You already know that I love this story to death. Excellent work! In fact, I've been thinking in terms of familiar-meta/Snarry Games-meta ever since I read it.
It strikes me yet again that you've created Snape as the perfect familiar for Harry. He's just so cool and black and prickly - in fact, funnily, the perfect Dragon, now I come to think of it.
Hmmm.
That led to thoughts about Hedwig. Poor little bird. She was nearly as temperamental as Snape. And she got killed in a way that was nearly as stupid as the way JKR killed Snape. But for all that she's the one more closely related to a phoenix, do you see resurrected!Hedwig fic? Nope. It's JKR's Dragons that keep getting brought back to life.
Makes you think, yeah? Go Dragons! ROOOAAAAAR!
Of course, that led to traitorous thoughts like 'I want resurrected!Hedwig fic...'