In Prince of the Dark Kingdom the first time that Harry and Voldemort do the winter solstice ritual. Always been my favorite scene in that story.

 

This thread has made me go back and re-read a few classic stories, and as I sit here re-reading "Reign of Power" the one chapter (so far) that really really sticks out is chapter 9 (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2287647/9/Reign_of_Power) specifically this

"Your desire to stay alive has proven greater than any I had met before."

Harry let a contemplative silence envelope him.

"It was simpler when I was younger. I only had to worry about a half-dead Dark Lord. I knew my enemy back then."

"Who is your enemy now?" asked Voldemort with true curiosity.

"I sometimes have to wonder who isn't."

In my opinion, this is the best example of how desperate and alone Harry really is.


EDIT: Just finished re-reading "Reign of Power" and if you're newer to FF, or haven't read this story you really, really should. There are things about the story that I are cliche (heir to multiple founders, Lily Evans came from a line of squibs, Harry is really friendly with all dark creatures, meaningful dreams, and manipulative Dumbledore all stand out) but you have to understand that this story is where those cliches come from and that even though they may be "cliche" by today's standards, some of those cliches, especially the heir of multiple founders, are done in such an original way that if I were to read them in a new story I'd probably except it and move on. The story itself is really well written, every character, particularly the OC's have an extensive back story. The plot is something that hasn't really been duplicated since, and I think that is due to the complexity of the story, I highly doubt there are very many authors out there who could pull it off. My major problem with the story is that while other characters may be developed they don't really do much, for example I would've liked to see more direct involvement of Lord Morrigan. I also really like Ron's character and the ending in general and I kind of wonder if

Spoiler

the author originally planned on writing a stand alone story that features Harry's re-birth before he decided to give up writing FF.

Overall the ingenuity and intrigue of this story is incredible, Harry is the prototypical loner and by the end of the story you really feel bad for him.

 

Even if one weren't outraged for the sake of the people he's killing, I could see where it would be annoying, just for logic's sake. Nazis or no Nazis.

The rank and file soldiers get mowed down without a thought, but the people who are in charge and making the really horrific decisions/orders get the second chance? It's ass backwards.

Though, in some situations the justification could be that you don't have the opportunity to play nice and give second chances to the soldiers, because they tend to come at you in large numbers, whereas the person in charge could be sequestered alone somewhere... or only encountered after his minions are already disposed of, again making him a solitary opponent.

There's probably also the dehumanizing effect of soldiers being depicted as 'the mob', an obstacle composed of so many faces that it becomes faceless and anonymous in nature, whereas the commander is a solitary opponent, automatically given more humanity by his/her depiction as a singular and distinct entity.

I can't comment on this story, specifically, since I can't recall if I've read it or not. So many stories...

 

The duels between Harry and Voldemort in front of the Burrow in the Sacrifice Arc. It's grandiose.

In the same arc, I loved when Harry cornered some pureblood witch to swear an Unbreakable Vow and the thoughts process of the witch. Something about finding a wizard worth serving...because he had beat her or something like that.

Otherwise, one of my most emotional moment in FF was in HP and the BWL from Santi. Harry meets up with Dumbledore, Flitwick and McGonagall and explains why he wants to transfer. It is so well written.

Cauterize. The whole fic is...wow.

 

Master Eldryn's stories come to mind. Some of the first "Harry is powerful" stories that I can recall finding.

Harry Potter and the Highway to Hell was just batshit insane, and I wish I'd had a chance to read the ending. Harry was the one Pure Soul that existed, and if I recall correctly he gets kissed by a Dementor. This corrupts the soul and proves the Creator, God, wrong.

Reading it now, I'd probably think it was ridiculous, but at the time it was amazing.

 

In Naruto and the Rocks when it's about to end

Spoiler

and Naruto dies

. I really wasn't expecting that and it turned what would otherwise be an average story into an introspective look into the momentary joys of life, as well as the inevitable surety of death.

 

I took several years off from fanfic (because I got addicted to manga). So I have a few moments (prior 2006) that are just blurry for me.

The first fic I read when I got back into fanfic was Vox Corpis. The scene near the end where Harry tells Hermione that he always viewed christmas from under the stairs in the cupboard. Well it gets me every time.

