Yay! An update! This one was great. I love Hermione's attempt at a sex game. :) Now I see what you mean about her being sheltered and naive. I look forward to the next one!

Agh!  My teeth!  They're rotting from all the sugar! :)  Just kidding - it was a wonderful, delicious  sweetness. Love seeing the boys so happy and in love.

 I read this when it was first posted but I just stumbled across it and had to read it again.  It's so beautiful and sad - bittersweet, but the ending was definitely sweet.  I like your idea of the afterlife - the choices and the ability to be with the ones you love in places that you love.  Gah!  You had my crying at my desk at work.  It reminded me of a combination of Field of Dreams (with the Quidditch Pitch, when he sees his father walking across the field, looking young and vibrant) and Somewhere in Time.  

Very beautifully done! I normally don't read cross-overs, but I was amused by your tie-ins with Star Trek and had to laugh as the idea of Harry in Star Fleet. I was upset that they had to die in the first reading (my husband couldn't figure out why I was sitting at my computer and crying) - I thought it was a bit rash, too quickly decided, and wondered why should they die when they had just gotten back together? (Why? Why now? There's more lovely sex to be had!) But in a re-read, I saw just how weary they were and how much they needed to rest. They weren't teenagers making a hasty romantic choice, they were perhaps truly ready to go. And hopefully this fictional world has an afterlife where they could truly live together forever. Ah, I love the bittersweet! (And the lovely smut was nice!)

Author's Response:

<i>(Why? Why now? There's more lovely sex to be had!)</i>

Very good point, there!  I can completely understand your initial impression that Ron & Harry made a rather hasty decision.  I'm so amazed that you read the story again, and picked up on my theme that they both had seen enough, and were quite tired of living in a far flung future.  Heh!  I'm glad the ST stuff didn't short circuit the story.  And just think of how may hundreds, or perhaps thousands of people Ron helped in his very long life...they both knew the patterns would keep repeating, and they were together, finally, at the end, facing their transition into the next incarnation, wrapped in each other's arms.   Thanks so much for reading, and for taking the time to leave a review!  Peace! 

I just found this and think it's amazing. Great combination of sci fi, fantasy and good old R/H slash/smut. I love the imagery you use to describe the apolyptic future, future technology, and life back in 2004. Did the future Harry know that Harry would ignore his warnings? Did he think that the past Harry could fix things? Evocative story!

Author's Response:

Oh my...need to check my notification thingos...  Thank you so much...I'm thrilled you got into this.  I adore alternate realities/time paradox stories...glad it worked!  I've a feeling future!Harry hoped our Harry would ignore his warnings and attempt to change the future...

I so appreciate your wonderful comments...truly! 

Good chapter. Some random observations: It’s interesting how Hermione viewed Harry as a big brother, when she’s almost a year older than him and more advanced academically. But I guess that just shows his leadership style – especially in the way you wrote him in the first chapter. How horrible that she was abducted when she was in the middle of fantasizing about Ron – a foreshadowing of the horrors to come!

You don’t see a lot of stories that show them so many years down the road without having defeated Voldemort. They’re not out on a Horcrux hunt or dealing with constant battles of war, they’re working for the Ministry – within the system – to defeat him. Interesting approach.

“Hermione— Please don’t make me leave here with you angry with me. I care too much for you to… to…” Ron had trailed off, unable to find the right words. .... “Please be careful on your patrol this afternoon - you know I worry about you.” Because I love you… no, definitely cannot tell him THAT… can’t make him feel uncomfortable.

Oh, they both love each other and can’t tell the other!

I love how she just keeps fighting – trying to find a way out. She’s not a helpless heroine, but she knows that her boys will find her!


Author's Response:

Hi Beth!  Thanks again for reading and reviewing- it's truly appreciated!  :o)

Yeah, I know that Hermione is older than Harry and in some ways, I think she really does see herself as his older sister- needing to protect him and be responsible for his wellbeing.  On the other hand, I feel like she wants to impress him and feel safe with him, very much like a younger sister and her brother.  And, being only children, I think it's easy for me to see the sibling dynamic that they've created for themselves. 

I was a bit conflicted about having them be several years out and not have defeated Voldemort, but thought it was at least a possibility that they wouldn't get everything wrapped up quickly. 

I'm glad the angst is working for you- there's a lot more of that to come.  There's more development of the R/Hr relationships, but it's going to be moving a bit slowly during this fic- it will pick up in the follow-up piece.  Thanks again for the awesome review!

*sweet southern mint iced tea for you*

Very intense chapter! I love how Ron is her home and her center, and how she can rise above the pain of the cruciatus by focusing on him. Scary, though. So is Ron just in her mind? Or his actual body that’s coming through?

Author's Response:

Hi Beth!  Wow, thanks so much for reviewing!!  I really do feel like Ron is the person who keeps her grounded and energized.  At this point in the fic, the connection is a primarily a psychic connection- just their minds/hearts/souls.  As the fic progresses and Hermione is more in control of the spell, then the connection is a real bodily connection.  Thanks for asking!

*Jamaica Me Crazy (Ben and Jerry's sorbet) for you*

Aww, this was a sweet, if still torturous, chapter. Finally some hope! Interesting that she wants to protect Ron and keep him pure. They just want to protect each other. But her blocking him out for so long was torturing him too since he didn’t know if she was alive or not.

She mentioned needing 10 years of therapy, which makes me wonder if they have a magical form of therapy – like using the pensieve or a potion to help them process or forget key elements of their torture.

Now I see why she was able to orgasm so easily – she’s naturally responsive. I read what you said about some women, but it seemed to implausible.

Another great chapter, Risie!


Author's Response:

Hi again, Beth!  It's so nice to have your thoughts and comments about the chapter- thank you so much for taking the time to do that.  It truly it appreciated so, so much! 

I actually have a few ideas about the different ways that magical therapy could work, and I'm going to be writing about some of them in the follow-up fic for this piece.  I'd love your thoughts (I'll email you about it) on this dimension!

Oh, the part about being naturally responsive- maybe I should add that to me A/N for the chapter, because other people may not be quite seeing what I'm talking about either until they get to this chapter.  Thanks for the heads-up on that!

*mango-pineapple smoothie for you*