I'm so glad you enjoyed this! And the file I sent you -- it's been on my hard drive mocking me, albatross-like, for about four years.

I tend to see 2F/1S at the point at which XF canon and I just have to part company. Nothing that happens after that has ever made much sense to me, and in pretty much all my imagined universes, Alex gets Marita out. Or Jeffrey does. Or someone. As you say, gah.

Hermione is fun to write.