Plasma?   But what about the red cells? :)

Another brilliant chapter.I love the banter between Snape and Hermione via Patronus.  And that it took Harry to make her realize that she fancies him. So funny.So much info here. I love a good mystery. This fic just keeps getting better.

i thought that ginny had already told hermione that theyre having a boy? but i digress.  i am so far tremendously enjoying this story.  :)  it is so far only the second 'snape is a vampire' fic that i've managed to read through the first chapter.

I like it very much up to now. Nice mystery/procedural. Thank you!

A conflagration even! :)

The missing Snape file is suspicious.:)

Snape needs a few allies. :)

Great chapter.  I loved the flirting between Hermione and Snape. I really like Charley in this story; we see so little of him in canon. And your portrayal of him is terrific- he's like a less volatile version of Ron with the way he is protective of Hermione and an affable friend/big brother. And he's no dummy--he recognizes the tenor between our two principles...As to the mystery, well, I have my suspicions about who the stalker is, but I'll wait for more clues. Let me just say that the perpetrator has unparalelled acess to Snape's office/classroom/etc.

Another fabulous chapter. The clues just get curiouser and curiouser. And I'm guessing that next time Snape wakes up with a boner, he won't have to think quite so hard for some imagery to finish it off with.

Ooops! I accidentally posted the following in the wrong spot after re-reading Chapter One. Sorry about that. I loved Severus' line: "Willful ignorance is a far greater crime than simply parroting the opinion of others.” So true. And it definitely applies to more than just the thoughtless students it was directed at. Several members of Hogwarts staff are just as guilty of such behavior. But I've noticed, IRL, that age does not necessarily denote wisdom.As for Hermione's Strix research, the memory I think she was reaching for was of the morning she and Harry went back for Snape's body, only to find a bloody owl. Was the owl really a Strix? The reference to metamorphosis suggests that the owl was someone in Animagus form... Severus? I'm also wondering if, as some had speculated was the case in canon, that Madam 'Pince' is really Madam Prince, and Severus' mother. And could they both be genetic Sanguinarians as well? Either could explain why Pince has an Incognito file at the MoM. But I'm wondering what is up with the sudden lull in Severus' "gifts"... is the person coming up with something big, or are they deliberately toying with his mind? Whatever the intention, what Severus is going through definitely qualifies as psychological torture. As if he hasn't been through enough of that sort of thing already! 

Well, much to ponder. Pince is acting weird, but I guess that's nothing new.But what's with Charlie? Does he like Hermione? And I love the way Snape and Hermione flirt with each other.The plot thickens.

This chapter was a little confusing, which is I think why I enjoyed it so much. My mind is whirling trying to figure out exactly what is happening. There are still so many pieces of the puzzle to figure out. Thanks for the update. Looking forward to more.

I loved Severus' line: "Willful ignorance is a far greater crime than simply parroting the opinion of others.” So true. And it definitely applies to more than just the thoughtless students it was directed at. Several members of Hogwarts staff are just as guilty of such behavior. But I've noticed, IRL, that age does not necessarily denote wisdom.As for Hermione's Strix research, the memory I think she was reaching for was of the morning she and Harry went back for Snape's body, only to find a bloody owl. Was the owl really a Strix? The reference to metamorphosis suggests that the owl was someone in Animagus form... Severus? I'm also wondering if, as some had speculated was the case in canon, that Madam 'Pince' is really Madam Prince, and Severus' mother. And could they both be genetic Sanguinarians as well? Either could explain why Pince has an Incognito file at the MoM. But I'm wondering what is up with the sudden lull in Severus' "gifts"... is the person coming up with something big, or are they deliberately toying with his mind? Whatever the intention, what Severus is going through definitely qualifies as psychological torture. As if he hasn't been through enough of that sort of thing already! 

excellent story so far.  I really am enjoying.  I'm glad someone is willing to stand up for Snape.I'm not sure Pavlovian repetition is the right thing to say here.  Pavlovian conditioning has to do with getting dogs to salivate when a bell is rung by giving them food and ringing a bell at the same time and then removing the bell.  What Hermione is doing is Operant conditioning, I believe.  She has walked through the same space many times even in the dark and she probably has bumped furniture in the past which would be a reinforcement of some sort.  She would increase her behavior toward taking a particular path that would help her avoid bumping furniture.  It helps that she lives alone because nobody is likely to move objects around which would cause her to run into or trip over them.Anyway, this is my perspective as a psychologist.  LOL.  If not for my training I'd ignore the "pavlovian" thing.

That was odd. Not the story, it's wonderful. What's up with Irma's file? and why didn't Charlie answer her question?

excellent chapter!  loved hermione's view of 19 years later and married to ron!  right on, woman!!  as the founding member of the ABR (anybody but ron) club i can appreciate it.  very intiguing plotting.  thanks so muchly!

