Harry Potter fanfiction is a wonderful world, but it is large and daunting. Initial forays are bound to be met by myriad crap stories; this modest guide attempts to point to those few fics which are well-written, well-crafted, original and inventive. First, a shout-out to other people’s lists: lists are fun to do and incredibly useful to others, especially those new to the HP fandom. Taure, Newcomb, Scott Press, Tusing and Seylliani have the best lists (also see DLP's 5-star C2). Now, onto my own list. Note that there is no ranking as such – for how to compare PotDK, Control and Equal and Opposite on a single scale? – which is not to say that I love all these fics equally, but my preferences should come across from the content of my commentary. I should also point out that I am not into crossovers, so you will find none here (though I will concede that Shezza’s stuff is tolerable). This is pure Potter goodness.

I. CLASSICS OF WORLD-BUILDING

The stories I begin with are the ones I find the most awe-inspiring: the ones which seek to create a universe in all its facets, in which the reader can get completely lost. They are all, roughly speaking, alternate universes when compared to canon (either by unexplained authorial decision, or because a single event is justifiably shown to have changed the subsequent chain of events). They are huge endeavours, world-immersive monsters whose detail and scape are often breathtaking. These fics delve deep into the exploration of the world they create and resemble canon in the way they narrate long passages of Hogwarts life, for example, or follow a year-by-year plan. The first five stories more or less share a canon structure: they occur mostly at school, there is some attempt to divide by year of study, there can be some canon events punctuating the narration (typically the TWT). The sixth is post-DH and its setting rather different. The last two in this category take the same form as the first five but choose to focus on different characters.

- mira mirth, On the Way to Greatness (2008-14, 230k, in progress). The best Slytherin Harry story around, the formal concept of this story is pretty nifty: it retraces the whole of Harry's Hogwarts years, with the number of chapters corresponding to the year. This allows the story to rapidly skim the first years, with little meaningful change from canon and abundant use of ellipsis to spare us any canon-rehash. From Y4 onwards however, while seeing only slight concrete divergence, the fic begins to flesh out and deepen the questions and problems Harry is faced with in a believable, intelligent manner. By Y5 and Y6, the story is really roaring along, and these later years feature some of the best plotting and action in all of fanfiction. What is most impressive here, though, is the way the dynamics of the characters are brought to bear: Harry is pulled and pushed in myriad directions, having to tailor and adapt his person and attitude to a growing number of interconnected but autonomous parties, who don’t have the same interests and all want something different from him. His overlapping friends groups, Dumbledore, the Order, the DA, Umbridge, his Slytherin house-mates and their subsections, Voldemort himself, Scrimgeour, Susan, Slughorn, the wider wizarding world; even Fred and George constitute a party which must be managed. Much like in PotDK (see below), Harry is a burgeoning political mastermind, learning to read people, to barter with them and to get from them what he wants, all the while preserving his moral force. At the same time we also get to his magical development, his tempting but dangerous dabbling in dark magic, his blossoming power coaxed along by determination and grit as well as talent. Then we have his extended group of friends and supporters, who can be irritating but who each have a distinctive (albeit not very developed) character and tone (their speech patterns are so individually consistent, it’s superb) throughout the fic, lending colour and nuance to Harry’s personality and to those of the people around him. The writer even made me crack up at times (Snape barking to Harry while training him up: “Again, Potter. A toddler could have fought off your last attempt!”). All this gives the latter years an authentically epic tone, where one can’t help sometimes but feel crushed by the sheer multiplicity and heterogeneity of converging and conflicting demands weighing on the protagonist; it’s a delightful feeling. The fic is unfinished and was last updated in 2014, but mira mirth regularly assures readers via her profile that she will get round to finishing it someday.

- The Santi, Harry Potter and the Boy Who Lived (2009-15, 200k, abandoned, more chapters available at DLP's WbA). As the best-known brother-to-the-BWL fic, it manages really to completely circumvent and avoid all clichés. It features a genius-level Harry who enters Ravenclaw, gets tired of being in his brother's shadow, and goes off to Durmstrang. His home life, his parents, Dumbledore, Snape... all of it is very well seen, completely ignoring the tired tropes of abused!Harry standard fare. Though the Hogwarts chapters are far from the best, hold on a for a bit (skip if you must), and as your reward you get Durmstrang. Durmstrang here is wonderfully fleshed-out, becoming alive to the reader in the same way that Hogwarts is alive to the reader of canon; its teachers all reasonably well-developed and the magic taught there differentiated from what we know despite preserving common aspects. More than anything else The Santi manages to endow his prose with the same captivating, magical qualities as Rowling's, making you wish for nothing more than to be with Harry in what is objectively a cold, dreary castle with a mostly unpleasant population. Talent! This is another point of excellence: there is no sugar-coating the harsh reality of Durmstrang, and while its terrors are not exaggerated either, it is certainly not as warm and welcoming as Hogwarts. Harry develops interesting friendships with OC Calypso Rosier and Viktor Krum, who stand in for canon's Trio is a very different but altogether pleasing manner. I'm particularly partial to Calypso's characterisation. The fic has arrived up to fourth year; unfortunately it seems to have stalled since then.

- Myst Shadow, Forging the Sword (2007-14, 150k, abandoned). Undoubtedly features the best-characterised Trio of any fic I’ve read, but what is particularly bewitching in this story is the intensity, the urgency and the focus of the plot. The one change which occurs is Ginny’s death at the end of CoS, specifically Harry’s decision to allow it. He makes this sacrifice, which opens him up to his own coldness and makes him see, with a lucidity he never has in the books, that he must work to keep similar scenarios from recurring. From then on the Trio sets to working obsessively at improving their magic and uncovering knowledge, with the ultimate goal of wreaking revenge on Lucius Malfoy. This trio features a reasonably in-character Harry, though with added determination and resoluteness, and a much-improved Ron; by far the best characterisation of Ron I've ever read, retaining his bluntness and fun while making him purposeful in revenge. Hermione is a delight as ever, brilliant and witty and vivacious. The genius of this fic consists in allowing the one major change in plot to effect a transformation of the characters and of their behaviour, but one which is perfectly justified and does not modify their essential personality traits; a balancing act between preservation of the characters we love and evolution from them which strikes me as not having been matched elsewhere. This is aided by the story’s almost monomaniacal focus on the Trio, as we mostly alternate their POVs (with a principal concentration on Harry); the other characters only get marginal consideration and are hardly involved in the plot at all. It makes the rounded quality of each of the characters all the more astonishing that we hardly, in fact, see them interact with anyone aside from the other two. I should point out that there are a few flaws to all this: the training formula has reached a straining point and can no longer be continued (which is why, I suspect, the locale was on the cusp of a change when the story was abandoned), the classroom-level “debates” about societal topics (unbreakable vows: unfettered freedom or personal effacement for the common good; Dementors: utilitarian reasoning and the misery of a few) are uninspired and unnecessary, on top of feeling rather preachy. Still, these are petty grievances, and the overall effect of the story is excellent. Like HPBWL, it was abandoned in Y4, but one shouldn't lose hope (the writer last updated her profile in 2015).

