Um, sorry - in two parts! "A game, to make up for one silly bump on the head." … Severus shrugged. "I'm fond of the grand gesture." Yes. Yes, he is, which in this case is not merely a gesture, but a gift. A perfect gift for a Ravenclaw. And a way for Filius to revisit his relationship with Severus for months, possibly years, hereafter.
When "To watch you sleep?" echoed their earlier banter:
"I suppose you're watching me sleep or some such nonsense," Severus said, disrupting Filius's reflection.
"I might be, at that."
- I felt a little wave of bittersweetness, because it's so them, and it's such a steadfast promise of trust and remembrance between them. But also a reminder that Severus will never touch Filius again.
I feel as though my comments have been a bit disjointed. This is such a calm, spare, well-nigh undemonstrative fic whose beauty lies in the depth of feeling below its restrained surface, in its choice of the precise detail, the exquisite rhythms of dialogue between two men who've reached a loving accord. It's perfect that someone as fairminded and discreet as Filius, as clever as Snape but less harsh about it, should be the lens through whom this story is told. So many months after the release of Deathly Hallows, for Snape's fate to still strike such a painful chord is a testimony to your power and the care taken to evoke, freshly, that sense of loss. It is, like Filius, extremely civilized but also, like Filius, full of insight and acceptance and love of its characters. Thank you for something so haunting which, nevertheless, offers balm for the ache.