Bookworm's Musings

I'm looking for Sentinel/Harry Potter crossovers. Any genre (Slash, Gen, Het) is fine as long as Jim & Blair are either together or have a very close friendship. I would like to see some stories where The Sentinel characters are NOT all "The Wizarding world is wondrous". I don't necessarily want them to think the Wizarding world sucks, either. Instead, I would like them to take a more realistic "some parts are good, some parts are bad" view. Stories where one of TS characters turns out to be a wizard are fine, but I would really like stories where neither Jim nor Blair are actually wizards, but rather that they have powers of their own. I mean, Blair as a Shaman could simply have a different, more deep & spiritual type of magic then your average wizard. And Jim, well Jim is special without any Wizarding magic, although it would be fine if being a Sentinel gives him a certain resistance to Wizarding magic. Really, I don't want either set of characters to take over the show, but rather a nice blend of the two. I would really like to see Jim's (or Blair's) opinions on the way the Wizarding world treats Harry Potter, both canon and fanon. Just what does he think of a world of adults expecting a child to fight their battles? What does he think about the way the Dursleys, Dumbledore, and Snape treat Harry? What does he think of the way the Wizarding World responds to Voldemort? An AU where Jim and Blair rescue and/or raise Harry would be quite interesting.
Does anyone know of any stories like this?  I've tried searching, but I haven't found much. If you know of a good story, please give me the URL. If I get enough responses, I'll make a Thematic List of the results.

According to the Lexicon, in OOTP Harry didn't open the package Sirius gave him containing the two-way mirror until after Sirius was dead. Harry's reasoning, of course, was that he didn't want to tempt Sirius to leave the safety of Grimmauld Place, so he decided not to use whatever-it-was in the package. That struck me as rather sad, since regular conversations with Harry and his friends might actually have helped Sirius feel more comfortable stuck in that dreadful place, not to mention the help and comfort Harry could have gotten. So, what if Harry had opened the package shortly after receiving it, and made use of it? How would that have changed things? I would love to read some fics about this, from either Harry or Sirius' point of view, detailing how Harry's choice to open and use the mirror changed the events at the Department of Mysteries or even prevented it altogether. I'm off to search for some. Suggestions, anyone? Slash is preferred, but Gen is fine and Het is ok. I'll let you know if I find any really good ones.

I love reading fan fiction. When I first discovered it, I was like "Wow! Free Books!" Slash is such an interesting branch of fan fiction because it opens a whole new world for the reader. I got tired of regular romance books a long time ago. Same old, same old. Booorrring! But slash is much more interesting. I'm not sure if I can really explain why, but I'm addicted. :)

Today's Recommendation is:

Sympathetic Magic by shedoc10.

It's rated R, & the pairing is Harry/Ron. This is a Ron rescues Harry from the Dursleys' novel. In many slash works, Ron becomes the Betrayer, the token Evil Guy, He-Who-Is-Not-To-Be-Trusted, etc. This story gives us a whole new look at Ron as a protector and nurturer. The writing is reasonably clear and the characterization is quite believable. A sweet and tender work, maybe a little fluffy, but not excessively so. It is my favorite Ron/Harry story.

I found another great Harry/Ron while I was browsing this morning!

Growing Pains by Shedoc10
PG13 - R, Ron/Harry

Another nurturing!Ron story by Shedoc10. Sweet and tender, with believable characterizations. Dumbledore is dealt with in a believable and realistic way. He is neither evil or angelic, instead, he is portrayed as fallible human being who makes mistakes and must live with the results just like everyone else. The most interestingly portrayed character is Minerva. She is shown as strong, capable woman who has a mind of her own, instead of just blindly following Dumbledore. I think many writers forget that as the deputy headmistress of Hogwarts, she must present a solid front of support for the Headmaster in public to prevent the students from exploiting any weaknesses and undermining the faculties' authority. They tend to forget that she can have private opinions that disagree with Dumbledore's.

This is well written and worth reading.

Another story by Shedoc10! Just discovered most of these, and I can't wait to share them. *grin*

Actually, I'm thinking of starting a Harry/Ron Rec List.

Here's the Rec:

Head, Heart, & Soul by Shedoc10
PG13, Harry/Ron

This story shows Ron as a bit more temperamental than her other stories, but happy endings all around! Harry kills Voldemort in a rather unique way as well.

I want to thank painless_j for her help with my Harry/Ron rec list.

Today's Rec is:
The Forbidden Forest by Athea (also here)
R - NC17; RH/SS, HP/OMC, DM/CW, RL/OFC, SB/OFC; MPREG, Rape, Violence
This is one of my favorite HP fics. I read it over and over again. One of the very best Snape/Hagrid fics, their relationship is very sweet and tender. Hagrid takes care of Snape after he is nearly killed by the Death Eaters. The author has created several interesting non-canon characters that add depth to the story. There are a few plot-holes and OOC characterizations, but they don't really interfere with the story. However, the story does depart from cannon sometime after the first book, although it incorporates some cannon elements. A very enjoyable read.
Note: The second story link above is missing several chapters at the end. Go to the Author's website by clicking on her name.

