I promise that there are still things to come concerning him that will change that character-direction.

Right. This is as much as I can tell you at the moment. Just one more thing: No one can have better, kinder or more brilliant readers than I have. I thank you all for your good wishes and thoughts, and sincerely hope that there will come a time when I can repay you all with the very best I can manage to write.

Until then, I want to thank you all.

All the best,
Kayly

Real life… again!

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:45:50 GMT

Hello y'all,

I'm probably as sick of telling this as you are of hearing it, but my life got complicated again (this time it's not me who's sick, it's my husband… don't ask). I hope to keep the fanfic-absence as short as possible, but again I can and will promise nothing. But I will tell you as soon as I find the time to write again.

Two short little snippets that might help the Lioness-fans with the waiting: There are 5-7 chapters left (I'm not quite sure how many because there's still a plot bunny waiting in my head that has not decided whether it will develop). There will also be an epilogue of long but yet unspecified nature (thank you all for your ideas in that area, by the way). And that will be it, apart perhaps from a few one shots.

The second snippet: I solemnly swear that Hermione will wake up in the next chapter, and that Severus-Hermione interaction will start again!

To the dear readers of 'had I Known': I know I've been mistreating you, all my best beloveds, but I will work as hard as I can under the circumstances to update as soon as possible. With 'Had I Known' every word counts and I want as much precision and originality as I can manage. That makes it more challenging to write (and sometimes more interesting than the 'Lioness'). Therefore, it also takes more time. But the next chapter will definitely come. As I've said before, I will never abandon an unfinished story!

All the best, and I can only hope for your patience,

Kayly

I've been slashing!

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 21:49:56 GMT

Hello everybody,

I'm just dropping a short note to tell you that the long-announced Harry-Draco slash-one-shot is online now or should be online in a few minutes ;-). Just go to my profile and check it out. For those who are not too enthusiastic about slash - it's not graphic at all, just a kiss with a bit of tongue in it, so you might consider reading it anyway. But I think I actually managed to make it independent from the general storyline. If you are very, very happy with it, I might consider posting another one (hint, hint).

Thank you for all your comments and suggestions about a possible epilogue. They actually helped a lot and made me think on what exactly I want to do. The moment my mushy thoughts are a bit clearer, I will try to give you my ideas so that we can disuss them further.

I hope that the next LIoness-chapter will be posted next week, along with the next Had I Known-chapter. But I'm not promising anything (learned that the hard way...).

All the best,
Kayly

Review responses and a Lioness-hint

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:06:54 GMT

Hello everybody!

Thank you all for your reviews, the amount of which really surprised and delighted me! In RL everything is slowly getting back to normal, which should hopefully leave a bit more writing time over the coming weeks ;-).

Now to a few questions some of you posed. I was glad that most of you really liked both Jane's pov and the way she rescued Hermione. The reason why she didn't simply take her and apparate her out is, of course, the fact that she wants Hermione's plan to still work. If somebody had found out that Hermione had been rescued, Voldemort would immediately have cancelled all plans to attack on Halloween, and then everything would have been in vain.

There are definitely less than ten chapters left till the showdown. I am working on the slash one shot right now and hope that it will be up by the end of the week (but don't hold me to that promise - it might develop in a way I didn't expect and then it will take longer). My plan is to finish the 'Lioness' before June and then concentrate on 'Had I Known', but of course life doesn't always take our plans into consideration, now does it?

As to the main worry all of you seem to ponder: Will Hermione stay mad or will she recover? I just thought I'd post a hint, an excerpt from chapter 57 that should give you an idea where all this might lead:

xXx

“This palace consists of different rooms, all of them referring to a certain area of knowledge, a part of my life or my memories. This room is the general knowledge that I need to access often and fast. The less frequent a memory needs to be replayed or a fact needs to be used, the farther away from here it is. There is also a cellar in which the most dangerous things are hidden.”

She waited for a moment, as if she was expecting any questions from the two visitors of her mind who were still standing in the middle of the room, staring at the thousands, no, millions of books around them.

