Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

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My Pet: natalie the Phoenix
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natalie [Contact] Better be Ravenclaw!
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Reviews by natalie

When Harry finds an injured Snape on his doorstep and must hide him from the Dursleys, he has no idea that this very, very bad day will be the start of something good.

Harry and Snape are thrown together by annoying relatives, a series of strange dreams, and Voldemort's latest hunt for Harry, but their greatest challenge may well be surviving each other. This will be a long summer unless the two can find a way to work together. A slow-burn enemy-to-mentor story.

Alternate 6th summer (and part of the school year): post-OotP; ignores HBP and DH.

Takes Place: 6th summer - Snape flavour: Canon Snape
Tags: Injured!Harry, Injured!Snape, Snape-meets-Dursleys
Categories: Teacher Snape > Trusted Mentor Snape
Rated: T - Warnings: Abusive Dursleys, Neglect, Violence
Chapters: 61 - Completed: Yes - Updated: 08 Mar 2021 / 30 Apr 2007
Series: None - Challenges: Battered Snape for Breakfast
Title: Chapter 56: Chapter 56 - A Talent for Meddling 30 Nov 2020
Reviewer: natalie (Signed)
    I just wanted to start out by saying I’m so sorry to hear of your loss & sickness! This year has been absolutely dreadful and I hope you’re taking care of yourself. I hope you don’t mind that I’m about to absolutely unintelligibly gush/cry/rant about this fic & how amazing you are :)

    I think I first read OME in 2018 (my huge Severitus/P&S phase) and I remember being absolutely crushed when I realized it was a WIP. I was going through some things in my own life and I remember reading and re-reading this fic as a sort of comfort story back then. Since then, I’ve taken a break from reading HP fanfic (although I was, for a month or so, obsessed with Merlin fanfic - I think you mentioned you were a fan of Merlin & Arthur in your fanfic.net profile?).

    I was bored (read: procrastinating) over Thanksgiving break and decided to browse Potions & Snitches just out of curiosity. I clicked on this fic & after a few minutes of reading, I realized exactly what fic this was. I read the entire fic so far in one go (probably not the best for my posture and sleep schedule) and was absolutely blown away! I’ve probably read thousands of fics and I know OME will always take its place in my heart as an absolute favorite.

    I think at this point I’m emotionally attached to the Snape & Harry of your fic! You write them so incredibly well. I remember part of what drew me to OME in the first place was how in-character Snape was -- a side of canon Snape once forced to open his mind a little. He wasn’t a complete monster and he wasn’t the perfect bubbly good-doer that a lot of fics tend to portray him as. I love how he develops from mean to stern & his relationship with Harry goes from hostile to neutral to something more. The dialogue is EVERYTHING. I honestly feel like parts of Harry & Snape’s early conversations could easily fit in canon; you write them so painfully well. I love the balance between angst & playful banter and I love how fluidly their relationship grows throughout the plot of the story. The Harry & Snape of Chapter 56 could not compare to the Harry & Snape of Chapter 1, but while reading the fic, the transition and growth in their relationship is completely seamless.

    You’re also just such an incredible author, the description and the plot and the writing style of OME is just… *chef’s kiss*. I honestly could just go on and on talking about this fic, but for the sake of not being too annoying, I’ll just thank you for being the best. Reading this has just been such a mixture of nostalgia, excitement, & love.

    I was just curious if you’re on any other sort of social media platform? I’d love to follow your work & writing! Also: if you are ever in need of a beta/editor… let’s just say I’d be extremely happy to help out whenever!

    Author's Response:

    Thank you so so much for the long review! I totally want to unintelligibly gush/cry about how nice it is to hear how much you're enjoying OME! :) :) To hear that it's on your absolute favorites list? Aw, be still mine heart! I'm grinning so much! So I tried really hard to make their relationship grow organically. In fact, a big part of why I got overwhelmed and abandoned this fic for so many years was that I didn't want to move them faster than seemed natural, and then when I realized how loooong this story was going to have to be to accomodate that, it seemed so daunting. So my brain fizzled and it stopped. But it never left me alone, so here I am, back at it and almost finished! Yay!!

