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.

Home Invader

Home Invader by Ichthyosaur

Summary: Ron is home alone with Rosie and Hugo when a spider attacks!  Humour, Oneshot, 1,856.

Guest Rec’d By: Kira

Why You Should Care: Fangirls, rejoice!  Daddy!Ron is the sex.  The over-the-top reaction that Ron and little Rosie have to the intrusive spider is hilarious and their interaction whilst facing off the spider with their brave Gryffindor courage is adorable.   Ichthyosaur does a delightful job of placing our favourite characteristics each from Ron and Hermione and reflecting what home life would be like in the Granger-Weasley family, post-Epilogue – filled with Gryffindor courage and makeshift kitchen armour!

Why You Might Not Care: Epilogue fics aren’t suited for everyone, particularly those about the next generation.  However, the fic stands strong on its own without the Epilogue (read: without the names Rose and Hugo pulled from those pages.)  It’s just a splendid read to see Ron in a father/daughter situation; guaranteed to resonate with anyone who has an arachnophobic significant other or offspring.

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.

Father and Son

Father and Son by IsabelA113

Summary: “He’s a man, a living breathing wizard. He has a family, a wife and a son. Who are you to take him away from them?” Ron learns what the difference between him and Malfoy really is. Onshot, 2,225 Words.

Why You Should Care: Arthur is one of the quiet heroes of the Harry Potter series, I think, and this fic is a good example why. This is a keenly focused study of Arthur and his beliefs about the war, his family’s position in it, and the Malfoys. This piece is specific and tailored for the purpose of showing what kind of man Arthur Weasley is: a very, very good one.

Why You Might Not Care: Very few reasons exist. The characterisations are accurate and the theme is resonant. You know the message already, but it’s good to have someone like Arthur remind us that it’s true, every once in a while, when we forget.

Getting The Point

Getting The Point by Arabella

Summary: Hermione and Ron at the Yule Ball. Romance, 16,406 Words.

Why You Should Care: Arabella is one of the few authors who I trust with Trio-era fics. She’s got JKR’s knack for storytelling: her fic is action packed, but heartfelt, and the characters are human and flawed and lovely. Her Ron and Hermione are so meant to be. Ah. Le Fluff.

Why You Might Not Care: Le Fluff. Cough.

99 Problems

99 Problems by Penny-In-The-Sky

Summary: Ron’s on the couch as Dr Bill dissects his lovelife. Or something like that. Oneshot, 2,624 Words.

Why You Should Care: Because it’s a neat little piece about the advice our older siblings give us, and quite a nice introspective piece for Ron about Hermione right when things are really getting ridiculous in HBP, which is always worth a laugh.  I like the interaction between Ron and Bill in this fic — an interaction we don’t really ever get to see in canon or in fanfic, especially considering Bill is so much older than Ron is.  I also think Ron seems about the right age in this piece, and the Penny-in-the-Sky has a pretty good handle on his character; he’s becoming aware of the situation he’s put himself in, but continues to be a boy about it, which many female fic writers struggle with.

Why You Might Not Care: Ron-fic, and definitely Ron/Hermione motivated.  If your ship is a different ship, this’ll probably annoy you.

Postponed

Postponed by Koonelli

Summary: They hadn’t finished a game of chess in four years because they happened to be friends with the Boy Who Lived. Drabble, 610 Words.

Why You Should Care: It’s a thoughtful little coda for Ron and Hermione written by the always-readable Koonelli. It takes a few grand themes and presents them upon a chess board in front of a fire. A lovely summing up.

Why You Might Not Care: No good reason that I can come up with. Let me know if you do.

Idol

Idol by Merle

Summary: “The next day, he’d secretly snatch her mama’s wand while she cooked and made a lightning bolt scar shaped on his own forehead with it just like his hero’s. He’d grab Percy’s eyeglasses and put them on, even though he would not see a thing, even though the glasses weren’t rounded but rather square, but he’d do it all the same”. Oneshot, 896 Words.

Why You Should Care: Ron’s innocent naiveté might be his most charming flaw, and this fic totally captures that. It’s adorable without being sappy, youthful without being irritating and charming without being clichéd. This is Ron, just canon Ron, nothing added or taken away, but somehow you see him in a new light. What Merle does isn’t to create excitement or intrigue, she just shows us what we already know, but didn’t realise we knew. It’s sweet and simple and illuminating.

Why You Might Not Care: I’m not totally certain about some of the phrasing in this fic, and there are the odd sentences that bug me, but the style and emotions evoked are heartwrenchingly real.

