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Chapter: Casting Shadows | Story: An Issue Of Trust

Albus has been redeemed.
At least, for now. In my eyes anyways.
<i>â€˜Harry, listen. Who we are and what we do are not always in agreement,â€™</i>
Great line. Makes me think -- which I always like doing.
10/10 once more,
QS

Author Response

I am pleased for Albus =), and glad you quoted that line back to me, and that it made you think. Thinking is goodâ€¦in moderation.

Siren, I canâ€™t believe you updated weeks ago and I am just now catching up! *Scolds self for slacking on checking for updates* At least I have the consolation of having that much less time to wait until I get to read the next chapter! 

So, Where to start? *Slips back into reviewing mode in an attempt to avoid being a squealing fangirl about this story, but fears squealing cannot be entirely avoided* This really was another wonderful chapter.  I donâ€™t know why I continue to be so amazed with how great this story is (you think after 20 chapters I would be used to it), but I really am just in awe of it.  I canâ€™t tell you how much this story reenergizes me when it comes to fanfiction.  It makes me want to get writing again.  And, of course, this chapter lived up to all expectations and was well worth the wait.  Shall we dive in then :)

The scene with Dumbledore and Snape was really well done.  I think your Dumbledore is amazing, and of course, your Snape continues to be perfectly on par.  Dare I even say that I am finding your characters to have even more depth than in the Potter books? *looks around nervously for JKR spies* But in all honesty, you manage to balance what is familiar to us about the characters while diving inside their heads in a way we donâ€™t see in the books because of viewing the world through Harryâ€™s teenage eyes.  It is really a treat because it feels so real, like this is exactly the way they would think if only JKR would give us a glimpse inside their thoughts.  But anyway, back to Dumbledore.  I love how you donâ€™t shy away from the fact that his character is lovable but so incredible frustrating.  He says things like <i>We have not talked in some time; an oversight on my part I admit, and one I intend to remedy.</i> and you want to scream <i>Donâ€™t be so calm and obliging!</i> You can feel the other characters want to yell and scream but somehow, with such a simple line, Dumbledore makes any overreaction seem all the more over-the-top. I canâ€™t help but think of in OotP where Dumbledore talks Fudge into a corner to get Harry out of trouble.  You just stand there, dumbstruck at how he can turn the tables with such a simple phrase and make YOU feel like an idiot, but in a completely disarming sort of way. 

I am continuing to enjoy your time paradoxes.  Even though the focus has shifted away from where Harry was and how he got there (which Iâ€™ll get back to later!!), the element of understanding time and behavior continues to pull this piece together.  More than anything I think it keeps this story from feeling all over the place.  As a reader I am willing to follow you wherever the story goes because you have set out this quest of sorts, to predict the future by understanding the present.  Seeing the future (as Harry did) is only one element of predicting is. As the other characters are trying to explain to him (and to Snape in a way) is that understanding what is to come is very complex and a paradox in itself.  Really and truly, I canâ€™t say it enough, but what you do here is the definition of good storytelling.  

Continuing with the opening scene, I loved the concept about how if Snape returned to Voldemort it would be because Dumbledore drove him there.  Once again, this is one of those *oh, yea* moments I have all the time with your story.  I think to myself, Dumbledore would blame himself for that, but if you hadnâ€™t been insightful enough to point it out, I would have blown right past it.  Darn youâ€™re good!  And on top of that, you pulled in the fact that the tides are starting to turn.  It is no longer just about Dumbledore asking Snape fighting AGAINST  Voldemort but now he is asking him (or he would have had Harry not returned) to fight FOR Harry.  Suddenly it makes Snapeâ€™s hatred of Harry take on a whole new level.  You can really understand some of the resentment in that light, and why Dumbledore is for the first time giving Snape a choice.  Snape has to want to fight for Harry; Dumbledore will not make him do so.  So, anyway, great job with that part.

