Re: THANK YOU!!
Yay, there you are! All throughout the fest I was waiting and watching for your comment! I was so curious to see what you'd think and I'm glad you finally got a chance to read it.
I do have a small confession, though. I actually started working on this story in the spring, but really wanted to share it in a fest. The next one coming up happened to be this one, so I had to find a prompt that would retrofit to my story. So if you're surprised at what I did with the fic, this is why it seems to be such a creative use of your prompt! It's also why I was able to submit a 24.5k story in two months.
Clueless!Harry is my favorite and I'm happy to find another who agrees! People sometimes get frustrated at how clueless I make him, and I always feel compelled to remind them Canon!Harry was clueless, too. I mean, it took him six years to realize Ginny liked him. Good grief. And a Secretly-Protective!Snape... Yes. *swoon*
As for an encore for Severus' POV, all of those answers are in the fic! :-) His decision to help Harry was because of the promise he made to Lily (or at least that gives him a convenient excuse to continue insinuating himself into Harry's life). He alluded to his feelings when he scoffed about Harry welcoming an overture from him after the war. And as for why a gay erotica book, that's easy: he's Slytherin. The book had three purposes: to shock Harry out of his complacency, to help him realize his true desires, and for Severus to communicate his interest. If all Severus ever managed to do was the first two, then he could just pass off the third reason as a lark. But if Harry were to return his feelings, then he'd admit to reason three.
Thanks again for your lovely review & sorry it took me so long to get back to you!