“Clusters of books on the floor represent projects I am working on at the moment, and open books are things I am using right now, like my Occlumency skills that were necessary to bring you here. While the books themselves remain, the space around you changes according to my outer circumstances. This is the way I prefer my mind, but when I am acting like an innocent school mode…”

For a moment, the world around them flickered and then returned into focus, only to present them with pink walls and a light blue ceiling. Harry looked down at the floor and saw pictures that reminded him of the Cinderella-movie he had seen as a child.

“Whereas when I am working outside the school…” Again reality flickered and the building around them changed into a cold structure built of glass and steel, with dark greys and reds dominating the scene. “My mind palace adapts to the situation. Some rooms will vanish underground in the different modes, and the only thing that won’t change are the contents of this first, main room. That, and my trapdoor.”

Hermione pointed to the floor of the now returned French chateau and they saw the faint outline of a trap door in front of them. “My last hiding place if an attack should ever overwhelm me.”

She fell silent for a moment, and Harry, watching her profile in the golden light of her artificial sky, wondered what she was thinking about, if she was wondering when this attack would come and how she would survive it.

xXx

One other question: At the moment I'm wondering about an epilogue. Do you have any scenes in the future of our story time line you would like to see? I can't promise that I will actually use them, but at this point in the thought process I'm totally open for suggestions...

A post concerning 'Had I Known' should follow in a few days!

All the best,

Kayly

Writing again

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:16:35 GMT

Hello dears,

I know I've let you down and that you have expected about a zillion chapters to have been posted by now. Truth is, I was quite, quite, ill (hospital ill), and am only now recovering to a point where I can start organizing my life again. As you will probably understand, fanfiction is not my top priority (there are also a job, a husband and a dissertation to be considered). But I have started to write again and hope that I will be able to update some time over the next week (but don't hold me to that, things are pretty chaotic at the moment).

To move away from matters as depressing as my health: Apart from the next chapter of the 'Lioness' and 'Had I Known', I've also been working on the slash one shot about Harry and Draco we have been discussing for quite some time. It takes place between this chapter and the next, which, by the way, will be called 'Jane Undercover'. Expect a slash update over the next two weeks, people (and I really hope you'll like it, I've been working on it for a month now...).

I thank you all for your comments and support and patience (I also thank you all for your impatience, although I must stress that threatening me will never produce a faster update, it will only upset me). Please understand that I can't answer everybody who writes to me, although I have given my best to reply to private messages.

Wishing you all the best,
Kayly

Good news, the chapters are coming...

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 07:58:16 GMT

Weeeeee!

This cry of joy welcomes a new computer into my life! Thank you all for your patience and the hints that you gave me - this will certainly never happen to me again. You'll be glad to know that I actually managed to save the stuff I'd already written - I just didn't have a computer for a while to save them on.

But now that everything's back to normal I'm going to type the chapters as soon as possible and update - perhaps as soon as tomorrow!

It's also time to thank you all again for the huge amount of reviews you've written - it means so much to know that you care!

Hope this post makes you as happy as it made me, and see you - hopefully - tomorrow with the new chapter!

All the best, Kayly

Further delays...

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 13:10:53 GMT

Dearest readers,

Unfortunately, my news aren't good... again. Yesterday, my laptop died. Rather abruptly and without any hope for repair. He took a nearly finished Lioness-chapter and a halfway-through 'Had I Known'-chapter with him. Which means that I will first have to rewrite the chapter, then wait for my new laptop to arrive so that I can post it. Which means no updates for at least a week, perhaps two.

I'm very, very sorry about that, especially since I had a few wonderful scenes written already that I'll be hopefully able to rewrite. Please be patient and believe me that I will update as soon as I possibly can...

All the best,
Kayly

Awards...

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 06:04:43 GMT

Dearest Readers,

I am to my personal happiness once again nominated for an award (Dramione, go and second me if you're in that forum), and my story is also nominated for being discussed in 'Potterficweekly', a rather brilliant project that produces podcasts in which fanfiction stories are critically discussed. If you're interested in hearing my story being interpreted (although I'm a bit afraid of what they'll find ;-)), please follow this link to the forum of potterficweekly, become a member and share the discussion!

I'm hoping to update 'Had I Known' tomorrow, by the way, and the 'Lioness' in less than a week.

All the best,
Kayly

How my life suddenly became complicated...

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 22:28:01 GMT

Hello, it's me, your long-absent, rumored-to-be-dead author.

