Revisiting a Harry Potter Fic Rec List

[mrsluigivargas]

So somehow in 2016 I managed to read a lot of Harry Potter fanfics despite never reading a Harry Potter book in my entire life. I also made a rec list for my friend, who was an Actual Harry Potter Fan. I finally got around to rereading most of them and I’ve decided to share my opinions on them. It’s also going to be an obscenely long post because there are 50 fics and I’m too lazy to split everything up.

I remember I liked reading fics with Harry & Snape getting along, fics that had Harry “turn away from the Light” or whatever, fics that had mild bashing in them, and fics with Neville involved in some way. Actually, at some point, every Harry Potter fic I read had to have Neville affecting the story in an important way, because admittedly he was the only Harry Potter character I really cared about. I also read a lot of ship fics, which are going to be fun to wade through now that I have little-to-no tolerance for romance in fanfiction anymore.

I resorted the fics into 4 tiers:  “Faves” Tier, “Pretty Good” Tier, “Acceptable” Tier, and an “Oh no.” Tier. Because some of these...aren’t very enjoyable to reread. But that’s okay! Things change, time marches on…It’s inevitable that stuff I liked when I was younger makes me unsatisfied nowadays. I tried to write out my opinions on each story; I have more to say for some of them than others.

Also it’s probably safe to assume that every incomplete story will never be updated ever again…which can be a disappointment or a blessing, depending on the story.

 

Regular Fanfiction

After the Boggart by CharmedArtist
In response to marthapreston4's "From Boggarts to Family" challenge: "After Lupin's class where Neville's Boggart turns into Severus Snape everyone laughs it off as childish fear, everyone but Snape. He slowly realizes that there is more to Neville's fear than just a mean teacher. Neville is emotionally and physically abused at home by his grandmother and his uncle." No slash!
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family
Chapters: 2; Words: 11,239 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? It was cute!
Opinions now: It’s very cute fluffy goodness for an unlikely pair! I love Snape and Neville’s relationship here; it makes me smile.

Dark Lord Potter by loverofeevee
Discovering magic from an early age would be a brilliant thing for any muggleborn or muggle raised child. Being an abused child and discovering magic would be even better. Harry decided to make his life his own, and heaven help anyone who tries to stop him. Slash, dark but not evil Harry, eventual harem of both genders, manipulative/bad Dumbledore.
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Adventure/Friendship
Chapters: 28; Words: 196,654 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? Harry’s a dark lord in a way that doesn’t make him borderline evil or close to it, which is great. The concept is unique and executed well. It was a fun read, up until it stopped updating. Was one of my favorites.
Opinions now: This fic is so light, despite Harry being a Dark Lord; it never really gets too too angsty, even when semi-serious stuff starts happening. Combined with its quick pace, it’s a fun time the whole way through!  And yeah, Harry wanting consorts at age 11 (age 6?) sounds wack, but it really isn’t as bad as it sounds; everything stays platonic for a long while, and even then the fic doesn’t dawdle on the sexual parts, as few in number as they are (it’s all limes, for anyone who understands the citrus scale). And his consort choices? Interesting. (I love how aesthetically horny this kid is for his classmates/various adults it’s such a mood). Dumbledore may be a one-note antagonist, but whatever. The spotlight’s on Harry and his consorts/followers and allies anyway, and they’re precious. I’d die for them. This is legit one of my favorite Harry Potter stories. Also. the story had been finished since the last time I read it, which is great!

Poison Pen by GenkaiFan
Harry has had enough of seeing his reputation shredded in the Daily Prophet and decides to do something about it. Only he decides to embrace his Slytherin side to rectify matters.
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Drama/Humor
Chapters: 32; Words: 74,506 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? Harry one-upping the magical world in a way that I hadn’t seen before.
Opinions now: I really liked this one! Harry shaking up the Wizarding World with news articles is something I’ve never really seen before, and I liked it a lot! I also liked how there wasn’t really any bashing; that was refreshing. All in all, reading this fic wasn’t a terrible way to spend some time.

To Shape and To Change by Blueowl
AU. Time Travel. Snape goes back in time, holding the knowledge of what is to come if he fails. No longer holding a grudge, he seeks to shape Harry into the greatest wizard of all time, starting on the day Hagrid took Harry to Diagon Alley. No Horcruxes.
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Adventure
Chapters: 34; Words: 232,332 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? That sweet sweet Harry & Snape interaction, probably
Opinions Now: This story sucked me in as I was rereading it to the point that it was almost 1am on a school night when I finally put it down (I hadn’t finished it), which I think says more about the story than I could put into words.
I feel like a lot of the time, when it comes to these kind of stories, there’s always an ‘enemy’ that might not only be Voldemort but also maybe Dumbledore, or the younger Weasley kids or whatever, but it’s nice to see everyone on Harry’s side here and not secretly (or obviously) the Worst Person Ever.

