RECS: the master post
Dec. 25th, 2013 08:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
starfishstarSTARFISHSTAR'S FANFIC RECS
What can I say? For a while there, I was reading a lot of fanfiction... So I thought maybe others could benefit from all my bookmarking and notetaking!
Caveat: This list was mostly compiled in late 2013 and though I do add to it here and there, that was the last point when I was reading copiously and widely. If you find you share my interests and you're interested in more recs, though, leave a comment! It's possible I might have more ideas for you, and in any case I always love chatting about recs. :-)
These recs are mostly Harry Potter, arranged as follows:
–genfic, sorted by era (some of the very best stuff is in here!)
–the Remus Recs: Yes, I love Remus so much that he gets his own entire section. Includes Remus/Tonks, Remus/Sirius, Remus gen and Remus other pairings.
–character-specific story recs (these include dedicated sections for: Neville, Luna, Hermione, Lily, Lily/James, Andromeda, Teddy, Tonks, Sirius, and then a few miscellaneous pairings)
–AUs
–crossovers
–just generally good fun (fun, humorous fics of all stripes)
Then come a few recs for other fandoms:
Merlin, Cabin Pressure, Torchwood, White Collar, and some assorted others (Firefly, His Dark Materials, Narnia, fairy tales, even Calvin and Hobbes) and what I'm calling "other other other" (a couple of extraordinarily awesome, quirky crossovers). UPDATE: These "other fandoms" (i.e. everything that's not Harry Potter) now have their own post, since this one got too big! You can find them here: OTHER FANDOM RECS.)
I've also amassed a ton of BBC Sherlock recs (and a few ACD canon Sherlock Holmes recs, too) but they're so many that I still haven't figured out how to organize them in a useful way, so they're not included here, at least for now. If you've got requests, though, ask! I might have suggestions. And I do have one specific sub-list of recs: genfic recs of Sherlock and Mycroft as brothers.
Now to the recs... It's pretty much impossible to pick favorites when there's so much talented writing out there, but recs in bolded text are ones I especially recommend. Enjoy!
HARRY POTTER RECS
GENFIC RECS
(see also below for sections reccing stories for specific characters: Remus, Neville, Luna, etc.)
NOTE: my genfic reading has drawn heavily from the following communities and exchanges, which are all great sources for high-quality fic: http://hp-summergen.livejournal.com, http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com, http://hp-holidaygen.livejournal.com, http://omniocular.livejournal.com, http://hp-friendship.livejournal.com
MARAUDERS ERA/PRE-CANON GENFIC
• stories by kaydeefalls, including
• The Years of the Rat (http://kaydeefalls.livejournal.com/356599.html) – an extremely well developed and believable take on Peter through the years, as a far stronger and more calculating character than you might expect. I know you don’t like Peter. I don’t either. But read this story anyway.
• stories by such-heights, including
• Order Out of Chaos (http://such-heights.livejournal.com/49913.html) – Dumbledore has an Order to create, Moody has Aurors to train, Remus recruits, James and Sirius are bold, Lily delightful
• I Know Where the Summer Goes (http://such-heights.livejournal.com/67551.html) – “The Black family travels en masse for their summer holiday. This time, Sirius isn't going home again.”
• Beginnings of the Order (http://such-heights.livejournal.com/9292.html) – shows the Marauders' various motivations for joining the Order (for Remus it's personal loyalty) and Peter's doubts, with James and Sirius forcing him in
• In The Room (Where People Come And Go) (http://such-heights.livejournal.com/87819.html) – everyone visits Lily after Harry’s birth; everyone wants a little light and hope
• Cocktail Time by therealsnape (http://hp-friendship.livejournal.com/5543.html) – few people know this, but in their younger years, Rita Skeeter and Gilderoy Lockhart were flatmates. This is a story about two of the least likeable characters in Harry Potter…and it's terrific.
• Winter of Discontent by aliciadances (http://femgenficathon.livejournal.com/123685.html) – Narcissa worries about Regulus when he goes missing, while the others around her pooh-pooh her concern.
• Arthur and the Muggles by dolorous_ett (http://hp-summergen.livejournal.com/13746.html) – how Arthur Weasley became who he is!
• Evergreen by loneraven (http://rs-small-gifts.livejournal.com/108033.html) – The Order gathers for a Diwali/Christmas/etc. party, knowing how much they need that moment of lightness
• Shehecheyanu Moment by xslytherclawx (https://archiveofourown.org/works/17402696/) – as first-years at Hogwarts, Remus and Lily bond over figuring out how to celebrate Jewish rituals in the wizarding world.
• Masquerade: The Last Yuletide of Regulus Black by hikarievandar (http://hp-holidaygen.livejournal.com/59710.html) – Regulus, shortly before the end, at a ball at Malfoy manor and seeing the decay under all the glittering glamour of Pureblood life.
• four thousand two hundred and sixty by kel (http://obsessivetendencies.net/songs/sirius.html) – Sirius in Azkaban, forgetting and remembering, until he finally remembers strongly enough to escape
• Despair behind, and Death before (http://hp-summergen.livejournal.com/6054.html) – Merope Gaunt gets her fortune told by Cassandra Trelawney
• Stasis by Andromeda311 (http://unknowableroom.org/2792/1) – Regulus feels he can’t even fail as well as Sirius can
• Seeds of Hate by chthonya (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/108838.html) – a look at young Lucius in his first year at Hogwarts, navigating expectations and hierarchy
BOOK ERA GENFIC
• What It Takes by lyras (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/104243.html) – a lovely look at the year of Deathly Hallows through the six main kids' perspectives (Neville, Luna, Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione), showing the moments we didn't get to see.
• A Reason to Fight by lyras (http://hp-holidaygen.livejournal.com/62512.html) – "Aberforth thinks he's finished with fighting -- until Neville Longbottom falls through the portrait door and into his life." Aberforth the bitter, brittle surivivor slowly being affected by Neville's determination and hope gave me chills and tears. So moving and so beautifully in character.
• Eleven Up by ryfkah (https://archiveofourown.org/works/5147618) – the entire book era as seen through the eyes of six Muggleborn Hogwarts students (Dean, Hermione, Colin Creavey, etc.), framed as interviews conducted for a sociological study. A powerful, moving and incisive look into some of the more troubling aspects of wizarding society.
• Twelve Days by neutrinofics (http://neutrinofics.livejournal.com/24902.html) – The gifts named in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" start literally showing up at Hogwarts during Christmas the year of DH, starting with Neville waking up to find a partridge in a pear tree in his dorm. Fun yet also with a serious undertone, given the time period.
• My Own Secret Ceremonials by downjune (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/108390.html) – From Luna's perspective, just before the start of Deathly Hallows, as she convinces everyone to get together for one last party before they know everything's going to go to hell.
• we must unite inside her walls or we'll crumble from within by dirgewithout music (https://archiveofourown.org/series/136245) – wonderful, moving stories set during and after the war about: Cho Chang, Hannah Abbott, Parvati Patil, Ginny Weasley, Pansy Parkinson, Andromeda Black Tonks, Susan Bones, and Luna Lovegood. All pack a punch and are beautiful explorations of each of these characters, their individual struggles and strengths.
• Sixteen Ways to Tell the Weasley Twins Apart by kaydeefalls (http://kaydeefalls.livejournal.com/338234.html) – lovely little snippets about Fred and George
• Mad Dogs and Scotsmen by delphi (http://hp-friendship.livejournal.com/5088.html) – Emmeline Vance grudgingly agrees to let Alastor Moody live with her while he gets over the PTSD from being locked in his own trunk for an entire school year.
• If You Can Not Take the First Step by downjune (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/90167.html) – Hermione discovers unexpected friendship with Luna, during a little moment of bonding over escaping Umbridge during 5th year.
• Ministry Business Official or Otherwise by magikcatfics (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/95254.html) – "In a time of uncertainty, Rufus Scrimgeour seemed like the obvious choice for Minister of Magic. Or was he?"
• Visitors by lyras (http://lyras.livejournal.com/15235.html) – Alice Longbottom’s thoughts on her visitors on the closed ward
• All Ye Faithful by such-heights (http://such-heights.livejournal.com/80226.html) – Neville looking out for Hogwarts during the Christmas of Deathly Hallows. I love a Neville who's brave yet vulnerable, and really tugs at your heart.
• The Gift by lazy_neutrino (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/105129.html) – young Neville, Luna and Hannah on an adventure
• Two Dragons by lazy_neutrino (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/94813.html) – fifth year, Cho and Marietta have to make a choice
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by neutrinofics (http://neutrinofics.livejournal.com/31052.html) – the summer after GoF, Parvati’s Boggart takes an unexpected form
• Captain My Own Soul by Sam Starbuck, aka Copperbadge (http://sam-storyteller.dreamwidth.org/97336.html) – after his flight at the end of HBP, Draco ends up meeting Regulus Black, who’s not dead. And who sings old Irish ballads.
