Snapedom

SNARC: June Winner

2009-07-04T01:20:41Z

Right, as usual I'm late, so my apologies for that. Partly it was due to the difficulty of deciding on the winner. All the entries had elements of believability about them, and they were fun to see as well, so my thanks to all who entered and supported those entries.
On to the winner: severed_lies with her Undefeated Solicitor. Congratulations! I'll send you a PM regarding your prize, and hand the baton for contest manager on to you.

Friday Recs

2009-07-03T11:57:07Z

I haven't done any recs in a while but I have a fic on the brain like I haven't in ages. The talented dementordelta has painted a gorgeous picture in her reworking of The Scarlet Pimpernel the aptly titled, The Black Asphodel. The language she uses and the rich attention to detail are remarkable. Of course Delta also has a gift for Snarry, hitting both Harry and Severus right on the head with regard to their characterization even if the setting is so very unique. And for those who prefer a higher rating to their fic, you won't be disappointed. ;) Quite possibly one of my all time favorite AU/AR fics.

I am also reccing two short ficlets written by none other than serial reccer red_day_dawning. What's remarkable is that they are both Snarry rather than Snupin. I know Red has been trying to resist the pull of this pairing but when she writes it so well it would seem resistance is futile.

Belated Birthday Gifts
You'll Do

Last one is for a single hundred word drabble, a rarepair of Severus/Neville, and a kink that many consider a squick, watersports. However, I adored prayer_at_night's drabble, Golden Shower. If you are willing to take a chance, you just might find it as enjoyable as I did.

July Challenge: HBP Movie

2009-07-03T09:16:01Z

The challenge for July

comes from greedyslayer:

Write about your anticipation and reactions to the movie version of Half-Blood Prince.

Oh yes, I know, I'm way behind with banners. But you will get them. The main sign ups on the severusbigbang are over, I have a bit more adminning to do, and then I have a bit more free time for fun things like banner making.

For those of you who haven't seen it yet: sign ups for beta readers and cheerleaders remain open, a week of latecomer sign ups gives you another chance to sign up as an artist or writer.

Friday fic recs: a snupin series, some snarry fics and an unexpected ethereal pairing...

2009-07-03T07:00:14Z

A massively huge fic rec posting today - with a snupin series, some snarry stories and a most unexpected and not-to-be-missed ethereal pairing.

SNAPE/THE BLOODY BARON

>> Cold Comfort by torino10154. Pairing: Snape/the Bloody Baron. Rating: NC-17. Warning/s: masturbation, anal. Severus discovers he has an unusual reaction when touched by a ghost.
Well, this story is an unexpected delight - I can't recall having recced (or even seen) this pairing before! This is a such a deft and well-written story with the theme of spectraphilia - which is a ghost fetish. It doesn't sound too enticing initially, but wait until you read it... It is entirely convincing, and such a unique take on the kink.

Severus finds that the cold touch of the ghosts has this unexpected sexual element, and the fic plays with the sensory experiences of heat and cold, even ice. Severus exploring these sensual experiences is wonderfully done - and when the Baron becomes involved, things become quite twisty. The Bloody Baron, arch-Slytherin of Slytherin House, is excellently portrayed - and watching Severus and the Baron interact is fascinating. Posted at Daily Deviant, this story is fascinating and compelling reading. Please go check it out.

SNARRY:

>> Shadows of the Past by meri. Rating: X . Warning/s: none . Years after the war ended, the wizarding security firm of Granger, Potter and Weasley is hired to protect Headmaster Severus Snape.
I do love a snarky and difficult Severus - the snarkier the better. Impossible to deal with, impossible to ignore. And Severus here is wonderfully challenging. This is a marvelous story with lots and losts of lovely build-up to the good bits (sex), and an intriguing mystery that only the firm of Potter, Granger and Weasley can solve. With the help (?) of Severus. Do read!

Okay, this is unexpectedly turning into a dementordelta-rec-day. Attribute it to serendipity, and the fact that I'd prepared these recs days ago, before the newest addition to Dementordelta's stories had been posted.

>> The Black Asphodel by dementordelta. rating: Adult. All of England is mesmerized by that daring hero, the Black Asphodel, who risks life and fortune to spirit French wizards out of Paris during the French Revolution.
I've heard that this fic is going to be recced by others here today/tonight, so I'll just give it a brief mention and add my vote to the other compliments for this brilliant au snarry, based on The Scarlet Pimpernell. Not to be missed - a lovely long read.

>> The World As It Is by dementordelta. Rating: X. No warnings. Ten years after the war has ended, Harry Potter is just fine. Really. Until someone from the past walks back into his life.
I loved reading this one - I can't get enough of dementordelta's stories. They swing the range from hilarious to angsty - this one is somewhere in the middle, neither totally light nor totally heavy. It features a wonderful Neville in a supporting role, and guh! the sex scenes are to die for. Lovely, lovely underwater sex too.

>> The Living Years by dementordelta. Rating: X. Warning/s: chan (16-18).
Well, this one is an extraordinary story and an absolute favorite of mine that I've been planning to rec for a couple of weeks now! Set post-war (and written before the publication of Deathly Hallows) it actually reverses the usual age difference between Harry and Severus. Hit by a de-aging curse that Severus has taken to protect Harry, he is actually 16 years younger than Harry now, and has been adopted by Draco (who makes a great Dad.) Harry doesn't actually meet the young Severus for quite a few years.

When Harry does get to know the young Severus, a close friendship is formed. As Severus grows up, and becomes aware of himself as gay and aware of his attraction to Harry, Harry becomes very conscious of his own feelings for Severus. Don’t misunderstand – it’s not exploitative in the usual sense that such a connection might be. Harry himself is initially not all comfortable with his growing feelings for Severus, and takes quite a while to accept them. In fact, he doesn't accept his feelings until Severus is older:

The openly appraising look let Harry know that another sort of thanks was on offer. When Severus had stepped closer, Harry had backed away.

"You know we can't," he'd said, trying not to look at the line of disappointment on Severus's mouth and imagine what it would be like to kiss it away.

"You really don't want me?" he'd asked, plainly hurt.

"It isn't that," Harry had said, wishing desperately that it was. Or that Severus was twelve again and skinny and plain, not tall and sexy and interesting looking enough to be desirable. "You're still a student, and Draco--".

Running underneath and through this peculiar situation is the undercurrent of what Harry and Professor Snape might have meant to each other, complicating or enhancing the very real feelings this Severus and Harry have for each other. And this young Severus is very much his own person, and absolutely committed to seducing Harry. When that Slytherin cunning is employed, Harry doesn't really stand a chance:

"I suppose you're right," Severus said, surprising Harry. "Especially since you seem quite adamant about not molesting me." He sighed. "You are adamant about it, aren't you?"

"I am," Harry said, trying to make himself believe it, especially when Severus was--finally--being so reasonable about things.

