#theme: horcrux hunting

[regulusficrecs]

L'Astre Noir by Calypte

Words: 39,880 (and counting)

Rating: Mature

Pairings: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin/Peter Pettigrew/James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Barty Crouch Jr./Evan Rosier, lots of good gen as for Regulus (none of which have been romantic so far)

What's inside: BAMF Regulus, Trans Regulus, Autistic Regulus, Seer Regulus, Animagus Regulus, Regulus Lives, Horcrux Hunting, Sirius and Regulus Both Run Away, Suicide Attempt, PTSD, Magical Theory, Non-Canon Complaint, lots of feelings and magic explained

Author's Summary:

"Sirius Black was six years old when his baby sibling was born. From the moment of their birth, Sirius swore to himself to always look out for them. By the time they're both adults, he might have lapsed in that protection briefly, but he fully intends to resume honoring it now.

Regulus Black doesn't care very much for being protected. If anything, his meddlesome older brother makes accomplishing what he has to do all that much harder, because Sirius actively tries to keep him 'safe', and safe is a rather difficult place from which to achieve much.

Or: A very non-canon compliant horcrux hunt, developing a system of magic, and focusing on the Black brothers."

[sparsilees]

Harry is a clever and competent wizard

A recurring theme in fandom I find endlessly tiresome and disappointing is the portrayal of Harry as an academically struggling student who’s lamentably hopeless at Potions and middling in all other subjects aside from DADA, and who, alongside Ron, is in constant need of Hermione’s guidance. It’s present almost everywhere. It’s reinvented canon. And it’s shoved down new readers and non-fans’ throats alike. Please, there’s an HP wiki available for your perusal. Don’t go about consulting popular fics and the Hermione-biased movie director’s visions to draw your ideas of Harry and Ron’s psyche!

It’s doubly aggravating when this depiction is used to highlight Hermione, Draco, or so-and-so classmate’s magical Einstein-levels of genius and reinforce the false narrative that Harry’s singular claim to brilliance lies in Quidditch, and that he’s got nothing more than fluff and snitches between his ears on top of being oblivious to the point of idiocy. That apart from excelling in Defence, he doesn’t have much upstairs... (And even then a minority of the fandom portray DADA as akin to gym class where it’s all honing muscles, muscle memory, and reflexes, with Harry framed as an archetypical gymbro on top being a himbo. What?!)

So we’re just going to overlook his devastatingly biting wit and clever asides? Or brush aside how he repeatedly demonstrates his ability to perform well under pressure? His keen intuition and how he carefully retains seemingly insignificant, misfit puzzle pieces until the eureka moment strikes and he seamlessly integrates them into the bigger picture?

Take these two examples from Philosopher’s Stone with an intrepid tiny Harry:

Harry was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn’t have anything to do with work, though. He watched an owl flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent him letters. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy . . . never . . . but — Harry suddenly jumped to his feet. “Where’re you going?” said Ron sleepily. “I’ve just thought of something,” said Harry. He had turned white. “We’ve got to go and see Hagrid, now.” “Why?” panted Hermione, hurrying to keep up. “Don’t you think it’s a bit odd,” said Harry, scrambling up the grassy slope, “that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it’s against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don’t you think? Why didn’t I see it before?”

Quirrell cursed under his breath. “I don’t understand . . . is the Stone inside the mirror? Should I break it?” Harry’s mind was racing. What I want more than anything else in the world at the moment, he thought, is to find the Stone before Quirrell does. So if I look in the mirror, I should see myself finding it — which means I’ll see where it’s hidden! But how can I look without Quirrell realizing what I’m up to? He tried to edge to the left, to get in front of the glass without Quirrell noticing, but the ropes around his ankles were too tight: he tripped and fell over. Quirrell ignored him. He was still talking to himself. “What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!” And to Harry’s horror, a voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself. “Use the boy . . . Use the boy . . .” Quirrell rounded on Harry. “Yes — Potter — come here.” He clapped his hands once, and the ropes binding Harry fell off. Harry got slowly to his feet. “Come here,” Quirrell repeated. “Look in the mirror and tell me what you see.” Harry walked toward him. I must lie, he thought desperately. I must look and lie about what I see, that’s all.

Bravery alone wasn’t enough to overcome his troubled upbringing with the Dursleys, or Quirrelmort, or Diary Tommy, or the final leg of the Horcrux hunt — it required a combination of mental agility, resourcefulness, and cunning to evaluate the situation, outsmart his opponents, and tip the odds in his favour. Harry needed to survive. To survive, he needed something other than mere guts. Harry’s ability to think on his feet and leverage his intelligence to gain the upper hand in challenging scenarios remains a testament to his brilliance and his remarkable presence of mind. He isn’t the foolhardy, impulsive Gryffindor who leaps into danger headlong without prior planning everytime.

(For that matter, Gryffindor are more than their “bravery” which has somehow been twisted into being synonymous with “reckless” — Sirius being a prime example of this, when in GOF he was urging Harry caution in their communications, despite the fandom conveniently only zeroing in on the depressed, cooped up version of him in OOTP, sigh. Bravery is fortitude, pluck, tenacity, strength of moral fibre, resilience, and heart as well.)

Some other less-mentioned examples of his quick mind: Harry wondering about Snape and Karkaroff being on a first-name basis; remembering Nicholas Flamel just from a long-ago glance, and again, Stan Shunpike despite their single encounter; Harry coaxing out Slughorn’s secret (no, it wasn’t all the Felix Felicis); Harry putting himself in Voldemort’s shoes, and Ron and Hermione deferring to his superior, albeit scary, knowledge; and Harry frightening Ollivander with his deductions about the wands. (It wasn’t solely Hermione’s brains that enabled their chances of survival in DH, let’s ditch that false narrative.)

The most laughably contrived bit in fanon is the unfounded notion that Hermione lets the boys cheat off her work to coast by in class. Fanon is wrong on both counts. Hermione would sooner report the boys for cheating than allow them to copy off her, and Harry isn’t anywhere close to scraping the bottom of the barrel in class, and neither is Ron. The handful of instances in canon where she looks over their assignments and helps correct mistakes isn’t cheating. Her input is akin to getting a second pair of eyes or a beta reader to ensure their work is up to snuff — heaven forbid a student help out a friend by suggesting some tips and tweaks. (Or attend tuition or retain a personal tutor or three.)

The ‘that’s why Harry isn’t a Ravenclaw’ jokes get pretty stale once you realise a large portion of the fandom genuinely think he isn’t a smart kid or has never read a book of his own volition/interest in his life. But Harry enjoyed reading his new books late into the night before starting Hogwarts (he found Hedwig’s name in A History of Magic, after all). Admittedly, studying is a feat in and of itself when you have zero access to books, but some cunning can turn around your luck!

Nevertheless, Sirius had been of some help to Harry, even if he couldn’t be with him. It was due to Sirius that Harry now had all his school things in his bedroom with him. The Dursleys had never allowed this before; their general wish of keeping Harry as miserable as possible, coupled with their fear of his powers, had led them to lock his school trunk in the cupboard under the stairs every summer prior to this. But their attitude had changed since they had found out that Harry had a dangerous murderer for a godfather — for Harry had conveniently forgotten to tell them that Sirius was innocent.

‘Oh, Potter can’t differentiate between a salamander and newt’s eyes.’

‘Asking him to skin shrivelfigs is a tall order since he can’t wield a dagger properly.’

‘He used shredded jobberknoll feathers when the recipe called for a fine powder. Poor Hermione will have to take over yet again to save his stupid arse.’

It’s these many variations and renditions of Harry’s alleged, often exaggerated, ineptitude in fandom content and making a monkey out of him, which I come across more often than not, that are an instant turn-off.

The widespread idea that Harry’s success in the subject can be attributed solely to the Prince’s book is misguided and further undermines his intelligence — and this jaundiced belief that’s crystallised itself as canon, of Harry and Ron putting on a double act as stupid slouches in class and therefore deserving of Snape’s derision and the Slytherin’s put-downs, is a far cry from the truth. Snape’s opinion of Harry’s intelligence or ability should be taken with a grain of salt, given that Harry has been described as a bright and talented child since his first year, by the Professors, Dumbledore, and the Sorting Hat. Even the resident megalomaniac described him as “not unintelligent”. You know what’s actually canon?

1) Snape’s biased approach towards Harry and Neville caused them to have an unwarranted fear of failure and reprimands. The Potions classroom was a hostile and unwelcoming learning environment for these two boys.

2) Harry is pretty confident when left to his own devices in class in OoTP before Snape flushed his effort down the gutter.