Crossover Fanfiction

Fairy Tail by Araceil
When Dudley throws a book at his cousin's head, no one could have known the revolution it would spark in the years to come. "I want to start my own Guild! My own family!". No pairing.
Fandoms: Harry Potter x Fairy Tail
Rated: Fiction K+
Genre: Adventure/Friendship
Chapters: 15; Words: 69,693 => Incomplete
Why did I like that fic? Friendship! Also the way Harry applies Fairy Tail magic to the Wizarding World and makes it work was super fascinating and unique, to me.
Opinions now: Cute found family vibes: my favorite! It’s too bad the story’s on infinite hiatus now, though; it was really hitting its stride. What’s been written is pretty neat though. The Fairy Tail magic thing is still really cool.

Harry Addams by Savy13
The Addams Family gets a new member.
Fandoms: Harry Potter x The Addams Family
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Humor/Adventure
Chapters: 20; Words: 33,991 => Incomplete
Why did I like that fic? Interesting crossover!
Opinions now: It’s a damn shame that this fic is on permanent hiatus; this is 20 chapters of just plain fun. The Wizarding World’s reactions to the Addams family really make this fic work. I love it!

Spirited Away by CoronaIgnis
Verb, past tense. Meaning: "To be abducted by supernatural entities." In this case, those entities would be wizards, and their abductee is none other than the very annoyed Danny Fenton.
Fandoms: Harry Potter x Danny Phantom
Rated: Fiction K+
Genre: Humor
Chapters: 21; Words: 73,522 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? It was fun to read about how Danny was running circles around the wizarding world and exposing Hogwarts as a terrible school to be in.
Opinions now: Danny wreaking havoc on Hogwarts is the best thing I've read all day. He hecking starts a rebellion among the students! I love this to pieces.

A Study in Magic by Books of Change
When Professor McGonagall went to visit Harry Watson, son of Mr. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, to deliver his Hogwarts letter, she was in the mindset of performing a familiar if stressful annual routine. Consequently she was unprepared for the shock of finding the cause behind Harry Potter's disappearance. BBC Sherlock HP crossover AU
Fandoms: Harry Potter x Sherlock
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Family
Chapters: 82; Words: 516,000 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? A great (BBC) Sherlock x Harry Potter Crossover. The length made it memorable.
Opinions now: I liked this fic a lot! I liked Sherlock and John and Harry being a family, I liked Sherlock and John interacting with the magical world, and I loved the way the Harry Potter canon shifted because of the new additions to the cast. The sequel and other works set in this universe that the author wrote are (probably) just as good, too!

A Vent Comes to Haunt by Miriam1
This fiction is inspired directly from You're-not-so-big's two-shot crossover of Danny Phantom and Harry Potter in her fic entitled "A Vent for ADD." It is dark, it is scary, and it looks like Danny's worst nightmare.
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Drama/Fantasy
Chapters: 55; Words: 457,971 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? Harry & Snape, with a bonus of Danny & Vlad? Sign me up!
Opinions now: This is still one of my favorite stories tbh. The development of everyone’s relationships is marvelous. The sequel is really nice too.

A Wand for Steven by ShayneT
Passing through the Veil to a world not his own, Steven Universe finds himself in a world of wizards, where he is forced to learn a different kind of magic to survive.
Rated: Fiction T
Chapters: 87; Words: 153,113 => Complete
Why did I like that fic?: I was into Steven Universe back then, and I really liked the relationships between the characters.
Opinions now: The summary makes seem more traumatic than it actually is, lol. I really like how Steven is portrayed in this one, and I like how the wizards have little-to-no idea what to do with the gems because they’re so strong. Speaking of wizards, I really liked Harry and Snape’s perspectives in this story. Especially Snape, he had his hands full between Steven and Amethyst, haha. Everything really came together and it was a very enjoyable read!

Before moving on to the next category I also want to give a shout out to Daily-chan's "A Bond of a Family" series! It's basically a whole bunch of stories with Harry, Remus and Sirius being a family and its all very cute. I really enjoyed the series then, and I really enjoyed rereading it as well. 

Regular Fanfiction

Be Brave by wild wolf free17
In a world where Harry Potter died as a second year, Draco Malfoy goes back in time to raise him right.
Rated: Fiction K+
Chapters: 22; Words: 26,227 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? The writing style, I think? I didn’t read many time-travel stories, and this one just stuck out to me.
Opinions now: I really liked this. That’s all I have to say. Oh, but also I really like the writing style and Draco’s character.

