Prince of the Dark Kingdom by Mizuni-sama
Ten years ago, Voldemort created his kingdom. Now a confused young wizard stumbles into it, and carves out a destiny. AU. Nondark Harry. Mentor Voldemort. Book V, Ch19 is up! Bobby has a secret. Sirius’ coronation gets bloody. Lots of politics. Enjoy! Harry Potter – Rated: M – English – Drama/Adventure – Chapters: 101 – Words: 650,437 – Reviews: 5411 – Updated: 11-16-09 – Published: 9-3-07 – Harry P. & Voldemort
My Thoughts:
Lily and James fled to Germany and lived as Muggles with their infant son Harry. In this world Harry was born on August 1st, not the infamous July 31st and Neville was the only possible prophecy child. When Harry was 8 years old his parents were killed by burglers, and Harry was sent to live with the Dursleys. Harry, who pretends to only speak German and refuses to sleep in the cupboard, does accidental magic at 10 and is picked up by WYRA, an organization that removes Muggleborns from their homes and adopts them out to Wizard families. Harry is too old to be adopted, instead he tests high enough on the magic scale to qualify for Hogwarts where he immediately comes to the notice of Voldemort. Voldemort finds himself both irritated and fascinated by Harry and makes Harry his protege, a tool to be used, an apprentice to mentor, and a child to love. This is an entirely platonic (though very intimate) relationship that is the core of the story.
Canon characters are present but wonderfully twisted. Luna is a goddess possessed werewolf. Hermione is the beloved, adopted sister of Draco (and Lucius’ despised mudblood daughter). Ron is a bitter and annoying prat of a Slytherin. (The author has excellent reasons for how Ron became a Slytherin and it really quite works.) Sirius & Remus are both werewolves and provide the gateway to a society that is dark, alien, and complicated. Harry’s relationship with Snape is complex and interesting as Snape functions as both a parental figure and also the left hand of Voldemort. This story has excellent world building and interesting characters. The terrible and wonderful world built by a sane, but broken Voldemort is both realistic and fantastical. Highly recommended. 5/5
Death of Today by Epic Solemnity
Death of Today by Epic Solemnity
LV/HP: AU: Raised hating Muggles, Harry arrives at Hogwarts a bitter boy. Unusually intelligent, he’s recruited by both the Unspeakables and the Death Eaters at a young age. As he grows older, he finds himself woven into the mystery of his parentage, unab Harry Potter – Rated: M – English – Romance/Adventure – Chapters: 7 – Words: 38,300 – Reviews: 307 – Updated: 11-8-09 – Published: 9-26-09 – Voldemort & Harry P.
My Thouhts:
This is a deliciously dark AU with a complex Harry. Harry is Izar Harrison, the bastard son of Lily Potter and Regulus Black. Lily is an Unspeakable whose area of expertise is the Veil. Izar meets Lily during his summer work as an Unspeakable. Without knowing that she is his mother, Izar feels only contempt for this weak and depressed woman who seems broken. Izar, abandoned to a muggle orphanage by Lily for unknown reasons, grows up bitter and introverted, but brilliant. He is lonely and embraces his loneliness, careful to remain safe by keeping himself isolated from anything or anyone. The only thing he holds dear is his mind, his extreme, fierce intelligence. Enter Tom Riddle, the Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, a man with more magic and charisma than Izar has ever seen. It only takes one look for Tom to want Izar, both as a Death Eater and as something more, something that Tom isn’t even quite sure of. I am loving this story and eagerly await each update. It is very AU, but the writing is excellent and I find the characterizations of Harry/Izar and Voldemort to be fascinating. 5/5 stars.
A Second Chance at Life by Miranda Flairgold
This is a trilogy.
Book One: A Second Chance at Life
When Voldemort’s assassins find him Harry flees seeking a place to prepare for the battle. Bloodmagic, wandless magic, necromancy, fae, a thunderbird, demons, vampires. Harry finds the strength & allies to win a war. Singularly unique fic.
Harry Potter – Rated: M – English – Adventure – Chapters: 35 – Words: 246,879 – Reviews: 3605 – Updated: 7-22-06 – Published: 7-17-05 – Complete
Book Two: Changes in a Time of War
Sequel to A Second Chance at Life. Harry is training in bloodmagic/necromancy, he is becoming a basilisk with a thunderbird’s soul, there’s a plague in Europe, demons are about to invade Earth, and Voldemort needs to die. Fae, vampires, new magics and school
Harry Potter – Rated: M – English – Adventure/General – Chapters: 30 – Words: 340,607 – Reviews: 4997 – Updated: 5-22-09 – Published: 7-31-06 – Complete
Book Three: A Magical World
Last fic in the trilogy! Demons invaded Earth intent on enslaving all magical life. But they miscalculated…the Earthling’s magic is stronger than they suspected, and far more dangerous. Now the survivors regroup in the new magical world, to fight back.