• Of Elves and Masters by st_dl (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/95720.html) – Kreacher’s story in Deathly Hallows, told backwards between the Battle of Hogwarts and the day Harry, Ron and Hermione didn’t come back to Grimmauld Place after infiltrating the Ministry
• A New Alliance by jncar (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4075304/1/A_New_Alliance) – Neville and Aberforth both finding the secret passage between the Room of Requirement and the Hog’s Head from opposite sides, guided by Ariana
POST-WAR AND NEXT-GEN GENFIC
• Variations on a Happily Ever After by gm_weasley – this is my ultimate, classic post-canon story of how it’s possible to reach a happy ending, but it takes time and work to get there. Was formerly posted at
http://asylums.insanejournal.com/ginfics/16078.html, but can now only be found through the Wayback Machine.
• stories by lyras, including
• Les Jours Tristes (http://squishedstories.livejournal.com/33455.html) – in which Luna visits Narcissa Malfoy in prison after the war, and is just marvelously Luna about it all.
• The Affair of the Wedding (http://takingitinturns.livejournal.com/54371.html) – takes place at the wedding of Scorpius and Lily Luna; a perfect portrait of where the characters are, 30 years on: the Malfoys' and Potters' cautious rapprochement, the dynamic between Harry and Ginny, everyone's reflections on the past, even the spot-on observations from Rita Skeeter. And a well-placed touch of wistfulness from Neville.
• Let Us Not Talk Falsely (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/93961.html) – "Arthur takes a reluctant trainee out into the field, and encounters an old friend who has not been treated well by the wizarding world."
• Switzerland by ofankoma (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/107695.html) – an utterly brilliant story from, wait for it.... Blaise Zabini's perspective. I know the character doesn't sound appealing, but this is really good, examining the abortive attempts at friendship between two boys who should by all accounts be friends: Blaise is Pureblood and wealthy, yet not a Death Eater sympathizer; Justin Finch-Fletchley is a similarly upperclass Hufflepuff who Blaise would have so much in common with, if only Justin weren't Muggleborn. A really very interesting take on the years at Hogwarts and especially the reconciliation (or non-reconciliation) process afterward.
• The Pure and Simple Truth by lettered (http://archiveofourown.org/works/392764) – "Harry, Draco, and Hermione go to a pub. Harry, Draco, and Pansy go to a pub. Harry, Draco, Pansy, and Hermione go to a pub. Harry, Draco, Hermione and Ron go to a pub. Harry, Draco, Hermione, Ron, and Pansy―you guessed it―go to a pub. I could go on. In fact, I did. Harry, Draco, Hermione, Pansy, Ron, Blaise, Luna, Goyle, Neville, and Theodore Nott go to a pub. In various combinations." An excellent, thoughtful, deep look into what it really takes to rebuild lives and friendships after the war. It's both gen and Harry/Draco in a wonderfully interwoven way.
• Cauterize by lady-altair (http://lady-altair.livejournal.com/6617.html) – After the war, Dennis Creevey takes up his brother's camera and starts to photograph the scars, visible and invisible, that the war has left behind on the people he knows. Poignant, striking, strong images.
• Those Frightful Malfoy Scenes by rosemaryandrue (http://rosemaryandrue.livejournal.com/53314.html) – A delightful take on the first meeting of the Malfoy cousins – Scorpius and Teddy.
• Dangerous Jobs for Girls by neutrinofics (http://neutrinofics.livejournal.com/30478.html) – fantastic portrayal of both Luna and Andromeda. They end up running the Quibbler together. The whole thing sounds bizarre but is perfect.
• and yes i said yes i will yes (or: four weddings and a funeral) – honey_wheeler – a beautiful during-Deathly-Hallows and post-war story that gets it all right, from bittersweet grief to fun romance to sweet friendship – http://archiveofourown.org/works/234550
• The Peculiar Resilience of the Refugee by Squibstress – a surprisingly beautiful story about Petunia Dursley after the war – with nowhere left to go, she grudgingly finds work helping Rosmerta run the Three Broomsticks, and despite herself finds a tentative place in the wizarding world. This story is impressive especially because it has a real redemptive feel to it, and yet it's never not Petunia as we knew her. – http://www.thepetulantpoetess.com/viewstory.php?sid=22160
• Disorganised Crime by pitry (http://hp-friendship.livejournal.com/5985.html) – a fun little hijinks story of Harry and Neville accidentally getting themselves arrested by Muggle police while out doing Auror work – but some of the conversations they have to kill time during their night in a jail cell are really beautiful and touching. How I love a well-written Neville.
• Seven Weddings by stereolightning (http://archiveofourown.org/works/915476/chapters/1775523) – a beautiful series of interactions, “La Ronde” style, between various characters, spanning eras, all set at various weddings… the highlight for me is Luna’s nontraditional but utterly lovely marriage!
• Strength in Numbers by miramiraficfic (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/89215.html) – I love a story that shines the spotlight on nearly unknown characters, makes them real and complex and neither all good nor all bad. This is about Marietta, Lavender and Millicent Bustrode...and it's great. Sweet and redemptive, without being overdone.
• Death and King’s Cross by sciathan file (http://sciathan-file.livejournal.com/69180.html) – Death might look like King’s Cross for Harry Potter, but it’s a different place for everyone. Beautiful glimpses into various characters’ experience of the world after.
• The Godfather by sundancekid (http://sundancekid.livejournal.com/533137.html) – everyone swoons over Harry with baby Teddy!
• mischiefmanaged!verse stories by irnan (http://archiveofourown.org/series/13075) – series of interrelated stories set during different periods post-canon and written from all different perspectives; this is a great look at Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron rebuilding their lives together, plus a fully developed world for the next-gen kids!
• women of consequence by irnan (http://archiveofourown.org/series/18572) – four stories about four women in the Harry Potter world, including Hannah working her way through her grief, and Astoria as Minister for Magic!
• The Next Great Adventure by sundancekid (http://sundancekid.livejournal.com/536805.html) – Dean, Luna and Neville, growing closer the year after the war, back at Hogwarts. (A bit of Dean/Luna, but mostly gen. Includes delightful Luna Quidditch commentary!)
• Hogwarts, to welcome you home by gedsparrowhawk (https://archiveofourown.org/works/8125531) - Harry becomes Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, just like you'd think he would, finding a home at Hogwarts and a role bringing kids from different houses together.
• Pursuit of the Jackalope (or, Fantastic Friends and Where to Find Them) by stereolightning (http://archiveofourown.org/works/974929/chapters/1954178) – Luna takes a teenaged Teddy along on her American expedition to track the mysterious jackalope. Along the way, they make new friends, and romance blossoms between Luna and the equally quirky American naturalist Rolf Scamander. Stereolightning's Luna and Rolf are utterly delightful!
• Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect by xylodemon (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/102257.html) – in the rebuilding of Hogwarts after the war, McGonagall realizes the castle itself is deliberately resisting her attempts to fix things, and won't play along until the students come to help.
• The Bow that Is Stable by bitchet (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/105601.html) – a series of vignettes showing Harry's generation and who they are as parents
• Contract of Employment (and associated correspondence) by penknife (http://archiveofourown.org/works/25948) – Harry has some questions about the many oddities in the Hogwarts standard teacher's contract. (A correspondence between Harry and Hermione.)
• The Delusionist by sciathan file (http://sciathan-file.livejournal.com/65105.html) – wizarding portraits, how they’re made and what they are
• (Just Like) Starting Over (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/98493.html) – Draco and Narcissa picking up the pieces after the war (with an interesting little twist involving Astoria Greengrass).
• Heartstring by such_heights (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/56146.html) – “In the summer after the war, they need wands again.” Ollivander, Luna and Dean.
• Empty Burrow by Sam Starbuck (http://sam-storyteller.dreamwidth.org/82220.html) – a sweet little story after Molly and Arthur see Ginny off on the Hogwarts Express for the first time. (Actually Molly/Arthur, but I thought I’d toss it in here with the genfic, since it’s also about family!)
• The Ones Who Were Taught Petrov’s Defense by two-if-by-sea (http://two-if-by-sea.livejournal.com/221736.html) – some reflections on how things don’t change after the war
• All the Little Pieces by aliciadances (http://hp-nextgen-fest.livejournal.com/77852.html) – Scorpius learning to forgive his father’s sins.
• Majesty by kellychambliss (http://kellychambliss.livejournal.com/54545.html) – Minerva McGonagall and Queen Elizabeth II meet!
• The Boy Who Lived by PigWithHair (http://checkmated.com/story.php?story=9509) – Harry reflects, in very old age, to Neville Longbottom's granddaughter. (Warning: set very far in the future, so there have been major character deaths by this point.)