Moving on, I once again loved your Lupin.  You capture him perfectly, tapping into his logical, calm approach that is neither too detached nor too overemotional.  A truly balanced character that you canâ€™t help but route for!  Once again the relationship between him and Harry is just tender enough that it really softens the edges of the story.  It gives the reader the much needed breather between intense scenes, giving us a moment to reflect.  It is also nice to see Harry interact on an intimate level with characters other than Ron and Hermione.  While Lupinâ€™s overall role in the story is subtle (at least so far, as I donâ€™t trust you not to through in another few curveballs before this is all over) but really important. 

Okay, and finally, the twist! I donâ€™t know if it is just because it has been awhile, because you are a brilliant writer or a combination of the both but I did not see the part about Snape having set the whole thing in motion coming.  That really adds another painful layer to Snapeâ€™s burden and doubt, doesnâ€™t it?  Iâ€™m beginning to wonder just how much he can take before he snaps.  Anyway, that element was revealed perfectly.  It was a surprise but one I was prepared for!

So, I think I forgot a few things I was going to say, but I bet you get the picture about my feelings on this chapter.  I thought it pulled together really nicely, even with the bouncing around.  I have a short attention span and breaking things up a bit helps people like me stay engaged.  If you care, there were a few typos (mostly a missing word here or there), but I was enjoying the chapter too much to stop and record them! 

I hope you get a chance to update soon. Donâ€™t leave us hanging too long :)

A_wiz (who needs to get herself a rock fangirl blinkie)

Author Response

I am very pleased my Dumbledore has been so well received. One of my fears when writing is that all my characters will wind up amalgamating themselves into one big, indistinguishable mess in which they are all so like each other they may as well be one and the same. I actually worry about this a lot with Snape and Dumbledore, for some strange reason I canâ€™t define. More in depth than the actual books though? Well, I canâ€™t really be anything but flattered by that. Trying to balance Dumbledoreâ€™s loveableness (is that a word) with the intense irritation he nevertheless causes, not to mention his ability to say the most profound things but still maintain this aura of almost childishness, can be a real pain at times. Quite a lot of his character flows out fairly naturally, but it is guaranteed that the second the Headmaster has to say something integral to the plot, he will refuse to cooperate. But he is just like you said, although I do love the way he makes people feel like they have overreacted.

There are so many subtle little things in this fic I cannot help but sometimes have to spell them out so I know they arenâ€™t being overlooked. Dumbledore pushing Snape back was one of those moments. In the first half of the fic this is exactly what happenedâ€¦ Dumbledore did it unknowingly even if with the best of intentions. I wanted to see him realise this now where he didnâ€™t mange to before, and perhaps realise a few truths about himself There are also a great many hints to the future of the story in this one speech he makes, but I wonâ€™t say any more on that. Has Dumbledore made a different mistake though in trying to make Snape fight for Harry personally? It does seem to be another failing of the Headmaster that he believes anyone can get along if they can just put their differences behind them. I think that he is so completely incapable of that sort of blind hatred himself, he doesnâ€™t really understand it in others.

The Snape thing was supposed to be a surprise, although I have left hints that made it pretty obvious. I tried to make his role not so much a question you couldnâ€™t answer though, as one you never even thought to ask. Donâ€™t know if that worked. It is by far the most complicated bit of the fic, as it adds yet a second element of timetravel to the whole thing, but I wanted it in there to complete the circle.
 
