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[Reviews - 104]

Smoke and Mirrors by JewelBurns

Summary: Sequel to The Choices We Made.

With Voldemort dead and Harry's cancer settling life should be returning to normal for Harry and Snape but things aren't always as they seem. Instead they find themselves challenged in new ways. When dangerous events start after Harry's return to Hogwarts can Snape figure out what's going on before they're torn apart again? HPSS mentor Healing/Coping This story is part of the series, Choices We Made Universe. The previous story in the series is The Choices We Made.

1. Birthday Plans by JewelBurns [Reviews - 3] (8208 words)

2. Accidental Magic by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (8168 words)

3. Quid Pro Quo by JewelBurns [Reviews - 3] (6778 words)

4. Malfoys' Interlude: The Beginning by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (5510 words)

This update will be a little unique in that it's almost a side story from the Snape and Harry POV. After the end of Choices, I asked for opinions on where to take the universe and was surprised when I received many people (across multiple platforms) asking for something about Draco and his side of this. My beta, French_Charlotte (her user name on ff.net and AO3 since she's not a member here), wrote a couple companion pieces over on AO3 during Choices that were unofficial; meaning they may not have fully fit in the universe, but were based on my story. To help accommodate the request for something from his POV, I asked her to write a couple chapters that are officially incorporated.

So what does this mean? There will be chapters collaborated between us, but fully written by her. Unlike her companion pieces, these are endorsed by me so that everything said or plotted fits into the universe and where I see this story going. The most important part to know is that you do not need to read these chapters to understand anything later in my story because (for example, this chapter explains a little more about Lucius's conversation with Snape from the last chapter) the storyline will be explained by Snape and/or Harry most likely before these chapters come out.

So why did I do it this way instead of adding a POV to my main story? First, I felt separating out the chapters would allow the reader to skip over the Malfoys' story if it wasn't of interest as I know his inclusion into Choices was a bit of a bold move, but needed because he ended up being such an important piece. I also feel his story is one that deserves telling. Second, I asked her to be the writer because I really wanted my focus to stay on Harry and Snape since that's ultimately what this fic is about. Third, I did not want to incorporate another POV as two is more than enough to try to keep track of, so separating it out gives a solid "this is different" message.

The summer months will see a lot of these chapters while the later months maybe more sporadic (offline I'm almost back to school!) because Draco really does have a lot going on over the summer. As I said, you don't need to read these chapters to understand the rest of the story and could choose to wait until the next update. I do foresee Draco having another important part in this fic as he and Harry come to terms with what they never expected to have to deal with.

I hope you like this addition to the story, and the extra context it gives our characters.

Disclaimer: This chapter was written by my beta French_Charlotte and reviewed by me for content and characterizations.

5. I'll Do Better by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (4727 words)

Quick note on this chapter just in case it's not clear, this takes place the same day (21/7/97) Snape went to see Lucius. The day ended up being split because I wanted to draw the importance to each chapter individually. It's also the reason why the chapter is a bit shorter than my usual chapter length.

Thank you to the readers who have left reviews! They are definitely appreciated!

6. Malfoys' Interlude: Narcissa's Story by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (5362 words)

Here's the next Malfoy Interlude chapter, this time set in Lucius's POV. Generally speaking, these chapters won't be every other and instead scattered throughout where it makes sense within the story, however for the beginning part of the summer (first 3 or 4 of these chapters) they do go every other because there's a lot happening offscreen and Harry and Draco apart it becomes necessary. As I said before, there is no relevant information to the plot of the main story that will only be in these chapters, but there will be information revealed before the main story since Harry and Snape won't find out a lot of it until they return to school. Similar to Choices, this story does have arcs and I should be finishing up the first arc (summertime) within the next week and then it will move into the school year where they will face a new and different set of challenges.

Disclaimer: This chapter was written by my beta French_Charlotte and reviewed by me for content and characterization.

7. Mill Drive by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (6736 words)

I've done some major plotting for this storyline over the weekend and it tipped this story to officially being non-compliant with Choice's epilogue. Like I said in chapter 1, I wasn't going to let the epilogue drive what happens in this fic, but now things will be happening that will definitely don't fit what was discussed/timeframe of the epilogue. I'm going to leave it in Choices as it is so that fic can stand on its own should someone want to stop there and have a nicely wrapped up ending.

8. Malfoys' Interlude: Draco's Secret by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (5883 words)

This Malfoys' Interlude is from Draco's POV.

