I'm a little surprised that Severus didn't put two and two together when he heard that Hermione is the only living person who knows that the portraits have spied on him -- he's usually a litte quicker on the uptake than this.  (Then again, he's been a mite distracted of late -- romantic fantasies can do that to you.)  Can I assume that Neville is about to have it out with Hermione?

I am loving this story. I can't wait for the reveal of Grace as Hermione, but then I can't stand the thought of finishing the tale. What a quandry!I absolutely adore the line, 'Come to me before I perish from the love you are withholding." Just, unf.And I laughed out loud at the line, 'I've gone and ruined Severus Snape."Keep up the good work!!

So, is it Pansy or Ginny?  Cause I'm seriously doubting it's Severus that quickly.There are loads of clues in front of him, glaringly with the portrait incident.  How much longer is he going to take to figure it out?Looking forward to seeing what happens next!

'He's a closet romanticist' - LOL! OMG - so many one-liner zingers amidst all of this wonderful, succulent work... I love your capturing a real passionate clandestine chemistry between 'Grace' and Severus versus his attitude towards 'Hermione'... wonderful scenes with the portraits, in the Great Hall, the classroom, the letters, etc. Your Blaise - yum, also a closet romanticists, beautiful poetic prose he's laying on our girl to guilt trip her - those sneaky Slytherins, so misunderstood most of the time - but not here! Although something is still nagging me about him - can't quite put my finger on it... OK, everyone else is guessing about your cliffy-stranger - here's my knuts worth - Draco? Please update soon for all of the readers blood pressure to go down!

WHAT!!!!!I can't believe you!! you're such a bloody tease....IS IT HIM?IS HE ANGRY?IS HE EMBARASSED?IT CAN'T BE HIM, HE WAS JUST IN HIS CLASSROOM. AND HE WOULDN'T CALL HER HERMIONE GRANGER... WOULD HE?IS IT MALFOY?Congratulations to your little cook, and please tell us more

Once again an amazing chapter and once again an eviiiiiiiil cliffie.  But out masochistic sides love them so much!! At first I want the mystery whisperer to be Severus (and be done with it), but one other reviewer convinced me it must definitely be Ginny. Right? And Hermione running from the Hall so that the owl wouldn't swoop down on her: hilarious, though I doubt Severus would've noticed, being so happy and... erm... erect at the time.Congrats to your little one, but tell her now mum needs to keep writing that story for the bunch of addicts on the Internet . But seriously, wonderful update. I'm loving it so much.

First off, congratulations to the mini-masterchef!Second off, SQUEEE! As usual, a wonderfully entertaining, fun chapter. With a cliffhanger! How cruel is that? I do hope the next chapter will arrive soon. :)

Awesome for your kiddo!!!!  Congrats!  On to the chapter.  For being a spy, he's being awafully blind.  I know she's the last thing on his mind, but really.  And now I'm really curious to know who is hissing at Hermione.

2! and also 2! Come on, Severus, what does it add up to? I'll give you a hint, it's a whole number between 3 and 5, starting with a four, and ending with Hermione! There, that wasn't so difficult, was it?And as for you, sunny, please congratulate sunny jr. on my behalf, both for winning and for creating a wonderfully tasty sounding dish! I guess as a reason for being late, that gets you off the hook. My own son has transitioned from making pizza, including the crust, from scratch, to baking bread. All without a bread machine. He takes the dough in the bread pan with him to the basement, where his computers are, and keeps it down there with him while it rises, so that he can monitor it. It is kind of cute, sort of like a pet loaf of unbaked bread. But also a little disturbing. Which really does also describe my son. Anyway, I have read this chapter once so far and am, as usual, eagerly awaiting the next. But no pressure, eh?

Very good chapter, really looking forward to the unveil.  I hope he doesn't stick foot, knee and leg into this mouth....

Gah, I checked every day to see if you had updated and YAY  you made my week!  Eagerly waiting for crap to hit the fan, and hopefully they get their happy ever after - and maybe shag like bunnies? /pervAll these cliffies are killing us!!! Eagerly awaiting the next chapter.

Now who is the tease.  Hurry up and most more.  PLEASE..................................

