comment, in 2 parts
I should have left feedback for this last night, as thinking about this story kept me up anyway, but I approach it with fresh eyes this morning.
I'm quite new to the fandom, having just finished the the 7th book two weeks ago, so I've had the pleasure of diving into to really great fics that have been recced by others already. And, having plowed through about a dozen epic SS/HP in the last two weeks, I have been so spoiled with the quality of writing.
But this may the be the last/only SS/HP fic I'll need. I may be be finished as of right now. This fic hit ALL the buttons: Plot, characterization, and emotional resonance through language.
First, I think time travel is a fantastic plot device -- perhaps my favorite. It is especially effective for these two. Harry loathes Snape through the entire series, and we believe that Snape returns his feelings -- except, at the end, we realize, it's all, always been for Harry (and Lilly). There wasn't time in the books (or JKR didn't make time) for the full implication of this to hit Harry, although naming his son after him was huge. But I think time travel provides that moment, that space for Harry to really come to grips with who Severus was. All Harry needed was a moment to change his mind. All he needed was to see a young man, about his own age, struggling to live with himself. So the plot worked beautifully on two counts. We got to feel Harry's longing for Snape as he jumped through time. We knew how difficult it was for Harry to return to a time when Severus was dead. And we learned how Severus must have felt while all this was happening -- falling in love with Harry when they were both in their 20s, meeting Harry again when the boy was only 11 (and this was a punch in the gut to realize later why Snape was SO angry at the beginning, why he was sick with it), and knowing in that space of 10 years, that Harry was traveling through time and falling in love with him in his past, that Harry got to be with him, in a way, and Severus didn't. This was magnificent. YAY, TIME TRAVEL!!!
Second, I thought the characterization of Snape was perfect. The man is a bundle of complete contradictions, which is exactly why I love him. I find myself getting tired sometimes of Snapes seemingly endless snark and spite, and I wondered about it in places in this fic, thinking, god, is he going to kick Harry out, AGAIN? But every time he snapped and tried to hurt Harry with words, it felt right. Because Snape would hate falling in love. It would be the most horrible thing to happen to him because he'd be unable to do anything about it. Snaped loved Harry helplessly, especially as he grew older and his love became Harry's fault when Harry was off-limits. It was difficult and beautiful to watch unfold. As a young teacher myself, I fell in love with Severus as the 20-something potions instructor. So soon after his time as a Death Eater, I think he would have thrown himself into his job, so it was the perfect time for Harry to meet him, when he was trying to redeem himself. And Harry was lovely, too. I love this pairing so much, and yet, I'm never sure of Harry's characterization. Would Harry ever fall in love with Snape, because he does hate him so very very much. He's a slippery character to keep hold of, because he loves and hates so intensely, but then at times seems distant from all of it -- the hero of a story and nothing more. (I admit, I blame JKR for this. I feel like I know Ron and Hermione. I know Snape. But I don't really know Harry.) Anyway, I think canonically, the series left lots of a room for a fic like this, for Harry to realize what he and Snape actually share in terms of history and the intensity of their own emotions. So, I thought Harry was great -- passionate, good, sad, desperate, and completely in love.