Neither Shall Live
Yay, Clare, thank you so much for taking a chance on my story and leaving such wonderful comments!
I was going for harsh and intense, and it sounds like I succeeded. I too don't quite believe the happy ending from DH; there should be lingering adverse effects in the aftermath of war. I was also bothered by the way JKR dispatched Harry's Horcrux that never sat well with me. I finally realised it was something Hermione said, that the vessel the Horcrux is in has to be damaged beyond even magical repair. Harry remained alive after the A.K., so I think that piece of Voldemort's soul would stick around as well.
I'm so pleased that you thought this was written well. I'm still an inexperienced writer, so that affirmation is a nice ego boost. Thanks for letting me know that I was able to capture your attention the entire way. I hope it didn't scar too badly. ;)