|
|
Reviews For Never Say Remember
-P.G. Author's Response: There are a few smiles here and there. :)
Good job Harry, making Snape's head swell by telling him all the things he's done in the other world, lol. :) Great chapter, Scorpia Author's Response: He's a sneaky monkey, doling out the flattery. ;)
Author's Response: Yes, I love looking at different perspectives.
Thank you for the review!
Author's Response: Thanks!
Author's Response: Those young kids and their wacky activities! He'll sleep well tonight! :D Or, maybe, after that conversation with Snape, he won't. Ah, the Dursleys. Hey, you never know—maybe they and Harry will get along splendidly! And Harry will have a new family and never look back.
Probably not, though. ;)
Thank you for continuing to share your thoughts of each chapter!
Regardless of this one oversight, however, this is an outstanding story. There are plenty of Snape-as-Harry's-dad stories out there and there are even stories where Harry finds himself in an alternate universe. But by having him switch places with his counterpart who is Snape's son - and by giving us all four POVs - you have created a story which provides a truly unique opportunity to explore Harry and Snape's characters. First, let me say that I really like the way you've handled Lily. Her impairment serves the plot, of course, but more importantly, it keeps her from coming between Harry and Snape. She's a shadow hanging over them, but she doesn't get in the way which is important because this is all about Harry and Snape. Both incarnations of these characters are true to canon - no small feat! Our Harry is his usual angry, brash self; defiant, yet smart enough to realize that he needs to deal with Snape in order to see his mum. Our Snape is typically repressed and true to form, believes that he can keep control of the situation by simply refusing to acknowledge this new Harry. These two POVs alone would make this a good story, adding the other two make it great. AU!Snape is fully believable as the man Snape could have become in an alternate reality, as is AU!Harry, and watching them confront their counterparts is the freshest part of this tale. AU!Harry, at 13, sees a man who looks like his father and accepts him as such without reservation - which is completely realistic for a child of this age. Plucky as always, he isn't intimidated by Snape's rejection and takes cheeky pleasure in outmanouvering the man to get closer to him. It's almost a game for him - right up until he gets slapped in the face with the reality that he won't be going home with his father for the summer. His heartbreaking, "Why would you do this? I don't understand," perfectly captures the fact that this adolessent hasn't grasped that Snape isn't his dad. He hasn't begun to truly feel that loss, yet. AU!Snape, on the other hand, is acutely aware that our Harry is not his. He is angry and resentful towards the surly usurper who has taken his son's place. He is also wary that our Harry may cause Lily pain and upset the fragile balance of their lives. And yet he still feels a responsibility to this new boy, a father's protectiveness. As with AU!Harry, this is all absolutely realistic. Best of all, it is only the tip of the iceburg. Right now, everyone is still running on old habits, but as the days turn to weeks they will have to start dealing with the reality of their situations. I imagine this will be devastating to our AU!Characters, particularly if it's feared that the two Harry's may never find their way home. Poor AU!Harry has essentially been orphaned and AU!Snape is probably even worse off - losing a child is worse than losing a parent. Plus, AU!Harry at least knows that his parents are alive and well, whereas AU!Snape has to be lying awake worrying about how his child will fare all alone with no one to care for him. Having our Snape and Harry as constant reminders of their loss will not help either. Watching these four characters deal with the emotional fallout from all of this should be fascinating. You have proven yourself a capable writer with a firm grasp of the canon characters as well as human nature. I am eagarly awaiting future chapters to see how these relationships progress. Thank you for writing what is surely one of the best fanfics I've read. Author's Response: Oops! All fixed now. Thanks for pointing that out. My beta readers crapped out on me, so I depend on reviewers, reference sites, re-reading book passages and my own (faulty) memory to make sure the story has canon accuracy. I didn't know about all the adoption fics out there when I wrote most of this, so it was a bit embarrassing when I came across this site and realized I hadn't exactly invented the wheel. But maybe not reading many adoption fics beforehand allowed me to tell this story in a unique way. One odd thing about my writing process is that there's a practical part of me that won't allow me to knowingly deviate from canon. If I tried to push my characters in the wrong direction to satisfy a personal fantasy, a voice would pop up: "You realize the canon characters wouldn't do that, right?" And I'd grudgingly admit the voice was right. My favorite HP book is HBP, and I simply loved the back-and-forth between Harry and Snape. Both completely justified in their perspectives, and both completely at odds with the other. I wanted to have pages and pages of that. But that's only fun if they're true to their characters.
I also love the "What if?" question. What kind of person would we become if something important in our past was changed? And in what ways would we stay the same?
One of the joys of writing HP fic is that I can explore any period of our personal development into adults by choosing to write about Harry at a particular age. I'm so glad you saw that Harry, at 13, can be very adult at times but is still a child in many ways. In fact, all of your comments were very perceptive and you adeptly picked up on where each character is, emotionally. Thank you so much for the insights, the analysis, the compliments, and the time and energy you put into your review. Yours is the review every writer dreams of. :)
Author's Response: I'm glad you can see where both characters are coming from, and why they make things so difficult for the other. Reading (and writing) this fic is like playing chess with yourself. You're on one side, then you're on the other… Thank you for sharing your reaction!
What was he thinking climbing that tree!? That was sooo dangerouse but I do understand he needed his book. This Harry will certainly be in for a surprise when he gets to the Dursley's. Great chapter and I can't wait to read more! Author's Response: His parents don't call him "Monkey" for nothing. :) Thank you for the review!
The scene with the whomping willow was great, and just like Harry, I thought that Hermione had got him at first, but it was Snape. It's so entertaining to see this Harry wanting to spend time with Snape! But what an interaction this time! Poor Harry. Just when he thought he was getting used to, or understanding this "other dad", he realizes that he can't have him at all, that he doesn't want him. Yet Snape had bubblefruit. Hmm. That was done very nicely within the text- I was just as surprised, and perhaps hopeful as Harry. Thank you for the update! Author's Response: Thanks! Some chapters get thorough re-writes but I try to maintain regular updates. Yes, Harry was in a bit of denial. And yet…bubblefruit. Hmm, indeed. :) |
|
Powered by eFiction 3.5 |