who's sneaking now?

Sorry for spamming you of late. I have to go offline for the next two days, so I wanted to get at least one more rec post in before then:

- Anonymous at hoggywartyxmas drew and wrote From Severus' Journal, December 24th (Severus Snape, Hermione Granger, G). This clever panel by one of the foremost artists in HP fandom will brighten your day with its witty plot and beautiful illustrations. A page from Severus' journal, it captures his sneakiness and sarcasm right down to the the prickly lines of his handwriting.

- Anonymous at hoggywartyxmas wrote All That is Mine to Give (Sprout/Moody, PG-13). I had never given much thought to this pairing, but this story has not only made me believe in its plausibility and rightness, it has also convinced me that this is how canon should have been. A masterful character study with sharp-edged, gritty, honest dialogue that suits these two characters perfectly. Here's an excerpt:

“Come right on through, Alastor,” she called, and a moment later he stood on her hearth rug brushing off the soot, that absurd eye of his giving her the once over. Merlin, but the look in his normal eye was making her blush, even if she hadn’t suspected that magical eye of being able to see right through her robes.

“Your Floo connection ought to be more secure, Pomona,” he said gruffly. “I could have come right through without your permission, so it’s a good sight that I remembered my manners. The Death Eaters won’t be so refined.”

“I’m glad to see you, too, Alastor,” said she, as she stepped forward to kiss his cheek and help him with his coat. “I had the connection open specifically for you, you great goose, keyed to your voice. Not even foolable by Polyjuice. We do learn from our mistakes, dear.”

- Anonymous at snapelyholidays wrote Tensile Strength (Snape/Neville, NC-17). This story was quite nearly too much for me. Like Neville, I was practically raised by a grandparent, and devastated when she began to deteriorate towards the end of her life. Neville's anguish at losing yet another family member to mental illness is palpable and oppressive and masterfully evoked. His situation in a post-DH world is a grim one; this is not a world of happy endings and flowers, but depressing reality. That Snape, a natural inhabitant of such a world, flickers into his life only seems natural. Battered and bruised, pitiless and overconfident, Snape is paid by Neville to develop a cure for his family . . . But I have no wish to spoil the story. Suffice it to say that it is incredible how much this author accomplishes in 5000 words. An excerpt:

"All of these plants are potions-grade." Neville said nothing to that; Snape was simply stating a fact, and he'd learned through seven years of classes with the man not to speak when it was unnecessary. "I'll need a sample of each plant for testing purposes. With luck, I'll have a recipe for a treatment within the next few days."

Neville sighed and rubbed his eyes, applying so much pressure that a sharp pain shot through his skull. "And then likely a month to brew the treatment."

"Don't be ungrateful."

Dropping his hands, he attempted a smile. "I'm not, really. Just thinking of the mountains of paperwork this will require, not to mention how closely I'll need to monitor the other plants." And the loss of income. Then there was Gran and her appointments to consider... He had no time for this.

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