I'm still alive, as you probably already guessed from the existence of this post, but let me tell you, life really isn't something to be dealt with in my spare time at the moment.

Before you all panic and worry about my exams - yes, I've passed them, and yes, I graduated (weeeeeee!) Best marks, too (sorry for bragging, but after all you suffered from my perfectionism and at least deserve to know that all the time spent studying brought results).

Once I finished exams, however, I fell ill (I expected that, I'm always ill after periods of stress, but I didn't expect to be that ill). Then I visited my relatives (which means traveled through half of Germany), and then everything got very complicated.

Filling out forms, planning my teaching hours for the college course I'm going to teach this year, finding a job, writing summaries of my dissertation and polishing my cv - it wasn't fun, and it certainly killed every creative cell I still had left after all that illness and traveling and graduating.

So that's why I dropped off the face of the virtual world for so much longer than I had planned. Sorry about that. I know it didn't happen at a convenient time.

But let me tell you that your reviews, all of them (and there were so incredibly many that I couldn't believe it), really helped me through this. And now that life's under control again (or something like that), my first priority will be writing.

Those who read 'Had I Known' will have seen that I posted the next chapter tonight. The next 'Lioness'-chapter should follow tomorrow (hopefully), and I will try to establish a regular update schedule over the next weeks. I can't tell you how often, but I will at least post regularly here to inform you about my progress.

I love you all, seriously. No writer could have better support than you gave me, and I would never give this up before it is finished. I promise.

All the best to you,
Kayly

Final examinations approaching...

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 16:11:07 GMT

Hello everybody!

I received the date of my final examination today, and thought it fair to give you all some overview over my schedule concerning fanfiction.

My last oral exam takes place on the 31st of August. Don not expect any updates before that day! I am very sorry about the long period of time that lies ahead of all of us, but I won't manage to write more than a word unconnected to college before that moment.

After that, I'm probably going to need a few days to recuperate, but I promise to start writing as soon as I find the strength to do so. I also promise far more frequent updates for at least September, so consider that some kind of recompensation ;-)

Now, as to your questions:

Concerning 'Had I Known', I want to say that, yes, Shadow and Ayda will both make a reappearance, and soon. There's also going to be some serious Dumble-bashing ahead, so don't worry that he'll go without payment for what he did. And for those who asked: I didn't forget the memory Ayda handed Snape, in fact, it will play a greater role in the very next chapter.

Concerning the 'Lioness': Many of you asked how many more chapters there would be, and many of you seemed to feel that the story is very close to its end. That is, in fact, not true. As far as I can tell, there will be about 15 more chapters to go.

I'm very glad that you liked the last chapter and its atmosphere. It was a difficult one to write, but much of it has been fixed in my mind for several months and it flowed onto the paper (or rather, the screen). I also promise that you will see more of Severus' way of coping, if not in the next chapter, then in the one after that.

I also have a beta for the story now, the wonderful La Sorcière, an accredited perfect imagination beta. Together we are working on the 'Lioness' to make it better than it it - fixing grammar, spelling and the occasional little writing mistakes. Once the story is corrected it will be reposted on fanfiction.net as well as on several other archives - I'll tell you more about it when we get there.

Finally, I only have to thank you all for your wonderful encouragement and reviews. You seriously got me blushing these last few chapters! I will be offline for the next few weeks, but you can expect a deliriously happy post as soon as exams are finally over.

All the best till then,
and thank you for everything,
Kayly

SPOILERS!!!

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 08:43:39 GMT

All right, people,

First of all: Thank you all for this unbelievable flood of reviews! I'm glad you like the twist so well!

Second: Many of you questioned how the damn Severus couldn't anticipate what Hermione did, or why he didn't react quickly enough. Let me ask all of you who live in a serious, happy relationship: Would you expect your husband/wife in a fight to grab a knife and stab you without warning? (Just a thought).

The same goes for the Imperio. From the description in the books I reckoned that you need a will to fight against both the curse and the one who cast it. And while Severus certainly doesn't want her to go, he also doesn'T want to hurt her, and I decided that her determination to get the job done was - in this case - the greater power.