- Mizuni-sama, Prince of the Dark Kingdom (2007-14, 1250k, abandoned). How to describe this one? I find it difficult to do its ambition justice. A mammoth story which grows from an interesting premise into a glorious, huge world full of fascinating characters. Harry is not the BWL because there is no BWL; Voldemort reigns supreme as a ruthless but genius tyrant, reigning over what he wishes to see as the renaissance of a great magical Britain. He is a fascinating character, the best Voldemort of fanfiction and a hundredfold more complex than canon's: brilliant, manipulative, cruel, yes to all these things, certainly. But above all this Voldemort is inspiring, a leader blessed with uncommon charisma, and the reader is charmed and beguiled by this force of nature (literally speaking, it seems) just as Harry is. By and by Harry becomes his protégé, and the relationship between the two is the central focus of the plot. Beyond this, for those who like worldbuilding, this is one of the more ambitious attempts at expanding Rowling's world, notably featuring explorations of the French and German magical realms, as well as a wholly invented and convincing werewolf civilisation, and a lot of time spent (less convincingly, in my opinion, but credit for the ambition) on the worlds of faeries and vampires. At the same time as we delve deeper into all these worlds, the writer presents us with an ever-growing web of interconnections and interests which combine to build a fresco of the magical world, a dynamic picture of dazzling complexity pulled together with exquisite skill. Remarkably, you only rarely feel that the individual characters are getting lost or forgotten in this sheer immensity (from Y4 maybe the overlapping plots get difficult to juggle) The story even succeeds in developing Harry's usual seven-year education (the story was abandoned when Harry was in Y7) at its own pace, without really bothering with the customary divisions of year: it is one big bloc, sometimes bloated, sometimes out-of-control, but mostly focused and intense. The prose is uneven, even erratic, and rife with typographical errors and other formal annoyances, but none of this can detract from the sheer joy of its immensity and its boisterousness.

- Scott Press, Lesser Evils (2014-17, 260k, complete). The strengths of this story are manifold, but let me start off with the characters. This fic features one of the more complex Harrys I've read, steadily maturing from an angry and hot-headed punk into the resilient, ruthless leader that we can see the seeds of. The darkness that grows in him concurrently with his probing of the connection to Voldemort is adequately portrayed, for all the questions it leaves unanswered. But the true wealth of this story lies not solely in this interesting Harry, rather in the galaxy of supporting characters you have so successfully beefed up out of their canon cutouts. Sirius and Lupin, usually characters I heavily dislike both in canon and fanon, are wonderfully complex. A wealth of secondary characters, each of them minutely developed, makes for a fascinating cast. Though they have reduced screen time, Hermione, Ron and Ginny each have their own attributes, specificity and interests as well. Structurally the fic is superb as well; I particularly like the triadic form of the chapters, which gives a wonderful ebb-and-flow rhythm to the story, alternating action and development in a meaningful and never dull way. The world is expanded slightly from canon but in a thoughtful, positive way which does not seek to dwarf canon's setting. Really a complete pleasure to read, and SP has a sequel underway (Ascended Vices, 2017, 25k), though he doesn’t really seem to be in any hurry about it.

- Tinn Tam, The Song of the Trees (2006-15, 225k, abandoned). Another masterpiece. A huge, epic fic which mingles well-developed canon aspects of the world, particularly Hogsmeade, Hogwarts (McGonagall, Romilda Vane) with epic-scale worldbuilding. This is a post-Voldemort story which disregards DH and takes place some years after Harry's victory, which has left him deeply scarred; in particular, analgesic and insomniac. The layering of mysteries is intricate and masterfully-organised. The story features an excellent Harry and an equally interesting Hermione, with good side-acts for quasi-OCs Daphne and Romilda. Harry's condition is the first thing that elicits narrative tension, with a memorable beginning as cat-Minerva walks around Hogsmeade eavesdropping on conversations which reveal how alienated from wizarding society Harry seems to have become. The Ministry really comes to life, especially in the three-way internal politics between the Minister, the DMLE and the DoM. The werewolf plot is absolutely excellent, and the way the transformation scenes are written is superb: some of them so vivid the narration really had me on edge, and I've rarely felt such tension and sensuous delight as in the depictions of Harry's sensations and proprioception in his canine form. I was a bit bothered at first by the eruption of a whole other world into the story, although this was more than adequately prepared and foreshadowed. There remains the massive problem that this sort of world-Aufhebung completely dwarfs the original canon world, making Voldemort seem a petty three-year-old and all of canon an irrelevant skirmish. I find it important to retain the sense that canon-world is all of the magical world, or at least a large part of it (and it is important to remember that it is this canon-world that we all fell so in love with, so perhaps it is not that surprising that I am so attached to its integrity and centrality. I just don't really care that much about the Third Kind). Still, I've hardly read any fics that were more creative, better structured, or better written. It is incomplete, and the writer has been completely invisible since she last updated in 2015, so I think it's safe to say it's abandoned.