Exhibit 1:

Snape, meanwhile, seemed to have decided to act as though Harry were invisible. Harry was, of course, well used to this tactic, as it was one of Uncle Vernon’s favourites, and on the whole was grateful he had to suffer nothing worse. In fact, compared to what he usually had to endure from Snape in the way of taunts and snide remarks, he found the new approach something of an improvement and was pleased to find that when left well alone, he was able to concoct an Invigoration Draught quite easily. At the end of the lesson he scooped some of the potion into a flask, corked it, and took it up to Snape’s desk for marking, feeling that he might at last have scraped an E. He had just turned away when he heard a smashing noise; Malfoy gave a gleeful yell of laughter. Harry whipped around again. His potion sample lay in pieces on the floor, and Snape was watching him with a look of gloating pleasure. “Whoops,” he said softly. “Another zero, then, Potter . . .” Harry was too incensed to speak. He strode back to his cauldron, intending to fill another flask and force Snape to mark it, but saw to his horror that the rest of the contents had vanished. “I’m sorry!” said Hermione with her hands over her mouth. “I’m really sorry, Harry, I thought you’d finished, so I cleared up!”

Exhibit 2:

“After this year, of course, many of you will cease studying with me,” Snape went on. “I take only the very best into my N.E.W.T. Potions class, which means that some of us will certainly be saying good-bye.” His eyes rested on Harry and his lip curled. Harry glared back, feeling a grim pleasure at the idea that he would be able to give up Potions after fifth year.

Exhibit 3:

Ron found it quite easy to ignore as they spent most of Saturday and Sunday studying for Potions on Monday, the exam to which Harry was looking forward least and which he was sure would be the one that would be the downfall of his ambitions to become an Auror. Sure enough, he found the written exam difficult, though he thought he might have got full marks on the question about Polyjuice Potion: He could describe its effects extremely accurately, having taken it illegally in his second year. The afternoon practical was not as dreadful as he had expected it to be. With Snape absent from the proceedings he found that he was much more relaxed than he usually was while making potions. Neville, who was sitting very near Harry, also looked happier than Harry had ever seen him during a Potions class. When Professor Marchbanks said, “Step away from your cauldrons, please, the examination is over,” Harry corked his sample flask feeling that he might not have achieved a good grade but that he had, with luck, avoided a fail.

Whereas in Ch 15 of OoTP, Snape had marked Harry’s essay on moonstones as Dreadful and claimed it to be a realistic expectation of OWL grading:

“I have awarded you the grades you would have received if you presented this work in your O.W.L.,” said Snape with a smirk, as he swept among them, passing back their homework. “This should give you a realistic idea of what to expect in your examination.” Snape reached the front of the class and turned to face them. “The general standard of this homework was abysmal. Most of you would have failed had this been your examination. I expect to see a great deal more effort for this week’s essay on the various varieties of venom antidotes, or I shall have to start handing out detentions to those dunces who get D’s.” He smirked as Malfoy sniggered and said in a carrying whisper, “Some people got D’s? Ha!”

And yet, Harry did very well on his OWLs before he even got a whiff of the Prince’s book.

Astronomy A

Care of Magical Creatures EE

Charms EE

Defense Against the Dark Arts O

Divination P

Herbology EE

History of Magic D

Potions EE

Transfiguration EE

Harry and Ron studied (!) both days of the weekend before Potions OWLs (!) without Hermione (!), and still Harry wasn’t sure he’d secure a good grade yet ended up scoring an EE. Exceeds Expectations, which y’know translates to: Surpasses Expectations, So Much Better than Expected, Rather Brilliant.

Unless you believe that anything less than the top percentiles is rubbish, Harry is not a ‘certifiable dunce’. There’s no denying he’s a competent and clever wizard and easily punches above his weight when he’s properly motivated and applies himself. Intelligence is a genetic trait, and Harry comes from nerdstock.

If he could achieve those grades whilst serving 7-hour torture sessions with Umbridge, suffering from Voldemort and Snape tearing into his mind, and putting up with the government slandering him in his second most important school year, running on fumes and sheer will (constantly disruspted sleep routine? Ugh!), then yeah, remove all those crutches, and he’d be raking in straight Os for most of those subjects. (It sort of sounds like ‘excuse our mental health and and anxiety’ for us if we perform poorly in exams, but not for Harry ‘he’s an idiot throwing teen tantrums’. Someone give me a hammer.)

“You’d need top grades for that,” said Professor McGonagall, extracting a small, dark leaflet from under the mass on her desk and opening it. “They ask for a minimum of five N.E.W.T.s, and nothing under ‘Exceeds Expectations’ grade, I see. Then you would be required to undergo a stringent series of character and aptitude tests at the Auror office. It’s a difficult career path, Potter; they only take the best. In fact, I don’t think anybody has been taken on in the last three years.”

Did he earn the grades? Yes. The Auror program ran aptitude tests, too, and only took the best, yes? Not because he’s a hothead with a daredevil streak and impulse issues, yes? Not because his dream was to be an Auror since his third year, or that he was only exceptional at fighting, or some such nonsense. After all, Barty Crouch Jr, he of the impeccable OWLs record, saw something worthy of Auror material in Harry and planted the seed in his mind. (Reminder: Barty also said Hermione should consider joining the Aurors too because her “mind works the right way”.)

And Moody thought he, Harry, ought to be an Auror! Interesting idea . . . but somehow, Harry thought, as he got quietly into his four-poster ten minutes later, the egg and the Cloak now safely back in his trunk, he thought he’d like to check how scarred the rest of them were before he chose it as a career.

If Harry was incapable of telling up from down in Potions, the Prince’s annotations would have been like casting pearls before swine. Worse still, Harry’s supposed lack of know-how would have caused more harm than good. The book only helped to refine the skills and knowledge he had cultivated over five years of study. Having a comfortable learning environment, an encouraging teacher, and superior instructions allowed Harry to maximise his potential and excel in class. (This phenomenon of underachiever-to-star pupil can happen in real life and is not unique to Harry. It happens with neurodivergent students with slightly different needs, students who require a more personal teaching style, and students stunted by an unhealthy learning environment. When their needs are met and supported, they tend to thrive and reach their potential.)

To put it into perspective, imagine taking an average kid whose expertise in cooking extends to making beans on toast and putting them in a professional kitchen. Imagine asking this kid to fillet a salmon and very finely slice lemons for garnish, tasks that require careful hands, finesse, and patience. If the kid can’t distinguish between a paring knife and a boning knife, they don’t stand half a chance. They’re liable to mess up the fish from the get-go. They might use a petty knife for everything and present a terribly executed dish; or they might cleverly choose a smaller knife but misuse it, not knowing that the flexibility and sharpness of a blade vary depending on their purpose, and end up seriously hurting themselves. Either way, filleting a fish is best left to seasoned home cooks and the pros.

In contrast, Harry is identical to a proficient home cook who knows the ropes but lacks some finesse and the fancy carving and plating skills of a trained culinary student. He has a firm grasp of the necessary theory and techniques and knows how to prep ingredients correctly, but may fumble the ideal application of said techniques, lacks an inborn zeal for the craft that lends to creativity, and overlook the finer details, particularly when he’s weighed down by fear of censure and humiliation. His level of success hinges on variables such as his confidence, familiarity with a recipe or method, and the type of environment he’s in. Talent is like a little seed; when nurtured, it will flourish.

Slughorn’s NEWT class was small, admitting twelve students out of a fortyish-student batch. No Gryffindor apart from the Golden Trio made the cut, and they were joined by the lone Hufflepuff, four Ravenclaws, and four Slytherins. Essentially, only a dozen students achieved an EE or O to qualify for NEWT Potions. Fanon will tell you most of the Slytherins have been tinkering with cauldrons in their diapers, but canon shows that only two other Slytherins, besides Draco and Blaise, made the grade. So, how are we still perpetuating this incorrect interpretation that Ron and Harry were barely keeping up academically when they’re more adept than half their year?

Harry and Ron aren’t academically inclined or driven by an obsessive urge to pore over books most hours of the day for fun, so what? Let them joke around and play chess and cards and broom race in the rain without bringing their brains and academics into the equation. Let Harry be a proper child/teen when he’s not busy hunting clues and crushing evil plots. Stop making the sum of HJP be “Powerful Himbo” or “Saviour Complex and Running on Luck”, which is pretty disrespectful towards a character who has shown himself to be so, so competent and well-rounded.

It’s such a huge thorn in my side that both Harry and Sirius (of all people, when he’s twinning with James as the insultingly effortless mavens during their time at Hogwarts!) habitually have their intelligence questioned and maliciously devaluated, or blown off entirely. So I had to sit and get this chaotically demonstrative commentary off my chest. Thank you, if you’ve read till the end!

