Thank you very much! And hooray for Melbourne!!! :) I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

Thank you very much! I'm glad they're back speaking again, too. It's much more fun for me ;)If I remember rightly, Hermione found out about Tracey's project waaaaay back in chapter 11 . . .Thanks again for the review.

Oh, I'm glad you liked it! I really like the character of SS as left to us by JKR; he's such an intriguing mixture of contrasts--one of which being that he's both tightly controlled enough to fool the Dark Lord and perform as the consumate spy, yet impulsive enough to have sworn alliegance to both sides, to lose it over Potter over and over again, to call Lily names when he was humiliated in public, and then stay out all night opposite the Fat Lady's portrait in an attempt to apologise to her. I said in my response to beaweasley2 below, that I was thinking about the fact that though both HG and SS had terrible fights with their friends during school, only HG had any experience of forgiveness.Thanks for the review :)

Why, thank you! (What a thoroughly satisfying review):)

Thank you very much! Minerva's spying capabilities are implied in the very first HP book; I'm surprised that JKR didn't make more of it.Thanks again for the review. :)

Well, I was going to have her knee him in the balls, but sinbad suggested that was a) a bit cliched and b) something that men prepare for/are aware of, so she suggested a knee to the torso itself. She even reenacted the scenario with her husband just to be sure it was physically possible.I'm glad that you liked Severus' apology; I thought Hermione deserved something a little more intense than a simple sorry, even though she thought he was being over-the-top in his response.Thanks, as always, for such a nice review :)

Me, too! Ha ha. I'm glad you like it. :)Thanks for the review.

Why, thank you! :) I'm glad that you like it. Poor Severus indeed.

Thank you very much! I'm glad that you enjoyed it--I certainly enjoyed writing it. :)

Hmm, I imagine him as having a basic competence with the graphs and calculations, but not the kind of immediate comprehension and fine detail comprehension that Vector (and eventually Hermione) would have.Before I wrote the apology scene I was thinking about what we know about both of them and their experience with friendship and arguments. I realised that though they'd both had terrible arguments with their best friends, Hermione was really the only one who had forgiven and been forgiven. I kind of thought that Severus might need to know he was forgiven in order to properly apologise, but that the idea of forgiveness would blow him away.Okay, I'm writing a dissertation, I'd better stop. I'm glad you liked the chapter! :)

I really like how you put that.

Thank you, thank you! I love strong women, too. Even writing a damsel-in-distress scene, I needed to have Hermione do pretty much most of it for herself.Hermione deserved a decent apology, too. I don't think Severus necessarily thinks her a schmuck, but I do think he was astounded that she would even consider it.Thanks again for the review! :)

Vector is almost, but not entirely, omniscient. Plus, she's emotionally smart enough to see some things that are not in her calculations. I think of her as a kind of anti-Dumbledore . . . and, I guess, an anti-Snape (in a good way to both of them).I see that you've already reviewed the next chapter, so I need not string you along re the guess of who grabbed her . . .Thanks for the review! :)

Thank you for such a lovely review! :) I'm beaming with delight . . . I knew the title of the chapter was a little oblique, but I think it makes a kind of sense of its own by the end, even if it's the opposite of what the phrase is usually intended to mean.I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story. :) Thanks again for the review.

Hurray! :) I'm glad you liked Snape's slightly overwraught responses to life! :)Thanks for the review.

I'm glad you're glad! She definitely needed it.Thanks for the review, the next chapter should appear very very soon.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! *bows deeply*I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

You'll have to wait to see what the calculations bring . . . ;)I'm sure Vector would notice them if she showed them to her, but if she does it in her free time? Again, only time will tell . . . Thanks for the review.

Hmm, yes. I wonder what Snape will do. Well, actually, I know what he'll do . . . and you will find out as soon as the next chapter makes it through the queue! :)And I totally agree with your comments regarding Hermione & Marietta. Word.Thanks for such a thoughtful review.

Thank you, yet again! :) It was fun to imagine something more exciting than dentist=staid for Hermione's family. I'm loving writing this story almost as much as I love reading my reviews ;)

Thank you! He couldn't have been the Triwizard champion if he didn't have something between his ears. :) Thanks for the review.

Yeah, I think that lesson is going to reveal quite a bit . . . ;)I'm glad that the HG/VK interlude was palatable! Thanks for the review. :)

Thank you! More is on the way :)

Regarding the Hermione not being out to Liza, I just meant to draw a parallel between homosexuality--as something about oneself that you may or may not tell friends and relatives, and which some people would make judgements on--and magical ability. That is, that Hermione hadn't told Liza she was a witch, thus when Liza asked Krum what he did for a living, Hermione was worried that his lie would backfire.I'm glad you enjoyed the update! Thanks for the review.

I'm glad you approve! After all, they seemed quite happy for Hermione to head off to boarding school in a magical world that they themselves could never be part of; they have to be permissive to some extent.

High praise, indeed! Thank you! I thought Hermione deserved a special Christmas gift to make up for how much of an arse Ron was to her for most of the term ;)

HA.  SO true.  I'm just absolutely bouncing with glee every time I see one of your updates!  I am SO glad you said the next one is coming soon!

As of this writing, the next chapter is sitting in position no. 10--which isn't very far from the front of the queue :) Now you're the one who's left me bouncing with glee :)