- Annerb, The Changeling (2011-17, 190k, complete). This is a magnificent Ginny-centric fic, which does more with her character than I’ve ever seen (not that I've seen that much, as this character is often taboo in good stories). It starts with Ginny being sorted into Slytherin, and goes from there, skimming over the first few years of her schooling in a brisk fashion, and concentrating on her development into a mature, powerful witch. Quidditch plays a foremost role in this development, as does The Parlour, an intra-Slytherin girls-only organisation which is an extremely well-developed idea. Ginny's advancement is steady and well-paced, as we see her little by little uncover the true meaning of being a Slytherin, beyond all the clichés about blood purity and evil and such. Sometimes the tone can be quite pompous, with short, deep phrases grating on the reader's nerves, but overall the style is excellent. And much like Forging the Sword, this fic succeeds in combining great fidelity to the canon characters with natural and even what appears in hindsight as necessary development. The sequel, pick it up, pick it all up and start again (2017, 70k, complete), is equally riveting. There is something special with this writer: her style is skilled and constant, but it’s also intrinsically annoying. There is a lot of pseudo-existential bullshit expressed in short, dramatic sentences which scream adolescent angst. But this may be the point, as it’s point-of-view stuff from two characters, Ginny and Harry, who are people who tend to take themselves and their problems very seriously: neither of them being especially given to self-awareness or self-irony, when they do introspect, they do so while indulging their irresistible penchants for histrionics and melodrama, as if for the aesthetic pleasure they derive from seeing their own tortured soul laid out in all its unique and misunderstood purity. Either this is how the writer writes spontaneously, or it is a deliberate and coherent choice to go with her subject matter. I tend to favour the second explanation, and attribute it to her skill at shaping her words to fit her characters. This capacity for adequacy makes her, in my opinion, the best stylist in the fandom, along with whistle.the.silver mentioned below. On another note, keep in mind that the sequel is not specially plot-driven: it focuses at rather great length on Ginny and Harry in the two or three months following the battle at Hogwarts, and lets us see the organic way they develop in the aftermath of the trying year which preceded it, as they each come to terms with their difficult itineraries and the lives which now stretch out before them. Harry feels very much like canon, as he does in the preceding instalment, and Ginny continues to grow organically from where she was at the end of Changeling. All in all, it’s a brilliant and incisive study in character development once again. Another sequel is underway (we can still be, who we said we were, 2017, 50k).

- jacobk, Applied Cultural Anthropology, or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Cruciatus (2013-17, 170k, in progress). Another Slytherin fic, this one is solid, well-built and well-characterised, but, despite its titular reference to Kubrick's whimsical classic, it is yet to make its mark with a definitive spark, an exceptional high point to brand itself into the reader's mind, or a dazzling new insight into a character. It is consistently well-written and interesting, not falling into any of the many pitfalls of its genre (at no point does it feel like a canon-rehash), but it never is completely striking. Hermione's progress is admirably well-paced, her minion-gathering painstaking and natural, her relationships relatable and realistic, her training well-done and credible, not forced; but we still, despite an almost constant focus on her, lack insight into her mind. I realise this sounds rather critical, but in spite of this it remains an excellent read.

II. CONCEPT-FICS

These stories are very special in the world of abortive attempts that is non-professional writing: these gems seek to tell a story or develop an idea, defined and punctual, from start to finish, and they do just that. They are clearly thought-out and planned in advance, in meticulous and savant detail. They are complete and they are whole; they make sense and they are coherent as a unit. They are self-sufficient, autarkic little studies, and they are jewels to be treasured.

- Amerision, Equal and Opposite (2006-09, 50k, complete). Here, despite wobbly and often rushed writing, I was inextricably pulled in, seduced like Harry, by the relationship that was depicted. This is an excellent Harry/fem!Harry piece of work following on an original concept. Instead of the Mirror of Erised, we have the Mirror of Etisoppo, which summons your opposite and equal from another dimension. Harry is rather different here from canon, mentally tortured by Voldemort after the DoM debacle, and friendless. He discovers his counterpart Jamie, and a steamy relationship ensues. Then she leaves, and he goes mad, and very dark. This cruel and sadistic Harry appeals to me because I rather like incest and geminal clusterfucks, but don't read it if that sort of thing puts you off. Jamie is a superb character, completely twisted, uber-powerful, dark, sexy; a perfect male fantasy (well, at least mine). The end bothered me quite a bit, but not enough to make me rethink the greatness of the story.

- T3t, Thunderstorm (2011-12, 40k, complete). This fic has a lot to recommend it, starting with the original pairing (H/fem!Riddle), the short, concise way it is written, and the action-packed content. However, concision can come at the cost of character development and plot credibility, and here both are quite seriously strained, particularly the characters. While I can accept the twists to canon (Harry in Slytherin, four years older, and a female Riddle), the way the Riddle character is developed after her encounter with Harry in the Chamber is not convincing. She devolves into a side-along yes-character, who most of the time meekly follows after Harry and seems to have completely transformed from her homicidal past (at this point she has already killed Myrtle with the basilisk and made a horcrux), a transformation which is left unexplained. If you want a submissive girlfriend, just don’t go for Voldemort, man! Dumbledore is also different, but in an interesting manner: he is depicted as a peerless strategist and a decisive and gifted leader who will not wait around, attacking Voldemort almost the minute she is resurrected so as not to lose the element of surprise. He is even more wonderful than in canon, but in some ways his character is completely inconsistent with canon. Snape is good, though again quite modified, as he seems more rational and driven. Then there is the writing, which is often hasty, cutting corners with the narration, and is not in itself particularly well-crafted. Still, the originality, creativity and zest of this story are fully deserving of a recommendation.

- Master Slytherin, What Lies Beneath (2007-08, 100k, complete). This is in many ways an ideal example of fan fiction, structurally speaking. It is a very rare piece of first-person narrative, perfectly mastered. It’s short because it’s concise, pure and finished. There was a concept and a plot, and both were brought to a satisfactory conclusion. In essence this is a mature and superior piece of fanfiction. Unfortunately, it is not ultimately that enjoyable. The idea is that the Harry-horcrux is awakened by the ingesting of the diary-horcrux in Y2, and Harry begins to receive Riddle's memories and brilliance. The author doesn't hesitate to kill off Sirius from the start and this affects the rest of the story, which is in no way canon-rehash. In fact, it ignores canon completely. The intervening years, from Y2 to Y6, pass quickly, dispatched via narratives of significant moments, Harry's dreams of Riddle's memories, and excerpts from Harry's diary, and we arrive at Y6 where the fun truly begins. Harry goes completely rogue to hunt for horcruxes, but they are closer and closer to taking over his mind. The focus is on Harry's inner battle for supremacy with Riddle as he claims more and more horcruxes. As for the characters, Harry, Hermione and Dumbledore are credible and rounded, but Tracy, Harry's love interest, is essentially just a shell, a pretty girl who loves Harry and her father. The romance works, but only barely, which is another of those elements which make this fic superbly-crafted but not the most downright engaging.

- Master Slytherin, Resurrexit (2015, 75k, complete). This is again a well-structured and -written fic, as is usual for MS. Harry's madness is nicely done, though treacherously as the reader is quite uninformed and has more of Neville's perspective than Harry's despite the fact that most chapters are Harry's first-person POV. Harry's obsession with Luna feels right, but the dénouement and explication of Luna's character sit less well with me. The reduction of Luna's strangeness to her having never got over her mother's death is mildly insulting, and the posthumous resolution of their romance into a mutually beneficial support-structure is a let-down. There is MS's typical dreariness and depressing setting, though his strength is that it never comes close to traditional angst, kept above it by the force of will of the characters and the negative, destructive form which their wounded love takes. He's a superb writer, and he crafts and plots a story better than any other author in the fandom; despite this talent though this fic never reaches the dazzling heights of his other opus What Lies Beneath. It is a testament to how good I feel this is that I recommend it with all my heart despite not really liking it.

