Did a browse of FF.Net: fics published in the last month, sorted by favourites, longer than 10k words.

Here are the fics that caught my eye:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13700502/1/The-Bane-of-the-Raven

It's the year 2024 and Harry Potter is not a happy man. He drunkenly makes his way to the Department of Mysteries and ends up accidently destroying some time turners. Follow Harry in his fifth year as he fixes the mistakes that have caused his life to be miserable. [Harry. P x Daphne. G].

Lords and Ladies, love potion Ginny, characters are seem like cartoon versions of themselves, manipulative Dumlebdore, bindings on magical core. Harry is written like a genre-savvy SI. Prose is tolerable but fails to redeem everything else. 1/5.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13710451/1/The-Slow-and-Silent-Ways-of-Fish

In a Britain where Hogwarts was never founded, magical students are educated in apprenticeships, known more commonly as Noble Adoptions. At age fifteen, Harry Potter is found on the streets and adopted by the most powerful wizard in England. "I'm going to teach you how to kill me, Harry. Please, you're the only one who can." (HP/FD, HP/DG)

First person POV which is an immediate point against, especially as Harry's character voice is so... pathetic.

Fleur is terribly annoying, which makes me both dislike the fic and admire it for being able to generate that feeling in me in such a short period of time. The problem is that I think it's unintentional - I think the author was aiming for charming.

There appears to be a high risk of soul bond.

The main draw here looks like it's intended to be (i) the world and (ii) the political set-up, with a politically active Voldemort who has magical peers, and Dumbledore banished from Britain.

The fic is original, I will give it that. But to be honest this level of AU just doesn't really interest me much anymore. These days my fanfic preferences run much closer to canon.

For me, 3/5 but you may get a lot more out of it, especially if you like grand AUs. I definitely recommend you check it out, at least.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13699246/1/A-Jump-Through-Time

Harry, alone and running from snatchers, is hit by two spells that merge and send him back through time to the summer before the fifth year. Armed with future knowledge, follow Harry as he tries to do better this time around.

By the numbers indy!Harry. The time travel basically doesn't play any part at all. Less offensive just because it's so bland. 2/5.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13701178/1/The-Peverell-Gambit

Decades after defeating Voldemort, Harry Potter travels back to 1960 to prevent the rise of Voldemort which, coupled with the survival of pure blood dogma after his defeat, proved to be a near extinction level event for Wizarding Britain. H/BL, with references to past (future) H/GW and H/HG. Powerful dark grey Harry, cruel, manipulative Bellatrix.

I think this fic misses a trick by de-ageing Harry back to 10 years old. Powerful, middle-aged time-travelling Harry shaking things up in the 1960s would be much more interesting. The later time skips redeem this slightly, but Harry as an older teen is still less interesting in this context than him as a grown adult.

The fic is otherwise promising. Harry doesn't waste time in getting shit done. Which just doubles down on why it would have been so much better if he was a grown adult in body as well as mind.

I do like that Harry has put serious effort into creating a paper trail for his fake identity rather than just winging it like he does in so many similar fics. The Wizengamot mechanics are also a bit more interesting than normal - it's basically possible for a wealthy family to bribe their way into the aristocracy by essentially buying a title. This is quite historical and is a welcome break from magical inheritance/nobility law being self-enforcing via magic.

The Bellatrix POV section was hilarious. "Bellatrix had already selected the portly wizard whom she'd summon as a shield in the event that an Unforgivable was sent her way. By the cut of his robe he was of common stock and would not be missed." @Sesc will approve.

A promising start but currently only 12k words. If it continues apace it's headed for the library, I think. My main criticism is that there is too much tell in the tell:show ratio, and that Harry may be rather grandstandy and too out of character in the duel at the end, but this may be for show. But you'd think if he wanted to lure more people into duels, he would have wanted to make it look like a close fight. Still, of what little there is so far, 4/5.

A glance at the author's profile suggests a tendency to start and abandon fics. So I wouldn't hold my breath that this will go anywhere substantial.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13721840/1/Easier-Than-Falling-Asleep

Harry is struck with the killing curse and wakes up the day of the Last Task. This story will be the Order of The Phoenix if Harry had been a bit wiser and Luna a more present character. No time Paradox and no godmoding. Slow build up. Also, the tanslation in French is available by Eohwel.