Courage and Cunning by preciousann
Salazar Slytherin has had enough of Dumbledore and Voldemort's stupidity, so on October 31, 1981 he decides to put a stop to the wizarding war. Things do not go according to plan. He loses his memories, but 10 years later he regains them when he gets a familiar letter. Bashing of some characters at first, but it gets better. A twist to the Harry is Salazar genre. More inside...
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Adventure/Humor
Chapters: 65; Words: 523,809 => Incomplete
Why did I like that fic? I’d never really read that many Harry-is-Salazar stories before, and this one had interesting twists and turns.
Opinions now: A really interesting and compelling fic! …Until chapter 50 (or maybe a chapter or two before that?) when everything goes sideways due to tone dissonance and stays there until the most recent update (Aug 2018, when I’m typing this). Disappointing, but the first 50 chapters were super riveting; I couldn’t put it down!

Five-Hundred and Two Days by Accio-Annie
George Weasley searches The Forbidden Forest for a rare plant he needs for a new WWW product, and happens to find more than he set out for. Set sixteen months after The Battle of Hogwarts. ONE SHOT. COMPLETE. {Updated Dec. 2015}
Rated: Fiction K+
Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Angst
One-Shot; Words: 2,064 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? Sad, but had a nice ending. 
Opinions now: Aw. Short, sweet, and a bit sad :( Poor George.

Harry Crow by robst
What will happen when a goblin-raised Harry arrives at Hogwarts. A Harry who has received training, already knows the prophecy and has no scar. With the backing of the goblin nation and Hogwarts herself.
Rated: Fiction T
Chapters: 106; Words: 737,006 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? It’s a long fic with interesting world-building/culture stuff with the goblins.
Opinions now: The Goblin culture this author created is still super interesting, and it’s still fun to see how Harry and his friends and allies get the runaround on Dumbledore and the rest of his crew.

Keeping Appearances by TheEscapeFromReality
Harry walks the halls of Hogwarts seriously injured and is confronted by the Slytherins. They take him to Snape, who uses Legilimency to make a startling discovery. Is Dumbledore really who he says he is? Is Harry really on the right side of the war? Goodish!Voldemort, No Slash, Powerful Harry, Mentor Snape, Good Malfoys, super bad Dumbles, very abused Harry, AU Goblet of Fire
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family
Chapters: 20; Words: 98,599 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? Harry Turns Away from the Light and is in the care of Slytherins. Also, Voldemort is apparently his Dad and the Potters were Bad. Harry was abused, obviously, and his inner struggle to deal with that was interesting
Opinions now: Honestly despite the fact that this plot was probably done a hundred times I really liked it in this one? The execution was simple (albeit, a bit predictable because of the tropes) and there’s an plot twist in there that just kinda…happened, but it was all pretty palatable and even vaguely entertaining.

No Place Like Home by LindsayC173
Draco Malfoy has been brought up to hate Muggles and anyone connected with them. Dudley Dursley has been brought up to despise magic and all those who practice it. They have both spent years hating Harry. What happens when these two very different (and yet surprisingly similar) people are forced to live under one roof? Draco/Dudley friendship fic - not slash.
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Friendship/Family
Chapters: 15; Words: 28,183 => Incomplete
Why did I like that fic? Friendship!!! Draco and Dudley? A rare dynamic. The way it all went down was nice to read. Too bad the story stopped updating.
Opinions now: Cute! The developing friendship between Draco and Dudley is pretty satisfying.
(“Part 2 should be up pretty soon”, the author says, in 2017) *sigh*

Old Soldiers Never Die by Rorschach's Blot
A gift from his uncle Vernon gives Harry a new way to fight the Dark Lord.
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Adventure
Chapters: 26; Words: 94,234 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? Harry with a gun.
Opinions now: Harry with a gun is great. Also I forgot Neville was here too, god bless him. Yeah the premise is pretty strange, but it’s an enjoyable read.
Also just…Harry with a gun, my dude. It’s exactly as great as you think it is.

The Price is Right by Hi Pot And News
AU Harry is more money-conscious when he arrives at Gringotts with Hagrid. He's not going to let the wonder of magic take away his common sense and if he can get a good deal, he's going to take it. Point of deviation: Harry's primary school taught Home Economics.
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Humor
Chapters: 9; Words: 52,285 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? The deviation from canon. Harry’s a crafty sort, in this one. The story has interesting plot points, too.
Opinions now: My opinion hasn’t changed, really. It’s a fun little read!

Crossover Fanfiction

The Jumper Chronicles by HermioneGirl96
After the first war, Remus realizes his chances of working in the wizarding world are slim, and his wand just reminds him of how James, Lily, and Peter died. To escape this world of pain, Remus attends med school, posing as a Muggle and going by his middle name: John. A story of the missing 12 years of Remus's life . . . in which he became John Watson. Guys, seriously, it all fits.
Fandoms: Harry Potter x Sherlock
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Friendship/Fantasy
Chapters: 48; Words: 111,223 => Incomplete
Why did I like that fic? I think I was out looking for Sherlock/HP crossovers and liked the writing style and pacing of this one a lot.
Opinions now: I like how it weaves between Sherlock-cannon and HP-canon; the author made it flow well! It’s a shame it’s incomplete, but it ends at a pretty good spot anyway, so it’s ok.