Is This The Moment?

Is This The Moment? by BelovedRanger

Summary: “Hermione looked up at him quickly, and that was his undoing — or at least what he claimed, later, made him botch it all up. The look on her face, the trust in her eyes — he had no strength in the face of all that.” Oneshot, 2,883 Words.

Why You Should Care: This seems like it might have happened. Ron and Hermione are well written, and the situation doesn’t seemed overly forced or contrived (even though it might actually be, but the best plot devices are the ones you never notice). Both characters are noticably older and more mature than they were when last we saw them as young adults in DH, but not yet as old as we saw in the epilogue, and it’s a very nice touch by an author that has a good sense of age and the transition, especially of people in their twenties. There’s a maturity in them both, but not as much as when we see them as parents. Nicely written.

Why You Might Not Care: Won’t blow you away and make you say ‘OMG WOW’, but sometimes things aren’t meant to do that to you. After all, if we were always blown away, then we’d never be blown away.

Sometimes

Sometimes by MidnightBlue88

Summary: “Sometimes he reaches for two plates at dinner.” Drabble, 137 Words.

Why You Should Care: It’s the sad, sweet reality of this fic that makes it beautiful — the little honesties of life after war. The author pays a great attention to detail, so that in very few words a whole world is built for George, a world without Fred, and we see him struggling to face what no one else will mention. It’s the rebuilding of a character and it’s heartbreaking.

Why You Might Not Care: This fic is too short and too unoriginal. I think it’s beautiful and of all the Fredless!George fics it’s the best I’ve read, but there’s no new idea here — it’s just the recycled one really well done. And it needs another hundred words or so, just to come to a conclusion. Even so, it’s adorable — George is like a baby deer finding his feet again.

Highway Code

Highway Code by Shewhoguards

Summary: Why Hermione really wasn’t certain Ron could pass a Muggle driving test. Oneshot, 1,639 Words.

Why You Should Care: Ron learns to drive a car, and it’s a positively delightful story of a pure blooded Wizard learning to do something that’s just about as Muggleish as you can get.  Inspired by a throw-away line from the last chapter of Deathly Hallows, it’s got great characterisation of an older Ron and Hermione.  It’s also very focused and tightly written; the author resists the distracting temptation to stray from the point into other shippy things, and what we get is a funny little piece about Ron doing his best in a world he doesn’t quite understand.

Why You Might Not Care: It’s light and humourous, and doesn’t really say anything about Ron we didn’t know before.  It’s a funny little story that’s well written and well characterised about the efforts of being normal; it won’t change your world, but it’ll probably make you smile once or twice.

Knights

Knights by Odyssea

Summary: “This isn’t just a game.  The man who knows the chessboard could rule the world.”  The impact of chess on Ron Weasley’s life. Drabble, 925 Words.

Why You Should Care: A very nice reflection on Ron, chess, and the role of the people who are not the heroes, but rather the people who defend the heroes.  Each section has a very 100 words drabble-esque feel to it (though all of them are more than 100 words), and in most places the author uses brevity to her great advantage, avoiding too-colourful prose and thoughtfully cutting right to the heart of the matter.

Why You Might Not Care: This is a rare case where I wish it might have been just a little longer, and perhaps just a touch more disciplined.  But only just.

Benedictio Amicorum

Benedictio Amicorum by Mosylu

Summary: Just after the climax of GoF, Ron and Hermione ask Dumbledore for something–anything–to protect their friend. Oneshot, 2,159 Words.

Why You Should Care: This is a simple, brief story about the friendship and love that will eventually help get Harry through three years of war, and see him come out the other side as hero instead of a martyr.  The characters are all well done, and the prose slides seamlessly into JKR’s canon, style and theme.

Why You Might Not Care: We don’t learn anything new or breathtakingly interesting.  It’s a quiet moment and a heartfelt moment, but it’s quite transparent and predictable.  Having said that, it’s a nice little testament to the trio’s friendship and to Dumbledore’s ability to provide some peace of mind in the most frustrating of circumstances.

Rubbish

Rubbish by She’s A Star

Summary: Rita Skeeter’s first article on the Triwizard Tournament leaves Ron distressed, Hermione bewildered, and both of them particularly inclined to bicker. Oneshot, 3,073 Words.

Why You Should Care: It’s a very rare thing to find a writer who can write a decent Ron, and an even rarer thing to find one whose Trio counterparts are also decent. Ron in this fic is adorable: all his insecurities laid bare, his nuances, his mannerisms. This author really knows her character, she’s really gotten to grips with what makes him tick and it makes for a very satisfying read. Particularly impressive for having been pre-DH.