[saintsenara]

Do you think harry is more similar to lily or James

thank you very much for the ask, anon!

i think the assessment of harry's character which dumbledore gives to snape in deathly hallows is more or less the correct one:

“He is his father over again -”  “In looks, perhaps, but his deepest nature is much more like his mother’s.”

which i think can be expanded upon really interestingly as an example of something which the series does really, really well - how it obscures the fact that lily is the key to the mystery right up until the last minute.

the things harry has in common with james - not only his looks, but his quidditch talent, his impulsivity, his disregard for the rules, his arrogance, his cunning, his beef with snape, his adoration of sirius, his belief that his uncle is faintly ridiculous, and his bold, flashy courage - are big and explicit and demonstrative, and the text lampshades that they're inherited from his father at every opportunity.

[and not only in how many characters mention that he looks like james. voldemort - for example - mentions james' demonstrative bravery - facing him "like a man" - every time he and harry interact; sirius and lupin never mention lily when discussing harry's personality, even when what they're talking about is how he's not like james.]

the text also goes out of its way to suggest that similarly big aspects of lily's character have not been inherited by her son - the most obvious example of which is that, in half-blood prince, the incandescent talent at potions which has slughorn raving about how like his mother harry is... is actually the result of harry cheating [and cheating from a textbook he's convinced for much of the book might have belonged to james].

the only thing the text emphasises again and again that harry has inherited from his mother are his eyes.

and - in doing this - the series is actually telling us something very clear about what it understands harry to have in common with lily.

eyes are a frequent motif throughout the text, which are almost always connected to the themes of authenticity and truth.

dumbledore's eyes give away his true feelings in goblet of fire - when the "gleam of something like triumph" comes into them after he learns that voldemort used harry's blood to resurrect himself - before serving as a metaphor for the way the information about the prophecy is being withheld from harry in order of the phoenix when he refuses to make eye contact with him.

[dumbledore's eyes also stop "twinkling" after voldemort returns, in a sign of how serious the situation - which the ministry never appreciates the full gravity of - is becoming.]

occlumency and legilimency - the obscuring and seeking of truth - depend on eye contact. the teenage tom riddle's eyes - with their gleam of red - give away his true depravity, even when he's still outwardly charming and beautiful. the teen snape sees the reason for his obsession with the marauders "wrenched from him against his will" at the force of lily's glare [and the adult snape frequently averts his own gaze from harry when he clearly doesn't want to risk seeing anger or pain in lily's eyes]. ginny's love for harry - her "never giving up" on him, her willingness to wait and endure while he goes off on the horcrux hunt - is communicated by a "blazing look". the basilisk kills by looking - but doesn't kill anyone in chamber of secrets, since the truth about the culprit isn't known. and so on...

which is to say - the series regards the eyes as the windows to the soul [an idea which is connected to a verse in chapter six of the gospel of matthew - the verse immediately preceding which, "for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also", is inscribed upon kendra and ariana dumbledore's graves] and to the true, inner nature of a person.

in mentioning again and again that harry looks like james except for his eyes, what the narrative is doing is hinting to the reader that harry's big, obvious, showy similarities with his father mustn't let them miss that the more subtle traits of his personality - his steadfastness, his quiet courage in the face of hopelessness, his ability to love so much it changes the entire course of history - come from his mother, and that what he inherits from lily will be much more important to the resolution of the story than the things he inherits from james.

this is a clue it plays with really nicely - particularly because harry doesn't really care at any point prior to the last third of deathly hallows about what he inherits from lily more than he cares about what he inherits from james.

we - as readers - go through his experience of learning that his mother is the key to the whole mystery in real time - when we join harry in snape's memories - and we walk into the forest with a harry who now knows the whole truth: that he's more like his mother than he's previously realised, and that he'll therefore be able to do the same thing that she did, and die so that others might live.

“You won’t be killing anyone else tonight,” said Harry as they circled, and stared into each other’s eyes, green into red. “You won’t be able to kill any of them ever again.”

[aethon-recs]

Themed Rec List | Tomarrymort Recs by Horcrux ⚡👑🏆🔒💍

I wanted to put together a rec list of Harry/Tom fics with a core focus on horcruxes outside of Diary Tom (the most popular horcrux) and Voldemort himself. Please enjoy these 22 fics that feature one of Tom's horcruxes and their special relationship with Harry.

There’s a ton of interesting variation that can be explored within a Harry and horcrux Tom ship — from where the horcruxes are located and when Harry can conceivably meet them in canon (for example, the Cup horcrux is harder to access than the others); to what age they were made by Voldemort and how that would shape their personalities and interactions with Harry; to the different magical properties that they might embody, depending on the vessel that was chosen.

Finally, it looks like Scarcrux and Locket are the most popular choices (after Diary Tom), and we absolutely need more Cup horcrux fics!

*

⚡ Scarcrux

Amensalism by @cindle-writes (E, 6k, complete)

Scarcrux becomes sentient after the encounter in the Ministry in Harry's 5th year and takes Harry for an adventure.

Bolide by @vdoshu (T, 3k, complete)

On October 31, 1981, a tiny piece of soul attaches himself to Harry Potter in order to survive. This is his story.

Creatures of the Dark we are by @hikarimeroperiddle (M, 28k, complete)

Banished to his cupboard at age 4, Harry learns to listen only to the Voice in his head. Its teachings warp all Harry could have become until no more than dark magic and devotion remains. Visions of a wraith with red eyes complicate matters, especially when Harry and the Voice follow it to Hogwarts so Master can get his hands on the Philosopher’s stone.

Eulogy by @meles-merrivale (E, 6k, complete)

You run through the things you have to do for the day. It is, admittedly, a very short list. Wake up. Be clean. Be ready. An empty life, some might call it. You don’t. It is the life He has given you, and so it is what you deserve.

last rites by @cindle-writes (E, 5k, complete)

Harry has an hour before he walks to his death in the Forbidden Forest. The horcrux in Harry’s scar decides to take matters into its own hands.

Look at me. by @crowcrowcrowthing (M, 1k, complete)

A dark night of the soul.

Pitch Black by @kagariasuha (E, 2k, complete)

The proximity of Horcruxes can influence anyone - especially Harry.

sandpaper kisses, paper cut bliss by @xodahafez (E, 27k, WIP)

Harry Potter survives the Killing Curse, but so does the horcrux within him. And this horcrux has been dangerously infatuated with Harry for seventeen years.

saw you in a dream by @duplicitywrites (E, 2k, complete)

Harry has had this dream before.

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👑 Diadem

A peculiar way of fitting together by @being-luminous (T, 2k, complete)

“Aren’t you going to ask me why I’m wearing a diadem?”

Dance Me On and On by @duplicitywrites (E, 19k, complete)

In his first year at Hogwarts, Harry overhears Quirrell interrogating Binns about an artifact from over a thousand years ago. Five years later, Harry uncovers Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem in the Room of Requirement and finds himself pulled into a kingdom in the throes of a mysterious masquerade ball.

In Just a Moment, You’ll Be Mine by @dividawrites (E, 34k, WIP)

Tom has been stuck inside the Ravenclaw's Diadem for decades, alone, with nothing but his slowly fading memories. One day he feels a pull towards someone and gets interested. And then he gets obsessed.

Death is not an Escape by @whitepinkdandelions (T, 2k, complete)

The Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw is full of endless wisdom, so it only makes sense that it gets its hooks into Harry much faster than the rest of them.

*

🏆 Cup

Thirst by @obsidianpen (E, 27k, complete)

Things go awry when the trio beaks into Gringotts. Harry finds himself trapped, locked in the Lestrange vault, wandless and alone... With a horcrux.

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🔒 Locket

Arson by @rudehellion (M, 8k, complete)

The hunt for Voldemort's Horcruxes is going poorly. In need of some space to think, Harry offers to take the first watch over camp and slips out into the snowy night. Unable to shake his dark thoughts, Harry finds himself drifting and he begins to dream. What he sees changes everything.

knock it off (part 1) / crave gets slaked (part 2) by @theonceandfuturequeenoftarts (E, 6k, complete)

At some point during Harry's time with the Dursleys, pain got crossed with affection. A kick from Dudley or having his arm yanked by Uncle Vernon at least means they’re acknowledging his existence. It’s not love, but it’s something. Too bad for Harry he carries that through to his less dysfunctional relationships.

The Cost by Blood_Stained_Fingers (M, 8k, complete)

The cost of making a horcrux was steep and when Voldemort manages to kill Harry, destroying the horcrux within, Harry finds out the exact price of losing a piece of your soul. It made a cruel joke that if Voldemort loved his horcruxes, Harry should love them too.