"And since I do want you to coach me and anything between us will have to be strictly platonic once you do."

"It will?" Perhaps the Racing League rules had changed since Harry had been on the circuit. "I mean, of course it will."

"Then I think you should kiss me, just once, before you agree to coach me," Severus said, with the air of someone making a great sacrifice. He still sounded so reasonable that Harry had to think a moment after he'd stopped talking.

"Kiss you?" He blinked in confusion.

"All right," Severus said, sliding in closer.

The situation is very much the young Severus pursuing the older Harry, and Harry desperately trying to deny his responses. As weird as it sounds, Severus has been in love (and later, lust) with Harry for most of his life. And it is simply inevitable that they get together one day. And when they do.... it's marvelous. Absolutely wonderful.

Then he turned to Harry, who was waiting close by, and threw his arms around him, kissing him right there in full view of Draco.

For just an instant the world stopped, the excited titters of the crowd faded away and Harry kissed back, forgetting that he was Severus's coach and Draco--

Draco was going to kill him.

Harry jerked back, pressing his lips together as if he could take the kiss back. "I'm your coach!" he said, hoping he sounded stern.

"And I won!" Severus said with obvious glee before looking over to Draco. "Did you see me, Dad, I won!"

"Oh, yes, I saw," Draco said, and his tone froze Harry's blood. Telling himself that Gryffindors never backed away from a fight, Harry forced himself to turn around. Draco stood with his arms folded over his chest. Harry took a step in front of Severus, though the idea of shielding him, considering Severus was taller than he was, seemed slightly ridiculous.

"It isn't what it looks like," Harry said, sounding, he thought, remarkably reasonable for a man teetering on the brink of losing his testicles. Perhaps he could pass off the lapse as high spirits.

"It isn't?" Draco said, openly skeptical now as one blond eyebrow raised. "You haven't been mooning over my son and trying to be noble about it?"

"He does do noble well, Dad," Severus put in just behind him.

[...]"I'm his coach," Harry managed. "We're not supposed to, er--"

Severus leaned over, and spoke into his ear, but still loud enough for Draco to hear. "I just made that up." Harry whirled around and Severus shrugged. "To get you to kiss me. I didn't think you would, otherwise." Harry made a defeated noise and turned back around to face his fate.

And when they finally get to the bedroom, the sex is meltingly hot!!

This story is glorious, with superb characterizations, such an interesting plot line, and it works so very well. There is this unexpected equality between them - yes, Harry is older and more experienced, but Severus is sharper and more abrasive, and determined to find his own path. When I first heard of this fic I resisted reading it - the reversed aging seemed to exacerbate the cross-generational aspect of snarry. I'm thrilled to have been proved wrong. The beauty of this story is the way this relationship feels real and magical, and how utterly right it feels; this story is wonderfully well-written, so believable and so self-realized. It has become one of my all time favorites. Please do read it, if you haven't come across it yet. And if you have... it's well worth a re-read, again and again.

SNUPIN:

For snupin I'm only going to rec one series, The Tilting Earth stories, by musigneus. This series is a classic snupin read. And it is marvelous reading - such a treat if you haven't come across it, and wonderful to re-read (and re-read again) if you are familiar with it. Do be aware of warnings though - the torture and non-con do NOT happen off-screen - they occur directly in front of the reader. I've listed the series in reading order.

>> A Short Measure by musigneus. Rating: X. Warning/s: non-con. Summary: Remus is captured by Death Eaters, and Severus does what he must.
The first of the series - it opens with Remus in the hands of the Death Eaters. He recognizes Snape, but his hopes quickly fail as Snape participates in his torture... It's a strange story, in that the reader is pulled into chilling distaste/horror and then warmed again, as the events swing back and forth. One minute it is torture, and the next....? Despite this, the actual torture part of the rape is not glorified or eroticized - this is brilliantly written. A marvellous, riveting, chew-your-nails-and-whimper read.

>> Nightmare by musigneus. Rating: X. Warning/s: non-con. Remus has an unpleasant encounter with Lucius Malfoy.

>> Walk the Black Path. by musigneus. Rating: R. Warning/s. Sequel/companion to A Cure for Dreams. After an unexpected night of intimacy, Snape acts more coldly than ever toward Lupin.

>> Cure for Dreams. by musigneus. Rating: R . Warning/s. After an unexpected night of intimacy, Snape acts more coldly than ever toward Lupin.

>> The Tilting Earth by musigneus. Rating: X. Warning/s: Torture. Severus takes one chance too many.
An amazing story - more nail-bitingly riveting reading as Severus takes risks that may reveal his double-role as a spy. Moves through horrendous torture scenes to scenes that show the nature of the developing relationship between Severus and Remus. Extraordinary stuff - do read, although only if you can handle some torture. I'm a softie, but torture at this level is okay for me (although I whimper.)

>> Water Therapy by musigneus. Rating: X. No warnings. Snape's physical therapy is more pleasant than expected. An unexpectedly and very welcome light episode ib the series - it's funny and gorgeous, from Remus teaching Severus how to swim, to the Trio's unwitting and unwilling blackmail of Severus. And the "Severus, did you hear what I said" moment... guh! Wonderful.

>> A Quiet Evening by musigneus. Rating: M . No warnings. A brief interlude following Water Therapy.

>> A Learning Experience by musigneus. Rating: M. No warnings. Harry learns something, and Severus and Remus go up the Astronomy Tower. Sequel to A Quiet Evening.

>> All Good Things by musigneus. Rating: . Warning/s: Character death (not a main character). Severus knows all good things come to an end. The conclusion of the series; follows A Learning Experience.
This story is divided into three parts - the first part taking place as Severus is walking through Hogwarts, and is simultaneously reminded of some of the horrors of the past, and what it has cost him in the present. The second part is a private interlude between Severus and Remus, and the sex is heart-wrenchingly beautiful. Worth reading just for the divine sex and the exquisite emotional resonances. The final section takes place at Remus' 50th birthday party (why, that would be next year!) and much of the content consists of dialogue between Severus and Hermione, as they both come to amazing realizations. It's bittersweet and so satisfying - do please, please read this one - it is so fulfilling and utterly beautiful. A wonderful resolution, so melancholy and simultaneously happy - it's gorgeous.

Stories like this Tilting Earth series have formed and shaped so much of that which I adore about snupin - the shared darkness within both characters, the hiden duality of their natures - that contrast between the appearances and the reality that is so much a part of their psyches. Wonderful stuff.

>> As always, part of this rec-post has been adapted from my weekly rec post at bottomsnape. Other parts of this post are new, and may apear in later bottomsnape rec posts.

Was Voldemort's attack on Severus Snape avoidable? Thoughts on the Elder Wand

2009-07-01T14:21:40Z

This thread is not for discussing how Severus Snape might have survived Nagini's bite but about whether we can come up with scenarios in which Voldemort isn't motivated to attack him in the first place (ignoring the possibility of Voldemort killing Severus with no clear reason other than 'because he felt like it'). For each scenario try to figure out what had to happen to bring it about and how the outcome of the entire saga would have differed from canon.

