I’m adding a new recommendation to my fanfic recs page. This one features Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape, who are facing a difficult Year 7 with Death Eaters in the school, Voldemort gaining power in the wizarding world, and open battle looming in the future. But they also have some ordinary Hogwarts business to take care of—and in the shadow of the Dark Lord, which presents some potential problems—and some personal issues between them, including the killing of Albus Dumbledore the previous spring.
I really enjoyed “Gin a Body Meet a Body.” There was tension, doubt, empathy, and tenderness, all beautifully played out without any false notes or over-writing. Both Minerva and Severus remained in character. Severus was of the sort of in-character interpretation that I prefer, rather than as relatively flat as he sometimes appears even in canon, where we are so often tantalized with a rich array possibilities for his character, his personality—his soul, as it were—which then dissolve into just a few single notes. Squibstress takes those possibilities and creates a rich character.
If you’ve never considered a Minerva/Severus fic, but are open to try one, I’d definitely recommend this. If you already enjoy the pairing, I’d say this is a “must-read.”