Now to the spoilers: The majority of you asked for them. I have thus decided to put them in an lj-cut (thanks to you who proposed the option!). There are no huge plot details in there, but you will find out whether Hermione dies and whether there will be a happy ending, so think well before you click on the link below!

Hermione will not die!
There will be a happy ending!

This said, I wish you all a wonderful week. Unfortunately, I really won't be able to update before next Thursday (my timeline =)). I'm sorry about that, but it can't be helped.

All the best,
Kayly

Cliffhangers and exams

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 11:01:47 GMT

I'm sorry!

I hadn't expected you to react that violently to the new 'Lioness'-chapter. And only after I updated did I realize that both stories are at a crucial moment, hanging in the air in between two possible developments...

To make a long story short, I'm hard at work on the Chapter 64, called 'On the Edge of Doom' (and yes, that title alone should tell you that all is not well in the Lioness-verse).

I hope to be able to update tomorrow or the day after that.

And I really thought long and hard about giving you a hint how all this will end. I can understand that some of you may feel really unhappy at the moment, given that you don'T know whether Hermione will live or die. But I also do not want to spoil the story - so please tell me, do you want a "happy ending or no happy ending" notice appearing on this journal? It's up to you, really.

As for the 'Had I known'-development... my, you are all clever, dear readers! Many of you had the right idea to whom this letter is addressed. I promise, there's Dumbledore-bashing ahead, but also more trials and tribulations for our poor heroes...

Just a short update on the real-life front: Five exams from six are now finished. There's just one more to go, unfortunately, it's the most comprehensive and difficult one, which means that there's about a month more business and less than frequent updates to be expected from your resident author.

After that, I'll make it up to all of you, I promise!

Thanks again for all your patience and support, you really carried me through this most stressful and busy period of my life!

And thanks for liking Hermione's speech, much of it is, in fact, copied from the graduation speech I myself had the honour to give at my school *blushes*.

All the best,
and tell me if you want those spoilers,

Kayly

Updates all over!

Tue, 29 May 2007 09:48:26 GMT

Finally! There's a new chapter of the "Lioness" and also one of "Had I Known" updated at ff.net. I don't know where I took the time from, but I felt so bad letting all of you wait so long that I simply had to write.

The "Lioness"-chapter was especially difficult to write, since there's nothing really happening on the surface, but below said surface, there's a lot of things going on.

Many of you mentioned foreshadowing, and I think I'm not telling too much when I warn you of major plot twists ahead - don't think that they will happily train on till the Final Battle! It's going to get dark again, soon!

(Do you hear me cackling evilly at this cruel hinting? You will all know what I meant two chapters hence...)

Before I stop my short and blissful visit to the fanfiction world and return to serious work (arghh), here's one short answer to a question about the lily Hermione is presented with:

I chose the lily not because it is a flower associated with mourning, but because it has the most wide and ambivalent variety of meanings that I know about with a flower. The lily is a) a flower of mourning, b) the flower signifying virginity, especially that of the Virgin Mary (there are lilies around her on nearly every medieval picture), c) a royal flower (symbol of the kings of France), d) the flower of prostitutes (no really, the mistresses of kings were traditionally painted with lilies).

Taking that in, I thought that the lily captured all the different aspects of Hermione just beautifully, and I thought that Severus would rather present her with something as diverse as her own nature is than with a flower as single minded as the rose...

That said - I'm off to work. Don't expect any chapters over the next two weeks, although I promise that I won't let you wait this long ever, ever again!

And thank you for all your patience and support! I know that I'm not exactly a generous author at the moment, what with my not reacting to many messages and updating so slowly, and it really hurts me to spend so little time with you. But I think that my main job is writing, after all, and so I concentrate on that when there's too little time to do everything that I think is important...

Thank you all,

All the best,
Kayly

P.S. Here's a picture with a lily - just one... It's Dante Gabriel Rossetti's Ecce Ancilla Domini, from the 1850s, which shows how ingrained the iconographical depiction of Mary with a lily has become and still is (oh dear, that was my scientific me peeking through for a moment):

Life... don't ask me about life...

Fri, 04 May 2007 19:01:00 GMT

There's an update of "Had I Known" up at fanfiction.net. Not because I had any time to write at all during the last weeks, but because I dredged up enough motivation to proof read an already finished chapter.