Today's rec is:

Crumbling Pedestal by ShivaniBlue
R - NC17; HP/OFC, HP/SS; AU
This is one of my Favorite AU fics. It has elements of time-travel in it, and creates a reasonably detailed version of the HP universe. Several of Harry's children, both natural and adopted, are mentioned. If you want to see Harry stop letting other people manipulate him and take charge of his own life, this is the story for you. It's not fluffy, but it's not dark and depressing either.

 Bookworm

Today's Fanfic Rec:

The Mirror of Maybe by Midnight Blue
R - NC17; HP/SS; WIP

I usually hate WIPs, and refuse to read them until they're finished. But this story was so good that I was hooked, and by the time I realized it was a WIP, it was too late! It has elements of time travel, but not exactly. This is one of the best "Harry goes back in time to change the future" fics that I have ever read. Except, that's not exactly what happens. You'll see what I mean. This is a well-written, believable universe. The author has paid close attention to detail, and has carefully avoided the trap of making Harry invincible or giving him ridiculous super-powers. Harry worked very hard to gain any unusual skills he might have. Yes, it's a WIP, but it stops at a very reasonable place and shouldn't interfere with your enjoyment of the story.
While the story has been unfinished for a long time, there have been recent rumors that the author plans to start working on it again soon.
This story is so great, in fact, that it has gained it's very own fandom! You can read fics written by fans of MoM at the Yahoo! Group found here. I particularly recommend a Fic called Days and Days, which deals with Lockhart after the Chamber of Secrets "incident". It's an excellent look at the character of Lockhart and I hope the author of it keeps on writing it.
Both The Mirror of Maybe and the fanfic written in the same universe are well worth reading.

 Bookworm

The Healing Series by The Great Sarini
R - NC17; Harry/Remus; Time-Travel
The above link will take you to the Author's Yahoo! Group. Once you've joined, go to the Files section and open the folder named Healing. The four books in the series are in .PDF format so you will need a PDF viewer. You may also find abridged versions of these stories on fanfiction.net.

This is a really good "Harry goes into the past and meets the Marauders" fic. Can he change the future? Should he? Harry does not have superpowers or anything like that. This is a very believable Harry/Remus fic. There are a few plot-holes, etc. but nothing serious. A good read.

 Bookworm

Today’s Rec is:

The Corruption Sequence by beren_writes 
NC17; Harry/Draco; Extreme Violence, Mild non-con, Dark!Harry;

Beren is a great writer, and this story is one of my favorites by her. Harry defeats Voldemort in a unique way, but not before he is tortured by Voldemort. This is about a Dark!Harry, not an Evil!Harry. The non-con is actually more like rough sex where the consent is not clear. And, yes, the story has a happy ending.

While you’re at her livejournal, check out the rest of Beren’s stories. They’re all worth reading.

 Bookworm

Today I'm going rec a Het story (gasp). I usually don't read Het, but this one was good.

Living With Danger by WhyDoYouNeedToKnow
PG13 - R; Remus/OFC, Sirius/OFC; Het!, moderate violence, refers to child neglect & abuse;

What if Remus took Harry away from the Dursleys when he was only a toddler? What if Sirius escaped from prison much earlier? This is a story about Harry's life with the "Pack": Remus & Sirius & their wives.  Happy Ending, surprise character appearances, and, of course, Danger! And don't worry, no explicit sex scenes. Worth reading, I highly recommend it.

 Bookworm

For those of you who are Harry Potter fans and find fanon!Dumbledore's manipulative, I-Know-Best personality annoying, I have found this hilarious little tale you just have to read! It will have you rolling on the floor with laughter! I present:
The Marriage by Janara
PG-13, m/m implied.
I highly recommend it!
Janara's other work is pretty good too, although it does go on a bit.

Cartographer's Craft by Copperbadge
Mature; HP/SB, RL/NT, RW/HG; Het & Slash
This is a surprisingly good Harry Potter/Young Sirius Black slash story. Very well written, with a heavy emphasis on plot. Remus is a strong secondary character, and the characterization of Harry is refreshing and realistic. I highly recommend it.

Recently I have been re-reading many of my old favorites in the Harry Potter fandom, and, as a result, have come up with many new and interesting story ideas for my own writing.  As a secondary result of my reading habits, I have had the chance to become re-acquainted with the works of several truly wonderful writers. One of those writers is DrT, who can be found here at FictionAlley.  DrT is an excellent writer who pays close attention to details and has created several very interesting worlds for Harry Potter and his friends to live and learn in. Quite frankly, I highly recommend all of his stories and one-shots, as they are all truly excellent and well thought-out works. DrT's one draw-back, in my opinion, is the fact that he does not write slash except as minor background pairings. However, his stories do, for the most part, focus more on plot-line than on romance, and so are definitely worth reading even if you do not care for Het. If you are looking for some interesting, well-written, and detailed Harry Potter fanfiction, you will greatly enjoy DrT's works.