Thanks for reviewing and for your observation about unfinished things. My answer is that I do have a plan, mostly. I have ”planted” several things that will be ”picked up” and explained later on in the story. I worry a bit, though, that the story is too slow and that you have to wait too long to get some answers and that the readers will get frustrated, or wonder, like you, if it will not lead anywhere… Maybe it is this thing with posting once a weak - maybe you would get another impression if you were to read the chapters in more rapid succession… Or maybe it is simply my inexperience as a writer - this is after all my first fanfiction story :-)  

The Acromantula paper will be brought up again in exactly three chapters from now. The incompetent healer will make a reappearance later on in the story, but in her case, like you said, my point is more to show that there are, also in real life, people around, even authorities, even professionals, who are incompetent and who make bad decisions and that you simply have to deal with, in some way or other. 

Thank you for appreciating the portrayal of the characters. I try not to make them too unidimensional. And I prefer, in this story, both Snape and Harry to be resourceful rather than helpless and broken, without acquiring that impersonal status of Super power wizards, however.

I see what you mean about the super powers. It’s not my intention to have a Superpower Harry in this story (I’m not particularly fond of that kind of character myself). The Animagus chapter was, I acknowledge, strictly speaking not exactly necessary for the plot, but it is hard, when you picture a scene in your head, not to indulge in writing it down and include it… I will defend myself by saying that even if Harry in this story is more studious than in canon and develops some new skills, I also try to take pains to show his shortcomings and his vulnerability. His Animagus form is a small insignificant snake, and he is very uncomfortable with it. It is interesting, in analogy with the Grief Swallower gift and in light of the accusation of parentage with Snape and Voldemort, to reflect over the powers of genetics and of environmental exposure, respectively. Harry is not genetically related to Voldemort (despite what Rita Skeeter tries to make out), but he has been exposed to the dark wizard’s influence during his lifetime and he cannot get away from that kind of heritage - he needs to learn to live with it. That was, more or less, what I was trying to imply in the chapter where Harry becomes an Animagus.