I won't apologize for the delay in updating the "Lioness", though I will tell you that it hurts like hell to stay away from writing. But I've entered a phase in my life where I stand up, work 12 to 14 hours a day, try to somehow do the things absolutely necessary to keep family life, flat and friends alife, and then collapse into bed.

There's simply no energy left to write at the moment, and I don't suppose that will change over the next fortnight (though hopefully there will be a new chapter after that).

So don't worry about the lack of updates, and please don't be too impatient. It is coming along, and this is not due to a crisis in writing or planning the story (planning is nearly finished, by the way), but to a total lack of time.

Something not even the most brilliant writers have yet found a remedy against.

Right, now that you know I'm not dead, not even brain-dead, I'll crawl back to my books and learn a bit more. Hooray.

Success!

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 08:01:34 GMT

You're absolutely right, June! The problem is fixed and the new chapter is up. I expect the Lioness to join it in a few days.

Thanks to you for your hints and reassurances, now go, read and have fun!

All the best, Kayly

Delays all over...

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 21:25:35 GMT

Hello everybody,

Originally, I wanted to use this post to tell all of you that "Had I Known" is - finally - updated, and that the "Lioness"-chapter is nearly ready, too.

Unfortunately, all I can tell you now is that fanfiction.net has refused to upload documents to my account for three whole days now, and that the support-function isn't working for me, either.

I'll keep trying, and if the problem isn't solved over the next few days I will post the chapter here, although that's a less than perfect solution.

Sorry about that, to all of you! And thank you for your support and your kind reviews - they are the only reason why I keep bothering with fanfiction.net...

All the best, Kayly

Sequel to Lioness

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 21:44:58 GMT

Well, I've actually spend a lot of time thinking about a sequel to the story. I must say that I don't plan a full grown one at the moment - there's just been too much happening in this story already, and with the end I have in mind, everything else would be rather anti-climactic.

But I do have plans for a rather long epilogue that is situated a few years later, and there are already several one shots forming in my mind that are set in the 'Lioness'-verse.

The point is that I'm rather afraid to ruin a good story and well beloved characters by using a second rate plot...

On a completely different note: Tonight has seen my 3.000st review! Yay!!!! Gods, I never believed this story would get so popular when I started writing it! I'm feeling a bit teary right now and am terribly thankful to all of you who spend so much time reading and pondering this - it is a rather humbling thought, to be honest!

And there she goes again!

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 23:12:30 GMT

Welcome to the second installment of Kayly answers long overdue questions and tries to hide her plot holes!

But before I try answering some of the things that came up in regard to "Had I Known", it will probably please you to know that Chapter 61 of the "LIoness" is coming along nicely, and that there is a little one shot waiting on my desktop to be posted at the right time. No, unfortunately not the long-promised slash story, but I hope you'll like it anyway.

Chapter 24 of "had I Known" is also being worked on, but the development is excruciatingly slow. As you can probably guess, it's time for the Department of Mystery, whcih means Sirius' death, the possession by Voldemort, the first Cruciatus Harry ever fired off and the information about the prophecy.

Quite a lot to do! And i've found that it's tremendously difficult to write these repeat-canon chapters without a) boring everybody to death, b) simply copying Mrs Rowling's words, or c) get repetitive.

That said, on to your questions:

1) One of the frequently asked questions is why they are viewing the memories in chronological order instead of simply skipping to the "Harry kills Voldemort"-scene. NOw I could just answer that the story wouldn't work that way, but there are actually some thoughts I can offer as to that question:
You must consider that the only one who might have a good idea about when it's going to happen is Harry himself. But he's been very tight lipped about his past, and don't expect that to change too soon. Then there's also the fact that Severus is doing that, and being the organized (anal fixated, cough, cough) person he is, he is doing it chronologically. And, most important of all: You must be aware that Voldemort's death is not the most terrible event in Potter's life, especially not if you consider that he was being held prisoner and tortured before that day.

2) Many of you were afraid that Shadow has left the story forever. Don't be alarmed, he will return! And I'm actually quite flattered that you like my OC's so much. They will yet have to play a major part in the story, so you'll definitely see enough of them.