Thank you for leaving such a lovely, detailed and in depth review. I certainly think I have a picture of your thoughts on this fic, and having it makes me incredibly happy and even proud of what I have done so far. I do care about typos, for all that I will never be able to find them myself. If a word is missing then whenever I try to read it through I will insert it mentally the same way I did when writing without it actually needing to exist. Thank you again, as I cannot say it enough. Reviews like this make the piece all the more worth writing. *wishes she had a fangirl blinkie to give out*

Firstly, just have to say, I am so stupid! I had almost finished writing out this nice long review yesterday for this chapter, then I had to go for a while and I left it open, but I forgot when I came back and just closed the internet without saving it!! I am so annoyed with myself. So now I hope I remember what I said so I can type it all out again *rolls eyes*. And btw, there are quite a few typos and mistakes in this chapte,r but I didn't pick them out (tis too distracting from the story :D ), but just thought I'd tell you as i did still notice them :p .</br></br>So I'm sure I began with some glaring :p . What're you doing to the man?? You're completely ripping him to shreds, taking away everything and leaving him with this whole other world he has to (or thinks he has to) accept. I have to wonder how far you're going to push him, and only hope it's not too late for him to come back.</br></br>The whole scene with Voldemort was really good, I think I've said it before, but I adore the plot of this story and the way you're playing it out. It's very twisty and complex, but not so much that you can't follow and understand what's happening. I liked seeing Snape coming to the realisation he did in this part, and I think it would have been a relief, a hollow relief but a relief nonetheless, just to know, or believe he knows. I think this chapter is aptly named for many features, though I think you're also taking away the shadows from Snape, forcing him into a position he must find clarity on and be on one end of the spectrum or the other, not in the middle, if that makese sense.</br></br>Another scene I really liked was the Remus and Harry one. THey were just so perfectly written, and I like that you showed Remus getting exasperated with Harry, I found <i>Patience, Remus reminded himself, was a virtue</i> very amusing, though it was good you also showed Remus as his logical self. I really wanted to know his reaction to Harry's little revelation at the end in a bit more detail, but I hope he will continue to refuse to judge Snape. Harry was also very good in this part, I liked <i>Harry would have to be dragged, kicking and screaming, from his cemented conclusions.
</i> and the making his listen even if he refused to hear.</br></br>My favourite scene that I love to pieces is the one with Dumbledore and Snape in the beginning, I mean well, where do I start?? I just adore the interaction between these two chracters and you just do it so well. I think my original version of this review left this quote until the end, but I have to cover it now before I forget everything, it's just so good! <i>As it pains me that you fear failure so much you would actively seek it out merely to maintain your illusion of control</i>. I love that quote so much, it's just completely fitting. Snape doesn't need to fear it anymore because he believes he's already failed and that is the only thing there for him, it makes me want to strangle him! He fears it so much that it must have become inevitable in his mind and this is all the confirmation he needs. I am glad that Dumbledore at least sees he still has a choice, that he still has freewill. Despite his dubious decisions concerning Snape, I think he does understand the man better than anyone else, which must gall Snape no end. At the moment Snape is trapping himself, but I still hope that somehow he will let himself have this choice, and know that he made it on his own. I also liked how you circled back to the 'do not give me reason to doubt' again, I loved that part in the beginning and technically little time has passed since then. And while I'm on this scene, did I mention how excellent your Dumbledore is yet?? From the tea and roundabout way he said thing, and you still managed to keep that clarity meaning that Dumbledore undoubtedly has. I don't know how you do it, most stories I read can't quite get him as well as you do here and throughout, but I've never doubted he is supposed to be Dumbledore for an instant.</br></br>I'm not sure if I covered everything I said yesterday, but I have to run now. As always it's a great chapter, and I look forward to the next! :)

Author Response

I did that myself just the other dayâ€¦I was typing up a review, hit the wrong button and BAM, the whole thing disappeared. And you can never recreate them quite as well as the original. Oh, and OMG! I looked through the chapter, and there were sooooo many mistakes I feel kind of embarrassed to have posted it. I actually read it through a few times before posting as well, and I didnâ€™t see a single one of them. And some of them were monstrous! Anyway, I have gone through it and hopefully fixed the worst of them. Time to prod a beta, methinks. Or get glasses

Glaring isnâ€™t very nice, you know, even if I am being a little mean to Snape. He can cope with a fair bit of pushing though. I canâ€™t say much more without giving away the plot, however, so you will just have to wait and see what happens to him. 

