Fic recs

[arcanetrivia]

I have allowed my recs bookmarks folder to get way out of control. So beware the recs list of DOOOOOOOOM!

It's possible I have recced some of these before, yet they reappeared in the folder due to syncing mismatches between three installs of Pale Moon (Firefox), but whatever. If they were worth it once, surely they're worth it again.

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More Secrets of the Half-blood Prince by stereolightning
Lily, Severus; Teen, 2313 words
Author's summary: Severus Snape is thirteen. Riding the train back to King's Cross. He's watching London rise up out of green fields dotted with sheep. The train rushes over bridges and through tunnels covered in graffiti. The vibration of the train is rhythmic, like blood whooshing through a jugular.

Quote:
He's fifteen. Sharing Lil's cigarette on the astronomy tower. This is the longest sustained eye contact they've had all year.

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Five Times Petunia Evans Met Severus Snape by ossacordis
Severus, Petunia, Lily, Snapes, Evanses, Vernon, James; Teen, 5956 words
Author's summary: Petunia meets Severus for the first time when they are both children, and then keeps meeting him by accident for almost the next two decades.

Quote:
“And I’m sure you’ve killed people like me,” Petunia snapped back. “I can see it in your face. It’s the reason you look so ill. No, I would be very happy if I had never met you.”

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The Ballad of Severus Snape by writcraft (in deeply_horrible)
Severus/Lily (unrequited); G, 1300 words
Author's summary: Prompt: Excerpt from The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde.
Author's warnings: Canonical character death, canon twist with events during the Battle for Hogwarts.

My comment: "*flails* Amazing!! Fan poetry is so often a mess, to say the least, yet this is so well constructed, and also grips the heart in its imagery."

Quote:
Then one sunlit day he saw a sight
Which made his stomach coil,
An idle hand upon her hip –
His blood began to boil,
And he dwelt long upon the Darkest spells
As he plotted to destroy.

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The Interview by HalfASlug
Severus, Albus; K+, ~6500 words
Author's summary: 10th November, 1981. Severus Snape has been summoned to Hogwarts for the first time since the war. For everyone else the fighting has finished, but for him it must continue. He is about to learn the true meaning of 'anything' and who better to teach him than the Hogwarts Headmaster.

My comment: "Very well done! I quite enjoyed it. Favorite line, the bit about Severus not needing assistance to hate himself as he could just as well do that at home."

Quote:
Severus had no idea if he was meant to be insulted or not. He had already been in the study for longer than he had anticipated and was eager to return to his solitude. Being summoned all the way to the Highlands to be insulted seemed an entirely pointless exercise. Besides, it wasn't like he needed assistance. He could hate himself at home.

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Modus Vivendi by saucery
Severus/Sirius, Remus/Peter, Lily/James; Mature, ~5600 words
Author's summary: The year is 1976. The Wizarding World has yet to be plunged into war, and Voldemort has yet to emerge from the shadows. The young Severus Snape hasn't pledged his loyalty to either Dumbledore or the Dark Lord - but he has, already, pledged his utter enmity to Sirius Black. In their last year at Hogwarts, these two boys find themselves the unlikeliest of allies, against a foe more powerful than they could ever have imagined. Will ancient grudge break to new mutiny, or will new accords be formed, instead?
Author's warnings: Underage

Quote:
Snape was skulking at the edges of the Slytherin table like some sort of sour-faced shadow, instead of being conveniently absent, like Sirius had been hoping he would be. Damn it. He was going to have to do this. He was going to have to -

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Promises Unbroken by Robin4
gen; Teen, ~170,000 words
Author's summary: Sirius Black remained the Secret Keeper and everything he feared came to pass. Ten years later, James and Lily live, Harry attends Hogwarts, and Voldemort remains…yet the world is different and nothing is as it seems. AU, updated for HBP. [originally begun in February 2003]

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Christmas Wishes from the Potters by stereolightning
James/Lily, Harry, Severus; Teen, 3050 words
Author's summary: Lily, James, and Harry return from a terrible tea with the Dursleys and settle a bet. Lily thinks this year's Christmas card will be particularly entertaining as a result.

My comment: "As someone who does not usually enjoy reading James/Lily stories (I am a Severus/Lily fan - not that I don't recognize the canonicity of James/Lily, I just don't usually enjoy reading the 'ship), I have to say this was well done and I enjoyed it- even if perhaps I want to say "I liked the way you managed to bring Severus into it somehow anyway", seems underhanded of me, heh."

Quote:
The large stag in the middle of the living room snorted and shook his head, jingling the brass and silver bells she had carefully hung upon his antlers.