For example, if Voldemort had figured out that Draco's disarming of Dumbledore counted as 'defeating' him and made Draco rather than Severus the master of the wand he would have set Nagini on Draco instead. Draco would have died. If the second clause of Severus' Unbreakable Vow to Narcissa were still in effect (no consensus on this point in fandom) Severus would have died too when Draco did. By killing Draco Voldemort would have gained mastery of the Elder Wand, if this happened before the events of Malfoy Manor. Since the wand is indeed more powerful than a normal one (as evidenced by Harry using it to repair his own broken wand) there would be a chance that Voldemort's AK would have killed not only the Horcrux but Harry as well, despite the connection to Voldemort's body through Harry's blood. Harry's willing death would still protect the defenders from Voldemort, but not anyone else. The dead Harry would have been brought in front of the school as in canon. Neville would have killed Nagini, thus destroying the last Horcrux. Any AK Voldemort would have cast on a castle defender should have normally rebound on him because of Harry's willing death, however I wonder if the Elder Wand can over come such protection? And if it can, then perhaps Neville would have been burned to death under the Sorting Hat? If so it would have been a hard task to kill Nagini and Voldemort, resulting in many more deaths until the end of the battle. (If the Unbreakable Vow was no longer in force then Draco and Harry die, Severus survives. Perhaps he would have been able to help deal with Nagini and Voldemort himself.) For this scenario to happen Voldemort had to know the details surrounding Dumbledore's death and to sit and think logically so as to realize that already two times mastery of the wand was transferred without the death of the previous holder.

(Had Severus died the only way for Harry to learn he was a Horcrux and therefore had to die willingly would have been from Dumbledore's portrait. Even without access to the headmaster's office Dumbledore could have spoken to him from one of the other portraits in the building. However Severus' early death would have resulted in a worsening of the state of students and teachers.)

A second scenario: Severus finds out that Voldemort is after the Elder Wand and that the wand is in Dumbledore's grave. How? Maybe Phineas picks something up from the trio's conversations. Or Dumbledore's portrait decides to tell him. If Severus has any clue about Voldemort's searches can he use his authority and power as serving headmaster to force Dumbledore's portrait to tell him? So once Severus knows, what would he do? As he understand the situation, he has to live long enough to be around to deliver Harry the information about him being a Horcrux. I think he would also want to prevent Voldemort access to the Elder Wand because he does not trust Voldemort not to figure out that Draco is its current master. In this case, I think Severus would want to replace the wand in Dumbledore's grave. Preferably with Dumbledore's original wand, if Severus can get the portrait to tell him where it is, but if not then a wand from a wandmaker other than Ollivander would do. Then he would hide the Elder Wand somewhere inaccessible and unexpected. To cover up he would modify Draco's memory so that it would appear that the wand in the grave was the one Dumbledore used on his last night. And perhaps Severus would remove from his own mind any memories relating to his dealings with the wand.

So what happens now? Voldemort's search for the wand takes place as in canon. Around Easter he kills Grindelwald and arrives at Hogwarts to take the wand from Dumbledore's grave - but he finds some other wand there. I think he would interrogate Severus, but would find nothing amiss with Severus' conduct, as in the past. He may interrogate Draco as well and find corroboration of Severus' version (this part of the plan falls if Voldemort already performed Legilimency on Draco between Dumbledore's death and Severus' realization about the wand). If Severus can convince Voldemort that Dumbledore switched wands before Severus killed him he may possibly spare Severus. Or he may kill him on the spot out of frustration that he would never have the Elder Wand. At that point Harry was still at large and the Horcrux search still unknown to Voldemort, so perhaps Voldemort would think he still had time and he still needed Severus as headmaster during this time, and decide against killing him. Voldemort's problem is though, how to attack Harry when the time comes. Examination of the wands taken from the trio in Malfoy Manor would prove that Harry's holly-and-phoenix feather wand was broken, therefore there would be no danger of a repeat of Priori Incantatem, and Voldemort may decide to use his own wand. However since this wand already failed to kill Harry several times as did Lucius' wand, the alternative would be to set Nagini on Harry.

Harry arrives at Hogwarts to search for the Ravenclaw Horcrux, Voldemort prepares for attack on the school as in canon, except he does not attack Severus. Severus escapes so as not to have to fight the teachers nor open the school to Voldemort and sees Nagini under protection. He sends the doe Patronus to call Harry to an encounter where he tells him all, including Harry's status as Horcrux, Harry explains to Severus about the other Horcruxes and where they stand. Harry and friends take care of the cup and diadem, while Severus remains hidden. Then Harry and Severus have to tackle Harry, Nagini and Voldemort. I think their best chance is if Harry goes to offer himself with Severus accompanying him disillusioned, or perhaps Severus brings Harry as his 'prisoner'. (Perhaps it would have helped to have more support, but with only Ron and Hermione knowing anything about Horcruxes I can't imagine Harry and Severus being able to convince anyone else that Harry's voluntary death isn't the result of another act of treachery by Severus. I doubt Ron could be convinced, and I can't see Harry involving Hermione but not Ron. At most Harry would tell friends about Nagini.)

Option 1: Voldemort attacks Harry with a wand (either the yew wand or a borrowed one). Harry falls but lives, due to blood connection, Voldemort collapses because he destroyed his own Horcrux. Severus can't kill Nagini because she is protected. Severus is the first to check on Harry, and finds he is still alive. Of course he remains silent about the revelation. When Voldemort recovers he releases Nagini from her protection, as it isn't needed. Events continue very much like in canon except Severus is the one who kills Nagini rather than Neville. Harry's sacrifice protects the defenders and himself from Voldemort. This enables him to play dead as in canon and causes Voldemort's second AK to rebound as in canon.

Option 2: Voldemort sets Nagini on Harry. This one is harder to analyze because there are more unknowns. Harry bleeds profusely but remains just barely alive, because Voldemort still lives in a body made with Harry's blood. The Horcrux is not destroyed - after all, it wasn't destroyed when Harry nearly died from the basilisk's bite. Voldemort sees Harry still lives, so he AKs him (with whichever wand). This destroys the Horcrux and causes Voldemort to collapse. Severus checks on Harry and notices he is still (just barely) alive - and slips him whatever he might need to survive while keeping the pretense - probably Draught of Living Death. If he manages that then perhaps Harry will be brought in front of the school as in canon, Severus will kill Nagini, everyone will duel everyone. If Voldemort tries to AK anyone the spell will rebound on him and kill him. Meanwhile Severus will take Harry aside and heal him.

