Harry Potter Themed Recommendations
Jul. 10th, 2018 04:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alicambsI thoroughly enjoyed the books, loved the films and over the years have read an enormous number of Harry Potter fanfics. The amount of fanfiction being written for the fandom was startling. The quality less so, I have never read (and given up on) so much crap in my life! However the best stories were good, some were very good and even now quality HP fiction can be found and read with pleasure. My preference has always been for plot driven stories. Initially I went for Harry/Draco slash or friendship with a good dose of Ron and Hermione on the side, but now I'll read anything that has a well written Harry in it, gen, het or slash with an occasional slice of something completely different. :-)
- A Brother to Basilisks by Lomonaaeren AU of PoA. Harry wakes in the night to a voice calling him from somewhere in the castle—and when he follows it, everything changes. Author's note: This is a canon-divergent AU that starts after Chapter 7 of Prisoner of Azkaban. The title is based on a quote from the Book of Job: “I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls. This is a long story and, at the time of writing this rec, is a WIP, however the author always finishes her works so it will be completed. This is one of her complex and fascinating stories that explores a HP universe reacting to Harry Potter with a basilisk as a bonded companion. So lots of political shenanigans and side taking and some wonderful snarky asides from Dash. Ron and Herimione are constant and true friends, while other character's attitudes to Harry are changed by his bond with Dash, which makes for interesting and sometimes surprising reading.
- A Mix of Snow and Petals by el em en oh pee It's been two years since The Incident, and Harry still hasn't gotten completely over it, still can only get by day-to-day. Enter Draco, who will do anything to reestablish his name in the Ministry and the Wizarding World... A delightful short story with a sad premise, an adrift Harry and a determined and snarky Draco.
- A Private Reason for This by Femmequixotic When the wife of a star politician in the Scottish Ministry turns up dead just outside Hogsmeade, Draco Malfoy and his murder investigation team are called in from the Edinburgh Auror force to find her killer. What DCI Malfoy doesn't expect, however, is to have an ex from two decades past end up in his murder room, endangering not only his case, but also his heart. This is a detective story, a police procedural and the plot is intriguing and well written. The characters are well rounded and fleshed out. It reads well as a murder mystery with the developing relationship between Harry and Draco as a highly enjoyable extra.
- A Riddled Universe by hazeldragon Being the recipient of the Order of Merlin and also having his picture on the Chocolate Frog Cards was not a big feat for Healer Tom Riddle. As Head Healer at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, nothing much surprised him. Little did he know, his life was about to be turned upside down by the arrival of a bespectacled boy with messy hair through the Veil. This is a clever and intriguing story with many characters appearing, all slightly altered from their canon counterparts. Tom Riddle is powerful, impatient, sarcastic and ambitious, he even has a snake familiar, but unlike Voldemort, this Tom Riddle loves and is loved in return. Harry slowly begins to trust him and those around him even as he strives to return to his own universe. Someone however is not content with the way things are and Harry, the trouble magnet, becomes enmeshed with Riddle in dealing with a power struggle going on in the ministry and outside it.
- A Study in Magic by Books of Change When Professor McGonagall went to visit Harry Watson, son of Mr. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, to deliver his Hogwarts letter, she was in the mindset of performing a familiar if stressful annual routine. Consequently, she was not prepared to find Harry Potter at 221B Baker Street.and the sequel A Study in Magic: The Application are a fun BBC Sherlock HP crossover AU. I really enjoyed this read, Harry remained very much in character with his familiar friends, while Sherlock run rings round many of the wizards, and John, here a female, well John was just downright awesome at times. :-) The story involves most, if not all, of the characters of both the HP universe and the Sherlock universe. The author has made the story available as a PDF or ebook here
- A Young Radicals Guide to Love by blamebrampton Memories of the war are still fresh, which is all the excuse Decent People need to do appalling things. In this quietly waged conflict, Draco Malfoy is happy to be on the right side of things for once, and even happier to find he’s not alone. A story of public service shenanigans and opportunistic politicing. :-) Beautifully plotted, wonderful characterisations and fun.