The Mad Professor by Sadhelm2
Stein never thought he'd be a teacher. Especially not a teacher secretly observing Wizard-kind for Lord Death. Stein goes to Hogwarts! Stein-centric.
Fandoms: Harry Potter x Soul Eater
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Adventure/Humor
Chapters: 13; Words: 177,369 => Incomplete
Why did I like that fic? Interesting crossover! It’s nice to be in Stein’s head.
Opinions now: Stein’s perspective is interesting! The author really nailed his character, I think. It was also cool to see him essentially bluff his way through being a wizard.

Mischief Managed by fringeperson
A man with black hair, green eyes and pale skin watched over a child with black hair, green eyes, pale skin, and a variant of the Elder Futhark rune Sowilo etched upon his brow. Genfic. Do Not Own.
Fandoms: Harry Potter x Avengers
Rated: Fiction K+
Genre: Friendship/Adventure
Chapters: 10; Words: 33,705 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? I liked the Avengers. I liked Loki. Harry and Loki interacting was very cute. I really liked the scene where Loki subverts the Harry-is-forced-to-compete-in-the-Triwizard-Tournament thing.
Opinions now: Aw this was adorable! Harry and Professor Loki are cute. I like how Harry kept running into the Avengers during his vacations, haha.

Ruby Tinted Glasses by StormyFireDragon
Harry has enough of the Wizarding world. Determined to have a better life, he hears the wills of his deceased relatives and moves to the United States, There he meets the X-Men. Harry/Scott Slash Rated M rating may go up later.
Fandoms: Harry Potter x X-Men
Rated: Fiction M
Genre: Adventure/Friendship
Chapters: 21; Words: 129,118 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? Interesting crossover? The X-Men don’t take no shit from wizards.
Opinions now: This fic great! The pacing is nice and steady (up until near the end, anyway). Harry is super OP, but its tolerable. Also Scott and Harry's relationship is just background noise and I am LIVING for it. This was one of my favorite rereads!

Seeing and Observing by DarkPhoenix713
Harry returns to Privet Drive after his second year, but his magic is acting up and getting him into trouble. He flees to muggle London where he is taken care of by a dog, a doctor, and a quirky detective. SB/JW possible other pairings. Light slash.
Fandoms: Harry Potter x Sherlock
Rated: Fiction M
Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Romance
Chapters: 15; Words: 50,253 => Incomplete
Why did I like that fic? Good good found family shit
Opinions now: Cute! Very good! John and Sherlock taking care of Harry is precious! Also Sirius being protective over Harry is nice! Quits right before stuff really starts taking off, which is unfortunate, but this was a good read!

Steve and the Barkeep by Runaway Deviant
Steve has a routine, and god help him if he's going to break that routine for anyone - yes, that includes you, Tony. Enter a local barkeeper with a penchant for the occult and the gift of good conversation. EWE, not slash, just a couple of guys and a few hundred drinks. Rated for fear of the thought police.
Fandoms: Harry Potter x Avengers
Rated: Fiction M
Genre: Friendship/Supernatural
Chapters: 12; Words: 34,438 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? Steve and Harry interaction~ Also Teddy is there and he contributed to the narrative, too.
Opinions now: This fic was super good! It's a neat take on the "Harry joins the Avengers" story with a bit more of a focus on Steve getting to know his new friend.

Regular Fanfiction

 Botched by fluffy-subtext
A botched potion changes Neville's life, and it wasn't even one he messed up! Rated M for some serious scenes in the first chapter and rated T for the rest. This story will contain SLASH, guy on guy. Main pairing is Snape/Neville
Rated: Fiction M
Genre: Romance/Humor
Chapters: 6; Words: 59,781 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? The Neville/Snape pairing was intriguing, and I was curious about its execution back then so I read a bunch of Neville/Snape fic, This was one of the best ones, in my opinion. Actually I think this fic was one of my favorite fics ever. It Changed me. Or something. I dunno.
Opinions now: Its alright. It has its moments, like in chapter 1 when Snape was having a meltdown in the Hospital Wing or in some later chapter when the Gryffindor boys are joking around with Neville and being cute up until Draco Ruins Everything. Honestly I think this fic isn’t what it used to be for me because I’m not really into romance-related fic anymore. Or Mpreg. Did I mention this fic has Mpreg?

