Name: Oregonian (Signed) · Date: 17 Feb 2024 07:46 PM · For: Hufflepufficus Magnus

Hi, Noelle.

For the trope of 'friendship,' this story is a gem.  You start the story with an opening image tht spells it all out -- The pureblood Slytherins (which is most of the Slytherins) have thrown Snape out of their winter solstice party because he's not pure enough for them.  The antithesis of friendship.  As the story opens, he is hiding in an unused little room outside of the Slytherin residence, doing schoolwork and feeling sorry for himself and trying not to care that there are some things he just can't have.

 

Into this set-up Ted Tonks comes strolling along.  My assumption is that Ted was on his way to the tiny secret door that will let him out of the castle at night, and he just happens to pass by Severus's little cell and detects him there. "Who would be in this tiny room at this time of night?" Ted wonders.  His basic good-heartedness impels him to investigate further.

 

Throughout this story, Ted's actions and reactions are not affected or controlled by Snape's ill humor because Ted's happiness comes from within, and as a result Ted has enough happiness inside him to share it with others, to give some of it away.

Ted has a good line, in regards to the exclusionary pureblood Slytherins: "I pity them.  They're so busy reminding themselves how special they are, it's clear they don't believe it."

 

Ted's easy-going, self-confident, non-judgmental nature shines throuh, the Ted we learn about when he is an adult.  He is unaffected by Snape's perpetual ill-humor.  Ted is friends because he wants to be, not in order to gain anything or to fix any lack in himself  A refreshing take on friendship the we don't often see laid out so clearly in stories.

 

I loved their conversation, which touched on many points.  Ted is the kind of person who can put just about anyone at ease, even Snape, by his complete ingenuousness, thus releasing what is hidden in Snape as no other student can.  Ted sees that Snape is a prince (play on words sthere).

 

You have made Ted surprising to us readers in many ways.

 

Neat story.  :)

 

Vicki

Name: RonsGirlFriday (Signed) · Date: 17 Feb 2023 04:32 AM · For: Hufflepufficus Magnus

mountain mystery review!

 

Ahhh Sned in the canon-verse! Just beautiful. Ted's just pureheartedness (is that a word?) comes through here, with the clarification that it's not naivete -- it's a decision, to see all the bad things and choose to love them anyway, as he says. 

 

I loved his musing on the inherent hubris of people naming stars and constellations, and how so many of them were given names before we even fully comprehended what they were, and long before we started to begin in kind of actual space exploration -- and yet those names, from hundreds or thousands of years ago, stuck and we still use them today. So why not call them what you want? Who's going to stop you? This was just such a wholesome, relaxing scene and interaction, and I think Sev just seriously doesn't know what to do in defense of something that isn't an attack. <3

Author's Response:

Thank you so much! I loved writing them together in this soft way. So glad you enjoyed it :D