Harry Potter
Archive Of Our Own
“What I find absolutely fascinating,” Riddle said, stalking closer, “is you.” He marched forward, backing Harry up until he was pinned to the cool wall of the common room. “Do you know why?”
“No. And I’ll be honest here, Riddle, I don’t particularly care.”
The taller boy grinned at him, small yet infinitely pleased. “That. Right there.” One hand rose and brushed some of Harry’s fringe from his face. “Nathan Ciro was a spineless little boy too afraid of his own shadow to dare even glance in my direction. But you…”
He leaned closer, “You look at me like you want to stab me.”
After an accident, Auror Harry Potter wakes up in the body of fourteen year old Nathan Ciro, a tormented Slytherin who recently tried to end his own life. Seeking answers to his strange predicament, Harry returns to Hogwarts, and causes quite the stir through staff and students - especially when they come to realise he is not the same boy as before.
He tries to avoid suspicion, but as his quest for the truth draws more and more attention to him, Harry begins to think that he might not like what he will discover.
My thoughts:
Just a really good, dramatic fic. I like OTKW's characterizations of everyone in this fic. Tom Riddle actually feels like a smooth talking mastermind trying to climb his way out of the mud. Orion really does seem to have the Black madness. Everyone is a little fucked up, which is fun. I especially like the little worldbuilding tidbits they slip in. Differences in culture because of the time period and such.
Archive Of Our Own
"So you're adopted?
"Supposedly."
"So your Dad ... he's not ...?"
"Seems like it."
"Huh." Theo stares at Harry with those grey eyes that look silver in the cauldron smoke between them. "But you're the heir to this ... House of Prince, so he's probably -"
"Yes. Probably." Harry looks at Theo sharply. "You don't know who he is, do you?"
"No." Theo looks back just as sharply. "If I did, I would tell you. You know I would."
"I do."
Something loosens inside Harry's chest. Something that has been tightening ever since Cedric died. He may not have his friends, or Sirius, or even know who he fucking is anymore, but he has this. At least he has Theo.
Summer of 4th year and Harry's all alone, dealing with his grief and the sudden revelation that James Potter is not his father. Support comes in a strange form. The form of Theo Nott, son of a death Eater. A strange friend who says he'll help him find his true father, whoever this Lord Prince might be.
My thoughts:
The writer of this fic really did just throw all their ideas into one pot and say, "let me cook" and, goddammit, they cooked.
This is an epic, something that pays homage to the legends of old. It is also just really fun to read. This fic and its sequels are, like, prodigiously long, but I tore through them in about a day and a half. And I've reread them all THREE TIMES by this point.
It wouldn't be a Mortaki rec if I didn't wax poetic about worldbuilding, and YES, this fic does some really fun things with the history and culture of the wizarding world. Seeing the little tidbits about each family's roots and how they respect them is a treat every time. I love the deep inner lore of the Prince bloodline. AND IT'S NOT JUST WHITE PEOPLE. Amazing, truly. I wish there was more so I could stuff it straight into my mouth like a toddler grabbing fistfuls of cake.
One of my favorite parts of this fic is the relationship between Harry and Theo. They're just really fucking sweet. I love seeing Theo be a little feral gremlin under that cool-headed exterior. That's my favorite interpretation of him. I love how enchanted he is with Harry. Don't worry, Harry is just as down wretched. It's very cute. Like achingly cute. They make me feel stupidly single and I don't even want to be in a realtionship.
The found family is strong with this one as well. It's kind of heartbreaking to watch Harry go from being utterly alone to having friends and family he can actually rely on. Like it hurts to witness because the process is NOT painless. It's messy and awful and entirely nonlinear. It means when everything does finally pay off, it feels like it is truly worth something. And all the characters are so, so, very aware of that.
Fanfiction.net
Sorted into Slytherin with the whisper of prophecy around her, Hermione refuses to bow down to the blood prejudices that poison the wizarding world. Carving her own path forward, Hermione chooses to make her own destiny, not as a Muggleborn, a halfblood, or as a pureblood... but as a New Blood, and everything the mysterious term means. ((Short chapters, done scene by scene))
My thoughts:
This is both kind of silly and fun while being very serious at times. It made me wonder why Hermione isn't in Slytherin because it actually fits her character so well. There's politics, and cleverness, and lots of magic worldbuilding.
Archive of Our Own
Regulus closes his eyes and shakes his head again, looking pained, then he opens them and sighs. "And your solution to this is me? Pretending to be my boyfriend?"
"Yeah. It's actually bloody brilliant, if you think about it. Everyone will leave happy. I'm going to fake date my way into falling in love," James announces grandly, sticking his hand out and waving it through the air like he's presenting a banner.
***
Or, the one in which James Potter wants to prove he'd be a good boyfriend to Lily Evans and comes up with the brilliant plan to fake date Regulus Black his way into falling in love. It doesn't quite go as anyone expects.
Task failed...successfully?
My thoughts:
Sobbing?? I love this fic???
I am, at my core, an absolute sucker for sweet romances and that is exactly what this is. That's what I love about this ship in general, but this is just... really, really cute.