Harry Potter and the Manipulator of Destiny by Wheezy1
Post OotP. Harry finds that Dumbledore has been less than honest or helpful with him, takes control of his own life and finds the training he needs from others. HHr, NL, no slash.
Rated: Fiction T
Chapters: 39; Words: 175,185 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? I…I have no memory of this place…
Opinions now: I understand why I forgot about this fic. It’s just average. Maybe slightly below average. My main issue is that it feels like, on a scale from 1 (dark and angsty) to 10 (crack), the story is trying to be a 5 or 6, but whenever the kids play one of their super juvenile pranks on Dumbledore it jumps the tone up to an 8 or 9 and its jarring and I don’t like it. I do always love the role Sirius’ will reading plays in these sorts of stories, though.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Light and Dark by Priya Ashok
AU after fifth year.Harry sees through Dumbledore and starts his war on both the Light and the Dark forces.
Rated: Fiction K+
Genre: Adventure
Chapters: 36; Words: 220,039 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? Harry and Snape interaction, Ron & Ginny Bashing, simple plot but written well enough, there’s this one part where Neville attacks Snape…
Opinions now: The writing quality isn’t the best, but it’s a solid story. It’s kinda funny how Voldemort ends up getting more of a redemption arc than Dumbledore, Ron, Ginny and some other characters do, though.

I Must Not Tell Lies by CherryWolf-chan
Molly glowered. "There's been a change in the professor rota that was only today brought to Arthur's attention. Minerva seems to have finally gone senile, because Dolores Umbridge is the new DADA professor at Hogwarts, come this school year."
Rated: Fiction M
Genre: Humor/Family
One-Shot; Words: 7,229 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? Umbridge gets her due. The fic is a bit humorous too.
Opinions now:  Eh. It exists. It’s not bad, though; it’s still a bit funny. Focuses less on the “Umbridge getting her due” and more on how angry everyone is about her current employment.

Impossible Bonds by Gleas
As the name suggests, its a story with the most unlikely of couples! Of course, at the end I hope you feel they fit in snugly with each other but to get there is... well find out! Have a blast following their unique story. warnings: Slash, Veela bonds and Mpreg
Rated: Fiction M
Genre: Humor/Romance
Chapters: 41; Words: 169,170 => Incomplete
Why did I like that fic? Ron/Snape? Fascinating. I just wanted to see how that particular pairing was developed. In the original rec list, I noted that the story used the “Veela shortcut”, as if anyone but me would know what that meant. Also the title is cute.
Opinions now: It's okay. The Harry/Drago B-plot was honestly kind of annoying and I didnt like it mainly because it seemed to eclipse the main Ron/Snape main plot, and there was so much drama! Harry and Draco fought like 3 times then Ginny was terrible and then Draco's dad was terrible and then Pansy was terrible and then Hermione was terrible...good grief.
There were some cute af moments though! Snape thinking Ron was an angel, the Weasley and co. group hug in chapter 14...there’s just so much drama though. Let these people live their lives!
And another thing, why do the pregnant people keep running into battle?! That doesn’t seem very smart or good or healthy. Although, given how useless the wizard police are i dont really blame them too much.
So.
The final verdict is that this is a cute story that would have been awesome if not for the unsatisfying Drarry B-plot and the sheer excess amount of external conflicts that plague the two main couples. It’s also unfinished, so there’s no satisfaction at the end to compensate for all of this.

Nobody Cared by etherian
11 yr old Harry misses the Hogwarts Express. Snape is sent to find out why. What he finds changes any preconceived notions he might have had about the Boy-Who-Lived. AU, manipulative!Dumbledore, DE's, Voldy, but no horcruxes.
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Drama/Angst
Chapters: 27; Words: 368,968 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? I was all about that Harry & Snape interaction, baby
Opinions now: It’s alright. A bit…heavy-handed, I guess, with the way Harry gets attached to Snape. Although I’m probably saying that because I’m not as into the “Harry actually becomes Snape’s son” plot as I used to be. Dumbledore is a rude little unfortunate soul, as is the case in plenty of these type of stories. All in all, it’s pretty lukewarm.

Order of the Dragon by mindofemmette
62/? When Harry Potter starts coming into his full wizarding powers too early, what better way to stabilize his magic than a full marriage bond? Certain Weasley brothers can't stand to see Harry manipulated any longer, and suddenly plans change. Eventual Harry/Charlie, Fred/George, Sirius/? Begins after Harry's fourth year, but only VERY loosely follows plot after that point. Abuse
Rated: Fiction M
Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Romance
Chapters: 62; Words: 342,576 => Incomplete
Why did I like that fic? Harry/Charlie? That’s new. I wonder how that plays out.
Opinions now: Ok so first now that I’m older I recognize that this pairing is a bit wack. I think Harry is in his 5th year in this one? So Charlie’s been out of school for a while. Hm.
There’s Weasely twincest in here which is wild, but I really like how its portrayed? There’s a fair bit of angst, but those boys really only want to do good by Harry and I can vibe with that.
But then in order to contain Harry’s Wild Magic the Order decides that Harry has to enter a marriage bond, and Charlie ends up volunteering, so I guess that how this pairing comes to be. Unfortunately. So I don’t really want to read this fic anymore.
I wrote in my notes that this fic not only gets “kinda dark”, but also I started losing interest in the story in later chapters (maybe around chapter 50?). Make of that what you will, I guess.
The twincest was pretty well written, though. Surprisingly wholesome.