    I LOVE Merlin! I've actually outlined a Merlin fanfic that I'd love to write, a semi-time-travel fix-it for season 5. I wish we'd gotten to see them work together with Arthur in the know during the series. So just like I wanted to see Harry and Snape get along, which led to OME, it's one of those things that might not leave me alone until I write a Merlin fanfic of my own. ;) Lots of amusing Arthur-discovering-things-aren't-how-he-always-thought moments or awww actually-appreciating-Merlin moments ready to be written...not to mention integrating Gwen and the knights. Anyway, if you have any favorite non-slash Merlin fics to recommend, please feel free to share. :)

    Thanks for the beta/editor offer - I'll definitely keep it in mind. ;) I'm not on any social media platform. I've considered building a writing page on some one or other platform, but I'm at a loss as to where and how I should go about it. Any ideas?


Title: Chapter 57: Chapter 57 - That Stubborn Thing You Do 21 Dec 2020
Reviewer: natalie (Signed)
    It’s me again (the person who will never stop gushing over this fic)! After a rather grueling finals week, this chapter has been the greatest early Christmas gift I could ask for!

    Specific notes about this chapter: Despite the obvious oh-God-Snape-is-in-pain-and-might-die, I found this chapter so sweet. Some of my absolute favorite scenes are those where Harry and Snape just good-naturedly chat/banter, and I loved the interaction between grumpy Snape, Harry, & Hunter! Like Harry, I’m also overly invested in learning more about Snape’s social life… or lack thereof. For all of our sakes, I wish Snape would just agree to play 20 questions or something of the sort & satisfy our curiosity :) It’s also always so fun to see Harry and Snape’s relationship through the eyes of Hunter and Kneader — who knew a snake could be so perceptive? I’m already so ready for the next chapter & Harry Legilimizing Voldemort (and Snape’s reaction of course :))!

    Regarding my review from last chapter: I am so so happy that you decided to pick OME back up again, your writing ability & creativity really has paid off! I’m also absolutely thrilled to hear about your plans for a Merlin fic! Other than Harry & Snape, Arthur & Merlin’s dynamic is probably one of my favorites of all time. Merlin’s finale absolutely *crushed* me and I almost religiously read fix-it fics and s5 AUs to fill the hole it left in my heart :) My biggest frustration is that we never get to see Arthur and Merlin truly working together as friends with Merlin’s magic revealed! There’s also way too many moments in the series that weren’t given enough closure & way too many opportunities for Merlin & Arthur to have some fun with this whole magic thing! I honestly could rant forever about Merlin and what could’ve been season 5… but let’s just say that I’m so happy that you might be working on a Merlin fic sometime! And again, if you ever are in need of a beta/editor, I’m always happy to help ;)

    For Merlin fics, I’ll have to look at my old fic rec lists, but I remember some of my favorite (non-slash) Merlin & Arthur fics were on AO3! When I find my complete list of favorite Merlin fics I’ll be sure to send them your way, but for now, one fic that randomly comes to mind is To Be Known by crookedassembly! It’s a pretty short angsty magic reveal one-shot.

    I noticed that you mentioned you were going to upload OME/other fics to AO3 — that’s the fanfic site that I probably have the most experience in, so feel free to let me know if you have any questions about it! Also, I would love to follow any writing blog that you might put out there! In my experience, I find Google Sites and Wix both super easy to navigate when building a blog/website. Google Sites in particular has lots of different tools to help you link different websites/documents, format a webpage, & more! I’d also be more than happy to help with that!

    I hope you have a restful & enjoyable holiday season!! Keep being amazing :)

    Author's Response:

    Thank you for the review!! I love writing Harry & Snape chat/banter scenes, so it's nice to hear that you like to read them. :) And thank you for the Merlin rec - I read it and enjoyed it! Feel free to share any more that come to you! :) :)

    The Merlin story I have in mind to write would begin in the final moments of the last episode, wherein Merlin makes a deal to go back in time (as his own past self, not as a time traveler) to correct his mistakes that led up to Arthur's death. The catch is that only he will remember...but yay for us, Arthur remembers too! So they traverse the final season again, working together, figuring out their new dynamic, trying to fix things, only events diverge greatly and their "fixes" result in some new challenges. (Because who actually wants to read a straight-up retelling of that season anyway? Not me.) So yeah. I want to write my Avengers story first, and I eventually want to pen an OME sequel, so we'll see if the Merlin one gets written. It would be fun to write. :)