Why You Might Not Care: There’s a lot of Ron in this fic, and I know he annoys many. On top of that, it’s a little short for how much it has to say, and I would’ve liked a little more development of Harry and Hermione. But wonderfilly canon-friendly and…just wonderful, really.

Thanks to: Sara (insanguinare), for pointing this one out to me. *waves*!

Not

Not by Elektra3

Summary: If something’s just too horrible to contemplate, the mind will refuse to contemplate it. Angst. Drabble, 461 Words.

Why You Should Care: This is heart-wrenching. I don’t know why I usually feel the need to chase a light-hearted fic with pure angst, but here I go again. This is morbid, and horrible, and terrible, but it’s supposed to be and so it’s done its job well if you fall apart a little inside. I found myself falling into step with Ron, refusing to see it or believe it, reaching for some other explanation; and while this fic makes my stomach roll, I appreciate that it was done so deliberately. I hate this fic, and love it because I hate it so much.

Why You Might Not Care: This is hardcore, evocative angst, and even though it’s brief it’s almost too difficult to read. Ron/Hermione shippers will have their hearts shattered, and everyone else’s will surely crack and break in two.

Midnight in the Silence

Midnight in the Silence by Mary G.

Summary: The days after the Third Task are quiet ones. Oneshot, 1,127 Words.

Why You Should Care: This is a snapshot of Harry and Ron’s relationship at the end of GoF, and a lovely little reflection on friendship. Ron’s character is spot on, and this version of Harry is still fresh from witnessing Voldemort’s return. The age of these characters is right, with Ron needing to help but not knowing how and not willing to ask how, and Harry not sure what he needs but knowing what he doesn’t need. There’s a very real feeling of normal people in larger than life situations doing their best to deal with things the only way they know how.

Why You Might Not Care: There is no slash here, not even a hint of it you can reach for. If that’s your agenda, you’re at the wrong door.

After the End

After The End by Arabella and Zsenya

Summary: It’s the summer after seventh year, and Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the rest of the wizarding world must learn to live without fear. Over 400,000 Words.

Why You Should Care: This is one of those monumental novel-length pieces written by two well known and talented Harry Potter fan fiction writers. It was written between GoF and OotP, so by now it is — like many excellent stories written in that time period — firmly AU. The most noticeable discrepancy is that Sirius Black survives the war and emerges from it a free man cleared of all charges. I put off reading this for a long time, intimidated by the length of it, but I’m glad I finally dug into it. The characters are quite well done — Ron in particular seems accurate to me, and I find he’s one of the ones who’s difficult to find written well. The plot is considerable and well constructed, and this piece never really seems to amble or take too long. It may be difficult to believe, but almost all of the over 400,000 words are well placed. It was almost always a joy to read.

Why You Might Not Care: Ginny is edging into Mary Sue territory, which is my only real serious squabble with this fic. Harry occasionally gets a little excessively Harry (if you know what I mean) but I suppose there’s ample reason for him to be an emotional twat once in a while when you consider what he went through (and what he continues to go through at times) in this fic. Some people might take issue with Draco Malfoy’s character here, but I found him quite spot on — he’s more cuttingly canon than fanon. His dialogue, in places, is particularly well done. This is not a Draco Redeems himself sort of story; he stays decidedly ass-holeish through to the end, though there are brief moments of real pity for a boy who lost everything and only knows how to keep fighting. He’s real, but unrepentant, and perhaps not entirely the coward he’s been made to be in canon.

Awards: 2007 Hourglass Award, Novel-Length – Third Place.

Unusual

Unusual by DeeDee

Summary: How Ron comes to buy perfume for Hermione. 6,862 Words.

Why You Should Care: I’m the first to admit that I don’t usually read fiction centred around any members of the Trio, and yet the summary of this intrigued me because I had wondered, while reading OotP, why and how Ron came to give Hermione perfume for Christmas. What I found when I started to read was a delightful story about two young people very slowly discovering how much they like each other. Both Ron and Hermione are kept true to canon — I find Ron especially difficult to find properly written, so to find a fiction where he rang true was a surprising bonus. Ron is exactly fifteen and entirely a boy in this story. He doesn’t know what’s going on or why its going on, as most fifteen year old boys in love generally don’t. Very good.

Why You Might Not Care: This is a Ron/Hermione people. All Harry/Hermione shippers should immediately turn around and go elsewhere least you tear pieces of your hair out. It’s… almost fluffy. Except it’s not. Not really.