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Tweak says, "You are...Aaaahhhh-mazing!!"

snarryhols (snarryhols) wrote in snarry_holidays,
@ 2008-11-28 20:20:00

Entry tags:

giftee: empathic_siren, rated: nc-17

FIC: The Riddle of the Grange
Title: The Riddle of the Grange
Author: drachenmina
Giftee: empathic_siren
Word Count: ~18,800
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Severus Snape/Harry Potter
Warnings: Character death (not Severus/Harry)
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
Sherlock Holmes and the plot of The Devil’s Foot (His Last Bow) aren’t mine either.
Summary: Non-magic AU set in the late Victorian era. Chief Inspector Severus Snape of Scotland Yard comes to Hogsmeade to investigate a most baffling murder at the Riddle house. Fortunately PC Potter is eager to assist him in all matters.
Author's Notes: Thank you, empathic_siren, for easing my fest wibbles with a very user-friendly prompt! I hope you like what I’ve done with it. *wishes you a happy Snarry Holidays*
Beta-read by two marvellous people who shall remain nameless, for now.

The Riddle of the Grange

(Post a new comment)

	loupgarou1750 2008-11-28 08:47 pm UTC (link)
	Hah! That was fun. I demand a sequel! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	The Riddle of the Grange drachenmina 2008-12-17 10:43 am UTC (link)
	Glad you enjoyed it! Hmm, sequel, eh? I hear it's very picturesque at the Reichenback Falls this time of year... ;D (Reply to this) (Parent)

	ivylady 2008-11-28 10:37 pm UTC (link)
	Loved it! Albus and Minerva really stole the show. Her confessing to the murders and staging her death was well done. Albus's fountains had me laughing. Harry was appropriately eager and naive, and Severus was abrasive and derisive. Great job. I'd love to see more in this vein wink wink. :) (Reply to this) (Thread)

	The Riddle of the Grange drachenmina 2008-12-17 03:19 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! So glad you liked it, and found them IC! :D (Reply to this) (Parent)

	oni_butterfly 2008-11-28 10:50 pm UTC (link)
	Ah! The ability of amazing that was this story causes to me invent a new word to describe it. Supeawemazing (soo-pey-ah-mey-zing). Adjective. Meaning something has the qualities to inspire and cause great surprise or sudden wonder, but is also of superior quality. Great Job! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	drachenmina 2009-01-12 04:48 pm UTC (link)
	Yay! I has a new word! Will be petitioning for its inclusion in the OED immediately. ;D So glad you enjoyed! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	snarry_fan7 2008-11-28 11:55 pm UTC (link)
	Really amazing work! I love the plot (the mention of Sherlock Holmes in particular) and I love how Harry and Snape interact throughout the story. Well done.~Sophia (Reply to this) (Thread)

	drachenmina 2009-01-12 04:49 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! I had a shed-load of fun writing this, so I'm glad you enjoyed it! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	orions_stars 2008-11-29 01:05 am UTC (link)
	This was such a fun story! I never did trust the Dumbledores. I liked seeing Ron, Hermione, and Mrs. Figg here, and of course I loved your Harry and Severus! It was great that Severus was so resentful of Holmes, too. I'm so glad you had Severus there to comfort Harry after all the crazy things that happened to him :) (and the sex was good too! ;) Thanks for the fun read! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	drachenmina 2009-01-12 04:50 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, thank you! Those side characters were so much fun to write. So glad you liked it! g (Reply to this) (Parent)

	gingertart50 2008-11-29 08:09 am UTC (link)
	Brilliant! Very funny, erotic and clever, and I loved the twist at the end. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	drachenmina 2009-01-12 04:51 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! beams (Reply to this) (Parent)

Elementary, Potter!

quite_ah_safe
2008-11-29 10:21 am UTC (link)

Oh, a Holmesian parody!
I loved it how you combined the Snarry and the Holmes/Watson and left us wondering if Snape really IS Holmes, but doesn't want to blow his cover. Or is perhaps fed up with Dr~~Watson's~~Lupin's literary version of himself - antisocial, dressing up, sniffing dirt, injecting 70% cocaine... I for one wouldn't be too eager to admit I have something in common with that individual ;)

Even in canon there are many similarities between Snape and Holmes, and in this fic you've expounded upon them wonderfully: his lodgings, his brusque manner and superciliousness, his parting ways with Dr~~Watson~~Lupin, a former confirmed bachelor... Plus, Albus is usually right, and he knows something is afoot!

