Title: The Snidget
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Snape/Harry
Categories: AU, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Post-Canon, Creature/Wing
Length: Long (34,000 words)
Warnings: N/A

Author on LJ: ac1d6urn & sinick
Author Website: Acid's A03 and Sinick's A03

Summary: After the Dark Lord's victory, Headmaster Snape is living under a sword's edge, when hope flies in past his shields.

Review: The final battle is over and Lord Voldemort has won (and become even more snake-like than before-- a naga). To Snape, all hope is lost now that Harry is presumed dead and the status of the Order of the Phoenix is unknown. As he resignedly takes his place as Voldemort’s Second in Command, he prepares to make a final attempt on the Dark Lord’s life when a snidget flies in through a window and through bloody-minded persistence decides to become his familiar.

The fic starts out a little dreary and depressing (how could it not when Snape feels everything is lost and there’s nothing more to be done?), but it rapidly cartwheels into humor with a side of fluff. Voldemort and the grim situation are still there persistently threatening and forcing themselves upon Snape and his new found happiness, of course, but Ac1d6urn & Sinick have a brilliant talent for snark, humor, and squee-worthy cuteness in the form of familiar bonding!

If you’re a fan of animal transformation fic, humor, and sardonic snark, I highly recommend you check out this fic. If you enjoy it, please feel free to check out some of the other fic Ac1d6urn & Sinick have written together-- you won’t regret it (I know I haven’t!).

Excerpt: Snape turned his head toward the noise, and frowned when his pillow exhaled another puff of goose down. One corner of the pillowcase was torn, and white goose feathers were sticking out of it. Snape sat up with a scowl, but the rascal darted off under Snape's blanket, stirring a couple of loose feathers and sending them flying. In the deep hush of the dungeons, Snape could just hear the quietest possible rustlerustle before a tiny head peeked out from under the edge of the blanket and a curious glance darted toward the pillow again. Slowly, Snape leaned closer, and informed him, "There are no Snidgettes in there, Featherbrain."

The Snidget gave a call that sounded a lot like a wolf-whistle, and ogled a goose feather twice as long as himself. He hopped forward, clearly prepared to duel everything that stood between him and those feathers. Even Snape.

Snape shoved the bedhead out of his face, along with the stray feathers. "Impossible fluffball. Pick on something your own size."

The Snidget darted, carrying off one downy white feather to the top of the headboard. He ruffled his own feathers and settled in, perching on top of his loot, beady eyes a-glistening, looking ready to protect his new nest until his last breath.

Snape hmphed. "Very well, keep it. As long as you stop excavating my blasted pillow while I'm trying to use it!" He rose stiffly to his feet and combed his hair in a few hasty rakes of his fingers, trying to get the worst of the fluff out. "Keep this up," he grumbled, "and you can try pecking your way out of a preserving jar!"

The Snidget trilled another long, laughing note and landed with a bounce on the pillow, stirring whirlwinds of white feathers all around, then zoomed off again to chase after them every which way.

Snape rolled his eyes and let out a longsuffering sigh. "Featherbrain! Those aren't toys, or food! Or something to mate with!"

The Snidget paid him no mind, twirling in the down-filled air and letting loose with a long, piercing mating call.

Snape clapped his hands to his ears. "It's a wonder I'm not stone bloody deaf, you minuscule maniac!" How the hell does so much racket come from something this small? Abruptly running out of patience, he snapped, "Silencio, dammit!"

The little sod zipped clean out of the path the spell, without even a hitch in those wild, zooming arcs of flight.


The Snidget :: (Back-Up)