Thank you very much!

Thank you!  And especially for the re-reads - that's a special thing for an author to know.

Thank you for your comments!  It's good to know that my reference to Umbridge's quill came through clearly.  As for the blue eyes - remember Dumbledore?!!  I wasn't thinking of Pratchett's Death at all here, despite the fact that he is one of my favourite characters.

Ah, I see!  One of the elements which made this story so intriguing was that it iss not clear who Severus's interrogator really is.  At various points in the story, I thought it might be the devil (since the place in which Severus finds himself sounds as if it could be Hell), Death (given the reference to the robe and the scythe), or perhaps even JK Rowling herself (addressing the fictional character she herself created and has admitted she doesn't much like).  I never thought of Dumbledore...but I find it a little hard to believe that Dumbledore would be that cruel to Severus given everything Severus did and the fact that Dumbledore was able to acknowledge his own failures to Harry when Harry was in the space between life and death.  No...it sounds as if perhaps this is all happening within Severus's imagination and that he is actually interrogating and castigating himself without knowing it.  Perhaps part of his psyche still feels that he deserves to be punished for everything he has done in his life -- especially killing Dumbledore (even though it was under duress), so that part of psyche takes on that shape almost like a boggart -- and that he sees his love for Hermione as the only thing that redeems him.

I was deliberately ambiguous.  But hee!  Ten points to your house.

Thank you for your lovely comment.  I'm really flattered - and so glad I could touch you.