Booyah!  Alright!  *high fives the dog*  Please don't do anything rash to force the two of them apart again. Please?  Please?

Oh....I think the *&it is finally going to hit the fan!  Are you accepting bribes for a quick update?It's about time Severus treats Hermione well too...dang I got goose bumps on that one. *winks

Hmm now this is an interesting development.  I wonder why her husband has suddenly come to call.  I am glad that so far Severus seems to have no remorse over the evening.  I am curious as Hermione did not appear to be much more ariculate during their love making than Miranda.  I thought that this might be a vast difference between the two.  Well Done. Irish

AH HA!  So is Antonio there at Miranda's request? or to check up on her?  Not that I think Severus will care, but I see Miranda as possibly wanting to use Severus to raise Antonio's jealous spirit.  And now that Hermione has staked her claim I don't think she will tolerate ANYTHING Miranda attempts.  Oh this is good.  Can't wait for more.  Thanks, JoAnne

So, was Miranda's calling out of Snape's name (in the previous chapter) symbolic of the relationship coming full circle and she is done with him?  Could it be that easy?  Nahhh - I doubt it.  I am going to assume that Miranda's husband showing up will give Hermione and Snape a chance to get comfortable with eachother and once he leaves, then Miranda will start the real trouble.  I assume we have not seen the last of her (as much I would it to be.).  Great chap - I really enjoyed it!

You rock!!  they made love and it was good!  Sunshine, roses and a seemingly happy Snape, Oh MY!!

Lovely, just lovely!  Wondering what Mr. Miranda's appearance bodes for the happy couple...  And, wondering if Miranda's going to finally back off now that Severus has "sacked" her... So many tantalizing questions! 

Yay! Severus and Hermione finally got together! Of course, I'm sure it won't be bunnies and rainbows from now on, especially now that Miranda's husband is here! Looking forward to more about that!

Am conflicted.  Love story; hate Miranda.  And what was wrong with Severus? Is Miranda up to something unpleasantly sinister and long-term?

First of all, thank you for the update, very well written as usual. I am puzzled though, why and when should this turn into a Hermione/Severus story? I guess I just don't find this Severus worth waiting for. He is emotionally week, he knows (or you write it as such) that Hermione is the one he wants, but he continue to bed Miranda, even though he actually don't like her, and don't trust her. There is very little strong and honourable with him, so he is starting to look less attractive, at least to me. Then again, it could be my idea of who Hermione is that is wrong. I have been thinking of her as a woman who wants someone to love them in the "to the death do us part" kind of way, and that doesn't make sense in this story. I am now leaning towards a Hermione who is a whole lot more like Miranda than I first imagined, someone who doesn't mind waiting for the man she wants, but not because of any childish idea of everlasting love, but because of sexual attraction. She wants him, but not for a everlasting relationship, and she have no problems with seeing both of them with someone else in the future. It must be either that or a Hermione who is presented so naive that she thinks that the only thing needed to turn Severus into a faithful, loving and trustworthy lover is the love of the rigth woman, and that said woman is her, he just hasn't discovered it yet. Nah, you cant make her that stupid? I'll go for the first option and enjoy the story as such. I loved the duel though, very impressive, both women made an impressive figure. I think Severus is wrong, or slow on uptake though; Miranda isn't trying to break him, she already have him "housebrooken". As strong a personality Miranda is, there is more a question why she still bothers with Severus though? He hardly seems like a challenge any more, and Miranda seems to be one who is attracted to challenges. I find that changing my view on the caracters makes me like them a lot more, even Miranda (for that matter, more Miranda than Hermione, since I have more admiration for a strong woman than I have for a doormat). I still would like to get more answears about who Miranda actually is though:-) Update again soon.

HUZZAH!!  50 pounds to the SLytherin!! 

Severus may think he has Miranda figured out, but I suspect that he is fighting a losing battle. She obviously has an ulterior motive in selecting him as her current paramour, and I am sure things are going to hit a sour note soon.

