Oof, this summer is just getting away from me! On one hand it's good... the wait is much more bearable for the next chapter (I hope you are enjoying a restful vacation!)… on the other I realized I completely forgot to review this heart-tugging gem! While it hurt to see Snape pulling back, the chapter that delved into his psyche really helped to explain why he feels the "need". He's wrong, of course, but only Snape himself will be able to realize that! For now I am fully invested in the potential for some brief yet intense angst coming our way next chapter. I don't think Harry will handle this well. He's come to rely on Snape so much, and we saw what happened the last time Snape pulled a disappearing act! Harry's healing isn't quite complete yet and he needs so badly the stability and reassurance of Snape in his life, and as is the beauty of this story... Snape needs him just as much! I'm eager to see how you resolve this conflict. Bravo!

I literally cannot wait !

Just blasted through this whole thing yesterday (except for the newest few chapters, which I saved for this morning) and I'm loving it! I think you really captured the characters' voices here - Snape and Harry, of course, but also Ron, Hermione, and Remus. Poor Harry and Snape in this chapter, with Snape pulling away because he's afraid of rejection when Harry's memory comes back, and Harry not asking for Snape because he thinks he's already been rejected.

*smacks Snape with a rolled up Witch Weekly* How! Dare! You! WHAT do you think you're doing? Do you have ANY idea how much hurt you're causing that poor boy? Do you?! You're breaking his heart!
*sighs and takes a deep breath* Okay, sorry, calming down. But I'm so upset. I knew this was coming, and yet that's so hard to watch happen.
*gets out a licorice wand and aggressively bites the end off* Guess he'll be avoiding me for a while now. SINCE HE'S SO GOOD AT THAT!
Sorry.
Honestly, it's tough to watch loved ones make terrible choices. I still love him, but I'm frustrated by him too.
I mean, even though Harry was so loopy in the last chapter, I thought maybe a teensy bit of progress had been made. Once he woke up more clearly, though, with the memory loss, it was like they were at two different points in their relationship - Harry was mentally still back at Kneader's, and Severus was the only one who remembered all the growth that had happened since then. He's also the only one who remembers the last chapter, right?
He doesn't seem to be in any hurry for those memories to come back, big surprise. But he knows they will. Trying to hold off the inevitable?
But it still looks like he's just ditching Harry, after all they've been through together! I admit it does seem like things have been lining up to make Severus obsolete in Harry's life, but I mean, he can't just go, "Here's your stuff, here's your schedule, goodbye forever," and then glide out of his life as if it were nothing! You don't DO that to a kid who's got neglect issues! The chutzpah of this man! Now Harry's feeling abandoned and let down and unwanted by yet another adult in his life, one that he was finally learning to trust, and HOW is that trust being repaid?! NOW who's getting it thrown back in their face?
Did Severus not see the relief in Harry when he walked into the room in the cabin and Harry's like, Oh thank Merlin, it's Snape? Is he not enjoying the teasing and banter between them, because I know for a fact he is.
It was so cute seeing them at the table together, talking and teasing so comfortably. Severus still fuming over what Remus did, scolding Harry over his safety and laying down parental ultimatums, and then going 'Finish eating, boy, we're leaving soon.' Yes dad.
Even in the hospital wing, he's all 'Do your homework, get your rest, no Quidditch until you're all caught up, etc.' I mean he REALLY sounds like a dad here and I love it to pieces I tell you. He's slipping into the role of the curmudgeon father so well, even if he isn't realizing it or wants to accept it yet. Who does he think he's fooling here?
Unless this is a test. Wait, is this a test? Is that why Lily's stone is missing, because Severus has it and wants to see if Harry will come for it, will come after him? Is this some kind of sick way of making sure if Harry really wants to be around him? Gosh. I mean, why go through the whole Dad bit to the hilt if he's just gonna vanish from Harry's life and not see it through? Get Harry's hopes up and then dash them?
Must be nasty test, Precious. Tricksy Potions Master keeps us guessing, doesn't tell us what it's got up its sleeveses!
*clears throat*
I just think it's a cruel thing to put Harry through. Dang it, Severus.
I hope the whole deal about who's teaching Harry Occlumency now was part of the test, if that's what it is. Otherwise it's entirely counterproductive. Switching teachers for something so complicated and personal would only put him back at square one, after all the progress he made with Severus. They've already built up the trust and familiarity required, and he'd have to start all over again with Dumbledore. Not to mention, by now he may not even trust Dumbledore the way he trusts Snape, and that would set him back too.
This better be some twisted joke.
At least Harry got to hang out with his friends for a while. A touch of normalcy and reassurance. Glad to see Ron back to his usual self, and dramatically embellishing stories the way my grandma does, LOL.
Still laughing over that Perfectly Ordinary Year comment. Pffft! Girl, have you been paying attention at all? If nothing else, we have Hermione the mom friend to look out for us. :D
Also loved how all Severus had to do was walk up and the party atmosphere pops like a balloon, LOL. It truly is a gift.
Sounds like something in a bottle I could pick up at the apothecary: SNAPE The Natural Mood Killer! With his grouchy face on the label. I'd get some, for emergencies of course. ;)
I think I got it all out of my system now. I'm fine. I can wait for the answers like a sane-ish person. Not that Ravenclaws bother much with sanity to begin with. That's not where the fun is. ;)
*bites another licorice wand more calmly*
P.S. Was Severus a good patient for Poppy? I rather doubt it, LOL.

