O Mine Enemy

by KirbyLane

When Harry finds an injured Snape on his doorstep and must hide him from the Dursleys, he has no idea that this very, very bad day will be the start of something good.

Harry and Snape are thrown together by annoying relatives, a series of strange dreams, and Voldemort's latest hunt for Harry, but their greatest challenge may well be surviving each other. This will be a long summer unless the two can find a way to work together. A slow-burn enemy-to-mentor story.

Alternate 6th summer (and part of the school year): post-OotP; ignores HBP and DH. No slash, no romance.

archiveofourown.org/works/29013294

Genres: Fan Fiction, Harry Potter

1244 pages, ebook

Published March 8, 2021

Reviews

[Selena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from Voldy’s arc, which understandably didn’t follow canon, this is the most in-character fanfic I’ve read. Beautiful story, and a sequel to come!

[Alina Gumirova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay…

That’s one of the most powerful HP fics I’ve read (and I’ve gone through about 200 of them).

It’s about trauma, vulnerability, and building trust. Absolutely no sexual context, yet the intimacy is so raw and genuine that it gives you goosebumps.

[Ann_Nyaruai]

I DNF'd this a while back. Severus was awful and Harry's need to be loved was just too much. I came back to it very reluctantly. The angst draws me in and i read through the rest of it very quickly.
Severus did try to be there for Harry, sometimes, when he wanted to. Harry blooms under his attention which was fascinating and kinda sad. Their soft moments ARE very touching I can't deny that but they were too fleeting. Whats worse, to me, is that this felt more like a trauma bond than any kind of paternal son thing. Harry entire mood shifted based on whether Snape was present and kind. Add in the constant torture and im not sure the ending was good. I'm choosing to leave it with no rating. Maybe later I can try again.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Snape’s glare was nearly worse than his sneer. “You never desist in your foolish quest to find the so-called ‘good’ in people, do you, old man? Don’t try to pick me apart. I refuse to be psychoanalyzed so that you may imagine light where there are only shadows.”

I LOVE this quote

[M. HernandezLee · Rating 5 out of 5]

the second HP story i read. I didn't even think it could get this good but it was SO good. Characterization, pacing, dialogue.

[Zainab · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t hate O Mine Enemy by Kirby Lane in fact, I enjoyed quite a lot of it. The writing had its strengths, and there were moments that really pulled me in. But overall, it just didn’t need to be that long. The themes kept repeating to the point where I felt like I was stuck in a loop, and by the end, I was honestly bored to the core.

I do believe that showing less is more, and this fic doesn't follow that at all. It over-explains and stretches out scenes so much that I got too much of the Snape and Harry relationship. What could have been powerful in smaller doses became exhausting with how constantly it was in focus.

The biggest letdown was the ending. I understand the author plans to write a sequel, but that doesn’t justify giving us such an underwhelming conclusion. After reading through over 1200 pages, I was left frustrated. It felt like all that time and emotional investment went nowhere.

I appreciate the concept, it’s the kind of dynamic I do enjoy, but I wish it had been more accurate to canon. Harry spends nearly the whole fic talking to Snape, which feels off, especially considering how little interaction they had in the last five books. That disconnection made it harder to stay immersed in the story.

Overall, I see the appeal and admire the ambition, but for me, it dragged on too long, gave too much, and fell flat when it mattered most.

[Cleo · Rating 5 out of 5]

It feels weird to give a fanfic five stars, but this was extremely engaging and well written throughout, so there! I loved the pacing, which made the 300k word count feel like a breeze to read, and Snape and Harry’s relationship develops very naturally and consistently. There was never a point where I felt they acted towards each other in a way that their relationship wouldn’t allow, which I think is really hard to achieve. I’m not sure the author will read this, but assuming they do: thank you so much for sharing this story. I was genuinely impacted by a lot of emotional moments (ie. the entire adder’s fork scene had me sitting up in bed and covering my mouth), and I spent days just immersed in only reading this fic. I hope you know that your work has had a huge effect on me, and if you ever write a sequel I will absolutely read it :) Thanks again!

[꧁༺ L̴E̴X̴I̴E̴ ༻꧂ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad I stumbled across this fanfic. There is no romance but its healing in a way that resolves the Harry and Snape relationship that ended so unsatisfactorily for me. Mentally, I've already replaced the ending of Harry Potter with this instead.

Tags: Everyone lives (except Voldemort), Snape redemption arc, Harry gets to act like the teen he is/was


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[sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot remember the last time I was so utterly wrapped up in a book. I felt like I was in middle school again, staying up all night reading, book in hand while doing my laundry...

I can hardly consider this a fanfiction; it is written so in character. This has absolutely sent me spiraling right back into my HP phase, but this time with a whole new perspective on Snape's impossibly layered character.

[Tailtiu]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/290...

[Angie M · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[Hira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pacing was slow, ending wasn't satifying considering the length of the fic

[mirabilos · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF… it’s probably good, I saw several interesting ideas in there, but I just can’t bring myself to continue wading through it until those develop.

[Nhan Slevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learnt how to book bind so I could have this book on my shelf 10/10