- SeriousScribble, Unatoned (2012, 105k, complete). The aspect of Master Slytherin I was complaining about, viz. his emotional detachment, is shared to some degree by Sesc. This is a very well-written, masterfully crafted, tightly-wound (a very dense and well-structured 100k) mystery thriller. We open in a cold, bleak world, several years after Voldemort's demise. From there the fic dovetails beautifully into a mystery fic involving Astoria, a sixteen-year-old drug addict and nymphomaniac (she smacks of authorial fantasy, though maybe that’s just my own twisted desires speaking) whose seduction of Harry and subsequent death are a starting point in a battle of traps and deviousness with Daphne, who turns out to be a thoroughly evil but devilishly attractive and incredibly talented witch. The mystery is excellently crafted, the foreshadowing strong yet subtle, the structure rigorously controlled from the outset. My biggest problem is that the black tone becomes somewhat monotonous, and that the mystery lacks magic. The characters are not that interesting, and often the supposedly deep, cynical, super-smart, worldly, jaded dialogue between Harry and Daphne just sounds contrived and artificial. It's not really Harry Potter any more, but it is very good writing.

- kayly silverstorm, Stages of Hope (2011-12, 95k, complete). Another well-structured fic, which features Harry, Hermione, Neville and Luna bursting into a parallel universe. They come from a dimension where the war against Voldemort has raged on, and they have lost everyone they cared for. The fic is skilfully told from the point of view of the four adults who receive them at Hogwarts and who are close friends: Lily, Snape, Sirius and Lupin, and follows their attempts to understand and assist their beleaguered guests. Harry is a creature of deranged mood swings and efficient brutality. Hermione is steeped in genius and cold-blooded ruthlessness. Neville is a rock of quiet and resilient loyalty. Luna’s airy and imaginative dreaminess completes the setup. The characterisations are quite strong (though Harry moaning at the beginning as he came face to face with Lily put me off the fic enough that I stopped reading it the first time around). Not all the points-of-view are equally compelling; Lily especially with her persistent angst about this almost-son - who is really a complete stranger - annoyed me. But the fic is well-woven and credible in many ways, and the ending is delicately done. The language, while not perfect, is used well enough to persuasively put across the views and thoughts of the characters portrayed.

- Enembee, Harry Potter and the Forests of Valbonë (2011-13, 115k, complete, epilogue only available at DLP's WbA). This is a wonderful piece of writing from maybe the most talented writer in the fandom. The whole first section, about life in the forest, where we meet the various creatures, kill oiks, learn enchantment, chat with the Hat, is a ceaseless explosion of bubbling creativity. It allows us to rediscover in a gentle, often humorous way, what is so wonderful about magic, so thrilling, so mysterious, just like the long shadows and creaky noises of the otherwise beautiful forest. The second section, which features the escape from the forest, had its ups and downs: the encounter with the Zana and the ensuing mission is formally speaking a digression and as such detracts from the unity of the plot (so much so that the first time I read it I stopped at this point, irritated with the meandering). But the whole mission thing makes a lot of sense in retrospect and is all satisfyingly resolved. The story is so well-written, snappy, funny, adventurous, new, that it's just sheer reading pleasure. There is, gloriously, a currently-abandoned sequel, Vaults of Valbonë, at DLP's WbA; we all fervently pray that one day NMB will feel the urge to return to it.

- Paimpoint, The Strange Disappearance of Sally-Anne Perks (2010, 35k, complete). A lovely little self-contained tale, this tells the story of how Harry and Hermione, two Gryffindor third-years, become fascinated with the mysterious fate of a girl who was present at the beginning of their first year, then vanished. The tone is canon to the millimetre, and the author brilliantly recreates the charm and wonder of the enchanted castle as Harry and Hermione dig around looking for answers. Every little interaction is a study in character and oozes with the atmosphere of canon’s books 1-3 (the best, in my opinion, both in terms of plot and of tone). The mystery unwinds satisfactorily despite a few hanging threads.

- Voice of the Nephilim, The Unforgiving Minute (2010-11, 85k, complete). This is a variation on the time-travel cliché where Harry goes back in time to destroy the horcruxes and Voldemort before an apocalyptic war that he is the broken-shell-result-of can be unleashed. Not my favourite premise, but combined with a thriller 24-style structure and excellent reviews I decided to give it a try, despite my misgivings about the author of Sitra Ahra. Much like Resurrexit, I find myself admiring a very well-written and -structured story, formally as close to perfect as fanfiction can be; a complete entity of a story which functions autonomously, has nothing extraneous, and is single-mindedly focused on its goal. In this way, it is excellent. But like Resurrexit, it failed to involve me on an emotional level, leaving me strangely indifferent to this Harry's fate, though I like his ruthlessness and efficiency. There is little dialogue and really only one character, and maybe this explains the lack of engagement (I often feel the lack of intersubjective engagement makes character seen one-dimensional, and thus difficult to identify with). A masterful work all the same.

- Zennith6, The Other Side of the Coin (2010, 90k, complete). This is a wonderful fic, which makes it particularly frustrating that its sequel is long since abandoned just after getting off the mark. It has some rough writing, a slightly underwhelming start, and a noticeable lack of detail, description, and general fleshing-out, of the world or of magic. But its plot and characterisation are so damn good that it’s just pure awesome. This story manages the tour de force of being almost completely AU, but retaining a very clearly canonish feel to it. Here, Harry brought down Grindelwald and not Voldemort, and several changes have been made to the canon timeline: for one thing, he was brought up by Sirius. The story covers his first two years at Hogwarts, taken under his wing by DADA teacher Tom Riddle, definitely one of the better Riddles I've read. Lucius Malfoy is excellent as a slick but dangerous Minister for Magic, the Death Eaters are strong as well, particularly Bellatrix and Peter. Harry's place in Slytherin House and his development as a wizard are both credible. The political side of the story is well-crafted, with the author depicting a complex web of conflicting interests and ideals, lending the looming conflict a realistic intricacy. Really, while some works are powered by their world-building and others by their rich descriptions or dazzling creativity, this one is all about character interactions, which move the plot along at a good pace while creating satisfyingly three-dimensional personae. The writer’s profile indicates that s/he works professionally as a playwright, and that really comes across here.

