In June 2006, on FictionAlley’s “Help, I’m looking for…” forum, I started a thread asking for fics in which characters other than Harry time travel to change the past. Time travel is one of my favorite fanfic genres, and often in fics Harry is the time traveler, so that I wanted to find time travel fics featuring other characters. So I kept bumping every now and then. Then someone suggested that I make a masterlist of the fics recommended-and here they are.
The original request can be found
here.
Fics are sorted by character, and within each character section alphabetically by title. Both fics with mind- and bodily-time-traveling are included here, and I’ll warn for the status of the fic (i.e., complete, WIP, abandoned), the author’s rating, the kind of time travel (bodily- versus mind-), the ships, and then give commentary on the fic itself in italics. I will remind everyone that the commentary is my PERSONAL OPINION of the fic, and you may think something different. If views of a fic are different, then we shall respectfully agree to disagree. OK? :-)
** A favorite fic of mine, which I will constantly return to again and again, and rave about.
* Well-written fic I would recommend promptly if asked for a rec.
NF I have not finished reading this fic. Note: I have at least read through the first few chapters of every single fic on this list, but my continuing to read usually depends on my perception of the fic’s quality and how much the fic appeals to me. You are warned.
new Fic that has recently been added to the list.
In order:
1) Hermione Granger
2) Remus Lupin
3) Draco Malfoy
4) Severus Snape
5) Original characters
6) Miscellaneous (that is, fics that don’t quite fit into any of the above categories; concern characters that I’ve never really seen time traveling anywhere else; minor characters)
I would do the neat little trick where the above listings are hyperlinks that take you down the post to where the fics are, but I’m terribly computer illiterate and I don’t know how. If anyone minds telling me, I’ll get that figured out.
1) Hermione Granger
Chosen by RaeyvnRain NF
The Fates have a plan, and it involves Hermione. Armed with the knowledge of the future, she set about changing history, but as we all know, that's much easier said than done. Time Travel, but without time turners. [WIP, PG-13, bodily-, Sirius/Hermione, Remus/OC, Snape/OC, Lucius/Narcissa, James/Lily, slight Harry/Ginny]
I stopped reading this fic after the first few chapters. I have never been amused by stories which involve deities or Fates, because they invariably say something along the lines of, “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” then proceed to send the hero/ine back in time to make things right... If it wasn't supposed to happen, why did you let it happen? It does not much help that almost the entire prologue consists of personified Fates, stunningly beautiful and omniscient, saying, “We fear that if we don't intervene soon, all will be lost.” Why not intervene before the final battle, and before the hero/ine’s allies are all slaughtered on the battlefield? On other matters, Hermione seems to have recovered entirely too quickly from her past experiences, and I do not find the romances quite that believable, especially the Snape/OC one.
Deception and Concealment by KissThis NF
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. [WIP, PG-13, bodily-, Hermione/James/Sirius]
Frankly, I have no idea as to why Hermione decided to disguise herself as a boy. ‘Nough said.
Making Fools by Anamar
Hermione Granger isn't going to let a little thing like accidentally removing all chance of defeating the Dark Lord stand in her way. Unfortunately, even the best laid plans can't prevent time from making fools of us once again... [WIP (may be abandoned), R, bodily-, so far gen]
A beautifully written fic; Anamar captures the disarranged thoughts and dark remembrances of Hermione very well. The only thing that keeps me from marking this with * is that it's only 2 chapters and hasn't been updated since January 2006.
No Time Like The Present by donahermurphy *
Hermione's unconscious, but that's not her only problem. Because now it's four years after the defeat of Voldemort, and although nobody cares who Hermione Granger is, there are plenty of people who want to use her future knowledge to their own advantage. [WIP, PG-13, bodily-, eventual Sirius/Hermione]
A very, very unique fic considering the time period. In most time travel stories, she tends to travel back to the Marauders’ time, or her times at Hogwarts, or at any rate a time of “great importance,” so it’s a refreshing change to see Hermione come to a time when it seems, really, as if everything’s peaceful-cue the calm between the two wars against Voldemort. It’s also unusual in that the Ministry knows she’s a time traveler. And the author has a plausible way of explaining why her old timeline doesn’t exist anymore. One more thing: The time turner was not the device used; she time traveled unknowingly in an accident during the Department of Mysteries fight in OotP, thus beginning the AU.
Out of Time by Rurouni Star (Twisted Timeline universe) **
Hermione's got a convenient new thing called a timeturner that lets her get to classes in third year. But suddenly, a message from herself has her housing a known convict, and it's not so convenient anymore... [complete, PG, mind-, very slight Sirius/Hermione]
If there was one Hermione-time-travels fic that I would choose, this would be it (And its sequel, too). With the introduction of her use of the time turner, Hermione seems to be the second most popular redo time traveler after Harry, and I’ve often found many of these Hermione stories to be ridden with cliches. However, this is the rare exception. And there’s a terrifically original twist on the way she time travels. At first it appears to be the time turner, same old, same old, but in the sequel, it’s revealed that there’s a much darker aspect to it than supposed. At times, I must say, the story can be a bit confusing, although I suspect RS does it on purpose to show the juxtaposition of past-future-present in Hermione’s mind.