*waits anxiously for more Severus/Hermione action*

So... Sounds like Miranda's been broken?  I hope we find out more about her history, and I REALLY don't want Severus or Hermione to turn their back on her.  Hopefully, there will be no more obstacles between Severus and Hermione in the future!

What an eventful,  intriuging, and yes, even exciting, chapter!  Thank you for sharing this story.

Very interesting -- but why does she want this? Does she see him as the most notable challenge available, or does she have an ax to grind? I'm sure we'll find out in due time. Delightful to see Snape putting the pieces of the Miranda puzzle together.

Hmmm I wonder why, when he knows Miranda is trouble, he still 'keeps in contact'.  I guess it's a case of men being led bu their.....noses lol.

What a cold and calculating woman.  I think she may be related to the Dark Lord.  Well Done.  Irish

There must be something really wrong with me, because I'm starting to really like Miranda now, that duel scene with Hermione clinched it. I wish Hermione and her can work out their differences on the Snape front- and I don't mean in a threesome way, just a mature adult resolution. I'm still wondering why Hermione is so set on Severus. What makes him worth the wait? What does she think of his relationship with Miranda? Does she really have no doubt that he'll treat her differently than Miranda when they eventually get together? I mean he obviously has his good qualities as a friend and companion, but he has also shown how he can be quite a pig. How is she rationalizing his behavior to make it acceptable enough that she still wants a relationship with him?

Now that Severus knows Miranda's strategy, I hope that he can now form a plan to conquer said strategy. I really long to see her taken down several notches.

Ugh!  Could Severus not find a better way to get back at Miranda? Say, for example, terminating the convenient sex?  I'm very much enjoying the story, and must confess rather ashamedly that I am hoping the warning for murder means Miranda gets it.

Hmmm. I’m not sure what to think about this chapter. I
wonder if both women have been waiting to see if Severus was going to remain a pawn.
To continually succumb to the manipulations of Miranda's want and whim and
thereby be deemed an unworthy player, or would he realize the game and set his
own rules by which to play? Well, it would seem he hasn’t forgotten his ‘moves’
with the advent of ‘middle age’! Question
is what happens now that he’s in the dominant position? Will Miranda find the ‘take
charge’ Severus more of a challenge and play her game harder?

I’m also curious about what is going on between Hermione and
Miranda. Had Miranda pulled the same thing on Hermione that she was with
Severus, by belittling HG’s authority with the students and making Hermione
look like an incompetent? To what purpose … just because she could? Then
Hermione got Miranda in that duel with the Disarming Charm, thereby showing Miranda
she wasn’t to be pushed around. I don’t picture Hermione as the vindictive type,
but nor is she a pushover. She proved her point.

Originally, this rattled on a bit more, but second-guessing
an author on a WIP is an exercise in futility!

I'm not sure why, but the finish to this chapter makes me extremely uneasy. I have the distinct impression that the action we are seeing is not at all revealing of what is really going on here...Needless to say, you have completely drawn me in.  Great chapter. Excellent suspense! 

Great chapter, but I'm getting irritated that Severus cares for Hermione, but keeps sleeping with Miranda.  Look forward to reading how the relationships work out.

You describe Miranda, well, like a statue, but I would say a robot, with no life, no feeling, except at the end, when Severus guesses she's enslaving him in a way. I wonder what has made her that kind of woman. I have to conclude that she saw in Severus a powerful wizard she had to, needed to make hers in the most despicable meaning of the word.

I'm still puzzled by the fact that Severus feared for Hermione and thus carried on with Miranda. Did he fear that if he completely ditched her, she would harm the woman he's really attracted to?

What has Hermione guessed, or what does she know about Miranda, that she accepts to give Severus time, knowing he's attracted to her but carries on with a liaison that obviously doesn't satisfy him? She deserves better.

Wow, what an amazing and suspenseful chapter!  I hope Severus figures out soon what the deal is with Miranda.  I have an awfully bad feeling about this all for some reason...