Roll The Credits

I can't tell you how exhilarating it is for me to finally be able to click the radio button next to 'Complete' for this story! (Excuse me while I flail indignantly off camera.) It has been a long, crazy journey – 6 years, 7 months and 28 days to be exact. I set out to write a 12,000 word story based off an idea that came to me in a dream, and while the story that developed still holds true to that original idea, it clearly became so much more (and so much longer!) than I ever imagined it could be. But hey, who's counting when the difference is plus or minus 150,000 words, right?

My goal was simply to use canon as a jumping off point (while staying as canon-compliant as possible) to explore one way in which 'Snarry' could have happened. Not that I personally needed convincing, of course, but just for, you know, posterity.

I hope you enjoyed it!

~ lovetoseverus

25 November, 2015

THANK YOU TO…

It really does take a small village to pull off a story of this size. It would not have been possible without the following people:

JaseFinley
for being patient with me throughout the entire creation of this story. For years he faithfully listened as I read every chapter out loud, asked me insightful questions that helped fine-tune the narrative, and provided spot-on plot wrangling when I was stuck on some detail. As my unofficial beta, he is the unsung hero of this story. And after enduring Snarry romance for 30-some chapters, he's now holding out for the cross-over het fic I promised him as recompense. I suppose he's earned it.

SnapesFavorite
for her all-things-German assistance, her heartfelt support and commiseration over what it's like to build and write a story of this size (and if you're not reading hers, you should – it's called In This World For You), her insight on some tricky plot sequencing, and her thoughtful read-through of the chapter I now call the Weekend of Debauchery (since my intrepid listener, JaseFinley, said he didn't want anything to do with all that 'foolish wand waving'). We are truly cut from the same fanfic cloth, my dear, and I have absolutely relished sharing The Snarry with you. Next we work on finishing your fic, yes? :)

Glockgal
for the beautiful, inspired artwork. As a gift to myself (and to preemptively celebrate the accomplishment of finishing this fic) I commissioned two pieces, wherein Glock deftly and marvelously captured my vision. One is an illustration with four characters that should require no introduction; the other is a gorgeous watercolor painting that has since become the cover art for this story. You may find and ogle both at my fandom website or Facebook page (links are in my profile).

WordsConsumeHer
for her unwavering support of this story, generalized ass-kicking, plot prodding and pineapple upside-down cake. ;)

Gingertart
for her excellent "George-voice" and seriously impressive knowledge of sci-fi literature and music of the 1970s.

ChooseToLive and Louise
for listening to me talk about this story repeatedly throughout its entire development (even as they patiently waited for me to complete it so they could read it all in one go – cheaters!). Thank you both for your support even though you had no clue what I was talking about.

Sheankelor
for keeping me company during some long-haul writing spurts with amusing conversation about the questionable habits of conservative ladies, the unabridged history of Sailor Moon, and a certain little red ball (psssst, he gave it back to George before they moved).

classyblue
for just being her.

The bands and musicians
who put their music into the world, making it possible for me to dwell in a wide variety of emotional states to tap into the heart of my characters or a scene; for inspiring chapter titles or providing songs for Harry and Severus to share (especially Rachmaninoff and George Harrison); and for truly giving me a soundtrack to this fic.

HP fans the world over
who put their favorite Potter jokes on the interwebs for me to steal for Chapter 32. Credit and thanks goes to their creators.

My favorite Snarry authors
for giving Harry something to do other than become an Auror. I absolutely relish stories where he does unusual work (while still plausible and in character, of course) and my favorite Snarry fics read like a who's who of interesting or exotic jobs. The careers Harry considers in Chapter 26 ("Onward and Upward") were directly inspired by and borrowed from these stories, and as such, I offer those authors my thanks and admiration.

All my loyal readers
for sticking with me throughout this story's long and hiatus-filled journey. I am so grateful for your feedback, your enthusiasm and your patience. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I've had a blast, and I hope we meet again!

and finally, to J.K. Rowling
for, well, everything.

IF YOU WANT MORE…

Be sure to check out One-Dose Potions: Outtakes from the Draught No. 9 Universe, a collection of one-shots and scenes – basically, all the little extras that didn't fit into the main story. This is not really a sequel, or even anything linear, it's just a place where I can continue to play with the characters and the world. Some are ideas I wanted to explore but didn't get a chance to, others were scenes I had written but had to cut, and the rest will just be new stuff – little vignettes and highlights of their life. Posts will be sporadic at best, though, so grab an alert if you'd like to get notified when new things appear.

ARTWORK…

Aside from the two pieces of fanart I commissioned for this story, there is another that you MUST see. It has nothing to do with my fic – in theory – yet when I found it for the first time, I gasped in shock… and recognition… and delight… and a million other emotions. It's not "exact" (the ages/look of the kids isn't quite right), but it may as well have been done for my story anyway because it's perfect and amazing and my heart swells every time I see it. You'll understand soon enough: [Link removed because FFN doesn't display them correctly.]

(If the link doesn't work or display correctly, Google search for "AnastasiaMantihora That Orange Day" and you should find it in her deviantART gallery. Her work is amazing, so please drop some comment love on her! And while you're there, I suppose you could also make a case for her piece "Primavera" being an abstract from my fic, but now I'm probably just being greedy.)

eBOOK…

If you had previously downloaded a copy of this story, do it again now that the story is complete. I edited every chapter at multiple intervals the entire time I was writing it, so to ensure you have the most recent version, grab a fresh copy. I recommend visiting my account at Archive of Our Own (AO3), as they have an awesome tool for exporting a story as a PDF, EPUB or MOBI file. Or, if you prefer a snazzy PDF in book layout (with artwork!), I will make that available at my fandom website once I'm done putting it together.

AND IF YOU'VE MADE IT THIS FAR DOWN THE PAGE…

I shall reward you with a piece of useless trivia: this story includes words or phrases from Spanish, German, Greek, French, English and (fake) Latin, with Muggle, Wizarding and British slang, and a little bit of house-elf speak. I also used elements of color theory, numerology, spirituality, psychology, biology, geography, literature, mathematics and astrology. Oh, and I made some very unsubtle references to a classic sci-fi TV show, a popular computer company, and a handful of sci-fi authors, music bands and worldly cuisines.

Clearly I am an overachiever.