Thank you, o wonderful Mystery Author, for this beautiful and surprising (in the best possible way) gift!
How did you make this pairing so believable? I love the way you began the story--made me think it was going one way, then went somewhere different and deeper with it.
Draco's self-loathing; Hagrid's quiet, unassuming wisdom, Snape's unwelcome, but necessary advice--all so spot-on.
Some things I loved especially:
"inebriated genius" -- we've all been there. (Well, I have...)
"stunningly oblivious to his own, inexplicable power" - ah, this is so Hagrid.
"watching paint sliding over canvas in a mimicry of life" - such a marvelously apt description of the magical portraits
"Some weeks, toiling at whatever menial task the half-giant had assigned him, listening to his awkward attempts at conversation, was the only peace Draco found." - and this; so beautiful and so believable.
I love--of course--how you worked in the opera, too! Your use of the bizarre lyrics from the Mikado in counterpoint to Draco and Snape's situation was brilliant.