Here we are: a patchwork quilt of the future of Pawn to Queen!

On this-the-main-page, we have a rough outline of the rest of the story. There are links scattered throughout, and if you want more by way of spoilers than I'm giving, feel free to follow them.

The next chapter will be, of course, the long awaited, ahem, consummation. Chapter 30

After that comes, natch, the morning after, and owing in gigantic part to the level of conflicting feedback I've been getting, I'm having trouble settling on what constitutes exactly the right balance of "Awwwwww...." and "Oh, damn!" in S-and-H's reactions to waking up together. You can have a look at some of my rough drafts. A version of Chapter 31. And another version.

Of course, S-and-H, despite being the MC's, aren't the only folks around, so I'm giving a little air time to some of the other characters, like Claire and Michael. Chapter 35.

This is pushing the end of the school year, of course, so we'll have some of the usual stuff, the Leaving Feast, blah blah. I am definitely planning to leave this on an emotionally unfinished note for most of the characters, especially Hermione.

One character who may get to finish what she starts this year, though, is Blaise--- herein, a roughing-out of her... revenge... on dear Draco, from his POV. Chapter 32. (Warning: HORNY TEEN SLYTHERIN POWER PLAYS AHEAD-- on *both* sides of the coin, thanks kindly. Don't underestimate Draco, or Blaise. >VEG<)

The summer: Hermione is spending half of this at home with her parents; we shall see her trying to sort out, essentially, what to do... and the fact that the emotional rules change when magical power can balance out social power, as it were. That Snape being her teacher isn't the whole story, and that that wouldn't necessarily be true in the Muggle world. Possible more of Snape-and-DE's, ditto Blaise and her mother.

Second half of summer sees Hermione returning to Hogwarts, ostensibly to test the lycanthropy cure; and this is where things get messy again. Lupin, of course, is at Hogwarts, himself being the best test subject they have available; Harry has also stayed at Hogwarts for the summer, along with Lupin; Snape is there... and oh, guess who else? Yup--- Sirius Black. At which point we get his side of both the original Shrieking Shack incident and the business with Claws.

The fallout from the combination of these, ah, personalities, is going to lead to Hermione recognizing her power as strega during a confrontation between Severus and Sirius in which Hermione refuses to allow Sirius to characterize her as merely Snape's hapless victim. Yay her. >GRIN<

We will also see a meeting or two between Severus and Claudia ("Claws and Severus" and "The Pieces Fit") and a confrontation between Claws and Severus on the one hand... and Sirius. Somewhere in here, I intend to bring Bill Weasley into the story; like Grant ALX in Cyteen, his is the interesting role of the Sexy Redheaded Voice of Reason to Two Very Screwy Bright People Who Need to Be Friends. >snicker<

And that, boys and girls, is about all the "action", in the sense of zippy exciting plot-stuff, we are going to see until Hermione's seventh year. Fair warning. (I personally find "action" boring, and would much rather a book that has characters sitting around, well, being people, talking with each other... which is probably why Cyteen is my favorite book ever.)

Most of the sixth year will be taken up with Hermione, now strega in her own right, and Snape sorting out their feelings for each other... in the context of Snape's rebuilding of his friendship with Claws, and the longstanding friendships that Bill has maintained with both of them even during their feud. I see this group as sort of an odd, and mostly platonic (except for Bill and Claws, who have been and are lovers since their Hogwarts days) foursome of friends, all very bright, all with an assortment of bumps and bruises, finding their ways back to sanity together. We shall also see a proper reunion between Claire and Severus--- long, long story--- and Hermione's education as strega. I believe Misao was kind enough to include in the FAQ a discussion of how strega actually evolved as an historical construct, and this will be included here. We'll also learn about the three axes of strega's power and just how boundaried it really is.

Also at the this time we'll have subplots: to wit, QUIDDITCH. Sorry, but I love the game, and I've been looking forward for some time to the chance to write some Quidditch action. We shall see a Seeker's Challenge between Draco Malfoy and Catlin, and what the Slytherin team looks like when captained by a Teasdale instead of a Malfoy. And, oh yeah, Millie Bulstrode, who turns out to be a damn good Beater.

We may also see a relationship shift, in which Florian and Cho Chang begin to appreciate each other while Blaise and Draco emulate the old joke about porcupines mating. >GRIN< (And trust me, this plot bunny is driving me nuts, too, along with the one that really wants to make the Hermione-Severus-Claws-Bill foursome into something, ah, other than platonic. >snerk<)

At this time, Hermione and Blaise may begin an exploration into psychobiology, to wit, the house-elves. Enter Susan Teasdale, the twins' older sister, studying behavioral genetics at Kings' College, in London, under Robert Plomin (one of my personal heroes for his work on the nexus of nature and nurture in the formation of intelligence.) Herein follows some logical discussion of inheritance patterns of magical talent and environment versus genetics in the production thereof.

Anyone who thinks they're going to be bored is welcome to leave this corner of the fandom now; but please, for the love of all things holy, don't come whining to me later when I get around to writing this, complaining that you're bored, where's the action, sexual or otherwise, because I did warn you. This is the stuff that interests me, and I'm in the driver's seat. Shoo. >GRIN<

That's sixth year, with a little time off for Christmas carols (YAY the Trans-Siberian Orchestra!) and turkey dinner. >VEG< We may also meet the whole of the Teasdale family during the holidays. >GRIN<

Starting end-of-sixth-summer-after-sixth, the rough-and-tumble with the DE's starts up again. This is the part that frankly bores the skin off *me*; I much prefer psych adventures to any other sort. But there it be, culminating in an attempt by Voldie to do away with Harry, duh... and in which we shall encounter: Hermione's face-off with Lucius Malfoy; a meeting of strega and a rather interesting side effect of the confluence of multiple stregas' moiras; a most peculiar prophecy; the real Lily Evans, ghost and mother; Aurors with Uzis; and possibly Ron Weasley driving a tank. (Yup, you did read that.)

This will take place somewhat before Christmas, allowing the wizarding world, minus the DE's, to celebrate both their victory over the Dark and the holidays all at once. Herein we shall find: a confrontation between Snape and his mother, with Hermione playing referee; Arthur Weasley, colonialist Minister of Magic, and a debate among him and Claire and Bea about ethical Muggle/magical relations; some secrets of the respective (and wholly separate!) pasts of Minerva McGonagall and Percy Weasley; Allegra Teasdale, Gryffindor sister to Claws, Susan and the twins, and drummer for the Weird Sisters; and a fancy-dress ball.

The last two terms of the school year involve a sort of winding-down, for everyone--- the fallout from Voldemort's demise (not saying how, but it won't be what you'll expect!) and generally Hermione and the gang deciding what to do with the rest of their lives. And, of course, the last train ride from Hogwarts.

I have a vague notion of adding some kind of epilogue after that, involving Hermione and Snape meeting as adults... but you know, in my heart of hearts, I kind of like leaving it there. To quote Martha Grimes' wonderful Hotel Paradise, "Another page, another mystery.... You either drift out in a leaky boat, or you turn the page." And maybe it's time to turn the page, and let each of you decide in your own minds where they go from there.