Occlumency :: A Severus Snape archive

Reviews for Obsidian

RaeWhit	2005.11.02 - 12:10AM	1: Obsidian	Signed
I've already reviewed this elsewhere, so I'm not going to repeat myself, except to say what amazing fic, to have addressed and developed so many fascinating possibilities in a story of this length. But what really struck me this time through, was the back-story to why Severus felt such antipathy for Sirius--the books don't offer much beyond what Harry saw in the Pensive, but with this phrase, you gave his stance a much more believable base. "He’d resented Black at the beginning for simply being and having everything that Snape himself had ever wanted: an actual pureblood family, a place in the impenetrable circle of the elite, seemingly unlimited wealth and for rejecting it all." Ah, this gives Severus' loathing much more teeth. In a sense, it's a relief, because it never sat well with me that it was just due to school-boy bullying--not that that's not important, but it didn't seem a complicated enough motivator for someone like Severus, who as an adult, has schooled himself in controlling his reactions to "personal" persecution. A beautifully, well-thought out, characterization. Like your other reviewer, I'm going to be thinking about this fic when Book 7 comes out.

Verity Brown	2005.11.01 - 09:40PM	1: Obsidian	Signed
"Not every wizard would abide by the Ministry’s rules, nor could they be expected to always play fair; it was simply human nature." I really like this line--so very true. I'm also intrigued at your speculation--which I don't think I've ever seen before--that Dumbledore did not know about the Shrieking Shack incident until long after the fact. I'm not one of those who think Dumbledore is really still alive, but I like the way you left it uncertain in this story. I do wonder about the Life Debt--Snape was so offended by that suggestion in PoA, that I had discounted it as a possibility--but you never know. A couple of points, however, which you did get incorrect: one is that Snape turned spy for Dumbledore before Voldie's death, not after; the other is that Dumbledore said that he thought that Snape felt worse about having accidentally betrayed the Potters than about anything else he'd ever done, and you suggest just the opposite, without any explanation of why Dumbledore would believe that. I enjoyed reading this, though--a quite a different take on some things. I like that. Author's Response: I'm glad you liked my little story. I did want to address your points: first, the actual timeline for Snape's double-agent status is a bit murky. The idea of 'before' Voldemort's first demise is largely based on Dumbledore's testimony as seen by Harry in GoF. It is my theory that Dumbledore blurred the truth (a la Mrs. Figg at Harry's trial) to suit his needs and to benefit the Light. Secondly, I also believe that Dumbledore would blur the truth for Harry, as well. It's entirely possible that Snape felt worse about having accidently led Voldemort to the Potter's because it adversly affected him in the long run (due to the Life Debt), and not because he is remorseful. Of course, this is all just speculation on my part and I do apologize if that didn't come through in the story. Thanks for reading and for leaving such a thoughtful review.

Yael Alexis	2005.11.01 - 06:58PM	1: Obsidian	Signed
Your story is great! I should not wonder if some of your ideas hit the mark. It makes sense that the debt life Snape had with James Potter must have passed to Harry, that would explain a lot of things. Congratulations! Author's Response: Thanks, Yael! I'm glad you liked it.