Rec-a Rec-a Rec-a!
Some (belated) goodies from hp_beholder this year. I meant to get these up much sooner (i.e. well before reveals), but clearly that didn't happen. But no reason why you can't love on these even when they're not anon! So many great things-- these are just a few!
The Chelmsford List by fluffyllama (Mundungus/Stan, R, ~6k) Baffling Prison Escape + Wizards = Not Really All That Baffling. That's why this isn't an escape story. But it does involve wizards and prisons. First off, beyond brilliant premise! The list is fantastic and hilarious. The characters are amazingly done and the voices just perfect. One of my absolute fav fics from the fest this year. Can't rec it enough.
Cultivation by hannelore (Petunia/Vernon, R, ~3k) Petunia must stay at home with her ill mother while Lily continues her studies at Hogwarts. Stunted in the shadow of her sister's deeds, Petunia never expected someone to pull her into the sun where she might actually grow. I just love a good Petunia backstory and this one has awesome in spades! A beautifully written, painfully believable picture of the "lesser" daughter who tries so hard to be everything. And a very, very sweet love story between her and Vernon. One of the few where it's not just Petunia settling or trying to find a "normal" guy. He's actually wonderfully sweet here (while being completely IC!) and I see just what Petunia sees in him. Absolutely worth a read, my fav Petunia fic of this year's lot.
Cultural Differences by schemingreader (Severus/Viktor, NC-17, ~4k) Of course Viktor didn't really want to spend the weekend reading for work. One couldn't say that to a man who had nearly sacrificed his life in single-minded pursuit of stopping evil. Gorgeously written, fascinating subject matter (Snape is researching how a bad upbringing can shape dark wizards), and a few moments of laugh out loud delight.
Irma's Library by miramiraficfic (Irma/multi [McGonagall, Slughorn, Hooch, Snape, Rosmerta, Flitwick, and Filch], PG-13, 2k) Everyone knows there are two types of librarian in the world. And everyone knows which type Irma Pince is. Or so they think. Such a fascinating premise, such a great characterization of Irma, and such gorgeous little vignettes of each partner. I particularly loved Flitwick and Filch. A lot of story, depth, and characterization packed into a rather short fic.
Adamantine by woldy (Millicent/Hooch, PG-13, 7600) St Mungos is turning people away and there are dozens of bodies heaped in the Hogsmeade cemetery, but it's not until Harry Potter dies that people start panicking. This is an amazing post-war fic about a virus that starts killing everyone. Millicent is brilliant-- strong, vulnerable, scared, and determined. There's a lot of death, a lot of painful choices, and the entire thing is written with a fantastically matter-of-fact style. If you enjoy a good apocalypse fic with un-clear-cut answers and a splash of hope, this is your fic. Soooo good. (A sidenote to anyone who is not usually into femme and might skip this because of it: though a lovely addition to the story, the pairing aspect of this is really quite mild and not the main focus.)
The Chelmsford List by fluffyllama (Mundungus/Stan, R, ~6k) Baffling Prison Escape + Wizards = Not Really All That Baffling. That's why this isn't an escape story. But it does involve wizards and prisons. First off, beyond brilliant premise! The list is fantastic and hilarious. The characters are amazingly done and the voices just perfect. One of my absolute fav fics from the fest this year. Can't rec it enough.
Cultivation by hannelore (Petunia/Vernon, R, ~3k) Petunia must stay at home with her ill mother while Lily continues her studies at Hogwarts. Stunted in the shadow of her sister's deeds, Petunia never expected someone to pull her into the sun where she might actually grow. I just love a good Petunia backstory and this one has awesome in spades! A beautifully written, painfully believable picture of the "lesser" daughter who tries so hard to be everything. And a very, very sweet love story between her and Vernon. One of the few where it's not just Petunia settling or trying to find a "normal" guy. He's actually wonderfully sweet here (while being completely IC!) and I see just what Petunia sees in him. Absolutely worth a read, my fav Petunia fic of this year's lot.
Cultural Differences by schemingreader (Severus/Viktor, NC-17, ~4k) Of course Viktor didn't really want to spend the weekend reading for work. One couldn't say that to a man who had nearly sacrificed his life in single-minded pursuit of stopping evil. Gorgeously written, fascinating subject matter (Snape is researching how a bad upbringing can shape dark wizards), and a few moments of laugh out loud delight.
Irma's Library by miramiraficfic (Irma/multi [McGonagall, Slughorn, Hooch, Snape, Rosmerta, Flitwick, and Filch], PG-13, 2k) Everyone knows there are two types of librarian in the world. And everyone knows which type Irma Pince is. Or so they think. Such a fascinating premise, such a great characterization of Irma, and such gorgeous little vignettes of each partner. I particularly loved Flitwick and Filch. A lot of story, depth, and characterization packed into a rather short fic.
Adamantine by woldy (Millicent/Hooch, PG-13, 7600) St Mungos is turning people away and there are dozens of bodies heaped in the Hogsmeade cemetery, but it's not until Harry Potter dies that people start panicking. This is an amazing post-war fic about a virus that starts killing everyone. Millicent is brilliant-- strong, vulnerable, scared, and determined. There's a lot of death, a lot of painful choices, and the entire thing is written with a fantastically matter-of-fact style. If you enjoy a good apocalypse fic with un-clear-cut answers and a splash of hope, this is your fic. Soooo good. (A sidenote to anyone who is not usually into femme and might skip this because of it: though a lovely addition to the story, the pairing aspect of this is really quite mild and not the main focus.)