Oh, wow, what a wonderful idea! I never really understood how the portraits visit each other, but now it's very clear to me.  I like the thought that they have to catch up with their own lives and death, and how Minerva approaches it. Now, Minerva, sit down and verify that your chair is comfortable--passed headmistresses have to sleep in them a lot!

Wow. I was guessing she had passed, but I didn't expect this to be from the perspective you ended with.  I love this.

I absolutely adore your stories of Minerva and her compatriots.  I dont' think I've ever read one of them and faliled to be impressed by your wit and wisdom.  You're so damned good at this!!!Beth

A little glimpse into a world we seldom see.

Beautiful, so very beautiful! Touching and painful, undeniably of course, when finding out what happened to our 'beloved and admired' Minerva. And then the very befitting (both somewhat chilling and peaceful) calmness this story breathes, in spite of Minerva's bewilderment.Love your other characters in this, Snape in the first place: how they're understanding her feelings and softly try to goad her to understanding. Snape wanting a chair painted, haha, what a wonderful way of writing about death and portraits. The little private rooms, behinds so many doors. Very inventive.Love Minerva's observations also, sharp and somewhat wry as ever...the unusual purple velvet hug; being called Minnie and what that could mean; exasperation versus fear; the feeling of rightness and much more. I think the tone and pacing you've given this story, perfectly befit it, lift it up. Though I find it difficult to find the right words: the tone...the tone is such a vital part here, a different tone and pace may have entirely changed the story and probably would have made it quite a bit more hard to believe in it (as I oddly find it perfectly believable, as it is), if this makes any sense. I simply admire how you've so perfectly captured this extraordinary situation.Just a few of the lines I especially loved:Closing her eyes, Minerva wills herself into calmness. She'll be of no use to anyone if she panics, and in any case, she makes a point of not being the panicky sort.Useful and respectable choice, Min! :-)Or rather, tries to shift to her cat form. But, for almost the first time since she became an animagus, she finds herself unable to transform. She tries again immediately. An animagus change is a mental shift before it's a physical one, but over-thinking is never helpful. The steps have long been automatic to her... see...smell...feel...BE...  Interesting!"Minerva!" His shock shows clearly on his face, followed, just briefly, by a flash of something — sadness? pleasure? (with Severus, one can't always tell the difference) — and Minerva is surprised. Except for his calculated sneer, Severus usually keeps his face as stony as the wall at his back; despite the fact that they have become something like friends over the years, he rarely allows her or anyone else a glimpse into his real feelings. Tells so much about him, but I believe this line also tells Minerva and Severus were no lovers, in the 'backstory' of this fic? The strangeness of it, added to the fear and anxiety of this night, are all at once too much for Minerva, and she channels them into anger. Channeling vulnerability into anger...shoud help one to get far in the world :-) "And when exactly am I supposed to do that? In those rare half-seconds when you stop to take a breath?" The sarcasm reassures Minerva slightly; things can't be too dire if Severus is taking time to indulge his temper.Great lines and both so much in character, with their sharp analytical wit.This was not the first time I've read, and possibly commented on, this story - perhaps it was on LJ - but it touched and drew me in again! :-)Thank you Kellyiselima on LJ