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Chasing the Sun

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AU, from Order of the Phoenix onwards. Hermione only wanted to learn Healing; she discovers that Professor Snape is a human being after all, and his actions dramatically shape the course of the war as events unfold.

Cover (fanart) by Fidae on deviantart.

2000 pages, ebook

First published August 12, 2012

11 people are currently reading
150 people want to read

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Loten

9 books24 followers

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5 stars
138 (59%)
4 stars
65 (27%)
3 stars
26 (11%)
2 stars
3 (1%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Profile Image for Ashton Reads.
1,266 reviews304 followers
May 11, 2024
"You're not a monster. It took me a while to realize it, I admit, but you're not. You're not the man you think you are, Severus, or the man so many people have said you are. You're so much more than that. I wish you could see what I see when I look at you."

"And what is that?" he asked uncomfortably.

"I see the man who's saved us. The man who risked everything to protect me, and my parents. The man who's never stopped trying to protect Harry, for whatever reason, even though you knew we all suspected you right from the start. The man who nobody except me seems to like, or trust, or appreciate, or value, including himself. I see you, Severus," she told him. "Bravery, scars, self-loathing, anger and all. And I still love you, no matter how hard you try to persuade me otherwise. I just wish you believed it."


This fic was just as amazing on a re-read, and solidified that not only is it my favorite fanfiction of all time, but one of my favorite pieces of literature in general. The author writes these two beautifully, and the slow burn is slowwww and torturous, but it's what makes them so believable together. Yes, it begins at the start of Hermione's 5th year, but no, nothing romantic happens until she is of age. The story starts off very close to canon, but the author changes one important detail: what if Hermione wanted to learn Healing in order to prepare for the upcoming war, so apprenticed under Madam Pomfrey. And what if Pomfrey decided that the best way for Hermione to gain an understanding about the dark and gritty side of Healing was to learn how to heal Professor Snape when he comes back from Death Eater meetings…

If you’ve ever thought "Snape and Hermione?? Who would ever want them together?! Why?!" then I urge you to give this fic a try. Read the first 10 chapters and then tell me you aren't sucked in and invested.

I dare you.


If this book was Taylor Swift lyrics:

”I've been the archer
I've been the prey
Who could ever leave me, darling?
But who could stay?”
Profile Image for Ania.
144 reviews59 followers
Read
May 11, 2018
Ufff. Czuję się jak narkoman, który właśnie wyszedł z baaardzo długiego ciągu. Nasycona i zmęczona. Trochę wypruta z różnych emocji. I czuję, że w końcu mogę ruszyć z czytaniem jakiś normalnych rzeczy, bo chociaż to było jedna z najlepszych fanfiction z Severusem i Hermioną, to jednak czasami trzeba rozwijać szare komórki, a nie je zabijać ;) Ale polecam. Bardzo. Lubię ten rodzaj humoru. Severusa, który ma te swoje różne paranoje oraz Hermionę, która nie jest głupią kurą i wie co robi. A przy tym Sześćdziesiąt rozdziałów... jest co czytać.
Profile Image for Sarah.
377 reviews12 followers
November 17, 2013
Absolutely brilliant fanfic! It's huge, like 400, 000 words long and covers OoTP to DH. Hermione decides to learn Healing so that she can help her friends during the war but discovers that Professor Snape is going to be one of her patients. At first, Snape is his usual mean, nasty self but as Hermione gets to know him, forming a tentative friendship with him, she learns of the horrific traumas of his past and the traumas he is currently going through as the Order's spy.

This is another fic which alters the canon in places and it's done wonderfully. I loved reading about the slow developing relationship between Hermione and Snape. That was probably the best thing about the story for me. I also liked how the author handled certain important parts of the plot i.e. Dumbledore's plan to have Snape kill him in HBP and the horcrux hunt in DH (which, by the way, is much more entertaining in this fic). Another interesting part of the story was the 'mental' magic that the author included as a plot device.

I really enjoyed this story. It was well written, well plotted and the characters were well developed. The only complaint I had with the story was the author's treatment of Lupin. She made him out to be a bit of a bastard and that made me a little sad to see, because Remus is one of my favourite characters. But other than that, it was damn near perfect.

I think I need a little break from HP fan fiction now- not for long though, there are far too many amazing stories to read :)
Profile Image for Iulia.
36 reviews
May 18, 2024
I will start by saying that this is how the war should have gone in the books. Why do people think it's ok to have 3 17 years-old teenagers going around the world to destroy Horcruxes and then fight with the most powerful wizard? Regarding this aspect, Chasing the Sun was better than the books, in my opinion. Here, you actually had an adult teaching Harry, Hermione, and Ron how to make the best of their powers, how to enhance their talents, and how to work with their insecurities and weaknesses. They have help and support throughout the whole time the war takes place from an adult who knows what being at war feels like and who doesn't expect them to be some sort of miracle warriors.

