#sshghiddengems

Hidden Gems is a series devoted to showcasing fics that are lesser-known, deserve more love, or (according to me) are criminally underrated. Today’s work is I Need No Shackles to Remind Me by Hrair (published in 2022). Clocking in at 353 kudos and 2,909 hits, this fic has received some love, but in my opinion not nearly enough for such a heartbreakingly beautiful, deeply thoughtful and provoking work. This unique fic is mostly an epistolary story (written in letters). Getting to watch the love between Hermione and Severus quietly blossom through the back and forth of their correspondence is what makes it magical. Let’s jump right in, shall we? Rereading this fic, the first thing that I am struck by is the prose. It makes me feel things right away, and I am dragged into the story. This is a tale about Severus being forced to confront his own demons. He can’t hide behind his Occlumency in Azkaban, and as such, he is thrown into the depths of his own grief. In a way, he grieves truly for the first time. It HURTS TO READ, man. This is really angsty work. I love that Hrair doesn’t flinch away from the ugly parts of Severus. She really doesn’t glamorize him or absolve him of his own sins. She pulls back the curtain on just how truly, pitifully, broken he is, and it makes the fic hit that much harder. “Severus suspected that today might be his birthday.” - I physically felt my heart ripped out of my body with this line. Aaaaaand it only gets worse, because we walk with him as he is treated badly by guards, stared at by other prisoners, and not even given the time or dignity to wash properly. It makes me feel angry on his behalf. To see him suffer so much after he already gave everything makes my Snape loving-heart rebel and cry out. Finally, a break in the monotony of prison with a letter from Hermione! WAIT SEVERUS DON’T CRUMPLE IT UP! ugh. I’ve read this fic so many times but I still forgot he did that. He really is so stubborn sometimes. Good thing Hermione is stubborn too. Oh good, he wrote back. All right, I won’t spoil any more of the plot for you than I already have, but let’s just say this is one of those rare ones that actually, really, in real life, made me tear up. Things develop achingly slowly and the romance is very understated, but in a way that feels believable and authentic to the characters. You’ll love it, I promise. You might also hate me for making you read something so soul-crushingly sad (until the happy ending!), but you still won’t be able to get it out of your head for days afterward. It will stick with you, as it has with me. And that’s what makes it a hidden gem. If you read this fic, please show the author some love by leaving comments and Kudos!