Fic Rec: A Bittersweet Potion (+ sequel)

Anyone who hasn't yet read A Bittersweet Potion (and its sequels "Procul His" and "Purification", the latter still in progress) ought to do so immediately. Alchemia Dent and Bugland, between them, have managed to create an absolutely brilliant story that courts an old cliche--the spell of lust--without giving in to the obvious ploy. Instead, Harry's gradual emotional attachment is based in genuine interaction, and Snape in love is no sonnet-quoting sap, suddenly transformed; he's still as prickly--and possibly more so--than ever, not to mention baffled by it all. Even better, the consequences aren't ignored--Dumbledore is less than pleased to discover the bond between his golden boy and his Potions master.

Plus, there's Remus as bemused-and-somewhat-horrified go-between, not to mention plot galore--this is one story in which the romance does not supercede the fact that Voldemort is seeking to kill Harry, and will continue to do so until one of them dies.

Wonderful, downright magical, stuff.


*Note-- ABS was written before the release of Order of the Phoenix; while some elements from OOTP have been incorporated into the storyline, it is an AU.

Gasp!

. . .Wow, I just read het. And I. gulp. liked. it. And it doesn't involve a single character I normally enjoy reading. And it was het.

Fire and Shadow is, of all things, a Pansy Parkinson/Ronald Weasley fic. This is not, however, your average Ron Weasley. This is a Ron after the breakup with Hermione, Ron who doesn't understand why happiness always passes some people by, Ron who believes in chivalry and trusts in convenience. This is a Ron who's hurt, and doesn't know what to reach for after the "good girl" has let him down. He tries for "not-Hermione" while drunk, and slowly realizes that the one thing he'd never even think about sober might be the thing he needs. Pansy is wonderful, too-- she's definitely not Hermione, she's not a good girl, she's not the author in a thinly-painted disguise, and she's hurting, too, in a much subtler way.

There's wonderful humor; Draco's horrified expression when he meets Ron's new 'girlfriend' is priceless:

Ew!" Malfoy said suddenly, apparently shocked into sitting upright. His hair had actually gone static. "It just occurred to me. Weasley bits! How could you, Pansy!"

Hermione came inside and shut the door.

"Weasley bits," Malfoy repeated, experimentally. "Weasley bits."

"Shut up, Malfoy!"

"It's preying on my mind," Malfoy replied absently.

You can find it here, but since it's at RestrictedSection.org, but you will have to register (if you've not already) and obtain a password.

There is a tiny bit of implied slash; Harry's current partner is male, and although Harry never appears in person in the story, his partner does. ((shudders)) I loathe the name "Ned." Loathe it.

I read this fic because it was recced; I wasn't disappointed. Fire and Shadow reads like a modern love fairytale, without a Predestined Couple and without a Grand Quest or a Proper Courtship, but it still has its own form of happily ever after.

Perhaps that "happily ever after" is why I love this story: it reminds me of some of the best of Harry/Snape, where the words spoken are the least important part, the shallowest level of what's going on. Ron and Pansy snipe at each other relentlessly, call their relationship a "convenient" source of sex, and do their level best to seem indifferent. The author isn't relying on words to tell the story; it's show and not tell, and to see the "show" you have to look beneath the words.

It's lovely. Even if it is het.

Fic Rec: "Wabi-Sabi"

This time, it's slash. I promise. Since I am, well, a slasher.

"Wabi-Sabi, by Kai, is a fic I read a long time ago, and loved, and inexplicably had forgotten to rec, until I saw the name today. It is short, eloquent, and utterly wonderful; Wabi-Sabi captures in words the feeling that I never had words for, the reason behind my love of wounded toys and wounded souls. As the author's note at the end explains, "Wabi-sabi is a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete; it is a beauty of things modest and humble; it is a beauty of things unconventional." Wabi-Sabi looks at the oft-examined question of why Harry would choose to love Severus Snape, of all people, and finds not only the right words, but the right images, the most plausible of all reasons within Harry's own history. Wabi-Sabi is the best "why" story out there.

Fic rec: The Suitor's Secret

The Suitor's Secret by Knightsky is short, light, and funny. Precisely what I needed, after re-reading If You Are Prepared!

Harry is studying Defence with Snape, secretly. Trelawney outs him to Hogwarts by announcing that his "ordained match" is Draco Malfoy. This gives Draco the kernel of a brilliant scheme: seduce Harry with a spell and hand him over to Voldemort. Unfortunately, he didn't count on Snape...

