LOL!  I certainly hope so, after the trouble I went to somehow get my fave pair together in the end, despite the fact that they're both technically dead!  Thank you so much for all the nice comments, by the way!  You made my weekend (it's Sunday here in Australia at the mo)Can I be greedy and point you in the direction of my DeviantArt site?  It's chock full of some of my other work, including original stories, and my novel "The Miyatsu Project" which I'm hoping to get enough page-views to persuade my publishers to take on.  While I've had other novels previously published, this particular one seems to be a little too much for them, so I need to have lots of fans to show them it would be saleable!  So far, it's been very well received, and I even have a variety of artists who've drawn fanart of various characters from the story!My site is at this link:http://fayzbub.deviantart.com/I'd love to see you there!Alison/Fayzbub

Thanks for that!  I can certainly sympathise with the throwing the book away part; I couldn't believe JKR could DO that to Severus, (and his fans!) after all he went through to protect Harry throughout the series.  I  must admit, I was arrogant enough to cut my story to size and stick it in the back of my copy of "Deathly Hallows" as a sort of final chapter, before the awful epilogue!  I've since had people who've read the story say the same thing: a few even tore out the "Nineteen Years Later" epilogue and sellotaped my chapter in instead.  I must admit, I feel honoured!  Alison

Thanks for that.  Yes, I agree that JKR's explanation was inadequate; I think she said afterwards in an interview that he deserted his post, so didn't get a portrait.  Deserted?  He was driven away from it with three teachers trying to murder him!  Plus he was on the side of the Order all along, all through the long years when everybody else bar Dumbledore believed Voldemort was dead.  I can only think that JKR's personal antipathy towards her own character blinded her.  Personally I believe she had a far more interesting character in Snape than in any of the others she created and seemed to admire more.Alison

You are so correct in that. I think she just felt Snape a tool to get somewhere in things, not a 'real' person in her little world. Lets also not forget that Dumbledore himself 'abandoned' his post not once but twice, three times if you count the 6th year when he wasn't about much at all because he was off wandering around looking for Horcruxes. I honestly think she just figured that there weren't enough fans of Snape to worry about answering the question of his portrait and so she just didn't. Then when put on the spot had to come up with something. Sadly I don't think we'll ever know the answer to the question of Why. at least not a proper one.

Thanks for that.  Yes, I agree that JKR's explanation was inadequate; I think she said afterwards in an interview that he deserted his post, so didn't get a portrait.  Deserted?  He was driven away from it with three teachers trying to murder him!  Plus he was on the side of the Order all along, all through the long years when everybody else bar Dumbledore believed Voldemort was dead.  I can only think that JKR's personal antipathy towards her own character blinded her.  Personally I believe she had a far more interesting character in Snape than in any of the others she created and seemed to admire more.Alison

You are so correct in that. I think she just felt Snape a tool to get somewhere in things, not a 'real' person in her little world. Lets also not forget that Dumbledore himself 'abandoned' his post not once but twice, three times if you count the 6th year when he wasn't about much at all because he was off wandering around looking for Horcruxes. I honestly think she just figured that there weren't enough fans of Snape to worry about answering the question of his portrait and so she just didn't. Then when put on the spot had to come up with something. Sadly I don't think we'll ever know the answer to the question of Why. at least not a proper one.

Nata, thank you for that review.  I know exactly what you mean about wounds from The Book.  I know some people enjoyed the story, but a lot of us Snape devotees (and the Lupin ones, as well, and Moody, and Fred, etc) all have been scarred by it.  After feeling furious that my favourite character could be treated in such a throw-away fashion by JKR, I decided to sit down and write the "Missing Chapter", which I feel would have made more sense than the "Nineteen Years Later" fiasco.  I will leave it to the Lupin, Moody, Fred devotees to tell their story, but at least I feel that Severus has been vindicated, far more than Harry calling one of his sprogs "Albus Severus" which to me just induces a vision of spittle flying everytime somebody is unfortunate enough to have to say the name.  Again, thank you for your review.Alison

It is true to the core. Had your chapter been the end of DH, we could have dealt with it better. It also shows pretty much what the original Epilogue does (ok, without the Teddy-Lupin-the-happy-orphan story), but at the same time sets straight Severus's life and love. <BR><BR>Our choices shape what we are, and giving Snape a reprieve for his one wrong choice in his life seems like such a proper way of ending things.

Hee hee, yeah, I was quite proud of myself at being able to have Severus and Lily together romantically and *still* make it sorta kinda canon!Thanks!Alison