Ab Epistulis

Title: Ab Epistulis
Author: cornmouse
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Draco/Harry
Warning: PG-13, post-hogwarts
Length: Novella
Status: Completed


Takes place when Draco is 30, living in Edinburgh, Scotland. Draco owns a bookstore and ends up developing a correspondence with the author of his favorite novel. 


At AO3

This fanfiction does not contain any note-worthy slash scenes; rather, it is the author's challenge to create a reconcilation between Draco and Harry after the war. This idea deserves a rec.

Can't Let You Steal My Heart

Title: Can't Let You Steal My Heart
Author: thisisforyou
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock
Warning: PG-13, illness (Sherlock)
Length: Novella
Status: Completed



Sherlock Holmes has been beaten by precisely four people in his extensive career. John Watson is NOT about to become number five.


At AO3


Classic, definitely.
Yeah, so two cases, a very ambitious John and a rather inexperienced, unsure Sherlock. Is there a better formula to start into a story?
I love the characters in here;
John, caring, yearning, loving. Sherlock, unsure, rash, curious, out of depth.

The Whore of Babylon Was a Perfectly Nice Girl

Title: The Whore of Babylon Was a Perfectly Nice Girl
Author: out_there
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Sherlock/John (implied), Mycroft, Sherlock/OMC(s)
Warning: R, slash
Length: Medium
Status: Completed


Sherlock walks into a room and takes all the space right out of it. He does the same inside John's head.

At AO3


Is it horrible that I really wanted a one shot of Sherlock's version how he would have pulled John?
I suppose...
Some count it as classic, I don't. It's nice but there's not an especially out-standing trait in there. It's a very good story, though.

Same author as:
Leave the Signs and the Sirens
Seventeen Letters

Hope I Made You Proud

Title: Hope I Made You Proud
Author: the_ones_that_ran
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock, OMC (Hamish)
Warning: PG-13, character death (Sherlock)
Length: Short
Status: Completed


After the death of his father - the world's only consulting detective - thirteen-year-old Hamish reflects on his unique upbringing at 221B Baker St., and his very own definition of family.


At AO3

Damn, I hate seeing Sherlock die. And yet I am always captivated by John's grief. A vicious cycle, I tell you.
Well, didn't particular care for Hamish, but this makes it on my list of stories worth to be read.
The love Sherlock had for his small family is heart-warming, really. It's not OoC or depicted in a sugary way.  Made his death even harder for me.

A Matter of Trust: First Things First

Title: A Matter of Trust: First Things First
Author: kaiz, Jo-san
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Kingsley/Snape (switch, mainly bottom!Snape), McGonagall(Prequel)
Warning: NC-17, slash, injury (Snape), war
Length: Novella
Status: Completed


Shortly after the events in Goblet of Fire, several new members join the Order. One of them takes an unusual interest in Severus, but to what end?



At AO3

I love this one. It focuses on Snape's insecurities and that even though he tries to keep people out so much, he cares and is willing to let somebody get near him. This tangled mess of emotions, war-related topics and the stark contrast of those lovers... I just love it.
In this pairing category, definitely a classic.

Prequel:
Justice for All

Sins of the Children

Title: Sins of the Children
Author: Mel J1701
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Snape, Remus
Warning: PG-13, suicidal, injury (coma)
Length: Short
Status: Completed



'He felt dead inside. He was so tired of it all.' In 1976, the attempted suicide of a boy at Hogwarts will haunt the lives around him and the very future itself... 


At FF


I love this story. It's so full of hurt and I really am near tears, even after reading it for the third time in my life.
This belongs to the kind of stories you don't forget.

Contracted

Title: Contracted
Author: Lomonaaeren
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Draco/Harry, OMC (Jared Sandborn)
Warnings: R, slash, post-hogwarts
Length: Novel
Status: Completed


Harry Potter is the perfect Auror, Jared Sandborn is the perfect Minister, and they control the wizarding world between them. One late night at a Ministry gala, seven years after the war, Draco Malfoy finds out why-and what it might take to change things.


At FF


Who isn't familiar with Lomonaaeren?
While I don't count this as one of her best works, it still holds some charm to deserve a rec.

Same Author as:
World in Pieces
The Only True Lords

Come Apart at the Seams

Title: Come Apart at the Seams
Author: harlequindreaming
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock
Warning: R, slash, character death (Sherlock), illness (Sherlock), drug abuse, suicidal
Length: Medium
Status: Completed

Sherlock’s often considered his body and everything else as merely transport for his brain. Then the transport starts to malfunction and everything goes to pieces. Everything comes apart.