- All the Important Words Unspoken by blamebrampton Narcissa Malfoy and Amarantha Greengrass just want what’s best for their children. But since it’s 1899, their children are 32 and 27 respectively, and sundry magical and Muggle crises are erupting across Europe, the chances of their plans progressing smoothly are close to zero. An absolutely brilliant Victorian whodunnit with magic of course, superb characterisation, strong, bolshy, clever women and a plot. Totally enjoyable.
- At Childhoods End by mahogany When Harry comes across a fallen branch of an elder tree and accidentally bonds with it, his life changes beyond his wildest imaginings. Absolutely fascinating and highly original story. I loved the use, and expansion, of the mythology of the Green Man.
- Aunt Marge's Even Bigger Mistake by FloreatCastellum Ginny persuades Harry to attend Dudley's wedding. Unfortunately, both of them forgot that Aunt Marge would also be attending. This is the Winner of Mugglenet's Quicksilver Quill Awards 2016, Best General (One-shot). It is funny and beautifully characterized, Ginny is a delight in her excitement at attending a Muggle wedding while Harry's anxieties about the result of them meeting his Muggle relatives are bought to life in a thoroughly delightful and well deserved climax. :-)
- Desk Duty by mosylu A librarian's job is never done . . . especially not at Hogwarts . . . and especially when a certain toadlike High Inquisitor is nosing around. A delightful short from a very different character's pov, Madam Pince dealing with Umbridge. :-)
- For the Public Good by blamebrampton Harry is loaned to the Muggle government to assist relations between the two governments after the London bombings. When his counterpart in the Communications team comes to him with evidence of a plot to expose wizarding Britain, he is all ears. And only in part because the messenger has such a familiar voice. The satire and humour in this story is to die for. I guess it probably works best if you are British and of a certain age, but this is still a wonderful piece of writing. To be honest, anything this author writes is worth reading.
- Harry Potter and the Midlife Crisis by Enigmaris “The first group I sent over made the Avengers uncomfortable by thanking them constantly and asking for autographs. The next group stole things to sell on ebay. The group after that didn’t even get through the front door because Stark’s security system found something in their background that we missed. The fourth group left traumatized after cleaning out Thor’s room, apparently the god had some beheaded poultry dripping blood into a bowl in there. Then after that every group I’ve left hasn’t lasted more than three days because of some problem or another. I’m pretty sure one of those assholes has made it a game to scare my workers away.” “I don’t think you’re supposed to call the heroes of New York assholes.” Or, cleaning up after the Avengers involves more than just getting blood stains out of the carpet and most of them can't take the heat. Thankfully the Savior of the Wizarding has spent the last decade cleaning up after Death Eaters, so she's up to the task. Nothing, not pranks, bird corpses, or unidentified slime will keep her from cleaning up. Something completely different :-) I occasionally start reading a crossover with a fascinating summary (a couple of Sherlock/Avengers crossover were fun) and this summary caught my attention. Holly (Harry here is a young woman) makes for an engaging heroine. Things start quite small with the team getting to know her and she them. Holly starts turning their lives around at the same time as the Avengers begin to change her and then things just explode... A fascinating and rewarding read.
- Hermione Granger's Crammer for Delinquents on the Run by waspabi 'You're a wizard, Harry' is easier to hear from a half-giant when you're eleven, rather than from some kids on a tube platform when you're seventeen and late for work. A highly original and often very funny story where Harry never received his Hogwarts letter and remained ignorant of his heritage until Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna and Death Eater-deserter Draco leave Hogwarts to go search for him. The characterisations are excellent, Hermione Harry and Draco especially as the story is written from their perspectives but everyone plays a part. There is a wonderful mix of magic and 1990s muggle Britain, constant glimpses of the way that Voldemort and his Death Eaters are corrupting the Wizard world, alongside deeds of daring, and not so daring from the 'teenage delinquents on the run' and a lovely slow developing relationship between Harry and Draco. All in all a really enjoyable story.
