The school week slipped by for Hermione as she buried herself into her studies. She wasn't studying for a big test; those were still a way off. No, she was busy avoiding people. There seemed to be so much pressure that came with all the events from the last month. It's not a surprise that she should feel the need for a little alone time. Not everyone agreed with that sentiment, so she was forced to get creative with her hiding places.
After Monday's classes she took her books into the kitchen. She was asked politely by an old elf not to return because she was making the elves nervous, they were afraid she was plotting to give them clothes again.
Tuesday she packed up and tried doing her work at Hagrid's. While he was more than happy to have her as company, she decided herself not to use his house as a study place; between him and Fang she did not accomplish much.
Wednesday she attempted to use the girl's bathroom on the second floor, but that only lasted until Astronomy. Myrtle was more than a distraction with her depression; she ruined several of Hermione's scrolls by splashing them when she dived into the toilets. After Astronomy she decided it would be best to finish her work in the girl's dorm. That was only semi-successful because while the girls in her year were too busy to bother with her; Ginny would not leave her alone until she promised to go with her to Hogsmede on the weekend.
Thursday evening she felt guilty knowing that twice this week she had abandoned Draco when it came to his Muggle studies homework. She just wasn't ready to face him after hearing Dumbledore urge her to further their relationship. She was still trying to digest all that she had learned, so she was off to Ravenclaw to help Angus Bradley with a joint Charms paper. While the evening went smoothly and Angus was no slacker, Hermione didn't see herself working in the Ravenclaw common room unless she was there for a specific purpose. Plus Luna stared at her nearly the whole evening; waiting until Hermione was packing up to leave to wander by and comment on how either fair hair with dark eyes or steely eyes with wild hair would make for a curious yet alluring combination. Not waiting to ponder where Luna's thoughts were; Hermione had finished collecting her things and left with a polite goodbye to both Angus and Luna.
By the time Friday cam Hermione was exhausted at running about to do her work in private and chanced working in the main library. Unfortunately for her Peeves was making war with Madam Pince. Apparently he had heard her say how proud she was of the peace she had established in her library. Seeing that as a personal challenge Peeves took it upon himself to create as much noise and havoc as he could, and then some. Hermione did not have the patience to wait until the Bloody Baron was called to set things at right. Seeing how she did have moist of the weekend to hide about and work she decided to call it a night and go to bed early.
And that was just her evenings. Each class shared with Slytherin was a careful balance of waiting and planning so that she could secure a seat away from both Ron and Draco. Harry had been easy to avoid, he wasn't allowed to leave the infirmary until Saturday afternoon. Hermione was very conscious about leaving the classrooms as soon as possible, and spending limited time in the Great Hall for meals.
She knew avoiding everyone was unrealistic solution, so when the weekend finally rolled around she was ready to face the music, or at least Ginny.
oOo
The red haired girl waited by the main doors of the castle for her friend. She was glad she had convinced Hermione to come out with her; it seemed like it had been ages since they had a chance to really talk. Lingering by the door, she watched as the Slytherin Quidditch team carried their brooms towards the field. Next weekend was the first game of the year and Ginny was determined to beat them. At the tail of the group walked Malfoy and Zabini. Malfoy kept his eye to the ground as they passed, sulking about something. Zabini was trying to engage Malfoy in casual conversation, prodding him forward as they lagged behind the group. Zabini caught Ginny's eyes right as they were almost out of sight and flashed her a smile. Ginny narrowed her eyes in response. A smiling Slytherin wasn't a good thing in her book….but it did make her wonder more about what Malfoy had said to her the other day.
Ginny was about to give up on waiting for Hermione and go look for her when the familiar mass of bushy brown hair came rushing down the stairs.
"Sorry for making you wait Ginny, I almost forgot to give Crooks his breakfast, and you know how he can be a right beast if he skips a meal; so it was back up the stairs for me!" Ginny listened to the excuse without comment. She knew Hermione well enough to know that she didn't forget things like feeding her pet. Ginny snuck a look at the bracelet that lay dormant on her friends wrists. That's what hanging about Slytherins got you, little lies for covering up something a small as a case of the nerves. Sure, Ginny planned to give Hermione the tenth degree to find out what has been happening, but that wasn't something to be too nervous about.
"Whatever," Ginny said nonchalant, "Let's get going, I want to pick up a new pair of gloves before next week's match."