CHARACTER-SPECIFIC RECS
(note: there’s some overlap between these and my genfic recs above)
(THE REMUS RECS – link goes to an entire separate page including Remus/Sirius, Remus/Tonks, Remus genfic and a few of Remus in other pairings)
NEVILLE-CENTRIC
• A Reason to Fight by lyras (http://hp-holidaygen.livejournal.com/62512.html) – "Aberforth thinks he's finished with fighting -- until Neville Longbottom falls through the portrait door and into his life." Aberforth the bitter, brittle survivor slowly being affected by Neville's determination and hope gave me chills and tears. So moving and so beautifully in character.
• It Doesn't Always Roar by Realmer06 (https://archiveofourown.org/works/3835135/) – three conversations Neville has with the Sorting Hat over the years; lovely and insightful.
• Simple by Crookshanks22 (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3835638/1/Simple) – "He may have pulled Godric Gryffindor's sword from the Sorting Hat, but Neville's still got girl trouble." A sweet, in-character snapshot of Neville, unrequitedly in love.
• All Ye Faithful by such-heights (http://such-heights.livejournal.com/80226.html) – Neville looking out for Hogwarts during the Christmas of Deathly Hallows
• Harry’s Man Through and Through by snorkackcatcher (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/107266.html) – “Neville is not the Chosen One. He’s okay with that.”
• Disorganised Crime by pitry (http://hp-friendship.livejournal.com/5985.html) – a fun little hijinks story of Harry and Neville accidentally getting themselves arrested by Muggle police while out doing Auror work – but some of the conversations they have to kill time during their night in a jail cell are really beautiful and touching. How I love a well-written Neville.
• Twelve Days by neutrinofics (http://neutrinofics.livejournal.com/24902.html) – The gifts named in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" start literally showing up at Hogwarts during Christmas the year of DH, starting with Neville waking up to find a partridge in a pear tree in his dorm. Fun yet also with a serious undertone, given the time period.
• The Trials of Neville Longbottom by mosaic (http://hp-summergen.livejournal.com/5849.html) – third year, Neville gets a needed boost in confidence from Professor Lupin
• A Life in a Box by RedSioda (http://www.checkmated.com/story.php?story=9798) – Neville passes on to his daughter the Christmas keepsakes his gran gave him from his parents
• Paper Cuts by neutrinofics (http://neutrinofics.livejournal.com/19848.html) – Neville’s letters to his parents over the years
• The Tao of Neville by mickawber-fics (http://mickawber-fics.livejournal.com/59187.html) – reflections on Neville in the form of the Tao Te Ching!
LUNA-CENTRIC
• Les Jours Tristes by lyras (http://squishedstories.livejournal.com/33455.html) – in which Luna visits Narcissa Malfoy in prison after the war, and is just marvelously Luna about it all.
• Pursuit of the Jackalope (or, Fantastic Friends and Where to Find Them) by stereolightning (http://archiveofourown.org/works/974929/chapters/1954178) – Luna takes a teenaged Teddy along on her American expedition to track the mysterious jackalope. Along the way, they make new friends, and romance blossoms between Luna and the equally quirky American naturalist Rolf Scamander. Stereolightning's Luna and Rolf are utterly delightful! You can also see a bit more of Luna and Rolf, and their friendship with Teddy, in Perspective (http://archiveofourown.org/works/1148596).
• Dangerous Jobs for Girls by neutrinofics (http://neutrinofics.livejournal.com/30478.html) – a fantastic portrayal of both Luna and Andromeda. They end up running the Quibbler together. The whole thing sounds bizarre but is perfect.
• Loony: in Defense of Luna Lovegood (part of the "we must unite within her walls or we'll crumble from within" series recced above) by dirgewithout music (https://archiveofourown.org/works/2802287) – Luna being her own indomitable self, through the Hogwarts years and after, including her very insightful observations of Ginny; missing her mother; and forging her own path despite her father's loving expectations.
• The Sceptic’s Guide to Spotting Impossible Beasts by pitry (http://hp-friendship.livejournal.com/4108.html) – Hermione agrees despite herself to accompany Luna on a hunt for a Crumple-Horned Snorkack
• My Own Secret Ceremonials by downjune (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/108390.html) – From Luna's perspective, just before the start of DH, as she convinces everyone to get together for one last party before they know everything's going to go to hell.
• Prisoner by jennifergale (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/88390.html) – held captive in the Malfoys' basement during Deathly Hallows, Luna realizes Draco is in a way just as much a prisoner as she is
• Rolling Downhill by mountainmoira (http://hp-friendship.livejournal.com/8984.html) – another story of Draco and Luna's interactions at Malfoy Manor, where Bellatrix is making him torture her, and Luna remains sympathetic to him despite it
HERMIONE-CENTRIC
• At the Start of Whatever by swissmarg (http://swissmarg.livejournal.com/103608.html) – one of my all-time favorites. Hermione/Viktor, years later. Hermione's not looking for romance, but sparks fly anyway… An utterly beautiful story. (I don’t usually enjoy stories that break up canon couples, but I love this one, which should tell you how gently and compassionately the author handles the subject!)
• stories by stereolightning:
• Newly Minted (http://stereolightning.livejournal.com/12092.html) – Hermione and Ron starting the rest of their lives together, directly after the end of the battle at Hogwarts
• 19 Days Later (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9278848/1/19-Days-Later) – a little portrait of hope and new beginnings in the direct aftermath of the war
• The Bucket List of One Hermione Granger by igrockspock (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/103135.html) – Hermione learns to live without a plan
• The Sceptic’s Guide to Spotting Impossible Beasts by pitry (http://hp-friendship.livejournal.com/4108.html) – Hermione agrees despite herself to accompany Luna on a hunt for a Crumple-Horned Snorkack
• The Janus Thickey Ward by sophierom (http://sshg-exchange.livejournal.com/191635.html) – a thoughtful piece about the slow process of finding a life again after the war, and about Hermione, who's failing under the pressure of everyone having always expected her to be perfect at everything. This is Hermione/Snape, and I’m not usually a fan of cross-generational pairings, but I find it works here. (The premise is slightly AU: Hermione and Neville found Snape in the Shrieking Shack and saved his life, after Voldemort set Nagini on him at the end of DH.)
• Three Galleons by Sam Starbuck (http://sam-storyteller.dreamwidth.org/45876.html) – a postwar AU of Hermione/Snape, with a side of Hermione/Snape/Remus threesome…no, really. It somehow works, because it's Sam, and apparently Sam can do anything.
• Beyond the Burning Bridge by leni_jess (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/102040.html) – Hermione faces the consequences of the memory charm she used on her parents during DH.
LILY-CENTRIC
• Touch the Face of the Stars by lyras (http://lyras.livejournal.com/83483.html) – letters written by Lily over the years, including one to Harry in the end
• Queen. Knight. Castle. by stereolightning (http://archiveofourown.org/works/949354/chapters/1905098) – “During their fifth year and the summer after, Lily and Severus fall in and out of each other's good graces.” Lovely scenes from Lily and Severus’ troubled friendship.
• stories by Random-Musings (https://www.fanfiction.net/u/765781/Random-Musings), for her take on Lily and Severus’ complicated friendship, for example in "Glitter Disco Hot Mess" and "We Were Born to Lose"
LILY/JAMES
• stories by stereolightning, including
• No Foolish Wand-Waving (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9643236/1/No-Foolish-Wand-Waving) – Lily and James’ love sets things on fire. Literally.
• I Know Who I Want to Take Me Home (http://archiveofourown.org/works/1084590) – “James and Lily have just gotten married. He's sad that he can't yell ‘hey Evans’ at her anymore.” stereolightning’s Lily and James are always a delight, snarky and smart and deeply in love, with a silly sense of humor all their own.
• stories by such such-heights, including
• Lily’s Falling (http://such-heights.livejournal.com/3035.html) – “Despite his best efforts, James Potter has become tolerable, and Lily has no idea what to do about it.”
• There Comes a Time (http://such-heights.livejournal.com/50007.html) – school’s ending, what’s next?
ANDROMEDA-CENTRIC
• The Hardest Part by such-heights (http://such-heights.livejournal.com/83540.html) – a glimpse of Andromeda and Ted, just before she finally decides to make the break with her family
• First Date by swissmarg (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3794262/1/First_Date) – an interesting take on Andromeda, who goes on a date with Fabian Prewett, but along the way she meets some guy called Ted Tonks
• Dangerous Jobs for Girls by neutrinofics (http://neutrinofics.livejournal.com/30478.html) – fantastic portrayal of both Luna and Andromeda. They end up running the Quibbler together. The whole thing sounds bizarre but is perfect.
(I've also written many Andromeda stories, if you're interested! See my master list, or specifically my collection of Andromeda stories.)
TEDDY-CENTRIC
• Teddy Lupin and the Forest Guard (http://humongousbighead.homestead.com/teddytoc.html) and Teddy Lupin and the Hunter’s Moon by Fernwithy (http://humongousbighead.homestead.com/moontoc.html) – wonderfully developed stories of Teddy and the whole next-gen world (NOTE: those links seem to be no longer active, but the stories are now available on AO3, for example Teddy Lupin and the Forest Guard is at http://archiveofourown.org/works/1038392/chapters/2071555)
• September When It Comes by sundancekid (http://sundancekid.livejournal.com/573717.html) – seven years of Teddy Lupin being seen off at Platform 9 3/4, and a fantastic portrait of what it is to be an adolescent
• stereolightning's Teddy is delightful; check out The Bequest (http://archiveofourown.org/works/1560338/chapters/3308921) and others in her collection of Teddy stories (http://archiveofourown.org/series/68947).
