To Fight the Coming Darkness - after the gruesome battle scene in Grimmauld Place Harry loses it and starts slowly cutting Snape with a fire whip.

 

Right, the dragon fight from Control has already been mentioned, so what else...

How about Dumbledore's duel against Voldemort in the Ministry, from Perspicacity's The Only One the Dark Lord Feared? That one is just perfect.

 

1.Denarian Series: Pretty much all the climatic end chapters in the trilogy LV resurrection, Harry & Dumbledore vs Voldemort & Vesper, Harry vs Voldemort endfight and in Resistance of Azkaban LV vs Harry (seriously Shezza writes the most epic action scenes ever)

2.The One He Feared: Harrydore vs Voldemort

3.OTWTG: Dom scene, Harry vs Lestranges

4. TLIL: LV confrontation and pretty much all tasks

5. ABC: Harry & Sirius vs Voldemort

6. HPBWL: Grindelwald scene in Nummerngrad and the Harry Calypso duell aswell as the one in the forest

Naruto fics:

The Howling Wind: Konoha rookies killing Anbu and Naruto vs Sasuke

Life in Konoha´s Anbu: Naruto vs Mizukage

Menace other fics Minato pawning clans and the gaara comment from naruto while he is giving him a rasengan in the face

Patriots Dawn: Naruto vs Zabuza, Naruto vs Shuukaku

Excluded many bonding, funny, magic theory moments etc since it would get to much and they are not epic in the same wow way

 

God I remember that fic! Wasn't it the one where Harry learns to ignore the pain from the Cruciatus? Then Ron actually proceeds to curse Harry? If it's the one, it's definitely a novel length fic. Anyone know which one it is?

As for epic moments

Emperor - Opening chapter. I know it's heavily inspired by some videogames cut scene, but it promised so much that it left me giddy with anticipation.

Saving Connor Serie - Lots of amazing scene through that angst fest. When Harry decides he's had enough from Henrietta Bulstrode and confront her in her house has always been one of my favorite. The final confrontation (Connor and Harry interaction) was amazing as was the epilogue. Oh and Harry being drunk on power with that dark witch from Austria.

Guardian by Esama - Not sure about the title. I just remember this scene where some Genji have invaded Atlantis and threaten to blow it up and threaten to kill a woman pregnant with Harry's child. Imperius the lot of them and forced them to go back to their place and blow that shit up.

Timely Errors - When Voldemort is waiting to hear on who was born at the end of july and goes batshit terrifying when he hears the name Harry Potter.

The Prince That Was Promised - Rape scene. Enough said.

Welcome to Hogwarts 1949 - When Harry gives the caretaker wand to Riddle.

I'm sure there's plenty more, but those were the one I could remember quickly.

 

Harry Potter and the Psychic Serpent, near the end.

 

No wonder I had forgotten the name or the fic, thanks. I think I read that when I tried to find a torrent copy of OotP; ages ago! The second book of this trilogy was my favorite, with the whole changing time thing.

 

I just remembered.

Warden vs Archdemon in Blight-Queller. (Dragon Age)

Goddamn.

 

Meh, I think warden vs morrigan in blight-queller was better. If I remember, defeating the Archdemon didn't actually take much effort, just the warden being prepared to face the consequences of what it would actually take to get it done. Actually doing it only took a few paragraphs?

Spoiler

It's been awhile since I read it, but didn't the warden pretty much just sacrifice all the elves in the alienage? Horrendous, maybe, but not really epic.

 

Spoiler

Yeah, that was it. I think it's epic for the sheer balls. Likely that there are other fics with grimdark Wardens, but this was actually a good story, so I could appreciate it instead of rolling my eyes.

 

I know it's not HP fanfiction, but it still was a massive thing for me, so...

Spoiler

From /mlp/, when Zer0 revealed he was another aspect of Slasher, and proceeded to be deleted from the [INDEX]. The absolute shitstorm in the threads from that was incredible. There's still references to it, almost three years later.

Also, when one writer proposed to another, in the thread, at the same time as IRL. We had our fantastic momens.

