Harsh. Raw. Ugly. This was infidelity at its finest. I spent the whole time as I was reading it wanting to scream in frustration. Harry was…an utter wanker, figuratively and literally. A dunderhead, moron, idiot! For a while there, I feared he would crash and burn. I was relieved at the end he finally saw the light and managed to recover the broken pieces of his life…and that Snape was there to take him back.
Harry’s constant use of “I love you” was particularly nauseating. He seemed to think that saying it would make everything all right, that it somehow excused all his lying, denials, and unfaithfulness. And every time it seemed as if he realized the harm he was doing and tried to ‘do the right thing’, it just started the whole messy cycle over again.
::sighs::
The angst was in high gear and it was very grueling to read. I felt sorry for everyone, including Harry.
At the end, the fallout over Harry’s actions was still playing out, particularly with his eldest son, James, who, I felt, will probably need a good talking to none too soon – if he doesn’t end up doing something terrible and land in Azkaban first.
One of my favorite parts of the story was when the Potter family visited Snape:
It was a topic everyone could participate in, even Lily when she finally stumbled into the kitchen, wiping sleep from her eyes. A little stunned, Harry looked from Ginny to Snape and back again, shaking his head in disbelief. For the first time, he caught a glimpse of why Snape had survived so long as a spy. Any Slytherin who could get past James' instinctive hatred, while at the same time not excluding anyone else, was a diplomatic force to be reckoned with. Harry felt unbelievably content.
I loved how you illustrated Snape’s cleverness and wit. He was so clear-sighted throughout the story.
This was an outstanding tale, brilliantly written. Bravo!