    I'm thinking about getting started uploading chapters to AO3 over the next week or two. It looks like I can upload all chapters one at a time first as a draft, and then post it all at once? I experimented with ways to import and upload, and it looks like there isn't a totally easy, one-upload way to do it? Every way I tried involved correcting the formatting. And I might have to rely on people to let me know if I miss any tags. :)

    Thank you again for the long review! I really appreciate the kind words and the help!!! I hope you are having a fabulous new year. :) 


Title: Chapter 58: Chapter 58 - The Third Battle 14 Jan 2021
Reviewer: natalie (Signed)
    I can’t tell you how excited I was when I got the notification that you had updated! I’ll admit I’ve been checking P&S daily for the last week to re-read OME and check if there was an update - I’ve missed this fic so much! This chapter is definitely going to be on my favorites list. We all know that Snape would die before saying “Harry, go ahead and risk your life to save mine” but I love the way you wrote their compromise, with Snape (very, very grudgingly) going along with the plan. I also love that Snape brought up Harry’s promise -- I’m sure it hit a sore spot, especially considering their previous experiences with promises! It’s funny that the majority of the times where Harry and Snape fight, it just goes to show how much they care about each other’s well being. It’s so fitting that Snape’s way of showing affection (God forbid) comes in the form of insults. Although it might be obvious to the reader, it was so good to see Harry vocalize how much he needs Snape -- to beat Voldemort, for sure, but in almost all other respects as well. I think one of my favorite parts of your characterization of Harry is how he is still a teenager who wears his heart on his sleeve despite his maturity and power. This chapter was also just incredibly well-written (like every other chapter, of course :)) -- I loved your description of Voldemort’s icky, no-good mind & how we were able to visualize Harry’s use of the mental arts. I’m so excited (and nervous) to see how Harry’s confrontation with Voldemort goes, but since you’ve promised us a happy ending…. ;)

    Since you liked my last Merlin fic rec, I have another: For the Weary by lady_ragnell on AO3! It’s been a while since I’ve last read it, but I hope it’s to your liking! You might want to avoid the sequel though (it contains slash). I also found this platonic Merlin/Arthur fic list on fanfic.net: https://m.fanfiction.net/community/The-Best-Merlin-Arthur-Friendship-Stories/72690/! I haven’t had the chance to check out those fics yet but hopefully there’s some gems on there!

    Your Merlin fic idea sounds like just the type of thing I’d love to read! I’ve read fics where Merlin goes back in time and fixes everything without Arthur knowing, but your version is much better -- I feel like Arthur not knowing sort of defeats the purpose (and their relationship’s development throughout the seasons). Feel free to bounce any Merlin-related ideas off me at any time, the show still holds such a special place in my heart! Although I haven’t watched all the Avengers movies, I look forward to your fic nevertheless! Tony and Peter’s dynamic is always a joy to read about and I’m assuming it’ll be a part of your fic :) And a OME sequel… well, you know how much I’d welcome that ;)

    About AO3, I’m pretty sure you’re right in that there’s no way to easily upload an entire fic in one go, unfortunately. I’d be happy to look over your tags/formatting when you do upload, though! There’s a sad lack of platonic Harry & Snape fics on AO3 (which is why I discovered P&S in the first place!) so I’m sure an upload there would be highly appreciated!

    One other thing: Although I’ve missed this fic dearly, I hope you don’t feel forced to write or anything! Your mental health always comes first and we all understand that :)

    Thank you for an awesome chapter & I hope your 2021 is going wonderful so far!

    Author's Response:

    Thank you for another long review!! (And sorry it took me so long to reply!) You know, one of my favorite dynamics between Snape and Harry is how Harry wears his heart on his sleeve and Snape keeps his under lock and key, buried down deep. They're such an interesting contrast and have a fun effect on each other. 