The walk there was filled with small talk, Hermione was expertly steering the conversation away from what Ginny wanted to know. For now Ginny would allow her, but once they settled into a booth at the Three Broomsticks she planned to not let up until she had some sort of answer. Until then they meandered through the shops, mostly just looking. As a Weasley many of her trips through the stores were only to look and want, but that's not what bothered Ginny today. Hermiones constant fiditing was driving her crazy. Soon Ginny decided that her questions couldn't wait, they were on their way to the small pub now.
"So you and Malfoy?"
oOo
Hermione was a bit shocked at Ginny's sudden bluntness. Here she thought they would get through a normal trip without any of the craziness from the castle. No such luck.
"Um, yeah, I'm not sure where to start with that one," Hermione shivered a bit, pulling her cloak closer around her.
"How about we start with the beginning," Ginny countered, not to be deterred from the information she sought, "Since when are you and Malfoy even friends?"
"It's kind of a long story, and I'm not sure if 'friends' is the right term to use here…" Hermione was trying to keep her voice low as they entered the old inn. Many of the tables were already full of other students and they took a small table at the far end of the room.
"Don't get all technical with me Hermione, just spit it out? What common ground could you two possibly have to end up together?" Hermione was saved from giving an immediate answer as the waiter approached. Hermione felt Ginny's stare hold her as they ordered; she got a pumpkin juice while Ginny requested Gillywater and they got an order of chips to split. As the waiter left Ginny leaned forward,
"Well?" She prompted.
"Well, honestly?" Hermione took a deep breath as she contemplated how much to tell her younger friend. Ginny continued to gaze at her with an intensity to rival her mother. "Honestly it started when Harry and Ron threatened me." The words came out small and weak, but the impact they had on Ginny was great.
"THEY WHAT!"
oOo
While Hermione was telling Ginny the sordid story of her abuse Pansy sat not far away; she was preparing to follow through with her plan to eliminate Hermione. After hearing Hermione place her order Pansy sidled up towards the bar.
"Pumpkin Juice," she requested from the barman. Pansy herself didn't care for the drink too much, preferring the tartness of Pomegranate juice over the pumpkins sweet, almost melon-like, taste. She smiled to herself in the mirror as the barman prepared both her drink. Staring at herself over his shoulder she silently congratulated herself on such a perfect plan. It was simple enough; quickly she emptied a small vial of moonseed poison into the thick juice. She chose this poison for the particular reason that if by some chance it was traced back to her she wouldn't be facing murder charges. On the way back to her table she intercepted the waiter who was delivering the Gryffindor's drinks. Under the guise of steadying his tray after bumping into him; she swapped the clean juice with the one she had tampered with. Returning to the table she sat back to watch as the moonseed poison would place the mudblood into a very deep and long sleep.
oOo
"So let me get this straight; Harry and my brother have been snogging since last summer, and together they attacked you because you-know-who controlling Harry? That excuse is absolutely barmy! While I understand what it's like to have Tom in your head, my brother had no one in his head telling him what to do. If mom doesn't hex his balls off I will!" Ginny was fuming through her whole re-cap.
"Well, he did admit that he wasn't exactly thinking with his –ahem- head at the time." Hermione scrunched her face, not really enjoying this retelling, but going through it anyway. She felt that in a way Ginny had a right to know what had happened. Plus it was a bit of a relief to Hermione that another female knew what she had gone through.
"OK, eww, I don't want to think about Ron like that." Ginny had a look of disgust as the waiter delivered their drinks. "It's like walking in on your parents doing the business. You have siblings and you exist, so you know they do it; but you hope you never have to witness it on accident. So, yeah, I have brothers, and I know they think about and do things, but I don't want to think about them thinking about or doing them."
Hermione laughed a bit and played with her drink, watching her reflection morph as she swirled the liquid around.
"It is a bit of a surprise, him not guarding the post from the other team. In fact last I thought he fancied you." Ginny sipped her Gillywater as Hermione picked at the chips.
"Was that ever doomed to fail!" Both girls laughed at this statement. "But you are really okay with him being gay? I would have thought wizards to be even more conservative than muggles."