Pretty Boy by DebsTheSlytherinSnapefan
Harry runs from the wizarding world, after just two weeks at hogwarts aged 11. Running away and leaving behind the Dursley's and a manipulative Headmaster. He makes a life for himself, he was now just a normal man with no expectations heaped upon him. Then, at the age of nineteen help finds him in the form of Severus Snape or rather Harry helps him. SS/HP Slash good Sirius/Remus.
Rated: Fiction M
Chapters: 55; Words: 165,570 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? The set up was interesting! Also I'd been reading a lot of this author.
Opinions now: Aside from the whole Harry-and-Snape-being-adult-men-with-functioning-libidos thing this fic is actually pretty cool! Harry's a bit of an angry edgy boy ("disgusting weak emotions") but it’s understandable, considering his circumstances.
(Also how did I keep finding fics with rape in them this is getting kind of weird)

Rise of the Dark Angel by mykkila09
A HP/DM fic; Dark Harry. Starts after the DOM battle; when Harry loses Sirius, he decides to drop his act of being the naive golden boy and shows his true nature. How will the Light react when their "Savior" is suddenly for the Dark side?
Rated: Fiction M
Genre: Romance/Drama
Chapters: 27; Words: 408,015 => Incomplete (although the story itself is finished; there’s just an epilogue left)
Why did I like that fic? Did the Harry-turns-Dark thing in an interesting and (imo) well-written way. 
Opinions now: It jumps in with both feet and bowls you over with the waves, but once you get used to it it’s a pleasant read. Harry is very Dark in this one, though, it’s kinda hard to swallow? But it’s fine. Mostly because Neville’s role in all this is interesting enough to keep going despite the number of sex scenes and how often certain characters in pairings lust after each other in this fic (hint: its an annoying amount).

The Impossible Wager by A Being Of Violet Fire
What if someone had seen what Dumbledore was doing, and what would happen should he be left unchecked? What if that someone could stop it? What would they need to fix everything, before it even begun? In this case: five seconds, and a wager with Chance...
Rated: Fiction M
Genre: Supernatural/Romance
One-Shot; Words: 13,062 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? It was a unique perspective on canon events.
Opinions now: It’s certainly unique. But I’ve always had trouble reading fics centered around OCs, personifications of abstract concepts or otherwise.

Crossover Fanfiction

Excuse me, What! by StormQueen6711
Uncontrollable hair. Clear hazel eyes. A cause for trouble. Mischevious lifestyle. Complete disregard for rules. An affinity for red heads. Who actually is Tony Stark? Post Hogwarts/Future Gen/The Avengers. **SPOILERS for all** I own nothing.
Fandoms: Harry Potter x Avengers
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Family/Drama
Chapters: 17; Words: 21,696 => Incomplete
Why did I like that fic? This was a good Harry meets the Avengers fic. Tony and Harry have interesting banter, and everyone gels really well.
Opinions now: Hmm...It was alright. I do like how Tony and Harry are brothers in this one rather than father and son like in to many other AvengerxHarry Potter crossovers. I'm not sure I liked the supporting cast though, i.e. the children. They caused the last couple of chapters to devolve into...something. I dunno. Another victim of the permanent hiatus, so we won't even get to see if it gets better or not.

His Butler Re-Summoned by Ash Salvia
Harry Potter is sold to a cult at the age of ten. By Vernon who didn't want a Harry who knew magic in his home. Beaten and humiliated Harry thirsts for revenge and attracts a certain Demon's attention. Reincarnation Fic!
Fandoms: Harry Potter x Black Butler
Rated: Fiction T
Chapters: 12; Words: 34,759 => Incomplete
Why did I like that fic? I remember reading quite a few Black Butler/Harry Potter crossovers around the time of finding this fic. This was probably one of the better ones.
Opinions now: Eh. Shame it’s incomplete, though.

You, too by Jasu94
"Bruce Banner, pleasure to meet you." "Remus Lupin, the pleasure is mine." Regardless of their biographical data, two men who have more in common than they would think meet by coincidence and have a talk about all the things nobody else would understand. As humerous as their tragic life stories can be. Guest appearance of Tony Stark!
Fandoms: Harry Potter x Avengers
Rated: Fiction K+
Genre: Friendship/Humor
One-Shot; Words: 3,239 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? The idea of Remus Lupin meeting Bruce Banner was interesting.
Opinions now: The fact that there isn’t more content of these two interacting makes me sad. The story itself is pretty ok.