• Seven Looks at Luck, Life & Love by thirty2flavors (http://allthings-teddy.livejournal.com/518.html) – Teddy moments over the years
• The Birthday Boy by Lady Bracknell (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3700217/1/The_Birthday_Boy) – Teddy gets a letter from Remus and Tonks on his 17th birthday, and Harry understands
TONKS-CENTRIC
(this is Tonks genfic; see also my “Remus Recs” for copious good Remus/Tonks stories!)
• The Shape of Me by Pandora Culpa (http://www.fictionalley.org/authors/pandora_culpa/TSOM.html) – a must-read for the serious Tonks fan! A fantastic study of young Tonks learning to control and channel her Metamorphmagus abilities. Technically unfinished, but it doesn't matter – it's much more about the Metamorphmagus study than about plot threads.
• Nymphadora Tonks and the Liquor of Jacmel by snorcackcatcher (http://snorkfics.livejournal.com/19589.html) – a smart Tonks-centric casefic that focuses on Tonks' professional abilities rather than her status as a love interest!
• Rendezvous in Waterloo by rosemaryandrue (http://rosemaryandrue.livejournal.com/28899.html) – newly a member of the Order, Tonks meets Snape in a café to receive cryptic communications
• The Hag of Ilkley Moor by madurai (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5356083/1/The_Hag_of_Ilkley_Moor) – (AU, post-war) on the job as an Auror, Tonks has to clear up a problem with a hag, a tree and a Muggle shopping center
• Wasted by leigh_adams (http://venividiscribi.livejournal.com/52615.html) – a few of Tonks’ reflections, as a child during the first war and an adult during the second
• Gravitas by jadeddiva (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2706860/1/Gravitas) – a short study of Tonks' experiences at the end of GoF
SIRIUS-CENTRIC
(see also my “Remus recs” for very, very copious amounts of Remus/Sirius)
• The Punctuation of Doors by stereolightning (http://archiveofourown.org/works/1082672) – “Sirius thinks his whole life might just be about showing up at James' doorstep, over and over.” The story of an epic friendship, a great platonic love.
• Clouds In My Coffee by Lady Bracknell (www.fanfiction.net/s/3502877/1/Clouds_In_My_Coffee) – Sirius at a party
DUMBLEDORE/GRINDELWALD
• Old Adventurers by rosemaryandrue – a great take on a latter-day Gellert, mischievous and unrepentant, remembering what fun it was both to seduce Albus and to teach him mischief – http://grindeldore.livejournal.com/834.html
PETUNIA/SEVERUS SNAPE
• A Part of Yesterday by DelphiPsmith – beautiful, wistful, a story of a stunningly believable, all-too-brief romance, as seen through Petunia's memories after the war as she's tentatively reconciling with Harry – http://archiveofourown.org/works/5709046/
VIKTOR KRUM/UNDISCLOSED
• Snitch by Delphi – Intriguing post-war world-building, as Viktor Krum tracks down last remaining Death Eaters in hiding...and in the process falls in love, gradually and long-distance, with the prickly, anonymous recluse who's been sending him tip-offs – https://archiveofourown.org/works/208321
NEXT-GEN PAIRINGS
• The Rules of Being a Godson by Sam Starbuck (http://shacking-up.livejournal.com/15433.html) – a classic by Sam. "Teddy Lupin never gets too close or feels too much; his godfather's son never does anything else." Teddy/James Sirius.
• Light Unshone by liadan14 (http://liadan14.livejournal.com/31469.html) – “After the war, Charlie gets a transfer to a dragon reservation in the Scottish Highlands. Draco Malfoy turns out to be a surprisingly frequent visitor.” Charlie/Draco. I love a story that makes an unlikely pairing totally work! Also a story about everyone putting the pieces back together after the war.
• Normality is to Freedom by liadan14 (http://liadan14.livejournal.com/16000.html) – a “big gay Hogwarts” trope type story that makes it work by going delightfully over the top. (“Yeah,” Harry says. “Apparently my children are either hippies or in a teenage experimentation phase.”)
• stories by Kerichi (https://www.fanfiction.net/u/322080/Kerichi) – fun and well-developed Rose/Scorpius stories
HARRY POTTER: AUs!
• Reclamation by Sam Starbuck (http://sam-storyteller.dreamwidth.org/97242.html) – “In an alternate universe, one man still struggles with a moral decision made many years before.” I don’t want to give anything away by saying…anything, really. But you should read this.
• Stealing Harry by Sam Starbuck (http://sam-storyteller.dreamwidth.org/8614.html) and the sequel Laocoon's Children (http://sam-storyteller.dreamwidth.org/5569.html) – Sam's masterwork that parallels canon, but in an AU where Sirius never went to Azkaban, and he and Remus rescue Harry from the Dursleys and raise him as their son. A huge fic, but so worth it. (Sam eventually discontinued the series as he grew disenchanted with the later HP books, but he provides detailed notes on where he would have taken the series, so it still feels complete.)
• boy with a scar (series) by dirgewithoutmusic (https://archiveofourown.org/series/285498) – a collection of different "what-if" scenarios, exploring how events might have unfolded in each of those cases, told in dirgewithoutmusic's thoughtful, emotive style. For example, what if Petunia had raised Harry truly as a son? What if Neville was the Chosen One? Or Ron, or Hermione? What if it was the Dursleys who died, and Lily and James raised Dudley together with Harry? What if Snape had apologized to Lily after calling her "Mudblood," truly apologized and realized he was wrong, and they stayed friends through everything that came after?
• Dear Mr Diggory by aggiebell90 (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/101563.html) – epistolary-style story of the events of OotP, in a AU where Cedric survived and became Head Boy
• conversations harry potter never had by irnan (http://archiveofourown.org/works/369061/chapters/600867) – tiny studies of different AU worlds
HARRY POTTER: CROSSOVERS AND FUSIONS
• In which Snape befriends an old grey donkey by Plenty O’Custard (same author as gm_weasley, I think?) (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4903653/) – Harry Potter/Winnie-the-Pooh. Snape accidentally Apparates into Hundred Acre Wood and befriends Eeyore. Obviously.
• Matches in the Snow by delphipsmith (http://hoggywartyxmas.livejournal.com/61938.html) – a beautiful fusion with and update of Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Little Match Girl” that moved me to tears and gave the little match girl a happy ending. Features McGonagall, Kingsley Shacklebolt, a very clever cat…and a very clever Hogwarts letter.
• More Things Than Are Dreamt Of by 1electricpirate (http://archiveofourown.org/series/23063) – Harry Potter/BBC Sherlock. “In which John is (reluctantly) a wizard, Mycroft is (apparently) omniscient, and Sherlock is (surprisingly) oblivious.” Though John Watson’s left the magical world behind, the fact remains that he was in the same year at Hogwarts as Charlie Weasley!
HARRY POTTER: JUST GENERALLY GOOD FUN
• The Contingency Plan by ofankoma (http://www.thepetulantpoetess.com/viewstory.php?sid=20889) – in just 500 words, the author manages to describe the chaos that ensues from one garbled Wizarding Wireless Network announcement, and at the same time to gently spoof all manner of fanon clichés, starting with the oddly resilient "Marriage Law" trope.
• Oral Tradition by neutrinofics (http://neutrinofics.livejournal.com/30122.html) – Crookshanks tells his many descendants the story of how Voldemort really met his end.
• Vault 419 by snorkackcatcher (http://snorkfics.livejournal.com/24711.html) – a fun story in which Harry and Ron, as Aurors, investigate a seemingly simple case of fraud, but all is not quite as it seems
• Harry Potter and the Eagle of Truthiness by Christine Morgan (http://www.eskimo.com/~vecna/truthiness.html) – honestly, I'm not sure if you even need to read the whole story, or if it's enough just to know the concept: Stephen Colbert is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor....and an eagle Animagus!
• The Legacy Game by swissmarg (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4031148/1/The_Legacy_Game) – the Next Gen kids compete, game show style, to see who has the most weighty legacy to live up to.
• The Mysterious Death of Albus Dumbledore by neutrinofics (http://neutrinofics.livejournal.com/11996.html) – Snort! Hurrah! Dumbledore’s death, as solved by none other than the great Sherlock Holmes
• Care and Feeding of Your Severus Snape by shyfoxling (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6642355/1/Care-and-Feeding-of-Your-Severus-Snape) – “Congratulations on the acquisition of your new Severus Snape! To achieve the best results, may we suggest you adhere to the following guidelines...”
