Yeah thanks for reawakening my hogwarts AU thirst just by mentioning Harry Potter in your meme. *unfollows* Also do you have any fav harry potter fics? Pairings?? (I'm rereading the books btw so indulge me) <33
I LOVE HARRY POTTER SO MUCH.
Right, now that that’s out of the way. Harry Potter is my passion and of course I’ll help you. For the record, here’s my lame Hogwarts!AU.
also I’m putting everything else under the cut because I just realized I wrote way to much
My ultimate OTP of all time is one that I feel the movies have destroyed completely. Yes, James Potter and Lily Evans Potter are my favorite ship of all ships. Honestly, I have read almost every fic about them, and have actually written quite a few myself in my younger years (of course, I also wrote a fic shipping Sorting Hat/Mirror of Erised and Basilisk/Aragog so really at this point there’s nothing I won’t write).
My other ships are James/Lily, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Draco/Apple, Draco/Harry, Draco/Hermione, Draco/Ginny, Draco/Me, Draco, Snape/Growing the hell up, Dumbledore/Grindewald, Rose/Scorpius, Luna/Neville, Cedric/Cho, and idk probably more. Basically every canon pairing + some non canon pairings ?? Really the only thing I absolutely cannot stand is my ultimate NOTP Snape/Lily. Also I don’t ship Harry/Hermione s o. There’s only a few in there I would die for, and only a few that I read fics for.
I’ve read surprisingly few ship fics (aside from James/Lily) for some reason, so most of my recs don’t focus as much on pairings. Here they are:
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality- (No ships, rated T) I’m not going to lie, this fic is probably my favorite fanfiction of all time. Like, it’s really good. Petunia married a biochemist, and Harry grew up reading science and science fiction. Then came the Hogwarts letter, and a world of intriguing new possibilities to exploit. And new friends, like Hermione Granger, and Professor McGonagall, and Professor Quirrell…
Commentarius - (Lily/James, rated T) This fic is one of my top two for my OTP. Lily has always considered herself ordinary. But as she enters her 7th year, things start changing and Lily starts going a bit mad. Suddenly, she’s Head Girl, her mates are acting strangely, and there’s a new James Potter she can’t seem to get rid of.
The Life and Times- (Lily/James, rated M) This fic is ahhh but I haven’t read it in forever. She was dramatic. He was dynamic. She was precise. He was impulsive. He was James, and she was Lily, and one day they shared a kiss, but before that they shared many arguments, for he was cocky, and she was sweet, and matters of the heart require time.
Amortentia- (Lily/James, rated K+) This one’s a one shot. James Potter is definitely over Lily Evans, and Lily Evans has absolutely not developed any feelings for James. They promise. In which Lily and James attempt feelings, brew Amortentia, and have a bit of trouble figuring out what they smell.
When in Doubt, Obliviate- (No pairing, rated K+) I don’t remember anything about this except that it was in my favorites list from awhile ago and I remember loving it so. When a chance meeting reveals Harry’s planned fate to Lockhart, he knows what he has to do: rescue him and raise him as his own to properly manage his celebrity status. Harry gets a magical upbringing, Lockhart gets the Boy-Who-Lived…everybody wins!
All the Times Things Changed Forever- (No pairing, rated K) o w this fic is a beautiful look at Petunia and her relationship with Lily. She wasn’t even surprised when the Headmaster with the weird name of the weird school rejected her childish plea to come along too, because Petunia already knew she wasn’t special. She didn’t make fuses blow and flowers grow three times as fast. She didn’t even really want to be able to do those things. But she didn’t want to lose Lily. So to keep from being left, she left first.
His Own Man- One of the best time travel fics imo. Another fic I don’t remember much about except for the fact that I loved it (I’m doing a dramatic reread of all of these starting from the top right now, actually). In the station between Life and Death Harry makes a different choice. Now he is eleven again, nothing is going the same as before, and people are starting to ask questions, especially the Malfoys, the Hogwarts professors and, most worryingly, Mad-Eye Moody. Harry is beginning to suspect that he might not be up to this Master of Death business and everything that goes along with it.
