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Tweak says, "A good sheep is hard to find"

snapelyhols_mod (snapelyhols_mod) wrote in snapelyholidays,
@ 2010-12-24 01:27:00

Entry tags:

2010_fic, au, bj, bottom!snape, h/c, oral, rimming, snape/sirius, top!snape, under-the-influence

Gift fic for nehalenia, The End of the Masquerade, adult
Recipient: nehalenia

Author: countesszero

Title: The End of the Masquerade

Characters: Severus Snape/Sirius Black

Rating: NC-17

Content Info: *AU, Lost years, Romance, Adventure*

Summary: Sirius Black pulls one last prank and gate-crashes Lucius Malfoy's bal paré.Then all masks come down.

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe is in its entirety, including all characters, the property of J. K. Rowling and her affiliates. I, the Author make no profit from this story.

Word count: ~31,330

Author Notes: Dear nehalenia,
     I truly hope you enjoy this offering. It was a great pleasure to write this for you!

Dear snapelyhols_mod,

     I appreciate your friendliness, your patience and support! Thank you for organising this lovely exchange!

Dear Beta!

     Thank you very much for your fast work and your dedication! Now is of course a good time to mention, that all remaining mistakes are solely mine.

( The End of the Masquerade )

(Post a new comment)

nehalenia
2010-12-24 11:10 pm UTC (link)

Oh my gosh, I just now saw that this posted and I'm so excited! I got "Lost Years" Snack!!!! Eeeeeeeeeee! I'm away from home and smack in the midst of holiday preparations, but I will try to read this tonight, or Christmas night after things have calmed down. I peeked at it and it looks wonderful! What a fantastic Xmas gift for me! I can't wait to lock myself away in my guest room and settle down with this. Thank you so much, Santa! :D

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	ships_harry 2010-12-25 07:15 pm UTC (link)
	It was pretty damned great! I enjoyed it immensely, and suspect you will too :). (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	countesszero 2011-01-25 07:01 am UTC (link)
	thanks a lot! i am very glad you liked it! (Reply to this) (Parent)

akatnamedeaster
2010-12-26 05:01 pm UTC (link)

I loved this! Plotty, hot sex scenes, and I really loved that you characterized Peter as something other than a simpering hanger on. That doesn't happen often!

I especially loved this little bit: "Listen," he said. Sirius looked at him with red, swollen eyes, and a red nose and wet cheeks. Strands of hair stuck on his face, and Snape, with a very tender motion, swept them behind his ear. *swoon*

Oh and...

"What are you, an asshole connoisseur?"

Well, he was best friends with James Potter so that's a safe bet Severus!

Wonderful story, mystery author! :)

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	shyfoxling 2010-12-28 05:24 am UTC (link)
	"What are you, an asshole connoisseur?" Well, he was best friends with James Potter so that's a safe bet Severus! dies (Reply to this) (Parent)

	countesszero 2011-01-25 07:03 am UTC (link)
	thank you! i am very happy you liked my peter. i think i have a weakness for the neglected characters ;) and yes, asshole connoisseur, hee! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	atdelphi 2010-12-26 05:22 pm UTC (link)
	What a satisfying story (perfect, I might add, for reading in bed on a lazy Sunday morning). Plotty, hot, great dialogue, and a characterization of Peter that really makes sense. Wonderful work, Mystery Author! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	countesszero 2011-01-25 07:03 am UTC (link)
	thank you so much! i am very glad that you like my peter, or think he makes sense! (Reply to this) (Parent)

lookfar
2010-12-27 04:23 am UTC (link)

Oh, oh, oh! I completely LOVE this! And I don't even like Sirius! But you made me love him here, the stupid git. It's such a wonderful emotional siege that he lays on Severus. Weirdly, this story reminded me of The Breakfast Club - in which people are stuck together and they have this intense effect on each other.

I adore Wormtail's sense of smell that can detect subtle combinations of emotions. Also, did I mention that the sex is totally hot? Oh, and the ball! The masks spelled to show the emotions of the face beneath, and the glamours that change the rest of your looks! You did a fabulous job of creating the Manor and the elegant, libertinious (is that a word?) party.

The way you use masks here! It's just gorgeous that Sirius, who already loves Severus, can only fall in love with him when the "Snapeness" is hidden, so that the masks are what reveal the truth.

I love your Sirius. He's such a pathetic and lovable idiot with his emotions all over the place, his foolish pride and ADD and lack of planning. A dog, indeed.