    Ooh thank you for the other Merlin rec! I haven't read it yet, but I marked it for later. I like the description. :) And I bookmarked the list site - thank you!! You know, I didn't like the way they ended Merlin, and I didn't like a lot of things about the last season, but I DO think they did a good job with the reveal. Their conversations afterward were Just. Right. I wouldn't want to mess with it or do it any differently. That's why I much prefer letting their relationship at that point stand, but having them going back together to fix all the other stuff that went wrong. 

    I think I need to upload to AO3 before I finish writing OME so I can let people know it's there, so I might go ahead and start uploading chapters this week. I'll let you know when it's up so you can look it over and let me know if I did anything wrong with the tags, format, etc. :) Thank you for offering!!


Title: Chapter 59: Chapter 59 - Epiphany 24 Jan 2021
Reviewer: natalie (Signed)
    I was so excited when I saw that you updated! And so soon after the last chapter! I’m honestly a little nervous that OME seems to be approaching its end and I won’t have these updates to look forward to anymore but I’m sure its ending will do it justice (no pressure ;))! Fingers crossed for a sequel, as always :)

    Some chapter specific notes: This chapter was just so so well done! I don’t mean this as a slight to JKR but honestly, your version of Occlumency and this mental battle between Harry and Voldemort’s minds is so much more interesting than canon. It’s so satisfying to see Harry using his mental power to fight (and it always bugged me that Harry was good at shrugging off Imperio but we never saw him reach his full potential at Occlumency). Harry’s realization that he loves and cares for Snape was so heartwarming to read — and Voldemort’s reaction was just as satisfying :) You write so masterfully and realistically that sometimes I forget that OME isn’t canon — I was rereading OotP the other day and thought to myself “ouch, that must’ve hurt Snape” when Harry said Voldemort’s name during the Occlumency lesson… then I realized that the Dark-Mark-hurting thing wasn’t actually canon (although it sooo should’ve been)!

    General notes: This is a bit random but I’ve always had trouble falling asleep (as a matter of fact, I’m writing this review at almost 4am… oops) and some nights I reread OME before sleeping and it works like a charm! This fic is truly the next best thing from some Occlumency sleeping tricks and dreamless sleep potion ;) I’ve even dreamt about OME once or twice!

    Other things: One of my absolute favorite chapters of this fic is The Spy in Snape’s perspective, and while rereading OME, I keep thinking about Snape’s perspective in every other chapter — his thoughts and feelings behind his “spy face”, the missing parts of the conversations that Harry eavesdrops on, etc. Since I’m a hopeful aspiring author, I was wondering if I might have your permission to (re)write OME in my interpretation of Snape’s perspective — a sort of fanfic of your fanfic. Of course, I would completely credit you and wouldn’t post anything without your permission! I feel like it would be my personal way of honoring OME while trying my hand at fic-writing, but I would totally understand it if you say no!

    Thank you so much for another incredible chapter! As always, hoping you are having a wonderful 2021 and looking forward to the next update ;)

    Author's Response:

    It is officially on AO3!!! Yay!!! Well, not all of it, not yet. I'm still posting. But I would LOVE it if you could look at OME (KirbyLane) on AO3 and let me know if you would make any changes to the tags or formatting. Pretty please? :)

    I definitely want to write a sequel, just will have to recharge my batteries and work on my other creative outlets first. But I really, really want to write OME2 since it would focus on them growing into more of a family. and I love family stories. 

    Thanks for your comments on Occlumency! I'm glad you like it! Pretty much in every scene I've written something having to do with Occlumency, I haven't known ahead of time precisely how I want to go about it, so I just start writing and something usually comes to me and I cross my fingers that it's interesting to read. So I'm glad you think it is. :) Haha I LOVE that you had that thought about the Dark Mark while reading OotP lol! I totally relate though. I've had many moments where I'm re-reading a favorite book or series and cannot for the life of me remember if a certain plot point or character trait is canon or something I picked up from too much fanfiction reading! So you're definitely not alone! ;) In the dreaming too. I definitely have dreamed of some of my favorite fanfiction, ha!

