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Reviews for Ashen and Sober Skies

tpel 2005.08.11 - 02:11PM 14: Thirteen - Progress Signed
I like it that as Snape's mind recovers he is recognizably Snape-ish (and thus, snapish) -- logical, interested in ideas and potions, frustrated by having to depend on others. Great job!

Author's Response: Thank you - it's one of the harder parts of writing the story, is the balancing act of how much of our embittered potions master really still there, and how much has been swept away by voldemort's ministrations.

Verity Brown 2005.08.09 - 11:58PM 14: Thirteen - Progress Signed
'...for some time he wondered if they were his children – then a part of his mind whispered, “Ridiculous.” ' There was just something so utterly poignant about that line. Just the merest hint that some small part of him wished they were his. I don't care if this is AU. I mean, we've always known that stories set in the future are almost certain to become AU at some point--none of us are *that* good of guessers!--so I never worry about that when I'm reading such a story. And this is such a wonderful one! Carry on, please!

Author's Response: It sort of all goes back to the "Not a nice guy, but not a bad man" philosophy that I've been using with Snape. He's not actually a monster, although goodness knows that the capability could be there. He, like most men, has his moments - and really, this is a lot of finding those moments in among the awful memories.

greenwood 2005.08.09 - 07:44PM 14: Thirteen - Progress Signed
Great chapter. I don't care if this is AU or not. It is still a great story. I feel that many of us can live in both cannon drift and pure fiction. Severus could still end up in this situation (albite that Albus would not be there, but I don't think we really care). You are putting Severus in a situation that has dinamics balanced between painful past/paintul present and somewhere a happy thought or two. I simply think this HBP has left you more stuff to draw from if his past is explored at all. Please keep going!!

Author's Response: Thank you! At this point, there is too much written for me to want to stop now, or try to wrestle it into HBP compliance.

mouse 2005.08.09 - 12:19PM 14: Thirteen - Progress Signed
Hurrah! I'm glad to see this story continued; after HBP, I became rather worried that some of my favourite stories might now be abandoned in despair by all their canon-shafted writers. I'm glad you've decided to persevere!

Author's Response: Ah, canon-shafting. Where would we be without it? There's entirely too much of this written for me to try to wrestle it into canon-compliance. After thinking it over, I think that I'm pretty comfortable with the idea.

whitehound 2005.08.09 - 04:56AM 14: Thirteen - Progress Signed
Still being logical and academic, of course - and the mental seesaw beginning to tip in favour of believing he's really awake.

[Hope this paragraph tag works] It's not the fact that Snape swears that marks him out as being "of humble origin" - or even his evident low self-esteem. Of the two most cut-glass-posh, upper-class people I know, one swears like a trooper (possibly because she used to be one) - in this fantastically carrying posh voice which can slay at twenty paces - and the other is so meek that when I first knew him he used literally to curl up and wrap his arms round himself if anybody spoke to him. But they both have a certain "This is me, take me or leave me" quality - a sense that however they are must be the right way to be. It's Snape's rampant over-competitiveness which marked him out, even before HBP, as being probably someone who grew up feeling that they were at some sort of social disadvantage. [Of such details is the British class sytem made, of course.]

As regards contrived plots needed to explain Dumbledore's survival in a canon story - we must remember that working out "what really happened" actually means working out what sort of literary game JK is playing. I personally think it would be more dramatically satisfying if Dumbledore is dead - it will be kind-of irritating if he isn't - but I also think that there are a great many (and very obviously deliberate) clues which suggest she's playing a game called "Gandalf."

If she isn't then she's been unusually and unexpectedly sloppy with little details like, e.g., we've always been shown that Avada Kedavra kills *instantly*, and we're told that the binding-spell on Harry could only be lifted if Dumbledore took it off consciously or when Dumbledore died - yet the spell wasn't lifted off Harry for at least several seconds after Dumbledore was hit by the curse and, supposedly, instantaneously killed.

That may be a red herring of course. Tthere are three conflicting sets of clues, one of which says Snape is a villain, one of which says he killed Dumbledore on Dumbledore's orders, and one of which says he helpd or enabled Dumbledore to fake his own death. Obviously only one of these will prove to be true: but I'm quite sure she intends us to consider all three.