In HP, I'd have to third Yellow Submarine, because that scene with Arthur's realisation just kept bouncing around in my head for days after reading it the first time.

I can never (ever, I've actually had to ask in the forums before at least once which story it was) remember which one, but the story where Harry realises that Lockhart's whole "I'm more famous" spiel is just an act, and that nobody is taking it seriously.

Portus. Voldemort coming back from the Grey, and what happened within, was just a really nice oneshot.

 

Hmmm, think this one should put this one up for review? It's not exactly a DLP-style story, but it has been mentioned thrice in the thread already.....

Also,

Albus Potter going on a Killing Spree in Clash. I did mention that no fic got the Harry-snaps-completely thing better than OTWTG, but for non-Harry characters, this one is definitely close.

Harry and Slughorn's conversation about Dark magic in OTWTG. It's my head-canon for Dark magic now.

The opening scene of Control. Reading this one always cheers me up.

Several moments in Destiny Redefined. Ginny accidentally being made Voldemort's horcrux when Harry travels back in time and later begging Harry to kill her when they find out through Snape's memories definitely takes the cake here. Many of the character deaths as well.

The final scene of The Unforgiving minute. Why hasn't this been mentioned here before?

Harry's line in Polyjuice, Memory Charms and More : "I can't believe I lost my virginity in Ron's room." Always cracks me up.

The Voldemort-Harry conversation in Sesc's By that Last Candle's Light. Especially this line :

The best Harry/Bellatrix story never written. Damn you, Sesc.

 

Could you link the relevant chapter for this? I'd rather not slog through the whole fic.

 

It'd be probably useful if everyone posted links to the story or chapter in question, for those that don't know the story or the abbreviation.

 

On The Way to Greatness. Somewhere towards the end of chapter 19, but the chapter is long enough that it will probably be better to quote the relevant parts here:

Spoiler

I also love the line : "Dumbledore has great wisdom, But he has always had the liberty of power. He is no poet of the underprivileged." Dumbledore always did sound condescending in canon, whether he meant to or not.

Brilliant scene all round. The writing, tone, characterizations and dialogue -- OTWTG does everything so well. Best story in the fandom IMO.

Odran : Good point. I hadn't realized how long it had become.

 

For ease of looking through the thread, and to avoid other people from being spoiled if need be (depends what the scene is about), you might want to consider putting certain things in spoilers.

 

Magician, by The Wise Tomato. The polar bear.

 

For People Recommending non-HP moments

I'm trying to find a non-epic moment of Game of Champions actually, my favorite part though is Blue talking about what a Champion is.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7354757/6/The-Game-of-Champions

Spoiler

And now, for what went unsaid.

In this world of monsters, there’s only one god of men left: the Champion. He ain’t just or loving, and has no face to worship, because his is ever-changing.

Rather, the Champion’s an idea, an ideal. You hear ‘ideal’ and think ‘naive’, and well, you’re right. Idealism is dead, damned dead, an system of views gone extinct. It can’t grow naturally anymore, not on this cynical planet.

Yet the Champion exists, and the Champion is an ideal. We trainers revere this paradox.

What does the Champion represent? It’s arguable. Responsibility, skill, purpose, purity of focus, the distillation of will? They’ve been said.

I say murder.

How did humans survive the cataclysm which wiped out nearly every other non-pokemon species on the planet? We killed, that’s how, killed, fucked and grew. Pokemon came, in their packs and Wild Hunts* and we killed them, and enslaved them; built walls and drove them back. We’re out of the murky waters now. We’re here to stay.

As the most powerful human on the planet, the Champion is naturally the epitome of that greatest virtue of man. But how to pay homage to such a deadly deity?

My friend, what do you think the Game is?

It’s us - the Champion’s chosen flock, we hunters, we slavers, we killers supreme - all of us, gathering in holy communion to worship our last great divine the only way we know how. By tearing him down and slitting his throat.

Because murder of the ego is still murder, doncha know?

It ain’t easy. Who can kill the ultimate killer? Who can defeat the Champion, who defeated the Champion?

Why, the Champion, of course! Because only god can create a stone so large he cannot lift it, and lift it.