The Dead of Night by @cybrid (E, 6k, complete)

An empty house. A glint of gold. A dream. Or: running away from Privet Drive goes terribly for Harry.

The Ties That Bind by @mosiva (E, 8k, complete)

Harry finds the locket at Grimmauld Place, but it has a curse laid on it. When Harry triggers it, he finds himself trapped with the locket version of Tom Riddle, both of them stuck within the enchantment until they can find the way out. Or so Harry thinks.

Whole by Emriel (E, 20k, complete)

The horcrux hunt goes wrong and Harry fails to destroy the locket horcrux. Tom Riddle hands him over to the Dark Lord as a present for they know he holds part of their soul. In their care, Harry learns that feelings, no matter how toxic, are hard to get rid off.

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💍 Ring

Personal Assistant by @phantomato (E, 10k, complete)

“And that’s it? I call ‘Tom’ and you show up?” “Yes,” Tom answers.

shelter from the storm by @cindle-writes, @duplicitywrites (E, 7k, complete)

After being left behind by the Dursleys, Harry stumbles upon an empty shack in the middle of nowhere, where he finds a mysterious ring underneath the loose floorboards.

*

[arliedraws]

Why sirius death was a good narrative? (Just curious)

Ah, well, in short, he was too smart and he cared too much for Harry. So maybe it’s more of a “the author created too powerful of a character and had to walk that back.” This is why Sirius has to be miserable in OotP when he was actually doing ok in GoF!

If Sirius had lived, he would have been part of the Horcrux hunt. First of all, that’s a problem narratively because I doubt half of the mistakes or moves the trio made would have happened if they had someone who was a veteran of the first war guiding them. Plus, Sirius would have probably figured out how to get each Horcrux faster and destroy each one with expediency.

He knew too much. Harry’s emotional dilemma about Dumbledore in DH would have been solved too quickly. If Sirius knew that Dumbledore was friends with Grindelwald (evidenced from Lily’s letter), Sirius could have walked Harry through his complicated feelings. The storyline of Harry learning that his heroes are fallible would have been almost completely derailed, in my opinion, because no matter how much Dumbledore betrayed Sirius, Sirius still deferred to Dumbledore’s leadership and authority.

Because friendship is the core theme of the books, we would’ve lost the testing of the relationship between the trio. If an adult or mentor had been there to talk reason between the arguing kids, Ron probably never would have left.

The series is about children saving the day, not adults. It’s also the reason why Dumbledore had to die too.

If Sirius were to have lived, you would have needed to incapacitate him even more to keep him from solving these problems. In the end, OotP was a brutal lesson for Harry about communication and trust. As much as he loved Sirius, he didn’t trust Sirius in the end. He loved Sirius so much and was so terrified of losing him, he withdrew to keep him safe, but that withdrawal made them both miserable (obviously). If both Harry and Sirius had been honest with each other, Sirius wouldn’t have been killed the way he was. But that was what Voldemort wanted—he wanted Harry to feel alone! It is so much easier to manipulate people who feel alienated. Anyway, it’s a devastating storyline, but I do think it works well narratively.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

You mentioned a few times that you didn’t like Book 7, both from an analysis standpoint and from a structure/pacing standpoint. If you haven’t done so already, do you think you can do a whole post on all your grievances on Book 7?

I never really made a comprehensive post I think.

Like, I mentioned some stuff under the Deathly Hallows tag here, but generally, it seems to me like book 7 made up a lot of new rules about magic that weren't built up earlier. Like people being able to supposedly learn Parseltongue.

In addition to forgetting magic that was already established. Like, I get JKR wanted the trio hungry and miserable, but even if they can't conjour food, they could summon it, steal it under the invisibility cloak, hunt it/fish it? Like, go to a river band and say "accio fish". Something Ted and Dean actually do when they're on the run in book 7:

“There ought to be a few salmon in here, or d’you reckon it’s too early in the season? Accio Salmon.” There were several distinct splashes and then the slapping sounds of fish against flesh. Somebody grunted appreciatively. 

(DH)

Like, I don't get why the main trio couldn't do that. That's all just one example.

I'm not even going to touch what I think about the wandlore in this book since it changes the rules about wands so much.

In terms of characterization, I think Ron's character suffers the most. Like, Ron is written dumber in this book than in any other. He leaves Harry and Hermione and erases his character arc 7 books in. It just, shouldn't have gone like this.

Book 7 is the only one of the books where the trio feels similar to how they are in the movies. With Ron and Harry being a bit useless (especially Ron) and staring in awe at how smart Hermione is. And Hermione seems to be the only one knowing what's up and wanting to push this quest forward while they're camping in the woods. This isn't their dynamic at all up to this point, and the entire camping in the woods section portrays them in this way.

It's not in the entire book too, just like in sections (which makes me feel JKR wrote them very separately, but I digress) — but I hate it.

Like, in general, the character arcs are not really there. At least, not the way I would've liked them to be. I already mentioned Ron who regressed in his arc to something he never was in the books, but it still felt like a regression. Hermione was basically stripped of a lot of her more ruthless streak. Like, Hermione of GoF or OotP would've been willing to steal food to keep them alive. Sure, these people didn't deserve to be stolen from, but she would've understood the necessity. Hermione of book 7 feels off to me, like, she's supposed to be the morally right one more often than not and it feels jarring when the trio had a more equal dynamic up to this point. At least outside of the camping bits she isn't always right in general. Like, Harry still has his incredible instincts Hermione belittles but he ends up being right. That is character-accurate

Harry as well, like, he has some great moments. His doubts about Dumbledore and how it clashes with Hermione's blind faith in him is a great character arc for them and I love it. I just feel that Harry's conclusion of not doubting Dumbledore because he was sick of doubting and how he got to it fell a little flat for me. Also, Harry casts two unforgivable curses easily in this book, and just, no one reacts to it? Not even him? Like, this could've been a fascinating arc and a way better point of contention between the trio than the fucking lack of food. Like, to open the question Lupin brought up at the start of the book, "How far is too far in war?" like, that theme is there, but, like, bubbling beneath the surface.

And I'm not the first to mention how bizarre it is that Hermione cooks when Harry spent years cooking at the Dursleys while Hermione's got no clue what she's doing.

I also feel like more should've been done with the Horcruxes. Like, with how great of a villain the diary was in book 2, it just feels like wasted potential. I wanted more from the locket and the cup and we didn't get time with the diadem at all. I would've liked maybe more of a showcase of cool magical protections on the cup, maybe, and, like, delving deeper into magical theory the way Dumbledore had to to understand the locket's cave. Idk, I just wish there was more.

The Deathly Hallows themselves are another thing. Like, I feel they or the elder wand should've at least been mentioned prior to this book if they were the plan all along. Like, have someone comment Dumbledore won the allegiance of his wand when he defeated Grindlewald or something. Like, a little hint. Because I love the concept of the Deathly Hallows themselves (and Dumbledore's backstory is great and makes complete sense to me with what we know of his character), I just feel the Deathly Hallows the book is literally named after aren't that big of a deal in the book. Like, most of the book should be called "Harry Potter and the Hunt for Horcruxes", the Deathly Hallows, which, again, I love, feel more like an afterthought.

I did like the theme of grief and death that existed throughout the book and it felt in line with talk of things like the Resurrection Stone. I love that that's the hallow Harry chose (actually I like that scene and which hallow each of the trio chose). Like, Harry and Hermione going to Godric's Hallow was great. Harry's grief and pain were amazingly written there. It's one of my favorite parts of the book and I loved seeing the messages of support left for Harry to show what is going on with the rest of the world. I could've done without the super convoluted plan of having Nagini wait there, that made literally no sense, I don't know why Voldy thought that was a good idea.

The romance is another weak point in this book. Since I don't like how Ron and Hermione are written (I think their dynamic was at its most compelling in GoF) and I don't like Harry and Ginny's romance in any book, but book 7 is bad for them. Like, hinny fans talk about how sweet it is for Harry to look at the map to look for Ginny, but he doesn't open the map for Ginny, he does it for Ron:

Meanwhile Harry had started bringing out the Marauder’s Map and examining it by wandlight. He was waiting for the moment when Ron’s labeled dot would reappear in the corridors of Hogwarts, proving that he had returned to the comfortable castle, protected by his status of pureblood.

(DH)

And that's what leads him to see Ginny and look at her name, but he didn't open the map for her, she just happened to be there.

Similarly, when they arrive at Hogwarts, Harry is reacting to Luna more than to Ginny. And Ginny doesn't trust him enough to send him with Cho to Ravenclaw which is so stupid (I just read that scene last night and I have grievances). Like, Harry didn't even want to kiss Cho when he thought he had a crush on her, Ginny has literally nothing to worry about.

