What a fantastic, atmospheric, poignant and well-imagined tale. I hung on every word of this. You kept each character in balance with the rest - not good guys vs. bad guys, but complete human beings struggling and blundering toward completion. Who knows? Maybe Eileen Prince Snape did find happiness with Sybill Trelawny, at least for some time. You gave Tobias Snape a tender beginning and made him a sympathetic character, even as he became an abusive drunk. Every scene is pitch-perfect, and I, of course, especially enjoyed it as the backstory to Severus, that bitter dried up vine of a man with such low expectations for happiness. The final scene is fabulous - ironic and sad.