- Enembee, Conlaodh’s Song (2010-11, 60k, complete, also see its prelude By the Divining Light, 2009-10, 25k). This is a masterwork. Harry is a fifth-year in a rather different universe, though the main points of the world (Hogwarts, Dumbledore, the war) are roughly similar to canon. But, as seen in the work’s prelude, Harry is Dumbledore’s protégé and disciple, learning all about magic directly from him. He is a significantly improved version of Harry, intelligent, focused and powerful, but one still feels that this is the same Harry, just with his potential fulfilled. The focus here is Harry and Dumbledore’s struggle against Voldemort over the proper place of Old Magic (again, this has been introduced and explored in the prelude), though there is still time for some excellent Harry/Luna interaction. Well-written, and I always love NMB’s Harrys.

- Couldsdon Eagle, Hermione Granger and the Goblet of Fire (2007-12, 290k, complete, available at portkey-archive.org). This one belongs halfway between this category and the first one, and it also features a slow-burn romance between Hermione and Harry, which could put it in the third as well. But I choose to put it here because in spite of its length, this fic sets out to tell a story: how Hermione deals with her name coming out the Goblet, and then ensuing Tournament, and by God does it tell the story. It is well-written, though prone to excessive verbosity and detail. The first half of the story, I would say, goes a tad overboard in depicting wizarding society as cruel and bigoted, and there is some angst concerning Hermione's imperilled place in it which I found grating. But this is all a fair reflection of the character’s state of mind, clouded by resentment and rage at being forced into this unpleasant situation, and a welling feeling of injustice at being blamed and insulted for it all. The feeling does pass, though (as such things do), and overall I would say that the story gets stronger and stronger throughout, particularly starting from the First Task. Not to say that it is weak at the beginning: throughout you can feel the benefits of a strong structure and a real destination to the plot. This is not a fic where you can feel that what occurs has just popped up in the writer's mind as they wrote the story: no, it gives off an impression of thorough planning and forethought, which is pleasant. The characters are exceedingly well-portrayed, in accordance with their canon Y4 selves. Hermione and Harry's growth is natural and credible; their maturity far greater than in canon by the time the end of the year has rolled around, but this is simply the result of a different path taken. Seeing Harry in merely a support role is not bothersome to me, as I have no doubt that he would be as supportive and unstinting as he is here shown, getting a chance to showcase his loyalty and courage. Hermione's character really shines through: not only book-smart, but also resourceful and inventive; prone to panic but able to refocus and triumph over adversity, morally blinkered but capable of self-doubt. Plot-wise, there are some over-developed narrative strands that are not interesting to start off with and lead nowhere: viz. the excruciatingly detailed attempt to get out of the Tournament by legal means, entailing explorations of muggle and wizarding law, which can be dispensed with by the discerning reader. Still, despite this shortcoming, this is an excellent work, and any writer capable of such a delightful phrase as "she’s flooed to the wrong fireplace" (for “barking up the wrong tree”) gets much love from me.

III. LOVE

I like love stories quite a lot, but I often feel when done exclusively that they lack pace and action. I usually tend to prefer when the love is not separated out of everything else. I feel that romance comes alive in a context of adventure, thrown into relief by the events, while the alternation of both romance and action helps pace and structure the story. This is, after all, the recipe that has powered most of Hollywood’s financial success over the past eighty years. However, some fics which focus mainly on romance I have found truly wonderful.

The first five fics recommended here are Harry/Hermione, which is my favourite “pairing” (though I rather despise this notion, in this section I will write it next to each title to spare those who have strong aversions to a particular combination of characters). Unfortunately, H/Hr never produced really top-notch stories, despite being a popular “ship”, particularly in the early years (a lot of post-PoA fanfiction), and even as it became clear that canon would not go that way. For many years its fandom was centralised at portkey.org, now defunct (archive available at portkey-archive.org), but for those who are interested, schlamboozle, Lynney, Gabilian, Full Pensieve and madscientist wrote decent H/Hr, usually fitting into Y6 or Y7 moulds following the publications of OotP and HBP respectively.

Some argue that the pairing is structurally impossible to write because it weighs down the plot by its very existence, and I’ll admit there are significant problems to be dealt with if you’re putting it front and centre. Romances with anyone other than Hermione and to a lesser extent Luna are of course easier to write in the sense that one is not bound by the limitations of the canon-character. Ginny is so utterly under-written by Rowling that she is barely an acquaintance for the reader even at the end of DH. All we know is that she’s a sexy chaser with a nice smile and outgoing personality. Fleur and Tonks are virtual unknowns with a few salient characteristics. Daphne, Susan and other favourites of the fandom are blank slates with very few parameters to preserve, allowing free reign to the writer.

- The Obsidian Warlock, The Meaning of Father (2007-14, 85k, complete, H/Hr). This fic is short, was one of the very first I read, and has been repeatedly the one to suck me back into fanfiction. It takes place in a post-DH setting, following the Trio's return to Hogwarts to complete their education. It is mostly focused on Harry and Hermione, and I love it dearly for the marvellous relationship between them that it portrays, one of intimacy and trust and homeyness, despite the tensions and troubles, which are many. The scenes in the head students' quarters have particularly struck me. The story goes rather haywire at the end, with mystical and religious overtones, but its place in my heart is guaranteed by the inimitable atmosphere that TOW brings to life. As for the characters, they are interesting avatars of their canon selves: Harry is not really canon-Harry (he is a focused and determined duellist, for one thing, and politically savvy), but his evolution from canon seems to me almost natural, even though it happens off-stage; Hermione is different and the same, a troubled but wonderful girl. And TOW writes very well. Read this.

- Stanrick, Thresholds (2013, 85k, complete, H/Hr). Stanrick is a staple H/Hr writer who writes extremely well, in self-conscious, sometimes complacent prose, but whose stuff is also witty, light and moreish. It’s usually rife with cultural allusions and references, and you can tell that the author takes Barthesian pleasure in sculpting and refining his text. It’s impressive to see this level of dedication to the act of writing itself, and in this way Stanrick is similar to whistle.the.silver. His plots, though, could not be more different from hers. This one, a particularly absurdist one, features dramatic developments at Hogwarts as Harry wakes up one morning to find himself in Hermione’s bed! As the investigation into his uncontrolled nocturnal apparitions gets under way, the interactions are priceless: Harry and Hermione, a hilarious and wonderful Ron, the unique teachers; all make for a delightful read centred on an intriguing plot and charming characters. If you like this, check out his other fics, all excellent, particularly the short Favorite Things (2015, 20k, complete).