I also would've loved to see more of Voldemort. Whenever Harry goes into Voldemrot's mind it's great to see what he and occasionally the Death Eaters are up to. I would've liked more Voldemort for the final book. (If the Horcruxes weren't so underused we could've had more Voldemort, or, at least, pieces of him)

Then there's the pacing. Now, I think I'm in the unpopular minority who likes the wedding scene. I just love Aunt Muriel. She's such a vibe, and I love her gossip. And there are a lot of other scenes I like. I like breaking into the ministry, I love all of Dumbledore's backstory. Everything once they get to Hogwarts gets better. I actually don't like the Gringotts Heist much (as I reread it recently), and the scenes in Shell Cottage leading up to it, but that's my opinion.

And like, that's the thing about book 7 and its pacing that makes it kind of a mess.

There are sections I love that are well-written and fun. Like, the high notes from book 7 are pretty high (this is why I like it more than book 1. Philosopher's Stone is much more cohesive and has better pacing and character work, but the high notes of Deathly Hallows are much better than the high notes of Philosopher's Stone). The problem is that they feel much more disjointed than they usually do. And, like, the whole flow isn't there. The book doesn't flow.

Reading book 7 is like driving at high speed down a road, and then you get stuck in traffic for an hour and then the road magically clears up, like all the other cars disappear in a snap and you're hurtling in speed again and then BAM another traffic jam that appeared out of nowhere. Instead of having the ebb and flow the books usually have, where you go from one plot point to another relatively with ease, book 7 feels like you start, then have to stop, then start again. The different levels of quality and slightly off shifts in characterization between sections also add to this start-stop-start feel I mentioned. Like, the book just doesn't feel cohesive enough.

Then, of course, there is the epilogue, but I already talked about my problems with it (here and here).

That's like, the things that bothered me most in this reread, I think.

[sitp-recs]

Hi Liv!

Do you know of any fics where draco is really heroic during the war? Like fics where he fights for the light side, kills voldemort, fights in thr battle of hogwarts, etc

I think its a really interesting trope

Thanks!!!

Hi anon! That’s a great ask, personally I love these. Most are spy!Draco fics so he’s usually helping behind the scenes:

Paper Dolls by cupiscent (M, 5k)

In the final year of the War, Draco gets a letter, makes a choice and pays the price.

Speak (and may the world come undone) by @shealwaysreads (E, 26k)

The war is on in earnest, and the hunt for the Horcruxes has begun. Harry receives help from the least expected person, and must decide whether he can trust the enemy he knows best.

In The Hand by aideomai (T, 28k)

Two months after Harry went missing, when Hermione was frantic with fear and panic and sleep deprivation, Draco Malfoy cornered them outside the Great Hall before breakfast.

9 ½ Days by magpie_fngrl (E, 69k)

After the events at the Manor, Harry and Draco find themselves stranded in the countryside with a broken wand and Death Eaters on their tail. This is the story of an uneasy truce, featuring faerie forests, seaside caves, Romani camps, kind old ladies, and a shared bed in an attic. Or how two boys fell in love in the midst of a bloody coup.

Walking the Line by SilentAuror (E, 179k)

Sixth year is over and Draco Malfoy is on the run. The war is on and an unwanted assignment is forced upon him by the only people he trusts - and a one-time arch-enemy just may be out to kill him.

Temptation on the Warfront by alizarincrims0n (E, 180k)

Draco Malfoy is forced into hiding with the Golden Trio and dragged into their search for horcruxes. What ensues is a journey of redemption, unexpected friendships and an unwanted, turbulent romance with Harry Potter. Warnings for swearing, sexual content, and dark themes.

Eclipse by Mijan (T, 287k)

Draco swore his revenge on Harry for Lucius's imprisonment, and Harry all but laughed at him. But Draco is planning more than schoolyard pranks this time. The old rivalry turns deadly when Draco abducts Harry for Voldemort. It's the perfect plan, guaranteeing revenge, power, and prestige, all in one blow. But when Draco's world turns upside down, the fight to save himself and Harry begins, and the battle will take them both through hell and back. If they come back.

Twist of Fate by Oakstone730 (T, 302k)

Draco asks Harry to help him beat the Imperius curse during 4th year. The lessons turn into more than either expected. A story of redemption and forgiveness.

[mxlfoydraco]

Hi!!! Do you know any fic where Draco join the Golden Trio in their Hocrux Hunting in 7th year? Thnx

Hello! I know some,

Horcrux Hunting

Temptation on the Warfront by Alizarincrimson (180k)

Draco Malfoy is forced into hiding with the Golden Trio and dragged into their search for horcruxes. What ensues is a journey of redemption, unexpected friendships and an unwanted, turbulent romance with Harry Potter. Warnings for swearing, sexual content, and dark themes.

Chronological Displacement by bookinit (89k)

In which Harry and Draco have a time-turner accident, and many things go wrong, but a lot of things also go right. Featuring: reptilian bonding night, canon-inaccurate animagus lessons, and a fuck-ton of pining.

aka the fic where Harry finds his family, and fights to keep them.

Consequences of Redemption by bobbirose (120k)

When Draco makes an impromptu decision to rescue Harry Potter from Malfoy Manor, the two find themselves completely alone and facing the looming climax of the war against Voldemort. Harry must start from the beginning with Draco–and starting over has more consequences than either of them anticipated.

Finite Incantatum by Alysian_Fields (153k)

What should have happened after ‘Half Blood Prince’! It’s the autumn after Dumbledore’s death, the Death Eaters are steadily gaining power, and Harry and his friends are desperate to find the remaining Horcruxes. But then Draco Malfoy arrives at Grimmauld Place, traumatised, starved and drained of all his magical ability. It falls to Harry to show the Slytherin how to adapt to his new way of life, never guessing that Draco has a few things to teach him in return.

The Sum of Your Scars by Tessa Crowley (4k)

Draco will never forgive Harry for making him a better person, and will never forgive himself for falling in love with him.

Earthbound Spook by cest_what (57k)

Two months after Draco Malfoy was reported dead, Harry and Ron found him tangled in Strangler Ivy on the grounds of Hogwarts.

The Serenity of His Rage by Lomonaaeren (152k)

AU of HBP. Narcissa never made Snape swear an Unbreakable Vow, and in the end, Draco decides to accept Dumbledore’s offer of sanctuary. But when Narcissa dies and Dumbledore declares his intention to create a soul-bond between Harry and Draco mainly to get rid of the Horcrux in Harry, Draco becomes enraged. He’ll use the soul-bond and the sanctuary Dumbledore gave him. But not exactly in the ways that Dumbledore anticipated.

Vulnera Sanentur by Zzzara (51k)

When Harry Potter fires a deadly curse at his "arch-enemy", he has no idea what the curse does. He has no idea he will soon beg Draco Malfoy's forgiveness and try his best to atone. He has no idea that the ugly bathroom incident he would rather forget will tangle and bind their lives together with no chance of escape. Navigating a treacherous path between Dumbledore's lies and Voldemort's orders, Draco is trapped and considered to be dead by both sides of the Wizarding War. Against the Golden Trio's wishes, he joins them on the Horcrux hunt. Except that he has no idea what he is hunting for. This is a love-story, a fight-story, very much compliant to the 6th and 7th 'Harry Potter' books and yet, very, VERY different. Because this time - after the Sectumsempra incident - Harry visited Draco in the hospital wing and tried to apologise.

Men Who Love Dragons Too Much by @fencer-x (522k)

[Extensive re-telling of Deathly Hallows] ‘Kill Albus Dumbledore’ is less a challenging task and more a suicide mission, so when Draco Malfoy is presented with the option to either dispatch his Headmaster or suffer an excruciating and most ignominious death of his own, along with his parents, he reaches deep into his black little Slytherin heart and manages to scrape together enough courage to go with option C instead: Spend Sixth Year secretly studying Animagecraft in the hopes he’ll turn into something sufficiently imposing even the Dark Lord himself won’t be able to keep Draco under his thumb. But just his luck, his Animagus form turns out to be a dragon, and a rather randy juvenile at that, intent on finding its mate: one Harry James Potter.

Speak (and may the world come undone) by @shealwaysreads (26k)

The war is on in earnest, and the hunt for the Horcruxes has begun. Harry receives help from the least expected person, and must decide whether he can trust the enemy he knows best. A story of grey-tinged loyalty, the silver of trust in the darkness, the agony of courage, the unexpected richness of secrets, and the vast unknown of survival.