Oh look, another review and it didn't take me a month to do . I enjoyed this chapter. I enjoyed not only the interactions between Harry and Snape but I also enjoyed the simplicity of the chapter as a whole. For a while now, every chapter has been full of a lot of emotion for both Harry and Snape, and for me as a reader. It was kind of nice to have a simple chapter where we knew nothing bad was about to happen. It felt like a slow chapter but in a really good way. Almost like we got to take a step back and just take a breath for a minute.

It was also nice to see Snape caring about Harry again. That's not to say he hasn't cared about Harry since their fight but in more of a he's going to take care of Harry and make sure he has everything he needs, much like he did back at Grimmauld Place, rather than the pissed off Snape we saw after the fight or the, Harry must be saved from Voldemort Snape we had the last few chapters. I hope that this Snape doesn't go anywhere any time soon and he and Harry can get back on even ground together. I'm kind of curious if Harry is going to remember anything from his detox from the potion as I'm sure Snape has no desire for Harry to know he was holding him and humming trying to calm him down.

Great chapter as always. I think after the roller coaster we've been on, it was a much needed simple, slow chapter. I'm off to read the next chapter and hopefully I'll have another review for you soon lol. Hope all is well

OOH GIRL YOU DONE DID IT DIDN'T YOU!? Gone and leave us on vacation while breaking our hearts like that! It's okay... I can be patient... (I think). This was a hard chapter to read the further it went along but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I liked seeing Dumbledore with "his boys" and hope for more of that; also Harry reuniting with his friends and the way Snape was so solicitous with him even as he began the process of pulling away. I hope so so SO much that this won't last more than a chapter or two, sniff! Also you whet my appetite with the teaser of what's been going on at Hogwarts this year!

It's been a minute but here I finally am with a review. Snape's POV was a good chapter. Everything thus far has been Harry's POV only and even considering that, Snape's POV was exactly how I expected it to be after reading your story for a while now. IMO, that speaks volumes about how well you write. Since we've only experienced Harry's side of the story, Snape could have been written any number of ways but his interactions with Harry throughout the story, I feel like, for me as a reader, it kind of set up Snape a certain way and your POV nailed what I would have expected from Snape.

Your description of how the guards were set up was awesome. Most people don't give things like a guard schedule that makes sense much thought but you went pretty deep with yours and after reading it, I definitely feel like that would have been something Voldemort would do. The rescue scene had me for a little bit. As I was reading, I was trying to prepare myself for the potential that Snape wasn't going to make it out of this one alive. I didnt think you'd kill Snape off but the way you wrote the rescue scene, I was definitely on the edge of my seat just hoping that Snape was going to continue on.

I also thought you did Malfoy quite well as well. I would imagine him to be a person always looking out for his best interests first. I could see the potential for power driving Malfoy to Voldemort in the early days and I could see the potential for a way out with the chance for good standing by helping Snape retrieve Harry as a strong motivater for him. Having him stay back and not offering any help to Snape unless there was no chance of him being seen was right on par with how I would imagine Malfoy in that situation.

I enjoyed this chapter and I'm excited to read the next chapter and see what happens between Snape and Harry after everything they've been through. Hope you're well!

oh man how badly i want to reach thru and shake snape haha, poor harry. loved this chapter and the overprotective snape and the ron/harry hug and much as it killed me that ending with harry remembering was really really well written too. just please snape really see what harry needs here and step up to the plate! it will take bravery for sure but he's proven he can do it before, he just needs to have more faith in himself and the abilities he ALREADY has. course easier said than done with that one :P

Harry is so used to abandonment, it's painful. Snape's used to it, too, which is part of why he's acting like that toward Harry, but ack. This was a downer of a chapter. Enjoy your vacation, but then come back to soothe us!

