Gaaaaaaah!! Evil cliffie!!!!

Finally!!!! I sure hope things will get better and better between the two of them...Poor Severus, he's all mixed up and insecure.  I'm happy to see Hermione knows her feelings about him and is helping Severus figure out his own. Let's hope he won't screw up. Great chappy.

 Lovely 'quiet' chapter, which seems to be a 'set up' for things to come. I found myself smiling at how Severus thought of a way to have a perfectly unsuspicious day-out with Poppy, under the disguise of 'collegiality'. Slytherin all the way! I doubt if Minerva has dismissed Severus' trip and her worries, but she knows better than to bother him with it. Nevertheless, I believe she keeps a keen eye on him and this situation and she may (want to) find anwers sooner or later.Haha, the Gamps seem omnipresent in Snape's life. Nice discussion also between Filius and him about the elder Gamp, his theories and his teaching. I can envision the discussion between Filius and epecially a somewhat more mature Minerva...formidable sparring partners! And as always, the depth of your magical theory, be it on potions, on charms, on transfiguration or on wands, amazes me. I find  it a bit painful that Sev is so cool towards Gareth, who doesn't deserve that, I feel. But then of course Severus wanted to be alone, to work on his rooms and to read, and now not only Filius interfered with him, but Gareth as well. So I can understand him, but still.... Fitting to see Severus' growth being reflected in his rooms now. That in turn should help him to become even less somber! Interesting and insightful thoughts about himself, in his time as a spy and then short after the war, when to be alive so unexpectedly was hard for him and then reflecting on his growth and changed attitude towards people. I like his refelctions a lot! Not needing to be the servant of his bitterness any longer!  It's also great to see him gaining confidence and believe he can be good for Poppy and that love, to be loved and to be in love is so meaning-giving And then the very engaging discussion between Filius and Snape about, let's say, the Deaths Dominion-developments and Snape acknowledging Filius' extraordinary sharp brain! Awesome also to see Filius trying to build Severus confidence in Poppy's love for him as well in how promising the relation between them is, regarding the factors that could intensify their bond. Oh, this is becoming such a long review, there is a lot to say here. Better round it off now...And: thanks as always for writing and sharing it with us! Looking forward to the next chapter!

Steamy stuff in this chapter and I LOVE IT!!!! I never thought I'd really enjoy a Severus/ Poppy fic but you have proven me wrong and happily so. tee hee.Their name game is getting interesting and I'd already be out of ideas for both of them. I'd need one of those baby naming books to help me, lol.And I loved the last bit, with Severus thinking in the long term about  himself and Poppy being together. That was so sweet and goes to show that he's in this for the long haul, not just a fling with Poppy. Yay!!!Thanks for the update!

yay! an update!! you've been so great this month! updating CSG and this one! I loved, loved this chapter!! it was amazing! I'm so curious about Poppy's name I want the game to end just so that I can know what it is lol. I don't know why I keep thinking greek names lol like Persephone, she was an awesome goddess lol. I really like it that they are getting along so well, it's so wonderful but I'm a bit worried that Severus might be going too fast and might scare Poppy away, I hope that never ever happens! thanks for updating so quickly, you are the best!I can't wait for more, I'm so very ansious about the attacks! and I miss Minerva lol. Sam

The man is a walking mass of confusion.  It's a good thing Hermione has confidence in herself.

Facing one fear after another.  He really made progress for one day.Gareth really did do him some good, even if it was rather surprising.  No, not surprising.  Shocking.  Still a little off balance over that one.

But...But...You've managed to surprise/shock/stun me.  You did kind of warn that Gareth might be quite liberal in his affections...Wow.This could complicate things, especially with Severus penchant for guilt and hair shirts.Goodness.

Gray trousers, garnet stick pins, and snakes on his braces.  Can a rose and a tango be far behind?*snicker*There is so much of this story that is bittersweet.  The smallest things that he's never had are so hard for him, even as he enjoys the thoughts behind them.

That was a nice party.  Maybe some year, Severus will get to the point where it is not so much a chore.Cute mistletoe charm.  I could use that one.

oh how the damaged have risen.  only to fall again at their own petty thoughts.  i hope he comes out of his funk and truly realizes exactly what it is that hermione feels for him.

“I got this pot in Amsterdam. . ."  lol sorry i couldnt help it.  i found this very amusing :Dim glad that severus is taking gareth's advice about showing hermione how much he likes her.  i actually wasnt expecting it to be quite so soon though.

that was very sensual and i found myself almost disappointed when nothing actually happened lol.

WOW!! That has to be one of the most sensitive, YET erotic things I have ever read. 

Reliving those memories for Severus' sake is a real demonstration of friendship.

Oh, that was hysterically funny, and sweet, and sad, too. It's a good thing one of them is an adult, at least. Poor Hermione is getting her first acknowledged date with the guy she has been crushing on for years, but she has to spend nearly the entire time managing him and his moods, so he doesn't spook and run, ruining things irretrievably. Lucky for her, she has spent half her life managing moody adolescent boys.Severus seems so at sea. He's gone from hardly even acknowledging his interest in her, even to himself, to wondering how long before he can get into her knickers. This is really fun. You need to kick your guests out so you can attend to our needs an post all the chapters, NOW.

Severus is really in uncharted territory.  Oh I do love seeing Snape out of his comfort zone.  Not that he's ever had a real zone in which he was actually comfortable.  Maybe in the dungeons.  Silly man imagining her with other people.  But he IS trying and trying very hard to do the right things.  It's awful he didn't get the chance to really go through all of these things when he was a bit younger so he'd have some idea what to expect.  I love this story.

It makes a lot of sense in the context of Severus' personality and history.  He would need to know for certain.

YESYESYES!  It seems like I've been waiting forever for Severus to make his move on Hermione.  I'm so happy they are moving forward. If only that damned internal monologue would STFU.  I know how he feels, mine gets pretty crazy sometimes too. I LOVELOVELOVEZZZ this line:"If after three dates, he could kiss her good-night, he wondered how many dates they would have to have before he could thrust his cock into her pussy;"It made me giggle.  I'd been thinking that through the whole date!!!(Please be the 4th, Please be the 4th...)BTW, Thanks for the quick update!

As cryptic as ever, our Firenze.I hope that Severus will find that blossoming in the spring.

An apology accompanied by 20 year old firewhisky.  That's sincere.  Insincere would be 20 day old firewhisky.

Changing quill colors?  What other radical notions will follow?

Francis Flint - a strange man when he was alive.  A strange man now that he's dead.Albus would make a wonderful Scarlet Pimpernel - just the right swash and buckle for it.I'm seeing Peter O'Toole as Lawrence of Arabia and Severus Snape.  kate Hepburn as Minerva and Amelia Earhardt.  Excellent choices!

Albus shouldn't change his beard too much, given that he has a special way with it that Minerva appreciates.

A nice light interlude with planning costumes and Draco committing to some major life changes.