An enjoyable read indeed :)

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: Elementary, Potter! drachenmina 2009-01-12 04:53 pm UTC (link)
	I confess I've long been a fan of Holmes, so the chance to do a parody filled me with squee! So glad you enjoyed! :D (Reply to this) (Parent)

svartalfur
2008-11-29 11:02 am UTC (link)

Love it! Great use of Sherlock Holmes canon (I love Ron and Harry being fen and Snape's constant jealousy of Holmes). Hermione as a suffragette was wonderfully appropriate, and I adore your Dumbledore and Minerva! The fountains - awesome! Snape hallucinating his death - brilliant. Mrs Figg knowing Harry's secret - so fitting!

I think what I liked best was the British-ness and the fact that you managed to surprise me in the end. An all around wonderful story.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	drachenmina 2009-01-12 05:54 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! Oh, I had so much fun writing Mrs Figg! And yay! for Britishness being a virtue! ;D So glad you liked it! (Reply to this) (Parent)

red_day_dawning
2008-11-29 03:27 pm UTC (link)

Oh, I love it!!! Absolutely adorable. Snarky Snape is brillaint as the acerbic Scotland Yard detective; Harry as the naive & enthusiastic side kick and Hermione as the suffragette chaining herself to protest for emancipation - perfect!!! The tone is wonderful, comic & droll, & always fast-moving & engaging - this is a gem of a fic! The murder mystery is delightfully Sherlock Holmesish - Well done, mystery writer!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	drachenmina 2009-01-12 05:57 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! blushes You are way too kind. So glad you enjoyed it. I've been fascinated by Sherlock Holmes for a long time, and the chance to combine it with Snarry was a godsend! :D (Reply to this) (Parent)

torino10154
2008-11-29 05:32 pm UTC (link)

Oh that was just wonderful. I absolutely loved the style of writing, the setting. PC Potter is a perfect sidekick. And when Severus has them all gathered together to accuse the culprit is just classic. The airborne poison was so clever-and good thing Harry saved the day. Loved Minerva's (several) fake death, the fountain was brilliant. And the sex was luscious. Fantastic story.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	drachenmina 2009-01-12 05:59 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! I love old-fashioned murder mysteries - I have all the Sherlock Holmes stories and most of Agatha Christie's stuff sitting on my shelves, so it was great fun to actually write one! And the fountains are brilliant, btw! If you're ever in Salzburg, make sure you visit! :D (Reply to this) (Parent)

	hambares 2008-11-29 07:33 pm UTC (link)
	Oh goodness! I don't know if I can adequately express how much I enjoyed this tale! It really had everything I loved: mystery, romance, Snarry, and a whodunnit that really was never solved (I would bet that would make Severus mad to know that fact)! Bravo!!!! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	drachenmina 2009-01-12 06:00 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! beams So glad you liked it! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	jin_fenghuang 2008-11-29 07:38 pm UTC (link)
	I enjoyed Chief Inspector Snape. What a great AU. Thank you for sharing mystery author. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	drachenmina 2009-01-12 06:00 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! :D (Reply to this) (Parent)

empathic_siren
2008-11-29 10:36 pm UTC (link)

This was absolutely delightful. Plotty, witty, and full of really words (I'm a bit of a word-freak). I couldn't have asked for a better gift. This is, too, quite possibly one of the best fics I've read in a very long time. Thank you, mystery author, for such incredible attention to detail, nuance and gifted storytelling.

A few of my favorite things:

The naturalness of the dialogue, including the intricate affectations of speech and manner.

The characterization of Harry and Snape--perfect without being overdone. Really lovely.

The cats. God help me, I loved the cats.

And ... every blessed word. Bravo, bravo, bravo!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	(Anonymous) 2008-11-30 01:04 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! So glad you liked it! beams, and uncrosses fingers I had a huge amount of fun with it so I must thank you, once again, for providing such a great prompt! :D (Reply to this) (Parent)

	a_boleyn 2008-11-30 01:18 am UTC (link)
	A wonderful creation using the basic canon characters. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	drachenmina 2009-01-12 06:00 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! :D (Reply to this) (Parent)

calico_sky
2008-11-30 02:11 am UTC (link)

