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snarryswapmod (snarryswapmod) wrote in snarry_swap,
@ 2010-01-17 05:40:00

Entry tags:

creation: fic, lillibet4, rated: nc-17

Happy Daft Day, ciraarana!
Recipient: ciraarana
Title: Life is for Living
Author: lillibet4
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 19310
Warning(s): Chan 16-18
Summary: After Lily’s death, Severus helps to raise Harry and through the years, a fondness develops between mentor and ward. But as Harry gets older, their familial affection grows into something else.
A/N: ciraarana, I think I hit more than a few of your requests :) Hope you like it! A word of explanation about 'terms' in the British boarding schools: The ‘spring term’ as I was taught to call it at school, is the term between the Christmas and Easter holidays. I know this sounds like it should be another winter term, especially in Scotland, but there we go. No one said British boarding school conventions made sense. Also, I know that ‘coming of age’ in the wizarding world is 17, but I see no reason that ‘the age of consent’ shouldn’t be 16. It is in the rest of the UK, after all, where the former is 18.

A final word of thanks has to go to the wonderful joanwilder who betaed for me. She’s the only reason I survived this project intact! Without her, this fic would be entirely unreadable or, more likely, abandoned some 17k words ago.

Life is For living

If you want to rec this fic, please link this post, not the off-site URL! Thank you!

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red_day_dawning
2010-01-17 08:00 am UTC (link)

What a great story!
I enjoyed every second of reading this - which is surprising really, given that I'm not fond of chan, cross-gen, or student/teacher and find guardian/ward a little incest-y (am quite conservative, as you can see.)

Having said all these dreadful things, I believe it's very much a credit to your story-telling skills that I loved this so. A good story that places these conditions in a convincing and engaging contexr seems to dispell all qualms!

Following Severus' perspective was fascinating, from the time of his despair, through his developing affection and his later confusion, culminating with your satisfying conclusion. I especially enjoyed the little details, like Severus' sulk when he thought Harry no longer had time for him, and his surpriseat being Harry's treasure in the Tri-Wizard tournament. Lovely work.

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	vividzephyr 2010-01-17 11:40 am UTC (link)
	I think this was a fantastic AU version of the events as they occur in the books. The way you compromised the blood protection and Severus raising Harry was quite unique. It was also great to see how their relationship evolved over time and how they became lovers. Great job! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	lillibet4 2010-01-22 01:33 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I wanted to avoid making their relationship too father/son in light of what was going to happen later so Harry had to stay with the Dursleys :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

centaury_squill
2010-01-17 01:57 pm UTC (link)

I very much enjoyed the way you rewrote canon -- many familiar landmarks are still there, but with a twist. I particularly liked the way you allowed Harry a happier childhood, while still keeping the blood-protection strand. Also putting Bellatrix through the veil instead of Sirius was really neat, with the extra bonus that she then couldn't get Severus swearing any Unbreakable Vows! I found it touching that Severus was the only one to be surprised that he was the one Harry rescued from the lake in the Triwizard Tournament. The slow realisation of their feelings for each other was very well done, as was their love-making, and you gave them their happy ending. :)

Excellent job!

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	eriador117 2010-01-17 02:09 pm UTC (link)
	That was a lovely story :) (Reply to this) (Thread)

	lillibet4 2010-01-22 01:36 pm UTC (link)
	Why thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it (Reply to this) (Parent)

	snarry_fan7 2010-01-17 04:24 pm UTC (link)
	Very wonderful and excellent work. I really love how they interacted together and how the story progressed through the years. Very, very well done.~Sophia (Reply to this)

ciraarana
2010-01-17 08:46 pm UTC (link)

Ooh, yes, me like! Very much. Thank you!!

Just the right kind of story at the right time. Here I was, wondering what to do with a Sunday evening, and then I saw the fic for me was posted. Squee! And what a lovely fic it was!

I loved it start to finish. Loved that it was Severus-centric and that you allowed him to move on, have a future, friends, and a life beyond Lily. I loved his relationship with Dumbledore: that's the way it ought to have been, instead of the somewhat cold-hearted way Dumbledore seemed to use Severus in canon. I absolutely adored Dumbledore telling Severus he hated the choices Severus had made but not him!

And then Petunia! I never thought I ever could see her as a likeable character! And, okay, I agree with Severus, I still don't like her, but you gave her such a wonderful human touch. Loved that she locked Harry in the cupboard because she couldn't look at him - in a way she did the same as Snape in canon did. Loved that moment of kinship Severus felt - it made Petunia more human, and Severus, too. Seeing that there are people who feel the same way about the same person, even though they're totally different.

And Harry! Poor little Harry, playing with shoe polish tins. I could see him, earnestly offering Severus one of his toys, and being so happy when his offering was accepted. *sniff* Beautiful.

I adored the way you twisted and re-wrote canon. That's exactly the kind of What If...? AU that I love. Severus being the one Harry had to rescue fourth year, Harry's jealousy being the trigger for the Sectumsempra scene sixth year ... *hearts*

But I think most of all I loved their relationship. Those quiet, cozy scenes of them reading together, sitting together, or sleeping together. So warm and full of love. Oh, the sex was yummy, of course! Library desk sex, made me all melty. Hmm, and then angry wall!sex, so cleverly woven into the story. Very yummy, definitely.

