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Fic Rec: Something Old, Something New
I'm doing something unusual for me today: reccing a non-Snupin HP fic! But it's a wonderful, poignant fic that's only received a couple of feedback comments, and I think that people are being scared off by the pairing (Slughorn/Lily), so I wanted to try and promote it a bit. This was originally posted on hp_unfaithful, an IJ asylum for--you guessed it--infidelity fics. (An
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hp_unfaithful community also exists on LJ.)Title: Something Old, Something New (or here on LJ, if you prefer)
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purplefluffycatEstablished Pairing: Lily Evans/James Potter
Infidelity Pairing: Lily Evans/Horace Slughorn
Rating: PG-13
Words: About 1200
Summary: "You liked her, didn't you?" said Harry Potter to Horace Slughorn, "Lily Evans was one of your favourites."
I think potential readers are being squicked by the pairing, and to be honest, I almost skipped it myself, because I was imagining something icky--Slughorn having molested or taken advantage of Lily when she was a student, for example. But there's no explicit sex (note the rating), and it's not a creepy sort of story. Slughorn and Lily genuinely loved each other (although it goes without saying that I wouldn't approve of a teacher/student relationship in real life), and it's a very sweet and poignant story.
It's Lily's wedding day, and she and Slughorn share a private moment where they reminisce about their relationship, and we find out that Lily is still in love with Slughorn and he with her; she got together with James on the rebound. But Slughorn believes that he did the right thing by giving her up, and that she'll be better off with a younger man--although Lily clearly doesn't agree. Ironically, he tells her, "And young James in there is going to survive much longer than an old soak like me, that's for sure." What really makes this story work is the irony of that statement, since we, the readers, know that James and Lily will be dead within a few years--making it end on a poignant note, where we wonder what would have happened if Lily had stayed with Slughorn instead.
Regarding hp_unfaithful, I must say that I've always been a romantic at heart, and I'm all about the "true soulmates fall in love and live happily ever after" type fics, and I used to avoid infidelity fics like the plague. But that all changed when I read The Blue Door--curse you,snegurochka_lee! ;) (Kidding, of course!) The Blue Door is a fabulous Snupin story where Lupin cheats on Snape with Bill Weasley, and it will put the reader through the emotional wringer, but it's an incredibly compelling and satisfying read. And it's a wonderfully complex story; as I said in my fic rec/plot bunny post: "No one is completely bad or good in this story; the characters are complex and well-developed, and the ending is satisfying without unrealistically tying up all the loose ends in a neat bow for a happy ending. What is great about this story is that there are no easy, black and white answers, and it really makes you think--judging by the pages and pages of commentary from the readers."
So while I still mostly prefer the "happily ever after" type stuff, I find that I do enjoy a good angsty infidelity fic every now and then. I even started working on a plot bunny (see link above) where Snape and Lupin--gasp!--break up post-war when Lupin is unwilling or unable to extricate himself from his loveless marriage to Tonks. I couldn't figure out how to end it--I actually wanted Snape to end up with the OMC, but I figured that my regular Snupin readers would probably hate it if it ended that way, lol. And then I got struck by an inspiration for an ending in which they do get back together, but it's rather bittersweet compared to the alternate ending--which actually made it more appealing to me. So I think I will end up writing two endings--a sort of Snupin "choose your own adventure" type story, if you will!
Wow, looking at the original post, I see it's been a year since I first came up with the plot bunny, and I still haven't posted a single chapter. But I am still working on it, in-between my other fics--I actually have several scattered scenes written--and it will see the light of day eventually, I promise.
Regarding hp_unfaithful, I must say that I've always been a romantic at heart, and I'm all about the "true soulmates fall in love and live happily ever after" type fics, and I used to avoid infidelity fics like the plague. But that all changed when I read The Blue Door--curse you,
snegurochka_lee! ;) (Kidding, of course!) The Blue Door is a fabulous Snupin story where Lupin cheats on Snape with Bill Weasley, and it will put the reader through the emotional wringer, but it's an incredibly compelling and satisfying read. And it's a wonderfully complex story; as I said in my fic rec/plot bunny post: "No one is completely bad or good in this story; the characters are complex and well-developed, and the ending is satisfying without unrealistically tying up all the loose ends in a neat bow for a happy ending. What is great about this story is that there are no easy, black and white answers, and it really makes you think--judging by the pages and pages of commentary from the readers."So while I still mostly prefer the "happily ever after" type stuff, I find that I do enjoy a good angsty infidelity fic every now and then. I even started working on a plot bunny (see link above) where Snape and Lupin--gasp!--break up post-war when Lupin is unwilling or unable to extricate himself from his loveless marriage to Tonks. I couldn't figure out how to end it--I actually wanted Snape to end up with the OMC, but I figured that my regular Snupin readers would probably hate it if it ended that way, lol. And then I got struck by an inspiration for an ending in which they do get back together, but it's rather bittersweet compared to the alternate ending--which actually made it more appealing to me. So I think I will end up writing two endings--a sort of Snupin "choose your own adventure" type story, if you will!
Wow, looking at the original post, I see it's been a year since I first came up with the plot bunny, and I still haven't posted a single chapter. But I am still working on it, in-between my other fics--I actually have several scattered scenes written--and it will see the light of day eventually, I promise.