Like a posset, some comfort in the dark
This was interesting and different. Snape and Harry's story seemed very immediate, with all the rich sensory details of food, the place, its history, the single other character present (poor fellow!) and the many other characters referred to.
Harry's so surprised by Snape, but it's all the other people in his life who have turned out to be the bigger, and less welcome, surprise. Some are still friendly but only at a distance, some unexpectedly hostile, and some are dead. James is imprisoned like Sirius had been, a kind of death in life, and Harry's clearly been in mourning. Some were so close, yet not seen clearly, like Teddy and James, or Fred. Others long dead, like Harry's mother and Dumbledore, or whom he thought dead, like Snape, are almost closer than those in his own family.
I don't think I've ever seen a Snarry that unsettles the assumptions about personalities so much, showing that their importance to Harry isn't simply whether they're alive, or the "right sort," or in his family. It's as though his gaze into the Mirror of Erised has finally come into focus, and he's realized those images are not only just wishes, they're the kind of mass fantasy the whole Wizarding World consists of, given their habit of denial.
Against all this, Snape's food and blunt tongue are immediate, strong-scented, solid and trustworthy. I love how Harry comes to relocate himself through this Christmas Eve encounter, and what it says about Snape's qualities. He's never been pretty or flashy or sweet-tongued like other Wizards, but his pragmatism is what helped Harry survive the war, and re-grounds him now in hope. I'm not saying this very well, but I see in this story a deeper, thoughtful look at what the essence is of Harry, of Snape, and of the WW. Harry is finally able to see both the pretty fantasies he chose in the Epilogue, and the danger this hides, and makes the right choice for James. With his new honesty and Snape's help, the younger generation may finally escape both the bad choices and the denials.
All philosophizing aside, it was a fun read. I was frustratingly confused by the backstory most of the way through, and had to go back and forth to try to sort it out, but that didn't keep me from liking every Snarry-licious second of the present-day scene and dialogue. A second read, I'm sure, will find the confusion gone, and all the Snarry details even more enjoyable. Like this:
Snape as a lover was a sublime revelation. He was as slow and careful in preparation as he had been with potion ingredients and food, but once he concluded that the chemistry was working, he became creative and slightly wicked. And assertive and demanding and a bit of a show-off.
Arguably the best description ever of Snape as a lover!