Heartwarming / Death Masks

• Mortimer using his abilities to check up on Susan for Harry. Small but sweet.
• This is the book where we are first introduced to The Archive. Although she's a seven-year-old girl, she's got the sum total of all human knowledge and wisdom, as well as the collective life experience of every Archive before her. She proceeds to unnerve Harry with her maturity and power despite looking like she could almost be his daughter. But when she sees Mister, Harry's cat, she squeals "KITTY!" like a little girl should and starts playing with him.
• When Michael tells Harry he needs the latter to do something, Harry earnestly promises that whatever it is, Harry will do it—he owes that much and more to Michael. It's kinda subverted when he tells Michael he can't stay out, but the affection and care on both sides is very clear to see.
• Harry picking up Lasciel's coin to save Harry Carpenter. It's a trick from the Denarians, and it's later mentioned that he could've picked Harry up instead, but he was still allowing a fallen angel into his brain in order to stop it getting into a kid's. Very Harry Dresden.
• Shiro giving Harry some mentoring and telling him that the war with the Red Court was not all his fault.
• Marcone's visit to the hospital where "Persephone" is being cared for. He brings her a teddy bear, reads to her from a book for an hour, and then lays the Shroud of Turin over her. The clincher is at the end, as Harry is watching.
  I hadn't ever pictured John Marcone praying. But I saw him forming the word please, over and over.
  • Afterwards, Harry discusses this - and his view on Marcone.
  Marcone was still a black hat. The pain and suffering of the criminal state he ruled accounted for an untold amount of human misery. Maybe he'd been doing it for a noble reason. I could understand that. But it didn't change anything. Marcone's good intentions could have paved a new lane on the road to hell.
  But dammit, I couldn't hate him anymore. I couldn't hate him because I wasn't sure that I wouldn't have made the same choice in his place.
  Hate was simpler, but the world ain't a simple place. It would have been easier to hate Marcone.
  I just couldn't do it.
• Shiro lies tortured, broken, dying, his life taken to fuel a monstrous curse, his blood defiling the airport chapel. But the Denarians couldn't take his dignity, nor his purpose.
  Shiro: Remember. God sees hearts, boy. And now I see yours. Take it^note Fidelacchius, the Sword of Faith. Hold it in trust until you find the one it belongs to.
• Anna Valmont steals Harry's coat, his car, and leaves town in a big hurry, but she makes sure to give them back after Harry saves her life. She even has the duster dry-cleaned.
• The very last lines. "I took Susan's picture down. I put the postcards in a brown envelope. I picked up the jewel box that held the dinky engagement ring I'd offered her, and that she'd turned down. Then I put them all in my closet. I laid the old man's cane on my fireplace mantle. Maybe some things just aren't made to go together. Things like oil and water. Orange juice and toothpaste. Me and Susan. But tomorrow was another day."
• Ebenezar McCoy going all Papa Wolf and dropping the satellite on Ortega. Mess with Harry, and Ebenezar will end you.
  • Also, the fact that he gives Harry an offer of shelter on his farm.