Recs: HP Beholder part II
More excellent stuff at HP Beholder, the fest that puts overlooked and unloved characters in the spotlight.
The Vultures of Love, 13,000 words, Severus/Minerva, Irma Pince/Argus Filch, PG-13. My summary: Severus's family worries prompt him to confide in Minerva. Meanwhile, Hogwarts has a new librarian, and Argus Filch approves.
This was my gift, but I promise you I'm not reccing it out of politeness. It's simply a great read, from first to last, with four curmudgeonly protagonists who nevertheless possess a certain charm. I won't go into too much detail about the plot, because it's too much fun to spoil, but I will say it's a very quick read for 13,000 words, another testament to the author's skill.
"No," said Severus, grabbing her hand. "No, not you. I didn't mean it like that." He pressed the back of her hand to his lips.
"I know, Severus, it's quite all right," said Minerva. "Slips of the tongue do happen, and it would be foolish of me to expect otherwise. I understand."
"No, you don't," said Severus, propping himself up on his elbow and cupping her face in his hand. "It's not your age. Everyone younger than you is an idiot. You don't make me think of my mum. The exact opposite." He kissed her, then rolled over and flopped back into the pillow. "I meant... my actual mum. I went to see her yesterday, in that fucking hovel. Where she's going to stay, even though she doesn't have to, just because of my bloody father. It doesn't matter that he's bloody dead, she says she's going to rot there, and she will, so pathetically grateful for a few relics of our world in that horrid place."
"Oh," said Minerva faintly. "Your father's died, Severus? I'm so sorry, I--"
"I'm not." Severus turned towards her, his eyes glittering in the dark. "The man was a bloody waste of food, and seeing him put into the ground was one of the best moments of my life. Only she won't leave." He reached out and stroked Minerva's ribcage, from between her breasts down to her navel. "I was going to get her out of there, when I was young. When I'd made something of myself with the Dark Lord. Her family wouldn't have her back, but I was going to be somebody, and bring her back, where that Muggle prick she married could never touch her. I didn't expect her to be grateful, but at least she wouldn't be there. Only I never did, and I never will, will I."
Minerva took a deep, steadying breath. "All things considered," she said, with a forced lightness, "I think that if the alternative is pillow talk about You-Know-Who, I would prefer uncharitable references to my age."
"I didn't," protested Severus.
Minerva put a finger to his lips to silence him, and the rested her hands on his rather bony shoulders while she considered what to do with the boy's unexpected confessions. "Your mother has to make her own choices, Severus," she said at last.
"She's bloody awful at it so far," muttered Snape. Minerva, quite charitably she thought, did not comment on any family resemblance when it came to making regrettable alliances at the age of eighteen.
Read more here: The Vultures of Love.
A Cliff in July, Marietta Edgecombe/Millicent Bulstrode, 5,000 words, R. Summary: A chance meeting at a remote Muggle hotel, the summer when everything changes.
This beautiful story of two canon misfits has stuck in my mind since I read it a fortnight ago.
They run into each other again the morning after, on their way to breakfast. Their eyes meet, quickly; then both glance away, then back. "Hi," Marietta says, trying not to be too awkward. Millicent nods back. A corner of her mouth moves; it's as good as a smile.
"Is this a friend of yours, Marietta?" her mother asks, looking between them. Of course yes and no are both the wrong answer - the two of them barely know each other - but Millicent introduces herself, shakes hands with Marietta's mother and says, "We go to school together. Or went."
"Oh!" Marietta's mother looks at her knowingly, curiously. "Well, won't you sit with us, then? I'm sure I know who your parents are."
She probably does, that's the worst part. More talk of the Ministry and Hogwarts, in veiled terms so that the Muggles won't be alarmed. Marietta slouches behind them on the way to a free table as her mother interrogates Millicent on her family, their professions, their connections. Every word pulls them back into their world, the world Marietta has grown up in, the world she belongs to, the world she longs to escape, if only for the summer. She wishes she were far away, on the other side of the world. She wishes Millicent were not here. She wishes Millicent hadn't met her mother.
But she notices the way Millicent twitches under her mother's questions, the way her eyes keep darting away, the way her answers are polite but brief, not revealing more than strictly necessary.
"And you are starting your last year in September?" Marietta's mother asks, pouring tea for all of them. Millicent nods.
"Hmm." Marietta's mother lifts her cup to her mouth. There's a line on her brow. "I do hope everything will turn out all right, my dear." She sighs. "To be honest, I'm glad Marietta is safely out of there."
"Mother!" Marietta whispers, casting a look at Millicent, who is staring down into her cup of tea. "Millicent is in Slytherin."
Her mother's mouth opens in an oh. Her cheeks grow pink. She clears her throat. "Well, that is to say... I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. For you."
Millicent looks up at that. "It's all right," she says, voice toneless. "I'm worried too." Her eyes seem to harden. "The alternative would be worse."
Marietta looks at her mother, whose cheeks are still pink. "Well," her mother says. "Let's not worry too early, at any rate." Her smile is shaky. "Perhaps things will still sort themselves out."
Millicent nods, but her gaze is hanging at Marietta's face. Marietta does not meet her eyes.
Read more: A Cliff in July.
To finish, have some sweet artwork of Molly and Arthur: Strong and Stubborn Love (PG-13). I love the way the artist has extrapolated from the middleaged characters we know and reimagined them as teenagers.
