Two fic recs

[featherxquill]

I have about 25 tabs open of fics to read, some from weeks ago, all suffering from my need to write my own. But today I read two of them, both of which are brilliant, and you should all go and read them now.

To Bring Him Home by trixy_sky
Minerva/Severus, Rated T | In the immediate aftermath of the battle, Minerva remembers the Slytherins who fought and died, and makes a silent resolve to a man she once knew: to bring him home.

The best way I can think to describe this piece is heavy. Both the story and the language that this author uses have a weight to them - this is something that wants remembering. It's beautiful, and sad, and explores unexpected things: places in the castle we may not before have considered, ideas and understandings its characters had never before considered. Absolutely gorgeous.


Any Colour You Like by Anon at hp_darkfest
Tom Riddle, Albus Dumbledore | Dumbledore's version of the orphanage visit isn't the only one.

This is an exploration of both Tom's character that is chilling and humanising at once, but what I love most about it is the way it paints Dumbledore as someone whose actions, words and decisions were deeply flawed. A brilliant examination of character for both of them.


Well, what are you waiting for? Go read!

Comments

[kellychambliss.livejournal.com]

I read that Minerva/Severus one the other day -- very powerful; I really liked it (and need to leave a review). As you say, totally one to savor and return to.

I did have some quibbles with it: she seems to have McG as a Hogwarts third-year in 1952, though if you go by JKR's dates, Minerva would have been 27 in 1952. And then she has McG physically carry Severus's body all the way from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts, and she implies that she doesn't use magic to do it (IIRC; I'll need to reread). Now, someone like Hagrid could do that, but no woman other than probably Olympe could carry a dead-weight adult male for that distance (at least a mile, probably more). And there's a place where, had I been the beta, I would have told her that she went a little adjective-happy.

But these are minor things and may not be problems at all. There's no reason she needs to use JKR's dates, for instance. It's really an excellent story, one of the best I've read since Minerva Fest ended. Her image of the Slytherin common-room and its windows is inspired, and she has such insight into both Minerva and Severus. I'm looking forward to rereading it (if I can ever get this pesky story finished.) I just wish she wrote more often.

She has an equally good story along similar lines called "If Cats Could Cry"; I recced it on crack_broom at one point. It's on FFN under her name there, Captain Evermind. (It differs in that it was written before DH, so it's AU now in plot. But the characters are spot-on and will tear you up in the best of ways.) If you haven't read it, I think you'll like it.

I'll look forward to the other one; thanks for the rec!

[featherxquill.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I noticed the dates thing, too, and was a little puzzled by it - I mean, I get that Minerva's age is never actually mentioned in the books, so her birth year is not quite canon, per se, but a quick glanc at the Lex tells me she was actually teaching at Hogwarts by 1956, and that is canon, because that's what she tells Umbridge in OotP. My only thought is that maybe the author is unaware of the existence of the Lex and the ease with which these things can be checked. It did jar me out of the story a little (incorrect ages of characters - especially older women made younger - is usually one of my pet hates in fic), but since it was only momentary, I managed to get past it. I think my disbelief suspended for the carrying Severus home thing (wild, subconscious magic can explain a lot) - that or the image of Minerva looking like some ancient warrior goddess, barefoot in her singed green tartan dressing gown stole my brain and ran away with it.

My main quibble was actually the jumping back and forth between Minerva and Harry without any special page breaks to indicate that was happening. I always find it jarring when a story's POV shifts mid sentence or without a double paragraph break or anything to indicate some kind of shift. I was going to put that in my review, but then I didn't. I probably should have.

And I see what you mean about the adjectives - my first instinct was 'whoah, way to purple, hit backspace' - but I persevered, and actually by the end I thought it really kind of worked for this story. Like, it's a fairly cumbersome read, you know? There are a lot of words and images there to process, and it takes some effort, but in a way that just reinforces the feel of the story, because it wasn't terribly easy for them, either. I rather enjoyed the feel of that, the reinforcement of the story's mood in the physical construction of the story itself.