Thank you so much - uniqueness is hard to achieve in the competitive world of Harry Potter fan fiction! This story took me back to a very lonely chapter from my own life, which may account for its realism and honesty. Your reviews have been much appreciated 

Thanks for reviewing! The idea popped into my head years ago when I was feverish with a flu-like illness... Before this, I too had never pictured these two as a couple. The story was originally a one-shot, but the characters wouldn't leave me alone. I had no clue where they would take me, so I placed my trust in them and they led me in unexpected directions!

How lovely to receive a new review after all these years! Thank you so much for sharing your emotional response to my writing and for your kind praise. I'd love to know what stood out from the story for you? *passes tissues*

You wrote about the leading duo with zero compromise.. They were TOTALLY true to character. Frankly I feel at times that writing good fanfiction is TOUGHER than writing original fiction. You just reinforced that idea. Perhaps moving Tonks back to Lupin is what gives the story its powerful quality that makes me love you and hate you at the same time!
I hope I could convey my feelings properly..English isn't my mothertongue, you see!

Certainly, writing canon-compliant fan fiction is quite challenging, and forces authors to think carefully about plot and characterisation. I'm glad you think Snape and Tonks were true to character - I tried hard to make it so! Thank you for replying. You made my day 

Thank you for leaving a review; it's nice to know this story is still being enjoyed all these years after publication. You found the ending happy? I suppose it was the lesser of two evils! Couldn't have them skipping off into the sunset together now, could we? ;)

Yes, it is a shame. Tonks was a bit too ham-fisted to get close enough to really know him, Snape was too scared to let somebody truly see him, and so despite their physical intimacy, they never shared real emotional intimacy. I like to think Tonks had an inkling, but sadly they both perished before the truth was revealed. Thanks for reading, and for leaving some nice shiny stars!

Thanks for reviewing; it's nice to know this story is still being discovered and enjoyed by readers

The calm before the storm, you say? Very perceptive. I wanted them to have a bit of fun at some point in the story, because the end is coming as surely as the Chudley Cannons shall finish bottom of the Quidditch league. Thank you so much for the stars and your review!

I love your interpretation of the metamorphosis; there's definitely a bond between them now, although it's not exactly conventional, and you're quite right - they won't admit it to each other, or to themselves. Next chapter's up; I hope it's not too painful for you!

Thank you! Who says a Hufflepuff and a Slytherin can't have chemistry? Hehe

I, too, noticed the intimacy of Snape's remark to Tonks at the school gates, and his nasty comment was the inspiration for this story. Thanks for reviewing!

Reviews like yours make posting on TPP worthwhile; thank you for your insightful words. I think there's a lot of denial and distortion going on between them, but I think they also draw comfort from each other. Both of them suffer the pain and loneliness of unrequited love, and both have an inability to move on. I'm intrigued by the lies the characters tell themselves. I hope the ending completes the story for you.

Thanks for your review,

. I'm pleased you enjoyed his transition from anger to tenderness.

I hope I handled your three favourite characters well! Many thanks for all your reviews.

I'm glad you enjoyed the dialogue, which is getting edgier as time passes by. Sadness and realism, wow - thank you!

And thank you for reading and reviewing,

. I'm glad you saw some happiness and hope in these characters, during a very bleak time of their lives.  

I'm glad you enjoyed the story. Snape and Tonks weren't sustainable enough to last until the time she fell pregnant with Teddy; Snape couldn't handle intimacy and Tonks couldn't manage without it. Thanks for reviewing!

"Achingly empty" really sums it up well; their lives are so lonely and bereft. Thank you very much for your kind review.

Thanks,

, it was nice for me to go back to Grimmauld Place, I quite like it there. I'm pleased you're enjoying the chemistry between the two characters; Tonks always struck me as a witch who could hold her own in a conversation, and I've had fun playing her off against Snape. Many thanks for reading and reviewing!

Yes, this has to count of one of his least enjoyable years at Hogwarts. Thanks for your review!

He did something kind but ultimately self-serving. Snape is a Slytherin, after all. Thanks for the review and the shinies

I'm glad!

Thanks. Are you referring to any part in particular?

I just love the emotional bits in this chapter, Severus' sadnesss, as well as Tonks' is almost palpable.

Thanks for your encouraging review. I was also glad they decided not to end it... yet. Tonks and Severus popped into my head one day and refused to leave, and up until then the pairing had never occured to me. There will be ten chapters in total. Hope you enjoy!

Teddy's father is Remus Lupin, after all.

I know. They seem doomed...