OTHER FANDOM RECS (now moved to a separate post, HERE)
. . . . .
What can I say? For a while there, I was reading a lot of fanfiction... So I thought maybe others could benefit from all my bookmarking and notetaking!
Caveat: This list was mostly compiled in late 2013 and though I do add to it here and there, that was the last point when I was reading copiously and widely. If you find you share my interests and you're interested in more recs, though, leave a comment! It's possible I might have more ideas for you, and in any case I always love chatting about recs. :-)
These recs are mostly Harry Potter, arranged as follows:
–genfic, sorted by era (some of the very best stuff is in here!)
–the Remus Recs: Yes, I love Remus so much that he gets his own entire section. Includes Remus/Tonks, Remus/Sirius, Remus gen and Remus other pairings.
–character-specific story recs (these include dedicated sections for: Neville, Luna, Hermione, Lily, Lily/James, Andromeda, Teddy, Tonks, Sirius, and then a few miscellaneous pairings)
–AUs
–crossovers
–just generally good fun (fun, humorous fics of all stripes)
Then come a few recs for other fandoms:
Merlin, Cabin Pressure, Torchwood, White Collar, and some assorted others (Firefly, His Dark Materials, Narnia, fairy tales, even Calvin and Hobbes) and what I'm calling "other other other" (a couple of extraordinarily awesome, quirky crossovers). UPDATE: These "other fandoms" (i.e. everything that's not Harry Potter) now have their own post, since this one got too big! You can find them here: OTHER FANDOM RECS.)
I've also amassed a ton of BBC Sherlock recs (and a few ACD canon Sherlock Holmes recs, too) but they're so many that I still haven't figured out how to organize them in a useful way, so they're not included here, at least for now. If you've got requests, though, ask! I might have suggestions. And I do have one specific sub-list of recs: genfic recs of Sherlock and Mycroft as brothers.
Now to the recs... It's pretty much impossible to pick favorites when there's so much talented writing out there, but recs in bolded text are ones I especially recommend. Enjoy!
HARRY POTTER RECS
GENFIC RECS
(see also below for sections reccing stories for specific characters: Remus, Neville, Luna, etc.)
NOTE: my genfic reading has drawn heavily from the following communities and exchanges, which are all great sources for high-quality fic: http://hp-summergen.livejournal.com, http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com, http://hp-holidaygen.livejournal.com, http://omniocular.livejournal.com, http://hp-friendship.livejournal.com
MARAUDERS ERA/PRE-CANON GENFIC
• stories by kaydeefalls, including
• The Years of the Rat (http://kaydeefalls.livejournal.com/356599.html) – an extremely well developed and believable take on Peter through the years, as a far stronger and more calculating character than you might expect. I know you don’t like Peter. I don’t either. But read this story anyway.
• stories by such-heights, including
• Order Out of Chaos (http://such-heights.livejournal.com/49913.html) – Dumbledore has an Order to create, Moody has Aurors to train, Remus recruits, James and Sirius are bold, Lily delightful
• I Know Where the Summer Goes (http://such-heights.livejournal.com/67551.html) – “The Black family travels en masse for their summer holiday. This time, Sirius isn't going home again.”
• Beginnings of the Order (http://such-heights.livejournal.com/9292.html) – shows the Marauders' various motivations for joining the Order (for Remus it's personal loyalty) and Peter's doubts, with James and Sirius forcing him in
• In The Room (Where People Come And Go) (http://such-heights.livejournal.com/87819.html) – everyone visits Lily after Harry’s birth; everyone wants a little light and hope
• Cocktail Time by therealsnape (http://hp-friendship.livejournal.com/5543.html) – few people know this, but in their younger years, Rita Skeeter and Gilderoy Lockhart were flatmates. This is a story about two of the least likeable characters in Harry Potter…and it's terrific.
• Winter of Discontent by aliciadances (http://femgenficathon.livejournal.com/123685.html) – Narcissa worries about Regulus when he goes missing, while the others around her pooh-pooh her concern.
• Arthur and the Muggles by dolorous_ett (http://hp-summergen.livejournal.com/13746.html) – how Arthur Weasley became who he is!
• Evergreen by loneraven (http://rs-small-gifts.livejournal.com/108033.html) – The Order gathers for a Diwali/Christmas/etc. party, knowing how much they need that moment of lightness
• Shehecheyanu Moment by xslytherclawx (https://archiveofourown.org/works/17402696/) – as first-years at Hogwarts, Remus and Lily bond over figuring out how to celebrate Jewish rituals in the wizarding world.
• Masquerade: The Last Yuletide of Regulus Black by hikarievandar (http://hp-holidaygen.livejournal.com/59710.html) – Regulus, shortly before the end, at a ball at Malfoy manor and seeing the decay under all the glittering glamour of Pureblood life.
• four thousand two hundred and sixty by kel (http://obsessivetendencies.net/songs/sirius.html) – Sirius in Azkaban, forgetting and remembering, until he finally remembers strongly enough to escape
• Despair behind, and Death before (http://hp-summergen.livejournal.com/6054.html) – Merope Gaunt gets her fortune told by Cassandra Trelawney
• Stasis by Andromeda311 (http://unknowableroom.org/2792/1) – Regulus feels he can’t even fail as well as Sirius can
• Seeds of Hate by chthonya (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/108838.html) – a look at young Lucius in his first year at Hogwarts, navigating expectations and hierarchy
BOOK ERA GENFIC
• What It Takes by lyras (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/104243.html) – a lovely look at the year of Deathly Hallows through the six main kids' perspectives (Neville, Luna, Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione), showing the moments we didn't get to see.
• A Reason to Fight by lyras (http://hp-holidaygen.livejournal.com/62512.html) – "Aberforth thinks he's finished with fighting -- until Neville Longbottom falls through the portrait door and into his life." Aberforth the bitter, brittle surivivor slowly being affected by Neville's determination and hope gave me chills and tears. So moving and so beautifully in character.
• Eleven Up by ryfkah (https://archiveofourown.org/works/5147618) – the entire book era as seen through the eyes of six Muggleborn Hogwarts students (Dean, Hermione, Colin Creavey, etc.), framed as interviews conducted for a sociological study. A powerful, moving and incisive look into some of the more troubling aspects of wizarding society.
• Twelve Days by neutrinofics (http://neutrinofics.livejournal.com/24902.html) – The gifts named in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" start literally showing up at Hogwarts during Christmas the year of DH, starting with Neville waking up to find a partridge in a pear tree in his dorm. Fun yet also with a serious undertone, given the time period.
• My Own Secret Ceremonials by downjune (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/108390.html) – From Luna's perspective, just before the start of Deathly Hallows, as she convinces everyone to get together for one last party before they know everything's going to go to hell.
• we must unite inside her walls or we'll crumble from within by dirgewithout music (https://archiveofourown.org/series/136245) – wonderful, moving stories set during and after the war about: Cho Chang, Hannah Abbott, Parvati Patil, Ginny Weasley, Pansy Parkinson, Andromeda Black Tonks, Susan Bones, and Luna Lovegood. All pack a punch and are beautiful explorations of each of these characters, their individual struggles and strengths.
• Sixteen Ways to Tell the Weasley Twins Apart by kaydeefalls (http://kaydeefalls.livejournal.com/338234.html) – lovely little snippets about Fred and George
• Mad Dogs and Scotsmen by delphi (http://hp-friendship.livejournal.com/5088.html) – Emmeline Vance grudgingly agrees to let Alastor Moody live with her while he gets over the PTSD from being locked in his own trunk for an entire school year.
• If You Can Not Take the First Step by downjune (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/90167.html) – Hermione discovers unexpected friendship with Luna, during a little moment of bonding over escaping Umbridge during 5th year.
• Ministry Business Official or Otherwise by magikcatfics (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/95254.html) – "In a time of uncertainty, Rufus Scrimgeour seemed like the obvious choice for Minister of Magic. Or was he?"
• Visitors by lyras (http://lyras.livejournal.com/15235.html) – Alice Longbottom’s thoughts on her visitors on the closed ward
• All Ye Faithful by such-heights (http://such-heights.livejournal.com/80226.html) – Neville looking out for Hogwarts during the Christmas of Deathly Hallows. I love a Neville who's brave yet vulnerable, and really tugs at your heart.
• The Gift by lazy_neutrino (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/105129.html) – young Neville, Luna and Hannah on an adventure
• Two Dragons by lazy_neutrino (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/94813.html) – fifth year, Cho and Marietta have to make a choice
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by neutrinofics (http://neutrinofics.livejournal.com/31052.html) – the summer after GoF, Parvati’s Boggart takes an unexpected form
• Captain My Own Soul by Sam Starbuck, aka Copperbadge (http://sam-storyteller.dreamwidth.org/97336.html) – after his flight at the end of HBP, Draco ends up meeting Regulus Black, who’s not dead. And who sings old Irish ballads.