Regular Fanfiction

Core Threads by theaceoffire
A young boy in a dark cupboard is in great pain. An unusual power will allow him to heal himself, help others, and grow strong in a world of magic. Eventual God-like Harry, Unsure of eventual pairings. Alternate Universe, possible universe/dimension traveling in the future.
Rated: Fiction M
Genre: Adventure/Humor
Chapters: 73; Words: 376,980 => Incomplete
Why did I like that fic? The first few chapters had me hooked. What was this green thread business? The rest of it was silly, OP fun. They way Harry kept surprising everyone with his magic was funny. Although, in the original rec list I noted that “It kind of devolves into weirdness at some point…But the first half is still good!”
Opinions now: Oof this boy is really OP, ain’t he? Everything kind of spirals into absurdity because of it. Harry just keeps…doing stuff. Like, we go from Harry healing himself and creating an elaborate mindscape, and then it turns out he can create raw materials like gold and diamonds, giving him an in with the goblins. Then he inadvertently gives a squib the ability to use magic, fixes his friend’s magical cores, uses his overpoweredness to defeat 3 trolls singlehandedly, and adopts a 4th troll by sparing it and using his magic to make it more intelligent. Other things he does include taking down a mafia singlehandedly, having multiple magical cores, establishing a city (independent nation?) as a refuge for werewolves and vampires and the like, and then, last I remember because I didn’t reread this far, he pops on over to an alternate dimension to help his alternate- female self defeat alternate-Voldemort. So.
Honestly, last time I said that the first half of the story was good, but now I’d argue that Harry getting on the Hogwarts Express in chapter 18 is where the story takes its last, desperate gasps of coherency, with an honorable mention going to the scene in which Harry defends Neville against bullies in chapter 30. Some of the characterization of the adults is way off, and also there’s this lore bit where Harry fixes his friends’ magical cores and apparently it causes awkwardness and the need for cold showers and uggggghhh (they’re 11!!!). It is a bit too much of a crack fic for my liking. Which is a shame, because there’s interesting little diamonds in the rough, like the aforementioned “defending Neville from bullies” moment.

RuneMaster by Tigerman
In third year, Harry decided to quit Divination, following Hermione. Having to take a substitute course, he end up choosing Ancient Runes and find himself to be quite gifted. Smart Harry. Slightly manipulative. Rated M for later subjects and language.
Rated: Fiction M
Genre: Adventure/Humor
Chapters: 18; Words: 149,721 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? Harry does a thing that’s different and one-ups everybody yay
Opinions now: This fic is too much…Like, Harry’s a li’l Gary Stu or something. Which isn’t necessarily bad; I’d just prefer it if it was more grounded in reality. It gets a bit better in the last few chapters, though. A lot better, tbh, because things finally get serious.
(Also I know Harry’s a 14 y/o boy, but…god the allosexuality just bleeds from the page sometimes. Like, Harry literally cripples the Dark Lord by overloading their mental connection with sexual feelings he has when he’s actively having sex with Luna/Fleur (feelings that are inexplicably tied to romantic attraction, because of course they are). And this happens 2 or 3 times! I mean that’s an interesting facet of their connection and all, but it drove me absolutely bonkers. It’s kinda why this fic’s in this tier, despite being not that bad overall)

The Black Star by Aileen Dickinson
His godfather is dead and Harry decides that it's time to cut the strings from the old twinkle eyed puppeteer, start revealing his secrets and live his life as he wanted to. There's a new star in the Black tapestry. Independent! Smart! Powerful! Harry - Character bashing- slash-
Rated: Fiction M
Genre: Romance/Adventure
Chapters: 48; Words: 152,910 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? Hyperbolic Time Chamber shenanigans
Opinions now: Slow start, turns into a ship-fest, disappointingly. It’s all focused on everyone pairing off and having kids; its a waste of a good concept :(. After they leave the time dome though, things get a bit more interesting. Just a bit, though. This fic is super ship-focused, after all.

The Lord of Ten by McGoddamn
Harry being entered into the Triwizard Tournament could possibly be the best thing that could of ever happened to him. Anyone who crosses Harry better watch out. Will contain character Bashing. AU. SLASH Harry/Many. This is my attempt at first fanfiction, hope you enjoy.
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Humor/Romance
Chapters: 13; Words: 26,799 => Incomplete
Why did I like that fic? Another Harem-esque fic. It was interesting to see who the soulmates were. This was marked as one of my favorites.
Opinions now: Why did I rec this? Hardly anything happened before the story went on permanent hiatus. Also everything kinda just…happens. Oh, youre my soulmate? Cool let’s cuddle. Oh some of the Weasleys were stealing my money? Those thieving sons of bitches. Oh hey looks like I control the Magic Congress so I’ll do that now. I wish someone was like, ‘Hey do I want to be a soulmate?’ or ‘dang they were my friends, why’d they steal, say it aint so!’ once or twice. But, no, the fic marches on.
Also ew, romance.

The Phoenix by GreenEyes82
Dumbledore introduces a new event this year at Hogwarts... Karaoke! Snape and Harry somehow get paired together! Will they set aside their differences and pull off a great performance? Inspired by Fall Out Boy's "The Phoenix". I dunno if this counts as a Songfic, so read to find out! :D
Rated: Fiction K
Genre: Humor/Friendship
Chapters: 17; Words: 23,525 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? Harry & Snape interaction
Opinions now: I’ll admit, I didn’t really reread this one. Karaoke? Really??? *Sigh*
There is a plot, however simple and serviceable it may be. This fic just kinda…exists, I guess...