Walking the Line by SilentAuror (179k)

Sixth year is over and Draco Malfoy is on the run. The war is on and an unwanted assignment is forced upon him by the only people he trusts - and a one-time arch-enemy just may be out to kill him.

Bad Faith by jad (224k)

Four years after Dumbledore's death, Draco Malfoy shows up on the doorstep of number twelve, Grimmauld Place looking for Harry Potter. Torn between his own self-preservation and his family's pride, Draco finds himself alone on a battlefield and has nowhere else to turn; and Harry has to learn that sometimes you don't put up walls to keep other people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down.

The Eighth Tale by lettered (12k)

Draco Malfoy tries to fix the past, but instead mucks it up some more. For Harry, it all becomes quite clear.

The Hush of War by @lol-zeitgeistic (351k)

Voldemort has made a bargain with Harry to stop killing muggles and muggle-borns (when at all possible, of course) in exchange for Harry's cooperation. While Harry thinks he's using the time to find a way to defeat the Dark Lord, he will realize that Voldemort is always one step ahead, and so long as he isn't killing anyone...what's the big deal? He has bigger things to worry about now, anyway. Includes dementors, pureblood culture, the prophecy, what exactly happened with Lily's sacrifice, magical breakthroughs, children Death Eaters, and portraits of family. Final pairing: H/D. Sequel to Black, in the Smothering Dark.

Brave Though The Stars They Make Me by @dwell-the-brave (108k)

After the events at the end of his Sixth Year, Draco Malfoy has been kept all but prisoner in his childhood home, Malfoy Manor. Alone, terrified, and desperate for some way out, he begins to have strange dreams - dreams of Harry Potter. Are they a trick of his mind? Or are they a way to change his fate, and a chance at redemption?

A Slight Inclination by @jilliancares (48k)

When Harry Potter is ten years old he accidentally winds up in Knockturn Alley, where he runs into a man named Lucius Malfoy. Harry is thus thrust into the wizarding world and makes his first ever friend, Draco Malfoy. Years later, Harry is on the hunt for horcruxes with his most trusted friends, Draco, Ron, Blaise, Hermione, and Pansy. Still, being in love with his best friend is bound to make their mission a little bit more difficult, isn't it?

Paradox series by kerfuffling (84k + 34k)

Thanks to a clever bit of magic and the help of an old acquaintance, Draco is given the chance to relive his years at Hogwarts with the knowledge of what exactly is in store for the future. However, when things tumble out of Draco's grasp, he finds himself losing his memories of the life he's already led as everything takes a startling turn away from what he'd always assumed to be his destiny. - Just because Draco's somehow gotten himself involved in Potter's suicide mission to defeat the Dark Lord doesn't mean he has to go quietly and actually act like a Gryffindor fool. And sure, he and Potter have some sort of relationship going on, but Draco's still a Slytherin, and he's going to bring his own brand of cunning to this cockamamy fool camping trip Potter's gone and got himself stuck in trying to save the world from evil lockets, gingers, and badly cooked food.

Death Comes for Us All by @lumosatnight (5k)

Burying his face in Draco’s hair, he can smell the smoke from the cigarette, can taste the ashes lingering in his mouth. Harry finds it comforting, a reminder that Draco has seen his worst and still chooses to stay.

Secrets by Vorabiza (395k)

Beginning with Draco's unexpected arrival at the Dursleys, Harry's summer after sixth year becomes filled with activity and many secrets. As his summer progresses, Harry generates several unexpected allies as he finds himself actively becoming the leader of the Light side. H/D post-HBP ~~Complete~~

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

you're so right about deathly hallows. it's the only book i haven't been able to get through as an adult. it's way too long, the pacing is completely off (vacillates between intense action and...nothing, not even anticipation), it has too many meandering side-plots, the resolution doesn't really make sense (i'm still hazy on the wand/blood protection details, and think your suicide theory makes far more sense), and it doesn't do enough with its interesting thematic features. and don't even get me started on that epilogue! it feels like a draft with decent elements that needed a lot of...rearranging.

the horcrux hunt could have had a fun episodic mystery feel, where we gradually explore themes of death, resurrection, morality, etc. and move towards a more nuanced understanding of the situation through fun mystery plots that build off of each other, but no.

though I would absolutely read about voldemort chilling in germany for six months. i like to think he was having a great time at oktoberfest while the death eaters were working feverishly to consolidate his rule in britain.

Goddammit, we could have had it all!

We could have had Voldemort at fucking Oktoberfest!

But yes, agree with all of this, it's just... bad.

[theserpens]

Drarry Fic Rec: Part Fourteen

Such Great Heights by aideomai 93,302 words, E

Draco Malfoy, wide-eyed and pale and in a decidedly ragged shirt, was crouched next to the pile of whatever the dragon had been eating. Harry threw himself to a halt and yelled, “Merlin, how many times do I have to save your life?”

Men Who Love Dragons Too Much by @fencer-x 522,850 words, E

‘Kill Albus Dumbledore’ is less a challenging task and more a suicide mission, so when Draco Malfoy is presented with the option to either dispatch his Headmaster or suffer an excruciating and most ignominious death of his own, along with his parents, he reaches deep into his black little Slytherin heart and manages to scrape together enough courage to go with option C instead: Spend Sixth Year secretly studying Animagecraft in the hopes he’ll turn into something sufficiently imposing even the Dark Lord himself won’t be able to keep Draco under his thumb. But just his luck, his Animagus form turns out to be a dragon, and a rather randy juvenile at that, intent on finding its mate: one Harry James Potter.

Draconem dormientem nunquam excitat by toomuchplor 24,689 words, M

A wizard craved a dragon’s enormous trove of treasure, and so he hid behind a tree and cast a powerful sleeping spell on the great beast — In which Harry goes on special assignment.

The theme for this Set is rather obvious: Dentist AU's. I'm just kidding. Its dragons. Big lizards, scaly cats, fire belching beasts. So, here are some of the most wonderful stories I have ever read (that also happen to include a dragon).

Firstly 'Such Great Heights' has a very special place in my heart. It is not only beautifully written and includes hilarious, witty, mean, soft and livelike characters - but it also has one of the most realistically flawed and yet somehow stupidly romantic love stories between Draco and Harry ever. Its just so ... just read it, and then re-read it. You have to! Fine, I will as well.

'Men Who Love Dragons Too Much' is honestly a great and unique retelling of book seven. It has Draco joining the trio on the horcrux-hunt and just makes its strange premise work perfectly. The characterizations are on point, the relationships are completly realistic and the love story fits very organically into the just slightly altered canon.

Finally, 'Draconem dormientem nunquam excitat' is a marvellous, enjoyable read from start to finish. Its sharply written and delivers on a fitting dynamic between middle aged Draco and Harry. Also - if you would sponteanously transform into a dragon in the middle of a street, woudn't you have some fun? Well, Draco doesn't, but I did, while reading about his struggle. So, Enjoy!

[starryskiescottagepies]

★ Marauders (mostly wolfstar) fics I have enjoyed recently ★

I think most people are already familiar with these, but I figured I’d compile a list for at least my own sake, if not for the fuck of it. No particular order, just whichever one popped into my mind first. Also I almost exclusively read regular magical fics, not muggle aus, though sometimes I will branch out.

1.) The Horcrux Hunt - lostmy_keys

He is a Slytherin, a Black, and an ex-Death Eater. Of course he makes it out of the cave.

Regulus sets out to destroy the Dark Lord's Horcrux with no one but a house-elf to help, until he realises his task is bigger than he alone can handle. Reluctantly he turns to the only man Voldemort fears for assistance - Dumbledore - who loans out his pet wolf for the job, much to Regulus's dismay. Together they embark on a hunt for Horcruxes - a long and arduous journey that both makes friendships and destroys them. And a few people get hurt along the way.

Slowburn Wolfstar, Regulus character development, a very flirty (but platonic) Regulus and Remus friendship, and a canonically manipulative Dumbledore.

This is by far one of my recent favourites. It’s too good. I’m not super into jegulus, but if that’s your thing, the sequel has them as a kind of background development :]

2.) Let Nothing You Dismay - montparnasse

There are a few things Sirius really didn't count on for Christmas of 1979. The extreme sexual confusion is one of them; Remus Lupin is approximately seventy-eight of the rest.

I bookmarked this with a note saying “this writing style is gorjus. Gongepus” at 1:30 in the morning, and that’s all I have to say about that.

3.) disintegration - moonymoment

Okay I won’t even bother putting the summary here, almost everyone has read it, it’s fantastic. Knife cutting vampire themed sexual tension, kak long too. Sound good? Lekker. Thought so.