Harry Potter – Rated: M – English – General – Chapters: 1 – Words: 17,239 – Reviews: 157 – Published: 8-20-09 WIP
My Thoughts:
You’ll either love this series or hate it. Personally I love it and I can’t wait until she finishes A Magical World. By the time you get to Book Three, the story is only tangentially related to the Harry Potter-verse. Harry has a new name (Rahkesh), a new school in Canada (Akren), new friends (vampires, ancient humans, a dragon, and a vampire turned demon to name just a few), two powerful animagus forms, and unusual, non-canon magical abilities. It wouldn’t take much for Flairgold to strip out the minor HP-verse references and turn this series into original fantasy. I particularly enjoyed all of Harry/Rahkesh’s time at school and the author’s take on Bloodmagic. Plus Rahkesh’s Vampire mentor/professor Namach is quite a hottie. If you are looking for a fascinating, well-plotted fantasy trilogy with likable characters (maybe you’ve just finished re-reading Lightning by the Wave’s Sacrifices Ark and want more?), check this one out. 5/5 stars.
Reign of Fire by Fayr Warning
Summary:
PostOotP. The lines between Dark and Light have faded into Grey and Harry must learn to fight for himself…7th year and the war is breaking…Lords, Heirs, Vampires,werewolves, magic and more.No pairings.AU after HBP. COMPLETE
Harry Potter – Rated: T – English – Angst/General – Chapters: 29 – Words: 167,007 – Reviews: 2745 – Updated: 7-29-07 – Published: 3-1-05 – Harry P. – Complete
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed Reign of Fire although it starts a bit slow and disjointed. The storyline picks up after about the third chapter and the reader can’t help but become engaged in Harry’s struggle to free himself from the expectations and constraints of both his friends and his enemies. Harry creates a couple of identities to out-maneuver Dumbledore and his blind sycophants; in doing so he presents the wizarding world with a viable political and magical alternative to Dumbledore’s oppression and Voldemort’s madness. We have some of the usual cliches of a dark!harry/independent!harry story — Harry is very powerful and skilled, the heir to 5 bloodlines, a political savant — but the author makes them work. The Lord Morrigan plot device is extremely enjoyable. The ending is a bit unusual and really ties the story together. This is well worth your time. 5/5 stars
Two Sides of the Same Coin by Ten Toes
Two Sides of the Same Coin by Ten Toes
Summary:
Petunia & Harry become a team, and Harry finds the wizarding world much earlier than anyone suspects. He hides his Slytherin self under the guise of a naive Gryffindor. He also hides the wizard friendships he made years before Hogwarts. AU Harry Potter – Rated: T – English – General – Chapters: 14 – Words: 108,327 – Reviews: 1546 – Updated: 8-17-08 – Published: 6-25-07 – Harry P.
My Thoughts:
This is an excellent AU with an almost realistic Petunia and Harry relationship. I say almost because nice!petunia is impossible, but Ten Toes certainly gives it the best shot I’ve ever read. Harry is a precocious seven year old who is careful to never outshine his cousin until he mistakenly gets a 100% on a math test. This mistake leads to a strange, slytherin-like partnership between Petunia and Harry as they negotiate a truce and out-think and out-maneuver Vernon and Dudley. Along the way Petunia realizes that Harry is much more like herself and much less like Lily than she could have ever imagined. The writing is tight, the plotting is well done, and the story develops nicely. This story is well-worth your time even though it’s a WIP. 5/5 stars
Dark Phoenix by SofiaDragon
Dark Phoenix by SofiaDragon
Author is revising and re-posting chapters at her yahoo group account. Membership required to download files.
Summary:
Harry Potter ran away one day, tired of watching others suffer for his ignorance. He couldn’t sit on the sidelines and wait for someone else to tell him what to do any more. Luck, as always, is on his side as he works to make a place for himself, not only in the war, but in life. Some very old magic is at work, allowing him to do far more then he thought he could. Tangled events drive Harry to realise that the world outside of Hogwarts and Privet Drive is bigger and more wonderful then he could have imagined.
Harry Potter – Rated: M – English – Adventure/General – Chapters: 16 – Words: 65,080 – Reviews: 1382 – Updated: 2-23-08 – Published: 5-27-04 – Harry P. & Severus S.
My Thoughts:
This is a delightful story that starts strong and then becomes entirely too engrossing. It’s sweet and fun and the kind of story that makes you pester the author for just one more chapter! After the Dept of Mysteries “incident,” Harry is caged at the Dursleys. He escapes by transforming into his animagus form, a magical shadow phoenix, and flying away. You can’t help but cheer for him when he hurls himself over a fence and takes flight. After eating the Malfoy’s Strawberry Jam at tea (and isn’t that fun!), he ends up at Hogwarts and poses as Snape’s familiar. Much learning and chaos ensues. 4/5 stars
Harry Potter & The New Life by SilverAegis
Harry Potter & The New Life by SilverAegis
Summary:
AU & TT Post OOTP. After the war ended, Harry who is in his 7th year is accidentally transported into a AU where Neville is TBWL & where Harry is a normal boy. How will a Shadow Mage Harry get accustom to his New Life? DISC.