Crossover Fanfiction

Dreaming of the Finishing Line by stolen with the night
John Watson had almost died in Afghanistan if not for the strangely calm boy with emerald eyes who saved his life. Getting attached to the flippant child wasn't hard even with all the strange happenings that surround him. How will having a young, genius, master of death wizard affect Sherlock and Johns adventures? For an amused 'Hamish' hiding his magic isn't even the hard part.
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Family/Crime
Chapters: 5; Words: 14,626 => Incomplete
Why did I like that fic? God I dont know. Harry was all *~mysterious~* and stuff, i guess.
Opinions now: Harry is....Harry is...uh...interesting...? Well I mean he's immortal so i guess he's allowed to be a cryptic wierdo who only sometimes decides to act like the child he appears to be. I honestly don't like this fic at all, unfortunately, and I cant really explain why. I didn’t finish rereading this. Oof.

Escape by xxdarkxxalicexx
AU from GoF. Harry wakes up in the infirmary after the third task and hears his 'friends' talking. Two years later, he and Draco run away together to a small town across the pond. Their hopes for nice, quiet lives are shattered when they meet the Cullens. ECHP, JBDM, SBJ, SSRL.
Rated: Fiction M
Genre: Romance/Supernatural
Chapters: 9; Words: 40,150 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? I liked to read bashing fics and “Harry says fuck this shit I’m out” fics so this was kinda in my wheelhouse.
Opinions now: It starts off all generic and flashback-y, and the romance is very ham-fisted and in your face. The very ending of this is kinda terrible because its one of those "oh crap the story is ending time to pair everyone off" things that is rushed to all hell and super annoying. The rest of the fic is meh. The bashing wasn’t even very satisfying to reread either.

Jasper’s Baker by pikachumomma
What do you get when you cross Wizard/Vampire hybrid that likes to bake and a brokenhearted Jasper that misses sweets? A very sweet couple. Dom. Harry
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Romance
Chapters: 3; Words: 11,417 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? It was cute or something I dunno. It was nice to see Harry help the vampire man. There’s Edward and Alice Bashing. You know, the good, interesting stuff.
Opinions now: I don’t really read romance fic anymore, so this was kinda hard to get into. Their relationship moves so fast!!! Aaaah!!

Lover by Anneliza
Snape is bullied by James and his friends when Francis turns up to save him.
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Romance
Chapters: 4; Words: 4,344 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? This was literally one of the wackest pairings I had seen, so I liked it simply for the novelty of it.
Opinions now: Eh. (Also there’s an implied non-con scene somewhere in here, which...I think I somehow missed that the first time I read this? That's unfortunate.) And the characterizations of everyone except Lily are...something else (re: the aforementioned off screen rape scene). The novelty of the pairing doesn’t really make up for the rest of it.

Raising Harry by LucyferPheonixMalfoy
AU: What if there was more to the Evans line than thought? What if Harry grew up with some Other relations....?
Rated: Fiction K
Genre: Mystery/Humor
Chapters: 17; Words: 31,671 => Incomplete
Why did I like that fic? I liked the crossover, and I must have liked the plot, i guess.
Opinions now: This one isn’t as fun as the other Addams Family crossover. It's more by rote and generic. (Also the formatting is a bit worse) I feel like the Addams were molded into this generic plot, rather than the other way around. Thus, they all feel kinda out of character, which makes me sad and bored. I was so bored...)

So these last two fics are fics that I wanted to reread but I couldn't because I don't think they exist anymore? But here they are anyway, for completions sake.

Captive Honor by morgana-avalon
Severus Snape walks a tight rope while acting as Dumbledore's spy and pretending to be the Dark Lord's confidante.
Rated: Fiction K+
Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Drama
One-Shot; Words: 65,535 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? Actually I never read this fic in particular. I read the sequels and they were great so I assumed that the original was also good and recommended it.
Additional Opinions: From what I remember of the sequels, the relationship between Snape and Neville was developed really nicely. The fics were kind of thought-provoking, in a way.

The Chronicles of Harry Holmes by ZenoNoKyuubi
What if the Dursleys gave Harry the Sherlock Holmes books when he was a child to make sure he knew that there was no such thing as magic? What if he did everything to become just like Holmes? May seem rushed, but more coming.
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Adventure/Mystery
Chapters: 19; Words: 112,160 => Complete
Why did I like that fic? Neville-centric and Harry was a fun character.
Opinions now: Neville perspective yeah!!! I. Loved. This. Harry’s a smart little bean, and Neville adores him so… (platonically, of course)


So anyway my taste in fanfics was weird back then. It's no wonder my friend probably didn't read my rec list. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