Harry Potter/Fanfic Recs/Authors and Websites

These are recommendations made by Tropers for authors and sites of Harry Potter fanfics, all of which have to be signed to stay on the page. Feel free to add a fanfic of your own to the list, but remember to use the template found here.

You can also add to the current recommendations if you want. You can do it by expanding on the notes about the author or website, or linking similar or related authors or websites. Refrain from posting Conversation in the Main Page though; that goes in the discussion page.

Barb
 * Recommended by Bufu
 * I'm rather surprised that Barb hasn't been mentioned already—she was one of the bigger names in the fandom in the early 2000s. Guess many of her readers have grown up and moved on—she was most active in that productive period before Order of the Phoenix's publication. Anyway, her entire Psychic Serpent trilogy is some of the best written stuff I've had the pleasure to read. Yes, the romance can get dramatic to the point of soap opera melodrama, and yes -- since this was written at the half way point of the series, much has been revealed to be completely different from the world she created. Nevertheless, I still consider her work some of the best I've read, and would highly encourage you to check it out, starting with Harry Potter and the Psychic Serpent. Feel free to chime in with your own thoughts -- I'd like to hear them, even if you don't agree with me. Trying to get in that pre-OotP mindset may help.

Albus Potter Series by Vekin87 (link)
 * Recommended by windweaver19
 * Synopsis: Starting out as a basic Albus and Slytherin fic, Vekin87 expands J.K. Rowling's world by introducing a variety of new characters, including the likes of wizarding vigilantes and morally ambiguous villians. Vekin's storys touch on themes like totalitarianism, the constant struggle between the public and the government, and ultimately, whether or not killing is right.

All After the Rains's Harry Potter fics
 * Recommended by Micah
 * She writes with a dry but periodically hilarious tone and plots of the inevitable-in-hindsight variety. I'm particularly fond of The Adventures of Icarus the Invisible Poltergeist and Running Close to the Ground.

Harry Potter Comics post-book comic series by Travers & Rioux Jordan. (Canon-Compliant)
 * Recommended by Swiftbow
 * This is an ongoing webcomic (done with Harry Potter legos) following the plot after the epilogue of the books. It follows several different story arcs, including Harry, Ron, and Hermione, their children at Hogwarts, a set of villains who have combined Muggle technology with magic, and a displaced Muggle Sheriff and his Deputy. From Texas. It updates twice a week.

Neville Longbottom series by Sonorus. (AU)
 * Recommended by e of pi
 * One of the best takes on the Neville-Longbottom-is-chosen-instead-of-Harry storyline I've seen. He's written AU versions of Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, and nine chapters of "Order of the Phoenix." He's a very regular poster, and the story is top-notch. Moreover, much like in DA & the Year of Darkness, we really see the evolution and emergence of the sword-waving Neville a lot earlier, rather than some Neville-is-chosen fics where Neville's pathetic failures are just an excuse for some Harry-Potter-saves-the-world action.

The Shoebox Project by LadyJaida and Dorkorific (link)
 * Recommended by Rinny
 * Tags: Non-graphic slash, Incomplete

The Dark Prince Trilogy by Kurinoone
 * Recommended by Elenor
 * Pairing(s): All canon pairings. Lily/James, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, etc.
 * Tags: AU, some child abuse, some fighting, Dark Harry—kind of.
 * The trilogy in order is The Darkness Within, A Part of Me and Deepest Reflections. So far the first one has been translated into Spanish, German, Russian, Portuguese, and French. The first two have been nominated for awards. This is honestly the best AU I have read. The characters are consistent and believable. Everyone is given depth so you can understand what drives them instead of the author making "good guys" and "bad guys" as subtle as a sledge hammer. No one changes in a day. Even the OC is likable and clearly not a self-insertion or a (shudder) Mary-Sue.

Dazzleberry's fanfics
 * Recommended by [Kilyle
 * The trilogy of Still Waters Run Deep, Bittersweet, and Tomorrow We May Die (which is now housed offsite for some reason) is the one I read the most, although I don't much like the first one (Mary Sue more than the other two, I think). Very OC for Snape, IMO, although it does play his angst up pretty neatly, and works well with how he feels as a double agent (hugely at the end of the second story). Still, it's one of the fanfics I've found to meet these criteria: Snape as main character, love as major plot, not filled with pointless sex, heterosexual, and not Snape-with-Hermione.

A. J. Hall's trilogy. (Slash Draco/Neville)
 * Recommended by Robert
 * Some unconventional characterization, but is well written, and includes a cross-over with Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga series.

Squib Tales by Ozma
 * Recommended by Robert
 * A series from Filch's point of view. Good characterization and world building.

The Dangerverse by Anne Walsh (Alternate sites here and here)
 * Recommended by Lizzie
 * A superb multiverse spawned from the existence of an older, college-age, sister for Hermione. More intricate than Canon.
 * User:Looney Toons: Cautious second. The initial stories sweep you up and carry you along with their writing; the author is very skilled and does a great job at an alternate universe that feels right and manages to hew closely to the general outline of canon while still being highly divergent (that's not a contradiction, much as it seems like it might be). My caution is that after the first four or so installments, and the first few branchings into various parallel universes within the series, I lost track of where I was and subsequently lost interest in following the stories. Without a good solid central thread to follow, I had no motivation to keep reading. If you're better at that, or less concerned about it, then ignore my caution and jump right in.

citygirl1116
 * Recommended by J the Drafter
 * Everything she's written is hilarious, especially Harry Potter and the Overdone Plot Devices. She hasn't written anything new in a while, though.