"murderous sociopath as that of a kindhearted friend"
Depending on who you'd ask, Snape probably fits both descriptions and everything in between lol

"rosemary and thyme"
Now I'm humming Scarborough Fair and I blame you 100%

"What are the five main properties of Acromantula venom?"
Come on Harry, 'deadly' was a safe bet :-D

"and we went to Kneader's. I talked with a snake and did homework, and you showed up"
'and I made cookies to make you talk and I tried even harder at Occlumency so you wouldn't find out about that photo and freak out, and'
What - it's the perfect moment for accidental confessions...

"I am myself, Potter [...] I am Severus Snape"
This is both hilarious and sad

"Plain fare" *swallows joke about standard English cuisine*

""Ah, yes," said Snape smoothly. "The ban. I don't believe that was ever officially lifted.""
LOL the bastard! :-D

Harry teasing Snape about visiting Pomfrey had me chuckling.

Yay, everyone is alive and okay :-)

Hey - the first time ever the Volly drama happens at the *start* of the schoolyear and no one comments on this novelty? XD

"a terrible beast living in the second floor"
In? Is it terrible because it has eaten a hole in the castle?

And ugh, Snape is already withdrawing again, of course...

I hope Snape has Lily's stone rather than it being lost somewhere after all those years of safe-keeping :-(

I hope Harry will find a way to lure Snape back out. Maybe show him that photo - he does still have that right?

The hardest part of this relationship will indeed be maintaining it back in the normal situation :-/

Kay that hurt a lot but I can see the need and I'm sure Snape will learn soon that he can't extricate himself that easily, and Harry desperately needs him right now too! Maybe not in the physically-in-need-of-rescuing sense but definitely from his PTSD and emotions and loneliness and probably nightmares and... you get the picture. Other than the end where you RIP OUR HEARTS OUT lol, I liked this chapter, it had a lot of sweetness too! The reunions with the trio/Ginny and Dumbledore were great and I appreciate that Snape was pretty protective at the start of this chapter. Gotta love some healer!Snape. See you when you get back ;)

OOH! Okay, this title got me at first. I totally feared Harry was going to forget the ENTIRE summer. I love that it was just a temporary amnesia of his time in captivity. It added a really really interesting new layer to this chapter that all compounded at the (HORRIBLY HEARTBREAKING) end (*SHAKES FIST*). You sure know how to hurt us Kirby! But it’s a necessary hurt. The last hurdle. It can never just be simple with Severus Snape ;)

So yeah, first of all, kudos on the brain block! Makes total sense that a combination of the potion and Harry’s own brain protecting him from trauma would elicit such a response. It added this suspense of, when is he going to remember!? And the drama of Snape pulling away, and not being there when Harry would’ve needed him most. SNIFF. On the up side, I do feel like it allowed Harry to spend time with his friends feeling less burdened. Because I’m sure his returned memories are going to be a little hard to deal with for a bit! I just hope our favorite potions master will find it unbearable watching Harry suffer and finally step in!

I like that Snape was blunt yet comforting as Harry struggles and panics over *not* remembering. It was very “him”. The arm grasp and his ever steady gaze... *happy sighs*. I needed that! I wonder how Snape is feeling right then... if he is concerned Harry doesn’t remember, or relieved...

He deliberately developed the potion with decreased side effects. D’aw. And that was way before he even liked the kid!

Madly love the scene where Snape raises his hand and Harry flinches, and IMMEDIATELY Snape winces, apologizes, AND assures him that is something Harry will never have to fear again. It needed to be said. I’m sure it’ll take some time before Harry never flinches again, but this was a huge first step to recovery - the assurance he can feel safe! I could just FEEL the extra caring/protectiveness Snape is putting off since the last chapter. Just as surely as I could feel him desperately trying to get it under control and into a locked box as the chapter progresses!

Snape talking about having recently been on the receiving end of forgiveness and using that as his reason for not still being angry at Harry AW forgive ME if I go flail myself out a window Snape-burrito style squealing all the way! TOO SWEET! Course I died laughing afterward that it was this that made Harry wonder if he was with an imposter and questions Snape until it’s his discomfort that convinces Harry xD

Okay, no, you are DEFINITELY trying to kill me here. THE ARM ASSIST to help Harry to the facilities? SO ADORABLE I CAN HARDLY HANDLE IT. I got mad chills too when Harry examines himself in the mirror and is like, WTF happened to me!? That would be incredibly disconcerting, seeing yourself all bruised up with not a single recollection how!