I am so relieved and pleased to hear your comments on the plot. It has been my main concern since starting that it would prove to be too complicated and completely incomprehensible. I also like how you have worked in the chapter title (which was picked for that reason). What you said does make sense, I think, as Snape really cannot be uncertain on this whole issue. I may have misinterpreted you though.

Remus is still a difficult character for me to write, having so little experience with him. I am glad you liked the combination of exasperation and logic too. There will be a reaction to the revelation also, even though it was cut off in this chapter. It is something that fits in better with a future planned scene though =). He will continue to be a voice of reason, which will hopefully make you happy.

Okay, I am so incredibly happy you quoted that line back to me. It was and remains the most important line in the chapter, as far as the characterisation of Snape goes, and it also plays an important part in the plot. And you summarised why incredibly well. By accepting he will fail, it doesnâ€™t feel so much like failure as it does simple acceptance of what Snape cannot change. It does put a lot of responsibility onto Dumbledore though. As you said, the Headmaster still sees that he has a choice, but he really does need to convince Snape of that. Unfortunately he isnâ€™t the bats man to do it, given the dubious decisions he has made in the past. 

Snape is trapping himself though, and again, youâ€™ll just have to wait and see what choices he will and will not allow himself. The â€˜do not give me reasonâ€™ is another important part that has been and will continually be cycled round too. There are quite a few loops in this fic, beyond the obvious time one. And you may have mentioned Dumbledore, although I certainly have no objections to your mentioning him again. Unfortunately I donâ€™t know how I do it either, but I am incredibly happy to hear you say that I do do it.

Anyway, thank you again for another brilliant review (complete with quotes again =)). I really enjoyed reading all your thoguths and insights onto everything that has happened.

wow. awesome! now, UPDATE ASAP! =P

the last bit with snape internal monologuish debate-ing was extremely awesome, or so methought.

Author Response

I shall endeavour to update as soon as possible, and I am very pleased to know you liked the monologue at the end...it was one of my favourite bits to write.

this is so good!

Author Response

Thank you! =)

Okay, could you like be more brilliant?  Could you take every single nuance, every thought that drifts through a mind and put it into words perfectly, and clearly so that we are so completely in tune with your characters, it's almost like we are walking in their shoes?

Oh, hell yes you can and you have  - this chapter - i mean it is absolutely amazing, and not only that, you've allowed the reader to be Snape, to be Harry - it's like I'm inside them and experiencing their most intimate thoughts and what can I write except you are brilliant?

Best to you - I just hope that my Harry makes it out okay!  I'm very concerned for him and I love how you are portraying him.  Thank you for this amazing story - I look forward to more and am totally your fan!

Author Response

*blushes* You really are far too kind. I struggled with the format of this chapter for ages, and to hear you say how in tune you feel with the characters is, well, amazing. One of the nicest things you could have said, especially the comment on how you feel like its inside them.

Anyway, thank you a thousand times for this lovely, wonderful review. I am also pleased to know you like Harry. I hope you continue to enjoy where this is going too =)

Wow. Really. This is absolutely fantastic! Just the way you use such imagery and descriptive language...wow. I wish I could give this more than 10/10...I'm speechless. Brilliant chapter! :)

Author Response

Thank you very much! This is such a lovely review, and I am especially happy that you commented on my language. Thanks again =)

Hi Siren. It's nice to see you've updated, it's been awhile! This was a great chapter. I didn't quite understand Professor Dumbledore and Snapes conversation at the start. What did Dumbeldore mean? I also liked Lupins refusal to believe that Snape is bad, it's very trusting of him. I can't help but feel sorry for Snape when he was having his conversation with Voldemort. He has to live with knowledge that in the future Voldemort will kill him. I haven't got anything wrong have I? I enjoyed this chapter alot! :)

Author Response

I know, it has been quite a long time *looks sheepish*. The conversation at the start was all about Dumbledore trying to convince Snape he doesn't believe he will become a traitor, and admitting to the mistakes he made have made in the past. Lupin is rather trusting too. And yes, Snape does have to live with the knowledge that Voldemort could (not necessarily will) kill him. So you haven't gotten anything wrong =) and I am very glad to know you enjoyed it!