- How We Throw Our shadows by thistle verse Draco has finally found the perfect, rare piece to complete his collection. The only problem is that the item belongs to Harry Potter, the last wizard on earth Draco wants to ask another favour from. A gentle, quiet and charming story. The characterisations are beautifully drawn and the way the author even manages to include Harry's muggle relatives is so very clever. A story about living with the past, acknowledging it, dealing with it and finally letting it go in order to move forward to live in the present and look forward to the future, oh, and tea cosies. :-)
- Life skills outside the curriculum by Endrina It was "Witch Weekly", of all people and organizations, the first to notice and comment on The Boy Who Lived’s absence from the ranks of first years at Hogwarts. The magazine went on to elucubrate that the young hero was studying at a foreign school, possibly Beauxbatons or Holzschuhkäse. This is a very different story, it borrows from canon and then makes its own rules. While very focused on Harry growing up outside of the Wizarding world, it doesn't neglect the other main players. The style of writing is interesting I found I rather enjoyed it but from time to time I was thrown at the author's choice of words or strange sentence construction, however it wasn't enough to stop me from reading it to the end. I enjoyed the Harry and Draco meeting and their slowly developing friendship, I loved the snippets on Remus and Sirius but my favorite parts involved the 'Missing Seven' plus Harry of course. Highly original and worth a read.
- On a Pale Horse by Hyliian When Dumbledore tried to summon a hero from another world to deal with their Dark Lord problem, this probably wasn't what he had in mind. This story is surprisingly hilarious at times considering it's about DEATH! Harry and his mortal counterpart. It's well written and entertaining despite containing Dumbledore bashing, which I am seriously not fond of, but the humour and cleverness and, yes the glimpses of truth in the 'bashing' make it more than tolerable. Plus while there is little Ron when he finally arrives on the scene he is really supportive of Harry and that piece of positive characterization of a character who is so often written negatively negates my dislike of the Dumbledore bashing, :-) . DEATH! Harry is horrifyingly fascinating and mortal Harry is a delight. This remains a WIP and I'm not certain whether it will ever be completed, but what is there is so good it's worth reading. If you read the comments on the last chapter you'll find the link to ffnet where there are two more chapters including the Ron one I like so much.
- Sacrifices Arc by Lightning on the Wave or here with full explanations of the books etc from the author. Harry's twin Connor is the Boy Who Lived, and Harry is devoted to protecting him by making himself look ordinary. But certain people won't let Harry stay in the shadows... An extremely long but fascinating AU of the books with a Slytherin Harry and his Gryffindor twin, Conner. The author provides a very complex and interesting look at realistic politics in this magical world, and the real-life consequences of things often only mentioned in the books. It is very long, but I found it highly enjoyable.
- The Aurors by FloreatCastellum The last thing Harry Potter wants is to be lumped with a trainee Auror, especially one that idolises him. As he guides her through the realities of being an overworked Auror and tentatively settles into adult life with Ginny, a dark plot brews on the horizon... This is the Winner of Mugglenet's Quicksilver Quill Awards 2016, Best Post-Hogwarts. fic. It has a well written OC who is very much not a Mary Sue but adds an extra dimension to the story that otherwise involves much of the HP universe.The plot is clever, taut and exciting and Harry's characterization is perfect.
- The Horse by Elsa2 Looking after a Muggle animal should be easy compared to saving Hogwarts from Voldemort. Harry and Draco might disagree with that. Featuring Luna, Marauders, peppermints and, of course, a tall, black, badtempered horse named Simon or Voldemort is on the rise and Hogwarts has been sealed off against him. When's a better time to get a new pet? This AU 6th year for Harry is a long, well written story that has its laugh out loud moments (well passages) as well as drama, action and terror! The OCs are well written and certainly not Mary or Gary Stus and the main characters just ring true throughout. The story focuses on a developing friendship between Harry and Draco mainly due to their shared love of Simon as well as Harry's developing somewhat on/off relationship with Luna, who is an excellent 'Horse Mutterer'. :-) Muggle music and books feature along with the Republic of Slytherin, Ginny the Sorceress, the Scottish cows (that passage had me hooting with laughter), unicorns and centaurs, a unique and grumpy badger, Sirius (often in the doghouse) and Remus and glimpses into the not so happy past. All in all an excellent read.
