Unwrapped definitely.  :)

Unwrapped definitely.  :)

Thanks so much. Scary to think about, really.  I honestly think Snape doesn't get enough credit for what he did.   At least Harry recognized his error, but really, he would be dead now if it wasn't for Severus.

Thank you!  I'm glad you liked it.

Thanks Southern!  I really wanted her to be a 'free spirit.'  Heh, heh, no pun intended.  Happy New Year to you!

Thank you!  It was really fun to twist this wonderful classic.

Thanks kimjo!  I'm glad you enjoyed it.  Merry/Happy Christmas to you too. 

Thank you so much!  It's a great time of year and having this challenge has been great fun.  I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Thank you so much for leaving such a detailed review.  I appreciate the time you took to do so.  I don't mind criticism in the least, especially if it is left as you did, in a friendly way.I usually try to not include religious references in my writing for two reasons.  First, I don't think think people want to be preached at when they're reading for pleasure.  The other reason is basically what you said.  Canon-wise, these characters don't seem to be very religious at all, therefore, there's usually not a reason to include such things in fanfics.  That being said...  I felt that in this story, I could veer away from that a bit, given the movie I chose.  In It's a Wonderful Life, George Bailey is approached by an angel because of the prayers that his friends, family, and even himself have uttered.  The movie is unabashedly religious in a non-aggressive way, I think.  I debated not including the prayers, but decided that in this instance, it would be appropriate.  Being that this is a twist on that movie, I felt that a few prayers from Hermione fit with the movie's plot, and therefore this one.I think that sometimes even non-religious people turn to a higher power when they need extra help.  That's kind of my motive for Hermione in this.  She really doesn't know what else to do.  And seriously, who knows whether she attended a church with her parents as a youth.  I know that in my life, I grew up catholic and attended church with my father religiously--pun intended.  But once I went to college, all of that fell to the wayside and I turned rather agnostic myself.  I am now a member of a different faith and don't really struggle with faith, but that's another story.  So, is Hermione OOC?  Yeah, she is.  I gotta give you that one.  As for Snape's reaction, I wish I had thought of that angle myself.  I can totally see him thinking that he was being pranked or something.  Oh well, can't think of everything, I guess.On to the Caduceus.  You are absolutely right.  I actually did a tiny bit of reserach before I included the Caduceus in this story.  My husband is a doctor and I have loved that symbol for years.  I did find this in Wikipedia:   

The caduceus is sometimes used as a symbol for medicine, especially in North America, through confusion with the traditional medical symbol, the rod of Asclepius, which has only a single snake and no wings.So, I put in the part about it being an American symbol.  (Meaning in the medical sense.)  So, although you are right, I'm going to leave it as is, as it too is used as a medical symbol, no matter that it's not correctly interpreted.You gotta wonder why Severus didn't fight off the snake, or prepared ahead of time for a possible attack.  I'm sure, ultimately, it was because JKR wanted to kill him off, but I think you have a good point that he may have had a death wish.  I don't think that he didn't try to fight back, per se, though.  We see through Harry's perspective that he struggles some and screams.  I think that the cage inhibited his movements and made it impossible for him to truly fight off Nagini.  Such a horrible death.  The man certainly deserved more in that death and in the recognition of it after the battle. 

I'm glad you enjoyed this and thanks again for commenting on it. 

Thank you!  I'm glad you felt it too!

Well, if we start a petition, maybe we can convince JKR to give me the rights.  Bwahahaha!  Thank you very much.  I'm honored you felt it was that good. 

Thanks Kizzy!  I'm glad you enjoyed it.  Severus' life lends itself well to this type of reflective story.  And the man needs some redemption and happiness.

I really enjoyed it, deb! I actually just re-read it, and it got me thinking about how different the universe would have been if he had not been born. Really, our Severus pretty much did single-handily save the world. And to think how undervalued he is by his creator. So I have to thank you for giving him a much deserved happy ending.

It's rather odd how little she values him.  I don't think she realizes what a character she created.  In my mind, the man deserves every accolade he gets.

Oh, if only that were possible!!!  There would be a lot of happy fangirls this Christmas.

Thank you so much!  It's funny that something that's quite dark for quite a while has you labeling it adorable.  I'm glad it came off that way.  I'm a sucker for fluff, even angsty fluff!

Wow, really?  Thank you!  *Bows in gratitude.*

Thank you!  I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks!  Sweet's the word, huh?  Laced with a bit of 'woe-is-me.'  Glad you liked it.

Wow, that's a lot of exclamation points!  Thank you!  Glad you enjoyed it.

Golly.  Thanks so much.  I can't tell you how much your review made my day.  You touched on everything I was trying to achieve and let me know that it all came across as I would have liked it to. 

Aw, I always love your 'cheerful' borders.  I'm glad you enjoyed it.  Me and my 'what if's!' 

Merry Christmas Savings & Loan!  Merry Christmas Giant Squid!  I did realize about Old Man Potter.  Very funny.  Maybe it's James in an alternate universe.

Thank you so much.  God Bless you too, and I hope this helped to make your holidays happy.

Thanks so much!  I'm glad you enjoyed it.

After I started writing this I went out and rented it.  (Despite the fact that I think it will be on cable in a couple of days, I couldn't wait.)  It was so nice to revisit such a classic.  I found I had forgotten some parts, because it's been a while since I've seen it in its entiretly.  I usually catch it on cable right about in the middle.  I'm glad you enjoyed my little twist.

Wouldn't we all like such a present?  Thanks so much.