3) No, this isn't slash. GEts a bit repetitive since it already said so in the summary and in the first chapter, but I'll say it again: I don't believe that every relationship has to include sex to be intimate and deep going. Not that I mind slash stories, but this is something about friendship, and understanding, and trust, and respect, and while all that is hopefully part of a sexual relationship, it doesn't need the sex to work.

4) HOw much longer will this be?
I'm not sure, but would say that we have reached about the middle by now. There are many twists and turns lurking in my dark little mind, and I can'T wait to spring them on you. I also have the hope that updating will be a little quicker once we have left canon material, since incorporating that into the story is actually the hardest part about writing this.

And, before I end this, let me repeat one thing clearly and loudly, because many of you still seemed to be worried about this: I WILL FINISH EACH AND EVERY STORY I START! NO MATTER HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE! I WILL NEVER BREAK UP IN THE MIDDLE AND LEAVE YOU WITH AN UNFINISHED PIECE OF WRITING!

That said, I wish you all a wonderful week and hope to be back soon with new chapters and cookies for everyone!

Love you all, Kayly

Finally found the time...

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 12:04:38 GMT

Man it's been long!

I'm really ashamed now that I see I haven't updated this for two moths! But at least I managed to squeeze a few chapters in between... So you have no reason to kill me, really ;-)

As you can probably all imagine, life has been stressful to the utmost. But I can gladly tell you that my exams thesis (145 pages in all, a monster if there ever lived one) has been accepted and marked highly. Yay me! Now there are only six more exams to look ahead to (arghh!), three written and three oral ones.

That sound like a lot and feels like a lot, but I'm also really starting to look forward to the 'time after'. Not being a student anymore will feel really weird...

Anyways, so much about my boring life that is chiefly spend at my desk at the moment, and on to the stories.

There were many questions you asked in reviews and mails, and unfortunately I took my time in answering, so I hope I'm not forgetting anything. Just tell me if I do, I plan to frequent lifej ournal more often again in the future.

Let's start with the Lioness:

1) Have Hermione and Severus had sex?
This was actually something many of you asked, and I'm afraid the answer won't satisfy you: I'm not sure. Basically, I wanted to leave that open, which is why I hinted at some sort of... interaction... in the story but didn't say more. I think we can be fairly sure that they have become closer physically, but I will leave the decision about "it" to you. There are people suffering from sexual abuse that manage a pretty normal relationship after some time, and others never do. I don't want to decide that, and I certainly don't plan on writing graphic sex scenes. Sorry about that - I tried, but I started laughing hysterically and it turned out a parody. You will have to do without.

2)Is this going to get darker again? And how long will the story be?
Basically, we're approaching the final steps and twists now, which means not more than twenty chapters to go. And, yes, it will go dark again, darker than any part of the story has been before. Sorry to tell you that, but this stage was planned from the very beginning, and I won'T be merciful with either my characters or my readers *grins evilly*.

3) What about Harry-Draco?
You have probably seen a certain development over the last chapters, and many of you have told me that they could imagine it now. Again, I'm going to leave that open by posting a one shot at the appropriate time. Slash lovers can read it, those who prefer a friendship simply don't, and everybody will be happy. That one shot, to precede your questions, will be posted in about six or seven chapters, so it's getting close.

4) What about the time line?
I realize that the story has become rather long and convoluted, so I'm giving you a slight overview over the time line here.
Hermione started spying - to everybody's knowledge - shortly before the end of the summer holidays after their sixth year. Hermione and Severus spent Christmas together and were quite close by then. In January, Harry, Ron and Remus found out, and so did the entire Order in March.
As I tried to tell you surreptitiously with the nature entrance of chapter 57, we have now reached May, and I'm scheduling the NEWTs to the end of May/beginning of August.
As you all know, the final battle will take place on Halloween, so we have about four months left.

Right. That's the first round of questions answered, and I'll return somewhere during the course of the week with answers about 'Had I Known'. Feel free to make comments and suggestions, or ask more questions, and please don't be angry with me for being so elusive. I promise I'll be a better girl once I graduated properly!

All the best, and love to you all!
Kayly

Valencay

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 12:06:45 GMT

And, before I forget about doing it, here are two pictures of Valencay, the place that Hermione based her palace of memory on. If you're interested in French history, you'll probably know about both the place and Talleyrand, if not, he really is a very interesting person, connected to much that went on during the late eighteenth and nineteenth century in central Europe. He even spent some time in North America...

