FIC: The Best of Him [DH Snape gen, Snape/Lily background] PG-13

[purpleygirl]

Title: The Best of Him
Author: purpleygirl
Length: 3700 words
Pairings: Gen, but Snape/Lily in a way
Warnings: Mention of thwarted suicide; minor (original) character torture and death.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Phineas knows where Potter is. Now all Snape has to do is carry out his plan.
Notes: Written for the snape_after_dh fest, prompt the silver doe (believe it or not,

Comments

Doe

[terri_testing]

Very good story--and thank you for basing it on Rexluscus's essay, which should be more widely known. The doe comes from within Snape himself; how accurately it reflects the real Lily matters about as much as whether, in 2008, a reader accepts that the real Beatrice Portinari was an ascended Saint with the authority to guide Dante through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven.

"Alive, strong, and bright, ready to guide him when called upon."

Re: Doe

[purpleygirl]

My literary credentials are woefully inadequate to fully appreciate your reference, I'm afraid. :P But I agree that the doe came from within -- and it was sad that Snape seemed so obsessed (or at least blinkered) with Lily that he didn't see the Patronus for being anything except 100% her. It wasn't her guiding him, but his love for her. Subtle difference, but important, I think. (Because whether that love was justified is important in the former case but not at all in the latter.) And him being loathe to "wear his emotions on his sleeve", he'd never have admitted that to himself.

Thanks for reading. :)

Re: Doe

[terri_testing]

You could read Dante: the Vita Nuova and the entire Commedia. Or go to my livejournal; one of my earliest entries is the Reader's Digest Dante (4 LONG volumes compressed to a page), from Severus's point of view.

As you say, not her, but his love for her-- a subtle difference but very important. You did good work--better (at least cleverer!), in some ways, if you did it on your own without the literary forebears.

Although it KILLS me all the literary references JKR invokes and then trashes--I'm sorry, Dante/Snape-Beatrice/Lily is THERE, and that leaves Severus as the repentant-sinner narrator, the one who slogs his way painfully though Hell and then Purgatory....

Re: Doe

[purpleygirl]

That's very kind of you! I always wanted to read Dante but have never got round to it. Going into the depths of yourself is like Hell in some ways (and at the risk of showing my ignorance, I think that's what Dante's work is essentially about?), so perhaps the themes were already in the back of my mind somehow.

[torino10154]

I too am an admirer of Rexluscus's essay and you've done a great job writing a fiction with it as a back drop. I do especially love your concluding section-it's just perfect.

[purpleygirl]

Thanks! :) I'm glad you liked the two sections at the start and end. I tried to get some kind of 'full circle' thing going on, but I was worried it might come across as a load of pretentious bullsh*t. *g*

[duniazade]

Oh, this is beautiful! I especially admired the opposition between the Lumos and the Patronus, and the way you make it come from the depths of the story. Extremely well done!

[purpleygirl]

Thank you! :) Full credit for the symbolism goes to Rexluscus and her wonderful essay.

I have to say one thing for JKR at least -- thank God she invented Pensieves!! *g*

[purpleygirl]

Thank you! :)

[purpleygirl]

Thanks!