Alternatively: Severus replaces the wand in the tomb, Voldemort kills Severus in frustration over not getting the Elder Wand. He replaces Severus with another DE, making things hard at Hogwarts. Less than a month later Harry arrives to search for the Ravenclaw Horcrux. He receives the missing information from Dumbledore's portrait. Harry goes to die. If Voldemort AKs him, things continue as in canon. If Voldemort sets Nagini on him, Harry still lives, so Voldemort AKs him, destroys Horcrux, collapses. When Voldemort comes to he finds Harry who is just barely alive. If he is convinced Harry is dead, continue as above, except Nagini is killed by Neville and Madam Pomfrey heals Harry. If he believes Harry is still alive - I think he tries to kill him again and vaporizes (with Nagini being his remaining Horcrux). Only if Voldemort gets someone else to kill Harry would Harry die and I don't think this is likely. If Voldemort vaporizes I think the DEs would lose spirit, but one of them might kill Harry in revenge.

Am I correct in my analysis? Can anyone find serious mistakes in any of them? Can anyone come up with more scenarios?

If my analysis is correct then my conclusion is that there were so many other factors protecting Harry (the fact that Voldemort's body was made with his blood, his non-resistance to Voldemort and Voldemort's insistence to be the one to kill Harry) that his mastery of the Elder Wand was not necessary for his success. What mattered was that Voldemort did not master the wand, because the powers of the Elder Wand were the only thing that could have possibly overcome the other protections. Notice that any scenario in which Voldemort is not the master of the Elder Wand, Harry should survive (though sometimes just barely) any attack on him as long as Voldemort has his current body. Also after Harry's sacrifice Voldemort is incapable of killing anyone and any AK by him should rebound. The risks are from someone other than Voldemort attempting to kill Harry when Voldemort no longer has his body - something that can happen only if Voldemort 'dies' while a Horcrux (namely Nagini) is still alive. In canon this is what would have happened had Voldemort realized Harry survived the first AK in the forest and attempted to AK him again before Neville killed Nagini - a turn of events averted by Narcissa's lie.

Until his death Dumbledore was planning that his arranged assisted suicide by Severus would cause the wand to lose its powers. He made no back-up plan - had he died from the ring, cursed by Voldemort or from Voldemort's potion, Voldemort would have defeated him and become the master of the Elder Wand (leaving hiding it as the only recourse). After he died Dumbledore's strategy to protect the wand relied on confusing the matter of its mastery rather than making the wand inaccessible. The strategy was risky - it could have failed completely had Voldemort thought the situation out. Severus didn't even know Voldemort was not to find out that Draco had disarmed Dumbledore. He may have even revealed this information in attempt to protect Draco, to show how close he had been to success in his mission.

So why did Dumbledore choose this poor strategy to keep the Wand from Voldemort? Draco's defeat of Dumbledore caused the Elder Wand to retain its powers. At the very least Dumbledore feared that knowledge of the wand's identity would cause Severus to seek its power for himself (even if initially for a good cause, such as defeating Voldemort), and that like Dumbledore Severus wouldn't be able to let it go. This shows that Dumbledore had no understanding of Severus' moral growth since his defection so many years previously - not very surprising for a man who did not recognize how many people had a better sense of morality than himself).

(Though at least this analysis appears to suggest the whole thing was *not* a deliberate set-up to ensure Severus' death before the end of the war, as the very scenario he failed to prevent was the one where Draco would have died in Severus' place. So any AU in which Dumbledore helps Severus survive after the trio's escape from Malfoy Manor, when the Elder Wand's mastery slipped almost completely away from Voldemort - as long as Harry was going to surrender willingly, should be compliant with Dumbledore's intentions.)

Snape and Flying: the Lily Factor

2009-06-30T20:20:25Z

There's been a lot of interesting debate about the flying issue: did Voldemort teach Snape to fly, as McGonagall assumes, or was it Snape who taught Voldemort, as many Snape fans have suggested?

Leaning in favor towards the latter theory is the fact that Lily was able to fly as a child. Unaided flight is supposed to be impossible for wizards, so that would appear to be quite a remarkable feat, even if it was merely the sort of spontaneous wandless magic that young witches and wizards exhibit, that fades as they get older. At the time, Muggleborn Lily would not have realized that how remarkable this was, but Snape, having been raised by a witch mother, might have. I could see them having tried to develop a flying spell when they were older.

If they did begin researching such a spell while at Hogwarts, they probably weren't successful, since the spell doesn't seem to be common knowledge. Surely they wouldn't have been able to resist showing off such a spell, and we've never heard about anyone flying at Hogwarts during the Marauders era. Slughorn spoke effusively about what a talented Potions student Lily was--surely he would have mentioned if she had been able to do something as remarkable as flying without a broom. Surely Lily would have shared such a useful spell with her husband and maybe the other members of the Order.

So Snape and Lily probably didn't invent such a spell when they were teenagers. It is possible that they were able to make a few significant strides towards it, but were unable to perfect the spell before Lily severed their friendship. And afterwards, they abandoned their research and chose not to continue it singly, since it brought back too many painful memories.

However, it is possible that years later, while doing some unrelated research for either Dumbledore or Voldemort, Snape stumbled across something that helped him complete the flying spell. Then at some point, probably when he needed to curry favor with the Dark Lord, he gave the finished spell to Voldemort. Voldie doesn't seem like the type to give credit to others, so he doesn't broadcast that Snape is actually the one who invented the spell, and everyone assumes that he created it. Snape, playing the role of the loyal lackey, keeps quiet and lets Voldemort take the credit. (And even if the Death Eaters knew that Snape created the spell, Mcgonagall probably wouldn't have been privy to that information anyway.)

But...a big problem that I have with this scenario is that Snape regards his memories of Lily as something very painful and private and precious. Of course he wouldn't tell Voldemort about Lily's connection to the spell, but I can't see Snape sullying her memory by giving something that he associates with her to the Dark Lord. He would do it only as a last resort, if there was no other way to fulfill the promise that he'd made to Dumbledore, to protect Harry for Lily's sake.

And quite frankly, it seems like killing Dumbledore would be enough to win Voldemort's favor without needing to give him a flying spell, which is pretty cool but hardly vital to the Dark Lord's plans to take over the wizarding world and kill Harry.

I suppose that it's possible that Snape could have given the spell to Voldemort prior to Dumbledore's death, and that Voldie didn't have an opportunity to use it publicly until that scene in Book 7. Perhaps when Snape returned to the Death Eaters at the end of Book 4, Voldemort was extremely distrustful of him, and the spell helped win him a little goodwill. Still, it seems like a clever spy like Snape would be able to work his way back into Voldemort's trust without it, and if Voldemort was that mistrustful of Snape, I don't think that a nifty flying spell would be enough to ease his suspicions. Snape would have had to do something more direct to prove his loyalties: provide important information, and/or help take out some of his Order allies, as he claims to Bellatrix that he did in Book 6.