• Of Elves and Masters by st_dl (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/95720.html) – Kreacher’s story in Deathly Hallows, told backwards between the Battle of Hogwarts and the day Harry, Ron and Hermione didn’t come back to Grimmauld Place after infiltrating the Ministry
• A New Alliance by jncar (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4075304/1/A_New_Alliance) – Neville and Aberforth both finding the secret passage between the Room of Requirement and the Hog’s Head from opposite sides, guided by Ariana
POST-WAR AND NEXT-GEN GENFIC
• Variations on a Happily Ever After by gm_weasley – this is my ultimate, classic post-canon story of how it’s possible to reach a happy ending, but it takes time and work to get there. Was formerly posted at
http://asylums.insanejournal.com/ginfics/16078.html, but can now only be found through the Wayback Machine.
• stories by lyras, including
• Les Jours Tristes (http://squishedstories.livejournal.com/33455.html) – in which Luna visits Narcissa Malfoy in prison after the war, and is just marvelously Luna about it all.
• The Affair of the Wedding (http://takingitinturns.livejournal.com/54371.html) – takes place at the wedding of Scorpius and Lily Luna; a perfect portrait of where the characters are, 30 years on: the Malfoys' and Potters' cautious rapprochement, the dynamic between Harry and Ginny, everyone's reflections on the past, even the spot-on observations from Rita Skeeter. And a well-placed touch of wistfulness from Neville.
• Let Us Not Talk Falsely (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/93961.html) – "Arthur takes a reluctant trainee out into the field, and encounters an old friend who has not been treated well by the wizarding world."
• Switzerland by ofankoma (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/107695.html) – an utterly brilliant story from, wait for it.... Blaise Zabini's perspective. I know the character doesn't sound appealing, but this is really good, examining the abortive attempts at friendship between two boys who should by all accounts be friends: Blaise is Pureblood and wealthy, yet not a Death Eater sympathizer; Justin Finch-Fletchley is a similarly upperclass Hufflepuff who Blaise would have so much in common with, if only Justin weren't Muggleborn. A really very interesting take on the years at Hogwarts and especially the reconciliation (or non-reconciliation) process afterward.
• The Pure and Simple Truth by lettered (http://archiveofourown.org/works/392764) – "Harry, Draco, and Hermione go to a pub. Harry, Draco, and Pansy go to a pub. Harry, Draco, Pansy, and Hermione go to a pub. Harry, Draco, Hermione and Ron go to a pub. Harry, Draco, Hermione, Ron, and Pansy―you guessed it―go to a pub. I could go on. In fact, I did. Harry, Draco, Hermione, Pansy, Ron, Blaise, Luna, Goyle, Neville, and Theodore Nott go to a pub. In various combinations." An excellent, thoughtful, deep look into what it really takes to rebuild lives and friendships after the war. It's both gen and Harry/Draco in a wonderfully interwoven way.
• Cauterize by lady-altair (http://lady-altair.livejournal.com/6617.html) – After the war, Dennis Creevey takes up his brother's camera and starts to photograph the scars, visible and invisible, that the war has left behind on the people he knows. Poignant, striking, strong images.
• Those Frightful Malfoy Scenes by rosemaryandrue (http://rosemaryandrue.livejournal.com/53314.html) – A delightful take on the first meeting of the Malfoy cousins – Scorpius and Teddy.
• Dangerous Jobs for Girls by neutrinofics (http://neutrinofics.livejournal.com/30478.html) – fantastic portrayal of both Luna and Andromeda. They end up running the Quibbler together. The whole thing sounds bizarre but is perfect.
• and yes i said yes i will yes (or: four weddings and a funeral) – honey_wheeler – a beautiful during-Deathly-Hallows and post-war story that gets it all right, from bittersweet grief to fun romance to sweet friendship – http://archiveofourown.org/works/234550
• The Peculiar Resilience of the Refugee by Squibstress – a surprisingly beautiful story about Petunia Dursley after the war – with nowhere left to go, she grudgingly finds work helping Rosmerta run the Three Broomsticks, and despite herself finds a tentative place in the wizarding world. This story is impressive especially because it has a real redemptive feel to it, and yet it's never not Petunia as we knew her. – http://www.thepetulantpoetess.com/viewstory.php?sid=22160
• Disorganised Crime by pitry (http://hp-friendship.livejournal.com/5985.html) – a fun little hijinks story of Harry and Neville accidentally getting themselves arrested by Muggle police while out doing Auror work – but some of the conversations they have to kill time during their night in a jail cell are really beautiful and touching. How I love a well-written Neville.
• Seven Weddings by stereolightning (http://archiveofourown.org/works/915476/chapters/1775523) – a beautiful series of interactions, “La Ronde” style, between various characters, spanning eras, all set at various weddings… the highlight for me is Luna’s nontraditional but utterly lovely marriage!
• Strength in Numbers by miramiraficfic (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/89215.html) – I love a story that shines the spotlight on nearly unknown characters, makes them real and complex and neither all good nor all bad. This is about Marietta, Lavender and Millicent Bustrode...and it's great. Sweet and redemptive, without being overdone.
• Death and King’s Cross by sciathan file (http://sciathan-file.livejournal.com/69180.html) – Death might look like King’s Cross for Harry Potter, but it’s a different place for everyone. Beautiful glimpses into various characters’ experience of the world after.
• The Godfather by sundancekid (http://sundancekid.livejournal.com/533137.html) – everyone swoons over Harry with baby Teddy!
• mischiefmanaged!verse stories by irnan (http://archiveofourown.org/series/13075) – series of interrelated stories set during different periods post-canon and written from all different perspectives; this is a great look at Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron rebuilding their lives together, plus a fully developed world for the next-gen kids!
• women of consequence by irnan (http://archiveofourown.org/series/18572) – four stories about four women in the Harry Potter world, including Hannah working her way through her grief, and Astoria as Minister for Magic!
• The Next Great Adventure by sundancekid (http://sundancekid.livejournal.com/536805.html) – Dean, Luna and Neville, growing closer the year after the war, back at Hogwarts. (A bit of Dean/Luna, but mostly gen. Includes delightful Luna Quidditch commentary!)
• Hogwarts, to welcome you home by gedsparrowhawk (https://archiveofourown.org/works/8125531) - Harry becomes Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, just like you'd think he would, finding a home at Hogwarts and a role bringing kids from different houses together.
• Pursuit of the Jackalope (or, Fantastic Friends and Where to Find Them) by stereolightning (http://archiveofourown.org/works/974929/chapters/1954178) – Luna takes a teenaged Teddy along on her American expedition to track the mysterious jackalope. Along the way, they make new friends, and romance blossoms between Luna and the equally quirky American naturalist Rolf Scamander. Stereolightning's Luna and Rolf are utterly delightful!
• Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect by xylodemon (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/102257.html) – in the rebuilding of Hogwarts after the war, McGonagall realizes the castle itself is deliberately resisting her attempts to fix things, and won't play along until the students come to help.
• The Bow that Is Stable by bitchet (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/105601.html) – a series of vignettes showing Harry's generation and who they are as parents
• Contract of Employment (and associated correspondence) by penknife (http://archiveofourown.org/works/25948) – Harry has some questions about the many oddities in the Hogwarts standard teacher's contract. (A correspondence between Harry and Hermione.)
• The Delusionist by sciathan file (http://sciathan-file.livejournal.com/65105.html) – wizarding portraits, how they’re made and what they are
• (Just Like) Starting Over (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/98493.html) – Draco and Narcissa picking up the pieces after the war (with an interesting little twist involving Astoria Greengrass).
• Heartstring by such_heights (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/56146.html) – “In the summer after the war, they need wands again.” Ollivander, Luna and Dean.
• Empty Burrow by Sam Starbuck (http://sam-storyteller.dreamwidth.org/82220.html) – a sweet little story after Molly and Arthur see Ginny off on the Hogwarts Express for the first time. (Actually Molly/Arthur, but I thought I’d toss it in here with the genfic, since it’s also about family!)
• The Ones Who Were Taught Petrov’s Defense by two-if-by-sea (http://two-if-by-sea.livejournal.com/221736.html) – some reflections on how things don’t change after the war
• All the Little Pieces by aliciadances (http://hp-nextgen-fest.livejournal.com/77852.html) – Scorpius learning to forgive his father’s sins.
• Majesty by kellychambliss (http://kellychambliss.livejournal.com/54545.html) – Minerva McGonagall and Queen Elizabeth II meet!
• The Boy Who Lived by PigWithHair (http://checkmated.com/story.php?story=9509) – Harry reflects, in very old age, to Neville Longbottom's granddaughter. (Warning: set very far in the future, so there have been major character deaths by this point.)
CHARACTER-SPECIFIC RECS
(note: there’s some overlap between these and my genfic recs above)
(THE REMUS RECS – link goes to an entire separate page including Remus/Sirius, Remus/Tonks, Remus genfic and a few of Remus in other pairings)
NEVILLE-CENTRIC
• A Reason to Fight by lyras (http://hp-holidaygen.livejournal.com/62512.html) – "Aberforth thinks he's finished with fighting -- until Neville Longbottom falls through the portrait door and into his life." Aberforth the bitter, brittle survivor slowly being affected by Neville's determination and hope gave me chills and tears. So moving and so beautifully in character.
