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Tho I do notice this accounting of the situation is 2nd-hand, so it may be misunderstood (or even active disinformation by the Rampires).
I don't necessary _expect_ to see this in Twelve Months. But I think it would be interesting it JB went that route.
Imagine if on the other time line, because of Harry's choice, the Red Court managed to get enough of an advantage to break the White Council. So there's either no Council over there, or it's weak and in disarray and can't fulfill its purpose.
It could serve as an illustration to Harry why the Council is so important, why even his allies like Eb and Injun Joe and so on refuse to risk disrupting it. Seeing a world without the Council might give Harry a little different perspective on this world.
It's not the sex itself that helps the condition, it's the feeding. Sex is just bait and the channel the Raiths like to use to get the energy. They can feed in other ways, like Skavis and Malvora do. (IIRC, JB once said that in theory a WV could feed on the warm and fuzzy feeling from petting a kitten, though he added that the WV would probably sparkle if they did it, so he might have been joking about that).
The White Vampires feed on emotional energy, which is also life energy. Justine in her manic state generates too much positive energy, in the depressed state too much negative. The emotions are the energy and vice versa. When Thomas feeds on Justine, it takes away those excess energies, leaving her more or less 'normal'...as long as he doesn't take too much or too often, of course. In that respect, a manic depressive is the perfect prey for a WV with enough self control to limit their take, because they can be fed on without hurting them, and even to their benefit.
(Ignoring the potential issue of supersex addiction, of course.)
And yeah, once Thomas couldn't feed on her any more, one would expect that she would either revert over time to her manic/depressive state, or have to use medication to control it. Which might be where Nemesis got its hooks in.
And because there is a confluence in Chicago -- all of the same "dark powers" that Harry noted are still coming to bear, there -- I think Michael will more-often be Guided to Murphy's aid, than he originally was in the first few books.
vassal. noun. vas·sal ˈvas-əl. : a person in the Middle Ages who received protection and land from a lord in return for loyalty and service.
It's in the chapter immediately following the one where Susan dies; Harry talks about the fallout from the destruction of the entire Red Court; so, not in-the-moment stuff or stuff Harry personally saw/experienced; but Harry telling us about things that he heard of, broadly.
Remember: at the point of divergence, it's the exact same Murphy, with the exact same attitudes. So yes, there may be some suspicion/distrust, just as she wasn't yet to the point of trusting Harry. Also remember: Murphy doesn't need to "call Michael for help" in order for Michael to show up via his own guidance.
So long as he wears the Kringle mantle, he's subject to Winter.
But he appears able to put it on and take it off at will.
RCV's are inhuman. They're like insects that have a parasite eat its way out of them, killing them. The half-turned Red is still human, but the full Rampire kills the host during birth.
but the full Rampire kills the host during birth.
I believe that there is an old WOJ that states that Lara's control of the White Court is slipping because Papa Raith is becoming more unstable. We know that some of Twelve Months will be dealing with the White Court. I think it is conceivable that there will be a loss of control of Papa Raith and Harry will have to help Lara set herself up as the White Queen. She will no longer be ruling from the shadows. This could dovetail nicely with a hunt for Outsiders in the White Court that other posters have mentioned.
Michael doesn't often introduce himself as a "Holy Knight," though: he just steps up to help.
And Murphy actually has amazingly-good "people-sense."
It'd make good sense in both Doylist & Watsonian terms.
If Michael is guided to aid her in time of need -- and I allege that (in an Evil!Harry universe) this is likely to happen -- Murphy will take the help, and (cautiously) begin trusting Michael, as he becomes a good source of supernatural intel & an ally in protecting Chicago.
It would be interesting to see how Kringle interacts with the Mothers. JB said at one point that pretty much everybody in Faerie is subordinate to the Mothers, but is Odin? I mean he's not exactly 'of Faerie' in his own identity...
(Another possibility that I've toyed with, though I don't think it likely, is that the culmination of the series will end with The Magic Goes Away, i.e. the world becomes non-magical and the supernatural powers fade away. But I don't expect that.)
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I thought it was heavily implied that the Reds capture people of importance and 'turn' them, then allow that person to return to their former position, now fully influenced and controlled by the reds. It is mentioned in Changes that a ton of politicians and business leaders all died/disappeared at the same time the red court died.
I'm pretty sure the Rampires selectively turned individuals in critical positions, so they could have their people in those critical positions; so fooling colleagues seems to have been Rampire SOP.
At least some effort to keep friends & close family fooled seems obvious, even if it's just long enough to enact breakups/etc (or turn them, in turn (but that'd be an every-widening pool of complications)).
I don't think Jim has ever explained it in detail, but I presume he's considered his setting in far more depth than he has put out in public.
It doesn't seem relevant to the OP's issue, and I haven't seen anyone disagreeing with you, but you keep returning to re-emphasize it.