-Potato19, I’m Not the Only One (2017, 125k, in progress, H/Hr). Another comedic H/Hr writer who’s written a lot of stuff, her fics are more unequal. They sometimes feel repetitive, and often seem to feature characters acting wildly unlike themselves, but on the whole this one is solid and enjoyable. It features one of the more awkward premises of fanfiction, the whole brother-to-the-BWL caboodle, which is almost instinctively repellent to me (despite HPBWL, the exception that proves the rule). However, Potato deals with the notion in a rather new manner, pitting a trio of Harry, Lily and Sirius against his brother and James. It certainly stretches credulity, but at least it does so entertainingly, and suckers for H/Hr like myself will find themselves drawn into the developing romance in spite of the uninspiring backdrop.

- Lorien829, The Catalyst (2013-16, 80k, abandoned, H/Hr). Lorien is one of the best H/Hr writers out there in a more serious vein, no question. She’s written quite a few classics of the pairing, including Shadow Walks, Eighth and Resistance. Her style is excellent and her characterisations are very nicely-done, though she does tend to mellow Hermione a little and her Harry can be underwhelming, to put it mildly. This one is again, like MoF above, one of my heart’s favourites, though I suspect non-H/Hr lovers would probably find it uninteresting and trivial. It happens five years after DH, as Hermione and Ron plan their nuptials and Harry and Ginny enjoy their relationship, setting up the story wonderfully for those among us who just want to see those ridiculous relationships go sour and south. A little girl of mysterious origins arrives in their midst, and she brings Harry and Hermione together, without bashing the other characters (though Ron-lovers may find themselves hard done-by at intervals). I love the style, and the way the relationships, particularly the central one, are written. Despite the angst, which is normal fare with Lorien, it’s lighter in this one and overshadowed by the mystery of the unknown girl, which is quite compelling.

- Taliesin19, A Memoir (2012-14, 170k, abandoned, H/Hr). The main quality of this memoir of Hermione’s lies in its characterisation. Hermione and Ron feel extremely like their canon selves, like the other Weasleys, while Harry is really indistinguishable from canon-Harry, making him the usual mixture of pleasant and frustrating to read. Special credit for the depiction of Luna, which is so very rarely a success in fanfiction: here she is an excellent mix of weird and wise and observant which I feel really reflects what Rowling was trying to do with the character. The structure of the story, on the other hand, is a letdown. The fic starts at the beginning of Y5, giving us three years of canon-rehash. The writer keeps on assuring us that she will soon be getting to the point of divergence (post-DH), but the fic is abandoned before this materialises. Despite this being no ordinary canon-rehash (there are novel insights and titbits aplenty, and the development is excellent), it still feels like we could have dispensed with it quicker in order to get to the really new stuff, and to see some actual H/Hr action!

- Salon Kitty, Folie à deux (available at adult-fanfiction.org, 2010-13, 145k, abandoned, H/Hr). This occurs several years after the Battle of Hogwarts, with Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron ensconced in their successful post-education lives (Rose and James are alive, Ginny is expecting Albus). Harry and Ginny's marriage seems to be falling apart, and Hermione, herself depressed in motherhood, steps in to support Harry. From Hermione's point of view, we follow their descent into an all-out affair. The tone is just right, the evolution from canon characters eminently believable; there is no bashing and each of the quartet's characters is well-examined. Even Harry's sexually domineering side and Hermione's submissiveness are credible reversals of their real-life personae. The writing is consistently excellent in its description of Hermione's emotions, her thoughts and her impressions. A lot of smut and it gets heavier as the fic goes on, with very present BD themes.

- Tehan, Contemplating Clouds (2007-10, 8k, abandoned, H/L). A wonderful, marvellously chiselled little gem of Harry/Luna, with both characterised to quasi-perfection. Harry finds comfort from Snape's bash-lessons in occlumency in Luna's friendship. They speak about the shapes of clouds, being a cloud, being a cloud thinking about being them, all her magical creatures, etc. Her mixture of pragmatism, phlegmatism, and wild fancy are just the Luna from HP 5-7, who was my favourite new character after book 4. Here she proves inventive and there is a delightful, unforgettable scene where she improvises a little boat from a broken umbrella, her cloak and a combination of levitation and banishing charms and she and Harry joyride around the Hogwarts grounds. A must-read, sadly short but self-sufficient.

- Paffy, Behind Blue Eyes (2004-08, 440k, complete, H/OC). This is really not my thing on paper, as it is almost exclusively focused on the relationship between Harry and a muggle OC. If this sounds like a nightmare to you, rest assured, it does to me too. It follows Harry post-OotP; in grief over Sirius and despair over the prophecy, he escapes the magical world with a troubled muggle named Kitty. The first part of the fic, which follows them over a month or so in the muggle world, is excellently written and compelling despite being quite drawn-out; the drama and characters are credible. In parallel with the H/Kitty romance it follows the development of Tonks' relationship with Lupin, and both characters are again very well-done. Unfortunately, Harry's dreaded re-entry into the magical world then takes place and here Kitty loses her strength and individuality, and I became annoyed with the story. But it's definitely worth a read, at least for its first half, if you can bear the thought of Harry without magic.

- Taliesin19, Grow Young with Me (2015-16, 180k, abandoned, H/OC). Another H/muggle OC, if you can believe that. Am I a glutton for punishment? I don’t think so, and yet incredibly I read these two back-to-back. This features a widowed 29 yo Harry who lost Ginny three years ago and has been working as Head Auror and taking care of his three kids since. The complex tone, melancholy but uncomplaining and joyful (when Harry contemplates his children), is very nice to read. Abby is a good OC, not as rounded as Kitty from Behind Blue Eyes, but maybe also less clichéd. The fic was, alas, left unfinished (though I haven't given up hope on further updates at some point) before it actually became a romance, and in what was written we have only seen the slow development of a hesitant friendship between a barmaid and her customer and the secrets that must be overcome if Harry is to entertain a relationship with a muggle. It's linear and unsurprising, and magic plays very little role here, disappointingly so, but the family/friendship/romance trifecta is well done enough to make you want to eat the story up.

