Ooh, thanks for the update! Strip twister? Oh THAT sounds fun!

i hate to say this but i think i've officially given up on this story....

Wonderful story!You are so close to finishing it as well.  I truly hope that it has not been abandoned; I hope that all is well with you.You are a magnificent writer and I really enjoyed this story.  Hopefully, you will grace us readers with another update soon...Thank you for posting this.

pizza!  definitely out of his element now!

He is really in deep trouble. And then he stands on her toes...

just wait until he sees the dance performed, he will freak!

so many layers, all the more for suspense

Oh dear, a tango in 16th century costume. Wonder what the 16th century types would have thought of that LOL

Edmund fainted! I really tried to feel sorry for him. Really. I loved the Slytherin bubble bath and that Severus showed up to save Hermione from Rancine. Looks like Severus really missed her. Suddenly the conference got a whole lot more interesting.

Nice to see Severus and Harry finding some common ground. It's not exactly bonding, but certainly conducive to civility.Severus' concern over Racine is more than justified, but perhaps forbidding her to go was not the way to go. I have to wonder just how a man of that background became the head of a department in a university. He'd best not put a foot out of line or Severus will be dealing with him!

Hermione smiled. "You can't get rid of me that easily."Severus's dark eyes burned with intensity. His voice was a whisper as his eyelids slowly slipped closed. "Thank god for small favors."Looks like Severus is loosening up a little. In spite of the damage to his pride, he is allowing Hermione to take care of him. It was delightful to see the closeness of the relationship between Poppy and Severus. It's nice to know that Poppy can give as good as she gets. Their little snarkfest was quite touching."You are awfully cocky for someone who is not sure where her next orgasm is coming from.""I've got a pretty good idea of where, it’s just the when that's a little fuzzy." Awwwww! They're so cute together.

I should like to formally request the one hundred and forty weekends off that I was entitled to but did not avail myself of.He may be in love, but he certainly hasn't lost his Slytherin edge! Apparently Minerva is a tough nut to crack if she still has some doubts.  All that horizontal practice does seem to be paying off in their dance lessons. I can't wait for the next wardrobe fitting.

They had a perfectly lovely weekend! They work well together in so many ways. I can imagine how lonely it's going to be for each of them until Wednesday. Hermione has a tough task ahead of her in finding a Master to apprentice under. Somehow I think Severus is going to have a lot of objections. I'm surprised she ended up with an actual list of names.

One young wizard, a Hogwarts graduate from last year, was flirting with Hermione; unaware his life was hanging in the balance.Oops! Looks like Severus has a new supply of potions ingredients.“Do you think we should tell him to lay in a supply of chocolate?” Always sound advice. I'm proud of Harry for thinking of it. I'm also sure he and Ron undoubtedly learned that lesson the hard way.Severus was undecided as to who he should kill first. Hermione for her attempted defense of his abilities. Potter for his childish comments or Weasley, on principle alone. Oh, oh, can I vote for Weasley on principal alone?!

Oh, no! Not the dreaded GGGS?! Whatever will they do? Perhaps more of what they'd been doing last night and this morning. Severus is quite the talented and innovative wizard. It's wonderful to see him feel at home somewhere other than his own quarters. "His eyes gleamed, his voice a whisper, “Will you shower with me, Hermione?”Well, there's a silly question!~Melts into a puddle of lust.~

Gee, I thought that Witchcraft was a beautiful restaurant. The Wizard's Choice is fabulous. Severus certainly does know how to sweep a girl off her feet. Their first night together more than lived up to any expectations. It was beyond the teasers for this chapter. It was quite simply...wow!

~Sighs and swoons dead away.~

Ah, looks like Hermione is the one showing the insecurity now.  The costume for Severus is looking good! Can't wait for the arrival of the codpiece. I love that you have Crookshanks demonstrating a fondness for Severus. It would have been interesting to develop Crooks in the books. Just a castoff remark about his reaction to the fake Moody and to Umbridge. If he had shown a fondness for Severus at Hogwarts, it would have been another lovely clue to his true loyalties. Well, you have both Hermione and me all tingley waiting for Friday's date. Beautiful teaser chapter.