Fantastic! I loved the mystery, the irritation Snape feels about 'Holmes', Hermione as Suffragette!, the off-screen cameos of Lupin and Fred & George, Mrs. Figg and her cats (Harry asking her if she realized he was a bloke!), just . . . everything! This was a really well done mix of the original Holmes story and the HP world. I'm definitely going to come back and reread this. :D

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	drachenmina 2009-01-13 04:43 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! I had so much fun with the minor characters in this - and of course I adore Holmes! So glad you enjoyed! :D (Reply to this) (Parent)

	charie-caphine.livejournal.com 2008-11-30 03:42 am UTC (link)
	The writing is fabulous, the characters, dialogues, setting and the Holmes references all delicious; however, I found the detective plot resolvation disappointing. The ending seems somewhat rushed, cut off, and thus doesn't really add up in my mind. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	drachenmina 2009-01-13 04:44 pm UTC (link)
	Thanks for the concrit, and sorry you didn't like the ending - I'm aware it can be a weakness in my work. Glad you enjoyed the rest though! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	estioe 2008-12-02 11:40 am UTC (link)
	I loved this AU, Anon. :D Very witty and entertaining. :D (Reply to this) (Thread)

	drachenmina 2009-01-13 04:44 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! :D (Reply to this) (Parent)

	szefi 2008-12-07 08:47 am UTC (link)
	This was very interesting. I hope they will have a further case, where they can prove that tom is the villain. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	drachenmina 2009-01-13 04:46 pm UTC (link)
	g the Weasleys keep trying to persuade me to do The Red-Headed League next... Glad you liked it! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	robby1925 2008-12-27 12:54 pm UTC (link)
	This was awesome, I loved how you worked Sherlock Holmes in and Snape was perfect! You definitely should write more about the Inspector and his intrepid constable! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	drachenmina 2009-01-13 04:47 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! Mmm, as for sequels, we shall have to wait and see... (Reply to this) (Parent)

accioslash
2008-12-27 09:49 pm UTC (link)

*Applauds* Wonderful!

I love what you did with this! I'm especially partial to well-written AU fics and this one was simply brilliant. I loved the repeated references to Sherlock Holmes and your re-interpretation of The Devil's Foot (one of my personal favorites). The cameo appearances from all the people in the Potter-verse were nothing short of delightful. You breathed so much life into them even when they appeared only briefly. I especially adored Mrs Figg and I knew there was more than meets the eye to Minerva's startling confession and spectacular demise.

Your Harry was so charming - eager and naive and sweet. And your Snape was convincingly brilliant and snarky. And the sex! So. hot. I could cut the UST with a knife in places and probably only Snape and Harry could have been more relieved than I was that Albus didn't interrupt them in Snape's rooms at the end.

I see others have been asking for sequels, and I'd be delighted to see one. But this story is perfect as it stands. I haven't enjoyed something so much in ages.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	drachenmina 2009-01-13 04:51 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! blushes You are way too kind. Mmm, I had great fun with Mrs Figg and Minerva - with all of them, in fact! I'm a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes so combining this with Snarry was a dream come true for me! So glad you enjoyed it! hugs (Reply to this) (Parent)

	leela_cat 2009-01-12 04:24 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, this was brilliant. It makes me want to go looking for a Snape icon with a Holmesian style cap and a pipe; oh and a Harry with a bobby helmet. Such wonderful UST. And I adored the way that you wove all of the canon characters into this story. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	drachenmina 2009-01-13 04:52 pm UTC (link)
	a Snape icon with a Holmesian style cap and a pipe; oh and a Harry with a bobby helmet God, I would love to see that! ;D So glad you liked it! beams (Reply to this) (Parent)

	great (Anonymous) 2009-07-20 06:22 am UTC (link)
	i loved it i usually don't like the stories that sidetrack from harry/severus normal relationship at hogwarts but this one i did the part about minerva being harries mother i couldn't stop laughing about but in the end it worked out well and when they made love that line severus yoused about how he was unworthy to touch harrys beautiful virgin body i just love great work! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: great drachenmina 2009-07-20 02:00 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it, whoever you are! g (Reply to this) (Parent)

	cluegirl 2009-10-09 05:43 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, how fun! I love the Holmes pastiche, almost as much as I loved Severus taking the piss on the Great Detective at every turn. (Reply to this)

	nekofreakz 2011-10-02 06:57 am UTC (link)
	lol, this is quite a story! Full of original ideas <3 Thanks for sharing this with us XD (Reply to this)