After that I read a string of Harry/Hermione fics Including NettieT's Harry Potter and the Twisted Timeline. Snape as Hermione's father made me cringe every time I read it but still I liked the fic. Though it's sequel started to crossover with Buffy and I dropped it.

Harry Potter and the Temporal Beacon gave me new hope with timetravel fics, I loved it's reset button idea.

Fettucini's Knowledge is Power it's a garystu fic... But I forgive it because Harry is doing it all out of a love he feels for his mother. Though it was abandoned so close to the beginning of the climax.

The Original Ace of Spades (before the author deleted it and started rewriting it) was a really good squibHarry! fic until the point where Harry escaed from death eaters, and stumbles to one of his classmates house. She has this weird obsession with him and ties him to her bed.... What I liked about the fic though is that death made Harry his "favorite son" so to speak and that Harry really has his own life.

 

How about that time in The Office, when- uke:

Er, sorry. That time in The Off- :fire

Let me start over...


That time in-

 

Ella/Deadwoodpecker has a couple of scenes that stand out for me as among the most memorable in fanfiction:

In Yellow Submarine, Arthur finally realizes why his daughter hates him--Malfoy senior (and other Death Eaters) took on his Polyjuiced form to rape his captive daughter continually for months. In his rage, he blows up his shed.

At the end of Backward with Purpose book 1, when Harry, knowing he's about to die, walks out to Voldemort and is joined by a hundred Patronuses--for some reason, the scene sticks with me more than the moment in canon.

Another memorable fanfiction episode that stands out: Harry's mental breakdown following his killing of Dumbledore in lulu42's Path of Decision.

 

The scene in The Phoenix and the Serpent where Harry is finally leaving the Crystal Cage, and Dhalia realizes that her 15mo old son wasn't barbecued alive. Her primary reason for going uber-dark was a lie, and Harry is actually her (very distant) descendant.

In the same story, the moment when Dhalia decides to die. I understood her reasoning, but Harry was completely devastated. That stuck with me.

 

My favorite fanfiction moment is from Years of Rebellion. The mid-air chase/rescue scene when Harry and Ron rescue Ginny from Pettigrew.

 

The scene in 'By That Last Candle's Light' by SeriousScribble when Harry convinces the Dark Lord to ignore the Prophecy so that they may both live.

That is my favorite line in Fanfiction.

 

It sounds like you don't realize that SeriousScribble is our own Sesc.

EDIT:

I wanted to read that story, since her writing is great and I really enjoyed Polyjuice, Memory Charms, and More as well as what was written of Socks, but the subject matter was just too much for me. I don't say that often, since I've read more than a handful of stuff posted here that's along the same lines, but that was just more than I could put aside. Not that it was especially graphic from what I remember of the point at which I stopped reading - it was simply the idea of it.

 

I most definitely do.

 

I'm relatively very new to FF, but the first one I read was almost the last - Barb's trilogy. It was so, SO awesome up until the big punch in the face at the end, and that almost made me not keep reading homebrewed stories. I don't think I could give up what had really become my whole existence for someone I hated, even if in another dimension/time I liked a separate version of them. My favorite scene from the whole lot is when Fleur shows up at the wedding, pure awesome. If it wasn't for the fact that I decided to give it a chance and read one more - Wastelands - I'd never have kept reading. Thanks Joe.

Most of the standout stories I can think of have already been mentioned, so I won't regurgitate them. Glad to have more to add to my "haven't started but must read" bookmark folder though, thanks.

The only thing I can say from a writer's perspective is jesus christ, you guys make it seem so much easier than it really is to make something worth reading. Some authors just make me not want to even try, they're so great at telling a story. It's daunting.

 

Yeah, Joe has that effect on me, too.

 

Whatever Jim

 

I loved that scene. Enough said...

...

@Johnnyseattle: Yeah, I feel you man, the only thing which keeps me going is the knowledge that with fifty years more practice... maybe...

 

I'm pretty sure this is one of the Apprentice Potter series. But this is not how it works. IIRC Harry wants to infiltrate a house that is warded but knows bypassing the wards by stealth is beyond him. So he blasts through them, warning the occupants and then uses the timeturner inside the wards, thus being inside them before he'd raised the alarm. Joe used a similar device in the Wastelands.

 

Speaking of The Hero Trilogy...

Joe here wrote a hilarious omake about Voldemort and Wormtail playing chess.

Perhaps you remember this?