At AO3



It's tragic, and sad, and completely unfair.
Nothing to add.
Very similiar to "Alone in the Water".

Caledonian Road

Title: Caledonian Road
Author: omen1x2
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: OMC/Sherlock, John/Sherlock
Warning: NC-17, rape, mention of drug abuse, murder (John)
Length: Short
Status: Abandoned



John goes to prison for burglary, and meets a fascinating, broken genius. He wants nothing more than to just keep to himself for the entirety of his sentence, but something about this man gets under his skin.


At AO3


I really should be doing something different at the moment XD but I kind of want to update this. The bookmarks keep gathering on my phone.
Well, this is interesting due to the setting. I once read a similiar fanfiction depicting Harry and Draco in prison, but it wasn't as interesting as this. Remarkably about Caledonian Road is the fact that John is rather dominant. He is sure of what he does, even if it's not actually wise. This kind of helps the story to develop.

Using Any Means Necessary

Title: Using Any Means Necessary
Author: rivulette
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: (Snape/Harry), Draco/Harry
Warning: NC-17, slash, character death (Draco), war
Length: Medium
Status: Completed



Draco is told to find information about the Order through Harry using any means necessary. 



Pt I: At LJ
Pt II: At LJ
Pt III (Separate Endings): At LJ


Angsty story mainly focusing on Draco's feelings. The Snarry part is more or less a bit on the light side, so I do not take it for a real Snarry. This is Drarry. And a classic.

Death Takes a Holiday

Title: Death Takes a Holiday
Author: LyraNgalia, rude_not_ginger
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Sherlock/Irene
Warning: R, het, drug abuse, injury, BDSM
Length: Novel
Status: Ongoing

After his Fall, the ghost of Sherlock Holmes and the late Irene Adler find themselves unexpectedly reunited in the Montenegrin city of Kotor. But just because a reunion is unexpected does not mean it is unwelcome, and the Consulting Detective and the Woman agree to a tenuous partnership to bring down the remainder of Jim Moriarty's network.

But would the obliteration of the spider's web and the promise of resurrection for Sherlock Holmes be enough to keep such a volatile partnership intact?

At AO3



With this series, there's a lot going on beneath the surface. Not an easy read and not really a pleasurable one. This is very intricately woven and requires real effort by the reader to see the parts. Otherwise the pieces do not fit, you cannot gain much from it.
It's actually quite a feat; you never know whether the author lost herself in the story or whether you need to reread the entire chapter. It's a good, a difficult story taking place at so many levels it's not easy to keep track, to remain in control of what you experience.

Beyond Repair

Title: Beyond Repair
Author: tenderly_wicked
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock, Sherlock/OMC(s)
Warning: NC-17, rape (Sherlock), drug abuse
Length: Short
Status: Completed


As a youth, John used to be a troublemaker. Since then, bad memories still haunt him.


At AO3


Angsty, a bit on the dark side. God, I love to explore new territory, and John and Sherlock having a history? Not that new to me. John having raped Sherlock? That definitely made it on my list of novelties. I really was kind of sceptical whether this could be compatible with my head canon characterizations. Well, it does. The author depicts John's angst quite nicely. I liked him fretting, uncertain, feeling guilty.

Soul Weaver

Title: Soul Weaver
Author: KarentheUnicorn
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Snape/OFC, Harry, Dumbledore, Lily
Warning: PG-13, character death (Snape), mention of het, memory loss
Length: Novel
Status: Discontinued



Soul Weaver is a story of regret and redemption spanning the life of Severus Snape. Learn the truth about Snape's past a past that has been hidden even from him. Join Harry as he searches for the truth to Snape's past.



At FF

Is there a more mind-blowing, confusingly cute story about Snape and a female OC?
No, don't think so. Not that I usually read them. I despise OCs. So, take my word, as a OC-hater, this story is definitely a must-read. No classic, I am afraid, but it deserves everything else and more.

Forgotten Not Forgiven

Title: Forgotten Not Forgiven
Author: Digitallace
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Draco/Harry, Ginny
Warning: PG-13, mention of slash, post-hogwarts
Length: Novella
Status: Completed


Malfoy always did have an odd way of going after what he wanted.


At AO3


A bit on the weak side concerning characterization but a nice idea and the story flows quite well. Deserves to be read.


Same Author as:
Trophy

Desperate

Title: Desperate
Author: marysutherland
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Sherlock, John, onesided Lestrade/Sherlock, Lestrade/OMC
Warning: R, slash, character death (Sherlock)
Length: Medium
Status: Completed


There's a simple reason why Lestrade puts up with Sherlock...