    Absolutely, you can write fanfic of my fanfic! I would be honored. :) The only things I ask are that 1) you credit me/OME and 2) you note that it's your own personal interpretation. (Though if you ever want insight as to what I think Snape was thinking during certain parts, feel free to shoot me an email and I'll give you my two cents. I don't mind. But I also don't mind if you just want to dream it all up yourself. That's a fun part of reading stories in one character's POV.) ;) 


Title: Chapter 60: Chapter 60 - A Lot Like Love 11 Feb 2021
Reviewer: natalie (Signed)
    Apologies in advance for a mega long review!

    Chapter specific notes:
    *Unintelligible noises* The questions game! Private potions lessons! No more Dursleys! Voldyshorts!

    Just like everything else about this fic, this ending is absolutely perfect. Everything comes full circle so perfectly and the progress Snape and Harry have made is displayed so clearly here. I’ll leave the sappiest of sappy reviews for the epilogue, but this chapter made me tear up :’) Snape and Harry draw such a perfect balance from fake-serious bantering/teasing and genuine concern/love for each other. It’s so heartwarming to know that they have found a sense of home, comfort, and care in the other & how they’ve both come to recognize this.

    I also love how you resolved the potions issue! I guess we all have to brace ourselves for Harry-the-potions-prodigy if Snape is as good at tutoring potions as he is at Occlumency — maybe we’ll get the Half Blood Prince reveal as well? I also can’t wait to see their interactions in actual NEWT class in the Spring surrounded by other students!

    I am so curious to see what POV the epilogue will be in! Kneader’s? Dumbledore’s? Hunter’s? Mrs. Norris’? I guess I’ll have to wait and see!

    Last thing: this line is *perfect* — “If you ever do anything that stupidly self-sacrificing again and survive, I will kill you,” Snape growled. “Personally.”

    Other notes:
    My review for this chapter is a little late because I wanted to make sure that I could have a chance to review the fic on AO3 thoroughly! Everything looks great, here’s just a couple of minor suggestions:

    1) You could include the “Original Characters” and “Original Male Characters” tag in your character list for Kneader (and Hunter, I suppose :))
    2) You could include the “Hogwarts Sixth Year” tag
    3) You could include the “Alternate Canon” and “Alternate Universe” tags
    4) I think if you’d like, you could also add a couple of other Snape tags like “Protective Severus Snape”
    5) Just some random other tags that come to mind are “Mentor/Protégé,” “Potions and Snitches,” and even the Severitus tag (although Snape’s not Harry’s father, I think he’s parental enough for the tag)

    I hope that helps! The formatting and tags look perfect - however, whenever I reread OME next, I will make sure to do it on AO3 and keep an eye out for any potential bugs!

    I really hope you take the time to take care of yourself and recharge — and feel super proud and accomplished for having finished this absolute masterpiece of a fic! That being said, family stories are my absolute favorite and OME is my absolute favorite family story, so I can’t wait to see what you have in mind for a potential OME2 whenever you feel ready for it, of course.

    On my potential fanfic of your fanfic:
    After thinking about it a little more, I feel like I might go in one of two directions: I might go ahead and really rewrite the entirety of OME in Snape’s POV, or I might attempt to write some filler scenes/missing scenes that we don’t explicitly get to see during the timeline of the fic (omitted Occlumency lessons, Snape’s reaction to Harry being captured, Order scenes, etc.)! I will definitely completely credit you and OME & indicate that it is my personal interpretation in either case. I’d love to get your opinion on things when I start writing (I’ll try my best not to badger you too often :))! Is there a certain email that you’d prefer me to send questions to?

    As always, I hope you are having an excellent year thus far & I can’t wait for your next update!

    Author's Response:
    Well, it took me long enough to respond. Sorry about that! I really appreciate your help on AO3!! I updated some of my tags but will give it another look because when I did it, I relied on memory instead of looking at your review while I was doing it. Silly me, lol. 

    I'm so so glad you liked the ending!! I love that Harry and Snape have finally found a sort of home in each other. It's been a long, long journey, and it's certainly not perfect, but I still must say that I'm quite satisfied. :) 

    I wouldn't go all in on expecting canon sixth year stuff, including the Half-Blood Prince stuff. I started this story before that book was even published, so it wasn't part of my planning, and I think if I include too much from books 6 & 7, it will make it easier for people to forget that my story diverges after book 5. Not ruling it out, but not planning on it either. Chances are that I'll strike a middle ground, giving insight into Snape's past without specifically going the HBP route. But we'll see. :) But ha - the other students will have no idea what to make of Harry and Snape's changed relationship when spring classes start. It will be fun to write, ha!

