rest well, and dream of large women

I am almost done with my romp through the entire skyehawke.com Harry Potter archive, and it has led me to some great (and not so great!) fic, on that site as well as elsewhere. Below are more recommendations, in order by pairing except for the author rec at the end. Hope you enjoy them--if you read one and like it, do let me know. All links open in a new window.

The Soul Adores, by Maeglin Yedi, 41,003 words, Harry/Tom, Harry/Severus. This is an intriguing look at what happens when Harry connects with the Tom in the Horcrux locket, much like the way Ginny connected with the Tom in the diary. Only worse. Obsession, sex and danger mix in this fairly dark story about how we don't like to let go of things (or people), even when we know they're bad for us.

Scratch by Aucta Sinistra, 85,397 words, Harry/Snape (epilogue to Scratch also available). Special tutoring over the summer turns out to be rather lusty, and gets everyone in trouble. Fun, sexy read, co-starring a very cute stray cat.

Quid Pro Quo also by Aucta Sinistra (who actually has quite a few stories at skyehawke and you should probably read them all), 27,944 words, Harry/Snape. Harry is cursed and comes to Snape for the cure. Lots of unresolved sexual tension, wheeee!

Conduits of Sorcery by penumbra, 73,198 words, Harry/Snape post-War. Harry returns to Hogwarts as the Ministry of Magic's representative overseeing the Triwazard Tournament. Snape is...civil at least, but when they end up having to work together to figure how who is trying to cause trouble at the tournament, a real friendship develops and then something more.

Dark Chocolate and its sequel White Chocolate, by Dianann, 45,507 and 87,456 words respectively, Harry/Snape. I hesitate to recommend these two stories because they are, for lack of a better word, a bit overwrought. However, I think that the plot is interesting enough, particularly in the second story, to override that concern. Basically, in the first story Harry, who broke Voldemort's neck at the end of 6th year, is duped--you'll know it's coming in the first chapter anyway, so it's not really a spoiler. In the second story, he comes back to his old life, reluctantly, to face Voldemort yet again. There is a good deal of over the top emotion in both fics, but especially in White Chocolate there is also some terrific plot action, as well as redemption for all regarding what happened in the first fic. It's not an entirely believable or true to character set of fics, but enjoyable nonetheless.

On One's Knees by pir8fancier, 34,145 words, Harry/Draco post-War. Draco is out of Azkaban but in bad shape, Harry is in training as a healer at St. Mungos. Their paths cross and Harry ends up taking Draco in. The aftermath of war is not pretty, but sometimes one person's compassion can make all the difference. A wonderful, angry love story.

Hit the Floor by lilysunshine, 30,778 words, Harry/Draco. The Order decides that Harry needs to learn Dark Magic. The two logical choices to train him? Snape and Draco. To avoid Voldemort's interference or knowledge of this activity, the three go to America, where they stay in complete isolation for months. It's intense, and Draco and Harry reach...new understandings. Ron's a little histronic in this fic, which is the only sour note, but he's not around much so don't let that worry you.

The Secret's In the Telling by Sakuri, 149,111 words, Harry/Draco. Draco is bit by Lupin and becomes a werewolf...interesting twist? Harry turns out to be his mate. It's a good story with lots of plot and action, made even better by a particularly excellent characterization of Hermione.

The Corresponding Emotion by calliope, 22,750 words, Harry/Ron, Ron/Draco. Harry and Ron are together, then suddenly they're not. Ron travels to America to try and get him back, and instead finds himself falling for, of all people, Draco Malfoy. A bit silly, but still a very sweet read, with a side plot of intrigue in which Malfoy may or may not be up to no good.

Needfire by areola and melisande88, 192,423 words (it's a long one!) and het, Hermione/Snape. Although don't let that deter you if you're a slash lover, it's an intricate and emotional story. Snape is a druid who wants to cleanse his soul, Hermione discovers him performing an ancient ritual and wants to learn what's what. Turns out she's a little broken and could use some soul cleansing herself. Snape takes her on as his apprentice in secret, and things spiral out of control from there. One positive thing--they hatch a plot to protect Hogwarts from Voldemort. POSSIBLE CHILD ABUSE TRIGGERS. Please avoid if that is not good for you.