9. Stay Strong by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (7462 words)

10. Malfoys' Interlude: Meet the Grangers by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (8669 words)

Just a heads up, this chapter goes back in time a little bit to the Saturday before Harry's birthday. It will also be the last chapter for the Malfoys for a bit as we start fleshing out the plots.

As always, thank you to everyone who is reading this story and especially those who are taking the time to leave a review!

Disclaimer: This chapter was written by my beta French_Charlotte and reviewed by me for content and characterizations

11. Uncovering the Pieces by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (7494 words)

12. Diagon Alley by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (9499 words)

13. The Witness by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (6743 words)

14. Malfoys' Interlude: The Transformation by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (9101 words)

Just a heads up on this chapter: it goes back in time from the regular story. It starts two days before the Diagon Alley attack and then finishes the day of the attack. Originally, the first section was going to be posted chronologically, but felt it made for a stronger storyline together instead.

Disclaimer: This chapter was written by my beta French_Charlotte and reviewed by me for content and characterization.

15. The Memory by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (7656 words)

16. We're Surviving by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (10643 words)

17. Malfoys' Interlude: Meet the Malfoys by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (6805 words)

Disclaimer: This chapter was written by my beta, French_Charlotte, and reviewed by me for content and characterization.

18. The Wedding by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (10261 words)

19. Return to Hogwarts by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (8255 words)

20. DMLE by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (7859 words)

21. Malfoys' Interlude: Lunch with Lucius by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (4492 words)

Disclaimer: This chapter is written by my beta, French_Charlotte, and reviewed by me for content and characterization.

22. The Teally-Frone by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (7819 words)

23. On The Hogwarts Express by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (8038 words)

24. Malfoys' Interlude: To Be a Slytherin by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (10773 words)

If you're not one to read the Malfoy chapters, I highly recommend this one. I still stand by my statement that you won't necessarily miss anything critical to the plots by skipping them, but in this case you'll get introduced to a new OC who will be significant to the storyline. By getting introduced early on (and from Draco's POV) you'll have a better understanding of her than when she gets introduced later from Harry and/or Snape's POV. There's also some other tidbits that might help give the later chapters a little more context because they'll reference a conversation Draco and Hermione have, as well as some of Ron's development.

Disclaimer: This chapter was written by French_Charlotte and reviewed by me for content and characterization. The OC introduced here belongs to her.

25. The Daily Prophet by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (9239 words)

26. The Aurors' Visit by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (9975 words)

27. Magical Core by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (10208 words)

28. Malfoys' Interlude: The Solicitor by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (7044 words)

Quick note: This chapter starts the morning of Harry's last chemotherapy from the end of the previous chapter and takes us on a bit of time jump in the overall storyline.

Disclaimer: This chapter was written by my beta French_Charlotte and reviewed by me for content and characterization.

29. The Ravenclaws by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (10219 words)

30. Hala Khatib by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (10190 words)

31. No. 7 Hillcrest Road by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (11299 words)

32. The Alarm by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (10426 words)

33. Vantage Point by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (10205 words)

This chapter is very appropriately named because there is more back/forth in the perspective as we get into the first major incident in the school. Unlike the Battle of Malfoy Manor in Choices, I decided to give both Snape and Harry's POV of the event concurrently. Because of that, the first part of the chapter does go back in time a bit as we get Harry's POV from the beginning of their night.

34. Malfoys' Interlude: A Malfoy Perspective by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (6931 words)

In case it wasn't obvious, this chapter will give Draco's perspective on the flood, so it will go back in time a bit to start.

Disclaimer: This chapter was written by French_Charlotte and reviewed by me for content and characterization.

35. Aftermath Part I by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (10227 words)

36. Aftermath Part II by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (10353 words)

37. Respite by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (8816 words)

38. DADA, Herbology, and Potions by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (9047 words)

39. The 11th of October by JewelBurns [Reviews - 2] (10253 words)

TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains a lot of heavy angst (as most of this universe has in the past) and discusses the seriousness of facing one's own mortality. There is also some heavy alcohol abuse in the later part. This chapter was intended to be a "pull the rug from under your feet" moment (as the last line of the previous chapter alluded to) and it definitely has that feel to it if you're not expecting it. Also, please don't hate me, I promise this is a necessary step for my final plot which, admittedly, you won't see for a while (but when you do, please remember this!)

