I'm sorry it has taken me some time to answer this. I wrote a huge long response the other night and then my crappy computer deleted it and I got too discouraged to do it again. Here's my second attempt. 

First of all, I would like to say thank you for the reviews! I love hearing from someone who is going through the whole story, especially for the first time. It really helps me to get a sense of where the reader has been and where I would like to take the reader with future chapters. Also, I know it takes a lot of effort to review every chapter, so I really appreciate that you would take the time to do so. I truly hope that I will continue to hear from you.

I am going to do my best to answer the questions that pertain to my intentions for writing something. There are some questions that I may not address because it is best for the story to reveal the answers as you go along. I have been asked about the Death Eaters' proximity to Hogwarts numerous times so I felt like I should explain my thinking at the time that I wrote this.

Bear in mind that the first 15 chapters of this story were written about 8 years ago, when I was about 15 years old. I was not as cynical as I am now, so it is possible that there are some events which require the suspension of disbelief. Believe me when I say that I put a lot of thought into everything, however, and tried to make it as realistic as possible... and also that I feel that the last half of the story is monumentally better than the first half (although some people argue with me on that point, haha, that the first part of the story is half of its charm). I hope you'll enjoy the work as a whole.

Thanks for listening to my rambling. Now, on to my explanation.

I believe that at the time of writing this story, I felt that it was entirely plausible that Voldemort would have a den of Death Eaters located close to Hogwarts. In my mind, it would have made it easier for Severus to travel to and from Hogwarts, and would have been located there intentionally with the purpose of gaining access to Harry Potter. You see, at the time when I wrote this, book 5 had just been released. The first four books contained numerous instances of Voldemort finding ways to Harry Potter that almost made you smack your head in disbelief that someone so wise as Dumbledore could have overlooked such obvious breaches in security. Year 1, Voldemort was stuck to the back of one of the Professor's heads and devouring Unicorn blood in the Forbidden Forest. What? Dumbledore, seriously? Year 2, a basilisk from a hidden chamber under the girl's lavatory was sneaking around the school and Tom Riddle was possessing one of the students. Huh? Year 3, Sirus Black somehow managed to infiltrate the school despite the heightened security, and then Harry was dragged through a secret passage under the Whomping Willow to a shack nearby, where the Pettigrew fiasco unfolded. Year 4, a Death Eater infiltrates the school disguised as a new professor, and the Triwizard Tournament is hijacked as a way to get Harry Potter to Voldemort. I think you see where I am going with this. In my mind, it seemed totally logical that the Death Eaters would now be lurking near the school, waiting and watching for yet another opportunity to get ahold of Harry Potter. 

Now, similarly, I think it seemed logical to me that Snape would not use too much magic in trying to get Harry Potter away from the school, because that seems like risky behavior that could lead Voldemort straight to them. And also, yes, Harry was beat up pretty badly and it might be unwise to use magic to move him. 

I hope that this somewhat answers your questions. Also, I hope that you will enjoy the rest of the story and perservere till the end! I'd love to hear your thoughts along the way. 

Thanks for reading! 

~G