Immature

Immature by Walkingcensure

Summary: Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter are seven years old, plump, cute, and innocent. Life for them is all about cake, ice cream, friendship bracelets, and premature vows of love. Humour, 8,713 Words.

Why You Should Care: Because it’s so cute! Mini!Marauders and Mini!Lily may just be the best things ever. There’s a wonderful ruefullness about reading this story, it takes you back to the dramas of being seven and all the crazy stuff you used to believe and it’s fun. Additionally, the author manages to keep all the characters pretty in character, and also passably young. It’s a nice gimmick, but done so well that it feels like more.

Why You Might Not Care: Vaguely AU. Also, small people are not everyone’s cup of tea. Plus, Lily/James.

Note: I haven’t actually been able to pin down Chelle about recs, but I guess I’ll just post as many as I can as often as I can until Chelle tells me not to…?

Death and King’s Cross

Death and King’s Cross by Sciathan File

Summary: Who was to know Death had etiquette enough to be personalized? Oneshot, 10,074 Words.

Why You Should Care: Because it’s my very favorite Harry Potter afterlife fic ever, I think.  It’s amazingly well characterised and considered, with each afterlife tailored to the individual.  It is completely canon, having been launched from the springboard of the King’s Cross chapter in Deathly Hallows, and it’s just really, really well done.  JKR would approve, I think.  Hedwig’s interlude especially made me smile.

Why You Might Not Care: If you dislike afterlife fics, that is all this one is about.  Otherwise, it’s really an excellent comment on the characters it covers.  Definitely worth the time to read.

A Marauder’s Map

A Marauder’s Map by Xylodemon

Summary: Seven memories found in Sirius Black’s pensieve, one for each of his years at Hogwarts. Oneshot, 7,076 Words.

Why You Should Care: Xylodemon always delivers something worth a read, quite frankly, and these seven pinches from Sirius Black’s school-days is no exception.  There’s enough character to keep the boys defined, though this fic’s focus is Sirius in particular.  My favorite bits are the pranks — good Marauder pranks are difficult to come up with, especially ones that mix magical execution with light-hearted, boyish goals.

Why You Might Not Care: It’s a little overly generic, to tell the truth, though perhaps it wasn’t back when it was written in September 2005.  Similarly, a splash of Remus/Sirius is thrown in and then never really developed or explained, which makes its inclusion — for me — a little pointless, though die-hard Remus/Sirius shippers will probably disagree vehemently.

Stand Helplessly Before The Spirit At Bay

Stand Helplessly Before The Spirit At Bay by Paradise Loved

Summary: Albus Dumbledore comes to convince Remus Lupin to take the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position. Oneshot, 2,584 Words.

Why You Should Care: Because it’s something different for Remus, that seems neither completely canon nor at all fanon.  Paradise’s pre PoA Remus is a shadow, haunted by ghosts twelve-years dead or gone, and one gets the sense that he never really moved on past that ill-fated Haloween night.  His depression permeates this piece, carrying a hollow, dusty weight of something that has been hanging over him long enough now that he’s become used to it and dulled by it.

Why You Might Not Care: This doesn’t connect entirely well with the Remus in PoA, and while that may seem a trifle nit-picky, I feel there could have been a better transition made and that the fic would have been stronger for it.  This is also not the strongest characterisation of Dumbledore I’ve read — though it isn’t by any stretch the weakest either; he does serve his purpose well enough, however, albeit without his trademark twinkle.

Literacy

Literacy by Sin Fin

Summary: Sirius is an illiterate bastard, James doesn’t care for the Dark Arts, Peter just wants to pass Astronomy, and Remus is a werewolf.  Hogwarts, years 1 and 2. Oneshot, 6,000 Words.

Why You Should Care: This is not quite canon and also not quite the typical characterisation of the young Marauders, but there’s something about it that still just works in that way fics sometimes do.  The characterisations are solid enough that you get a feel for these boys as individuals, and tying the discovery of Remus’ lycanthropy into the theme of literacy is a nice touch.

Why You Might Not Care: It ends rather suddenly, I think because the thematic elements weren’t as tight as I wished they were throughout all the facets of the story — you’re left hanging because there’s the feeling there ought to be more, that the author hasn’t quite said everything she meant to say.  As a whole, it lacks… something.  It feels unfinished and loose.

A Matter of Opportunity

A Matter of Opportunity by Shimotsuki

Summary: Remus is worried about Teddy, but Tonks is worried about Remus, and circumstances lead her to try something she’s never done before. She can only hope they are ready for it. Oneshot, 2,390 Words.

Why You Should Care: Mostly because I haven’t rec’d a Remus/Tonks in a little while and angsty!Remus fretting over baby Teddy’s first full moon delights me. I also quite enjoyed the interaction between Tonks and Wolfsbaned-Wolf Remus. Nice, cute, and fluffy.