Severus' physical and emotional turmoils were portrayed so good that I really felt what he felt in those moments. The psychological effects of the things he went through were explained perfectly, and his pain was at times palpable.

Of course, I liked the love story as well, even if - I have to admit - it felt weird to think of those 2 together at first. After a while, I saw why it works and how good it actually works, and the weirdness disappeared. Hermione is really a brilliant young woman and very mature, and Severus is living the life he couldn't live because of the war, trauma, and other plans he had to follow, and this makes the relationship between them somehow work perfectly. They learn from each other, teach each other, understand each other, and slowly but surely learn to love each other and themselves more and more.

I enjoyed reading this book, and I recommend it to anyone who wants a sneak peek into the life of a war spy who learns to live again.
Profile Image for Raina.
430 reviews20 followers
Read
June 3, 2024
no rating because I learned that giving a star rating to a fanfic on a renowned book site is the equivalent of sending a friend’s home-cooked meal back because you didn’t like the way it tasted. “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you”, as it were.

That being said, I did want to give myself credit for reading this because it was two!! thousand!! pages!!! Which ate up a ton of my time and mental energy!!

Although there are obviously many creative liberties taken, this fic humanized Snape for me in ways I didnt expect! And put a unique spin on a lot of characters that really made me ponder. I also appreciated the digs at some of JK’s convoluted (and at times frankly ridiculous) plotlines.

The author plainly admits that they absolutely hated Dumbledore and Lupin though, and it certainly shows, lol 🤣
Profile Image for lydiarhabarber.
58 reviews47 followers
April 30, 2021
I refused to read it for so long but finally picked it up last year.

While I really enjoy the dynamic between S & H, love how the writer fixed many of the flaws I found in the original story and love the length, I am not comfortable how S deals with sexual assault / how it is swept under the rug. 3.7 stars in total because I am a sucker for traumatized S who opens up to H and they make their own HEA
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Brittingbloom.
452 reviews
August 15, 2023
One of my favorite Snamoine HP fanfics (and it is my fav ship).

I really like Severus' character in this one--while he is broken and self-defeated, he grows, but still remains in character. The relationship building is well done and complete--it lacks extraneous drama, communication merry-go-rounds, etc. The storyline, Slytherin conclusion (oh, Lucius), the use of portraits, etc. make for a well-rounded AU that feels well-paced and has a good slow burn!
Profile Image for Aly.
93 reviews4 followers
August 3, 2018
I love the way Loten portrays Severus in her H/S fics, it is just the perfect characterization for me.
Chasing the Sun is incredibly long and while it does drag at times due to that length it isn't ever boring.
Profile Image for Anastacia.
1 review
March 5, 2021
Loten wrote an amazing story. I've always been fan of kind slow burn stories with lots of angst and character development. I'm fully in love with it.I really enjoy how the author rides on the canon rails, but carefully adds something from herself. I love the characters. You can recognise them easily, however they are more....lively? If I were a teen or a young adult, you'd find a little boring reading about someone's suffering. But when you're around your 30th, it may help you to defeat your one demons. They main character's didn't fall in love after a chapter or two. They went through a long way realising how they feel towards each other. Beautifully written. I'm going to reread it a bit later.
Profile Image for Sean Randall.
2,126 reviews55 followers
March 27, 2025
OK, so I can't pretend I've not read some Snamione before, but this was done very well indeed. It's a romance, clearly, not an action story, but the action bits did work and were done well too. Obviously it's not a yarn for fans of Harry and company, but I enjoyed the slow burn, the healer pathway, and - even if I do have to suspend my disbelief insofar as every sex act is always amazing - that's no different to what you'd do for magic or sci-fi or whatever anyway, is it?

2000 pages of very well written story with a pretty far-out yet remarkably cogently-managed idea.
Profile Image for Tori Rumschlag.
328 reviews1 follower
January 22, 2022
One of my favorite long-length SSHG fictions. The author's voice is compelling and professional, the plot is believable, and the characters begin much as their canonical selves and evolve as the story moves.
Profile Image for RehashWithRae.
26 reviews
January 9, 2022
I loved how they twined everything together from the original books and the slow burn of the relationship between severus and Hermione. It made everything more realistic
Profile Image for Sandie.
223 reviews18 followers
August 19, 2023
Really LOVED the first 65% and then it really started to drag and it was just a bit too long but I liked the alternative ending to the books
6 reviews
September 1, 2025
Histoire incroyable, la meilleur snamione que j'ai lu. Merci Loten pour ces émotions, plot twist et aventure !
Profile Image for Eri.
760 reviews27 followers
February 5, 2017
A pleasant return to my HP ff reading time with Hermione and Severus. Includes plot, character development, different take of the final battle, and second half smut, wedding, happy end. Long enough it entertains for few days despite having to scroll through some scenes I had no interest in.
Well written.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews

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