Oh God Not Again!- This one’s a more comic take on the time travel idea. So maybe everything didn’t work out perfectly for Harry. Still, most of his friends survived, he’d gotten married, and was about to become a father. If only he’d have stayed away from the Veil, he wouldn’t have had to go back and do everything AGAIN.
Deadly Nightshade- (Draco/Hermione, rated T) I’m not sure how to explain this, and I’m not sure why I like it. Something strange is going on with Hermione. She’s got a weird medical condition, a day is missing from her memories, and Malfoy keeps talking to her as if he knows her even though she can’t remember ever having a civil conversation with him. Everyone seems to be keeping something from her and she’s determined to find out what it is.
Eight and Eighth- (Draco/Hermione, rated T) Up from the ashes of seventh year grow the roses of the eighth. Eight students return for their final year at Hogwarts, and Hermione Granger would never have thought Draco Malfoy would or could be one of those roses.
Deception and Concealment- (Hermione/James/Sirius, rated T) I spend so long looking for this you have no idea. This fic was so weird but I liked it so much I don’t even know. Voldemort is dead; Harry bitter. In order to save him and her world, Hermione does the unimaginable and the illegal - disguised as a boy she goes back to the Marauders’ Era, but finds herself in a sticky situation of love.
Harry Potter and the Nightmares of Futures Past- (No pairings, rated T) I know I said the other two were some of my favorite time travel fics but this one really is my favorite time travel fic. The war is over. Too bad no one is left to celebrate. Harry makes a desperate plan to go back in time, even though it means returning Voldemort to life. Now an 11 year old Harry with 30 year old memories is starting Hogwarts. Can he get it right?
Simply Irresistible- (Hermione/Draco, rated T) from my dramione trash days. Draco gave a cocky grin. “I am going to give you a makeover.” “I’m sorry what?” “You heard me Granger, I’m going to give you a makeover that will make every man want you,and make Weasley die of regret. You will be simply irresistible.”
Partially Kissed Hero- (No pairing, rated T) The fact that Harry actually has a backbone makes this story lovely. Summer before third year Harry has a life changing experience, and a close encounter with a dementor ends with him absorbing the horcrux within him. Features Harry with a backbone.
A Slight Change of Plans- (James/Lily, rated T) I just love Lily and James and I’m not sorry. Lily’s plans to spend the end of the summer with her best friend are ruined when she finds out that James Potter and Sirius Black will be staying there as well, since Mr. and Mrs. Potter are travelling for work. She goes nonetheless, determined to avoid them and spend time with her friend. What happens when James isn’t quite as avoidable as she’d thought?
Passing Notes Can be a Good Thing- (Vague Lily/James, rated K+) Some quick and easy Marauder shenanigans because everyone needs Marauder shenanigans in their life. Lily and the Marauders make life a little more bearable in certain classes by passing notes and having a laugh.
CinderWhattheHell a- (Mild canon pairings, rated K+) A fun one shot that I enjoyed too much. During the trio’s wanderings in book seven, Ron gets Hermione to explain that disease-sounding Muggle fairy tale.
I’m 100% certain there are a lot more Harry Potter fics I love, but those are all I could find at the moment scrolling through my old ff.net account. I don’t actually think there’s any smut, because I’ve always had a hard time getting into HP smut (too many childhood memories tainted ? ? idk I just have a hard time seeing these characters like that, but I’m sure there’s good stuff out there!) Half of these are one shots/silly fics and the other half are monstrosities and I have no organization of the difference, so good luck with that!
If you ever want to chat more about Harry Potter/fight me about Severus Snape/rant to me about OTPs or dn Hogwart!AU headcanons than please please do, I’m always up for a good Harry Potter conversation!
