sirius, remus & harry comfort recs
i’ve been pretty much neck-deep in the “raising harry” tag on ao3 for the past month or so because i’d been craving some comfort reads and this trope (au?) is guaranteed to provide just that. SO here’s a list of my favourite works in which harry is raised by – or, for some period of time, lives with – sirius and/or remus. some of these fics contain wolfstar, but a couple of them don’t!!
The Hole in the Ground series by sostrata (rated T, 18.6k)
Description: A series of fics about Sirius and Remus raising Harry in their home, The Hole in the Ground.
explores events in the lives of harry, sirius, and remus after october 1981. softness and fluff and family abound!
Till We Have Arrived Home Again by prouvairing / @seagreeneyes (rated E, 43.6k)
Description: Summer, 1999. Harry comes home with news. Quite a lot of news.
this fic is a bit like watching a sitcom and reading a modernist novel at once?? idk. i’ve read it twice since discovering it last month, i loved it so much. i appreciate how prouvairing presents us with a story that is so ripe with feeling; there is fear and heartbreak and post-war trauma, but there’s also hope and humour and joy and affection. my favourite part of this fic is towards the end, after harry finds his animagus form, where we get to see remus’s relationship with harry evolve as both a parent and a teacher/mentor, but we also observe the depth of remus’s love for his family. i’ll probably never tire of this story and these characters.
Dead Men Don’t Bleed series by orphan_account (multiple ratings, 45.8k)
Description: Harry’s life with the Dursleys has never been ideal. He’s learned to accept that. Sirius doesn’t think he should have to.
this series takes place post-GoF, after harry’s come back to live with the dursleys. sirius sees the extent of the abuse the dursleys have inflicted on harry and seeks a trial + acquittal to then have harry live under his care. the pain and anguish in this fic is almost overwhelming and the payoff is so fulfilling! there is so much emphasis on family here that i appreciate. i especially love one of the sequels, Blindly Forward – it’s set during OotP and deals with sirius’s reaction to harry’s injuries post-umbridge detention. the author really captures the tenderness of sirius and harry’s relationship so wonderfully.
Thicker Than Blood by orphan_account (rated T, 3.1k)
Description: Teddy’s birth leaves Harry wondering if his godfather would prefer a proper family and, more importantly, a son of his own.
harry’s insecurities about being/not being a “proper” son to sirius troubles him, and sirius notices and confronts him about it. truthfully, these interactions are exactly what i look for in “sirius raising harry” fics so i ate this right up. this author writes emotional hurt/comfort so well.
Hogwarts Prep School series by @katialenawrites (rated T, 29.6k)
Description: Harry is rescued from the Dursleys to be raised by Remus and Sirius. These are the New Harry Potter Chronicles.
this is a non-magical AU – a series of fics written in social media/texting format, following harry’s journey out of the dursleys’ home and into the care of sirius and remus. i really enjoyed this – not just harry’s immediate interactions with his guardians and friends, but discovering how loved he is by his friends and family through their texts and emails with each other, with his case worker, etc.
The Look of Love by Chromat1cs (rated T, 3k)
Description: The flat is too small for Christmas with four. It should be three, really, and Harry only counts as one half of a full person at this size but for his high-chair and—yes, there are four of them. Remus counts himself terribly lucky that his mother has an extra few seats at her table.
this fic is written in remus’s perspective and set during christmas, after the deaths of lily and james. remus reflects on his “cobbled-together” family and just loves. i’m enthralled by the descriptiveness of this; it’s one of those stories that takes you away with nostalgia and warmth.
Caesura by @impishtubist (rated M, 13.2k)
Description: The summer after Harry’s fourth year, Remus has to deal with a grieving child, a looming war, and unresolved feelings for the man he thought he’d lost fourteen years ago.
i adore this story! i hinted earlier that i love moments of closeness between remus and harry, and this fic delivers that and more. remus has to grapple with simultaneous attraction he feels after sirius’s return, as well as jealousy about his place as harry’s parent when he observes harry’s excitement over sirius. this fic made me love remus lupin even more than i already did; it’s such a uniquely wonderful feeling to be inside his head. (also can we talk about harry calling remus “da” because that… ended me)
also by this author are Lacuna, Dissonance, and Nocturne, and i can’t recommend any of these grimmauld-place-era fics enough! they’re all incredibly heartwarming fics about harry receiving comfort from sirius and remus; i revisit them often.
disguised as something else by aloneintherain / @captainkirkk (rated T, 3.1k)
Description: “I used to sleep there,” Harry snaps.
He’s breathing hard. He feels like he’s run a marathon, even though he’s just sitting there uselessly, staring at a perfectly ordinary cupboard.
“What?” Sirius says.
i think at this point it’s clear that “harry deserves a hug” fics are my favourites?? this fic made me cry – it felt cathartic to read it. (also, though it’s not a RH fic, i’d recommend reading where there’s a will by the same author; it’s a treasure.)
and that’s it! there’s a wealth of raising harry fics, more than i’d initially thought. i’m constantly looking for more so i’ll add to this list if i find some more i adore :)
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