Another indy!Harry manipulative Dumbledore fic disguised as a time travel fic. Copy/pastes chunks of canon. Reads like a gamer speedrun. 2/5

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13710879/1/Murder-She-Wrote

A serial killer is attacking the magical world and Harry Potter is on the case. The only problem: Prophet reporter Pansy Parkinson is a pain in his arse each step of the way.

Harry/Pansy "porn with plot" fic. Both of their character voices feel off. Harry feels too much like a generic sweary Auror rather than Harry Potter. Pansy feels too much like a working journalist Rita Skeeter wannabe rather than a snobby rich girl who, if she has a job, does it just to keep herself occupied.

References to Pansy being friends with Hermione and Hermione/Draco just emphasise the OOCness even more.

The fic also fails to sell the basic scenario - there's no reason why Harry keeps entertaining Pansy's intrusions into his investigation. It's not like he finds her attractive and keeps letting things slip to her because of that. He's indifferent to her at the start of the fic.

When it finally arrives, the smut kinda just comes out of nowhere and feels generic without any real chemistry between the characters. Meh/5. Not badly written but not engaging at all.

 

And while we're on the subject, here's a ton of AO3 smut.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18874813/chapters/44800795
https://archiveofourown.org/works/4361342/chapters/9895154
https://archiveofourown.org/works/26318065
https://archiveofourown.org/works/11645175/chapters/26195433
https://archiveofourown.org/works/9429308/chapters/21339875
https://archiveofourown.org/works/26730106
https://archiveofourown.org/works/25514002/chapters/61900600
https://archiveofourown.org/works/26195881/chapters/63748993
https://archiveofourown.org/works/25921075
https://archiveofourown.org/works/26224252
https://archiveofourown.org/works/26362219
https://archiveofourown.org/works/26260189
https://archiveofourown.org/works/25511983/chapters/61895149
https://archiveofourown.org/works/26307061
https://archiveofourown.org/works/26093692/chapters/63470257
https://archiveofourown.org/works/26098045/chapters/63481816
https://archiveofourown.org/works/18046718
https://archiveofourown.org/works/16294856
https://archiveofourown.org/works/25629937
https://archiveofourown.org/works/24242599/chapters/58415923
https://archiveofourown.org/works/25401151
https://archiveofourown.org/works/2783978
https://archiveofourown.org/works/14771709/chapters/34162779
https://archiveofourown.org/works/1179394
https://archiveofourown.org/works/21206021/chapters/50482922
https://archiveofourown.org/works/4979758/chapters/11437501
https://archiveofourown.org/works/16999143/chapters/39961629
https://archiveofourown.org/works/16615670/chapters/38947313
https://archiveofourown.org/works/24024658/chapters/57802156
https://archiveofourown.org/works/3153056
https://archiveofourown.org/works/11687733
https://archiveofourown.org/works/461912
https://archiveofourown.org/works/10066616/chapters/22431674
https://archiveofourown.org/works/14253384/chapters/32871009
https://archiveofourown.org/works/21971674/chapters/52429141
https://archiveofourown.org/works/20921888/chapters/49737131
https://archiveofourown.org/works/20651828/chapters/49041686
https://archiveofourown.org/works/2622020
https://archiveofourown.org/works/18523561
https://archiveofourown.org/works/14376795/chapters/33193338
https://archiveofourown.org/works/7869703
https://archiveofourown.org/works/23779162/chapters/57120862
https://archiveofourown.org/works/19101583/chapters/45385339
https://archiveofourown.org/works/19457713
https://archiveofourown.org/works/23591542/chapters/56606290
https://archiveofourown.org/works/20761760/chapters/49333733
https://archiveofourown.org/works/21577741
https://archiveofourown.org/works/23369251/chapters/55992934
https://archiveofourown.org/works/10425510/chapters/23018934
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22085599
https://archiveofourown.org/works/14941598/chapters/34619435
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22567477
https://archiveofourown.org/works/20059345
https://archiveofourown.org/works/16456271/chapters/38537432
https://archiveofourown.org/works/18031424
https://archiveofourown.org/works/15619686
https://archiveofourown.org/works/10839504
https://archiveofourown.org/works/10716108

Disclaimer: don't judge me.

 

Too late I'm afraid, but at the very least you could point out the ones of worth (i.e. the ones featuring Daphne). Fic dump indeed.

 

@Taure

How many of those were written by megamatt?

 

The list is certified Megamatt-free.

 

This may be a stupid question, but is there a dark mode for AO3? That brightness is violating my eyes.