Severus felt like swearing, so he did. Malfoy turned to him in confusion.

“What’s the matter, sir?” he asked

“What’s the matter?” Severus felt his blood pressure rising. “You’ve just aimed an illegal love spell at Harry Fucking Potter, on school property no less, and you’re asking me what’s the matter?”

“Didn’t just aim at him, sir,” Draco replied, with an alarming lack of concern. “Got him.”

Severus barely had time to brace himself for impact as Harry threw his weight upon Severus’ frame with the full force of teenaged enthusiasm.

“No Mister Malfoy,” Severus said, “it looks like I’ve got him.”



With minions like these, Voldemort doesn't need an archenemy.


*Note: this story is archived at the HP/SS Fest, which requires a password. The username and password can be found at Kardasi's Y! Group.

Fic rec: Culmination

Culmination is a lovely little drabble I ran across today. Harry, after the war, with five years of mourning for Sirius and no further purpose in life. I suppose it has HP/SB (it was posted in Canis Major, a Sirius/Harry group) overtones, but they're mild and you could probably dismiss them easily if you don't care to think about such a pairing. Wonderful, wonderful dictionary drabble by FluffyPuppy, and there's no excuse not to read it-- after all, it's less than 500 words.

That said, I must add that one must be a member of Canis Major to read it, since the Group is not public.

Fic rec: "Time Passages" (HP/SS)

This drabble almost made me cry.

Fic rec: "Whence All Good Things"

Wow, new Harry/Severus fic!

"Whence All Good Things" is a future fic; Harry is thirty-three, and just returning to England after ten years spent wandering abroad. Returning means facing old friends, though, not to mention the man he left behind, and there is unfinished business, and deep, deep pain between them. Features Weasley!Spawn and Slytherin!WeasleyChild as added bonuses. (I never before thought about it, but if Fred and George were to reproduce... the mere thought is terrifying.)

fic rec: "An Awfully Odd Adventure"

In honor of the hard work I did putting up my mirror journal, I give you a fic rec. (Reader: Aren't you supposed to do so anyway?)

"An Awfully Odd Adventure", by DementorDelta, is Harry/Severus (of course), and is, indeed, awfully odd--and awfully sexy. Harry Potter meets Peter Pan, with Pirate!Snape and LostBoy! Harry in the world of Neverland (as found in Neverland: A History). I don't know what to say about it, except that it's whimsical and creative and subtly sexy, and you should read it because, frankly, it deserves reading. While you're there, check out the author's other stories as well!

Fic rec: "The Way of All Flesh" (gen)

Sparrohawk's "The Way of All Flesh" is an intriguing Snape-centric ficlet! There's a subtle sort of irony to it, because of course we know ... Well. You can go read it and find out. :)

Fic Rec: The Rain Keeps Falling

The Rain Keeps Falling, by Luthien, is absolutely lovely, and will break your heart-- more, it does it in a subtle way that's infinitely more painful than any angst-fest could possibly be. Snape, and Harry, and possibility, and endings, and cold grey rain.

Fic rec: "Disposal" (gen)

I just ran across an old favourite-- Nym's short but sweet "Disposal", in which a young Remus Lupin learns a lesson about werewolves, and a lesson about friends. Gen, Marauders-era short story that makes you smile and, subtly, makes you cringe, thinking about what Remus faces every day of his life.

Fic rec: What He Wants

Wow. Where has Deb been hiding, that I haven't found her before? "What He Wants" is intriguing and sad, with some interesting twists; it takes place over the summer break after Harry's fifth year. Harry is alone and mourning, and Snape has been coerced into watching over him. But Harry's grief, like other emotions, is best expressed in action...

WIP Rec: "As You Wish"

darth_stitch is working on a most entertaining Princess Bride/HP story/pastiche/crossover. It has Prince Voldemort and Count Malfoy and Dreaded Pirate Roberts, not to mention lovely HP/SS goodness. Feed the bunny!

Read here.

Fic rec! "Phantasm"

Way back in August, fearblaidh wrote "Phantasm", which made me drool with amazement and envy, but somehow kept slipping my mind whenever I went to rec it! So here it is, and it's awesome. There is an "oopsie"-- the tense abruptly switches in the last couple paragraphs-- but Fearblaidh has said that was an error. There might be a corrected version on her site, but I confess that its navigation defeated me when I went to look. "Phantasm" is a wonderful, lyric, almost dreamy little HP/SS fic; the author's note reads, "I was trying out a smoother, more sensuous style for this fic. What do you think?" What do I think? I think it was a stunning success.

