β¨ Sirius ships β¨
Yup, it's me back again with my rarepairs bullshit. This year, the pair are even weirder than last. I mean, who would have thought that you could ship Sirius Black with Lily's bitter, horrible sister or his even more bitter rival. Just you wait though, because I have some recs for ya!
1. In the language of flowers by dwellingondreams (T, 78,183, Sirius Black/Petunia Evans Dursley)
(I am the one who says 'fuck you') - Benjamin Garcia, 'Ode to the Corpse Flower'. Petunia drips magic the way she drips anger. Sparingly. Subtly. Nothing overt or obnoxious. Nothing that attracts the stares of other children or the suspicion of adults. Just things that help her. Her dolls line back up after the football Lily was kicking about ruins their perfect symmetry. Her bed makes itself while she brushes her teeth meticulously. Tea that is slightly too hot or too cold settles to the perfect temperature. Magic maintains the realm of order she has built around herself. (A witch!Petunia and muggle!Lily AU, covering the Marauders' years at Hogwarts and the First Wizarding War).
To quote one of the bookmarks: A stunning magic-swap AU that sends Petunia to Hogwarts in place of Lily. Thoroughly spectacular in its attention to the teen girl world of the 1970s and the misfit neurotic who finds herself becoming a heroine. Is it the best Marauders-era story ever written?
As a neurodivergent gal, Petunia in this fic is so relatable. I could see too much of myself in Petunia's feelings and actions throughout the fic. She is messy, sometimes bitter and uncomfortable, but gradually grows into a determined and capable woman with such a sweet relationship with Lily, her Gryffindor girlfriends and the Marauders.
Honestly, Petunia's relationship with Sirius is just one of this fic's highlights. You could truly see how they could fit together as a couple. They're both headstrong and powerful, with sharp minds and even sharper tounges. They don't always get along, but when they do, they're unstoppable.
The writing is so insanely poetic with many memorable descriptions that stay with me long after I've finished it.
One of my best finds this year for sure!
2. Beyond The Veil by Adreamermusing and ashesashesshackles (M, 97,730, Sirius Black/Severus Snape)
In one world, Sirius Black ignored Severus Snape's warning and went to the Department of Mysteries to save his godson's life. He died and went beyond the veil. In another world, Sirius Black stayed back. This made all the difference. An AU where Sirius Black survived and now knew Severus Snape's deepest secret.
Hear me out, you won't regret reading this fic.
Reading this one makes me realize how similar both men are. Both try to run away from their family, both capable, smart yet so traumatised and starved for love and affection. The draw has been there since the beginning, and in a strange twist of fate, that seemingly hostile attraction has the chance to turn into something else when Sirius discover Snape's secret.
Honestly, bravo to the authors for whipping up a fic with such mind boggling emotional impacts. Both men are such a wreck, but once the connection is established, they couldn't let each other go. Yet, their journey is not smooth sailling at all, especially in the backdrop of the war where Snape needs to win a war and Sirius wants to protect Harry so badly.
This fic is so raw and angsty from time to time. The multiple POVs among Sirius, Snape and supporting cast lends this story a very strong voice with many heavy hitting scenes. Even though this fic is not canon compliant, I've gained better appreciation for canon characters and relationships through the authors' interpretation, particularly Sirius and Remus', Harry and Sirius', Remus and Nymphadora's, as well as Dumbledore and Severus'.
We even get the pleasure to see Harry slowly uncovers Snape's hidden aspects beyond their mutual loathing, which helps Harry to understand more about the man behind the notorious potion master.
All of this happen without any of the characters being OOC. The development between Sirius and Severus is slow yet lovely and believable. There was so much bad blood in their past, yet I'm genuinely in awe at the authors' ability to unpack and reconcile it, while showing how much comfort they've found in each other despite everything.
This is, without a doubt, one of the best Snack fic on ao3!
@hprecfest 2024 entries:
Day 3: a fic not on ao3
Day 6: fic for a ship you don't normally read
Day 10: a fest/event fic

















