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All caught up! *dances* For about another five minutes... *g*

Polyjuice Pertinacity or the Tale of the Auror and the Whore by

svartalfur
Genre: Post-war
Prompts: Career Change, Infidelity

This is a gritty story about a Knockturn Alley turned red-light district, wizarding bank robbers threatening whose antics might expose the wizarding world, Harry the unsatisfied Auror, and Snape the prostitute. While I was constantly riveted by the fic, I found it a bit confusing overall. The newly-improved Polyjuice Potion (a star feature in the fic) makes it difficult to keep track of who is actually who (part of the fun) and the timeline isn't always straight-forward. This is the kind of fic that requires rereading to get all the details in the right place.

I really like the way Anders captured the feel of a post-war Knockturn Alley. When the story crosses over the wards surrounding the Alley, you immediately get a feel of the weather, the street under your feet, the sounds of the whores calling their tricks... it's a very real place, and somehow Severus and Harry both fit there.

Imaginis by

leela_cat
Genre: Alternate Universe
Prompts: Tip Jar, Portrait

This was one of those fics where you occasionally glance at the scroll bar, hoping it hasn’t moved at all. I wanted it to go on forever. Harry Potter is an Auror; Severus Snape is the owner of a bookstore that straddles Wizarding and Muggle London. After Harry saved Snape’s life, they are perfectly content leading entirely separate lives. Fate has other plans, however, when Severus finds a “tip” about a planned bombing in his “tip jar” at the bookstore. Suddenly Harry is thrust into an undercover position as Snape’s employee, and both men race to unravel the mystery before the wizarding school (not Hogwarts) is blown up.

I adored so much about this story. Harry and Snape are both their stubborn selves. Regulus Black makes a fantastic appearance as a portrait, watching the antics with amusement and exasperation. Draco Malfoy is dating Charlie Weasley, and Ron and Hermione are suffering from the sleeplessness known only to parents of a newborn. Each of these relationships blossom in their own way as we nagivate a difficult investigation, hampered by suspicions of the Auror office, Snape’s other employees, the staff at St. Mungo’s, and the unreliable press.

Leela has combined the excitement of an investigative story with the subtlety of a new relationship, and she achieves an excellent balance between the many tensions inherent in the various threads. Go read; you’ll only be disappointed there aren’t another 50,000 words.

Snarry Games Day Six - Scheming Reader and Unbroken Halo

[Apr. 26th, 2008|07:20 pm]

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Reposting, because I apparently am an idiot.

OTOH, I'm almost caught up!

(Spoilers ahoy!)

Benefits by

schemingreader
Genre: Postwar, Hurt/Comfort
Prompt: Ritual

Ron the excellent cook, Luna the wise dreamer, Harry the very innocent, and Snape the mortally wounded... really what more could one want?

Well, one could hope that Harry casts a healing, bonding sigil to save Severus’ life, and accidentally (of course) creates the type of bonding that requires a sexual encounter. Especially when Harry’s notions of sex are a little vague...

"Ah, so you're willing to take a cock up your arse, but you aren't willing to kiss me."

"What? I didn't say that! I kissed you! Cock up my--are you making that up?"

Snape gave him a scornful look. "You don't know what buggery is, and you want to step right up and volunteer for some." Oh right, bugger meant that. He'd known that, he'd just... Harry had mainly thought of it as a rude word that Aunt Petunia had used as an excuse to wash his mouth out with soap. Now he looked a right prat. "Were you thinking you would be on top? Are you up to sticking your fingers in my arse?"

"Is that really part of it?"

"Oh my God, you are a complete idiot."

Seriously, folks, this stuff is classic. Just go read!

Revealing Truths by

unbroken_halo
Genre: Postwar
Prompts: Sleeplessness, Time Capsule

Finally an ambiguous ending! Last year's Games were chock-a-block full of heart-stopping, have-to-reread, hope-for-the-best-but-fear-the-worst endings, and this year all the fics have come to a resolution. Not, mind you, that I don't like resolution... Nothing beats a happy ending on a Snarry in my mind, but wheeeee! Revealing Truths is satisfying that little ache wonders if happily ever after with a bow always possible.

unbroken_halo clearly had fun with her prompts; they are cleverly woven into the plot, which enriches and complements the many threads being tied together. I also really liked the way

unbroken_halo elaborates upon the idea of the life debt. JKR introduces the concept, but I never thought she developed or used it enough. Revealing Truths explores the idea thoroughly, especially as it might be used by a man like Severus Snape.

