Wow, this was such a brilliant story. The images that the two of you paint are so crystal sharp: the gruesome merging of Voldemort and Nagini, the shocking and horrific plunge of the sword through Snape's back, the diminished doe/fawn he struggles to produce in a desperate search for a reason to hope, all of the snidget's antics with Snape's hair and pillow and headboard and nectar, and the Arthurian sweep of sword out of Severus and through Naga!Tom - they truly brought the story to life for me. My heart bled for Severus as he struggled against despair and horror with the apparent death of Harry and victory of the dark, and his grim determination to plow on under under such overwhelming circumstances was evidence of that bravest man Harry learned to admire.
I loved the way you gradually introduced the Snidget, with little streaks of yellow flashing by on the edge of Snape's consciousness - tiny sparks of hope, too quickly passing to be able to believe in at first. The choice of Snidget for Harry's animagus was such an incredibly creative idea, and captures his essence so perfectly. I fell in love with him right along with Severus - his antics were so endearing and diverting. The scene between them as Harry struggled to understand his once again human perspective was deftly handled, with great descriptions of how that must feel. You captured their individual personality traits just brilliantly throughout the story - Harry being a concrete thinker who learns by demonstration and acts by diving in by instinct and impulse; and Severus being much more abstract and theoretical, researching and testing, moving with precision and careful thought. The climax built the horror and tension into a tight crescendo - would our heroes survive and overcome???? YESSS!! Oh, this was such a satisfying read - thanks to you both for sharing your gift with us.