What a surprise with Percy! I never thought he would get this far, but it makes sense having been able to deny his family. And Marietta's revenge, how good! This demonstrates the weakness and the risk of rejecting people.

How unsettling Nagini's hug. Echoes from another Universe…

Interesting that the Hogwarts connection contributed to Dumbledore's longevity.

Severus also swears to protect Draco in your story, but willingly and out of love.

What a surprise! Percy is also a spy.

I love that his protector is a serpent, as opposed to Nagini.

Great idea! It seems very like Snape to me to create a kitty with the money confiscated from wealthy students to help the poor.

Dumbledore, always taking advantage of other people's misfortunes.

I love the relationship he has with the caring Poppy. It seems that the women in his life make up a bit for the wrong that the men do him. And also that Fang has been his friend and comfort in difficult times, and Hagrid’s friendship...

The condemnation of not being able to love anyone due to the risk of being harmed through them is perhaps the worst of punishments.

The issue of health problems due to brewing reminds me of my first lab teacher in my Chemistry degree, who told us: "If you smoke, don't worry about quitting, because if you dedicate yourselves to Chemistry you will have the lungs equally black in twenty years."

Seeing how well the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters are treating Severus, I'm hoping he'll switch sides again. Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix would deserve it.

What an interesting account of Potter's feats from Snape's POV.

Snape and Pettigrew, the ends that touch.

It amuses and worries me that the all-knowing Albus doesn't know anything about Severus' life.

I love Poppy's ways to help Severus.

It's always refreshing to read about the friendship between Minerva and Severus. You also guessed that Harry would take Advanced Potions again, without the need for Slughorn's return. I love their plans for the students.

An O for Neville in Potions? This is a true AU!

Poor man, how he tortures himself.

Interesting description of magical society.

It shocks me to read Severus so polite and diplomatic with such a delicate subject and precisely with Petunia, but I like it, I can imagine that he has learned to treat the fussy parents of his Slytherins that way.

The letter to Narcissa would be the perfect preamble to the Unbreakable Vow with which HBP begins.

What a cruelty the door-right to Grimmauld-Place, and a good explanation of why Snape never ate or slept there. I like that Molly treated him well, it's just like her to take care of all the abused.

Perfect confusion between Severus and Harry's childhoods in the dream that Dumbledore sends, once again exploiting Severus' guilt.

You guessed that Severus was in love with Lily and his obsession about her eyes on Harry's face. It's interesting that Severus doesn't understand Lily's love for James even though they weren't friends in your story. How much worse is her behavior in canon!

Dumbledore releasing Snape from the Dementor's Kiss is a very good explanation of how he managed to get his hands on him all those years. I understand that the story is written just after OotP was published and we still didn't know his guilt for Lily's death, but this other reason is just as good, and just as cruel.

Oh, my.
I have spent the past couple of weeks wrapped within this world, and it has been wonderful.
I can’t wait to follow Snape’s path in the sequel.

thank you, good story. I like the use of 'On Flanders Field' for Severus's poem.

rather a garbled memory Molly has of Baldr the beautiful and poor blind Odr and Loki's malice.

I love the last three sentences of your chapter end author's note.

I was raised on Indiana Jones. I loved him.

""His fate is not yet settled," Binns said."

This hit me. I have a theory for the rosebuds and such completely different than their interpretation, and this statement has me convinced.
Rosebuds also mean new relationships, the colour of the rose indicating the type of relationship whether friendship or otherwise. Also, a wedding bouquet or theme of rosebuds would be pretty.

I loved Jeff Foxworthy.. His "You might be a redneck" is some of my earliest memories of stand up comedians. I'm Midwest and like you said, a lot rings true anyway. I thought my grandpa and I were going to die one year at Christmas because my grandma got her hair stuck in the ceiling fan putting the tree topper on. Your story is really helping me, thank you. My foot was broken yesterday and I'm going out of my mind feeling trapped and defenseless and this distraction is really good.

Wonderful meloncholic read. Love Severus. Kudos!

I really enjoyed this story and I am in awe of all the time and hard work you have put into it. Thank you for sharing.