I really enjoyed reading this story, because even thought it wasn't always sunshine and roses, it fit in canon, it explored the characters in realistic ways, and it ends with just enough hope to keep me happy.

Snarry Games Day Five - Josan and Dementor Delta

[Apr. 26th, 2008|04:54 pm]

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Catching up here... (it's finals time - yuck!)

Oh, and spoilers below....

One Down, Two Across by

josan
Genre: Alternate Universe
Prompts: Silver, Puzzles

Ooooh, I really liked this fic. Really, really. It was such a story. We got to travel to China, catch a glimpse of the inner workings of the Auror corps, enjoy a nice slow build up, and slowly piece together just how Snape survived the snake bite and what the fall out was. I think the pacing was my favorite part of this story;

josan didn't skimp on the details but managed to constantly keep me interested in the story. It just gives me chills to think of all the little bits that popped and sparkled.

One caveat for die-hard Snarry fans: this fic is Snarry-lite. The character development is phenomenal for both men, but their relationship is more about confronting the past, forgiveness, and getting reacquainted than it is about creating a future. This is because (spoiler and another caveat) Snape is dying. This isn't sad, in the fic, but it does limit the possibility of a future, obviously. I am very not into character death, but I promise it's more of a release in this story than it is about death and grieving.

Also, one of the best original characters ever.... I loved Mei Pei!

That Place in the Dark by

dementordelta
Genres: Romance, Hurt/Comfrot
Prompt: Silver

I mean, what do you really need to say about a fic that contains lines like this: "all Snape's ideas about intimacy shattered and reformed just on the tip of Potter's tongue."

But.... there's lots of other things besides the hot sex! *g* (Occasionally I can pay attention to things other than porn...) Delta includes a wonderful original Muggle character, whose house Snape and Harry borrow while Snape recuperates from a curse wound. The constant interaction of magical and Muggle worlds is charming, as is Miss McGill's alternating wariness and fascination with the men under her roof. And, unsurprisingly, it only takes her hours to see what Severus has missed for years. Don't we love Severus?

There is a nice level of tension running throughout the fic, caused by Snape's injury and the constant miscommunication between the Professor and Boy Wonder. This keeps the readers off-balance, always anticipating the next little surprise.

Snarry Games Day Four - Centaury Squill and Eriador117

[Apr. 23rd, 2008|02:42 pm]

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Just a warning.... I probably won't have time to read/review tomorrow's entries, so enjoy today's stories and look out for a double-header review on Friday.

Lost and Found by

centaury_squill
Genre: Romance
Prompts: Career Change, St Mungo's

Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun! Lost and Found was a bit of a mystery: strange things are happening both at St. Mungo's (where Severus Snape now works) and at Chelsea Physic Gardens (where Neville Longbottom now works). Can Harry figure out what's happening before Snape gets arrested, someone else dies, and he gets hexed again? In the meantime, Hermione's parents are still suffering from memory loss (remember when she sent them to Australia?) and so is Severus. He knows something happened in the Shrieking Shack the night Nagini bit him, but what, exactly, was it?

This story borrows very loosely from book seven canon, but has lots of fun with Harry and his friends after Voldemort's death. They are all figuring out what they want to do with their lives, and none more than Harry, who is proving that auror training is challenging even for the most inspired wizards. My only quibble with this story is that the origins of Snape and Harry's relationship is a little unclear; we can see that they've transitioned from bitter enemies, but we aren't exactly sure why. That aside, it's very engaging to watch them navigate the uncertain waters and to watch Snape function in his new role as St. Mungo's Dark Arts specialist. (Bedside manner, anyone?) All in all a charming addition to the games, and I really like that it has a plot outside the developing Snarry relationship.

