snarry_reader's Journal

18th September, 2006. 11:21 am. "The Price of Magic" by Acid and Sinick

Title: The Price of Magic (Note: this link takes you to a listing of all the chapters)
Author: This part wasn't entirely clear to me. It was begun by

ac1d6urn; but by the end of the long period it took to complete, it was being co-authored by

sinick and

ac1d6urn. Like many of the best pieces of fanfic, it is obviously a deeply collaborative effort.
Rating: Some parts are adult (a hard R, I'd say), but most of it is PG 13.
Warnings: Well. Some angst, yes. But the ending will please everyone, I predict.
Summary: Haunted by the ghost of a former student, an ex-wizard struggles to preserve magical knowledge for future generations.

This is an outstanding example of why I consider fanfic to be a gift. As in, manna from heaven. God, what a lovely, heart-filling piece of art.

I swore off reading WiPs some time back, because I found that the stories lost emotional impact when I read them in such a fragmented fashion. And this story makes me so glad I waited. It's like those sex scenes in really good stories, where you're waiting and waiting for it to finally happen, and when you get there, the effect is so much greater because you had been through the journey to get to the climax. There's simply more emotional impact. This story? Hit me like a bludger (in a good way), and I think it's because I waited until I could read it all at once.

I'm melted by this story. The warmth and affection that Harry and Snape share is made so real in this story, so palpable, that it fills me up and makes me happy.

My God, what a journey this story takes the characters (and the reader) through. This novel has a complex and original premise, and it builds its own world in a slow, compelling fashion. I was drawn in and deeply engaged by the characters and the unfolding plot. It did take a couple of chapters to pick up speed (from my POV), but then I was pulled in very sharply. The last half of it went like one of those enraptured fanfic experiences, where you're up reading until 2 a.m, simply unable to stop scrollilng and clicking because you have to see how it turned out.

There are so many brilliant bits here that I don't know where to start, and I don't want to spoil you if you haven't yet read it. But this is choc-a-bloc with clever devices and set scenes that work very well. There's a plausible and careful discussion of magical theory here, embedded in a moving and detailed depiction of a post-war world where magic has apparently vanished. The survivors of the wizarding world are now scattered, and have been rendered squibs. Except for Harry, who is a ghost.

The headers promised Snarry, but I honestly didn't see how this could be much more than pre-slash, when I started reading it. I mean, sex with a ghost? But Acid and Sinick found work-arounds, which I won't spoil you for. The story solves this "problem" in a way that is original and moving. And the ending just works. It works.

This is a truly heart-filling story. It takes its time, and in the end it leads you to a very, very happy place. It gives a whole new meaning to "happily ever after," too.

This story is a gift to anyone who likes romance, Snape, intelligent plotty stories, magical theory, or compelling visions of a post-war wizarding world. Don't miss it.

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