- The Train to Nowhere by MayMarlow In a world where Voldemort's victory brought forth the golden age of pureblood supremacy, young Harry - an average Durmstrang student - grows surrounded by the same propaganda that has become the gospel truth of the Wizarding World. Injustice is a norm and racism is not only accepted, but actively encouraged. Embracing the status quo becomes harder when Harry finds himself in a train station where the living should not dwell, and a dangerous friend who goes by the name "Tom". This is still a WIP at 50 chapters and the author expects that she will complete it at 95 chapters. I'm not certain how I started reading this as the pairing is not something I'm very interested in, but the writing is good and the universe the author has created is fascinating. This Harry is both similar too and very different from canon Harry. We do get to meet Hermione (who becomes very important to him as the story progresses), Ron (who is displayed as intelligent and able which is such a plus) Luna (who is her wonderful self) and even have glimpses of Draco particularly when the story moves to Hogwarts, but the emphasis here is on Harry. His relationship with his family, Sirius and the friends he makes at Durmstrang are central for much of the story written so far. We start when Harry is 11 and at the time of writing he is 15 so other than the normal puberty and teen hormones, the story so far is very plot rather than relationship orientated and is all the more interesting because of it.
- Turn by Saras Girl One good turn always deserves another. Apparently. An extremely well written story that is both canon compliant and AU as the author uses the trope of an AU to show Harry glimpses of another possibility. Both the AU and the canon compliant stories are beautifully written and totally avoid any character bashing.
- Two Households Both Alike In Dignity by mad martha That very first day on the Hogwarts Express, Harry shook Draco Malfoy's hand and became a Slytherin. Ron has hated him ever since. But Harry doesn't hate Ron ... This is a very different read and I wasn't entirely too sure if I was enjoying it or not for much of the time, but I stayed with it to the end and went back and read the earlier parts, which is I guess a recommendation of its own. :-) I started with Part 5 of the series Two Households (as linked) reading to the end of the series and going back to read the first 4 parts as an addendum to the first. It's a Harry/Ron and Sirius/Remus story in a sense that their relationships are important to the story, but it is more a story of fascinating Wizarding World that borrows from canon but develops into a highly original story of its own. Due to Harry's choices here he isn't the Gryffindor Harry of canon but a somewhat distrustful and suspicious Slytherin, damaged by his muggle upbringing and the lack of trust that people have in him due to him being in Slytherin House. I understood his character even if I wasn't fond of the changes yet still rooted for him. Ron is written beautifully and intelligently which is such a plus and it is Harry's friendship and eventual love for Ron which is his saving grace. As an addition, Sirius and Remus' place in Harry's life is a treat to read and for a pleasant change, while Harry remains suspicious of almost all the adults in his life and Snape remains a total git throughout, Dumbledore is not painted as the bad guy. If like me you strongly dislike the religious elements (I found them highly intrusive and unwanted) you can kind of skim read them but it might be easier knowing that the author does have have her reasons which become a little more obvious as the series progresses, and as she makes no apology for including these elements as they fascinate her, if you want to read the story you take it as it comes. :-).
- We Are Legend by Vaysh Eighty years into the future, Voldemort won. Harry Potter is a renegade wizard, Portkeying Muggles out of London to Hogwarts, last sanctuary in a Britain ruled by the Dark Lord. On a mission he encounters a powerful phoenix Animagus fighting on the Death Eaters' side. He recognises Draco Malfoy whom he thought long dead. But the differences between them are perhaps even greater than before. Enemies may become lovers, but can Harry return Draco the phoenix to humanity? And will they together be able to defeat Voldemort? This is the legend of Flash Man and the Blue Phoenix … Absolutely fascinating and very different tale of a future when Voldemort has returned and life is bleak for all but the Death Eaters.
- What We Pretend We Cannot See by gyzym Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought. I'm fond of stories that add extra to the HP universe, this time it's the idea of sentient houses, you'll understand as you read. This is a well written story that includes a number of my favourite HP tropes; a good Harry, Ron and Hermione friendship, a good reason for Harry and Ginny not being together that doesn't demonize Ginny in any way, humour, a really interesting plot and lots of fun sniping between Harry and Draco. :-)
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Date: 2018-07-11 09:16 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2018-07-11 09:37 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2018-07-12 08:16 pm (UTC)