You Know A Story's Good....

[teddy_radiator]

...when you're still crying ten minutes later and just writing a rec for it continues to bring you to tears.

I also know that when deslea is at the helm, I am in good hands, even with a pairing that I've never truly appreciated. Please go to rarepair_shorts and read The Girl With Thestral Wings. It absolutely floored me. It has a dreamy, otherworldly quality, and yet, I could so easily see this as canon. A heartbreaking, beautiful moment in those last hours of the Headmaster's life. I don't think I'll ever be the same.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_hannelore/]

Thanks for the link! I really need to catch up with this fest and that one was simply gorgeous.

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

I think Luna is a great character, but I could never really see her paired with Severus. This fic, however, changed my mind. This comm produces some incredible gems all the time.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_hannelore/]

I think the characterization of both of them is really what made the ficlet shine for me. I've really got to get caught up on my fic reading! So behind! /o\

[too-dle-oo.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes. Everything about that was sheer perfection!

[snapebraille4tu.livejournal.com]

Absolutely beautiful. I love this Luna. Thank you for the rec. ❤️

[deslea.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for the lovely rec!

I was thinking of you a bit when I wrote it, actually, because I have the beginnings of a version of this scene with Hermione on my hard drive, dating back some years. It has quite a different feel to it - she guessed what he was up to and where he was, that sort of thing. Well, it never came together. I just didn't buy the scenario, no matter how I twisted my mind around it.

But the prompt reminded me of it, and I thought, is there any way I could revive that story? I wasn't planning to write the prompt at the time. I was more thinking I might write the Hermione version. And I still just didn't buy it, and eventually I accepted that it wasn't going to be written. But the question nagged at me for a day or two. I kept thinking, look, for Severus to accept it at this stage, when he's so plagued by his conscience and trying to minimise his harm, he'd have to think it was actually meant to happen. Like, if her whole purpose in life actually was to give him comfort, like some sort of guardian angel or something. And I had this flash of that scene of Luna in Order of the Phoenix with the thestrals, at her most nurturing, giving Harry exactly what he needed. And I thought...whoa. I could do something with this.

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

Wow. I am deeply honoured. While I am first last and always an SSHG girl, you are right; the dynamic for this situation wouldn't have had anything like the impact it has with Luna. Her ethereal spirit was exactly what was needed for this tender and desolate moment in his life. It could not be more believable and beautiful. Just thinking about it is making my eyes fill again. It is an exquisite story, and I'm so glad you shared it.

It's funny, but I'm writing my SSHG_Promptfest story, and at the moment, Stgulik told me this Hermione is more like Luna. If I had to do it all over again, I'd make this story Severus/Luna, but alas, I'm a little too far down the road and too close to the submission date!

But all that silliness aside, this is wonderful, and one that will haunt me for a long time. ♥