The fates seem to be conspiring in Severus' favor for a change! Perhaps thing are looking up. The pendant is the perfect gift and one which cannot be misconstrued. It most assuredly says:I-care-deeply-for-you-but-have-a-difficult-time-communicating-to-you-these-emotions-so-please-accept-this-whatever-as-a-token-of-my-esteem-and-understand-I-will-try-to-express-my-feelings-at-sometime-in-the-future-if-at-all-possible. Minerva should be quite happy now, if she had any remainiing misgivings about his intentions. You put those to rest quite nicely.

Madame Pince has scored some juicy gossip for the biddies circuit. No doubt Ginny will put her straight quickly. The heart to heart between Harry and Hermione was both amusing and touching. Proof of a long and loyal friendship which has weathered far worse storms than this. It was almost jarring to have Severus exclude Hermione from his pain. However, the reality was not so much his pushing her away, as simply not having the slightest expectation that someone would want, and indeed expect, to help him. Hopefully Hermione has shown him just how helpful she can be when permitted.

Well, I guess that takes care of Harry! At least we can hope seeing is believing for him. Severus truly has it bad. Albus was quite right in pegging him as the fragile one. I'll trust Hermione's inate loyalty and deep concern for her friends to carry through even stronger with Severus. Now if they could just get a little uninterrupted time alone to relax. You have a wonderful ability to get inside Severus' head and make it quite believable. His soliloquies are my utmost favorite parts of each chapter. Well, that and those fabulous snogging scenes!

Well, go Ginny! I always liked that girl. Bless her for single-handedly taking on both Minerva and Harry. Severus and Hermione both deserve some happiness.

Witchcraft sounds like the perfect restaurant. There's nothing like Death By Chocolate to get one in the mood. Poor Severus does seem to be a bit jinxed when it comes to interruptions. The final scene was one of the sweetest I've read. Too bad Minerva couldn't read it. All her suspicions about his intentions would evaporate into thin air.

"If I were to worry about anyone getting hurt, I would think I should be worried about Severus, not Hermione." I totally agree with Albus on this. Severus is doing his best to sabotage himself at every turn. He's in a far more precarious position than Hermione.Not being called at all hours of the day and night to his possible death made a marked difference in his general health. I should think that would be an immense help to one's overall well-being! Poor Severus. And people complained he was bitter and moody. I can't imagine why...The dreams curled around his mind like wisps of smoke that floated back to him at odd times during the day.Beautiful imagery in that line. Only to be surpassed by the incredible imagery of the dance and following scene. That was truly amazing!

“Severus, this room is wonderful! If I had known you had a library like this, I might have made a play for you years ago.” There now. At least Severus knows there is one thing about him Hermione will always love! That should be reassuring. I get all warm and gooey every time Severus tells himself he wants a lasting relationship, not just a fling. Speaking of warm and gooey, I really need to make that bread and butter pudding. It's been ages since I've had any!

Wow! A full half point from each of those Slytherins! No wonder he's testy. Just the thing to allow him to work himself into a frenzy. It's very telling that he would want to reject her before she got the chance to reject him and very astute of Hermione to pick up on that. What a wonderfully touching hug and a perfect response to his confession. Healing Severus is going to be a very difficult, but extremely worthwhile project."Are you ready to work, partner?” Squeeee! I do believe we have reached common ground!

The morning sunlight streamed through her bedroom window giving new life to the dust bunnies hiding in the corners of the room.What a gorgeous way to say Hermione is a less than fastidious housekeeper! I've got a few dust bunnies that definitely have a life of their own. This is a very sweet transitional chapter. It's lovely to see them both anticipating the weekend, and not just for research possibilites. Well, at least not just for Wolfsbane research possibilities. Good to know that Ginny and Remus will be keeping tabs on them.