So perhaps Voldemort really did invent the flying spell (or rediscovered a long-forgotten spell), and gave it to Snape as a reward for killing Dumbledore. Or Snape was the one who created the spell and gave it to Voldemort, but it had nothing to do with Lily: it was something that he researched on his own, out of curiosity, or because he doesn't like using broomsticks. The Pensieve memory of him in Book 5 as a young boy on a bucking broomstick may be a hint that he isn't good at it, although he seems to have mastered the skill sufficiently enough as an adult to referee Quidditch games. Maybe the research into the flying spell originally started off as a way to compete with James: if Snape couldn't be a naturally talented broomstick rider like his rival, then he could have decided to one-up James and do something better--fly without a broomstick. But again, since he didn't show off the flying spell in school, he probably did not perfect it until years later, long after his rival was dead. By then it might have seemed pointless and a hollow victory, so he had no qualms about turning it over to Voldemort to gain some favor rather than keeping it for himself.

Or maybe it was something as simple and trivial as Voldemort expressing a whim for such a spell, and Snape set out to impress him by achieving the impossible. Or, as I suggested earlier, he came across the flying spell while doing research for something unrelated, and thought it might be useful.

Still, it does seem like a pretty big stretch of coincidence that Lily, Snape, and Voldemort are the only witches or wizards that we see who can fly without a broomstick, but I can't quite figure out how to connect the three in a way that makes sense.

The Nose - Alternative Carreer SNARC June

2009-06-30T17:48:08Z

My second last minute entry :)

"The Perfumer is an expert on creating perfume compositions, sometimes referred to affectionately as "the Nose" (French: le nez) due to their fine sense of smell and skill in producing olfactory compositions. " Wikipedia, see more

ArtPad Process

Alternative Carreer SNARC June

2009-06-30T17:34:51Z

I have 2 last minute entries.
First one first. I have an excuse for this, I really have.
Godson (12yo): Have you drawn anything for that contest thing yet?
Me: The Snape Art Contest? Not yet.
Godson: What was the theme this time?
Me: What would be a good job for him.
Godson: That's obvious. Chimney sweeper.
Me: ??
Godson: He always wears black.
Me: *scratcheshead*
So you should blame him for this:

ArtPad process

Alternative Career - June Snape Art Contest

2009-06-27T22:33:54Z

You may watch it being drawn HERE!

June SNARC reminder

2009-06-27T11:51:43Z

(I actually saw this truck earlier on in the week for real, but it wasn't spewing its contents out onto the street. I've always believed Snape would be a shit driver.)

Come on, my lovelies! There's only a few days until the end of June SNARC.
So far we've got 'Men In Black' by hirschkuh, 'Karaoke King' by bohemianspirit, 'Undefeated Solicitor' by severed_lies, and 'Master Thespian' by the_bitter_word.
I've finally decided on the prize:

Don't delay... get drawin'!

Art and fic recs...

2009-06-26T15:01:42Z

Three art recs, two snupin fic recs and a snarry...

art (NWS):
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to write a story to accompany this art in the lupin_snape "Trading Places" Challenge. The art is exquisite - I adore the way Fanlay manages to convey strength and fragility simultaneously.
Oh Bugger! by fanlay. NWS. NC-17. Pairing: Snape/Lupin.

And this one is so very slytherin:
The Slytherin (Snape), also by fanlay. NWS. Snape alone. Sort of.

And here's some more beautiful art by Fanlay - created to illustrate nehalenia's Possession, which I recced last week.
Possession II by fanlay. NWS. Snape/Moony.

snupin
Reintroducing the Wolf by schemingreader. NC-17. Warning/s: BDSM.
One of my all-time favorites. I've re-read it so many times, I'm sure it's imprinted on my mind. Severus is his usual snarky self, prickly and defensive, with hidden vulnerabilities and insecurities, and so divinely, perfectly submissive in bed. It is beautifully structured and written, and that final scene with the (natural) wolves is so evocative. Set initially in a (non-magic) US University, Severus and Remus are both academics in Gay and Lesbian Studies at "Hogwarts University".
There are little cameos by familiar characters - one gets glimpses of Minerva, Flitwick and Neville, and there's this wonderful secondary pairing going on in the background, between Luna and Hermione. I love this Hermione - neurotic and sweet and fretful, anguishing over Snape's lack of romantic opportunities, and this Luna, dreamy and relaxed, yet so clued in. And capable of effortlessly mellowing Hermione.

"A handsome, cultured, gay man, the right age, and Severus has to go insulting him. He'll never get laid."

"Is it really your job to fix up your dissertation advisor?"

Between them Hermione and Luna get the funniest lines:
"You want me to camp out with you on a research trip after sleeping with me one time? Is this like, the joke about the lesbian second date and the moving van?"
and yet the focus of the story is unequivocally the building intensity between Severus and Remus as they circle closer to each other. And the sex is searingly, marvelously hot!! I love it!

The Ghost in the Machine by arionrhod. Rated: R. AU.
Summary: There is no better mecha pilot than the angry, bitter Severus Snape - except, perhaps, for his new mechanic, Remus Lupin. Both men are hiding something, and fighting against themselves as much as each other. Thrown together by circumstance and the threat of looming war, can they move past their differences and to foil the plans of an evil corporation, achieve victory, and perhaps find there is a far more satisfying touch than that of cold steel?
This one is really au - it's set in an alternative science fiction universe. And it is brilliant. It appeared in the snupin_santa, and I recall thinking "mecha"? Mecha snupin?
Well, part-way through the first chapter (and this is a multi-chaptered long story), I was in love. In love with the irascible, brilliant, short-tempered, demanding, passionate, haunted-by-his-past mecha pilot, Severus Snape. And his new mechanic, the even-tempered, somewhat enigmatic former mecha-pilot, Remus Lupin from the planet Wolf 359. Together they implement a plan to thwart the evil Voldemort and his followers...
This story is wonderful - a great read; the plot-line is gripping and suspenseful; the romance and sex is gorgeous; and the whole au envionment brilliantly and compellingly sustained. Love it - highly recommended.

snarry:
There's something you should know by cruisedirector and dementordelta. Rated: Explicit sex/violence. Warning: rimming.
Marvelous reading - so funny and so unbelievably sexy.

Severus Snape had promised himself long ago that if the Ministry ever came through with the pardon that so many people had testified he was owed, the first thing he would do was to lose his virginity.
[...]
In truth, his principal reason for desiring intercourse was to prove wrong that bastard, James Potter, who had once told Snape that he was sure to die a virgin. Just in case Snape was doomed to meet Potter or Sirius Black in the afterlife, he wanted to be certain that he'd be able to laugh in their faces.

I neither kink nor squick "first time" (everybody's got to do it the first time sometime, hey?) - can take them or leave them, wouldn't seek one out specifically. But this story is brilliant. Told from Snape's perspective, Snape's embarrassment, awkwardness and fumbling are apparent only to him - because we have a blissfully oblivious Harry. Still a sensitive and caring Harry, but an utterly and sublimely oblivious Harry. And I do love an in-control Severus coming undone with sex - this is a wonderful, wonderful story.