The Ghost of Dursley Hall by

eriador117
Genres: Alternate Reality, Romance
Prompt: Sleeplessness

Wow! Another non-magic AU. I wonder if the end of canon is encouraging more author's to explore other settings for our Dynamic Duo? This fic has echoes of Jane Eyre, Dickens, and Gothic Romance. Believed to be dead, Harry Potter is locked in a tower, nearly starved, and beaten regularly by his Uncle Vernon Dursley. No one knows of his existence, although Dursley Hall is frequently thought to be haunted. It isn't until Severus Snape comes to tutor Dudley Dursley that Harry is discovered. It is now up to Snape to rescue Harry and nurse him back to health.

eriador117 introduces a whole host of our favorite HP characters, including Filch, the Longbottom's, McGonagall, and the Granger family. Even Lucius and Draco Malfoy make an appearance. It is interesting to see which characters get cast in which roles as we move the Hogwarts universe to an eighteenth century England. And of course, there's always the Snarry.... carriage!sex, mmmmm.

Snarry Games Day Three - Amanuensis and Jin-Fenghuang

[Apr. 22nd, 2008|07:20 pm]

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While you are waiting for the

snarry_games fics to get posted each day, head on over to

snarry100 and check out (or write!) some Snarry drabbles...

The Two Magicians by

amanuensis1
Genre: Post-war, Romance
Prompt: Musical

Deer sex!

Um... do I really need to write anything else? I thought not.

But, in the interest of fairness, this is a wonderfully humorous (almost cracktastic) fic. Snape is dead, but that's ok because he's a portrait. Now only if Harry could get Snape to stay in one place long enough to issue his apology. Harry tracks down a myriad of ways to get to Snape, and we get to hang out in portraits, chocolate frog cards, and others I'm sure I didn't catch. (I was waiting for the porn!)

This fic is short, funny, sweet, and very hot. Fun!

Fridays at Half Seven by

jin_fenghuang
Genre: Post-war
Prompts: Optical Illusion, Time Capsule

I just want to start out by saying that I really loved the use of the prompts in this one. Very clever. Fridays at Half Seven features a mildly depressed Harry: Voldemort's dead, Ginny's engaged to Dean Thomas, Ron and Hermione are wrapped up in their own relationship, and the press is hounding Harry just like it always has. All Harry wants to do is be "normal" for an hour.

Enter Polyjuice - you can be anyone you want for an evening, with the ingestion of a single, foul-tasting potion. And Harry turns himself into... well, I won't spoil it completely, but I will tell you that it's a woman. As he bar hops in Muggle London, he finds a kindred spirit to talk to. The ensuing relationship is such as clever readers read between the lines of every dialogue.

I really enjoyed this fic, despite the threat of het. *g*

jin_fenghuang's Harry is particularly compelling; I love her take on Harry in a post-Voldemort world. The ending was particularly fantastic, nicely ambiguous, perfectly Snape.

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Snarry Games Day Two - Perfica and Iulia Linnea

[Apr. 21st, 2008|05:58 pm]

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On my way home from work today, Mambo Number 5 came on the radio. Hello, 1999! I love coming home to new Snarry...

Come Out of the West by

perfica
Genre: Alternate Reality
Prompts: St. Mungo's, Miles to go Before I Sleep

One of my favorite things about the

snarry_games is that I read all sorts of stories that I wouldn't normally be inclined to read. See, even though I know I can expect amazing, high-quality fics whenever I see

perfica's name, I wouldn't usually read an alternate reality fic, especially one where there is no magic. And then I would have missed Come Out of the West.

The basic premise of the story is that Harry Potter is an orderly at St. Mungo's Private Hospital, and Severus Snape is the victim of a car accident. Professor Snape is an insomniac, and Harry is working the night shift, so, during the long hours between sunset and sunrise, they strike up an unlikely friendship. It is really fun to watch the relationship unfold without any of the messy background inherent from canon, but, amazingly,

perfica manages to keep both Harry and Snape recognizable. Their personalities are spot-on, and the events unfold in very imaginable ways.

Harry and Snape aren't the only characters to show up. Throughout the fic,

perfica cleverly inserts other canon characters in picture-perfect cameos. But alternate reality isn't the only feature of the fic. We have a surprisingly effective mix of present moment and flashback narration that keeps readers engaged, piecing the timeline together bit by bit. This also keeps us on the edge, hoping that the happy endings hinted at are actually going to emerge. All in all, I really enjoyed this story, and I am very grateful that the

snarry_games provides a venue that encourages me to go out on a limb in my fic reading!