"Nah, while it will take a bit of time getting used to it there isn't much to do but accept him the way he is. After all, Percy is the biggest prat in the world and we accept him. Besides, this is one of the things the wizarding world is less particular about. In fact many of the Greats were that way. Rumor is that not only was Merlin, but that Dumbledore is as well." Hermione almost choked on a chip at this last statement. In her rush to wash it down she grabbed Ginnys gillywater.
"Hey now, what's all that about!" Ginny protested the consumption of her drink.
"Sorry, it's just thinking about Dumbledore and sex…" Hermione shuddered a bit.
"Well, when you put it that way, it is always gross to think about old people sex, no matter the gender." Ginny stuck out her tongue and Hermione chuckled.
"No it's not just that, I talked to Dumbledore earlier this week and he was all, 'You and Draco should have coitus'," Hermione spoke the last part in her best Dumbledore impression, which while far off its mark was still pretty humorous.
"Shut up!" Ginny snickered while slapping the table. "Did he really say that?" At Hermione's nod Ginny laughed even harder. After a moment of sobering Ginny looked Hermione dead on and asked, "Why not? I mean he is gorgeous, and you are practically married anyway!"
"I don't know, it's all a bit much right now…" Hermione was once again in uncomfortable waters.
"Come on," Ginny insisted, "I saw the way you two were together the other day. " Ginny gave Hermione a sly smile as she sing-songed her next sentence. "You wanna kiss him, you want to touch him you wanna-"
"Ginny you're embarrassing me!' Hermione interrupted. She knew her face must be as red as her friend's hair. "Besides, I really don't know. While I admit he has been great to me, and I might-might-have feeling for him…it's all been too fast. Plus I can't tell you how many times he has lied to me about the status that comes with this bracelet!' Hermione shook her wrist to emphasize her point. "Then there is all this mess about a prophecy."
"Hmm," Ginny smiled at Hermione's protests. "Still, I think you should give him a chance, see what's there. After all, an old style magical wedding is so romantic."
"Yeah, right," Hermione snorted, causing another chip to lodge uncomfortably in her throat. Only this time, she picked up the right glass.
oOo
On the quidditch field Draco was trying to blow off some steam. He knew he should be focusing on the upcoming match against Gryffindor. It might be the first game of the year, but as a matter of pride it was the most important of the year. Still, he mind was distracted by how well Hermione avoided him this past week. He knew that any minute Graham was going to bench him if he couldn't attempt to stay focused. Sure enough the Slytherin captain was banking his way when Draco caught the sight of his father's owl headed straight for him. With deft hands he received the letter, ignoring Graham as he quickly read it. He waved off the bird and took off with no explanation to his team.
As the castle grew closer he heard Graham threaten to replace him with Harper if he didn't get back this instant. Draco couldn't care less about the game after reading the letter from his mother. He didn't care about the professors as they docked points for flying through the corridors. He didn't even care to explain anything to Snape as he dashed into the potions classroom and brazenly stole a vial from his head of house's desk. Once again he flew through the building, costing Slytherin a large amount of house points. None of that mattered to him as he sped across the grounds towards Hogsmede.
No amount of trepidation could prepare him for what he saw when he entered the Three Broomsticks. Lying on the floor with her robes sprawled under her, limbs convoluting erratically was Pansy. Above her was Hermione leaning in to kiss her. Shocked by the display, Draco watched as Hermione placed her hands on Pansy's chest, pumping them to some unknown rhythm.
"What are you doing!"
"CPR," came her quick reply as she repeated her earlier actions. "Muggle rescue technique."
"Again, are you even a witch?" Draco swore as he rushed forward and dropped onto his knees next to them. He was vaguely aware of the other wizards and witches in the room who were stunned as he was earlier.
"Witch, yes," she breathed as she continued to pump, "Mediwitch, no."
"Well, get off, whatever this muggle thing you are doing is not going to help." He tried to push Hermione away, but she stubbornly continued her ministrations.
"I'm not going to let someone die if I can help it!"
"I'm not suggesting you do that! She needs an antidote; don't you recognize the signs of bloodroot poison?" This stopped Hermione's actions.
"No," she scanned Pansy as the girl went through another spasm. Draco pulled Pansy close to him and uncorked the vial.
"That's my potions assignment!" Hermione said with recognition in her voice, her eyes reading her own handwriting. Moste Uncommon Poisons-Antidote: Hermione J. Granger, Seventh Year Gryffindor.