Still, I think my favourite scene was of Severus and Harry reading together and Severus falling prey to his desire to touch Harry, only to jerk back realising what he was doing. Meep. *loves*

Although, that little moment where Severus's hand crept under Harry's pyjamas ... *sighs dreamily* Lovely!

*loves all the lovely little details* *loves story, full stop*

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	asnowyowl 2010-01-17 10:51 pm UTC (link)
	Wonderful! I adore how you rewrote canon to give both Harry and Severus happier lives. So many tender, touching moments. Thanks for a great read! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	lillibet4 2010-01-22 01:41 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I set out to write one thing, and somehow the characters took on lives of their own. I'm rather fond of them though :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	starspider 2010-01-18 01:28 am UTC (link)
	What a great story. Wonderful job with this! (Reply to this)

joanwilder
2010-01-18 02:31 am UTC (link)

This was a really well-done mentor-->Snarry story. I really liked the slow pacing of it, the scenes you chose to show us, and the things about canon you decided to change. Sliding into a sexual relationship just seemed so natural, but I really did appreciate that Severus had scruples about it nonetheless. The writing was excellent as well (and I mean pre-beta), and I'm looking forward to what you do next!

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	fancypantsdylan 2010-01-18 12:27 pm UTC (link)
	This was just so amazing. I love your AU version. Severus was still Severus just a little softer round the edges. I loved how jealous Harry got with Draco in the boys bathroom, when will Draco learn not to provoke Harry. The Horcrux hunt was brilliant and all the sex, hot and sexy. Brilliant story, absolutely loved it. (Reply to this)

alisanne
2010-01-18 11:24 pm UTC (link)

I adore stories where changing one tiny thing results in a huge difference, and I love that it was Severus going to Petunia that changed things. :) I am beaming right now, because this really is how it could have been if JK hadn't hated Severus so much.
I love that he became a happier man, a man used to laughing, a man with a lover and a future. *g*
Brilliantly done! I really enjoyed that. :)

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elvirablue
2010-01-19 01:04 am UTC (link)

Wonderful rewriting of canon! I was thrilled with the changes you made and the positive effects they had on Severus and Harry. Their openly fond, (mostly) calm, and very close relationship was beautifully depicted, and I loved the scene where they became lovers with such breathtaking ease and gentleness. *happy sigh* Another favourite scene of mine was Nagini’s death, which happened in a most satisfying way. Also, Severus’ bleary thoughts of Harry and star-watching were so endearing.

“What’s become of Lily’s child?”

I loved that Severus asked about Harry. And of course he would ask your Dumbledore. I liked the other characters too, especially Draco. He knew just how to provoke Harry (not that Harry didn’t know how to retaliate), and it was intriguing to see him in the role of a spy.

Lovely, gratifying story.

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	leela_cat 2010-01-19 05:24 am UTC (link)
	I loved this rewriting of canon. It was a very believable movement from mentor to relationship, especially since it was Harry who initiated the change. Excellent work. (Reply to this)

	torino10154 2010-01-19 12:59 pm UTC (link)
	Excellent reworking of canon--I especially loved Severus's reaction upon hearing Harry was with Petunia and going to Privet Drive and confronting her. But there were so many little details that changed things piece by piece that were really delightful. Of course, the change in their relationship was excellent as well. :D Great job! (Reply to this)

whitecotton
2010-01-19 06:29 pm UTC (link)

As with every other reviewer, the excellent rewriting of canon stood up on its own, and wonderfully so, for me. Not once did I have to stretch my imagination away from JKR's. It was all laid out neatly and believably, and I became thoroughly wrapped up in it within moments of the beginning.

But something else stood out when I read this fic, and that is the quality of your writing. You have a decided talent for description, imbuing the scantest phrase with entrancing imagery. Very well done for that and for achieving such an easy style and flow when this is, I believe, your first full length fic.

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	szefi 2010-01-19 08:25 pm UTC (link)
	This was an engaging AU story, I loved how you managed to include and change some defining moments (Triwizard tournament, Bellatrix and the veil, Draco as spy). Thanks for a great read! (Reply to this)

	mimikitty 2010-01-21 12:48 am UTC (link)
	Hi! I just begin reading this story... but it begins in December 1982, and then it's January 1982... ??? Or is it because I didn't read far enough? Going back to continue the story... (Reply to this) (Thread)

	mimikitty 2010-01-21 02:23 am UTC (link)
	Oh God! This was truely a wonderful story to read. And Severus as Harry's most precious person for the Triwizard Tournament... A very heroic Draco too! ^^ Your Severus was really well written. Thank you for writing this. (Reply to this) (Parent)

ubikono
2011-01-06 04:42 am UTC (link)

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this story. I can't even express myself at this moment. After reading this story I was stunned. In a good way of course ;)

I really,really liked how you created a scenario in which Snape on a moment decided that he should not grieve but strive to get over his demons. With that occurrence he focused on Harry and saved him from years of neglect and both Harry and him no longer experienced loneliness. It's amazing how one moment changes the event of one's life. Snape became a happier man, Harry had someone who cared about him. They both found attraction and finally love. This story has become one of my favorites :)

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