*Sigh* That was just beautiful. The pacing, the writing style, the plotting, the characterizations(both canon and non-canon) were all so engaging. I love the thought of Severus collecting driftwood and recording audiobooks. I love that Harry's passion is wood-working, and that we later find out his father builds boats. I love that Snape is so clear headed about Harry's issues, but in denial about his own, which is such a typical, human reaction. I love that Severus is a cat person(and Mercutio is wonderful) and that Harry has always wanted a dog! I especially love the happy ending for both Severus and Harry. Harry's struggles to figure out what to do, now that his externally driven roles have been resolved, feels so believable, as does Snape's achieving a peace after being relieved of the burden of two masters. The use of the various books as analogy was very clever. Your stories never disappoint, and this one is brilliant.