O.K., so Snape's out to prove magic's not magical, but this story absolutely IS (magical, I mean.) It's like the very best kind of dream -- with a logic all its own that's much more exciting than waking could ever be, where every image explodes with possibilities, unfurls the more you think about it. So even the parts I don't quite follow (which I may very well figure out after a couple more read throughs) feel right, I'm content with the pattern they weave, how events swoop down out of the blue, then suddenly zoom off again, leave you wanting more and more. . .
You can write in so many styles -- the legalese of the courts, gossip about hair-dos, Snape's academic babblings, those beautiful still tableaux of Snape's journey through the woods in winter-- so effortlessly, it's simply breathtaking.
And the emotions are so fresh and burst out unexpectedly, kind of ambush you from behind. Snape and Harry are just so funny and strange together, I felt uncontrollably protective about them. You just could feel them teetering on the brink of horror. I mean, if the Dementors had got Snape because of that one moment of unguarded happiness he broke down and allowed himself. . . I would've, I dunno . . . but thank God, you were more benign than that, and the promise at the end didn't feel like it was just pulled out a hat either. When Harry (not so dense after all) remembers how of course, Snape would have Plan B/C/D . . . it was perfect.
This story makes me feel like writing is the most exciting thing in the world!