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snarrymod (snarrymod) wrote in snarry_games,
@ 2008-05-15 08:06:00

Entry tags:

entry, team phoenix, vain

TEAM PHOENIX ENTRY: Vain "To Stay the Shadow"
Title: To Stay the Shadow
Author: Vain vain
Team: Phoenix
Genres: Angst
Prompt: Reckoning & Ashes of Youth
Rating/Warnings: R; *Book 6 & 7 S.P.O.I.L.E.R.S. Please note, this story is NOT Book 7 compliant; AU-ish; language; angst.*
Word Count: ~25,400
Summary: Once upon a time Severus Snape fell in love. And then everything went wrong.
A/N: All the definitions preceding the chapters are taken from "The Devil's Dictionary," by Ambrose Bierce, originally published in newspapers in a serialized version between 1881 and 1906 as "The Cynic's Word Book," and then bound and republished in 1911 under its current name.
Special Thanks once again to the mods for not killing me after email # 3, and especially to my invaluable betas venivincere, alisanne, & ziasudra for beating me with Spelling, Grammar, and Diction Sticks. They are now my personal heroes and made this story a thousand times better; all remaining errors are solely my own. Also, much love to the rest of Team Phoenix for all their help and support. This would never have been completed if not for you guys’ feedback and encouragement. ♥
Plagiarism is no one’s friend.

"To Stay the Shadow by Vain"
Don't forget to review!

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josan
2008-05-16 11:18 pm UTC (link)

I really liked the fact that Harry and Severus don't end up together at the end of this story. Let's face it, in canon's 'real life', they wouldn't either. They are too needy for exactly the one thing that the other cannot give.

Severus is a destroyed human being. Harry is also damaged, though a lot less. Frankly, had he had to live Severus's life, he too would be as destroyed. The only thing that saved him is 1) he didn't have to fight Voldemort for more than 7 years; and 2) Snape is always there to save him.

But being the rescuer is not a good role for Severus, though it is for Snape. He's played it far too long to be able to tell AD to go to hell when the old coot forces Snape to continue caring for Harry. (The OB may mean well, but his heavy-handed manipulation guarantees failure.)

Harry, on the other hand, is hung up on the kind of love he needs. He needs a sort of mature 'Weasley' love -- warm, cosy, touchy. Snape is not possible of that kind of love.

Severus needs to be loved too, but he's put his needs on the back burner for so long that he can't bring them forward. Harry doesn't know how to drag them towards himself.

Doomed to failure...but what a read! Bravo!

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vain
2008-05-19 01:20 pm UTC (link)

Thank you! ^_^ It's rare that someone likes it when the main pairing in a fic splits in the resolution, but I think that Snarry really only works under very specific circumstances. And those circumstances aren't met in every scenario. (Though that doesn't stop me from loving the happy H/C fics that don't fit my mental writing mold.) I like your distinction between the 'Snape' role and Severus himself. It brings about a whole other question in my mind as to whether or not Severus himself could distinguish himself from the role he's played for so long. In many ways, we are what we do.

Thank you for reviewing and I'm glad you enjoyed the fic.

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