4.) Stealing Harry (and its subsequent cinematic universe) - copperbadge

On a dark night long ago, Sirius Black took a wrong turn and never found Peter Pettigrew. Instead of Azkaban, Sirius settled down in Little Whinging to keep an eye on his godson, and hired Remus Lupin to run his bookshop for him. Then one day when Harry was eight, Sirius found out how the Dursleys treated him, and stole him away.

I’m going to make a whole separate post about this one because it’s a work of art. It’s so sweet. Ahh. It’s an iconic old series too, started before I even existed. It’s been one of my favourite things as of late. I wish it had been completed, but I also love it as it is, and I don’t feel I need any more than that. The first story is beautiful, but frankly it’s the alternative universe which comes after that I keep rereading. So so so so so good.

5.) Remain in Light - veeagainst

What if Sirius Black didn’t die? It’s been done many times. Here’s my take on it.

One of the best “wolfstar kind of adopts Harry” sorts of stories in my opinion, and done so in such a graceful way too. Blood sweat tears and six whole years (!!!!) of writing went into this thing and you can really see how no word was wasted. What a beautiful story

6.) The Bent - earlybloomingparenthesis

1985, London. The wizarding queer art scene revolves around a gallery called the Bent, where conceptual artist Remus Lupin and photographer Sirius Black exhibit their works, and a club called the Bush, where they spend time with Jane and Lily Potter, who work at a nearby heath clinic. Although war with Voldemort was averted, the wizarding world is still simmering with tension. In the face of increasing intolerance and calls for censorship, Remus’ art takes a riskier, more political turn, and he must figure out how to balance self-expression and safety. Also, he might be falling in love with his best friend.

It’s been a while since something ive read has caused my to need to go on a walk and just think. This story will make you do that. Queer truths and families and mess and art. That’s it that’s the book. It’s one of the nine fics I’ve thrown into my “lifechanging fanfics” collection and it’s there for a REASON! You will not regret reading it.

[dramioneasks]

Hello! First of all, I LOVE your blog! ❤️ I hope everyone is well. Do you know any fics with more "adult themes"? Which mean, more serious stuff, war, etc. I love Manacled, Secrets & Masks and Perfectly in Pieces. I also love Hunted and LITOTZA. Maybe fics where Draco is on the other side of war and then changes? Or was faking all this time? Thanks so much!

Shadows of Ourselves By: InkFairy - T, 32 chapters - Draco Malfoy has played both sides of the war for years, but when Voldemort gives him an ultimatum—bring him Hermione Granger or die—she surprisingly agrees to be handed over to the Dark Lord. Together, they take pureblood society by storm as Master and Madam Malfoy, all while trying to help the Order find and destroy the last Horcruxes and defeat Voldemort forever.

Draco Takes a Mark - diamonddaydream - T, 53 chapters, Words: 184,204 - "The fact that Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy were mad for each other was the worst kept secret at Hogwarts.“ Retelling of The Half-blood Prince as a Dramione story. Crookshanks brings Draco to Hermione after she’s brought back cursed from the Department of Mysteries. Knowing the relationship they’ve carried on in secret since the Yule Ball is about to be tested, she inscribes an ancient love charm onto his left arm with surprising consequences which may affect the course of the coming war. Continues the story “Dancing with Draco ” or reads fine on its own. Complete, HEA

Entanglement By: blankfish - M, WIP - “Your loyalties begin and end with me now, Granger, or have you forgotten?” he spat bitterly. At the request of the Order, Hermione Granger marries Draco Malfoy, a man she’d only ever known as her enemy. This decision leads her on a winding path of tumultuous consequences that even she could not have predicted. Dramione War AU.

The Gift of Joy by BiscuitsForPotter - E, 22 chapters, Words: 147,249 - After the murder of Albus Dumbledore, Draco never makes it out of Hogwarts. Instead, he is captured, interrogated, and placed in the temporary care of someone who can help him lie low until a more permanent solution can be found. His caretaker? None other than one Hermione Granger. Stripped of his status, his wand, and his dignity, can Draco Malfoy find solace in the company of the muggleborn he once tormented?

Divine Artifice By: jessiy - M, 25 chapters, Words: 162,391 - The story of how Draco Malfoy found redemption, his heart, and reclaimed his family’s honor. All thanks to a mislabeled bottle of Experimental Amortentia. Hermione/Draco

The Disappearances of Draco Malfoy - speechwriter - M, 33 chapters, Words: 296,116 - The night that Harry and Dumbledore return from the cave, the Death Eaters are delayed from reaching the top of the Astronomy Tower for one more minute. Draco Malfoy lowers his wand. A Deathly Hallows rewrite in which Draco accepts Dumbledore’s offer to fake his death and go into hiding with the Order of the Phoenix.

Turncoat By: elizaye - M, 101 chapters - Switching sides. “I have only one condition, and I trust it won’t be hard for you to meet. I want Granger.”

We Learned the Sea By: floorcoaster - T, 37 chapters - Draco Malfoy turns himself in after a very successful career as a Death Eater, then enlists Harry and Hermione to help him in a scheme to bring down the Dark Lord. DHr. A story of forgiveness.

Static By: galfoy - M, 21 chapters - The Order rescued Draco and Lucius Malfoy after Lord Voldemort turned on them. All the safe houses are full, and Hermione Granger is the only one who can take them in. Will she agree after having suffered a drastic nervous breakdown?

Stolen By: Elsie girl - T, 45 chapters - She pretends to love him for the Order. He pretends to love her for the Dark Lord. Have they deceived everyone, or only themselves? “Love unlocks doors and opens windows that weren’t even there before.” Mignon McLaughlin. Thank you so much for the support. Please read and review. Complete Dramione.

Crimson with a Silver Lining by Lady Cailan - M, 78 Chapters - It is six years since the fall of the Ministry to Voldemort. Those other than purebloods are deemed less than human. When Ginny’s daughter ends up in grave danger, Hermione sells herself to the Death Eaters to save her life. Draco/Hermione. Not fluffy

Family Ties by l.h. Zein - T, 33 chapters, Words: 163,935 - They would underestimate him. The strongest person he’d ever known had been underestimated, and she was his mother in all but blood. He molded himself, played the part he’d been cast to play, while he waited for his chance. Then Sirius Black had escaped. Twisted canon. AU picking up at the start of DH.

-Lisa

[therealvinelle]

Oooh, now im interested in the idea of the hp novels with the events swapped around to fit those 3 themes you suggested in the post abt jkr not being a good writer

(Anon is referring to this post.)

Well, the thing is that the Harry Potter books I'd write would be unrecognizably different.

As you mention, there would be no need for more than three books, if that. (Well, if any. JKR... what was the point of these books?)

To steal shamelessly from my own post, here are the seven books down to the barest bones:

Book: Harry is introduced to the Wizarding World, and about the evil wizard he vanquished. He enrolls in school. Evil wizard tries to return, Harry foils him.

Book: Harry goes to school. A memory of the evil wizard tries to take physical form, fails.

Book: Harry goes to school. Family drama ensues.

Book: Harry goes to school. Evil wizard successfully returns.

Book: Harry goes to school. Evil wizard grows as a threat, but the Wizarding World at large ignores this.

Book: Harry goes to school. Evil wizard grows as a threat, this time the Wizarding World is acknowledging the fact.

Book: Harry does not go to school. Evil wizard grows as a threat. Harry takes action to defeat the wizard, the wizard is at last defeated.

(The above written with the idea that Harry Potter is about Harry's fight against Voldemort in mind. JKR wasn't writing that, she was writing a school novels where the plucky kids have adventures and Quidditch is of vital importance, but she tried to convince us it was about the fight against evil so I'll hold her to that.)

There's no reason why this can't be one book.

Harry is introduced to the Wizarding World, learns about the evil wizard he vanquished as a baby. The evil wizard regains physical form, and Harry destroys him once and for all.

The three book formula was a loose example if we wanted to keep the essential parts of Harry Potter, while still keeping things snappy, and trying to flesh it into real book outlines now...

God, I'm struggling.

The point of it, though, was that the Philosopher's Stone with Harry learning about the wizarding world, the Chamber of Secrets with Diary Tom's arc, the Prisoner of Azkaban with Sirius' plotline, Voldemort returning at the end of Goblet of Fire, the nothing happening in Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore dying in Half-Blood Prince, hunting for the horcruxes in Deathly Hallows, these were all things that didn't require an entire book.

Have Diary Tom open the Chamber while Sirius is on the loose and this keeps everyone so distracted they fail to prevent Voldemort coming back, have Harry learn about the wizarding world because the evil wizard he vanquished returned recently and they want their savior back, and so on.

Any way you twist and turn these books, there are a thousand different ways to improve them and they are so very different because there are so many paths towards a better and more interesting story.