Ooh, Snape seems even less fond of Remus now than he was before. Something tells me that man holds a grudge like no other... and that sending Harry to Voldemort ranks HIGH on the list. I’d be curious to see how that relationship plays out in future, because Snape might’ve already felt some jealousy over Harry’s closeness with Remus and now there’s THIS. Like will he even trust Harry to be alone with Remus again!? Remus has proven himself to be “weak“/a danger once... hm. Lots to play with.

The Quidditch-related smirk, HA. Dying for future callbacks to last chapter, I’m telling you. Then Snape’s protective side rears up again, and ARM, and oh man can we just live with these two in that cottage forever!? I’m not ready for the distance Hogwarts inadvertently creates ;_;

I was super happy to see Dumbledore again. You write him so well. I enjoy his more coddling nature, few can coddle Severus Snape and get away with it ;) I liked the quick little moment where he catches Harry and Harry acts like, well, Harry, apologizing for EVERYTHING. Snickers. It’s like his default button. Also Dumbledore DEFINITELY knows something is up. Since when can Harry tease Snape like that and not lose his head ;) Ahh I just loved that scene! Icing on the cake was “my boys”!

LOVELY moment, when the kids reunited. Again, superb characterizations. Ron is probably my favorite. The bravado over his scar, OMG. I died! And of course the perfect sibling reaction from Ginny! It was all so wonderful! I am a sucker for emotional Harry/Ron hugs since they happen so infrequently... you can probably guess how happy I was then, to read your version of such a tender moment! But then my most favorite part is definitely Snape swooping in out of nowhere to shoo everyone away so Harry can rest. You just KNOW that closet mother hen was lurking about much longer than they knew, waiting to give Harry an appropriate amount of time with his friends before descending on them in all his scary flowing black robes to impose bedtime. *SNICKERS*

BTW... this all has me SO excited for sixth year. Even just your tease from the girls has me going “Whaaa?” Never a dull year, that’s for sure!

Thank you thank you thank you for one last image of terrified Snape at Kneader’s immediately after Harry’s kidnapping. I will never tire of it!

It was so sweet when Snape gave Harry his cleaned clothes, wand, and study schedule. But it also hurt to see him actively trying to pull away... using the formality of the moment like a goodbye. The stiffness ;_; THEN. Harry remembers! Reminds me of when he is tortured and he wanted Snape so much he bit his tongue from crying out. UGH. And Harry wants so badly to use the ring but is afraid that will just lead to it getting taken away sooner, god, I AM JUST ONE BIG SOB RIGHT NOW. Objectively I know this won’t last but damn! You give a girl doubt! ;)The one plus was that Snape doesn’t outright deny Harry - he does tell him he can come to him anytime. Now I’m just wondering who breaks first, and how the resolution happens! I have complete trust in you! I know you won’t draw this out inordinately long, it’ll be just the right length :)

Also Snape totally has the stone, calling it now!

OMG. I just binged this whole thing in a nine hour car ride and I regret nothing. That cliff hanger though. Oh man. While I was reading this and audible gasps were coming out of my mouth my whole family was looking at me like I was crazy but honestly...so worth it.

oh my! why would severus be like that?

Wow that was evil. Harry spiraling into depression, me hoping the "next-chapter"-teaser is going to cheer me up a bit and then your happy vacation announcement! ;-) All joking aside, I do hope you enjoy your vacation and you get to rest and relax and spend some fun time.
On to the chapter: The title was foreboding - of course of Snapes later neglect of Harry - but it also got me to toy with the idea of what would have happened if Harry had forgotten the entire summer events - meaning he would still hate Snape. The actual developement surprised me, it was cleverly written - their confrontation would have had to be different if Harry remembered all that happened. It also enhanced the character and relationship developement that happened during the imprisonment.
I smiled the first time when Snape asked the exact same questions to test Harrys lucidity as in the last chapter. It was touching when he excused Harrys snooping and Harry wondered why. Also when Snape promised he would not hit Harry again. Those were messages he had previously passed unsaid, it was complementing to hear them out loud (or read them ;-) Also, of course Hermione, Ron and Ginny are the first to visit, Harry should have more (almost) carefree teenage chatter. Then Snape steps out just when Harry yawns- don't tell me that was a coincidence...
And then POOR POOR HARRY. And poor Snape, but we don't get to read about that... Funny how Snape was berating himself for leaving Harry alone when he was most needed in the interlude chapter - and now he does the exact same thing. I wonder how that will play out. Harry could really become a potions addict (hey! you teased that repeatedly and reminded us of the countless vials of dreamless sleep in his trunk) or Snape could find the stone in his robes and Harry questions how it got there or the new defense teacher of Hagrids pet could play a role or...
Ok, I'm done dreaming and rambling, I bet you will find a satisfying way to reunify them anyway :-)