Why You Might Not Care: What do you mean Remus and Tonks died in Deathly Hallows? Psht, like even. Unashamed denial-fic.

Stealing Harry

Stealing Harry by Copperbadge

Summary: “Harry didn’t see why sharing a street with strange Mr. Black should mean he couldn’t go into the bookshop. After all, nobody actually knew that he owned it, and he had it on good authority that the shop itself was mostly run by another man named Moony.” Novel Length, Alternate Universe, Approx. 85,000 Words.

Why You Should Care: Alternate Universes are fun. They’re fun to write and they’re fun to read, and Stealing Harry by Copperbadge is no different. It’s a well paced, fully developed and well thought-out universe that branches off canon without feeling too contrived. In addition, it features a complex and interesting Remus/Sirius that feels like a fresh and original take on an over-written pairing. Their characters are familiar yet different, as all well constructed AU characters are, and while this version of Sirius may feel too settled for some people’s tastes, there is something wonderful endearing about him as he navigates deeper into the unknown territory of this new romantic relationship.

Why You Might Not Care: I’m not thrilled with the characterisation of eight (and a half) year-old Harry in this fic. Most of the time he comes off as quite a but younger than that, except occasionally when he comes across as quite a bit older; never once in this fic did the dialogue given to him sound like it might actually have come from an eight year-old boy, or at least not any eight year-old boy I’ve ever known. Snape’s character is likewise somewhat distanced from the Snape we know from the books, but considering this was written in 2005 without some of the canon knowledge we have today, I think overall the AU nature of this fic justifies the characterisation enough to be going on with. Be mindful of a handful of NC-17 scenes throughout the latter half of this fic that are not at all worksafe.

Awards: 2008 Hourglass Award, Best AU Fic — Third Place

Stranger Things

Stranger Things by Sonya

Summary: Buffy meets someone interesting in an unlikely place… Crossover, Humor, Romance, 2,772 Words.

Guest Rec’d By: Kira

Why You Should Care: An HP/BtVS crossover set post-OoTP, the first in a series of three one-shots where Remus meets Buffy Summers in a wizarding employment agency.  Sonya does a great job of giving Buffy her trademark witty, but sometimes foot-in-mouth, remarks without grating on the readers’ nerves and Remus gets an in-character, though slightly snarky personality that is reminiscent of Young!Remus in Marauder-era fics.  It’s touching to read this cute fic where Remus finally meets someone who feels just as out of place in society as he does and doesn’t mind the fact that he’s a werewolf.

Why You Might Not Care: You might not like Buffy.  You might not like Remus.

The Final Stage

The Final Stage by Another Dreamer

Summary: 12 Grimmauld Place is nobody’s idea of the perfect place for a party. Yet that is where Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Nymphadora Tonks find themselves spending the fourteenth anniversary of Voldemort’s defeat. Overwhelmed by memories of that Halloween night, the three just want to drink brandy and forget. Oneshot, 4,727 Words.

Why You Should Care: This is one of those lovely little plotless character genfics that I always gravitate toward, the value of which lies in what is said (and sometimes what is not said) rather than what is done.  Just as Sirius and Remus are trying very hard not to think about it, this story dances around the edges of what it’s trying to say, and also just like Remus and Sirius sometimes can’t help but think about it, so this story sinks just deep enough into its subject matter to make it seriously worthwhile.

Why You Might Not Care: Low on the action-packed, high on the subtle character sketch.

Seven Photographs

Seven Photographs by Casira

Summary: Glimpses of our heroes at the end of the battles and beyond, as they face what’s lost and what’s to come. Oneshot, 8,300 Words.

Guest Rec’d By: Kira

Why You Should Care: Written shortly after the release of DH, casira writes seven separate scenes that, frankly, JKR should have written, and succeeds just as if Jo had written it herself. There’s Remus and Tonks’ death; Minerva and Hogwarts directly after the battle; Hermione’s parents in Australia; George returning to WWW’s alone for the first time; Kingsley and the rebuilding of the MoM via Potterwatch; Ginny, Neville, Luna, and Andromeda discussing post-war plans; and finally, Harry visiting Snape’s grave. In a style very reminiscent of Jo’s, casira really wraps the HP series up well with a touch of everything that made it successful in the first place: brilliant character interaction, gripping action, laughter, family, and sacrifice. A brilliant pre-epilogue.

Why You Might Not Care: If you didn’t like the way DH ended at all, then this may not be your cup of tea.

An Undying Passion for Cupcakes

An Undying Passion for Cupcakes by Ignipes

Summary: “That morning, when they were finishing breakfast, she had been very insistent: ‘I’m going to make them the Muggle way… That’s the proper way to make these cupcakes.’ ” Oneshot, 4,622.