I'm going to come back and read this again, I'm sure.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	countesszero 2011-01-25 07:21 am UTC (link)
	i am so very glad you like my sirius! i think i fell in love with him during writing myself! and i wrote wormtail like this after i read an article about a rat's sense of smell. they can even perceive changes in atmosphere and emotions, and they're quite smart. many people are convinced they're smarter than dogs :) or stags :D thank you very much! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	fanficforensics 2010-12-27 11:22 am UTC (link)
	Oh, delicious! Plot and smut and great characters, oh my. This is how the first war should have gotten solved ;) Partly, but still. I love how you keep the interaction between Sirius and Snape believable while not ignoring elements from canon, like Snape's love of Lily. Excellent work. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	countesszero 2011-01-25 07:23 am UTC (link)
	thank you very much! yes, as they always say: make love, not war :D (Reply to this) (Parent)

	shyfoxling 2010-12-28 05:25 am UTC (link)
	Really lovely job on the part where Severus is still "Antinous". (Reply to this) (Thread)

	countesszero 2011-01-25 07:23 am UTC (link)
	thank you very much :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

nehalenia
2010-12-28 08:57 am UTC (link)

Oh WOW! I finally, finally got a chance to read this marvelous story from start to finish, and I'm so tickled! What a wonderful gift, Mystery Author!

First, what a fantastic premise to get Snape and Black together: a costume party in enemy territory (for Sirius, at least.) The set up and descriptions of the manor and the party were magnificent. Your characterizations felt right on, too. The Sirius we see in the books is older, worn, and messed up from being in Azkaban. This is a very believable young Sirius -- someone who thinks he's invulnerable, that he can get out of anything, and who bows totally to his impulses. Snape's line about him being a "big, perverted dog" made me LOL but it's so true.

Your Snape characterization was lovely here, too, especially since we get to see his vulnerable side. And while I don't want to spoil things too much for people who might read comments before the fic, I also loved what you did with Peter. I never thought about him much as a character before, but I really liked him in this. (Your description of his party costume reminded me of Delacroix's portrait of a young boy in a harlequin costume, btw.) :)

The sex was delicious and magnificent, and oh man, what great action scenes! The part where they were pointing their wants at each other across the bed just after having made love, and the scene with Bella by the pond -- WOW! My heart was beating so fast as I read! I didn't know how you were going to get Sirius out of that situation, and I was surprised and delighted at how you did. (Tho I expect Dumbledore isn't too happy about it.) ;)

This is such a wonderful, creative story, and was such a delight to read. Thank you again, Mystery Author! This really made my Christmas! :D

(Reply to this) (Thread)

countesszero
2011-01-25 08:03 am UTC (link)

i really am so very glad you liked this! i love your stories, and have a weakness for snack :) so you were my perfect recipient :)

i am glad my sirius was believable, and yes, snape was still young then, and still not the hard, bitter man he would later become.

and yes, i wanted peter to be a bit different. as i told

lookfar - rats have a superior sense of smell, and are generally believed to be smarter than dogs (or stags :D) - i haven't seen delacroix's painting yet, but i had thomas gainsborough's 'blue boy' in mind :D

thank you very much!

(Reply to this) (Parent)

himilzungal
2010-12-28 08:44 pm UTC (link)

This was such a hothothotlovelyhotfun read. I don't even know where to start. What really stood out for me was Peter. He was used to cleverly in this fic whereas he gets usually neglected as a character that I have to say it: I adore your Peter.
And I adore you even more for using their animagi abilities in such a clever way, especially how it serves the happy ending.
While we're talking about it, I love the happy ending. The characters are still IC (at least imo) nevertheless the final events make sense in regard to the developments of the characters.
Also, I'm a sucker for "a potion/drugs made them do it"-story lines, so I was intrigued from the start.
I probably forgot to mention three-quarter of the things I liked about this story. There were so many little moments I thought "that's clever/well-written/sexy/witty/hot".
In conclusion, I loved this and will definitely re-read.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	countesszero 2011-01-25 08:04 am UTC (link)
	thank you for your lovely review! i am very glad you liked it! (and i am happy that you liked my peter!) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	bonfoi 2010-12-29 01:19 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, the potential and the emotion! A long and satisfying meeting of two men who are more alike than one would care to admit. The ending is wonderful, too. not giving anything away Everyone should read it, cheer, and enjoy the ride to that very good end, too! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	countesszero 2011-01-25 08:05 am UTC (link)
	hugs you thank you beta'ing this and leaving a lovely comment! you're the best! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bonfoi 2011-01-25 01:22 pm UTC (link)
	You're welcome! hugs back (Reply to this) (Parent)