"Yes, I knew it would be best one to grab. Help me hold her still while I give it to her." Hermione complied, grabbing pansy's jerking shoulders.
"Please tell me it was at least graded before you took it," Hermione admonished the blond as he poured the liquid into Pansy's slack mouth.
"Does it really matter?" Draco knew the answer before he asked her, but chanced a quick smile as he did.
"No."
Pansy calmed drastically after ingesting the whole vial, but her temperature was still hot. The potion has saved her but she would still need medical attention. Crisis averted he relaxed and took Hermione's hand. That's when he noticed her own temperature was above normal and her fingers had a small twitch to them.
"Did you drink anything here?" He asked with a grim expression.
"She didn't," the She-Weasley interrupted, announcing her presence to Draco. "She was about to when we saw Pansy collapse." Draco was puzzled for a moment until he realized the answer was starring him in the face.
"The Seperare thing!"
"its C-P-R," Hermione corrected.
"Doesn't matter," Draco said dismissively. "When you put your mouth on hers you absorbed some of the poison.'
"So?" Ginny questioned, "Just give her some of the antidote and all is good."
"I can't! I only grabbed the one vial."
oOo
While Draco and Ginny were talking; Hermione registered she was having symptoms of something gone wrong. Along with the tremor in her hand her blood felt like it was beginning to simmer.
"I'll take her to the castle; you make sure the authorities know as much as possible when they arrive." Hermione heard the words come from Draco, but couldn't focus on his face, instead she vaguely observed the fact he was in his Quidditch uniform. Her attention was snapped into focus at his next words.
"Come on, we will get there faster if we fly." Hermione looked at his outstretched hand and blanched.
"No," She refused and took a step back. Her rejection was not strong as she wobbled when she moved. Logically she knew she would not be able to walk all the way, however her irrational-to her a very rational- fear of flying took precedent.
"Come on," he repeated, "We don't have time for this!" Without her permission he grabbed her, and next thing she knew she was soaring through the air, the ground retreating rapidly below her. "Hold on," he commanded gently. She screamed and closed her eyes, trying to block out most of the sensations. Behind her she felt Draco's hard chest, and around her like a cage his arms held her steady on the broom. Chancing a look she peeked opened her eyes. Hogwarts was right in front of them now, and rushing towards them on the ground was a dark flock of something. Through her blurry eyes she recognized them as her teachers. The broom that carried them began a sharp descend; Hermione wasn't sure if it was her broom-sickness or the poison but she felt herself fade into darkness once they touched the ground.
oOo
Hermione woke in the hospital wing to the sound of someone humming lightly. Turning her head to the source she saw platinum blond hair above sharp pale features. Her vision was still hazy as she sought out familiar grey eyes.
"Draco," She said with a smile. The blond snorted in a very un-Draco-like fashion, followed by a very bubbly and feminine laughter. Hermione rubbed her eyes as she saw blond hair lengthen into bright blue curls. Hermione knew instantly who she was looking at as the chin softened and the eyes turned a violent shade of purple.
"Tonks!"
"The one and only," Tonks gave a quick theatrical bow before returning to her seat. "I thought I would test a theory, turns out I was right." Hermione sat up, her sight now clear as she took in the older witch.
"And what theory would that be?" She questioned.
"Oh, I heard that you were poisoned because you fancied my little cousin." Tonks gave her a wide and toothy grin, "Well, more than fancy if the rumors are true."
"Tonks, that was very unfair, you could have just asked me!" Hermione slapped her playfully on the arm.
"Aw, where would the fun be in that?" Tonks laughed as she put her arm up to block Hermione's pillow.
"Seriously, not that I'm complaining," Hermione smiled as she settled back down into the creaky infirmary bed, "but what are you doing here?"
"Official business." Tonks straightened up, her demeanor becoming more serious followed by her features. The blue waves of hair straightened and darkened all at once, her eyes morphing to a deep mulberry purple. "I wasn't joking when I said you were poisoned."
"But I wasn't," Hermione insisted. "Pansy was, I was only affected because I tried to save her."
"That's only partially true," Tonks amended. "The poison was meant for you. Well, actually, they were both for you."
"Both?" Hermione echoed.
"Yeah, turns out you are a very popular lady among some nefarious people. Actually, only one of them is truly nefarious, the other is more along the lines of spiteful." Once again Tonks' looks shifted, this time returning to their lighter variations. "Pansy would have been fine if she had not also attempted to drug you. She was actually quite lucky that Aunt Sissy decided to warn Draco.