Your characterizations are great. I can just *hear* the banter between Snape/Rickman and McGonagall/Smith ("Really, Severus, there’s no need to be so dramatic.”I've very intrigued as to where this story is going.

Each chapter gets better than the last.  This is one of the stories I most look forward to seeing updates on, because it gives me so much to think about!  I have several theories, but I don't feel I know enough yet to "make an arrest", so to speak.  Charlie is just too easy.  He wears his heart on his sleeve and makes no secret of his dislike for Severus.  Very unlikely he's the one, the way things stand right now.  Vector makes me raise an eyebrow or two... she saw the boar and immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was meant as a positive gift--"impressive", to use her words.  But she could be a red herring as well.  A third possibility is that it's Severus himself.  Under someone's control, perhaps--the controller is the true culprit, but is using Sev's body to carry out the deeds so that nothing can be traced back to him or her.  Finally, the owl!  What is up with the owl mentioned in the Prologue?  Now the owl droppings and abandoned cage in this chapter!  Is it that same owl?Finally, I absolutely love that Madam Pince has a secret high-security file at the Ministry!  You have taken a throw-away character and made her rock.  I cannot wait for the next chapter of this!

'Be very careful if you choose to proceed with production. They will certainly make you rich, but they might negate the next generation of little witches and wizards entirely.'LOL! :)

Hmm.  The plot thickens! :)

Mellors - good choice of name! :)

I suspect the Headmistress.  I don't recall if she officially knows about Severus' condition, but I'm thinking she doesn't, in which case her demonstrating this would be a way of her saying "I know about you".  Also, if she's *also* a vampire, then it could be some bizarre sort of mating ritual, or threat, or something.  She was too blase when she was called to his office, too dismissive, and she also cast out that "on the discretion of the Headmistress" a little too casually.  Especially if she's Headmistress, she's got a reason to be persnickety about not knowing about a serious condition of one of her staff members.  And it's got to be someone who would have reason to know where her staff are at all times, to know when it's safe to do something like that.Failing that, I suspect Charlie.  But that's kind of a long shot.LOVED the "in someone's deluded imagination" slap at the epilogue!!!Also, I know that Jo gave Dawlish his first name after John on PotterCast, and I have to say I detest him.  Are you modelling your Dawlish after him?  ;)

My dear, brilliant tale!  I am on the EDGE of my seat and wonder how many others think that 'ol' Seven the Headmistress is acting oddly...interesting thoughts she has on the tribute left to Severus not to mention HER protectiveness (?) of Severus in terms of his livlihood, etc.As for the RW/HG relationship, I also agree that JK dropped the ball.  While, I could see them as high school sweethearts, I can't see them lasting past graduation.  Ron isn't just set in his ways, he is MOLLYcoddled to the nth degree (pun most definitely intended!!)  Hermione needs someone strong enough to withstand her personality...I say this from experience...I was the 'know-it-all' and thank heavens I found someone who can stand up to me and be my equal...Again, wonderful job...I can't WAIT to read more!!

Hmmm.  This story grows curiouser and curiouser (and better and better).  It seems as if Snape may be the culprit here.  Could he be unconciously stalking himself?  I find the idea of Snape being a sanguinarian a bit odd on top of all of his other issues but I'm rolling with it.  It's fun trying to figure out why you decided to add this problem when he had enough issues to fill several volumes already. Anyway, this is a great story that has me deeply fascinated  - and impatient for more.

At this point, I am thinking that both Severus and his stalker are Sanguinarians and the offerings might represent the latter's attempt to 'woo' Severus. And, judging by what was done to Hermione's coat, I think the stalker sees Hermione as a both a rival and a potential threat. If the offerings are indeed part of a courtship, the stalker is likely also offended by their 'thoughtful' gifts being perceived as cause for a criminal investigation. BTW, I thought Hermione's words to Harry about why she decided to walk away from Ron made a lot of sense. Ron would always storm off and refuse to speak to them. But with Hermione, Ron also tended to go all out to deliberately hurt her any way he could. He didn't just use Lavender in sixth year, he also publicly mocked Hermione's enthusiasm for learning, such a big part of who Hermione is. Which, to me, means he could neither truly understand or respect her. Hermione did lash out at Ron at times... but never without prior provocation. While Ron had no problem using Hermione's brains to avoid doing his own work and improve his grades, he also seemed intimidated by her intelligence and was even openly derisive of Hermione's love of books and learning. I can't help but think that, if Ron and Hermione had actually gotten married, that Ron would have expected her to leave her books and dreams behind to become a proper Weasley wife by morphing into a younger version of his mum. Which is so not Hermione at all.Just in case I haven't already said so, I am enjoying every single chapter of this story very much. Bambu, you're one heckuva writer with a real gift for suspense!