Adapted from my last fic recs at bottomsnape
EDIT: The link to Reintroducing the Wolf is all fixed now - thanks to dulcinea77 for pointing out the problem.

One week left for the sign ups!

2009-06-23T15:42:11Z

We need: artists/crafters, beta readers, cheerleaders and writers.

Friday fic recs.... on a Friday!

2009-06-19T04:38:07Z

Repeating my success of last week, I am posting the Friday fic recs on a Friday! (It's Friday here now.)

These are the recs from my last bottomsnape recs, with a new wonderful snupin rec added. One snarry and three snupins.

snarry:
Growing Pains by tira_nog. NC-17. Warnings: Hurt/comfort; Rimming.
A long-time favorite.
This story is the sequel to the well-known and justifiably praised A Nick in Time. Wanton that I am, I prefer the sequel, because it's got sex. Lovely, lovely sex. And it's compelling reading, watching Harry and Severus come to terms with their return to 'real life', and come to terms with their new-found feelings for each other.
Gloriously sexy and wonderfully moving, as Severus moves through and past issues of trust and shame - this story is special, with a snarky but very vulnerable and insecure Severus.

snupin:
Possession by nehalenia. NC-17. Warnings: Bestiality, Character death, Graphic violence, Non-consensual sex, Torture.
Watch out for those warnings - but let me add that even for a softie like me, this one is not to be missed. The rape and torture is 'off-screen', and not glorified - it's essential to the plot development, not eroticized.
This one is an absolute favorite - this story is utterly brilliant. Severus' belief that he has always been owned, first marked and utterly possessed by Voldemort, then Dumbledore and finally Fenrir Greyback, is the crux of the story. And Lupin liberates him - by proving that none of these men have ever owned him; none of them could ever have owned him, no matter what they or Severus thought. Wonderfully passionate sex and loving and despair and desperate rescues. Gorgeous - do, do read! It's utterly wonderful.

Paso Doble, by scribbulus_ink and arionrhod. R. Warnings: None.
And for a completely different flavour of snupin: the stories of scribbulus_ink and arionrhod are widely known and loved. Together they create the most marvelous snupin stories, often inventively au, and always very well-written; blissfully long, multi-chaptered fics to satisfy snupin cravings.
Paso Doble is a non-magic au, based on the US reality TV series So You Think You Can Dance. Severus Snape is an angry, impassioned hip-hop dancer, Remus Lupin a reserved, articulate contemporary dancer. They are brilliant competing against each other, but even better dancing together. And really, my summary does the story no justice - I make it sound implausible, improbable - but the magic of scribbulus_ink and arionrhod's writing is that they make it work. Brilliantly. This one's a delightful treat.

And a new rec for a recently posted story:
The Anniversary by lulabelle72. NC-17. Warning: Bestiality.
Bestiality is not my thing (no criticism meant to those who do like it - personal tastes, yeah?) HOWEVER if ever there is a story where bestiality is presented as moving and relevant, this is one. Depicted in the context of a long-standing relationship, as part of the patterns and traditions of a fully mature connection - this is wonderful reading. This writer is, I believe, new to snupin - and a very welcome addition to my favorite ship. I'm so glad I followed another rec and gave this story a chance - do go please and read!

Friday rec

2009-06-18T23:06:28Z

It's Friday down here in Oz, so I thought I'd post this link:

http://odogoddess.insanejournal.com/297040.html?view=562512#t562512

Not a fic, a pic from the next movie, but definitely worth a look. And the comments are fun!
Alison

3 Friday Fic Recs

2009-06-13T05:53:48Z

Here are three fic recs for Friday: one dark and two humorous.

Title: One Echo
Author: snegurochka_lee
Characters: Snape/Lupin, Lily, James. Snape/Lily, sort of, but no more than you get from canon.
Rating: R
Words: ~3,400
Warnings: Domestic abuse. (Minor, offstage) character death. Quite far into AU territory, too, I should think. Possibly suspect magical theory.
Summary: Snape saw the moment it registered. Lupin was an idiot, to be sure, except when he wasn't. His gaze swept over Lily, pausing at the pertinent swells of purple on her arms and the way she hunched over in shame. If only both of them had looked into her eyes.

Written for the Dark Side challenge on lupin_snape, this is dark indeed, and will send a chill down your spine. I can't say too much about it without giving away the ending, but I highly recommend it. Actually, I highly recommend anything by this author, who somehow has a way of writing so well that her stories overcome all my usual squicks. (I usually don't care for dark fic and prefer happy fluffy stories, but this story is incredibly compelling and I don't regret reading it at all, although I still shudder a bit when I think about it.)

***

Title: Fleabane
Author: geri_chan
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Word count: ~7,100
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Snupin Meme
Prompt: "The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too." - Samuel Butler
Summary: Lupin wants to adopt a stray dog, but Snape has other plans.
Author's note: Inspired by a prompt from lupin_snape's April Fools Challenge, although I didn't finish it in time for the challenge.

This is one of mine, with my usual snarky-with-a-side-of-fluff Snape. Post-war AU where Snape and Lupin never died and are living together happily as an established couple. Lupin brings home a stray mutt, and our long-suffering Potions Master is determined to get rid of it, but...well, I'm sure you can guess how this is going to turn out. ^_^

***

Title: The Lecture
Author: grindylowe
Pairing: gen
Rating: R
Author's Notes: Inspired by a post of Severus Snape Slyth Society Board about Snape teaching Sex ED. I never said it was an original idea! Not ONCE!

Hey, a non-Snupin rec! ^_^ I stumbled across this link on another comm, where someone mentioned a fic where Snape teaches a sex education class--how could I resist? It features a hilariously snarky Snape teaching Sex Ed to a soon-to-be-traumatized class of male students: "Let me start of by saying that the information I am about to impart to you will gain you nothing but trouble. You thought my potions midterm was, perhaps, frustrating and humiliating? It has nothing on this, especially for us men. At least with the potions midterm there's a chance, however slim, that you could study harder and get a better grade in my class. With this the only way to learn is from practice. And from the looks of most of you that will be hard to come by."

And it only gets funnier from there!

I do recommend that you read this promptly, as the fic is archived on a Geocities site (Yahoo's free web page service), and Yahoo is planning to shut down Geocities later this summer. So if you don't read it now, it might not be there later.

Pimpity-pimp

2009-06-12T20:49:10Z

Did you sign up yet on severusbigbang?

Come, help us celebrate Severus' 50th birthday with a big fest, a bang like no other. All participants are free to create what they want (within the frame of our rules).

Sign ups are open for:

Art/Crafts

Fic

Beta Reading

Cheeleading

You can sign up for the Big Bang: longer fic, a series of art pieces or the Bang: short fic/drabbles or one piece of art.

And if you want to help by giving advice, or by being encouraging, then sign up as a beta or cheerleader. You've no idea how much a bit of encouragement at the right moment can help.

