A amazing, relatable and beautiful story.

This story is really amazing to read. The title is so unassuming, but the atmosphere you created is chilling to the bone. The musing about autumn, the (shocking in itself, especially in Hogwarts, the sanctuary) talk about children distributing hard drugs, and then the plan for the Slytherins.
Severus' cold, hard pragmatism fits very well, and Dumbledore's mix of cunning and ruthlessness clashing with his morals that he suppresses because they're at war and he can't afford it rings very true as well. Many authors tend to exaggerate one side of there characteristics, which makes it even more impressive.
Very well written, and the chill and overall atmosphere are going to stay with me for a while.

Like this!

Excellent story - and would make a wonderful long fic. I hope you continue this some day!

Brilliant, just brilliant.

Ah, magnificent. Very evocative (that "I long for the chill air [...]" paragraph!) and quite an original idea and just a quiet but powerful piece.

Very well written oneshot.
Great idea about the new potions Severus developed.

Wow! I was not expecting that (Actually, we were expecting it to be a death potion). Really well written, too!

Wow. If only... Quite the way of looking at things.

Slytherin intellect, Gryffindor heart... I like that.

Clever idea, and very well written! Thanks for sharing this.

The reason I'm so fascinated with Severus Snape is that he is the epitome of survival. He lives on, he goes on for the sake of surviving. His goal, mainly was and is to fulfill his vow to do his part in the downfall of Voldemort, so he keeps going everyday, a lonely life, where almost everyone, scratch that EVERYONE feels a bit and/or a lot of loathing towards him, which he has initiated and secures but also through blinded and prejudiced eyes of others, without anyone who even tries to understand him or feels even a bit of sympathy or empathy towards him, of what he has to endure to act in such a harsh way. He is almost suffocating from guilt and anger and remorse and regret, but even before all this he had to live day by day finding a way to survive. The Autumn is a conflicting season. It's a season where life becomes death, but at the same time it's a season for harvest. It's the season where Americans and any country that has agricultural means celebrate with the most abundant riches of food. But it's also the season where it's the start of death and decay. Which also means that the death and deacy will eventually be the foundation of a new life, but still death nevertheless. And Severus craves for that. The last light of survival, all buried beneath the dead leaves and such. And he wants that. The struggle, but at the same time resignation. Such confliction can only be held solid by the most strongest and the same time the most vulnerable being. This story held all those conflicts and comparison. You've really captured the essence of the difference between Albus and Severus brilliantly. Albus and Severus might be aiming for the same thing, but they will never be able to understand each other, well at least Albus will never be able to understand. He does more than others, but still he still doesn't understand. He wasn't in any position of desperation or in a situation where he was put into utter depression and devastation. Oh, sure he has a history of losing his family, his sister, the guilt and all, but he was always in the 'in' crowd, with all the support he can possibly get. He might be wise, great and all the praises, but he also is one of the others who will never realize that for there to be Light there has to be Dark, and Dark isn't always Evil, and good intentions doesn't always means Light. Well, I'm going to stop with all this or lack of philosophy. I've bored you, I'm sure. :D

You should be proud of this; it's rather brilliant in concept and execution. I love pieces that examine duality in character and action. I especially like the contrast of Dumbledore's Gryffindor and Slytherin characteristics. Thanks for this engaging read.

I love this take on Snape. It reveals a lot of things we often forget about in the HP universe (that Snape is Potions Master for a reason; that there are other students at Hogwarts that don't show up in the books; that Dumbledore is far more conniving than anyone suspects). I enjoyed all the little details. Amazing.

In the end- the long for yellow and scarlet, it sounds a little like longing for Gryfindor (or maybe a certain redheaded gryfindor?). I like it though!

How... interesting! was going to say morbid, with the poisoning of his own students and all but interesting was a better word to describe the chapter. loved snapes thoughts about autumn! bye