Hey DLP,

I'm looking forfics featuring the two, with good characterizations and preferably very little romance. I don't mind if it's implied or if it adds an interesting layer to their friendship/rivalry (although my headcanon is that Dumbledore's feelings for Grindelwald went unrequited and were mostly ignored).

Writing their characters for the first time for a fic right now, so I'm mainly looking for inspiration. Wanted to consult the very best in the fandom.

Bonus points if the fic includes:

-Historical accuracy (if such a thing exists in fanfic)
-The Greater Good, Deathly Hallows, magic-related endeavors.
-Politics! Just, lots of tactical thinking and maneuvering and whatnot.
-Young Riddle in any shape or form

 

Phantasy by Tsume Yuki. It received 3/5 rating a few weeks ago. Dumbledore is just background character, but other than that, it is very close to your requirements.

 

I wouldn't say Grindelwald is a background character in Phantasy. He's a main character. And I'm not so certain the story does fit OP's requirements: it's a story about a Harry Potter trying to prevent the apocalypse, reincarnated again and again and able to bring back different people from the dead to help him. This run he says fuck it and chooses Voldemort and Grindelwald.


There's very little interaction between Dumbledore and Grindelwald. There's a young riddle, but he's secretly old riddle. It's a fun read, but not particularly serious. Here's the library thread.

 

Well, there's Twist of Fate by firePhoenix8.

Harry is taken the night Dumbledore is about to leave him with the Dursleys. With forces meddling in the timeline, Harry and Tom become the Riddle brothers. Follow the boys from the 1930s, WWII & Grindelwald, to canon years and a much changed future. Slash.

Well written, with good worldbuilding and Politics and strong characterizations. Really slow paced though and it has slash, though I don't think it got there yet, even after 700k+words. On the bright side, it has quite a bit of substance, so skim the stuff you don't like and read the rest.

There is also a canon compliant fic of the Grindelwald-Dumbledore war on HPFF that I can't seem to find at the moment. But I did find a couple of stories that got awards there, so this might help:

The Deathly Children by Teh Tarik : In the village of Godric's Hollow, the Dumbledore family is falling apart. Kendra Dumbledore is dead under mysterious circumstances, and Albus is the unwilling guardian to his wayward brother Aberforth, and Ariana, their mad sister in the attic. But everything changes with the arrival of Gellert Grindelwald, violently charming juvenile delinquent with an obsession for the fabled Deathly Hallows.

This one seems to be a romance :

L'optimisme by Aphoride : Language shapes the world, for good or for evil. In silence, wounds fester and arguments begin. And what are wars but arguments out of control? Albus/Gellert.

Good luck with your story.

 

Twist of Fate doesn't feature main character slash, but there's plenty on the side. Not to mention the AN are incredibly annoying.

 

Phantasy is pretty amusing. Not quite what I was looking for, but a pretty fun read. The fem!Harry thing is a bit WTF like Palindrome's review said.

I've read a fair bit of Twist of Fate in the past. I really enjoyed it. I can't remember why I stopped (I expect, because it was really slow paced) but maybe I'll go on to see how the politics and Grindelwald angle develop. But yeah, great world building. And really impressive work given how long it is. It looks like it's abandoned though.

I've tried the ones on HPFF already and while being well written, they aren't quite what I'm looking for.

Also, I think there was a Dumbledore / Grindelwald fic that was recced here some time back, where they exchange letters over the years. Does anyone know what it's called?

Thanks guys. Also, if anyone has any more recs, feel free to share!

 

Hmm, there's a short (and abandoned) story in the WBA depicting a young Albus and Grindelwald, but it stops before it ever goes anywhere. Maybe The Last Straw by AlbusPHolmes?

Also check out the first few chapters of The One He Feared by Taure.

 

Thirty Five Owls by Letterblade. It has quite a bit of romance though.

The Finest Hour is a canon compliant fic regarding Grindelwald and Dumbledore. Might want to give it a shot.