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I seriously enjoyed this long AU, despite a lack of ‘Snape’ focus. As you might have guessed, the story is based on the book by the same title. It begins with young Harry (10) hiding himself away during a party hosted by his aunt and uncle. When he wakes up, the house is deserted and a strange giant of a man (Hagrid) is surprised to find him alive. Harry’s amazed to discover that witches and warlocks are real, and he is one of them. He’s also both excited and worried to find himself being sent to live with his last living relative- his uncle Severus Snape. Rumor has it that the ‘Master of Hogwarts’ is a solitary and brooding figure, and not one who has much fondness for children. Once Harry settles in at the desolate castle, he sees little of his uncle, but makes friends with the young housekeeper, Ginny Weasley. Fortunately, between stories of the Weasley clan, the moaning sounds that haunt the castle, and the mystery of a locked and neglected garden, Harry has plenty to keep him occupied.
[READ MORE]This is obviously an AU, but it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed all of the characterizations- Harry and Ron in particular. Though not as ‘magic heavy’ as the books, there’s a nice sense of wonder and discovery to this story. I enjoyed seeing Harry grow and flourish once away from his stifling and neglectful life with the Dursleys. I also dug the solid plot and the numerous mysteries that formed its foundation. At its core, the story is one of healing- for Harry and Snape and Draco. However, the mystery of the garden and why it was shut away, the questions concerning the death of Snape’s wife, and the mysterious goings on at the castle all worked to keep the suspense level raised. The story has a nice sense of adventure.
Now, a mature reader will figure most of this out pretty quickly- particularly the bit about the rat and how that fits in. Frankly, I’m not sure there’s a damned thing the author could have done to prevent that. As soon as a rat shows up, I immediately suspect it’s Peter. I figure that’s a pretty typical response. That said, it didn’t detract from the story for me. I do wish there’s been more Snape- but that’s just me, and he really wouldn’t have fit into the story being told. [HIDE] This is about Harry and his adventures. Read as such, it’s a very enjoyable gen fic. A great one for kids who want to read more about Harry Potter, and a good one for adults who simply enjoy a good yarn featuring familiar characters in unfamiliar circumstances.
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