In response to the response of A Snake in the Grass:

I'm sorry to announce that this is not an update; however, I, after much consideration, have decided to make a public reply to all of the reviews my fic has received. (I would have just replied to the individuals themselves, but most of you were anonymous, so I was unable to do so.)

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for their reviews, whatever the content. I always appreciate someone taking the time to leave helpful remarks.

That being said, I feel like some people misunderstood the intent of this story. I wrote this as a reaction to a prompt I received. According to the rules, I had to "destroy" a beloved ship of a particular, designated person. As it so happened, her favorite ship was James/Lily.

Firstly, I'd like to explain a few things to Bree. I feel like you were a bit snippy with your review. As I said, I still appreciate your review, but hell, you could be a little nicer, dear; I did not go out of my way to write a story which would make you uncomfortable, and I am sorry if you disagreed with my characterizations. However, as stated above, this fic was a reply to a prompt. I wanted to completely destroy James, Lily, and their "perfect" relationship. I did this by creating strife in their relationship; it is meant to appear illogical, unstable, and upsetting.

As for your statements about Lily, I'd like to say that Lily did not marry a man she did not love. Of course she loved James (you're right, why would she marry someone she didn't love?) However, she also cared about Snape. As stated in the summary of this story, it takes place in an alternate universe. In said universe, it can be assumed that Lily, at some point after marrying James, befriended Severus, and eventually, developed romantic feelings for him. I was not trying to give the impression that she randomly married James, but there are some inferences that as a reader, one should make. I'm sorry that my writing was not clear enough to help lead you to those assumptions. (And yes, I am aware that she tells James "It was always Snape." Once again, one should infer that she cared for Severus, even when he made bad choices. As a result of his choices, she decided not to associate with him, but that doesn't mean she didn't care for him.) Furthermore, by Halloween, you have to keep in mind that Lily has been attempting to speak to James for months. He constantly ignores or makes a joke of her attempts to explain. In my opinion, she'd be very fed up. She was trying to do the right thing by speaking with him, and he reacted in a manner very typical of James Potter, with immaturity.

To Guest, I must thank you for explaining your point of view in a kind manner. Unfortunately, I once again feel the need to point out that this story is set in alternate universe. You said, and I quote, "and as for Snape being a spy, Lily died not knowing Snape turned. Snape, despite his one bright spot of turning spy, still remained a bitter, hate-filled, asshole who couldn't get past old grudges." Now, since this story is an AU, I have changed that fact. Obviously, in this universe, Lily has been in contact with Severus, and he has revealed to her his true intentions in regards to Voldemort. I'm a bit confused as to why you so passionately defend James and persecute Snape. As I said in the final A/N, I ship both James/Lily and Snape/Lily. I view both men objectively, and I have to say that neither man was wholly good or bad. They both make stupid choices, for selfish reasons. That being said, this story does not reflect my personal viewpoint of either James or Snape. Nor does it reflect my opinion of Lily, whom I happen to respect, despite, as Bree so quaintly pointed out, my portraying her as a "really cold-hearted, self-centered asshole.." The same goes for James and Snape. I, personally, like and respect both men. I'd like to thank you for your critique. I found your pro-James point of view very interesting.

Also, to Alethea27, thank you for your comments. I found them very interesting, and I'm terribly sorry you've had to deal with bullying. The school I used to attend had a terrible reputation for bullying issues, and many people I cared about suffered as a result. I hope things are better for you now, and if not, feel free to rant to me, if you want, I'm a pretty good listener. In response to your passionate defense of Snape, I must conclude that you make many good points. I think Snape is probably the most interesting of all of Rowling's characters, mainly because of his moral duality.

However, once again, I'd like to reiterate that as much as I appreciated everyone's opinions, I see Severus and James as very objective characters. Both men have made bad choices, and I don't see either of them as better than the other. They, like all of us, are human, and they make mistakes.

If you have any more comments, feel free to leave another review or message me privately.