Sacrifices Arc by Lightning on the Wave (Very Long Completed AUs, Heavy Violence, Slash)
 * Recommended by The Blood Sharpie
 * Comments: A seven fic series and related oneshot "Maze of Light," each novel-length work replaces its corresponding canon counterpart, and Lightning increasingly diverges from the source. Despite the oft-(mis)used premise "what if Slytherin!Harry had a BWL!twin," the plot manages to stay original and creative throughout, with truly inspiring shout-outs to canon events. Canon characterizations aren't exactly possible, but there's a surprising amount of Original Flavor nonetheless. Snape is especially brilliant, and while Lightning never loses sight of the reality that spawned him, he progresses to the point of possibly being better than what JKR ever got around fleshing out. BE WARNED: the author really knows how to turn on the water-works, and pays careful attention to everything—which means that while character interaction often = Crowning Moment of Heartwarming and setting establishment/development = Made of Win, wartime realities = Nightmare Fuel. The dark tone does threaten to overwhelm things occasionally, but Lightning somehow knows just when things are heading towards unbearable, and is as good at inducing Crowning Moment of Funny as she is at creating tension.

DisobedienceWriter
 * Recommended by Tikigod784, User:Looney Toons
 * Comments: Recommended because this author takes many of the stereotypical situations you often see in fanfiction (such as Dark!Harry and Peggy Sue) and writes them well. It should be noted that Dumbledore bashing is prevalent, but explained clearly in every story. Harry also tends to be more logical and cautious than canon. To be perfectly honest, if you read two or three of his stories, you'll know what reading his other HP stories (as well as his 'Naruto' stories) feels like.
 * User:Looney Toons: Seconded; note that DisobedienceWriter already has at least one story recommended elsewhere in the cluster of HP fanfic rec pages, the cracktastic A Bad Week at the Wizangamot.

Lomonaaeren
 * Recommended by J Blaze
 * Comments: Highly recommended if you happen to like Draco/Harry slash. This author has written over 100 fics of varying lengths (some very long, and some meaty oneshots too) -- all of them some of the very best the fandom has to offer. The Ceremonies of Strife trilogy is especially recommended for one of the best continuation series I've read. Lomonaaeren is one of those rare authors that doesn't neglect plotting to get to the romance.

Life Alchemist
 * Recommended by RoamingShadow
 * If you like excellent writing, wonderful characterization, comedy, and the Marauders, you should check out all of her Harry Potter fics. She currently has seven HP fics: three complete and four in-progress. They're all worth the read. The author was previously Princess Marauder but had to make a new account due to technical glitches with their laptop.

little0bird
 * Recommended by RoamingShadow
 * All the author's fics are Harry Potter and all of them are possibly the best I've ever read! All the characters are perfectly in canon, even in her Next Gen fics. It appears the author either doesn't know about the canon Next Gen or they decided to let their imagination flow and made characters of their own. Either way, their writing is amazing and worth the read.

Snapegirlkmf
 * Recommended by Joyce13
 * All the author's fics involve Severus Snape in some way, and most of them have him finding out about Harry's horrible life with the Dursleys and adopting him or marrying Lily and becoming Harry's stepfather.

Dr. Platypus
 * Recommended by Blacknumber
 * Dr. Platypus, first and foremost knows how to write. His Fan Song and Voldemort Song are amazingly well-written and funny as well. He's also got a pretty fleshed-out American Wizarding story that's 100% complete to read through. Give him a try if you like good characters, full worlds, and exploring JK Rowling's world all over again through new, American eyes.

Pinky Brown
 * Recommended by Chaosjunction
 * Pinky Brown writes the most amazing Ron/Hermione fics I have ever had the pleasure to read. Her characterization of both Ron and Hermione is superb, but especially Ron, considering the way many fanfic writers treat him., or don't bother with him at all. All her stories are highly recommended.

DriftWood1965
 * Recommended by Aust Kyzor
 * Drift primarily writes Harry/Hermione Alternate-Universe fiction. If you dislike books 6 and 7, Harry/Ginny, and especially hate Ron, this author is for you. His work includes two complete overhauls of Goblet of Fire, and a time-travel story with Harry and Hermione sent back in time two years before the events of books 6 and 7

The Fictionist
 * Recommended by Namikaze Artemis
 * The Fictionist is one of the best -- and perhaps only -- non-slash writer for (young) Tom and Harry. Her Fate's Favourite series has three stories, the original, the one-shot selection, and the prequel. The original is already completed, spanning over 150 chapters and 350 000 words. Her characterization of Tom is very realistic, not to mention the characterization of the other characters. She has also written a CoS AU that while is still in its starting stages, is already looking like a good story. Did I mention her plots are to die for? If you're a fan of time travel fics, or even if you're not, I highly recommend you check her out.