"Aunt Sissy?" Hermione wad once again repeating Tonks words, this time because how ridiculous the title sounded. The term was so informal that it didn't fit the stern Malfoy matriarch.
"Yeah, she hates to be called that so mum insists upon it." Tonks leaned back in her chair, propping her feet up on Hermione's cot. "Anyway, she sent a letter to Draco that sent him in a tizzy. I heard Slytherin lost five hundred house points or more when he tore through the halls for the antidote. Lucky for you and Pansy that Snape thought something might happen and put that potion into the syllabus. Double lucky for you that the old bat brought more antidotes along with him when he took off after Draco. I mean, you weren't too bad off, but it sure helped.
"Back to what I was saying about good ol' Aunt Sissy, she knew that Uncle Lucy," Hermione openly guffawed at this one, so Tonks said it again for extra measure, "Uncle Lucy was going to try and poison you. It's all in the letter. Says a bunch of fluff about how Draco's happiness is more important to her than her prejudices, especially since she knew Draco would never forgive her or his father if something were to actually happen to you. Some weird bit about a dress alteration at the end; and how she saw it as a sign that you were 'the one' or some rubbish. The letter is as good as a confession and we are brining Uncle Lucy in on attempted murder charges, the barman is also being charged as an accomplice. Pansy is getting off on a lesser charge- attempt to enchant in a lasting way.
"That brings us to now. I am here to watch over you for a bit as well as get your statement- paperwork is the bitch part of being an Auror. Moody is in Dumbledore's office collecting everyone else's right now; otherwise Draco would still be here. When it comes down to it little Drake is not such a bad kid, I can see he really cares about you."
Almost on cue the doors swung inward, revealing a very tired looking Draco. He cut a very dashing figure in his Quidditch uniform, the cloak discarded elsewhere. Their eyes met for a moment before he rushed forward.
"You're awake!" Draco breathed the words into her ear as she found herself in a near crushing hug.
"Yes, it looks like you saved me again." Hermione sighed contently as the embrace lessoned slowly as he extracted himself to sit by her. She had a feeling that he would have stayed glued to her side if Tonks had not cleared her throat.
"Cousin," Draco spoke formally as he greeted Tonks, his face stiff as he met her gaze. In Tonks-style she gave a upward nod of the head followed by a 'sup'. Hermione stifled a giggle as she could tell Draco didn't know how to really respond. His jaw set in a determined glower as he settled upon a request. "Do you mind giving us a minute?"
"Not at all," the Metamorphmagi said airily as she stood to leave. "I'll be back in a bit to get that statement." For the second time in the span of five minutes Hermione found herself in a warm hug, this time by Tonks. "Be easy on him and welcome to the family."
They waited until Tonks closed the door before turning to each other again. Draco once again pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly and pressing kisses onto her brow. As nice as it was to be held against his chest, he was overdue for a major ass chewing, so Hermione pushed him away.
"Can I start by saying I'm sorry and we skip straight to the part where make up? I missed you this last week…"Draco gave her a very hopeful smile, holding onto her hands in a steadfast refusal to let her go completely. Hermione frowned at him, her eyes dropping to trace the insignia on his uniform. "I suppose not. I really am sorry, for most of everything."
"Most of everything?" She questioned.
"Well, I'm not sorry for kissing you, or for this," He said as he hooked his finger onto her bracelet. The proximity between the matching set of jewelry set them alive and the snakes did a lazy lap around their wrists before becoming dormant once more.
"You should be sorry about that," Hermione retorted.
"Why?" Draco caught her chin with his hand, forcing her to look him in the eyes.
"Because you chose a mudblood," Hermione's voice was flat as she spoke and Draco hissed as he pulled air through his teeth.
"That's something regret saying, but only for my choice in words. I meant it when I said I wasn't thinking about blood status when I sent for the heirloom. The only thing I was thinking about was keeping you safe…and making you mine. Your amazing Hermione, I only wish that I had seen it sooner." He tried to lean in and kiss her, only for his lips to land on her cheek as she turned her head away.
"You don't mean that!" her words came out almost too forcefully. He ignored them as he reached for her again.
