Potions Master Comes to the Rescue

[therealsnape]

Half the flist is ailing at the moment - colds, mostly. Various painful body parts. Itches. Nasty stuff, all of it. Which is why your personal potions brewer concocted a little remedy for you. No fear, it tastes good.

First, two recs for stories I haven't seen rec'ced before on the flist. That gives you something new to read (except in one case, but then, my dear Shiv, it gives you the pleasure of being rec'ced).

Anonymous in rarepair_shorts wrote The Wizard and the Warlock.
Gilderoy decides to turn his hand to literary fiction. Well, don't we all? The way he tackles it and his musings on what makes a story work should be an inspiration for all of us. Plus, he writes the best Mary Sue I've ever seen. And his choice of an antagonist is exquisite.

shiv5468 wrote Cathexis.
Crookshanks tells his tale brilliantly. The interaction between him and Severus's cat (who shall remain anonymous for now) is delightful. An absolute joy from start to finish, for every cat-lover, every banter-lover, and everyone who enjoys beautiful writing.

Then woldy put up a meme about the first lines of her fics. I thought it might make a nice addition to my 2010, Fictionally post of yesterday, so I copied mine, and to my utter surprise I found that I, waffler extraordinaire, am remarkably curt when in comes to drawing you into a story.


Irma always thought about Saturday Night with capitals. An Ordinary Saturday

The Hogwarts music room. Pleasures
And the rest of the opening is not much longer: A harp, piles of music sheets and scores. Two wing chairs in front of a fire-place. A grand piano. On it, a cat, languorously stretched out. It contemplated the nature of pleasure.

“Come on,” Rolanda Hooch muttered fervently. An Unexpected Outing

Irma had always missed books. By the Book

“Enter!” The White Team Versus Orange

Muriel Weasley carefully smoothed the soft satin, then folded the bonds loosely so as not to leave ugly creases. A Time and a Place

Pomona Sprout looked at the tidy front garden. Fighting the Good Fight

In the beginning, Heaven was perfect. Curtain

“A coffee, black, half a lump of sugar. They Talk, You Know

Quills, black ink, green ink, parchment, recipe book. Procrastination

Now, dear sick ward, pour yourself a beverage of choice, and if you want a hot one, put something strong on the side. Alcohol (when not evaporated from heat) kills germs. And Calvados should go towards your one-of-five fruit and veg a day, since it's made of apples.

And then, have a good time with those two lovely stories. I do hope it makes you feel better.