 

Open with this next time, far more valuable than a list of trash indy!Harry timetravel fics. Regardless, thank you for your service.

 

You can select skins(the way the site looks to you) if you are logged into your account.

 

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dark-reader/eimadpbcbfnmbkopoojfekhnkhdbieeh

 

Never seen so much smut in one place. Shame I'm not much of a fan of it.

 

Apparently the spell for a mirror to appear in front of you is "Speculum."

I actually slammed to a stop in reading and blinked a couple of times to make sure I read that right. From that point I just couldn't take anything else seriously.

 

Yeah, it's the Latin word for mirror, but I've always known it as a medical tool.

 

I prefer to think of it as Pomfrey's favorite combat spell. 'Speculum Engorgio!' Then she animates an army of them and sends them at the Death Eaters, seeking out any orifice.

I'll show myself out.

 

Harry Potter and the Rotfang Conspiracy

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25428937/chapters/61671184

During the summer before his sixth year, Harry reflects on the death of his Godfather, Sirius Black, and decides that it's time to fight back. If it’s war Voldemort wants, it’s war he will get! (Assuming Harry’s raging teenage hormones don't distract him, that is.) An occasionally X-rated (NC17-rated in the US) novel-length Honks re-write of Half-Blood Prince that’s about 70% plot, 20% humour and 10% smut. The smut doesn’t really take off until Chapter 7. Independent!Harry. Proactive!Harry.

A post-OotP independent Harry story with a fair amount of smut, along the lines of For Love of Magic before it went off the deep end. The independent Harry elements are actually relatively well done. Like, there's bashing for sure (especially of Ron), and other common themes of indy!Harry, but the plot is entirely original in that we're not going through the stations of indy!Harry canon. No Sirius' will in Gringotts or super goblins or dimensional trunk shopping trip.

The main threads of the story are:

1. Harry working with Scrimgeour behind Dumbledore's back, which Tonks becomes a part of. This is the most interesting part of the fic.

2. Harry's magical development through lessons with Tonks, mostly focusing on mind magic.

3. Harry's interactions with Hermione, Fleur, Tonks, and the Weasleys inside the Burrow. This is where you will see the most indy!Harry tropes but the execution makes those tropes not as bad as they usually are.

4. Harry/Tonks relationship.

The Honks is... fine, I guess. Very fanservice-y with plot points one step above pizza-delivery porn tropes. Also her de-ageing is weird. The smut, when it comes along, is written relatively well, but there's just far too much of it and you have legilimency-powered sex god Harry. I just hope the story recovers its bearings and gets back to being a plotty fic with smut and doesn't devolve into a smut fic with occasional plot (as For Love of Magic did).

3/5

Stepping Back

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12317784/1/Stepping-Back

Post-OOTP. The episode in the DOM has left Harry a changed boy. He returns to the Dursley's to prepare for his inevitable confrontation with Voldemort, but his stay there is very short-lived. He finds himself in the care of people who he has no choice but to cooperate with and they give him a startling revelation: Harry must travel back to the 1970's to save the wizarding world.

Harry/Bellatrix set during the Marauder's era. I actually kept with this one all the way to chapter 17 before I lost interest. Not sure why. The fic is basically just a string of scene after scene where Harry surprises people who underestimated him with how powerful and skilled he is. Very little actual conflict in the fic, and the conflict which is there is manufacturered.

But if you're in the market for a Gary Stu power wank time travel fic then this may keep you entertained. 2/5

 

As an extension to Taure's impressive wall of smut, I'd actually like to recommend this fic.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21357481/chapters/50870968

I'd describe it as a smut fic that developed too much plot for its own good.

The general gist is that Harry makes a deal with a demon during his confrontation with Quirrell. She gives him 7 years before she claims his soul. But Harry isn't going to take that lying down...

The actual fic is an interesting depiction of Harry post-Hogwarts. Expect new characters, a novel take on cursebreaking, some odd demonic interludes and a healthy dose of porn logic. Also Veela, obviously.

It's not good exactly, but it is fun, it is different and it kept me entertained for a couple of hours. Some genuine humor in parts. The smut is also reasonably easy to skip past if it isn't your thing.

3/5.

 

How much of that is self-promotion?