This entry was originally posted at http://lyras.dreamwidth.org/74262.html. You can comment there using Open ID.
The Vultures of Love, 13,000 words, Severus/Minerva, Irma Pince/Argus Filch, PG-13. My summary: Severus's family worries prompt him to confide in Minerva. Meanwhile, Hogwarts has a new librarian, and Argus Filch approves.
This was my gift, but I promise you I'm not reccing it out of politeness. It's simply a great read, from first to last, with four curmudgeonly protagonists who nevertheless possess a certain charm. I won't go into too much detail about the plot, because it's too much fun to spoil, but I will say it's a very quick read for 13,000 words, another testament to the author's skill.
"No," said Severus, grabbing her hand. "No, not you. I didn't mean it like that." He pressed the back of her hand to his lips.
"I know, Severus, it's quite all right," said Minerva. "Slips of the tongue do happen, and it would be foolish of me to expect otherwise. I understand."
"No, you don't," said Severus, propping himself up on his elbow and cupping her face in his hand. "It's not your age. Everyone younger than you is an idiot. You don't make me think of my mum. The exact opposite." He kissed her, then rolled over and flopped back into the pillow. "I meant... my actual mum. I went to see her yesterday, in that fucking hovel. Where she's going to stay, even though she doesn't have to, just because of my bloody father. It doesn't matter that he's bloody dead, she says she's going to rot there, and she will, so pathetically grateful for a few relics of our world in that horrid place."
"Oh," said Minerva faintly. "Your father's died, Severus? I'm so sorry, I--"
"I'm not." Severus turned towards her, his eyes glittering in the dark. "The man was a bloody waste of food, and seeing him put into the ground was one of the best moments of my life. Only she won't leave." He reached out and stroked Minerva's ribcage, from between her breasts down to her navel. "I was going to get her out of there, when I was young. When I'd made something of myself with the Dark Lord. Her family wouldn't have her back, but I was going to be somebody, and bring her back, where that Muggle prick she married could never touch her. I didn't expect her to be grateful, but at least she wouldn't be there. Only I never did, and I never will, will I."
Minerva took a deep, steadying breath. "All things considered," she said, with a forced lightness, "I think that if the alternative is pillow talk about You-Know-Who, I would prefer uncharitable references to my age."
"I didn't," protested Severus.
Minerva put a finger to his lips to silence him, and the rested her hands on his rather bony shoulders while she considered what to do with the boy's unexpected confessions. "Your mother has to make her own choices, Severus," she said at last.
"She's bloody awful at it so far," muttered Snape. Minerva, quite charitably she thought, did not comment on any family resemblance when it came to making regrettable alliances at the age of eighteen.
Read more here: The Vultures of Love.
A Cliff in July, Marietta Edgecombe/Millicent Bulstrode, 5,000 words, R. Summary: A chance meeting at a remote Muggle hotel, the summer when everything changes.
This beautiful story of two canon misfits has stuck in my mind since I read it a fortnight ago.
They run into each other again the morning after, on their way to breakfast. Their eyes meet, quickly; then both glance away, then back. "Hi," Marietta says, trying not to be too awkward. Millicent nods back. A corner of her mouth moves; it's as good as a smile.
"Is this a friend of yours, Marietta?" her mother asks, looking between them. Of course yes and no are both the wrong answer - the two of them barely know each other - but Millicent introduces herself, shakes hands with Marietta's mother and says, "We go to school together. Or went."
"Oh!" Marietta's mother looks at her knowingly, curiously. "Well, won't you sit with us, then? I'm sure I know who your parents are."
She probably does, that's the worst part. More talk of the Ministry and Hogwarts, in veiled terms so that the Muggles won't be alarmed. Marietta slouches behind them on the way to a free table as her mother interrogates Millicent on her family, their professions, their connections. Every word pulls them back into their world, the world Marietta has grown up in, the world she belongs to, the world she longs to escape, if only for the summer. She wishes she were far away, on the other side of the world. She wishes Millicent were not here. She wishes Millicent hadn't met her mother.
But she notices the way Millicent twitches under her mother's questions, the way her eyes keep darting away, the way her answers are polite but brief, not revealing more than strictly necessary.
"And you are starting your last year in September?" Marietta's mother asks, pouring tea for all of them. Millicent nods.
"Hmm." Marietta's mother lifts her cup to her mouth. There's a line on her brow. "I do hope everything will turn out all right, my dear." She sighs. "To be honest, I'm glad Marietta is safely out of there."
"Mother!" Marietta whispers, casting a look at Millicent, who is staring down into her cup of tea. "Millicent is in Slytherin."
Her mother's mouth opens in an oh. Her cheeks grow pink. She clears her throat. "Well, that is to say... I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. For you."
Millicent looks up at that. "It's all right," she says, voice toneless. "I'm worried too." Her eyes seem to harden. "The alternative would be worse."
Marietta looks at her mother, whose cheeks are still pink. "Well," her mother says. "Let's not worry too early, at any rate." Her smile is shaky. "Perhaps things will still sort themselves out."
Millicent nods, but her gaze is hanging at Marietta's face. Marietta does not meet her eyes.
Read more: A Cliff in July.
To finish, have some sweet artwork of Molly and Arthur: Strong and Stubborn Love (PG-13). I love the way the artist has extrapolated from the middleaged characters we know and reimagined them as teenagers.
This entry was originally posted at http://lyras.dreamwidth.org/74262.html. You can comment there using Open ID.