• It Doesn't Always Roar by Realmer06 (https://archiveofourown.org/works/3835135/) – three conversations Neville has with the Sorting Hat over the years; lovely and insightful.
• Simple by Crookshanks22 (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3835638/1/Simple) – "He may have pulled Godric Gryffindor's sword from the Sorting Hat, but Neville's still got girl trouble." A sweet, in-character snapshot of Neville, unrequitedly in love.
• All Ye Faithful by such-heights (http://such-heights.livejournal.com/80226.html) – Neville looking out for Hogwarts during the Christmas of Deathly Hallows
• Harry’s Man Through and Through by snorkackcatcher (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/107266.html) – “Neville is not the Chosen One. He’s okay with that.”
• Disorganised Crime by pitry (http://hp-friendship.livejournal.com/5985.html) – a fun little hijinks story of Harry and Neville accidentally getting themselves arrested by Muggle police while out doing Auror work – but some of the conversations they have to kill time during their night in a jail cell are really beautiful and touching. How I love a well-written Neville.
• Twelve Days by neutrinofics (http://neutrinofics.livejournal.com/24902.html) – The gifts named in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" start literally showing up at Hogwarts during Christmas the year of DH, starting with Neville waking up to find a partridge in a pear tree in his dorm. Fun yet also with a serious undertone, given the time period.
• The Trials of Neville Longbottom by mosaic (http://hp-summergen.livejournal.com/5849.html) – third year, Neville gets a needed boost in confidence from Professor Lupin
• A Life in a Box by RedSioda (http://www.checkmated.com/story.php?story=9798) – Neville passes on to his daughter the Christmas keepsakes his gran gave him from his parents
• Paper Cuts by neutrinofics (http://neutrinofics.livejournal.com/19848.html) – Neville’s letters to his parents over the years
• The Tao of Neville by mickawber-fics (http://mickawber-fics.livejournal.com/59187.html) – reflections on Neville in the form of the Tao Te Ching!
LUNA-CENTRIC
• Les Jours Tristes by lyras (http://squishedstories.livejournal.com/33455.html) – in which Luna visits Narcissa Malfoy in prison after the war, and is just marvelously Luna about it all.
• Pursuit of the Jackalope (or, Fantastic Friends and Where to Find Them) by stereolightning (http://archiveofourown.org/works/974929/chapters/1954178) – Luna takes a teenaged Teddy along on her American expedition to track the mysterious jackalope. Along the way, they make new friends, and romance blossoms between Luna and the equally quirky American naturalist Rolf Scamander. Stereolightning's Luna and Rolf are utterly delightful! You can also see a bit more of Luna and Rolf, and their friendship with Teddy, in Perspective (http://archiveofourown.org/works/1148596).
• Dangerous Jobs for Girls by neutrinofics (http://neutrinofics.livejournal.com/30478.html) – a fantastic portrayal of both Luna and Andromeda. They end up running the Quibbler together. The whole thing sounds bizarre but is perfect.
• Loony: in Defense of Luna Lovegood (part of the "we must unite within her walls or we'll crumble from within" series recced above) by dirgewithout music (https://archiveofourown.org/works/2802287) – Luna being her own indomitable self, through the Hogwarts years and after, including her very insightful observations of Ginny; missing her mother; and forging her own path despite her father's loving expectations.
• The Sceptic’s Guide to Spotting Impossible Beasts by pitry (http://hp-friendship.livejournal.com/4108.html) – Hermione agrees despite herself to accompany Luna on a hunt for a Crumple-Horned Snorkack
• My Own Secret Ceremonials by downjune (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/108390.html) – From Luna's perspective, just before the start of DH, as she convinces everyone to get together for one last party before they know everything's going to go to hell.
• Prisoner by jennifergale (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/88390.html) – held captive in the Malfoys' basement during Deathly Hallows, Luna realizes Draco is in a way just as much a prisoner as she is
• Rolling Downhill by mountainmoira (http://hp-friendship.livejournal.com/8984.html) – another story of Draco and Luna's interactions at Malfoy Manor, where Bellatrix is making him torture her, and Luna remains sympathetic to him despite it
HERMIONE-CENTRIC
• At the Start of Whatever by swissmarg (http://swissmarg.livejournal.com/103608.html) – one of my all-time favorites. Hermione/Viktor, years later. Hermione's not looking for romance, but sparks fly anyway… An utterly beautiful story. (I don’t usually enjoy stories that break up canon couples, but I love this one, which should tell you how gently and compassionately the author handles the subject!)
• stories by stereolightning:
• Newly Minted (http://stereolightning.livejournal.com/12092.html) – Hermione and Ron starting the rest of their lives together, directly after the end of the battle at Hogwarts
• 19 Days Later (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9278848/1/19-Days-Later) – a little portrait of hope and new beginnings in the direct aftermath of the war
• The Bucket List of One Hermione Granger by igrockspock (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/103135.html) – Hermione learns to live without a plan
• The Sceptic’s Guide to Spotting Impossible Beasts by pitry (http://hp-friendship.livejournal.com/4108.html) – Hermione agrees despite herself to accompany Luna on a hunt for a Crumple-Horned Snorkack
• The Janus Thickey Ward by sophierom (http://sshg-exchange.livejournal.com/191635.html) – a thoughtful piece about the slow process of finding a life again after the war, and about Hermione, who's failing under the pressure of everyone having always expected her to be perfect at everything. This is Hermione/Snape, and I’m not usually a fan of cross-generational pairings, but I find it works here. (The premise is slightly AU: Hermione and Neville found Snape in the Shrieking Shack and saved his life, after Voldemort set Nagini on him at the end of DH.)
• Three Galleons by Sam Starbuck (http://sam-storyteller.dreamwidth.org/45876.html) – a postwar AU of Hermione/Snape, with a side of Hermione/Snape/Remus threesome…no, really. It somehow works, because it's Sam, and apparently Sam can do anything.
• Beyond the Burning Bridge by leni_jess (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/102040.html) – Hermione faces the consequences of the memory charm she used on her parents during DH.
LILY-CENTRIC
• Touch the Face of the Stars by lyras (http://lyras.livejournal.com/83483.html) – letters written by Lily over the years, including one to Harry in the end
• Queen. Knight. Castle. by stereolightning (http://archiveofourown.org/works/949354/chapters/1905098) – “During their fifth year and the summer after, Lily and Severus fall in and out of each other's good graces.” Lovely scenes from Lily and Severus’ troubled friendship.
• stories by Random-Musings (https://www.fanfiction.net/u/765781/Random-Musings), for her take on Lily and Severus’ complicated friendship, for example in "Glitter Disco Hot Mess" and "We Were Born to Lose"
LILY/JAMES
• stories by stereolightning, including
• No Foolish Wand-Waving (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9643236/1/No-Foolish-Wand-Waving) – Lily and James’ love sets things on fire. Literally.
• I Know Who I Want to Take Me Home (http://archiveofourown.org/works/1084590) – “James and Lily have just gotten married. He's sad that he can't yell ‘hey Evans’ at her anymore.” stereolightning’s Lily and James are always a delight, snarky and smart and deeply in love, with a silly sense of humor all their own.
• stories by such such-heights, including
• Lily’s Falling (http://such-heights.livejournal.com/3035.html) – “Despite his best efforts, James Potter has become tolerable, and Lily has no idea what to do about it.”
• There Comes a Time (http://such-heights.livejournal.com/50007.html) – school’s ending, what’s next?
ANDROMEDA-CENTRIC
• The Hardest Part by such-heights (http://such-heights.livejournal.com/83540.html) – a glimpse of Andromeda and Ted, just before she finally decides to make the break with her family
• First Date by swissmarg (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3794262/1/First_Date) – an interesting take on Andromeda, who goes on a date with Fabian Prewett, but along the way she meets some guy called Ted Tonks
• Dangerous Jobs for Girls by neutrinofics (http://neutrinofics.livejournal.com/30478.html) – fantastic portrayal of both Luna and Andromeda. They end up running the Quibbler together. The whole thing sounds bizarre but is perfect.
(I've also written many Andromeda stories, if you're interested! See my master list, or specifically my collection of Andromeda stories.)
TEDDY-CENTRIC
• Teddy Lupin and the Forest Guard (http://humongousbighead.homestead.com/teddytoc.html) and Teddy Lupin and the Hunter’s Moon by Fernwithy (http://humongousbighead.homestead.com/moontoc.html) – wonderfully developed stories of Teddy and the whole next-gen world (NOTE: those links seem to be no longer active, but the stories are now available on AO3, for example Teddy Lupin and the Forest Guard is at http://archiveofourown.org/works/1038392/chapters/2071555)
• September When It Comes by sundancekid (http://sundancekid.livejournal.com/573717.html) – seven years of Teddy Lupin being seen off at Platform 9 3/4, and a fantastic portrait of what it is to be an adolescent
• stereolightning's Teddy is delightful; check out The Bequest (http://archiveofourown.org/works/1560338/chapters/3308921) and others in her collection of Teddy stories (http://archiveofourown.org/series/68947).