Sequel and accompanying stories:
Shattered MomentsAnd for every small change, there is another, and another, and another... Hermione goes into fourth year with a misbehaving timeturner and the knowledge that there is a dark future to prevent. [complete, PG-13, slight Sirius/Hermione and slight George/Hermione]
A Widening GyreSet in the Twisted Timeline world. Before the beginning was a terrible end. [one-shot, PG-13, some George/Hermione-Don’t read unless you want to spoil the entire storyline!]
Then Shall I Know by Ssergit NF
Hermione travels back in time by unknown means and she and a young Sirius Black fall in love. When she returns, will her choice not to try to change the Marauders' future ruin her chance for happiness? [WIP, PG, bodily-, Sirius/Hermione]
This is marked as NF because although I've skimmed through the first few chapters, I haven't had much time to read more thoroughly, completely, and make an assessment. So not much to say right now. Note: The story is slightly AU, in that it departs from the canon storyline after OotP and changes some aspects of HBP.
This Time Around by Disneydoll0424 NF
Hermione Granger travels back in time and meets up with the Marauders. She finds out that changing the past can have unexpected consequences for the future. [complete, PG-13, bodily-, Hermione/Remus]
Abrupt time travel and quick adjustment, which didn’t really strike me that favorably. On the other hand, when I skipped to the epilogue just to see what would happen at the end, I was intrigued and went back a few chapters to see what happened. Suffice it to say that I was surprised by several characters’ reactions to certain supposed actions of Hermione’s; as friends, I would have thought they shared more trust. But no matter.
Time, Interrupted by Madm05 (Trilogy, Interrupted) NF
After she is murdered, Hermione's soul is sent back in time in order to prevent Harry from becoming the next Dark Lord, but quickly learns her task is not as easy as she thought it would be. A second chance story, with a twist. [WIP, PG-13, mind-, eventual Harry/Hermione]
In this case, NF is not a reflection on the writing quality of the story-it’s just simply that I’ve never got around to reading the entire story. The Fates factor, which I generally dislike, has been quite all right so far. Of what I have read, I like the writing quality. And the fic does a good job in showing that good intentions don’t necessarily lead to good ends. I sometimes feel that the Dark!Harry seen in memories and dreams has not yet been fully explained, but the author says it will be expanded upon in the second story of the trilogy, so I’m willing to reserve judgement on that.
Time Revolution by KissThis NF
Hermione's ritual magick brought back four people from the past to fulfil a prophecy, but they aren't exactly the four she planned on. Are the trio a prehistoric triumverate of power? Will Voldemort be defeated? Love for the Marauders? [complete, PG-13, bodily-, Remus/Hermione, Sirius/Hermione]
This really doesn’t quite fit the requirements, since it’s traveling forward in time rather than back, but it “changed” stuff enough in the end so that I decided to include it. Not much to comment on without spoiling the story, so I’ll just say that I thought the Order, Harry, and Ron wouldn’t let Hermione be punished without a long, drawn-out fight.
2) Remus Lupin
Crossing Bridges by Tien Riu **
Remus Lupin is sent back in time on a desperate mission to kill Lord Voldemort. From a present where he is the last Marauder, Remus finds himself once more eleven and attending Hogwarts for the first time. [complete, PG, mind-, and I consider it gen, although the author says it can be seen as pre-slash Remus/Severus]
A nicely done fic, indeed. It’s interesting to see how Young!Remus responds to Old!Remus in his head, and the ending is a twist. The only real quibble I have with the fic is that I wish it could be longer, but that decision is, of course, left up to the author.
I Died in My Dreams by DescendingAngel *
Time travel story with Snape, Lupin and McGonagall; caution: character death (sort of) [one-shot, PG, bodily-, gen]
A clever one-shot that I very much enjoyed, although the time travel is not really revealed for some time. The interaction among Snape, Lupin, and McGonagall is particularly well done.
3) Draco Malfoy
Erasing Time’s Tracks by Hahukum Konn
Draco Malfoy has run out of options, and he's run out of time. The only way out is to go back to the beginning. [WIP, PG-13, mind-, eventual Harry/Draco]
Interesting fic that does a nice job in portraying Draco’s disillusionment with the Death Eaters, although sometimes he acts too mature than he should be as an eleven-year-old, and perhaps more friendly than he’s supposed to be (as a Malfoy), especially towards Ron. Overall though, nicely done.
new
The Misadventures of Merlin Malfoy by anonymous (not yet revealed at
springtime_gen) *
And you thought Draco Malfoy had an ego problem before? Just wait till he discovers his identity from a previous life! [one-shot, R, mind-, gen]
Oh, this one cracked me up! :) A humorous, light-hearted fic, but with enough of a serious touch that it captures very well. The banter between Draco and his former identity is amusingly done, as Draco takes his first steps to tweaking the timeline so the Malfoys aren't quite so downtrodden under Voldemort.