He who defeats the Champion, is Champion. The Champion cannot be defeated.

These are the rules of the Game of Champions.

And then there’s me. Gary Oak. The ladies man. The champ-to-be. The prodigal son. The best there’s ever been. Some call me mad. One calls me Blue. Haven’t you heard? I’m the chosen one! Bow down, losers, I was crowned when they fucking found me.

My apologies in advance to a childhood pal of mine. But really, what’s a little deicidal kill-stealing between rivals?

 

The Hogwarts Battle scene in The Prisoner's Cipher. Definitely one of the best fight scenes in the fandom.

 

Interstitium by AssaultSloth has many. However, seeing as I am currently at this part in my re-read, it will have to do.

Spoiler

It was hard to focus on Aria's words.

Samara found herself staring down at Afterlife's lower levels, to the crowds of aliens carousing below. It was a mélange of sounds and sights, pounding bass and shouted conversation and the clink of glasses, heavy armor and dust-stained uniforms and skintight leather that left little to the imagination, Lysenthi bloom-smoke and the powerful scent of honeymead. It was an ocean of sweat and life and chaos.

And Morinth swum within. Somewhere.

Everywhere. Somehow every flash of movement in Samara's eye turned into her daughter. On the dance floor. Pouncing on a turian at the counter. Bolting out the front door. Samara didn't even know what she would look like – would she still be wearing armor, disguised as a Justicar? Or were the skinny hammocks of cloth the asari strippers wore more to her liking?

"Samara?"

Samara turned to see Shepard and Aria staring at her. Aria had an impatient look on her face, but Shepard looked at her with pity. It took Samara a moment to remember what was asked. "Yes," she said, finding her tongue. "Morinth is very dangerous. She is best left to me."

"Good," Aria said, nodding. "I wasn't planning on sacrificing anybody anyway. I have eyes on her three days ago but she hasn't started anything so I'm leaving her alone."

Shepard bowed his head at Aria. "You've been more than helpful, as always," he said. "I'll go check out this," he gestured to the datapad he'd been typing Aria's news onto, "this 'Nef' situation, see if the mother has anything to help." He turned to Samara. "You want to join me, or…?"

Samara stared at him. "If this woman has lost a daughter to Morinth she will not want to see my face. It would be best if I stayed away." Despite everything, some part of her still doubted they'd find Morinth at all. It would not be the first time she'd been in striking distance only to have her daughter slink away at the last moment. At the very least, if she had killed Nef, she would have put some distance between them by now – Morinth hated dead bodies. "I will inquire at the shipyards for anyone who may have seen her leave Omega."

Shepard grimaced but nodded his agreement. "Alright. Good thinking." He gave Aria a last glance and turned to go, but stopped to put a hand on Samara's shoulder. "We'll find her, Samara." He squeezed reassuringly.

Samara felt overcome with guilt at that, but said nothing as he turned and made his way downstairs, pushing his way through Aria's phalanx of personal guards. Her eyes followed him all the way out of the bar. She hadn't wanted to involve him. A Justicar's life was one of solitude for more reason than one, and in any other situation she would have forged on alone. But she was bound by her oath not to leave Shepard's side until the Collectors were no more. She had to ask.

It hurt to ask help of a human her Code would have her kill. It hurt to know that she would never be able to repay him, and yet that someday she would be compelled to kill him or die trying. And it hurt all the more that Shepard had not balked at the request. He had looked on in respectful silence as she'd confessed her whole sad story. He hadn't even tried to comfort her when she'd admitted that Morinth was her own blood. His face had said it all, and he'd turned the Normandy towards Omega without delay.

Now he was off searching for Morinth's latest victim, putting himself in harm's way for a stranger. He made it difficult to focus on her duty sometimes.

Another hand closed around her shoulder, but this time there was no tenderness there. For a split second Samara was sure it was Morinth and she recoiled with hundreds of years of hard-earned instinct, very nearly tearing the entire suite apart with a biotic field before catching herself.

It was one of Aria's guards. The batarian. His thick-knuckled hand dug into the plate of her shoulder. "Aria's done with you," he growled, apparently unaware of how close to being pulverized he'd just come. "Beat it."