• Seven Looks at Luck, Life & Love by thirty2flavors (http://allthings-teddy.livejournal.com/518.html) – Teddy moments over the years
• The Birthday Boy by Lady Bracknell (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3700217/1/The_Birthday_Boy) – Teddy gets a letter from Remus and Tonks on his 17th birthday, and Harry understands
TONKS-CENTRIC
(this is Tonks genfic; see also my “Remus Recs” for copious good Remus/Tonks stories!)
• The Shape of Me by Pandora Culpa (http://www.fictionalley.org/authors/pandora_culpa/TSOM.html) – a must-read for the serious Tonks fan! A fantastic study of young Tonks learning to control and channel her Metamorphmagus abilities. Technically unfinished, but it doesn't matter – it's much more about the Metamorphmagus study than about plot threads.
• Nymphadora Tonks and the Liquor of Jacmel by snorcackcatcher (http://snorkfics.livejournal.com/19589.html) – a smart Tonks-centric casefic that focuses on Tonks' professional abilities rather than her status as a love interest!
• Rendezvous in Waterloo by rosemaryandrue (http://rosemaryandrue.livejournal.com/28899.html) – newly a member of the Order, Tonks meets Snape in a café to receive cryptic communications
• The Hag of Ilkley Moor by madurai (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5356083/1/The_Hag_of_Ilkley_Moor) – (AU, post-war) on the job as an Auror, Tonks has to clear up a problem with a hag, a tree and a Muggle shopping center
• Wasted by leigh_adams (http://venividiscribi.livejournal.com/52615.html) – a few of Tonks’ reflections, as a child during the first war and an adult during the second
• Gravitas by jadeddiva (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2706860/1/Gravitas) – a short study of Tonks' experiences at the end of GoF
SIRIUS-CENTRIC
(see also my “Remus recs” for very, very copious amounts of Remus/Sirius)
• The Punctuation of Doors by stereolightning (http://archiveofourown.org/works/1082672) – “Sirius thinks his whole life might just be about showing up at James' doorstep, over and over.” The story of an epic friendship, a great platonic love.
• Clouds In My Coffee by Lady Bracknell (www.fanfiction.net/s/3502877/1/Clouds_In_My_Coffee) – Sirius at a party
DUMBLEDORE/GRINDELWALD
• Old Adventurers by rosemaryandrue – a great take on a latter-day Gellert, mischievous and unrepentant, remembering what fun it was both to seduce Albus and to teach him mischief – http://grindeldore.livejournal.com/834.html
PETUNIA/SEVERUS SNAPE
• A Part of Yesterday by DelphiPsmith – beautiful, wistful, a story of a stunningly believable, all-too-brief romance, as seen through Petunia's memories after the war as she's tentatively reconciling with Harry – http://archiveofourown.org/works/5709046/
VIKTOR KRUM/UNDISCLOSED
• Snitch by Delphi – Intriguing post-war world-building, as Viktor Krum tracks down last remaining Death Eaters in hiding...and in the process falls in love, gradually and long-distance, with the prickly, anonymous recluse who's been sending him tip-offs – https://archiveofourown.org/works/208321
NEXT-GEN PAIRINGS
• The Rules of Being a Godson by Sam Starbuck (http://shacking-up.livejournal.com/15433.html) – a classic by Sam. "Teddy Lupin never gets too close or feels too much; his godfather's son never does anything else." Teddy/James Sirius.
• Light Unshone by liadan14 (http://liadan14.livejournal.com/31469.html) – “After the war, Charlie gets a transfer to a dragon reservation in the Scottish Highlands. Draco Malfoy turns out to be a surprisingly frequent visitor.” Charlie/Draco. I love a story that makes an unlikely pairing totally work! Also a story about everyone putting the pieces back together after the war.
• Normality is to Freedom by liadan14 (http://liadan14.livejournal.com/16000.html) – a “big gay Hogwarts” trope type story that makes it work by going delightfully over the top. (“Yeah,” Harry says. “Apparently my children are either hippies or in a teenage experimentation phase.”)
• stories by Kerichi (https://www.fanfiction.net/u/322080/Kerichi) – fun and well-developed Rose/Scorpius stories
HARRY POTTER: AUs!
• Reclamation by Sam Starbuck (http://sam-storyteller.dreamwidth.org/97242.html) – “In an alternate universe, one man still struggles with a moral decision made many years before.” I don’t want to give anything away by saying…anything, really. But you should read this.
• Stealing Harry by Sam Starbuck (http://sam-storyteller.dreamwidth.org/8614.html) and the sequel Laocoon's Children (http://sam-storyteller.dreamwidth.org/5569.html) – Sam's masterwork that parallels canon, but in an AU where Sirius never went to Azkaban, and he and Remus rescue Harry from the Dursleys and raise him as their son. A huge fic, but so worth it. (Sam eventually discontinued the series as he grew disenchanted with the later HP books, but he provides detailed notes on where he would have taken the series, so it still feels complete.)
• boy with a scar (series) by dirgewithoutmusic (https://archiveofourown.org/series/285498) – a collection of different "what-if" scenarios, exploring how events might have unfolded in each of those cases, told in dirgewithoutmusic's thoughtful, emotive style. For example, what if Petunia had raised Harry truly as a son? What if Neville was the Chosen One? Or Ron, or Hermione? What if it was the Dursleys who died, and Lily and James raised Dudley together with Harry? What if Snape had apologized to Lily after calling her "Mudblood," truly apologized and realized he was wrong, and they stayed friends through everything that came after?
• Dear Mr Diggory by aggiebell90 (http://springtime-gen.livejournal.com/101563.html) – epistolary-style story of the events of OotP, in a AU where Cedric survived and became Head Boy
• conversations harry potter never had by irnan (http://archiveofourown.org/works/369061/chapters/600867) – tiny studies of different AU worlds
HARRY POTTER: CROSSOVERS AND FUSIONS
• In which Snape befriends an old grey donkey by Plenty O’Custard (same author as gm_weasley, I think?) (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4903653/) – Harry Potter/Winnie-the-Pooh. Snape accidentally Apparates into Hundred Acre Wood and befriends Eeyore. Obviously.
• Matches in the Snow by delphipsmith (http://hoggywartyxmas.livejournal.com/61938.html) – a beautiful fusion with and update of Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Little Match Girl” that moved me to tears and gave the little match girl a happy ending. Features McGonagall, Kingsley Shacklebolt, a very clever cat…and a very clever Hogwarts letter.
• More Things Than Are Dreamt Of by 1electricpirate (http://archiveofourown.org/series/23063) – Harry Potter/BBC Sherlock. “In which John is (reluctantly) a wizard, Mycroft is (apparently) omniscient, and Sherlock is (surprisingly) oblivious.” Though John Watson’s left the magical world behind, the fact remains that he was in the same year at Hogwarts as Charlie Weasley!
HARRY POTTER: JUST GENERALLY GOOD FUN
• The Contingency Plan by ofankoma (http://www.thepetulantpoetess.com/viewstory.php?sid=20889) – in just 500 words, the author manages to describe the chaos that ensues from one garbled Wizarding Wireless Network announcement, and at the same time to gently spoof all manner of fanon clichés, starting with the oddly resilient "Marriage Law" trope.
• Oral Tradition by neutrinofics (http://neutrinofics.livejournal.com/30122.html) – Crookshanks tells his many descendants the story of how Voldemort really met his end.
• Vault 419 by snorkackcatcher (http://snorkfics.livejournal.com/24711.html) – a fun story in which Harry and Ron, as Aurors, investigate a seemingly simple case of fraud, but all is not quite as it seems
• Harry Potter and the Eagle of Truthiness by Christine Morgan (http://www.eskimo.com/~vecna/truthiness.html) – honestly, I'm not sure if you even need to read the whole story, or if it's enough just to know the concept: Stephen Colbert is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor....and an eagle Animagus!
• The Legacy Game by swissmarg (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4031148/1/The_Legacy_Game) – the Next Gen kids compete, game show style, to see who has the most weighty legacy to live up to.
• The Mysterious Death of Albus Dumbledore by neutrinofics (http://neutrinofics.livejournal.com/11996.html) – Snort! Hurrah! Dumbledore’s death, as solved by none other than the great Sherlock Holmes
• Care and Feeding of Your Severus Snape by shyfoxling (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6642355/1/Care-and-Feeding-of-Your-Severus-Snape) – “Congratulations on the acquisition of your new Severus Snape! To achieve the best results, may we suggest you adhere to the following guidelines...”
OTHER FANDOM RECS (now moved to a separate post, HERE)
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