    As to your potential fanfic of my fanfic:
    You do you, but if you want my vote, my hand is raised for the writing of filler scenes or Snape's POV of specific scenes (like a series of companion one-shots, if you will). OME is loooong, and I got so bogged down in writing the whole thing that I stopped writing it for over a decade. I wouldn't want you to feel that you took on more than you could chew. ;) Besides, shorter companion stories are all the rage. ;) But like I said, you do you! I'll enjoy whatever you decide to write! Assuming it shows up in here, my email is liveforbooks@yahoo.com. If it doesn't show up, try the contact button in my Bio page. I assume it will send to my email and then I can respond.

    Again, thank you for the long review AND the help, and I hope you are having an excellent year as well!!!

Lucius Malfoy enjoys his family traditions. Severus Snape is stuck with the unpleasant task of rescuing the victims. Until one night a captured boy surprises him…

Takes Place: 0 - Pre Hogwarts (before Harry is 11) - Snape flavour: None
Tags: Child fic, Kidnapped
Categories: Healer Snape, Parental Snape > Guardian Snape
Rated: K+ - Warnings: Abusive Dursleys, Alcohol Use, Neglect, Violence
Chapters: 2 - Completed: Yes - Updated: 12 Mar 2012 / 10 Mar 2012
Series: None - Challenges: None
Title: Chapter 2: The Kit 16 Feb 2018
Reviewer: natalie (Signed)
    This was absolutely adorable~ I really want to see a fanart of the last scene

After 1st year, Harry is warned by Dobby not to return to Hogwarts. He runs away and is gone for nearly a year before he is tracked down/rescued by Snape. His enrollment is revoked, so he can only stay at Hogwarts if he's taken on as an apprentice. Can Prof. Snape's firm hand mentor him and help him prepare for his future?

Takes Place: 2nd summer - Snape flavour: Snape is Stern
Tags: Runaway
Categories: Teacher Snape > Trusted Mentor Snape, Master Snape > Apprentice Harry, Parental Snape > Guardian Snape
Rated: K+ - Warnings: Physical Punishment Spanking, Physical Punishment Non-Spanking
Chapters: 12 - Completed: No - Updated: 14 Jun 2021 / 05 Jan 2021
Series: None - Challenges: None
Title: Chapter 9: Chapter 9: The Holidays Begin 11 Jan 2021
Reviewer: natalie (Signed)
    Another wonderful chapter! Poor Harry — he can’t even explain his behavior without admitting that he broke the rules and getting into trouble. I can’t wait to meet Barclay!

    Author's Response: Thanks so much for reading and writing a review, Natalie!! Yes, poor Harry is stuck in a rough place right now. I'll be posting the newest chapter soon. He makes a brief appearance in the next chapter, but I decided I like him, so he's got a big chapter coming up right after that. Hope you stick around for the ride. These next chapters have been some of my favorite to write!! 

Following the disasterous Third Task, Harry begins to notice two things about himself. First: his appearence has begun to change. Second: something is very very wrong. The Cruciatus shouldn't continue to be causing him pain this far out from having received it, should it?

Takes Place: 5th summer, 5th Year - Snape flavour: Snape is Kind
Tags: Disguised!Harry, Injured!Harry, New Identity!Harry, Physical Impairment
Categories: Parental Snape > Biological Father Snape > Severitus Challenge
Rated: T - Warnings: Neglect, Out of Character
Chapters: 47 - Completed: No - Updated: 13 Jan 2023 / 08 Jan 2021
Series: None - Challenges: None
Title: Chapter 2: Chapter 2 08 Jan 2021
Reviewer: natalie (Signed)
    This is an excellent start! Your writing style is wonderful and I’m so excited for the rest of this fic! I also noticed in your bio that you said you didn’t have a beta reader yet — I’d be happy to edit/beta read for you, if you’d like!

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