HOMG! Damn, that was brilliant! This was so incredibly well-written. I was immediately pulled into the fic and immersed headlong into the depths of some of the most clever storytelling it has been my privilege to read. The story gently unfolds into a gripping drama and the reader gets the sense of the passage of time while witnessing the change in the relationship between Snape and Harry. Your characterization was really spot-on and even your secondary characters were comfortably predictable in their reactions. (Omg, Minerva! We know who the real Headmaster is, indeed!)
And the dialogue! So few people seem to be able to believably write both Snape and Harry but you have Snape at his acerbic best and Harry at his unassuming and endearing cheekiest (Omg, is that even a word?).
The pacing was brilliant and your emotional range sublime. You had my emotions all over the place. I went from giggling into my teacup to gut-clenching turmoil and all of it was sandwiched between some of the most intense UST I've ever experienced. You had me at the first line and never let up until the end. Utterly brilliant. This is an instant classic.
Seriously, this entry makes me want to create a sock-puppet just so I can award you the straight 9's you deserve. *hugs*