Thank you very much. The "life goes on" is the whole point of the story. It didn't stop when they got out of the maze, it won't stop now that they've recovered a little, and it definitely won't stop as they struggle on, depending on each other.

Glad you liked the house. I didn't think I'd describe it at first, because I'm not generally good at describing things like fine furniture and clothing (not specifics, anyway, unless I can make the specifics up). But there was a really strong impulse to show the place where Harry and Draco lived and will go on living for the foresseable future.

His love for Draco was absolutely necessary for him to accept himself, yes. He couldn't have done that with anyone he didn't love as much.

I'm pretty sure I'll never write something like this again, at any rate!