"Don't look at me like that," Lily said. "You said that if I won the bet, I could dress up Prongs for the Christmas card. What kind of wife would I be if I didn't follow through?"

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The Long Walk Home by stereolightning
Lily, Severus, Frank Longbottom; Teen, ~3000 words
Author's summary: Severus kicked irritatedly at nothing in particular, wondering what that patronizing little speech was supposed to mean. One thing he was sure of, though, was that Frank Longbottom was a meddling, superior know-it-all and an upper-class twit.

Quote:
He had noticed, too, that she was not fully aware of her effect on the poor Snape boy. They were a very odd pair indeed- she was bright and open, he was dark and closed. They were also plainly at ideological loggerheads with each other.

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To Unstopper Time by chthonia
Severus, Harry, Lily; General Audiences, 7259 words
Author's summary: What if Severus and Lily had stayed on speaking terms?

My comment: "Wow, neat concept. This grabbed my attention out of the many bookmarked fics to get through that I've been looking at today. I like the parallel threads moving forward through time. Not sure what I think of Severus killing James - it's a tad extreme for my idea of him, I guess. But aside from that I find the speculative episodes e.g. Severus as Headmaster and the business of the sword in this version of history very interesting."

Quote:
Not that he was in it for glory; he was not one of those who flaunted the Mark on his arm at every opportunity. It proved he belonged to something, that was all. It gave him a place in a world in which Muggles crossed the road to avoid him, the Ministry valued blood over ability, his teachers had judged by house before heart, and his rival had stolen away his one real friend.

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All Made Up of Darkness and Light by realmer06
Seventh-year ensemble, gen; Teen, 6580 words
Author's summary: It isn't until their seventh year that they realize how much they have in common. Leader, quitter, teacher, liar, protector, failure - some sides of people don't come through until they're put through the worst.
Author's warnings: Torture, scenes of violence, character deaths. It's Neville's seventh year. There are casualties.

My comment: "Mmkay, tears in my eyes here at Neville telling Colin he'd turned the tide for them and they'd won, and when he kisses Hannah. He is not usually a character I'm much invested in, so this is saying something!"

Quote:
Growing up, even so recently as a year ago, Neville would never have believed that he would so easily step into anything even remotely resembling a battle mode, but that's what he has done, without even thinking about it.

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No Milk Today by jayalalita
Severus/OFC; Mature, 14904 words
Author's summary: The journal of a woman living on Spinner's End, where there is no magic, there is no wonder, but that which its residents make for themselves.

My note: Technically this is an unfinished WIP, still listed as "17/?" chapters with none published after the initial upload in May 2013. However, it seems complete to me (I remarked on this in my comment on the last chapter, but got neither affirmation nor denial), and anyway it's in epistolary format and the chapters can largely each stand on their own.

Quote:
I don't see him often this time of year. In the summer months I may see him a few times, out for a rushed jaunt, taking a harried stroll in the fine air, but most of the year his house is dark and empty. Perhaps it's his holiday home, ahahahahaha, poor bugger.

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Fame Isn’t Everything, Mr. Potter by flaminia_x (in hp_friendship)
Severus (in portrait form), Albus Potter, Harry, Scorpius, and others mentioned in passing; G, ~3000 words
Author's summary: Albus somehow manages to get Sorted into Slytherin, and has a difficult time understanding it. Professor Snape’s portrait, however, sees things more clearly.

Quote:
“How like your father you are,” Snape said softly. “He, too, arrived at Hogwarts drenched in fame but lacking even the smallest measure of sense. Tell me, Mr. Potter, do you expect your fame to win all your battles for you?”


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Sirius and Severus by acatnamedeaster
Severus/Sirius; Explicit, comic format (NWS)
Author's summary: The story of two bitter, lonely bastards and how they became not so lonely and a bit less bitter.

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The Long Year by acatnamedeaster
Severus/Sirius; Explicit, comic format (NWS)
Author's summary: A collection of short stories bridging the time between Sirius coming out of the Veil and the end of the "Sirius & Severus" arc. Covers the time frame of HBP.

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Six Impossible Things by realmer06
Audrey/Percy; General Audiences, 5642 words
Author's summary: There is nothing about him that should capture her attention. So why can't she look away?

My comment: "I like this one very much ... . Percy fics are one of my odd intermittent pleasures, possibly because I see so much of myself in him (minus the giant family)."

Quote:
And then, just as she began to fear that she'd gone too far, began to fear that she'd pushed too hard, too fast, he spoke, one word, so quietly she almost didn't catch it. "Fred," he whispered. "His name was Fred."