- Ecmm, Hocus Pocus, Adele Polkiss (2009-12, 35k, complete, H/OC). That's right, yet another Harry/muggle OC romance. Kill me now. This lovely little story focuses on the friendship between Harry and Piers Polkiss's little sister. She, an unruly and bullying seven-year-old, consistently picks on and pranks Harry, three years her senior, who bumbles around unknowingly into her traps. As the story goes on her fascination for magic grows and as the summers go by her feelings deepen. The structure of the story, seeing years pass through the lens of the two summer months, is an interesting reversal of the Hogwarts-centric novels. The kids are very well-drawn, and Adele has a charming personality made of short-temperedness, capriciousness, determination and creativity: I love her, and her playful-hostile relationship with Harry is very nicely developed.

- Neisseira, Rustlings in the Dark (2008-09, 90k, abandoned, H/Padma). This is one of the most canon-faithful stories I've read, featuring a Y4-Harry maturing naturally without the intervention of the TWT, exhibiting burgeoning social skills (shock!) and an interest in Ancient Runes. It’s a mystery in the style of the first three books (in this it resembles Sally-Anne Perks) and the characterisation, relationships and dialogue are down pat, even better than canon really while remaining completely faithful to it. Though the first ten chapters lack concision, it eventually blossoms into a lovely, fumbling romance-and-mystery fic when Harry meets Padma, and becomes more and more assured from there, re-creating adolescent feelings and desires in a fully credible and wistful way. The general impression is one of magnetic charm; and I was filled with regret that this was abandoned so soon.

- whistle.the.silver, Witnessed Here in Time and Blood (2011-13, 190k, complete, Hr/Fleur). A long romance between Hermione and Fleur, starting at the Trio's arrival at Shell Cottage and finishing with the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts. This is certainly the best-written, most introspective romance I have read in fanfiction, from a writer who obviously is very much inspired by more classical literature. Though it can be somewhat long-winded at times, it feels structured and planned-out, and it presents a satisfyingly complete, thoughtful and engaging tableau when finished. The romance develops naturally with no forced points, no unwanted angst, no out-of-character interludes. Both Fleur and Hermione's points of view have their own individuality and their own sensitivity, and the two are brought together on an convincing backdrop of war and violence, making the idyllic aspect of the romance all the more salient. The obvious problems with the pairing, notably Bill and Ron, are not eluded in any way, but rather faced head-on and resolved in a superb dénouement. There are two short sequels, Ivory and Horn and Threnody, which prove if nothing else (though the first one is far too oneiric to my taste) that whistle.the.silver is the best writer in the fandom. She summons nature's delights and depicts her variegated multitudes in synaesthesia beyond comparison.

IV. MIRTH

Levity is tough to do, and it's more miss than hit. I usually like my humour as part and parcel of a fic and not as its focus, so as not to have the impression of being made to smile or giggle on command (this is maybe why I'm no fan of the usual hits: ABC, TLIL, BitJ...). The side-chuckle in the middle of a battle to the death is what I prefer. But some fics designed for light relief are just pure fun.

- Lord Jeram, Harry & the Mysterious Curse of the Girl-Who-Lived (2010-17, 145k, in progress). Glorious, hilarious stuff. The concept, at first, let’s face it, comes across as silly: Harry’s a boy but everyone is convinced he’s a girl. This is not trans propaganda: he’s under a curse and not particularly glad about it. Anyway, what seems like a bad joke at the start has really interesting implications for Harry’s development as a character: not only does he not provoke as much hostility from Snape, but he also develops meaningful friendships with Parvati and Lavender, as well as others in his year. The outlook on what are otherwise similar events to canon make this rather different from a normal canon-rehash. Beware: some parts are really very silly, and one wonders what was going through the writer’s head: the whole Hufflepuff plot for example, whereby Harry is hated and despised by a whole segment of the school for no reason. It feels like the writer is trying too hard to create conflict out of nothing, to keep the story going. Still, the first two years or so are very good: then I feel like the whole friend-group thing gets a little out of hand, and the plot loses its way somewhat. But it’s still funny, and a nice idea.

- Averis, We All Fall After the Yule Ball (2011-16, 85k, abandoned). No one does light relief better than Averis, who writes tightly-wound little dramas rife with amorous intrigue and sentimental complication. This makes for absolutely captivating reading. Strange that it should, it might seem, for at first it comes across as a rather silly little story about the romances of 14-year olds at the Yule Ball. But the consequences of the one small change in premise – the idea that Harry might actually be eager for something for a change, in this case the Ball – snowballs quite elegantly (though Harry's one-night transformation into a party-organising playboy might be a little bit of a stretch) into something which, despite staying focused on Harry's romantic escapades, gets more serious as the story goes on. Parvati and Katie, both distractions, are left behind, and the fic morphs into a reflection on the relationship between Harry and Hermione, and therefore necessarily also Ron (who is well-portrayed), and then into a good, albeit patchy, relationship with Fleur. Add to that a more prominent place given to Voldemort's possessions, a decidedly hostile Hogwarts environment, and a rapidly degenerating relationship between Hermione and Fleur, and the story starts looking hefty while remaining compelling and best of all, always funny. If you like it, also check out the rest of Averis’ stuff, particularly Potter, No Angst (2012, 35k, abandoned): not nearly as good, but a fun read. Like We All Fall, this one features a playboy-Harry whose libido is turbo-charged and who spends his time bumfuzzled between the different choices of the myriad girls running after him.

-Hufflepunk, Rogue’s Bet (2016-17, 80k, abandoned). Very light stuff, again, in the same vein as what Averis does. In an AU Hogwarts 7th year where Voldemort was killed by the rebounding AK, BWL Harry is just about an ordinary jock, a clone of his father who owns the school with his arrogance and popularity. He makes a bet with Ron that he will get into Daphne’s knickers before Ron gets into the unapproachable Head Girl’s (Hermione). Though the plot is nothing special or original, the interactions are funny, the tone is light, and a there a few more serious moments to lend the fic a touch of gravitas. On the whole, this is really enjoyable reading.

- Dzeytoun, Daddy’s Favorite (2003-04, 70k, complete). A series of point-of-view chapters from a host of different characters about how people perceive Dumbledore's love for Harry at the end of OotP. Very well-written and interestingly-explored; the characters' thoughts are plausible and articulately expressed, making it not only the concept not only interesting but also well-executed. It’s as much a formal exercise as a piece of fiction, though, and if you’re looking for plot development this isn’t the place for it because, plainly speaking, there is none. It could just as well be a series of one-shots, except that the unifying theme really makes it quite fascinating. The way the author successively and successfully slips into each character’s POV is especially impressive.

