*Oldies, but Goodies: HP Recs

[shinra_lackey]

It's old home week for Harry Potter recs. If you've missed these while they were making the rounds, you're in for a treat and if you've already read them, there's always time to reread old favorites.

still life by monochromal (oneshot, H/D)
Kinks by cruisedirector (oneshot, slash, SS/RL, dark)
Mercy by cruisedirector (oneshot, slash, SS/RL)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice by jacquez (series, WIP, Severus Snape, Harry Potter, slight slash, I consider it gen)
Happiness Involving a Tea House by nopejr (oneshot, H/D)
Resolutions: A Story in 13 Parts by josanpq (series, complete, SS/SB)
The Tale of the Shining Prince, and its sequels A Thousand Nights and One, The Simple Things, and Orpheus in Motion by Illuferret (series, complete, H/D)


still life by monochromal (oneshot, H/D) The afterlives of Harry and Draco. Why do I like this fic? Besides it's clean, elegant writing, the concept was intriguing. The author goes into what it is like to be a wizarding portrait and all the pleasure and drawbacks that it entails. I love her Hary and Draco voice and the piece gives the reader a sense of hope, even though the two are just paintings, for the better.

Kinks by cruisedirector (oneshot, slash, SS/RL, dark) What can I say? severus Snape and Remus Lupin are two messed up cookies and I love how cruisedirector paints them. There is no cute fluffiness in what he/she writes, this is stark, harsh reality. The only way Severus Snape and Remus Lupin could be together would be painful and the way is not paved in gold. I adored how it is portrayed here.

Severus always insisted on keeping the candles lit. At first Remus thought that his lover did not want any surprises, but later he suspected that Severus must enjoy the werewolf's reticence to display his scars.

"Why?" Remus finally asked when Severus muttered "Lumos" in the darkness. "Do you take some odd delight in how ugly I am? Or does it make you feel powerful to see me as grotesque?"

Severus gaped, then dropped his gaze. "You are not ugly," he scowled. "Though you may blindfold me if you wish. But I will not let you pretend to be with Black."

Mercy by cruisedirector (oneshot, slash, SS/RL) A companion piece to Kinks. What I also like about what cruisedirector does is make Remus have a backbone. In a relationship between the Snape and Lupin, while it is fun sometimes to see one be more domineering and the other vulnerable, it is equally fun to see a relationship of equals. I like how in Mercy and in all of cruisedirector's fanfic, the two can be seen with either partner taking charge.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice by jacquez (series, WIP, Severus Snape, Harry Potter, slight slash, I consider it gen) Harry Potter takes a Defense Against the Dark Arts Apprenticeship with Severus Snape after he graduates Hogwarts. Again, I am a sucker for an original idea and I loved the execution of the wizarding apprenticeship and while Harry is not one of my favorite characters, his interaction with Snape made him sound somewhat intelligent and redeeming in my eyes. jacquez's Snape on the other hand is a beautiful character, and I can see him in his Master, white robes teaching Harry the Dark Arts instead of Defense. *shiver* I love this series, too bad it hasn't been updated in a year or so.

Happiness Involving a Tea House by nopejr (oneshot, H/D) You know how I go on and on, about canon characters? Well sometimes, you just want witty dialog. A smart Draco Malfoy is a grand Draco malfoy in my books and after rereading this fic again for the third or fourth time, it just makes me all shiny and happy.

"Well, well, well. Harry bloody Potter."

"Draco 'the git' Malfoy."

"Is that any way to greet the saviour of the wizarding world?"

"Save-- Malfoy, you nicked the Death Eaters' operations budget and--"

"--thereby rendering the enemy destitute and vulnerable to attack."

"And buggered off to France for three years, which is hardly--"

"Maximizing the effectiveness of my manoeuvre with a tactical withdrawal from the field of play."

"Hardly what could be called heroic behaviour."

Resolutions: A Story in 13 Parts by josanpq (series, complete, SS/SB) A nice, long, plausible look at the Snape/Black relationship. This sotry is one of the stories to read in the pairing and it is just classic. It has everything, action, romance, plot. I just can recommend it enough for fans of the pairing or just Severus Snape (of which I am). Actually, I think I need to go save it to my computer so I can read it again.

"You know, Snape, that holier-than-thou attitude is one of the reasons you had so few friends at Hogwarts."

"No," said Snape, almost contemplatively, "not really. The main reason I was not surrounded by friends was that I was an ugly child. I have noticed, in my years since, that ugliness often precludes popularity. One can be an idiot, a liar, a thief, but if one has anything that remotely passes for looks, one is popular."

Frowning slightly, Black stared at Snape. "You weren't ugly."

Snape's face hardened. "Yes, I was. I was an ugly infant. An ugly child. I am an ugly man."

The Tale of the Shining Prince, and its sequels A Thousand Nights and One, The Simple Things, and Orpheus in Motion by Illuferret (series, complete, H/D) Wow, I haven't read this series for at least a year or two, but while skimming A Tale of the Shining Prince, I can see again what I loved about the series. It was her Draco that I fell in love with and while her Draco is in no way fandom!Draco, you can still see him in a sympathetic light. The author builds a whole culture that Draco grew up in, from how purebloods are raised, the Malfoy family, and just Draco himself, that makes it impossible not to love all the lavish detail put into making Draco who he is.

Draco remembers few things before the age of five. But what he remembers is very clear. In one of his earliest memories he is sitting on the floor of the small living room where his father sometimes entertains close guests. The carpet is very thick and it's warm and soft and pleasant to sit on.

He is alone, playing chess. He sometimes wishes his father played with him more often, but Father is a busy man. So he's learned to entertain himself. He lines the pawns on opposite sides and makes them attack one another. When they complain that they must move in order and one after the other, Draco pouts and they feel sorry for him, so they play war.

And now I'm off to go read Orpheus in Motion, because I think I missed it somehow first time around.


Now in the world of updates:
Korean Idol 3 by issen4 (HnG)
Grey part 13 by treneka (HnG)
For Better or Worse part 2 by mahaliem (SV)
Instar part 4 by garryowen (SV)
My December part 4 by lazulisong (DN Angel, beginning of part 4)
The Veela Enigma chapter 23 by jennavere (HP)

Comments

[jacquez.livejournal.com]

Hey, thanks for the rec! :)

It's only been about 6 months since Apprentice was updated, and the next chapter went through beta months ago - problem is that the chapter AFTER that is causing me to have to rework things.

This is why I swore off WIPs years ago, but then apparently I went INSANE and forgot how annoying they are to write. Sorry about that! I apologize to all my readers.

[shinra-lackey.livejournal.com]

Oops, my sense of time is fairly warped, so I'm sorry about the mix up about when the last part came out. However, I truly do love The Sorcerer's Apprentice and I'm just glad to hear that the process is still continuing even though the pace may not be to your liking. You don't have to apologize, and in the unlikely event you decide you can't/won't be updating anymore, I'll still love the series to pieces.

Also squee! You're very welcome for the recommendation. I'm just shocked that you stumbled onto my journal.