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Lift Your Glasses High by kellychambliss (in hp_friendship)
Minerva, Aberforth; PG, ~4200 words
Author's summary: On the night of Albus's funeral, Minerva pays a visit to Aberforth.

Quote:
And when he'd seen her with his brother in Hogsmeade a few weeks later, he'd rolled his eyes at the look of hero-worship on the girl's face as she and Albus walked together down the street. Typical. His damned brother wasn't content just to run one of the most important wizarding institutions in Britain -- no, he had to make everyone love him, too.

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Queen. Knight. Castle. by phalaenopsis
Severus/Lily, James/Lily, Narcissa, Frank, Remus; Teen, 13,592 words
Author's summary:During their fifth year and the summer after, Lily and Severus fall in and out of each other's good graces. In the background, Marauders are marauding and Aurors are training. Eleven interconnected scenes.

Quote:
He mused that if he were a different person, some self-satisfied romantic git in a film maybe, he might have pulled up short and kissed her hand. And maybe her lips, too. However, he had decided a long time ago that it would have to be Lily who made the first move. He had cocked it up too many times already by doing the wrong thing and incurring her displeasure. No, it was his job to make her want to make the first move. To do something suitably impressive. This was not chivalry – this was strategy.

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Gift by acatnamedeaster
Severus/Sirius; Teen, comic format
Author's summary: Sirius gives Severus an anniversary gift.
My note: Probably not what you're thinking by "anniversary gift"; this is not erotic, nor romantic in the traditional sense.

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Twas Brillig (On the Shores of Lethe) by potionpen
Severus/Sirius, Remus, Molly, Arthur, Albus; Mature, ~55,000 words
Author's summary: Sirius slowly realizes how much of his memory was frozen away in Azkaban, while Remus nobly refuses to tell him anything and Severus swoops around maliciously doing Molly's dishes and sabotaging Sirius's h/c NEWT with surly panache.
Author's warnings: Pain, alcohol, scorching bits, tense-play (yes, it's intentional), AUness, language and wizards completely being completely oblivious to (or disinterested in) muggle relational norms. Please consider this any permutation of fic, tribute, swiss cheese, divergence, noncompliance, and straight-up mild-to-wild AU that lets you suspend disbelief (anyway, hello, wands?) and enjoy the ride. Concepts from DH in particular, especially backstory, will be used selectively. This fic works from a conception of HPverse formed between HBP and DH; information from DH such as people's relative ages may not be taken into account.

Quote:
"He recommended I be given the job as an apology, Padfoot," Remus explained patiently. "I think the potion is for his own peace of mind," he added, smiling a little sadly.

Sirius thought about this for a moment, then decided, quite calmly, "Yeah, gonna kill him. Back in a minute."

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A Hogwarts Christmas Anthology by dueltastic
Hogwarts professors, ensemble, mentions of various pairings; Mature, ~16,000 words
Author's summary: The 1998 annual Hogwarts Christmas Anthology, a traditional compendium of seasonal tales, is available at Flourish & Blotts of London for the sum of four Galleons and six Sickles.

Quote:
"We ought to tell Christmas stories," she said. "We always do in Hufflepuff parties."

"By all means," said Snape, "let us do as they do in Hufflepuff parties."

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Ragtag Heroes (Raise the Dead Reprise) by blackkat
Severus/Regulus mentioned, Harry, Sirius; Teen, 8480 words
Author's summary: Harry never gets a chance to cast his patronus that night when the dementors come to Little Whinging. A dead man does it for him. Regulus Black has spent almost sixteen years hunting Horcruxes, but now he’s ready to face the Light—as well as his brother, and the friend he left behind.

My comment: "Oh, I quite enjoyed this! Too bad it will probably never see future chapters." [author's note said it was likely never to be continued.]

Quote:
The younger Black raises a brow, but makes no other move. “I betrayed him,” he says again, more deliberately, “a year before you were even born, and I nearly died for it. I would have, if not for my family’s house elf, Kreacher.” Fondness colors his tone, and that alone makes Harry pause, because Death Eaters are supposed to be superior and bigoted, and he knows very well how Dobby was treated by the Malfoys. Aren’t all purebloods supposed to be like that?

Whew! What was that, 20? I dunno, I only sort of counted the number of times I pasted in my rec template. I have a few Yuletide recs in other fandoms, but I'll save those for a different post.

Comments

[akatnamedeaster.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the recs.

[arcanetrivia]

You're welcome :)

[stereolightning.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for the recs! :D

[arcanetrivia]

:)