Author's Chapter Notes

1. I've a bit of Latin in Chapters Nine and Thirteen, so let me apologize to anyone who knows the rules for Latin words as I'm sure I've mangled it up. I've put a glossary here for those certain words that haven't come up before:

   (taint) inficio -ficere -feci -fectum (1) [to tinge , dye, stain; to steep, imbue]. (2) [to poison, taint, corrupt].

   (memory) excido (1) -cidere -cidi [to fall out , fall away, be lost]; of words, [to slip out unawares, escape]; of ideas, [to pass from memory or thought, be forgotten].

   (Obey) pareo -ere [to appear , become evident]. Transf. [to obey, give way to; to be subject to, serve (with dat.)]; partic. parens -entis, [obedient].

   (Power) dominatus -us m. [mastery , absolute power].

   (Restrain) teneo tenere tenui tentum [to hold; to possess , keep, preserve, maintain; to understand, grasp, know, remember; to contain, comprise]; milit. [to occupy, garrison; to master, restrain, keep back; to charm, delight, amuse]; intransit. [to keep on, persevere, persist, endure].

   baculum -i n. and baculus -i , m. [a staff, walking stick].

2. The title of Chapter Sixteen is a punned nod to a radio 'series' I never had frequent opportunity to listen to but which I enjoyed many years ago: Firesign Theatre. If Monty Python is your cup of tea then you'll quite likely find it amusing.

3. There is a carefully hidden D&D pun in Chapter Twenty-Four for the painful enjoyment of any gamers reading.

4. Chapter Thirty-One has shades of a Sandman-ish concept that sort of stuck its nose into my story, but it's not a crossover; Lord Morpheus won't be making any guest appearances. The songs I had in mind for the solos they play in the chapter were "Flow my tears" (I believe it's by John Lowland) for Severus, and "Coventry Carol" (by Loreena McKennitt) for Harry.

5. Those PBS and Sherlock Holmes knowledgeable may well recognize the good gentleman in the images from Chapter Thirty-Seven as Jeremy Brett, one of my favorite actors who portrayed Sherlock Holmes. I based the concept of Severus' father on his appearance and somewhat on his behavior as SH. Needless to say (or not needless but necessary), the images belong to people other than myself; I'm just borrowing them for creative reference; no money is being made here.

6. I put mention of Albert Camus' "The Fall" in Chapter Thirty-Eight as it was a novel I enjoyed and had some influence on me. Written from a very interesting narrative perspective and has lots of good ideas to chew on.

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