Wow--what a story! I finally got around to finishing it. I love your deliciously well-crafted turns of phrase, Minerva and Severus' relationship, and the way everything insinuated itself into the cracks in canon to form a rather seamlessly integrated depiction of all the things Harry didn't see. And, of course, you had my undivided attention in your descriptions of Slughorn.
I also appreciate your portrayal of Slughorn--painfully human in all his little flaws and foibles (as well as his strengths), but not irredeemably self-centred or creepy as some authors write him.
"I sometimes wish that I could just stop it all and settle down and get really comfortable and really fat and have someone to share it all with..." Awww... (Ah well, at least there's the afterlife to look forward to!)
And, last but certainly not least, your picture: the sweeping curves of Slughorn's body juxtaposed with Dumbledore's spare frame provide quite a contrast, and I think that's the most awesome bed I have ever seen.
All-in-all, a lovely contribution to this exchange.