Still hesitant? There's two more weeks for signing up. Do it for Severus! Or maybe do it for one of the banners especially reserved for our participants. ;)

(banner by ajat)

Friday fic recs.... on a Friday!

2009-06-12T18:50:45Z

And today I'm doing my Friday fic recs on Friday! Made of win! Er, it is Friday, isn't it?

I don't believe I've recced this story before - and yet reading it has been one of the most healing experiences I've had recently. This story is extraordinary - it is so moving; honestly I can't even think of a story that is comparable.

Told from Draco's perspective, it deals with his grief, his immeasurable sense of loss at Severus's death - and his anger, his resentment and his sense of betrayal. This story spans the years between the Hogwart's Battle and Scorpius's schooldays, and is 99% canon-compliant. Even years after, Draco is shaped by his love and loss of Severus - it is central to his entire character. And Draco has not forgiven Severus, and he is not really living. In some senses, his life ended the day Severus died. And, all these years later, Severus is still trying to get Draco to forgive him, to truly live...

The Years That Walk Between by femmequixotic.
Summary: Draco finds his way after the war.
Rating: NC-17.
Warnings: you are going to cry.
Pairings: Severus/Draco (past); Harry/Draco.

If you read nothing else this week/month/year, please read this one. Please, even if the pairings don't do it for you, read this one!

Friday fic recs: Snarry and Severus/Charity

2009-06-12T17:12:45Z

"Snarry" is, for better or worse, firmly entrenched as shorthand for "Snape/Harry," but I refuse to call Severus and Charity "Sevarity." :-P I also don't get why the hell people pair Severus' last name with his partner's first name in these shorthand dealies; whatever happened to parallel construction? But I digress. ;-)

First, I want to direct you to an absolutely gorgeous Severus/Harry postwar fic. It was based--by request of the recipient, venturous (venturous1 on LJ)--upon the story I wrote for Ven for last year's Snapedom Summer Fest: Merry Meet Again. The author picked up where I left off and spun a fascinating tale of woundedness and healing, magic and love.

We Shall Meet in all Directions

Author: megyal (on LJ)
Pairing: Snape/Harry
Rating: PG
Summary: Right after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry's beleaguered mind continues to deal with comforting hallucinations and stark reality.

Second, I've continued to write drabbles for snape100 about Severus and Charity. My latest drabbles have been a series centering around Severus and Charity going out of the country on holiday for the summer (1993 is implied). Rather than link to each story on LJ, IJ, and DW versions of Snape100, I'll just provide the links on my fic archive.

The Summer Holiday series, in order:

* High Flying Lover
* Letting Off Steam
* Not Going That Way
* The Dunderheads Had Not Pained Him for Nineteen Hours, All Was Well
* Begin at the Beginning
* Whenever We Begin
* Ruminations on an Anonymous Correspondence
* No Escape from Reality

Future drabbles will also be archived on my IJ, linked on the sidebar under "Summer Holiday series - Severus/Charity."

Friday Self-Pimp? and a Rec?

2009-06-12T17:00:57Z

Every once in a while, I'll mention something that I've written. I am in the process of putting those few things on the Dreamwidth journal, the_bitter_word. (EnyaAvialle at Deviantart kindly permitted me to use her photomanip, I Will Never Forget, for the background to the journal.) Right now, I've made public an unfinished biography of Snape, Notes in the Margin, which is as much meta as fiction. It was written between HBP and DH, and encapsulates my speculation regarding Snape's development before DH.

I'll be posting other things there -- if I can stop refreshing my screen like a fiend to keep up with the changes on blurred_lines (the comm and its friends page). I highly recommend this RPG for nail-biting drama, great laughs, complex situations, and amazing characters -- especially our hero, fortiscadere. I fell into this comm only a few months ago, and I'm totally hooked. I know it's hard to get into these things mid-stream, but I'm finding it engaging and worth reading.

Severus and Werewolves

2009-06-10T06:17:48Z

Werewolves. I believe that Severus' antipathy to werewolves was due to something he believed to be Remus’ betrayal. Remus had never tormented him. That would have meant a great deal Severus, as a lonely teenager. There are two times we read about Severus following someone and spying on them for his own ends. One is Lily, in the playground, (which naturally implies more such incidents.) The other is his spying on the Marauders.

The books speak of him hiding in the bushes, watching Lily with hunger. He was not a predator, but despite everything, despite planning and cunning, he was something much more innocent. He wanted a friend.

I believe it was in the same spirit that he watched the marauders. It is true, he was amongst a gang of Slytherins, who nearly all turned out to be Death-Eaters, but they were Slytherin. They were the powerful rich old families, pure-blood, wanting for nothing. The demands put on the neglected boy we see on the train must have been enormous, and they would have had to be hidden, must be demonstrated immediately even as they were developing.

How lonely he must have been, would have been, even had Sirius, James and probably others, not tormented him while their followers jeered.

He would have noticed Remus with them, shabby and poor as himself, another boy who would have been an outcast. He would have seen the apology in Remus' eyes, the awkwardness, the inability to prevent his friends, the disinclination to participate. Intrigued, he would have watched, noticed the illnesses, the absences, perhaps scratches and minor wounds. In his mind he would have conjured sympathy in Remus - not pity, but possibility of understanding, fellow-feeling, even... even friendship.

Remus regretted not preventing his friends from tormenting Severus and as good as called himself an idiot. But this was Remus' thought. Even Sirius and Dumbledore did not share it. Severus was bullied by the leaders in the school, and by extension an entire crowd. He would have been keenly aware that Remus had been reading during his worst memory, even more aware he was frowning. He would also have assumed with the same keenness of feeling that Remus would wished he was not bullied.

The whole school, and the world, from his earliest childhood, had been against him, save his shining Slytherins. A simple refusal to participate would grow and expand into an almost convincing illusion of understanding and warmth. Severus was not lost yet. There was no brand on his arm. He was free to make his own choices. I believe something in him was still tender and wistful enough to believe he could have that friend. I believe he was innocent enough to fool himself into believing Remus would have sat with him - talked, shared books, perhaps, ideas, sympathies - if only Remus had been free to do what he really wanted.

He would have watched and waited, thinking kindly too of a boy with secrets, poverty, pain. He would have dreamt as he had of himself and Lily, prepared himself again for an approach, ineptly. The day actually came, though the message was from Sirius.

Then came the Shrieking Shack fiasco. Sirius tried to kill him, and Remus was a werewolf, vicious, terrifying. , and they all stood against him, favoured. Even Remus. Dumbledore was perhaps the only one who could have redeemed him from the Death Eaters. He waved him away, treated him as nothing, protected his young lions. It was the end of many things for Severus, and I believe he channelled all his hurt into hate and rage and dismissal. I believe he swept Remus, and werewolves by extension into this, calling him a weapon, a danger even into adulthood, trying to convince himself.