AAAAAWWWUH! You and your bloody cliffies!

LOL at your chapter title. (I haven’t actually read the chapter yet, but I’ve been frantically checking for the update all week. And you go and post when I’m not looking. Off to read; real review to come.) I read the first half of the chapter and had to come back to make sure I rated (5 stars!) because I didn’t once and it breaks my heart to think a single chapter didn’t get that from me. By the way, I now need to excise a line (She’s ruined Snape!) from an unposted WIP of mine thanks to you. Back to reading! “What is he, blind or suffering from a massive case of denial?”

This line is made of So. Much. WIN!

Seriously, Severus Snape. Grace Herman and Hermione Granger are both privy to the same knowledge, and Granger actually attempted to protect you. Where’s your brain? Oh. That’s right. Carry on. And... ack! Please don’t let that be Neville about to challenge Hermione. Please, wonderful, gorgeous Sunny?

That chapter ending is worthy of a Slytherin.  You're evil stringing us out like that.  Or something.  Though, I'm going to guess it's Ginny.  Or maybe Draco, though he's unlikely to call her by her first name.  Neville doesn't seem like the hissing type, nor is he likely to use Hermione's full name.Overall, this is one of my favorite stories at present.  I look forward to your continuing it :)

You have an amateur chef at home too? My 11 y.o. wanted to pick that as a career, until the city paper came out with an article a few months ago with local chefs saying they wasted their schooling because they can't find good paying jobs. The Cordon Bleu school is empty down here, so they're thinking of closing it. Now my daughter wants to be a lawyer! LOL! I said "just make lots of $$ to pay for your school loans!" Well onto the review! I agree with Hermione. Severus must be in such deep denial - well, why wouldn't he? She's the last person he'd ever suspect; So annoying and seemingly prudish (though she's loosened up a ton with her newfound confidence) - that he's clueless. Though, now that I think of it, it's more a male genetic flaw - most men ARE clueless when it comes to things we women think are blatantly obvious! But I think once his brain catches up to his libido, he's going to be terribly shocked! I cannot wait till that day! Heehee!

Stop smiling, Severus; you’ll upset the first years. I’ve gone and ruined Severus Snape. I’ll go down in history as The Woman Who Desnarked the Snape. Slytherins will despair; Hufflepuffs will cry; Gryffindors will rejoice; and Ravenclaws probably won’t even notice. I spent so much time laughing at the funnies in this chapter that I had to go back and reread just to really take in the rest.I just want to beat Severus upside the head.  How can he be so obtuse?  Of course it is obvious to me since I am privy to Hermione's POV, but still, there are too many pieces here.  Of course, he is still not even considering that it could be a student.  I think that the fact that Hermione knows about his hobby and so does Grace, but they appear to be the only two people alive who do, has to clue him off a bit.  Or at least he has to know that Grace, whether teacher or student, resides in the castle.  Come on, buddy.Your Blaise is still adorable.  I'm not sure exactly what you did to him to make him so, but whats done is done.And in the end ... Neville?Congrats to your little Masterchef!  She won her competition, so now you can get back here and post the next chapter ASAP, right?

OMGosh WHO is it in the dark doorway? Egads!!!  I am so loving this story, and can't wait for more...I just hope Hermione will hurry and tell him WHO she is!!!WELL DONE!!!

you are a foul tease. 

Author's Response: I am.  I admit it. :D

I love this story!!!!

Umm. . . oops?

I do not have any more patience!!! LOL.  AGGG, the suspence is so overwhelming.

Snape in love, awwwww!"Oh, fuck. I’ve done it now. He’s in a good mood. I’ve gone and ruined Severus Snape."  -- oh noes!Hermione bloody Granger. Fucking marvellous. -- I so can't wait for the reveal!

Uh oh...what a way to leave it. Yikes!I look forward to seeing what Hermione has in terms of answers.  *giggle*Lovely!Thankyouforsharing~

You. Are. Killing. Me.Please put me (and Severus!) out of our misery soon, or I will explode in a cloud of dust. You don't want that on your conscious, do you?This is such a great fic. Sadistic, but fun!