Pir8, when you posted that you were done writing Snape-centric stories, I couldn't help myself, I cried out: "NO!" and despaired. You write him so completly alive. This was before I had read this story. There is nothing like beginning a daunting workday, sitting in the spring sunshine, tears streaming down my face. As I approached the midpoint of your tale, I felt an "oh-oh" -- I am not going to get an easy, fantastic, hot Snape-gets-out-of-the-portrait-and-fucks-Harry-senseless giddy ride of fun. Oh, no, I could see you were going to address everything, make sense oout fo the whole mess of DH and everything leading up to it. For a while, I feared you would never have them make real contact. So, that was why I was weeping amid the pansies in the courtyard outside my office, when they finally rolled into that Slytherin four-poster, and I am now crying happy tears, and completely understand why you (might be) done... I throw roses at your feet.