Why You Should Care: In places it’s quite funny, and in others it’s just so well written I can’t help but rec it. It’s AU, taking place in a post-Voldemort world where Sirius didn’t die (or at least, didn’t stay dead), and there’s been some attempt to create an after the war that reflects some of the same price as the one JKR created. Hermione’s story, particularly, is rather touching despite being “frosted” with humour. In the end, though, I rather think this is mostly fluffy.

Why You Might Not Care: I think it suffers from trying to do too much with too few words. Either it’s a moderately fluffy piece of AU post-war or it’s an in depth AU treatment of another version of events. In the end, this fic tries to be both, and ends up not really being either. The AU world hinted here is fascinating and would fill several chapters of several novel-length fics well, but the gaps that inform the characters written are too big to get much out of this story (aside from a moderate understanding of Hermione’s journey) but fluff. There hasn’t been a clear enough picture painted of the path taken that resulted in this AU endpoint.

Stacked Against

Stacked Against by Lady Bracknell

Summary: At Bill and Fleur’s wedding, Ron seeks advice from the two people he knows who have faced the obstacles he thinks are in front of him, and finds that Gryffindors are nothing if not lucky in love. Oneshot, 3,889.

Why You Should Care: Lady Bracknell takes her well-used pen — so deft at spinning Remus/Tonks — and creates a Ron/Hermione fic that is just as wonderful.  Charmingly canon characterisations paired with canny heart-to-heart discussion, plus just enough of the Remus/Tonks interaction we expect from Lady Bracknell to be the icing on the cake.  Should prove sigh-worthy for Ron/Hermione shippers and Remus/Tonks shippers alike.

Why You Might Not Care: Written the spring before Deathly Hallows was released, and takes place at Bill and Fleur’s wedding, which in this incarnation is not crashed by Death Eaters.  Not that that’s anything close to a good enough reason.

A Little More Time

A Little More Time by Jess Pallas

Summary: Was it possible to save two lives without altering history? Was it possible to give them a future twenty years after they had supposedly died? Teddy Lupin thought so…. Novel Length, 120,029 Words.

Why You Should Care: This, I suppose, technically classifies itself as AU, though to be fair there’s actually nothing in it that contradicts the canon of the books — that is, after all, rather the whole point. This is one of the only Remus-and-Tonks-didn’t-die fictions I’ve ever read, and it is by far my favorite. The characters are well realized and the plot is engaging — the young man Teddy Lupin has been especially lovingly crafted to inherit pieces of both his father and his mother. Remus and Tonk’s relationship has received the same kind of attention, and in a lot of places I forgot that it wasn’t JKR I was reading.

Why You Might Not Care: NoblePrat!Remus ahoy! I love him and feel canon justifies him, but some people might not agree. And if NoblePrat!Remus bothers you, there’s a good chance NoblePrat!Teddy will too….

Awards: 2008 Hourglass Award, Best AU Fic — Second Place

The Taste of Love

The Taste of Love by Playground_Love

Summary: A short glimpse into a young woman who traveled from frivolous flings to a devouring love. She comes to see that love builds upon itself and that spiritual relationships can’t exist without the meaningless ones that came before them. Oneshot, 1,810 Words.

Why You Should Care: Remus/Tonks from Tonks’ perspective, and it’s neither over-angsty, over-lovesick or over-pashy (if you’re not familiar with the term – I only learned it yesterday – a “pash” was a British sixties term for crushing on a teacher. Or maybe you all know it, and I’m being totally patronising. Hmm.), it’s just beautiful, sweet and a little poignant. Nice Remus, nice Tonks, beautiful imagery (I loved the idea of ‘lips like tin’). Playground_Love is known for a beautiful way with prose, without being too purply. A pleasant read.

Why You Might Not Care: R-rated due to graphic…kissing. Basically. Also, you might hate Remus/Tonks, or it might just be too plotless for you. But otherwise, enjoy!

Curiousity

Curiousity by Lady Bracknell

Summary: Remus has always been curious about Lily Evans, but kept his distance. Now, he wants to do nothing of the sort. Oneshot, 2,183 Words.

Why You Should Care: No one makes me love the Remus/Lily pairing as much as Lady Bracknell does. Even though the idea of Lily cheating on James makes me all sad inside, I love this despite that. Somehow Lady Bracknell manages to make this infidelity the right choice for the characters and the situation, like a necessary aside rather than a moral detour. Neither of them regret it, and somehow neither do I. It’s cathartic for them, I think; it wouldn’t have been worse to continue to let their feelings be unfelt forever.

Why You Might Not Care: If James/Lily infidelity makes you weep, maybe steer clear. It’s rated R for sex, but it all seems fairly worksafe to me.