Update!

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 11:59:35 GMT

Hi everybody! I'm still alive and kicking, but the Lioness-update should have told you that already...

As to my (mental and physical): I had really planned to update before New Year, but I had barely handed in my thesis (it's done! 145 pages!), when the most evil flu caught. I don't know if you had that experience, too, but every time I relax after an especially stressing work period, my body decides to take a sick-holiday. Or something like that.

This means that the thesis is done and I sit here with a fluttering heart, waiting for marks. Unfortunately, exams as such are only about to begin. There will be six of them, one nastier than the next. That means that - while I have a little more time on my hand as it is - updates will come, definitely, but not as fast as you and I would like to have them. I plan on updating the Lioness at least once more over the next week, and then turn to a few chapters of "Had I Known", as I've found that both stories are too different in style to be written simultaneously - makes my brain go all fuzzy.

I will post again sometime today or tomorrow with a few answers to reviews and general rambling about the Lioness (there are some things I'd like your opinion about, and some awful hints I want to make...) - so stay tuned!

All the best to you all, and thank you for your patience, your interest and support!

Still alive...

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 08:35:23 GMT

Thought it was time to give you a sign of my continued existence...

It's two more weeks, folks, and - unless a miracle or a very sudden, very determined inspirations happens - I don't think there will be an update before Christmas. I'm really sorry, but my head feels alll dry and stuffed with cotton at the moment, and I don't even want to know what sort of fanfiction it would produce. What a pity that Hermione wouldn't feel the need to study much for her NEWTs, otherwise I could write a brilliant study-chapter.

Anyways, after Christmas I will have at least a little more time on hand, and I promise updates for both stories until New Year, plus a little Christmas surprise if all goes to plan. Thank you all for your patience and your support!

Very tired,
Kayly

Mary Sues, men in love and spies

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 08:55:48 GMT

Seriously, your reviews made me day even more than the award! Updating is the best ego booster I can think of these days.

I'd like to address some comments and questions that were posed in your reviews, as I spent quite some time pondering over them:

1) Severus reaction to Hermione's behaviour. You will remember that there's a point in 56 when Harry asks himself how SEverus must feel about the things Hermione does, and finds no answer. The answer is, I believe, hidden in Chapter 54, the scene after Hermione returns from the revels. Frankly: He is terrified, and he hates it. But he has promised to let her do the job, and respect means that you accept the necessary even though you don't like it. That doesn't mean that he wasn't slightly on edge the whole evening, but rememer that it's Severus we're talking about, who can hide his feelings better than anybody.

2) That is connected to the question why Severus isn't turned on by her. I answered that one in the scene where Hermione dresses in Deat Eater outfit while Severus is in the room, I think: These sorts of clothes mean work for him, and the person who wears them is not the Hermione he loves. Even if he felt aroused by her attire, though, he'd know that she doesn't wear it for him and that it is - for her - strictly connected to something bad. So he would never approach her in such situations, because that would connect him to the other men she has to fool. I haven't addressed the sexual issue for a lot of chapters, and I don't mean to give you long scenes where they are trying to have sex or something, but keep that problem in the background of your mind - nobody tells you they have solved it yet...

3) Someone mentioned the danger of Hermione becoming too Mary Sueish, because she is so perfect and can do everything and anything. I agree that there's a danger lurking behind the plotline.
But apart from the fact that everything isn't over yet, and that you have a few major twists ahead that will give the whole thing quite a new direction (grins evilly and rubs her hands), there are always the things that go wrong or that she can't cope with, like the ambush in Chapter 53. Granted, she is pretty much competent by now, but then you have to consider that spying is her job.
The question of her "making it too easy" is going to be addressed in the next chapter anyway - Severus has his own thoughts about it, so kudos for the brilliant timing of this comment!

So much from me for the moment. To my own unhappiness, I must forewarn you that the next chapter will take quite some time - an update for "Had I Known" is due next, anyway, and i'm entering the last months of thesis time now. Don't expect anything from me, and don't wonder when I'm absent from the web for prolonged stretches of time!

I want to thank you all again for your support and time and just being here! Wish you all the best,
Kayly