	k8bnimble 2010-12-30 10:47 pm UTC (link)
	I'm not generally a Snape/Sirius fan but I absolutely loved this. The writing was hot and the plot was believeable. I actually liked Peter in here too. Nice change for him. The description of all the costumes and the ball were lovely as well. A wonderful read! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	countesszero 2011-01-25 08:07 am UTC (link)
	thank you very much! i am very happy you liked it! - and yes, now and then peter deserves to get a better role than he usually gets :D (Reply to this) (Parent)

	torino10154 2011-01-01 03:58 am UTC (link)
	Wow. What a fic. The concept of the party and the masks was brilliant. The sex--all of it was just delightfully filthy and hot. And all the intense back and forth emotion between them was just perfect. Great job. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	countesszero 2011-01-25 08:08 am UTC (link)
	thank you so much for your lovely comment! i am very glad you liked this! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	alisanne 2011-01-14 06:29 pm UTC (link)
	Wow! What a brilliantly executed story! The banter was perfect, you nailed the Marauders, and the sex...GUH! Nice use of magic, too. I love how this ended, with hope for a change of events in the future. Fabulously done! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	countesszero 2011-01-25 08:10 am UTC (link)
	this is what i love about fan fiction! - to be able to change a character's fate! and we all know that snape didn't deserve his bleak fate :) thanks for reading and reviewing! (Reply to this) (Parent)

r_grayjoy
2011-01-21 05:21 am UTC (link)

First of all, let me just say -- yay! There needs to be more long Severus/Sirius fic in the fandom! Thanks so much for that!

My favorite part about this, Mystery Author, is the lovely, flowing, atmospheric writing. The part during which Sirius is under the influence of the drugs in particular feels very surreal. His entire encounter with Severus is smooth and passionate, and once the masks come off, the sparks really fly.

I love the alternate-to-canon, AU ending as well. I have no objection to deviating from canon, especially if it gives these characters a chance at a happier ending. Although it might take Sirius some time to convince James that he hasn't been cursed. ;)

(Reply to this) (Thread)

countesszero
2011-01-25 08:13 am UTC (link)

thank you so much! i am very glad you liked it and i agree with you! we need more snack! :D

i think to me, being able to deviate from canon is a major reason why i love fan fiction! some characters deserve a better fate than what their creators had in store for them :D

(although if snape had known he'd be saddled by lovesick!sirius i am not sure he would have thanked me :D)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

ija-ijewna.livejournal.com
2011-02-15 01:56 pm UTC (link)

/delurking for a long and incoherent squee/

Oh. Oh dear. What's not to adore here? There's my dearly beloved pairing, now even more precious, because of its rarity. There's intensity and madness and a whiplash from sudden mood changes, all trademarks for Snack. There's unhinged vulnerable Sirius (it is my personal opinion that drugs helped but a little, that's how he is) and mostly rational but still vulnerable Snape. There's Peter, portrayed in all his complexity, intelligent and scared and sensitive.

I must admit that near the end I froze for a moment when Pete almost accepted the burden of being the Secret Keeper. I've never been more happy to discover it's still an AU. ;-)
I loved that during the masquerade you gave them each other's eyes.
I loved your Bella and the much darker repetition of "Mudblood scene", this time with Sirius as a victim.
I love that a fic which, with such a premise, could have started and ended as a light-note PWP (and I'd have squeed over it, don't get me wrong), turned our to be an intense, emotional story.

/Eeek. Seems that when I love I tend to lose control of my punctuation. Ballistic commas, anyone?/

Thanks for the brilliant fic.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

countesszero
2011-03-02 03:21 pm UTC (link)

ha! ballistic commas! happens to me all the time!

oh and you liked my peter! he's such an unpopular character, i find myself protective of him :D

and you noticed that i gave sirius and severus each other's eyes! love!

i love snack - it's one of my favourite pairings too, but i do think that in order to mature sirius needs to understand the gravity of his own actions. and since he isn't the smartest :D he needs to experience them.

thank you for your lovely comment! it made me very happy :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

littleisle
2012-04-18 12:35 am UTC (link)

This was such an amazing story. Seriously, I absolutey adore it - the friendships; the characterization; it was very well done. This is not a pairing I generally would read, but I'm glad I gave this a chance!

One of my favorite parts was the way you wrote Peter - as an equal part of the Marauders rather than a shadow of them, like most authors like to portray him.

Can I say I love it again? Well I really really do.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	countesszero 2012-05-01 07:31 am UTC (link)
	Thank you very much for giving this pairing a chance. I understand why Peter is not exactly a favourite in the HP universe, but I think, he must have had redeeming qualities. I am very glad you liked this :)) (Reply to this) (Parent)