4) Severus Snape
Beyond This Place of Wrath and Tears by Talriga (me)
Some burdens cannot be left alone. And memories can taunt a wizard for the rest of his life. Severus Snape, however, is not a man who accepts defeat. Time travel, AU 6th and 7th year. [WIP, PG-13, mind-, gen]
Since this is, after all, my own fic, I’ll just add some more details as to what’s in it: centaurs, a sentient Hogwarts, lycanthropy with a mind of its own, a Percy Weasley who isn't the Ministry blowbag and sycophant almost everyone thinks he is, and a Snape who is perfectly willing to utilise his Muggle heritage if it means an advantage over those he considers his enemies...
Hindsight by loralee1
Revised version, AU, Post HBP Snape travels back in time to warm pre SSPS Snape about what is to come. [WIP, PG, bodily-, so far gen]
It was nice to see another Snape time-travel fic, but after reading what's been posted... Hmm. The plot seems a bit too rushed for me, and there's an awful lot of info-dumping.
5) Original characters
Out of Shadow by Sophiax
In the post-apocalyptic world of the 22nd Century, Voldemort rules all. The Resistance sends the Weasley family’s last descendant back in time to the year 1943 to kill the boy Lord Voldemort once was: Tom Riddle. [complete, PG-13, bodily-, Tom Riddle/OC]
It’s not often that I’ve really found a fic with an OC as the time traveler, but this is a well-written example of one. At times there tend to be occurrences that strike me as dea ex machina; on the other hand, the author has a good way with writing and has done a brilliant job with characterization, especially that of Tom Riddle. (Personally, though, I prefer the author’s other stories.)
Sequel:
Kundalini RisingAfter meeting a girl from the future, Tom Riddle has set himself on a new path to immortality. Watch our favourite Heir of Slytherin battle his way through monster-ridden tombs, reform the Ministry of Magic, and…raise children? [complete, PG-13, Tom Riddle/OC]
6) Miscellaneous (that is, fics that don’t quite fit into any of the above categories, or exceptions I've made--as in, not exactly redo)
new
Fear in a Handful of Dust by anonymous (not yet revealed at
springtime_gen) **
Hermione’s ear meets the cool flesh under James’ starched shirt. She thinks that maybe a lung or two has collapsed, and her thumbs run along his throat, hunting for the shudder of a pulse, and wishing James’ lips weren’t turning the soft blue of the ocean, with none of the ocean’s fervor. [one-shot, R, bodily-, gen]
I can't quite determine if this fic is redo or not; the writing is rather purposely disjointed and such. However, I absolutely adore the non-linear nature of the piece, and the characterization of Hermione and Pansy is almost painfully well done. The homage to T.S. Eliot is nice as well--especially how it ties in with the story, of the "fear" and the "dust."
new
For Our Allotted Time is the Passing of a Shadow by
florahart *
Ten years after Harry Potter won the Tri-Wizard Tournament alone, a dream that isn't a dream brings some of the players back together. Warnings: Canon and not-canon deaths mentioned; AU. [complete, R, not exactly specified, Cedric/Hermione]
A very interesting, well-written fic, with a fabulous look at Cedric-if-he-survived-GoF. The time-travellers are Death Eaters who want to change the timeline so that Voldemort would have triumphed. The POV in the fic, then, is that of those who are in the AU future, trying to fix what the time-travellers have caused--that is, the HP canon world after GoF. The characters' actions and reactions are very believable as they try to fix the entire mess.
The Lifetime Lost by
yahtzee63 *
Sirius has a chance to change everything-but at what cost? [one-shot, PG-13, mind-, hint at Remus/Sirius]
An intriguing story. At first it seems to be wildly AU, especially considering OotP, but… you’ll see.
Wings of a Butterfly by
featherxquillBellatrix Lestrange is imprisoned in Azkaban. What if things could have been different? A visitor offers her a chance. [one-shot, PG-13, mind-, Bellatrix/Sybill]
An interesting, short look at a change, and a non-Slytherin Bellatrix.
Written In the Sand by Shadowphoenix (Embers and Ashes series) *
When everything is gone there is nothing left to lose. And sometimes, the price of everything that was, is everything that could have been. [WIP, R, bodily-, non-explicit Harry/Snape]
Actually, I provided the link to the Embers and Ashes webpage on purpose, because you won’t be able to understand WitS without reading the first three stories before it. The time travelers are Hermione, Draco, and Snape, and the fics are absolutely heart-breaking at times. In fact, it’s not quite clear to me if it’s a redo, or if they’re just doing stuff over that’s already been seen in the previous stories, and trying to change things. It hasn’t been updated in a while, but according to the author it will be finished, sometime.
If you wish to check out other lists concerning time travel:
Harry goes back in time to his younger self (Lira Snape) (to which I am indebted)
Time travel, A through L (painless_j) (the link to fics M through Z is at the bottom)