Nevertheless, I believe the earlier truth wound itself into Severus' obsession. He was somewhat obsessed. Even before Remus came to teach, his third question to Harry, in his first ever class, was about Aconite, Monkshood, Wolfsbane. I believe those sad tendrils of hope still lived, though as melancholy, as mourning, as sorrow, as part of himself he had also lost. In my world, it is this spirit, almost of a past, ghostly Severus that infuses the Wolfsbane potion which he brews for Remus.

alternative job for Snape

2009-06-08T20:26:37Z

mmmh - what about he hired as Men in Black and got a bit obsesses with that flash thingy....?

the work in progress:
artpad.art.com/

what an great idea for an contest, I have a lot of plot-bunnies... :)

June SNARC: Sev's Alternative Career

2009-06-07T14:55:44Z

I decided that Severus would choose to do just about anything that left him a free man without the stresses of serving a cold, cruel puppetmaster. (He couldn't wait to get away from Voldemort, either.) So rather than illustrate whatever routine but peaceful occupation he might pursue for a living, I decided to show what he does after work, moonlighting for a bit of extra cash:

Because he's got a really nice voice--how many hundreds of times are we told it's "silky"?--and we see in HBP that he can sing, I think Severus does pretty well at the karaoke bar. ;-) Don't you know he's still standing, better than he ever did, looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid!

Bonus points to those who recognize the song which Severus is singing in the picture. :-D

(My process was a mess, and the final version mashed up the text, so I'm not bothering with the ArtPad link this time.)

Severus and Flight (for snapedom)

2009-06-07T06:01:23Z

There are many Severus'. And each Severus has his own canon. In that of my Severus, I have made certain choices. It is certainly due to the influence of my friend's story that I have taken these positions. Since it was written the Snape-shaped hole appeared. This delighted me.

Voldemort is the only other person in the books who is mentioned as flying, and when they learn of it everyone is amazed. He is in the habit of arbitrarily punishing and rewarding. Snape had killed Dumbledore, the only person who Voldemort feared. In my world, it is not only Headmastership of Hogwarts he is granted, and a seat at the Dark Lord's right hand, but the gift of flight.

It has been argued, when I mentioned this in the Voldemort writing, that the Dark Lord was not inclined to give or to share knowledge or skills. I think, however that he was capricious, and it pleased him to act with benevolence as well as cruelty. 'A Merciful Lord,' he said, and perhaps he wanted to prove himself a generous one also. He would want to bear positive attributes, to show himself that he was a wise and good leader of men. If he had been a hard and vicious man always, I do not think he would have gained power and followers from the high old families.

It is true, he punished his followers, either with immediate Crucio, as with Thorfinn, or with long-term elaborate harm such as turning Draco into a murderer in vengeance against Lucius. Nevertheless, I believe that the service Severus rendered him, of that he believed Severus rendered him, was significant enough to warrant significant reward.

In my canon, Severus is aware of what price he paid for his gift. He knows it is blood money or meant to be blood money. On the one hand, when he flies he thinks of Dumbledore, of killing him. On the other hand, flight is wonderful, and the physical feeling is free, the control and solitude - all are at once triumphant and peaceful even in the midst of war. It is a beautiful miracle. It is another tool in an array of personal tactics. It allows him to... escape, to literally rise above. Wonder and horror.

It has also been argued that it was Lily who taught Severus to fly, and he in turn taught the Dark Lord, perhaps for favour. This is also a very valid possibility. In my Severus' canon, however, Lily's jump from the swing was a naive act of near-spontaneous magic in comparison. It is easy to conceive of it growing naturally from the feeling one gets, leaping from the swing, thrown into the air. Many young children believe it really is flying. It is not deliberate, sustained, developed flight, however. Again in my world, it has taken the work of a master-wizard with uncommon brilliance to create and refine a spell of such unique and daring magic. Voldemort was such a wizard, despite his other failings.

My Severus was taught to fly - was given the joy, the freedom, the tool of flight - by the Dark Lord, who developed it himself, in exchange for Severus' unquestionable loyalty and service, which he proved by murdering Dumbledore.

There is also the question of Severus' earlier relationship to flight.

Neville is the other student we view unable to control a bucking broom. Severus did not want to associate himself with Nevillle, especially in his own mind. In my canon, Severus' best friend is Rabastan Lestrange, and Neville just makes Severus think of darkness and horror. Neville brings to the surface that which he would rather leave buried. His incompetence with a broom, mirroring Severus' own failure as a child, would be intolerable. Severus did not take failure lightly, but more as a devastation, as he strove to excel at everything.

He was never comfortable or happy with brooms or quidditch, and hated this. James Potter's attention-seeking vain-glory, as evidenced by his play with the snitch, and which in my Severus' canon extended to their earlier years, did not inspire him to overcome it. He pretended disinterest rather than being outshone. But in his diligent fashion, he practiced alone without telling anyone, because brooms were useful and he could not bear to be unable to do something that made one a wizard. He was able to fly with a broom, but not as well as others.

Thus the quidditch scene, where he is referee to protect Harry. The Weasleys aim bludgers at him and Harry nearly runs him down, certainly giving the impression he intended to do just that. He is spoken of as being more mean than usual, and afterwards, he is white and tight-lipped, and yes, he spits. This reaction, in my canon, is several things. It is a reliving of bad memories, because he has been abused and humiliated, as he was as a child by James and co.

In addition to that, I attribute his reaction to white-knuckled broom-flying, which he has undertaken only in order to protect this first-year image of his own tormentor. He is not comfortable flying; he is not happy flying. He does it under duress, for need. He is tense, nervous and his reaction on landing is to spit, to rid himself of the taste of the experience. It is not simple anger that Gryffindor won the match. It is flying rather than quidditch itself that he hates. He loves Slytherin and encourages and aids his players. One of the few times he naturally smiles, at least in the movies, is when they do well at a quidditch match. He doesn't want to play, or be involved in the game. He doesn't want to fly. Particularly with all the eyes of the school on him, one quarter of them laughing at him.

Prior to learning free flight, my Severus was awkward, uncomfortable and nervous flying with a broom and it troubled him to be less than brilliant.

words: 1019
warnings: none

My June SNARC Entry

2009-06-06T23:48:19Z

I really think Severus would love being paid to argue!

ArtPad: http://artpad.art.com/gallery/?kkuczg1jdgfg

June Snarc

2009-06-06T18:14:33Z

What did Severus want to do as an alternative career? He actually declared his secret passion to Draco after dragging the young student into the bathroom.

(Notice how I avoided the pron there.)

The Potions Master wanted to be a Master Thespian! Here is a version of the later bathroom scene in HPB between Draco and Snape (where I obviously copied the figures - or tried to). They were both ACTING! Genius!

Of course, Snape's greatest bit of ACTING! took place in the Shrieking Shack in DH. ;-)

ArtPad for fussiness over skill.