*stabs* Whyâ€™d you take so long!?

I really donâ€™t even know where to start here.  It was a brilliant chapter (despite what you say), but like I said in PM, it was heavy and I think it was because of Snape and all his thoughts.  But starting at the beginning and working down is always good.  ;)

So, Dumbledore.  He is wonderful!  I love your Dumbledore and you seem to write him so effortlessly as if you donâ€™t even realize how good you are at him.  Authors like me struggle with him and your Dumbledore is like the god of Dumbledores.  What I really like about your writing is that you can make the reader see him the way Snape does while still keeping his â€œlikeableâ€ characterization.  What I mean is that I thought he really had a way of getting on somebodyâ€™s nerves and I could totally see Snape like â€œhow dare heâ€.  At the same time, he was so Dumbledore and really, I did like him but I could see how he has his ways.  I liked his realization of how he was putting other peopleâ€™s lives in jeopardy just to save Harryâ€™s.  Just another weakness of Dumbledoreâ€™s that is brought to the surface.  I liked his argument with Snape, though I wonâ€™t go into the details of all that because my thoughts are all jumbled at the moment.  But I will say that I can respect both of their sides of the argument and it was hard to choose who to agree with.  Snape was horribly stubborn, though, but I suppose he has a point.

Now speaking of Snape, the part of this review that I am dreading.  The comment â€œIf I am not your spy, then I am uselessâ€ really made me stop and think because obviously Snape has a point.  His thoughts were really intense and I had to read them a couple times to really understand them (and Iâ€™m not sure I do fully get it yet).  And I just want to say that its nothing against your writing because its beautiful and all that, its just soâ€¦  lol heavy, thatâ€™s the only word I can think of.  Your writing is really powerful, you know?  Anyway.  The way he worked things around in his head was so interesting and enlightening.  When he actually came to realize what really happenedâ€¦ I was like â€œwhoaâ€¦  OMG!â€  and then I had to run and PM you.  So future Snape is the one who put the timeturner around Harryâ€™s neck.  It really brings a lot of things out in the open and more and more things are starting to make sense, such as the mystery of who slipped something in the Wolfsbane potion.  It had seemed so obvious that it was Snape, and yet he denied it, and in the end it was him after all.  *stops rambling*  The whole thing completely blows my mind and I keep trying to grasp what it means, but I canâ€™t quite.  Obviously he has to betray Dumbledore now just to get to the point of traveling back in time to slip something in the potion and put the timeturner around Harryâ€™s neck.  It makes everything seem so hopeless and small all of the sudden.  Iâ€™m still struggling to understand the whole concept *hates timeturners*.  Anyway, the conversation with Voldemort was freaky and I could totally feel was Snape was, the horror and realization.  I wonder what its like to know what you do in the future.  And Voldemort, I swear I saw some â€œSirenâ€ in that last statement.  <i>For that I will not kill you,â€™ the smallest of smiles, obscene and grotesque on the lipless face, â€˜you will merely wish I had.â€™</i>  LOL I was like, â€œthatâ€™s so Siren.â€   Itâ€™s the first time Iâ€™ve actually seen a little of you in the characters.