Author's Response: Personally, on the matter, I'm seeing herrings around every corner. I've given up divining the answer. Jo will tell us when she does, and not one moment before.


June W 2005.08.09 - 04:34AM 14: Thirteen - Progress Signed
Since he can talk, why doesn't he ask Poppy where he is, whether he is a teacher, etc.? He seemed to respond well to Minerva putting her hand on his shoulder, so perhaps folks can give him more physical affection? BTW, I don't see this story as being too contrived or AU - Dumbledore could be alive and in hiding after HBP, and Snape could definitely be tortured by Voldemort!

Author's Response: I see this as being a group of people who aren't big on physical affection, especially in regards to someone who is as prickly as Snape. There are two levels of comfort on that: on the one hand, you have the trio of adults who are trying their best to make the best of a bad situation, but in all the time that they've known Snape, they have never been truly affectionate. On the other hand, we have Severus, who has spent the majority of his life pushing people away (and you can pick your favorite theory on why he did so, however it's pretty clear that he is aware of his personality flaws, whether he chooses to see them as flaws). The trio are hesitant to lay hands to him because they simply don't know how he'll react: will he be more or less comfortable with people touching him. I have found that anyone who has spent their life not being touched are reticent to begin now. Though you are right - he is responding favorably over all to the physical contact.

phoenix 2005.08.09 - 01:46AM 14: Thirteen - Progress Signed
Zhaneraal, no problems with the AU, or lack of explanation on how Albus is alive. Personally, I'm still on the fence on that one. Great insight into Severus and how he starts to feel abandoned by someone he considers his friend. I like that he 's becoming more coherent, but still not whole, and not entirely understanding why. While I hate seeing him in this state, it's necessary for the story. I can definitely see how Minerva might feel guilt, but hopefully she will realize how much her presence means to Severus. Gald to hear that updates should be coming sooner. :) Hopefully I won't miss the next one. ;)

Author's Response: Ultimately, I feel that HBP canon is unimportant to the story. It's a story about healing and redemption, and new canon doesn't affect that.

Updates should be coming every 3-5 days for the next two weeks. Unfortunately, my best friend is getting married on 8/19, and I'm leaving for a cruise on 8/24, so I'm working on getting everything together before I leave. I'm also hoping that my ridiculously long flights will give me time to finish editing the current stuff and finish writing the story so by the time I get back I can hand it off to my beta, and I will finally be able to work on something else! :)

phoenix 2005.08.09 - 01:07AM 13: Twelve - All We Have Signed
Nice introspection chapter. I can't believe I missed this one. Even with the introspection, nice job on providing speculation into what is ailing Severus and possible thoughts on fixing it.

Author's Response: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was a nice opportunity to explore what was going on in Minerva's mind. She started becoming one of my favorite characters once I started writing this. :)

whitehound 2005.08.08 - 11:07PM 11: Ten - Dancing Signed
He does swear in the books - probably more than any other character - but only on quite a mild level (although of course you wouldn't expect anything else from something which doubles as a children's book). Nothing stornger than bloody, but plenty of damneds and blasteds. Can't wait for the new chapter to manifest.

Author's Response: Just as a point of interest, I have received the email you sent, but I am a terrible correspondent.

Severus' language, in my mind, only serves to underscore the fact that he comes from common stock, thus rendering all of the "Noble Snape" lines more or less AU (although HBP did a fair bit to put those to rest, thank god.)

The next chapter is currently awaiting validation from the admins. Since I posted it around 10pm Sunday night PST, we should be seeing it any moment now. :)

whitehound 2005.08.03 - 05:09PM 5: Four - Tea Signed
I keep on and on coming back to this chapter. The description of Snape's hands - "they were lovely and steady" - is so beautiful and, in context, so agonizingly sad. It reminds me of an equally sad poem - I think possibly by Yeats - about an ageing woman looking back on her lost youth and lamenting the girl she once was - "Where are the straight sides that I had on me?"

Author's Response: Thank you! I think that is by far one of the best compliments I've received - when someone keeps coming back to a chapter.

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