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Reviews for To Do All in my Power

MW Waters 2008.05.12 - 02:05PM 8: The Master of Misdirection Signed
This story keeps getting better and better!

Author's Response: Then it's too bad it's over--I just posted the Epilogue, it should be up soon. Thanks for your praise. I am working on a year seven at Hogwarts fiction followup to this, but it's still very rough. You can see chapters on my lj, territesting.

Melousine 2008.04.30 - 04:59PM 8: The Master of Misdirection Signed
That was brilliant! I read all the chapters up to 8 in a row, couldn't stop, because your story is so extremely well done. The most profound Severus-story I came across in a long time! No annoying and far-fetched plot, no display of Severus' sex-life all over again, even no self-pitying indulgence in old hurts and grudges. You showed us a strong, disciplined, in the best sense possible severe but yet sensible and vulnerable person, so very Severus indeed, so very Slytherin. His scheming, wow! I mean, he has a reputation for his brilliant mind, but you allowed him to use it for real. And the potion-testing, well, it's a lesson for all of us. How many little crimes do we commit on a daily basis in this global world and DO NOT CARE? Buying cheap clothes, manufactured by some poor exploited women in some far-off country. Contaminating the environment. Exporting our rubbish to some african third-world state so that we don't have to see it in front of our nice front-gardens. Not protesting against the multiple human rights violations taking place all over the planet, but sitting in an easy chair with a good book. Not donating so much as a penny for cancer research till we're struck by it ourselves. Etcetera etcetera. We KNOW there's suffering and injustice anywhere around us and that we add to it, but we normally DO NOT CARE as long as it doesn't affect us personally! Severus committed a huge crime by delivering that prophecy for he knew it meant death. He delivered it because it served his purpose, it would advance his rise in Voldemorts ranks. Only when he saw what his deed was about to do to himself he opened his eyes, horrified and guilt-stricken all of a sudden. I always thought of it as the worst and most unforgivable thing he’d ever done, at least as far as we know from the books. He acted utterly selfish and there's no excuse for his behavior. But I think few of us have the right to condemn him. And, most prominently: Lily is not as well. She has failed her best friend when he needed her most. I won't blame her too much, because she was a very young girl then, but I will not support the picture of an innocent angel, who did well in abandoning her anyhow lost and “evil” friend. Lily realized what was right to do on a higher, political level for she fought Voldemort; she did not see it on the level of her personal responsibilities. She must have known most of Severus' struggles; she was most likely his only real friend, but SHE DIDN'T CARE, she wasn't interested anymore. The insult gave her a reason to cut Severus out of her life, but her interest in him has most likely ceased long before. She showed no hurt, no desperation while she ditched him. She was quick to insult him in return down by the lake. There were no tears, no hurt exclamations like "Severus, how could you!", but cold eyes and even colder words. She was not interested in his answers for she was convinced she did already know them. A thousand times she had asked him to abandon those evil housemates of his, hadn’t she? Well, he wouldn’t listen and that’s where it has got him. Is that what one would call true friendship? Lily seemed not to have given Severus any constructive advice or help. Instead she kept reproaching him for not pushing away the people who apparently didn’t bully him, while she found no comforting words at all for him after the werewolf-incident. Obviously she’d changed sides. Life was offering her new options; I think she simply didn’t want to cope with her complicated, misguided and unpopular Slytherin friend anymore. Remember how she’d smirked while James taunted Severus down by the lake? Well. Lily went on with her life without caring what became of her old childhood-friend. In my opinion she has failed him as much as he has failed her. But it probably wouldn’t do Severus much good to recognize this truth. That he’d loved a phantom. That Lily always was so much more to him than he had ever been to her. That she’d not wept over losing him. That there’s no such thing like angels in this world. So I’m glad it was not part of his reaction to that potion. Still, I felt I had to point it out here. I’m looking forward to your update! Thank you very much!

Author's Response: Thank you for your long, detailed, and kind review! (Though I suppose an equal length of criticism would have been useful, I'd have enjoyed it much less!) Yes, we all commit little crimes and ignore the consequences until they come home to those we love; I think Severus (drug-assisted!) achieves a level of responsibility at the end that far transcends most of us. Regarding Lily, I agree with you; on one of the Snapedom posts on this question, I quoted Dorothy Sayers: "One may have an important love for an unimportant person." Not that Lily was a complete waste of space, but I think he loved her more because he willed to than because she deserved that degree of devotion. I don't think he truly understood until SWM that Lily was demanding that he choose between her and his Slytherin allies--I think he thought until then he could have both. She did, after all: hold his devoted friendship while flirting with the bully who was tormenting him. But yes, that wasn't what he needed to understand here, so that never came up. How I see it is, Snape's early life taught him to close his heart to all but one person--and he had to learn, slowly and very painfully, to open it again. And he never admitted aloud that he had done so... but actions speak louder than words. He never hesitated, after all, before giving that first stiff nod.

tigerlily2 2008.04.29 - 09:24PM 8: The Master of Misdirection Signed
Very clever! Yes, I could see him enjoying that, but I feel sorry for him anyway. It is too bad that none of the teachers know what is going on - who is there for Snape?

Author's Response: You know, another writer (wish I could reference it) commented on the "emotional isolation" of Snape's last year, but actually I think it was BETTER than he'd ever had it. He never seemed to get more than grudging acceptance, enforced by D., from other members of the Order and other staff. Having this converted to outright loathing must have hurt, but he didn't actually lose support. He only ever had Dumbledore's trust and support, and he still has that via the portrait. Plus the trust and support of the other past heads' portraits, plus I think they could have let the House Ghosts and a few of the senior house elves into the secret--anyone with the judgment not to spill it accidentally and impervious to Legilimency and Veritaserum. Granted, that leaves him with no living humans supporting him, but this is different from the past fifteen years how?

emmaD 2008.04.29 - 02:13PM 8: The Master of Misdirection Signed
I love this chapter. It seemed impossible to me, that Snape should agree to be laughed at but you and Dumbledore did it! What a wizard he is and what a writer you are...

Author's Response: Only the prospect of helping the children could make him do it... that and appealing to his love of manipulation, of course, which Dumbledore well could empathize with. I imagine D. had been laughing up his sleeve for years at all the folk who thought him dotty, so he was well placed to coach Snape in this.... And I thought it the last thing he needed to heal, and not one he could do himself, so I had to work out a way for D. to do it. Glad you're continuing to enjoy!




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