40. The New Plan by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (10289 words)

ANGST WARNING: Although there's less of a "sucker punch" in this chapter, it still has a lot of angst and talks about facing one's mortality as Harry comes to a decision on if he should go through with treatment. I did a lot of research on cancer in the AYA (Adolescent/Young Adults) population and this reaction is unfortunately seen often in this age group. The combination of putting their life on hold during such an important life stage (friends, school, career choices), combined with the physical aspect of their body changing (hair and weight loss), and the feeling that their choices have been ripped away, typically hits them harder than the other groups. That being said, I am in no way claiming to be an expert on Harry's rollercoaster of reactions to it and this is only my interpretation of how my version of Harry would react.

41. Malfoys' Interlude: Check In with Cobb by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (3417 words)

A small chapter today after the last two angsty ones to give a check-in (as the title states) with Draco because he still has some major implications to the main plotlines.

Disclaimer: This chapter was written by my beta French_Charlotte and reviewed by me for content and characterizations.

42. Apothecary by JewelBurns [Reviews - 2] (8563 words)

43. The Ritual by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (9895 words)

44. It's Time by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (10362 words)

I feel the need to point out that this chapter deals with a lot of world building as it brings us into Harry and Snape's new environment for the next several chapters. I did a lot of research on adolescent oncology floors, so you should get a good visual, but as always there are times I need to make adjustments or changes to fit the storyline or timeline. I try to only take these creative liberties when I absolutely need to keep the plot progressing.

Disclaimer: The section at the end introduces some folklore and other magical theory. The details of the location and magical creature are not mine, but the object Snape studies, its effects, and creation is. Therefore, any overlap to other stories is purely coincidental.

45. The New Order by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (7626 words)

This one is intended to be a bit of recap of our plot points so far. I realized that back in Choices I always had the Order to fall to when I needed to summarize information or coordinate different character's ideas, and that's been missing here. This chapter was born because I figured if I needed a recap and I know the ending (plus the significance to all of these pieces), my readers probably do too. There's still more coming up, so hopefully this gives a nice view of where we're at so far in the non-medical plot.

You should also know that for the hospital chapters, in order to keep the word count manageable, the days don't always finish in the current chapter. Generally speaking, I try not to split days, but many of these scenes had so much information they did require it. This chapter, for example, is focused on the plot, and the next chapter will be back to the hospital with Harry finishing the same day.

46. Things to Consider by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (9597 words)

As a reminder, this still takes place Sunday the 19th after Harry's first day at the hospital picking up while Snape is at Hogwarts. Hopefully the transition worked out well enough to make sense without my reminder.

A bit of a disclaimer: There's a conversation in here about Harry's guardianship. I've really avoided referencing Harry's muggle guardians because I have no clue how that would have worked and in Choices most of my research was going into Leukemia and magical theory. I've done some basic research on it here, but didn't dive too much into it. For this, I'm using some creative liberties to allow for a good storyline.

47. Community by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (12105 words)

48. Family by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (8990 words)

49. The Bet by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (9296 words)

A couple of things before this chapter:

1. I know the last chapter said this one would be titled "The Mask", but I was chapter off. That's the next chapter's title

2. I've started to include a British Spell/Grammar check before it goes over to my beta for editing. You may notice some spelling changes in the next couple of chapters as I get used to it and start to trust its suggestions more and more

50. The Mask by JewelBurns [Reviews - 3] (9431 words)

51. Foundations by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (9332 words)

52. The Halloween Ball by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (9924 words)

53. What Now? by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (9708 words)

Disclaimer: There's mention of a landmark in this chapter - National Police Memorial in St. James's Park - which did not exist in 1997. Unfortunately, I didn't think to fact check it until after the NEXT chapter was written and by then changing it out would have caused too much delay for what it's worth, so I decided to stick with it.

54. The Unspeakable by JewelBurns [Reviews - 2] (9467 words)

Disclaimer: Again, the National Police Memorial in St James's Park wasn't built until 2005. Unfortunately I didn't think to fact check the date it until after this chapter was written and it's such a small detail I decided to leave it be.

55. Malfoys' Interlude: Azkaban Prison by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (3544 words)

Disclaimer: This chapter was written by my beta French_Charlotte and reviewed by me for content and characterizations.