Aria laughed. "Oh please, Anto. She could destroy this whole club if she wanted to, and even I might have trouble stopping her." She shot her guard a toothy grin. "You wouldn't have a chance."

The batarian released Samara's shoulder.

Aria was not done. "In fact? Bow." She pointed to the floor.

All four of the batarian's brows rose. "Ma'am?"

"You heard me. This is a Justicar. A scion of justice for my people, to be afforded great respect. Bow to her," she repeated. She gestured around the room. "All of you."

The guards muttered their confusion but didn't argue, and one by one dropped to press their foreheads against the floor. Samara watched them passively, and was struck by unpleasant memories of when she'd caught her daughter being worshipped as a god by a whole village. She looked at Aria, who grinned back at her, clearly enormously proud of herself, bathing in her own power to be able to order around a platoon of merc guards. Samara supposed it was a clear enough symbol that Aria herself didn't bow, or even bother getting up off of her couch. She was in charge of her domain. She was the one the guards were really bowing to.

"She looks just like you," Aria said. Morinth.

Samara said nothing.

"Of course, I knew she was lying," Aria continued. "She had the armor, the voice, even the walk right. Anybody else would have never known the difference. But her eyes…" Aria tapped her temple. "They were not Justicar eyes. Much too much life in them."

Samara frowned. She knew they looked similar, of course. Morinth had used their uncanny resemblance to escape Thessia in the first place, all those years ago when she was still Mirala. Every few decades Samara would catch her doing it again. She'd even seen security footage of her daughter impersonating her and had to admit, it was a masterful mimicry.

And yet somehow she'd never bought it. She and Morinth looked the same, but they could not be more different. Morinth was a hedonist. A killer. A monster. Did what she did only for herself. While Samara… she had given up everything for duty.

Aria seemed to read her thoughts. "Even so," she said, pretending to inspect her fingernails. "I suppose only one of you is going to leave this station. It won't be easy knowing which, even for the boyscout." She gestured the way Shepard had gone.

"Shepard will know," Samara insisted. "He is a good man. He will see her wickedness."

Aria rolled her eyes. "I don't know… Anybody can act like they care about duty if it gets them what they want." She fixed Samara with a knowing glare that said she was not just talking about Morinth.

Samara frowned. "If you mean to imply something, I'd-"

"Not at all," Aria interrupted, returning her gaze to her nails. She let the silence drag on a few seconds before continuing. "They say to become a Justicar is to become justice enfleshed." She met Samara's eyes. "But they also say it's to trade one slavery for another. They can pretend it's about duty, but nobody gives up a life they haven't already lost."

Samara had to fight to maintain her calm. She felt tears threatening to burst forth at the jibe. It was astonishing how quickly the other asari could get under her skin. But she had not spent centuries meditating away unpleasantness for nothing. The anger and sorrow were quickly stifled. "I gave up my life for the duty I owe her victims," she said, voice quiet.

"Of course," Aria said. "And you don't feel anything besides that." She rolled her eyes again.

Samara had to avert her eyes. She stared at her toes in silence and felt the sorrow crash at her gates. Aria was… right.

"Did she look… well?" she asked, voice just a whisper.

Aria was not smiling anymore. "She did," she said. "She looked happy. Healthy."

Samara said nothing.

"Do you know what 'Omega' means, Justicar?" Aria asked. "It means the end. The finish. The last part. The final blow. Your search will end here. You are almost done."

Samara was shocked to feel another hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Aria standing before her, a dark sympathy on her face. The Queen of Omega looked different on her feet, like a different person.

"It will be over soon," Aria promised. "The damn Code will be happy and you can rest."

"What is the Code to you?"

Aria shrugged. "Nothing. It's dead here, and that's the way I like it." She patted Samara's shoulder one last time. "But I do know what it is to be a mother."

Samara finally let her tears fall.

 

... guys, the thread title says 'HP fanfiction' in it. I mean, crossovers technically fall under that guideline, but a few of you are going full on Dragon Age/Pokemon, etc.