A 12-Step Program

A 12-Step Program by FalseEyelashes

Summary: 12 steps. 12 steps, and you can cure alcoholism, sex addiction, a love of coke, an uncontrollable rage or that hatred within yourself. 12 steps and you can dance in reverse, fall apart and watch the carefully constructed fabric of your life unravel. And in 12 steps, two people can foolishly fall in love.  Novel-Length (almost), 39,019 Words.

Why You Should Care: This is a stirred and physicologically colourful look at love, lust, and the difference (or sometimes lack thereof) between the two.  The characterisations of Lily and Remus are multifaceted and startlingly (almost shockingly) real — even bordering on gritty — and what strikes me most is how appropriate for their age this emotional opera is.  The writing is stylized and almost exclusively narrative, slipping into and reaching most of Lily’s conscious and unconscious thoughts.  In some ways, this is an angsty fic about angst.

Why You Might Not Care: This fic could be seen by some to be overindulgent, and in some ways I might agree, except I remember what it was like to be in my own head at 18 and think that maybe a little of that is part of the point, really.  It’s both fascinating and tedious; in some places it digs so deep it starts going in circles.

Our Private Universe

Our Private Universe by Busaikko

Summary: Watch Remus, Peter said, look for evidence; but what Sirius found was something different. Christmas 1979. Romance/Angst, 12,000 Words.

Why You Should Care: This is so much more than slash. This is the most beautiful story I think I have ever read: it gives Remus a history and a humanity, and it gives Sirius a beautiful naiveté which is so fitting. The search for the spy is such an intriguing part of the Marauder story and the author’s gentle handling of it makes the final inevitability of it all the sadder. Unlike so many fics about this particular era, Busaikko uses our prior knowledge to make this beautiful tragedy, rather than powering through as if it were new. The characterisation is lovely, as is the raw emotion carried through it, complimented by the sweetness of falling in love and some unexpected humour. Perfect.

Why You Might Not Care: Slash, yes, yes, and rated for one short section towards the end. Which may or may not be required, depends on your perspective. Enjoy, m’loves.

Sirius Black, Super Genius

Sirius Black, Super Genius by Mistful

Summary: “A few weeks later with Valentine’s Day drawing inexorably nearer, it began to dawn on Remus that this did not appear to be one of the daydreams Sirius toyed with and then forgot about, like the time he wanted Dumbledore and McGonagall to get married and have superchildren.”  Humour, 8,953 Words.

Why You Should Care: I have no solid understanding of the precise agreed-upon meaning of the term “crackfic”, but if I had to describe what the word means to me, I would probably use this fic as Exhibit A.  And B.  Also C through Z.  This is one of those fics that zig-zags so violently across the line between comedy and parody that it becomes its own beast.  It’s completely over the top while still somehow managing to have a solid foundation under all that crack; this one doesn’t just bring the clichés, it practically invents new ones.  I can’t decide if Mistful is a genius or completely Sirius-Black insane.  Probably both.

Why You Might Not Care: I suppose it all depends on what you define as crackfic and whether or not you like crackfic.  I put forth only that in reading this I managed on several occasions to force hot tea through my nose in an attempt not to choke on my own laughter.

Eighteen

Eighteen by Seer_of_Spots

Summary: Eighteen. The world is your library and you have all the time to read, yet it all seems so much dimmer – as if that library is filled completely with appliance manuals and endless Arithmancy equations.  Lying on a blanket with your unrequited love and a Salty Dog, you think. And sometimes your thoughts just don’t make you happy. Oneshot, 1,130 Words.

Why You Should Care: A great example of how a well done second person POV combined with just the right subject matter can really give a certain type of character piece a little extra stylistic punch.  There is some really simple, excellent language in this one, and some great evocotive imagery.  Remus’ bitterness at his lot in life is just strong enough to tint the piece, but not so strong it drives this into heavy angst.

Why You Might Not Care: Unrequited Remus/Lily, for those who roll their eyes at that pairing.

Group Therapy

Group Therapy by Calliope08

Summary: An unlikely pair finds consolation at the funeral for James and Lily Potter. Oneshot, 1,140 Words.

Why You Should Care: It’s hard to find a good Potter’s funeral fic, but Calliope’s spare, fond style fits the bill perfectly. It’s the combination of the profound and the just plain mundane – this fic is very honest; the conflicting thoughts of the characters perfectly in keeping with the tone of the whole piece. Both Remus and Petunia are very humanly characterised – enjoyable and thoughtful.

Why You Might Not Care: It’s another Potter’s funeral fic, albeit a very good one. Also, too short, in my opinion: I’d’ve liked to have seen a little more from Petunia. But you can’t have everything.