56. Breaking Point by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (13341 words)

57. Dr Matthew Taylor by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (9221 words)

58. Finding Forgiveness by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (7868 words)

59. The Werewolf and The Metamorphmagus by JewelBurns [Reviews - 2] (7149 words)

60. Saving Draco by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (9999 words)

Disclaimer: The legal methodology used in this chapter and the next are based on the US legal system. I did not fact check it to the British system nor translate it to the backwards wizarding system. Honestly, there are more important details to check than this one, so I let it slide with a disclaimer.

61. Out By the Lake by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (8441 words)

62. Do You Believe in Magic? by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (9162 words)

63. Return of the Slytherin Prince by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (6869 words)

64. A Good Day by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (10501 words)

Disclaimer: After reviewing my outline for the end of the fic, based on the overall theme of what's coming up, I've decided to give Harry a bit of a pairing (slow, slow burn). By now, I'm sure you've realized romance is a central topic, and Harry has had his challenges with coming to terms on if he can balance a relationship with everything going on. I promise, it's a small part of the rest of the story, but it will add some depth to Harry's character by the end.

65. Quidditch by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (10564 words)

66. Felix Felicis by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (7147 words)

Sorry this update is extremely overdue. I got sick in December and am still struggling to recover. Due to some of the issues I've been facing, I've decided to change aspects of my writing process.

Going forward this will be the most edited my writing will get. I've decided to drop my beta step for now in order to limit the number of times I have to go back through a chapter. This will help me not get bogged down by some of the more technical parts of writing and focus on the actual words/storyline. I am still running it through three word editors, so hopefully most of the big things will get caught. As they do get beta'd I'll try to go back and update the edits

Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement and patience!

67. The Cave by JewelBurns [Reviews - 2] (8845 words)

For this chapter I always had planned to do a little plot update, so it worked out well that it falls after my little hiatus. I'm a visual person, so I went through and created the Chalkboard that you'll read about in the second scene. To see it, you can go to the following website: https://flic.kr/p/2ndPbiL

DISCLAIMER: In the last scene I reference the ingredients for the Wolfsbane Potion. I wasn't able to find any canon references to it, so I went with the ingredients discussed on this site: https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-ingredients-of-Wolfsbane-potions-and-how-are-they-made

68. The Post by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (8505 words)

Small disclaimer here: In this first scene Draco makes a comment about wanting to be a healer and not a mediwizard. In this, I'm assuming the "medi" is more like a nurse than a doctor. When I wrote it, it definitely rubbed me the wrong way so I wanted to make sure to point out (just in case) that these are his characters words/opinions, not my own. I have nothing but the most respect for nurses in our healthcare system. In my experiences, they are backbone in medicine.

69. Draco's Secret by JewelBurns [Reviews - 2] (8128 words)

There's a quote in the first scene that is an iconic movie quote but is different from the book. I used the movie version because it fit my purpose just a little better.

70. The Missive by JewelBurns [Reviews - 2] (7744 words)

71. Defense Against the Dark Arts by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (10020 words)

First, I'd to apologize for this chapter being a bit late. It's been written and edited for about a month now, but in light of the current events around the US (specifically how they relate to the subject of this chapter) I felt it best to delay it out of respect. While this chapter was always going to have a bit of a trigger warning, I chose to expand it to be more explicitly stated and added a disclaimer. Yet even after writing them, it still doesn't feel like enough. The warning below does contain a major spoiler for this chapter, so if you don't want to know ahead of time, you can skip this part. I ask that you please read the disclaimer copied at the bottom. Again, I'm trying really hard to be respectful given the current school violence events happening around my area.

First up, the Trigger Warning (Spoilers): This chapter has an act of violence in it that details an active school attack on students and teachers, which may be triggering for some readers.

Disclaimer: Under no circumstances was this written to mock, take advantage of, or make light of any school attack. My heart has been heavy thinking about the recent shootings around the US and I understand the timing of this chapter could not have been worse. Please know that this chapter has always been part of the original "things to happen" outline for Smoke and Mirrors. While the list has grown, shrunk, and been chronically rearranged several times, this one has stayed the same. Unfortunately, there has been too much groundwork laid out to move the event or change it without completely unravelling the end of this story. I'd also like to specify that I wrote the action sequence of the chapter at the beginning of May, before most of the events occurred around me. All of this to say, when I wrote it, never did I think something would happen so close to my subject of writing.

