(noto bene! I stll haven't gotten the nerve to buy X-2, because I know much of it will offend my pride like Lulu in her more virulent moments.) Ahem. I enjoyed this piece, as I expect I will enjoy every one of yours. You have that nuanced gift of understanding the characters perfectly. You even have young Auron's manner of speech, which is so different from the grey-haired ghost. This is my favorite sort of fanfic: it lets us revisit "old friends", the characters we loved, once the main story is over.