- RosemaryJolene, A Good Babysitter (2003-05, 40k, complete). An excellent shortish story about a little change with big ramifications. A babysitter takes care of Harry and sees the damage caused by his aunt and uncle (though this implies that the damage in question is physical, we are thankfully spared any tedious variations on the abused!Harry theme, which has to be just about the worst think in fanfiction). She whisks the sweet little thing away with her, having no idea what a political mess she’s walking into. Their adventures from then on are quite exciting. The children are well-written, as real children interested in playing and Quidditch. Fudge is rushing around confunding Muggles; it's really very funny at times, and there is a deliciously fresh tone to the whole thing, vivacious and innocent. I can't think of any flaw in this charming fic.

V. RAGE

Violence, anger, ire, madness. Emotional states which seize us every so often, and which play prominent roles in our fantasies. Most fics tend to leave these firmly in the background, as if hesitant to address them head-on. But sometimes it’s nice to wallow in them.

- Anonymous58, Control (2010-11, 125k, abandoned). Control features probably the best opening of any fic I've read. Harry's murderous rampage is almost gleefully violent, revelling in cruelty and hate, and is marvellously brought to life by the author's incredibly lush style. The writing stays excellent throughout, rich and full of daring imagery, especially as the story frequently dips into Harry's mindscape. The second part of the fic takes place at Azkaban and is equally compelling, casting the most well-explored Dementors written in fanfiction in a terrible Azkaban. The atmosphere comes alive so vividly you feel the life force seep out of you as you freeze to death on that cold stone floor. Bellatrix, Harry's mate from Azkaban, is presented coyly, little by little as Harry gets to know her better in that perverse environment. The third part of the story, also the longest, is a return to fourth-year Hogwarts complete with Triwizard, Tonks and a rather well-done Dumbledore, but here, while remaining good, the story loses its laser-beam intensity and its clarity. Read this at all costs: it is a sin not to, for its first two parts especially.

- Newcomb, The Lesser Sadness (2015, 20k, abandoned). A hilarious but quickly abandoned fic where Harry who goes back in time from the Forbidden Forest AK to Little Hangleton. He bargains with some superior powers to do this, and they let him have three pieces of soul from notorious nutters of the past to help him along. He comes back and starts furiously bashing into Voldemort's forces, which is glorious. There is also a wonderful Dumbledore/Voldemort scene somewhere in there. Sadly, the author doesn't seem to know where to go after a moment, as Harry then rather tamely goes back to Hogwarts after wading through corpses. Still a delightful little read.

- Erised Burning, Blessed(2006, 70k, complete). This is a mad and gory tale of lust, death and destruction. Voldemort sends his three horcruxes to deal with Harry once and for all, but he fights back. Then Hermione gets in on the action, carrying on with Tom in an indecent manner, and torturing her way through piles of people in revenge (the motive is irrelevant). There are some outrageous scenes, which are so violent and putrid as to be comical. Not to be taken too seriously.

VI. RUNTS OF THE LITTER

As you may have understood, I lay great importance on completion and structural integrity. Some quickly aborted fics, however, are so brilliant in the little that was written that it would be a crime not to recognise their greatness.

- kmfrank, Escape to Darkness (2009-10, 50k, abandoned). A rare (unique?) Grindelwald-as-mentor-to-Harry fic, this is quite a gem. Harry is locked up in Nurmengard on the night of the Third Task, and then comes under the mentorship of Grindelwald in a Dumas-style turn of events. There are significant time leaps and some ten quickly skimmed-over years of training (mostly history and charms though, in an original twist - this magic is subtle, not the usual bash-your-brains DADA stuff) later, we find Harry and Grindelwald out in the world, under a myriad of disguises, busy infiltrating British society (Voldemort has overthrown the Ministry years back) with the aim of wreaking revenge. It is funny, well-characterised, well-paced with almost no filler and copious use of ellipsis, and snappily-written overall. A real joy to read, full of originality and wit.

- Taure, The One He Feared (2013-14, 40k, abandoned). This fic features a host of interesting and original concepts. The starting idea, which sees Harry receive part of Dumbledore's memories via a transfer facilitated by Fawkes and the Elder Wand, is excellent (if un-canon-substantiated, though I hope Taure doesn’t see me writing this), and the first chapter, exploring young Dumbledore and the relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, very interesting. The characters developments are clever and so are the relationships; I’m particularly fond of the idea of Harry starting to talk like Dumbledore. The battle at the Ministry is excellent, so is the exploration of the Ministry’s magic for that matter. In many ways, everything is perfect. Except the structure, which is an epic fail: the action crescendoes into an explosive climax before the story has even really got underway. I’ve never come across this flaw anywhere else, and a good thing too: it’s quite lethal.

- Newcomb, What You Leave Behind (2014-15, 120k, abandoned). This is an AU rewrite from Harry's arrival at Hogwarts; he has been raised by a group consisting of Sirius, Lupin, Dumbledore, and the Flamels. His time at Hogwarts is interestingly-portrayed and there is significant and necessary divergence from canon (Quirrell does not occur, which allows thankful readers to get by without an umpteenth variation on that particular fiasco). Harry develops a strong friendship with Cedric and Cho, which replaces the original Trio, and delves into the secrets of Hogwarts, as the weapon which could allow him to fight Voldemort. It is well-written, is one of the better stories (along with OtWtG) in not dealing in-depth with Harry's school moments, instead choosing to rely on chosen passages which chronicle the significant events of Harry's life (this is a mark of superior writing, as ellipsis is apparently very hard to master). The characters are excellently done, and the tone is not too far from canon, though Harry here is more confident and witty, a consequence of his improved upbringing. Great potential, but abandoned after Y2.

- leave this world, Only Enemies (2006-09, 80k, abandoned). This is a wonderful Harry/Bellatrix fic, which starts shakily to say the least but really sells the passionate love-hate relationship between the two while pitting them against a host of adversaries in a new dimension. It is a riotous read, quite unpolished in terms of grammar and spelling but deliciously inventive and different. Harry and Bellatrix are thrown back in time by an accidental spell Dumbledore set off in the final battle of a ten-year war between the DEs and the "light" side. Their mutual hatred/attraction is the driving force of the fic as they arrive in a world and immediately dispatch of a team of aurors, working together seamlessly. From there the plot thickens quite well, with a ruthless, scheming Dumbledore, and excellent Malfoy and Bones. Hermione is wonderfully done, brilliant but narrow-minded and cruelly determined in her intentions. The atmosphere is thick with madness, "sadomancy", Sumerian hexes, Egyptian curses, blood, incredibly brutal battles and ridiculous SM sex.