This was witty and inspired, thought-provoking, touching at times, even a bit cheeky, and most importantly, full of delightful Snarryness.
I loved how the characters argued about their (un)suitability to each other at the beginning and how Addlebrook almost blew his cover, so to speak, in his frustration over their lack of co-operation. This is such a clever and funny exchange:
"GENTLEMEN! Stop this at once! This ridiculous, self-serving, and sexual innuendo laden banter is achieving nothing. You've done absolutely nothing to advance the plot and all you've seen fit to do is establish what complete idiots you are."
"Erm, what? The plot for platonic gay art dealers?"
Addlebrook sighed and wiped his brow. "No, Harry. It's—never mind. It's not important. What is important is that this will only work if you pose as gay art dealers who are madly in love with each other."
"And why is that, exactly?"
*giggles* Harry was being rather difficult there, wasn’t he? Also, I was enjoying the banter a lot and was very glad it didn’t stop when the plot kicked in. After all, they were on top form as proved by Severus:
"Potter, stop before your lifetime allotment of words runs out."
"What? Having played a double spy for most of my adult life, I can muster up the appropriate courage to convincingly play the better to my besotted, inexperienced but eager to please young lover—that's you, Pottter— and I have some modicum of interest in contemporary art, but—"
"We're supposed to be committed gay Muggle art dealers. Fairies, I believe they're called. Surely they levitate things all of the time."
"Never able to mark you higher than Troll in Potions? Never able to apply any other word than 'disappointing' to any academic skill you foolishly believe you possess?"
"At least you didn't fall for the, 'Why don't you come up and see my Rothko?' line. I would have strangled you at the table if you had."
At the risk of sounding shallow, I have to say that I was utterly charmed by the ”sublime ridiculousness of the love story in all of its contrivances”.