A Snarry Rec
A Snarry rec - Tread Softly by Dius Corvus, found at ff.net here
I don’t usually read fic on ff.net. Yet, I LOVED THIS PIECE. It’s a superpower!Harry-goes-back-in-time-is-sorted-into-Slytherin-and-guess-who-he’s-got-to-bunk-with scenario, and we all know how easy it is to botch this type of story, either with too much exposition and verbosity (MoM and many other ff.net time travel stories) or by not finishing it *grrr* (Frightened with False Fire). This story is different. It’s brilliantly written, deliciously long (but not verbose at all), and it’s finished!
Below - some more gushing over Tread Softly and an oh-so-deep academic analysis of ff.net style
At first glance, I was slightly put off by the beginning - the final showdown, the red-eyed wizard, the howling wind; all the ff.net prerequisites - but I ploughed on and suddenly thought “Oho,” Slughorn-style, “I’m staying!” And then a sleepless and workless night followed.
First of all, the writing style proved to be, in fact, superb. “Superb” in my book means that it leaves me both confused and intrigued. We don’t know what’s going on, the author doesn’t dissect Harry’s every word and explain what it means to him, to us and to the plot. Your usual ff.net storytelling, on the other hand, goes like this:
Chapter 5 “Sev’s Jealousy”
Severus (sees Harry talking to someone or other and drops his quill)
Narrator: You see, reader, Sev’s jealous(there go 5 pages)
Harry: (enters) What’s up?
Severus snaps, storms out and sulks.
Severus: (inner monologue) OMG, I hate Potter! (10 pages)
Narrator: You see, reader, Severus, emotionally inept that he is, proves incapable of any self-insight. (5 pages)
Harry: (perplexed, 2 seconds and 15 pages after Snape’s departure) Wonder what that’s been about? (Wonders ineffectually for 10 pages)
Narrator: You see, reader, Harry, emotionally inept that he is, cannot decipher Sev’s feelings.
5 pages later - enters Hermione (15 pages of recapitulation of who Hermione is, how brilliant and insightful she is, and what life she’s been living since we last saw her): Harry, what’s up?
Harry (retells the whole incident - 10 pages)
Hermione: Honestly, Harry. How dim can you be? (end of chapter, cliffhanger)
Chapter 6 “Realisation”
You know the drill.
This story is different. There are no author’s editorials, or POV slip-ups. You have to focus, you have to think, and you may still not follow (yay!). Superpower!Harry is, out of definition, slightly OOC, and teenage!Severus isn’t our suave, proud, in-control Potions Master yet, but he has the makings of one. We have, thus, a reversal of roles and a different power distribution: Harry is the stronger, older and darker character here, and Severus is, well, a besotted teenager, but in his own special, reserved and repressed way.
And the UST (my only real kink)!
Oh my, this story has the highest UST factor out there.
Besides, we don’t get the impression that the romantic scenes were edited for the purpose of meeting the ff.net rating requirements, which really takes some skill!
Harry is denying himself Severus because he hasn’t got much time, he has a lot on his plate already, and - first and foremost - he isn’t sure whether what he feels for Snape is his or Voldemort’s (due to some soul-sharing kerfuffle). Severus is denying himself Harry because he (Severus!) is an inhibited sod with major issues. What we get in result is a delicious dance, which will leave you gasping, panting, writhing in agony and longing for more.
Yet, there’s no way there could be more, as the story ends in just-the-right moment, and it is the ambiguous ending, really, which makes this story stand out like this. The author (a guy, allegedly!), has definitely improved in the course of writing Tread Softly. There are some problems - a couple of lose ends, a typo here and there, a few scenes are redundant. But still, what begins as a nice enough easy read ends as a piece of haunting beauty. Dumbledore’s madness, Hermione’s despondency and Severus’ deed (oh, Severus!) - these images will stay with me for a very long time. Go read!
I don’t usually read fic on ff.net. Yet, I LOVED THIS PIECE. It’s a superpower!Harry-goes-back-in-time-is-sorted-into-Slytherin-and-guess-who-he’s-got-to-bunk-with scenario, and we all know how easy it is to botch this type of story, either with too much exposition and verbosity (MoM and many other ff.net time travel stories) or by not finishing it *grrr* (Frightened with False Fire). This story is different. It’s brilliantly written, deliciously long (but not verbose at all), and it’s finished!
Below - some more gushing over Tread Softly and an oh-so-deep academic analysis of ff.net style
At first glance, I was slightly put off by the beginning - the final showdown, the red-eyed wizard, the howling wind; all the ff.net prerequisites - but I ploughed on and suddenly thought “Oho,” Slughorn-style, “I’m staying!” And then a sleepless and workless night followed.
First of all, the writing style proved to be, in fact, superb. “Superb” in my book means that it leaves me both confused and intrigued. We don’t know what’s going on, the author doesn’t dissect Harry’s every word and explain what it means to him, to us and to the plot. Your usual ff.net storytelling, on the other hand, goes like this:
Chapter 5 “Sev’s Jealousy”
Severus (sees Harry talking to someone or other and drops his quill)
Narrator: You see, reader, Sev’s jealous(there go 5 pages)
Harry: (enters) What’s up?
Severus snaps, storms out and sulks.
Severus: (inner monologue) OMG, I hate Potter! (10 pages)
Narrator: You see, reader, Severus, emotionally inept that he is, proves incapable of any self-insight. (5 pages)
Harry: (perplexed, 2 seconds and 15 pages after Snape’s departure) Wonder what that’s been about? (Wonders ineffectually for 10 pages)
Narrator: You see, reader, Harry, emotionally inept that he is, cannot decipher Sev’s feelings.
5 pages later - enters Hermione (15 pages of recapitulation of who Hermione is, how brilliant and insightful she is, and what life she’s been living since we last saw her): Harry, what’s up?
Harry (retells the whole incident - 10 pages)
Hermione: Honestly, Harry. How dim can you be? (end of chapter, cliffhanger)
Chapter 6 “Realisation”
You know the drill.
This story is different. There are no author’s editorials, or POV slip-ups. You have to focus, you have to think, and you may still not follow (yay!). Superpower!Harry is, out of definition, slightly OOC, and teenage!Severus isn’t our suave, proud, in-control Potions Master yet, but he has the makings of one. We have, thus, a reversal of roles and a different power distribution: Harry is the stronger, older and darker character here, and Severus is, well, a besotted teenager, but in his own special, reserved and repressed way.
And the UST (my only real kink)!
Oh my, this story has the highest UST factor out there.
Besides, we don’t get the impression that the romantic scenes were edited for the purpose of meeting the ff.net rating requirements, which really takes some skill!
Harry is denying himself Severus because he hasn’t got much time, he has a lot on his plate already, and - first and foremost - he isn’t sure whether what he feels for Snape is his or Voldemort’s (due to some soul-sharing kerfuffle). Severus is denying himself Harry because he (Severus!) is an inhibited sod with major issues. What we get in result is a delicious dance, which will leave you gasping, panting, writhing in agony and longing for more.
Yet, there’s no way there could be more, as the story ends in just-the-right moment, and it is the ambiguous ending, really, which makes this story stand out like this. The author (a guy, allegedly!), has definitely improved in the course of writing Tread Softly. There are some problems - a couple of lose ends, a typo here and there, a few scenes are redundant. But still, what begins as a nice enough easy read ends as a piece of haunting beauty. Dumbledore’s madness, Hermione’s despondency and Severus’ deed (oh, Severus!) - these images will stay with me for a very long time. Go read!