"But I do, I wouldn't be here if I didn't mean it." This time he was more successful, his kiss reaching its destined target on her mouth. She gave into the kiss, savoring the moment before withdrawing slightly. His breath tickled her lips as he breathed.
"Then why all the lies?" She stayed close as she whispered to him. "Every time you had the chance to tell me the truth you lied. Why?"
"Truthfully I was afraid. I was afraid if I told you the truth you would reject me. Here I was, discovering wheat Hogwarts had hidden for me in plain sight, and I thought if you knew what this relic did you would never agree to it. I had to keep you safe." He closed the gap between them once more. They were stuck in a limbo of push and pull.
"You were right," Hermione admitted and was struck by the hurt on his face. "I would not have agreed to enter a marriage based on connivance, even when the connivance is my own safety." Her words only seemed to compound his hurt.
"But it's more than that, I love you." Draco's admission hit her harder than the pain on his face. She wasn't prepared for that, she didn't know what to say. "Tell me you feel something too?" He pleaded.
"Draco, I wish I could," She started to say and he instantly began to pull away. She latched onto him, and this time it was her that kissed him. He was reluctant, his lips becoming as hard as stone. "Hear me out, I do feel something, but I don't know if it's love. Up until this school year we knew each other only as enemy and rival, and suddenly we are connected by a shared experience and magic. I need more than that. I need to know you before I can know what my feelings for you truly are."
"But you do know me," his voice came out as a soft whine, a pout blooming on his face. "I'm the same Draco I have always been, only better. What is really holding you back?"
Hermione traced the veins on the back of his hands, contemplating his question for a minute.
"When I look past the lies you told me I think about how we were used as pawns in this war, how we are probably going to continue being used." Draco scoffed at her words.
"We were always pawns in this war, only I just now realized this side has better assets." Hermione rolled her eyes and ignored his statement.
"Like I said, I feel like I barely know this side of you, this sweet and amazingly kind side. I would like to see more of it, to get to know you and give us a chance. But marriage? That's too big of a step for me right now. To be completely frank I'm not even sure if I could be physical with anyone at the moment. I need time to heal." Draco seemed to relax next to her once more. He smiled as he pulled her close.
"I'm not asking for more than you are willing to give. This right here is enough for me right now." They sat in silence for a moment before Hermione dared a question.
"Are you sure?" She snuggled in closer to him, soaking up the safety she felt in his embrace. He gave her a tight squeeze before responding.
"More than anything I am sure, and for so many reasons. You are more than worth the wait, besides there are things I need to do first." His silent understandings as well as his support made her feel so secure and unpressured. Most of their rushed relationship had been under so much pressure, and it was a relief for most of the weight to be lifted away. However she was curious,
"Oh yeah? What type of things?"
"Well to start, I need to finish my education. Once I leave this school I will be a man without just money, I will be without a name. It might seem like I would be better without the Malfoy name, but a wizard needs a way to provide for his family, and a name is a large part of that." Hermione's stomach did a flip followed by small butterflies as he said the word family. It spoke to the depths of his thoughts on the subject of their future together.
"You know the only part I care about is the part where you finish you education. In fact I know a certain muggleborn who can help you pass muggle studies." She meant the words to come off as light and teasing, but they came out more as a solemn promise. He smiled widely and it dawned on her that she agreeing to spend time with him, giving him a frequent chance to show himself to her. The thought of getting to know him over school work in study room three added to her growing butterflies.
"Secondly I plan on winning Slytherin the House Cup at least once before graduating Hogwarts. If Graham is willing to let me play, I plan to beat Gryffindor next Saturday. No, not only will I beat them, if I do you will cheer for me from the Slytherin bleachers for the remaining games."
"You wish!" She mocked him. It was funny how once all the uncertainties were out in the open how easy it was to slip back into their playful banter. "It will take a lot of luck for you to beat us!"
"No, as I say, luck has nothing to do with it, only Slytherin ambition!"
oOo
FIN!
Stay tuned for the epilogue, I know it feels like I'm leaving a few things hanging, but that is what epilogues are for. If there is something you really feel that I should have explained better, or explored more, remember this story is under review by a beta, giving me a last chance to refine this story to the best it can be. So go ahead and leave a review telling what was you felt was the most original, what parts you liked, what you think it could have done without, what you wanted more of, or just what's on your mind, and after the epilogue I will start posting the corrected conent.