72. The Draugr by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (9244 words)

Just in case it's not completely obvious, this chapter spans two days, starting with the day of the attack. There is so much I could have explored with the attack and its aftermath, but I decided to stay focused on the parts related to the plot of this story, especially because this one ended up being so much longer than I expected.

73. Friendships by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (9638 words)

Disclaimer: As you may or may not know, French_Charlotte wrote several companion pieces for The Choices We Made over in AO3. But unlike her contributions here, while they follow the story well I did not consider them part of the story and aspects weren't added and/or mentioned. If you didn't read them (which I do recommend reading, especially Transfiguration Roulette from Draco's POV), then the information at the end of this chapter will be completely new to you. If you did read them, you'll recognize the family tree scene is similar to the one right after Transfiguration Roulette. The actual family tree is the same here, but I'm pretending that scene didn't happen since it's a fanfiction of fanfiction and this one is real one. The details on the family tree in this chapter belong to French_Charlotte, they just happen to be exactly what I need for my January work.

74. Death Eaters and Their Masks by JewelBurns [Reviews - 3] (8874 words)

75. The Half-Blood Prince by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (6169 words)

76. Meet the Family by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (10604 words)

77. Pencils, Puppies, and Magical Tattoos by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (8622 words)

Disclaimer: I didn't have the energy to research the magic in this chapter to my usual satisfaction, so there may be a bit of creative liberties taken or these may be canon things I am introducing as new. I took the tattoo idea from an area in Knockturn Alley in Universal Studios Orlando, so hopefully it's not too far-fetched.

Disclaimer #2: When I first started Choices and planned to do a sick Harry/cancer plot, I told myself I would never do any cliche hospital parties. I have learned throughout life that "never" is a very strong word. Since Christmas is my favorite time of year, and both me and Harry needed some joy in his life, I decided to incorporate a completely fluffy, fun, and festive event for Harry to attend. I know it's not so realistic, but my life needs a bit of happiness right now so here it is.

78. Return to Spinner's End by JewelBurns [Reviews - 4] (6840 words)

79. Harry's Magic by JewelBurns [Reviews - 3] (7479 words)

Disclaimer: The "Admonitor" referenced is from the Fantastic Beasts series. The part about how and why it is no longer used is my history of it.

80. There's a Girl at Spinner's End by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (7356 words)

81. A Surprise Visitor... or Two by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (7526 words)

TW: talk of minor character death (off-screen). Full disclaimer at the bottom to avoid spoilers.

82. Heavy Heart & BMT Arc by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (1292 words)

Hi Readers.

It's with a heavy heart that I write this :( I've decided that I need to step away from this story. While I have gotten some answers over the past few months and improving, I've come to the realization that I need to work my way back up to my usual level of work (reading, writing, exercising, etc). It's been a tough couple of years and I can't just jump back into the deep end of a 1million+ word universe.

Since I don't know when I'll be able to continue Smoke & Mirrors, and I hate to leave a work unfinished (especially when it is actually finished), I decided to post the rest of the story in the outline/schematic model I have for it. There are three arc left in the story and I've included everything I have to lead up to the reveal and the ending, including plot points, filler text for the scene, and all snippets of conversations I have for it right now. So below is the outline for the Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) arc separated out into the chapter format. Any quotes/conversations are bolded in italics.

The next chapter is the Last "Event" and the final reveal of the villian, and then the last one is The Cave arc which will make more sense after reading the reveal. The details get fewer with each section because I would typically fill things in as I get to each arc but it should still give a decent picture of what you would have been reading. Someday I do hope to come back to writing, so if you want to wait I don't suggest reading on.
Thank you all for your support and I hope this gives some closure to this story.

83. Last "Event" and Reveal Arc by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (836 words)

So this one takes a little different format since I didn't have the chapters planned out. I have sections that show what each main event would have been and it's written in more paragraph format which should make easier reading here.

84. The Cave Arc - Ending by JewelBurns [Reviews - 1] (509 words)

So this one is even thinner than the last one. The details get added it as I'm working on the previous arc so this one didn't get much to it, but I was very excited to get to write a cave scene. I've always wanted a cave exploration part and I thought this would be a perfect tie in to the fiance/girlfriend. I hope the reveal lived up to the loooong hype. Honestly, this fic grew into so much more than I ever expected and I enjoyed writing most of it, at least until my struggles. If it didn't live up, I just ask that you keep that feedback to yourself. I wouldn't usually care, but given my situation I really need to focus on my positives.