Harry Potter – Rated: M – English – General – Chapters: 12 – Words: 119,175 – Reviews: 2359 – Updated: 1-31-06 – Published: 5-12-05 – Harry P.
My Thoughts:
Mediocre writing and the usual Harry-is-transported-to-a-parallel-universe conventions. While sitting at the grave of his lost love, Ginny Weasley, seventeen year old Harry wishes on a shooting star, falls asleep, and wakes up in an alternate dimension where Neville is The Boy Who Lived. He displaces his ten year old doppleganger with no worries or even thought and spends most of his time being a momma’s boy and cooking for his large extended family, all of whom are amazed at this startling but welcome ability. He gets to go to Hogwarts all over again (something no seventeen year old would ever dream of); and while trying to keep a low profile, he wows everyone with his advanced magic, fabulous teaching abilities, and uh, niceness. Yes, new Harry is extremely nice, almost Hufflepuff in fact, although he tries to think of himself as a slytherin. It’s all really quite ridiculous, but very sweet. 2/5 stars
The Sleeping Dragon Wakes by AncientzDream
The Sleeping Dragon Wakes by AncientzDream
Summary:
Lily and James went to greater lengths to protect their son than even Dumbledore knew and, as Harry grows into his inheritance, the Wizarding world will find out just how deep one old man’s betrayal can run. Rated: M – English – Drama/Adventure – Chapters: 10 – Words: 148,496 – Reviews: 942 – Updated: 10-28-06 – Published: 4-17-06 – Harry P. & Voldemort, WIP Dark!Independent!Political!Harry
My Thoughts:
Interesting story, although the writing is immature in places. Dumbledore manipulates Harry and his crew (including Remus and Severus) for unknown reasons and in a fairly unbelievable fashion. The author can’t quite decide if Voldemort is an anti-hero or a villain and Harry skates very close to being a Dark Lord.
SPOILER – Harry is not just the grandson of Voldemort, but the great-grandson of Grindelwald; and he and Voldemort share some sort of “twin” bond that was created when Voldemort possessed Harry in the Dept of Mysteries. Harry is also the heir to the Potter line, the Black line, Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Grindelwald. If that isn’t enough, he may also have some “Dragon” heritage. Wait there’s more. Harry uses a wand made from the fang of a Basilisk and an extinct dragon/lizard creature bound together by his poisonous blood. This wand will kill anyone who comes in contact with it.
Despite this “kitchen sink” approach, the story is strangely enjoyable. Especially nice is the attitude and teamwork of his friends and the lack of Ron and Ginny bashing. 3/5 stars
DracoTops_Harry: A Top!/Draco/Bottom!Harry Community
This livejournal community is still active though not incredibly busy. If you need a good bottom!harry hit (so to speak), this is a good place to look. People post recs and also respond to fic searches. A must for those who love submissive harry.
Don’t worry; it only seems kinky the first time
Don’t worry; it only seems kinky the first time is a primarily Harry/Draco rec list last updated in 2008. Fics are sorted alphabetical by title with detailed summaries but no tags. There are a medium number of recs and most of them are very good. If you are looking for quality hp/dm fiction, this is a good place to start.
Despoiling Harry – Amanuensis’s HP Fanfiction Recs
This is Amanuensis’ hp rec site, a medium and unorganized listing of hp slash fics which include detailed story summaries but no tags.
Darkest Midnight – hp/dm and hp/ss fics
Darkest Midnight is an extensive and still active hp/dm and hp/ss rec site organized alphabetical by author. The site includes detailed story summaries but no tags. It also includes a pretty good list of author site links.
Cyberhome of PghPatronus – Harry/Ron Fanfic Recs
PghPatronus’s livejournal is no longer active (last update 2007). It’s a medium collection of recs, but since it’s another rare harry/ron rec site, it’s well worth viewing. Recs are organized alphabetical by author and include story summaries but no tags.
Ceridwen’s Harry/Draco Recs
This is a still active (last update 7/2009) and extensive rec listing of HP/DM fics organized by Kink and then author. It also includes a fairly large listing of bottom!harry and bottom!draco fics. Each fic includes a summary and category although no tags.
hpuckle’s Harry/Ron Delicious Bookmarks
This is a must site for those Harry/Ron enthusiasts. Hpuckle’s delicious account is active and includes over 400 harry/ron story and art links mostly organized by rating and author.
Know It Alls – the very best of Harry Potter Fanfiction Recs
Know It Alls is an excellent (and active!) Harry Potter fanfiction rec site which includes extensive reviews, story summaries, and tags. Painless_j’s reviews are among my favorite. It also includes search capability by title, author, and summary.
Madwoman in the basement
Madwoman in the basement is a still active slash, het, and gen Harry Potter fanfic site. On the slash side, it’s primarily hp/ss. There are a few other multifandom links. It’s organized into slash, het, and gen but that’s about it. There are no tags.
HPFICMASTERLIST – harry potter fanfic archive
The HPFICMASTERLIST is a harry potter livejournal fanfic rec list archive last updated in 2007. Tags are quite extensive and organized by pairing.
.:. to slash and to burn .:. a simple guide to harry potter fanfiction 