Amidst the Doxies by

iulia_linnea
Genre: Postwar and Humor/Crack
Prompt: Career Change

Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. This is an excerpt from Adelaide "Laide" Alderton's (sister, perhaps, of the infamous Archie Alderton from

pimp_my_3some?) tell-all autobiography, Doxies Do More than Bite: The Memoirs of this Wizard's World's Most Accomplished Lady of Leisure. It seems that Severus "Mr. Wand" Snape and Harry "Mr. Inspiration" Potter both had occasion to visit Ms. Alderton's establishment, and she, being the exquisite hostess that she is, makes certain to be in the curtains should a need arise that requires her attention.

This entire fic is quite a romp through gossipy memoirs and thinly veiled innuendoes. You'll definitely enjoy it, particularly Rita Skeeter's letter at the end. The only caveat is that the text is riddled with strike-throughs. This makes the fic a bit slow on the reading, but you wouldn't want to miss any of the revisions Ms. Alderton makes!

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Snarry Games Day One, Part Two - CruiseDirector

[Apr. 20th, 2008|02:46 pm]

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I just love the

snarry_games. All these new stories. *sighs happily*

A Pastoral Interlude by

cruisedirector
Genre: Romance
Prompts: Career Change, Time Capsule

I have so many thoughts on this fic. First of all, I am intrigued by the use of the prompts, particularly Time Capsule. The prompt aspect is always a favorite facet of the Games for me; I find it fascinating to see what each author does with their chosen prompts (and I have to confess to missing the original format of authors going head to head on the same prompt). CruiseDirector has a creative take on both prompts (who doesn't love to see what Snape does when he's no longer Hogwarts' Potion Master?), and they anchor the story nicely.

I enjoyed reading A Pastoral Interlude, but I really wanted more. CruiseDirector builds a curious backstory for the "epilogue kids," particularly Teddy Lupin and James Potter. Because we only really find out what happened (young James is in Azkaban) through Harry's narration, we need to put the pieces together ourselves. This certainly isn't a flaw in the story (and in fact shows an enviable command of POV that I can only dream of), but it does leave us wanting more. Also, this is the story of how Harry and Snape re-discover each other and get together... but their history is still so tangled, and their future is still so uncertain that I really wanted the story to continue working through some of it.

So where does this leave us? I liked this story, but I think it felt a bit unfinished. I think it is because CruiseDirector created so many intriguing possibilities that I wanted to explore this world more thoroughly. I liked the explanation of Snape's non-death. I wanted to know more about Harry's marriage to Ginny, the relationships of all the Weasley's, and life as an Auror. I wanted to understand more clearly not only what happened with Teddy and James, but also how Harry is dealing with the aftermath. It can only be a compliment to the author that her creation leaves us wanting more.

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Snarry Games Day One - Meri

[Apr. 19th, 2008|11:55 pm]

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Hello everyone, and welcome to the

snarry_games reviews 2008! This year's fest kicks off with a doozy... and didn't we start with

meri_oddities last year? Not that I imagine anyone is complaining! And here we have your first review...

Escaping the Paradox by

meri_oddities
Genre: AU and Romance
Prompt: Learning to Dance

Confession: I'm not into time travel fics. But, I loved this story. (And not just because it's Meri!) The basic premise - that Harry is thrown back in time to the year that Severus Snape and James Potter begin Hogwarts - allows the story to flow perfectly within canon and yet develop entirely plausible new trajectories for all the characters who didn't make it through Book Seven. Many authors have elegantly maneuvered right over the epilogue and Snape's dubious death, but it is refreshing to read a story that balances what JKR has given us with an imaginative, plausible (Snarry!) plot.

Particular gems for me: I loved Dumbledore in this story. He's delightfully recognizable - just the perfect character who would trust a man who has seemingly fallen out of the sky. Dumbledore asks wonderful questions, and doesn't ask even better questions. Also, I loved the way Meri handled Snape's youth. His childhood is sketched in just enough, and we can clearly see where Harry's presence negates other situations that the original timeline Snape would have had to face on his own. There's a wonderful contrast between who Snape is as a person and who he became because of circumstances; it gives lots of food for thought. Finally, I loved the way the time travel aspect of the fic was handled. The change in timeline hovered in the background, but the fic was never overwhelmed by the intricacies of time travel or the potential paradoxes created.

As always, the

snarry_games mods have chosen a wonderful treat to kick off the games, so go and read!