The Couch
shefa23 Reviews | 4.65/10 (23 Ratings, 0 Likes, 42 Favorites )
It appeared out of nowhere in the Hogwarts staffroom. So why was Severus Snape so drawn to it? Written as a birthday gift for SSHG316 (aka: Shug)
Winner, "Best Fluff" in The New Library Awards.
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About shefa
Author
shefa
Member Since 2007 | 24 Stories | Favorited by 151 | 73 Reviews Written | 944 Review Responses
Relatively longtime reader of this OTP, fervent SSHG shipper.
Reviews for The Couch
wonderful! thanks so much
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks very much for reviewing :D
What a wonderful device for breaking down defences! Am I correct in thinking that it was the castle itself that provided the couch in question, or was there a more human agent?
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
Thank you! Couch as therapist seemed perfect for the magical world. I see the castle as having provided the couch, but left it ambiguous in order to leave open other, larger, possibilities. I appreciate your review!
Brilliant descriptions of the couch... I can almost feel the leather under my hands. Wonderful!
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
*blushes... thank you so much,
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
. I'm glad that you enjoyed it -- thanks for reviewing.
Lovely Lovely!!! I like the couch as a match maker! Well done you!!
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
Thank you! It is a multi-function couch. Therapist and matchmaker, both :) Thanks for reviewing!
I want a couch like that, preferably with one Severus Snape on it (or two, one never know ;).
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
Oh, yes... me, too :) Thanks for reviewing!
So cute! Thank you.
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
I'm glad that you enjoyed it! thank you for reviewing.
Hi Machshefa,I loved this story. Very sweet, but not sacharine. I kept thinking about all the cartoons I've seen of people lying on couches for therapy ... seems like in this case the couch itself was the therapist. Not sure if that was your intention or not, but its a fun thought.I've just started rereading it before going to sleep (at 230 am) after a long day of writing something much less interesing than HGSS fanfic. One piece of concrit: I find the first paragraph confusing. I'm not sure how the middle two sentences relate to the first and fourth, which seem to be saying that no one knows how their lack of communication/tolerance started. What are the glances and questions about? and the glares and eye rolls? And how does fooling anyone relate to not knowing how it all began?Thanks for a most pleasant read.RR
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
Hi Red Roo. You hit the nail on the head -- the couch *is* the therapist, in this case. That was where the idea fo the story began -- how to get Severus on the couch? *grinsAs for the first paragraph... the idea is that the beginning of their UST and circling each other began long ago, and was obvioius to everybody else, though not to them. They weren't trying to fool anybody, there was just a lot of tension. At the end, they went about their relationship and nobody noticed (ironically enough). :D Hope that clarifies things a bit! Thanks so much for reviewing.
Response from RedRoo45 (Reviewer)
Oh, I see. Thanks for the explanation *pounds on head with hammer*. Yes, I enjoyed how no one noticed at the end -- they were too busy wondering about the couch (at least at first).Wouldn't it be nice if furniture worked that way in RL? It was a very clever device on your part.
Very entertaining! 
I laughed a lot. 
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
Oh, yay! I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for reviewing.
Oh, this is marvelous! So perfect to have Severus look the gift horse in the mouth, so to speak, and cast every revealing spell known to wizardingkind. I found it quite amusing that he would immediately assume anything that attracted him so must be dark. Happily, the couch showed him that comfort and grace can be equally attractive, preparing him to accept his attraction to the ever good Hermione. Thank you for a lovely start to my day.
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
Thank you so much,
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
-- I'm delighted that you enjoyed this. I did see the couch as a sort of therapeutic device, helping him to move from feeling injured and broken to whole again. He would be suspicious, until he could believe that something healthy could belong to him. Thanks so much for your review!
but where did the couch come from??
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
That is the mystery -- I see it as a symbol of healing... instead of a therapist, he got a couch :)
oh this is awesome :)what an interesting couch!
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
Thank you! Yes, it is quite a couch -- a healing piece of furniture if ever there was one :) Thanks for commenting!
Nicely written, thank you. :D
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting :)
this is a lovely story. i loved the image relating the weathering of the soft leather to the warming and softening of severus's hurt and pain. and i liked all his diagnostics to figure out if it was Dark, since he was so attracted to it. i do wonder where it came from! the story is very well-constructed and flows really well.
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
Thank you,
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
:) I enjoyed the metaphor and imagery that developed in this tale. Severus has such difficulty believing that anything good can belong to him. As for where the couch came from, I see it as an archetypal magic that came to him because it was time for him to heal. He was right, the couch *was* for him :) Thanks so much for reviewing!
that's sweet! i liked it.
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
Thank you, thanks for reviewing.
One of the reasons I liked your Severus here so much is that I don't really grasp the concept of Grace, either. I like how you touched on that key point but let him come to accept the gift of the couch, anyway. I enjoyed your story very much -- thanks for your work!
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
Thank you -- I'm glad that you enjoyed it and that it touched on something important for you, too. I appreciate your comments-- thank you for reviewing.
I really enjoyed that.
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
Thank you! I appreciate that you took time to review. :)
This is incredibly sweet! I love it! <3 <3 <3
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
I'm so glad -- thank you for your review!
This is lovely! Shug is very lucky!
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
Thank you! I appreciate your review :D
Aw, that's really cute and sweet -- chocolate sauce sweet! The summary really drew me to read it, breaking down my resistence (I try not to read any fanfic while I'm writing -- it messes w/ da Muse, and da Muse must be obeyed!), and I'm glad that it did. I enjoyed it and found it brought a smile to my face!I'm still wondering where the heck the couch had appeared from, though! LOL! It made a great focus for the story and for their coming together.One of the best things about this story -- it ignores DH, especially the infamous epilogue! Gotta love a living Snape paired with a Granger who didn't end up with Weasley and who lived up to her promise as the brightest witch of her age and became a Hogwarts teacher!It was a very nicely constructed story, too. Thanks!
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
Ooh, I hope that da Muse is forgiving of you for reading! I'm delighted that you did (but sure know how temperamental de Muse can be!) That mysterious couch -- it came to him from the archetypal healing warehouse where such couches are stored and sent to those in need. And boy was Severus in need! :D The metaphor of couch in place of therapist spurred the story's central plot, but the "where" of its origin is not clear to me, either. I like to think of it as a benevolent gift from a world that owes him far more than it can possibly repay. Thanks so much for reviewing and I hope that your muse is kind to you!
What a lovely story! I want a couch just like that with a drowsing Severus on it. Where, oh, where can I get one?This was just wonderful.
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
Thank you! Oh, yes, the couch is on loan at the moment, and will be making visits, in turn, to those who are in need. :DI'm delighted that you enjoyed this! Thanks so much for commenting. :D
This was adorable! Very original idea, i loved it!!
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
I'm glad that you enjoyed it -- thanks for reviewing!
:) i like this very much.
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
I'm glad that you enjoyed it -- thanks for reviewing!
I know this is old to you - but it is new for me - and I LOVED IT! Your imagery is so beautiful - what a piece! Thank you so much - I know I'll be back to re-read it and count it among my favorites. Now off to find more of your work -
Response from shefa (Author of The Couch)
Thank you! I'm thrilled that you loved it! *dances. I hope that you enjoy the other stories of mine that you'll find here! *grins