Fic Rec: "First Signs of Magic" (gen)

First Signs of Magic asks the question we all too often overlook when it comes to Muggleborn Hogwarts students-- just how did the family take it when their child suddenly turns out to be something from a sci-fi film? What if both parents are logical, science-grounded dentists who've not the slightest idea what to do with a child who can make objects move? "First Signs of Magic" is a neat look at a possible background for Hermione, as well as offering a solution to the question of "What do wizards do when a Muggle child shows magic?"

Fic rec: "No Man is an Island"

Quite short but still warm and fuzzy, "No Man is an Island" is Isolde's first Christmas-themed writing, and it's cute, sweet, and so subtly hints at backstory with only 150 words. (Severus/Harry, PG.)

Fic Rec: "Gratia Plena"

Sorry for the complete lack of updates-- I was out of town.

On the plus side, though, merry_smutmas seems to have been busy while I was away, and Lunulet is a very, very lucky girl: Her gift fic from Femme, "Gratia Plena", is a wonderful, tense Harry/Severus fic in which Severus meets a drag queen, sex doesn't solve problems, and Harry is allergic to romance. Long, emotional, and cleverly told through a series of event invitations.


* When the authors of the Merry_Smutmas works are revealed, this post will be edited to include the author's name. I should have guessed this one!

WsIP I follow:

Works in Progress I have broken my "never read" rule for:

"A Biddable Man" by Laura Beth
"A Kind of Merry War" by JayKay
"A Season for Healing" by Dien
"A Taste of Liberty" by Lamardeuse
"Le Lion au le Serpent" by Snaples
"Procul His" by Alchemia Dent and Bugland
"Shades of Grey" by Shadowphoenix
"The Mirror of Maybe" by Midnight Blue
"Through a Glass, Darkly" by Lexin
"Yet Another Snape Meets the Dursleys Story" by Rabbit and Jinx


There might be one or two more lurking in the back of my mind out of recall range.

WIP rec: "Lest I Wither" (just updated!)

JiM's Lest I Wither has been updated, after a lull of several months. Huzzah! Huzzah! Perhaps my faith has not been misplaced, after all. This is really a wonderful story, and JiM is a talented writer. If you can stand WsIP, do go and read it.

Then again, perhaps I ought to post the WiP list once more before I rejoice, this time noting how long since each was updated.

The WIP Meme, take two

I did say I'd do this again, didn't I? So here they are, with links and dates this time (not to mention minor updating).

1. Shattered, by Nym.
Last updated: yesterday
2. A Kind of Merry War, by McKay.
Last updated: Not updating via LJ, and supposedly (see link) would have been finished by Dec/Jan. I haven't lost faith yet, though.
3. Procul His, by Alchemia and Bugland.
Last updated: two days ago
4. A Biddable Man, by Laura Beth.
Last updated: Jan 19, 2003. I'm beginning to panic!
5. Lest I Wither, by JiM.
Last updated: Jan 10, 2004
6. Season of Healing, by Dien.
Last updated: Jan 21, 2003
7. Yet Another Snape Meets the Dursleys Story, by rabbit and jinx
Last updated: May 12, 2003 -- Once again, I'm panicking here. I really like this story.
8. Through a Glass, Darkly, by Lexin
Last updated: not sure, but a long time ago. There's a notice that the next part "may be some time." I can but weep and hope.
9. Burnout, by thisveryinstant
Last updated: again I don't recall, but it was a few months ago
10. As You Wish, by Darth Stitch
Last updated: Nov. 21, 2003. Ack!
11. Le Lion au Le Serpent, by Snaples
Last updated: Nov. 16, 2003
12. Shades of Grey, by ShadowPhoenix
Last updated: Feb. 2003
13. Broken Lullabies, and J Alfred Prufrock Arc: Part One, by Vain
Last updated: Oct. 5, 2003
14. Where the Apple Falls, by Lariawien
Last updated: July 9, 2003

...I believe that's all. Wow, I break my "never read WsIP" rule more often than I thought. ((sobs)) Yes, it's true, I have no willpower.

So, of all these:

3 have updated in the last month
6 have updated within six months
4 have updated in the last year
1 has not updated since discovery

None of this, of course, takes into account the series I'm waiting for completion of. That's far, far too long a list!


* Sorry, but if you want the links you'll have to check the Mirror Journal memories! It's just far too much for me to cope with right now.