The point ultimately remains that these books amount to school novels where Voldemort is there to make it seem like they're about something grander, but really, what Harry Potter is really about is the fun times our plucky main character has at boarding school with his chums.

[saintsenara]

Keeping with Sirius' birthday theming— do you reckon Ron and Harry's friendship is meant to be a deliberate parallel to James and Sirius? A stag and a dog, one best friend being taken in by another's family, etc etc...

thank you very much for the ask, anon!

no, i don't think so. while ron's loyalty to harry shouldn't be underestimated - and i certainly don't like seeing it devalued - it's much more pragmatic and less codependent than james and sirius', which are positives, and much more badly affected by jealousy and insecurity, which are negatives.

sirius would never stop talking to james because he was selected as triwizard champion, or walk out of the horcrux hunt. but he'd also never criticise james' behaviour, whether towards other people - as ron does when he thinks harry has mistreated hermione or ginny - or in general - ron is correct to point out that harry hasn't done any planning for the horcrux hunt and his absence does force harry to tighten up.

and this is particularly because ron's loyalty to harry is equal to his loyalty to hermione, whereas - with my apologies to wolfstar nation - james and sirius' relationship to each other is totally different [and, indeed, much more profound] than either man's relationship with lupin or pettigrew.

similarly, james and sirius' relationship - narratively - is one of equals. the text emphasises it as quasi-fraternal, something it never does for ron and harry, and neither of them has any social power over each other. ron - in contrast - is, in the eyes of the narrative, harry's disciple rather than his co-conspirator, and he's also - despite being a pureblood, and therefore an insider to the world of the story - socially lesser than harry on account of both harry's wealth and celebrity.

while there are lots of explicit parallels between harry and james in the text, these are mostly intended to draw attention to how the two are not alike.

his relationship with ron is - i think - one of them.

[fangurlss63]

HHr fanfiction recommendation

I know it’s 2023 and not a lot of people still reading harry potter fanfiction but here I am. This month alone I’ve been reading so many good stories that I want to compile in a post so it can be easier if someone want to read a harmony/harmione/HHr ff. Here we go!!

p.s. I’m from Indonesia so some of this fanfic will be in Bahasa Indonesia

A Marauder’s Plan by CatsAreCool

Rating : T Status : Complete Language : English Summary : Sirius decides to stay in England after escaping Hogwarts and makes protecting Harry his priority. AU GOF. 

Just Breathe by ficfan91

Rating : T Status : Complete Language : Bahasa Indonesia  Summary : Time Travel Stories. Harry and Hermione are attacked by Voldemort and Death Eaters in a tent during the Horcrux Hunt. Fawkes saves them from the Place Between Life and Death, and sends them to 1975. Canon until book 7, chapter 18.

Fourteen Days by alexandra_emerson

Rating : M Status : Complete (Part 1 of 5 on-going series) Language : English Summary : During her work in the Department of Mysteries, Hermione discovers an alternate universe where Neville was the Boy Who Lived, not Harry. Where James and Lily are alive and where Harry and Hermione aren’t about to marry Weasleys, but each other.They impersonate the other Harry and Hermione and join Harry’s parents on a trip to visit the Seven Wonders of the Magical World. It was only supposed to be two weeks. Fourteen days to get to know his parents. It became a journey of self-discovery. One they weren’t ready for.

In the Other Side of the World by nessh

Rating : T Status : Abandoned (but the last chapter can be interpreted as ending) Language : Bahasa Indonesia Summary : After the war, Harry disappeared from England and started his new life on the other side of the world, America. For years, Harry lived quietly there, until fate brought him back to face his past.

The Time Travelling Potters by LordCroussette 

Rating : T Status : Completed Language : English Summary : James, Lily, Fleamont and Euphemia are bored to death during an Order meeting taking place at Potter Manor. What they never expected during their half-asleep mind-ranting was for James and Lily's son to travel back in time from the future with his wife and their daughter. Suddenly, they have hope that they will be able to kill Voldemort for good. H/HR JP/LE.

Our Real Life by nessh

Rating : K+ Status : Completed Language : Bahasa Indonesia Summary : Characters reading Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, HHr/DG/RL.

Stay Here by nessh

Rating : T Status : Completed Language : Bahasa Indonesia Summary : "Maybe we should stay here Harry. And grow old," HHr/RWLL. OOC. RnR

A Solid Foundation by Lucych.7

Rating : M  Status : Completed Language : English Summary : Harry gets kicked out by the Dursleys at age 5. Sirius escapes Azkaban to find him. Hermione & her parents take in the boy & the dog. What if Harry knew he could count on the adults in his life for love, advice & support? Rated M for child abuse, adult themes & language, violence, etc. Evil APWBD, some Weasley bashing. Slow Harmony. Not canon.

Tones of Gray by Lucych.7

Rating : M Status : On-going Language : English Summary : This is the sequel to "A Solid Foundation". Please start there for context. In this world, there is black and white, but how do you navigate the rest that is all tones of gray? Follow the kids as they go to Hogwarts. Find out what happened with The Past, The Present, and The Future. Rated M for violence, explicit language, adult themes, etc. H/Hr. Some Weasley bashing. Non-canon.

Uncovering the Truth by TitansRule

Rating : T Status : Complete Language : English Summary : No one would ever guess that Hermione was hiding such a terrible secret. But just as that secret is discovered by an unlikely person, she finds herself cast adrift with only her friends to help her. With new powers, surprising allies, and shocking secrets, Hermione fights to uncover that which is being hidden from her.  Pre-Harmony.

Defying the Enemy by TitansRule

Rating : T Status : Complete Language : English Summary : Voldemort is back, the Ministry of Magic is pretending he isn't, and the Order of the Phoenix is being blocked at every turn. Amidst it all, Harry's Muggle neighbour is more than she seems, Draco Malfoy is trying to break free from his father's hold, and the Golden Trio are facing a Ministry-controlled Hogwarts. AU. Sequel to 'Uncovering the Truth'.

The Last Stand by TitansRule

Rating : T Status : Complete Language : English Summary : Jennifer Black is taking matters into her own hands. If her godson has to face Voldemort, she's going to make damn sure he's not alone. As the war with Voldemort heats up, the Marauders - both new and old - must fight to save everything they hold dear. Sequel to ‘Defying the Enemy’.

Aftermath by TitansRule 

Rating : T  Status : Complete Language : English Summary : As the dust settles at Hogwarts and the Wizarding World is left in limbo, awaiting the reappearance of their hero, the Marauders set about cleaning up the mess left behind. Sequel to Uncovering the Truth, Defying the Enemy, and The Last Stand.

this post will be updated!!

[nocturnal-phantoms-fandoms]

Tell us about Number 2 - your OC fic 💜

Again putting both asks in one, hope thats fine <3 @nogenrealldrama

And again thank you both for the questions <333

You ask me about the plot and my mind kinda goes blank xD This is my third time in ten years trying to (re)write it with a coherent plot and characterisation that makes sense. This is truly a long fic, especially for me. And it is *for me* bc Im not writing it in English and I dont think I will translate it (or ask/allow anyone). Maybe I will try to rewrite in English *some parts* that I like and edit out the OCs but thats for later.

I do have some things I can share :D I made a sideblog @oc-spoilers for incorrect quotes (pls pls pls check it out on desktop - the theme is so pretty and you can check out characters' profiles :D) There are also links to spotify and pinterest for each individual fic :D

Maybe I should introduce the main OC: Nadia Goldstein

If I had to describe Nadia's vibe I guess I would say Luna Lovegood, if Luna Lovegood was into physics instead of magical creatures and was doing crack. She is a Ravenclaw but the type that sets things on fire and pushes objects from great heights to see them bounce - its completely fine if she calculates it beforehand and writes down the results. Curious (orange) cat energy. I think.

She is there to have a good time and study dangerous experimental types of magic but unfortunately gets involed in teenage (dating) drama.

She is one of the few people studying astronomy after OWLs and thats because she has fallen in love with the stars. They are absolutely fascinating - shining so brightly - so far away, untouchable - but she will burn her fingers if she gets too close. If you catch my drift.

And she has a playlist :D

Now, the plot.

The fic technically has two parts. First part is canon-compliant-ish and covers The Marauders' time at Hogwarts through years 5-7 and is in my OC's pov. They are friends - at least she considers them her friends - until they fall out as a result of the werewolf prank.

Second part is sequel and a canon-divergence AU. Takes time in 1979/80 so after Hogwarts and during the war, and has actual plot :D (gang goes camping Horcrux Hunting).

main fic: pinterest aes board fic theme playlist

sequel fic: pinterest aes board fic theme playlist

Thanks again for the ask <3