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Author Rec: sam_storyteller

There are several epic-length HP stories, a bunch of shorter ones, as well as a smattering of Torchwood, Dr. Who, and other fandom fics to be found at this livejournal. I highly recommend Amid My Solitude, a fantastic Remus/Tonks fic, and Three Galleons, a crazy but believable Snape/Hermione/Remus. Cartographer's Craft is very clever story in which 16-yr-old Sirius pops out of the Marauder's Map at the beginning of the 7th year era, participates in the Horcrux hunt, and becomes the love of Harry's life. It's really long and satisfying, and I particularly enjoyed how all the characters overlayed their experiences with 'older' Sirius before he died onto their interactions with 'young' Sirius. Finally, even though it is unfinished, I suggest reading the entire Stealing Harry AU series, which changes Rowling's course of events because Sirius and Remus take Harry away from the Dursley's at age 8. It was clearly intended to be a 7-book series, yet the author only completed through year two; with year three still a WIP since mid-2007. But it's still a great read.

I have read literally hundreds of Harry Potter fandom fics over the last few months, as I am making my way slowly through the entire skyehawke.com archive (caveat is that stories have to be completed and at least 10k words, give or take, unless the premise is irresistible). This is my first attempt at sharing some of the better ones. There are standard pairings here, plus unusual ones because those stories are real gems. All links will open in a new window--please read the story warnings/author notes too in case I didn't mention something that might bother you.

• The If Sieve by Crawfords Lover, Draco/Harry, seventh-year Hogwarts fic, 36,684 words. Draco spends some time in a "what if" sieve, trying to figure out which pivotal moment in his long, painful history with Harry Potter might have turned things around had it gone differently. It's a great series of AU possibilities, as well as a current narrative. The last chapter will put a smile on your face even though it's open-ended.
  
  
• The Venice Job by Nishizono Shinkji, Auror!Harry/Auror!Draco, post-war, 25,923 words. This is a very silly story about an undercover job in which still!rivals Harry and Draco have to chase down some criminals in Venice, Italy while posing as a gay couple. The laughs and the sex make it a very worthwhile read.
  
  
• Redeem Me by Samael, Harry/Draco, late Hogwarts, 242,988 words. I am of two minds about recommending this, because it's not the greatest fic ever written, and there is some OOC/woobie!Draco stuff. However, it's long and plotty with some interesting unique ideas, so I'm throwing it in here for those of you always in search of an epic read that is not full of really bad writing! If you like it, or conversely if you're not sure you want to read it, click on the author's name on that page, she has a bunch of other, shorter stories you can try first, all of a similar quality/style.
  
  
• An amazingly complex and rewarding story where Draco and Severus do the only thing they can think of to stop the Dark Lord, and end up living their lives literally before their time. They also have some very hot sex. Infinite Shadow of the Soul by Femme, Draco/Severus, 56,638 words.
  
  
• The Fields of St. Herve by Arsenic, Draco/Remus, post-War, 34,843 words. This is a beautiful, haunting story with an unusual but entirely believable pairing, great plot, and slow, bittersweet romance. I can't recommend it enough. I'm not sure what made me click on it, as I don't generally read anything involving Maurauders, but I'm so glad I did.
  
  
• Same author, another usual pairing: Hermione/Severus (het!het!het!), 35,435 words. Collateral. Hermione is severely injured after being in the company of Bellatrix Lestrange. She and Snape work together towards a cure, and Arsenic does a fantastic job of weaving them into a couple. There are solid appearances by Harry, Draco, and the rest of the cast too. Warning (besides the het) this story is a little dark, but does not have an unpleasant ending.
  
  
• Since I recommended one story where Severus helps Hermione, I thought I might suggest one where she helps him. Numb by firefly124 is about the aftermath of Snape getting bit by Nagini; his healing process and how Hermione saves the day and shows him the beauty of sex love. It's a fairly serious fic, but has some lighter moments and the characters are really well-drawn. 19,099 words.
  
  
• A Sad State of Affairs by r_grajoy. Ron/Draco, post-war, 10,451 words. Voldemort has been dead two months, and Ron suddenly finds himself stuck with Malfoy as a roommate, courtsey of Kingsley. Something about a 'safe place', but after a week of avoiding each other, Ron is bored out of his mind. His way of drawing Draco out, and their subsequent dance towards civility and beyond, makes for a terrific read.
  
  
• Black, In the Smothering Dark, by faireweather (103,856 words), which is followed by a WIP called The Hush of War, last updated in March '08. However, you can read the story I linked to without needing to continue on to the second fic. Black, In the Smothering Dark is a Harry/Draco pre-slash fic, so no sex really. However, there is a fascinating premise in this where Harry communicates regularly with Voldemort and they develop something of a relationship themselves, trying to find common ground. Tom Riddle is still 'evil', and Harry is still 'good', but this story takes them someplace I haven't seen before and it's pretty interesting. Also, Sirius never died, so there's an interesting twist regarding him too. Don't worry about the first few paragraphs of mistreatment at the hands of the Dursleys if that's not your thing, the story moves on from there pretty quickly.