Ok, ok, but where was this tragedy part? I saw romance and revenge. But quite honestly, why would Snape care about Hermione? He was never a good man, nor altruist. He is not a monster, being raised in an abusive home, simultanously being cruely bullied and almost killed in school can turn a man into a cold person. Still, his behavior in canon concerning Harry Potter is hard to justify as anything other than vengence. So he should be like 'meh, she went too far, but I won' t allow our secret relationship to stop. Obliviate! '

I absolutely love this story because it's very original and well-written, I think the description of another reviewer, just like a car accident, also did it justice.
I wonder if I've missed something though, because I don't understand why the gender swap and age difference was needed to fullfill the wish.

Good, if messed up story. Like how wrong Snape was proved about James, Lily; even though i don't agree with your portrayal of Lily in this story.

That is one fucking dark story.

I am a bad, bad boy for actually getting turned on by this..

in my defence, I pictured adult snape instead of the 8 year one.

Still dont know why this is in the tragedy section.

Very twisted, dark and well written. The ending was brilliant.

Unique to me and that ending was powerful. It's sad you stopped writing. You have great ideas.

Wow. That was pretty complex...and well done. :)

OH MY GOD. That was just so sinister.

I just couldn't take it any longer at the last para. As much as I am revolted by Lily's actions in this fic, your writing was just too good.

Well now...this is definitely a shining example of "Be careful what you wish for, since you might just get it," though no "adult" (I use quotation marks, since Severus has his adult faculties and should be judged as one) comes off looking well here. James missed the signs of his wife being a child molester, Severus is his usual self - self-entitled, bigoted and blinded to the truth of many things - and Lily is some disturbed pedophile who sees nothing wrong in sexually abusing children under her care, especially female children (since I didn't notice any sign of Lily trying her routine on her own flesh and blood). Definitely casts a shade on the Evanses, since one child being a pedophile and another being a racist or xenophobic bigot who couldn't see the harm she did to her own nephew seems to point toward questionable parenting on the part of Harry's maternal grandparents...

:(

A serious look at Snape's character, and a truly believable one at that. I'd like to think that now these characters may begin to heal but I know enough about this sort of thing to understand Poor Hermione will never be the same, Harry will be forever married and James may never recover the broken fragments of his world.

And Snape; I'd love to think Snape could now let go of the festering hatred but I don't know if s/he is capable of such at this point. More than likely I see her/him comfortably transferring the hatred from the past grievances (which never applied in this reality) to the recently revealed horror of Lily's actions. In this way Snape may now-with easy abandon-continue to turn the knife, so to speak, on James for the rest of his life. Given the circumstance and the true nature of his character he would allow it, and spend the reminder of his years fruitlessly attempting to make up for something he ultimately fails to understand.

Simultaneously beautiful and disturbing in equal measure this is a dark exploration of humanities worst aspects wrapped in the silver bow of whimsey and wonder that is the Wizarding World.

Keep writing.

This goes to prove that males are not one ones that are pedophiles, it is females that are often pedophiles, just that those sort of crimes rarely get noticed or never reported.

Karma is a bitch, be careful what you wish for you might just get it...

Yep the person who rec'd this to me was right. You really can't look away, and it's a good example of be careful what you wish for. Brilliantly written and just... wow.

talk about twisted karma with a vengeance. if ever there was a story that drove home the warning "be careful what you ask for, someone might be listening", this was it.

I think it's telling that even after all of this, Severus can't let go of his animosity for James.

a very disturbing but interesting story.

Nice and horrible. Well done.