 

i read this when it was 5 or so chapters long, and I must say, the new chapters are huge fucking letdown. Instead of the conspiracy and the magic - you know, the fun parts - we got awkward, very predatory smut, two useless chapters about Hermione, and then it’s capped by a very poorly written press conference. 0/5 very bitter.

edit: must not forget the horribly presented pre orgasm and orgasm sounds Tonks makes. -1000/5

 

I feel like it's an indictment of this story that after almost 80K words and so much talk about war and fighting, there's yet to be any, even with this last chapter called The War Begins.

Putting that aside, I did find this reasonably enjoyable. It's rare that I see a story where Harry tries to improve the Ministry rather than fighting or bypassing it. Scrimgeour didn't make a good case for himself in canon, but at the same time, canon Harry never seemed too interested in working with him either, so I liked seeing what a more forward-thinking indy!Harry could accomplish by looking past his hangups with the Ministry and thinking of the potential upsides instead.

Though that kind of brings me to one of the two main problems with the story, all the bashing. This story is better-written than your bog-standard indy fic, which really just throws the attitudes and outlook behind bashing into sharp relief. We've all seen the progression where Harry discards his canon friends and family in favor of the new circle the author assigns them a million times.

You know, like Bungle in the Jungle: exit Hermione, Dumbledore, the Weasleys sans Bill, and the Order bar Mad-Eye, you're being replaced by Bill, Fleur, sometimes Mad-Eye, an OC army, and eventually Snape. Of course, in that story, Jbern justified it by throwing in a ton of shady actions that weren't remotely close to canon. This one is a bit more artful about it, in that Harry cuts himself off from people he doesn't think will support him in trying to fight the war his own way, people he dismisses for actions and attitudes they did exhibit in canon. Ron and Hermione's arbitrary skepticism of Harry's suspicions about Draco in HBP was a headscratcher, and the inference that they'd quietly lost faith in his judgment after the Department of Mysteries is plausible enough.

But the problem here is that rather than trying to work through these trust issues and fix their relationship, the thing he does successfully with Scrimgeour, he instead cuts his friends loose. There's a very juvenile bitterness behind these indy fics and their re-casting for the role of Harry's best friends, where he simply decides that there's no way to salvage anything and just gives up on people. That might also explain why Harry's indictment of Remus is off a bit: he's right that Remus endangered him and his friends by forgetting his Wolfsbane potion, but he also complains that Lupin never expressed any remorse over his negligence. But I think we all remember that the guilt over his error is the reason Lupin agreed with Snape that he wasn't worthy to teach anymore, despite Harry at the time thinking otherwise. The bitter and judgmental indy mindset causes Harry to distort his own memories of the people he just doesn't want to take a chance on anymore.

And that's what really bothers me about this one. I don't appreciate the way the lemons have overtaken the actual plot, but I skipped over most of that so I can't comment beyond it seeming like a waste of space. But I am interested in where the story may go from here, and as I said, the writing itself is solid. I appreciate the dialogue from Harry's first meeting with Scrimgeour, which gets across how uncomfortable and out of his element the man is through the rambling and filler words, not a trick many writers could pull off effectively. But the porn and the mean-spiritedness still threaten to bury the good in this one, so I'll have to go with a 3.5 rounded down to a 3.

 

Further "here's some fics I've read" dump.

Not smut:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13864586/1/Whispers-of-a-Raven
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13939887/1/Death-s-Herald
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13825135/1/Inevitable
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13747655/1/A-Flower-for-the-Soul
https://archiveofourown.org/works/21396775/chapters/50973328
https://archiveofourown.org/works/13521369/chapters/31015518

Smut:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33664048
https://archiveofourown.org/works/26537065/chapters/64685164
https://archiveofourown.org/works/18179783
https://archiveofourown.org/works/32409316
https://archiveofourown.org/works/32001661
https://archiveofourown.org/works/33616294
https://archiveofourown.org/works/33624538
https://archiveofourown.org/works/33712897
https://archiveofourown.org/works/33390526
https://archiveofourown.org/works/27255484/chapters/66584968
https://archiveofourown.org/works/19966000/chapters/47264551
https://archiveofourown.org/works/33520102
https://archiveofourown.org/works/32160898

 

Whispers of a Raven is an updating fic that I've enjoyed. It's typical TheBlack'sResurgence fare. 3/5 stuff that is easily palatable that peaks higher than that on their climaxes. The dude has tropes he likes and characters he likes, but suffers from seondary characters that are just... There. They're literary bodies that are just plot devices. He has improved a lot since Honour The Blood.

The other fic on your list from that author is Flower for the Soul. I liked it.