I loved the scene with Harry and Lupin.  Well, you know how I like him.  I liked every tiny little detail about this scene and it was really nice relief after that conversation with Dumbledore.  I couldnâ€™t help but smile at Remusâ€™s comparisons between James and Harry, and how he wished he would have paid more attention in divination.  I really liked his explanation to Harry about Snape and how he was a good person.  Iâ€™m not a Snape fan but too often I have felt that the fact that he stood between Harry and a werewolf was overlooked.  I liked the way Remus used himself as an example of what he was trying to explain, and yet Harry still refuses to listen.  LOL!  I just love Remus and everything about him.  Harry can be so frustrating sometimes and heâ€™s trying so hard and heâ€™s completely out of his element with Harry in the present predicament.  I adored the hospital scene, I was completely captivated by Pomfrey and her flying potions.  Harryâ€™s refusal to take the one just because Snape made it, OMG I wanted to slap him.  The way he kept grabbing Remusâ€™s hand so he couldnâ€™t leave was nice as well, I had almost forgotten how insecure Harry felt (thanks for taking so long to update, again, btw).  The very end was great with the bleeding scar.  Obviously a result of Voldemort torturing Snape??  Go easy on me, Siren, sometimes itâ€™s the simplest things that allude me.  :P

Lastly, I want to comment on the structure of this chapter, I already mentioned it briefly.  I loved everything but it was really a relief how you broke up the scenes to try and make it not all intense.  A Snape scene and then a Harry scene, and back again.  I thought everything flowed really well and again, it was so heavy and it really says something about the way you write.  I hope this review gives you a little more confidence in this chapter and if you ever take so long to update again, I will steal the rock and squish you for sure.

Author Response

Aw, you love my Dumbledore? I guess I donâ€™t really think much about him when I write him, he just seems to come out. But then again I do struggle with other characters who seem to come easily to you, so it all evens out in the end. Most of the Marauders are beyond me. I am glad you still find him likeable, whilst at the same time being able to see Snapeâ€™s side of the argument, as that is exactly what I have been aiming for. He does have his ways, and even if they arenâ€™t all the right ways, they arenâ€™t badly intentioned, and he can see where he goes wrong in retrospect. Snape is a stubborn git too, but what more can you expect.

The scene with Snape was the main part of this whole chapter that I hated. I really donâ€™t think it has come out quite right. His feelings on the whole thing are confusing, even to me, which doesnâ€™t make writing them any easier. You think my writing is powerful? *Blushes* Having him working everything out was a nightmare, trying to remember exactly what information he did and didnâ€™t have and hoping he didnâ€™t jump to any unfounded conclusions. Someone had to figure it out though, and he does have access to the most information. And yes, it was future Snape. Why wouldnâ€™t he deny it though, he hasnâ€™t done it yet and had no reason to think it would be him. Grasping what it means is, I think, impossible. I canâ€™t do it some of the time. Does he have to betray Dumbledore though? I donâ€™t think so. Snape is no longer under any obligation to make it happen, since it all ready has. And you saw some of me in Voldemort? *giggles* Iâ€™m not sure how I feel about that, and I wasnâ€™t intentionally putting me into the characters. It just seemed to fit.
 
Of course you liked Lupin, you are worryingly obsessed with him. He was easier to write in this chapter too. I agree (obviously) with the overlooking of that werewolf detail. Harry is too eager to forget all the good things Snape has done for him. And Remus is completely out of his league...well, it amuses me anyway. Iâ€™m glad you liked the hospital scene too (I admit to rushing that one somewhat). Harry really doesnâ€™t go halves on his hatred either. Iâ€™ll join you in slapping him, I think. (oh, and thank you too for that lovely little reminder of my delayâ€¦you simply cannot remind me of that enough). And yes, a result of Voldemort torturing Snape and being highly peeved with his failure.

I did actually structure it that way on purpose too. Normally I hate shifting so much in a single chapter, but it just seemed right to do it that way to break it up a bit, as you said. That and I liked that it gave the element of the two things happening at the same time too. This review has given me more confidence, so I thank you, although I still hate this chapter myself. But you say such nice and complimentary things it has risen in my opinion somewhat. At least I am not expecting everyone else to hate it too =) *hides rock so you can never, ever squish me*

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