At AO3

Lestrade's POV, and a kind of character study. It's more or less about how the events throughout the series influenced and hurt him.

Same author as:
The Match Is on
The Adventure of the Three Bedirrags

Control, Alt, Delete

Title: Control, Alt, Delete
Author: MirithGriffin
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock (switch), Sherlock/OMC
Warning: NC-17, slash, suicidal, memory, BDSM
Length: Novella
Status: Completed



If you could delete everything except what was really important, would you? Sherlock and John explore the question and each other. 


At AO3


Another "character study". John's realization that Sherlock's deleting led to his child-like emotional stage, is quite deep, in a way.
The BDSM was nice and well-done, even though this certainly does not qualify as a BDSM story at all. It's one chapter that particularly stands out - and that was fanservice. Yet, this author did better than many others who write stories after stories, or even publish them (like shades).

Lost For Words

Title: Lost For Words
Author: awanderingbard
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John, Sherlock, mommy Holmes, Mycroft
Warning: PG-13, injury, disability, amnesia
Length: Novella
Status: Completed




Sherlock is assaulted by an unknown assailant while John is away at a medical conference, leaving him with a severe brain injury. While his intellect and personality are intact, he's lost the use of his right-side limbs and his ability to speak freely. John suddenly finds himself as the main source of support, and possibly a caregiver, to a flatmate who is struggling to do the things he loves most. And Sherlock Holmes has never been the best of patients.



At AO3


A nice mommy Holmes. A nice one! One which seems almost normal. And with a rather normal Sherlock - mommy Holmes interaction! Really.
And the end makes you grin.
Because... everyone's fine^^

Same author as:
An Interesting Puzzle

Trophy

Title: Trophy

Author: Digitallace

Fandom: Harry Potter

Characters: Draco/Harry, Lucius, Narcissa, Ron

Warning: NC-17, slash, post-hogwarts

Length: Novella

Status: Completed

Scoundrel, libertine, whore: words often used to describe Draco Malfoy, but what happens when the man who seeks only to conquer new lovers, gets bored and chooses a more difficult target? Will Harry give into Malfoy or will Draco be left wanting?

At FF

Harry's rather self-confident in here and stands his ground, next to Draco. Funnily, it's Draco who seems kind of adrift, kind of unsure at times, though he assumes a rather "dominant" role. I liked this contrast.

Same Author as:
Forgotten Not Forgiven

The Snidget

Title: The Snidget
Author: Acid, Sinick
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Snape/Harry, Voldemort
Warning: R, mention of slash, animal, war, school
Length: Medium
Status: Completed


After the Dark Lord's victory, Headmaster Snape is living under a sword's edge, when hope flies in past his shields.



At AO3


Belongs to the classics, definitely.
This story features a good Snape POV. It's not that much of a Snarry, more of a war-time fic with focus on Snape. And that's what I like it for.


Same Authors as:
The Price of Magic and its sequel: We've Got a Thing On
Commonplace Magic

Dear Aunt Snape

Title: Dear Aunt Snape
Author: marginaliana
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Snape, Luna
Warning: PG
Length: Short
Status: Completed



Snape's words reach more people than he'd counted on when he is recruited for The Quibbler's new advice column.



At AO3


This story really put me in a difficult spot: I don't rec everything I read. Obviously. Would be far too much, and not the kind of  "canon" a rec list should resemble. So, whenever I read a story, I ask myself a few questions. One of those: will I ever feel the need, the urge to read this again? And I thought: God, yes, there's something, there's something in there... the simplicity, the open end. It keeps you on your toe. But then I asked myself: is it that much better than the last story you read? Or as good as the last one you rec'ed? Short stories have to fulfil more criteria than novel-length fiction, basically because there are much more and the competition is so big.
Fair enough, this story is not exceptionally tragic, nor novel in any way. Snape's drifting, living, existing. Are there not many stories featuring just that? Yeah, I fear so. And can I, as a rec'er, justify to myself that I put this one up here instead of those others?
I hope so. Because I really, really liked the open end, the uncertainty in this story.

Commonplace Magic

Title: Commonplace Magic
Author: Acid, Sinick
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Snape/Harry
Warning: R, slash, AU
Length: Short
Status: Completed


No doom of the wizarding world hanging in the balance, no tragic premature death. Just Harry getting inside a solitary man's defences, by not really trying.

At AO3


Illustrated beautifully and while I don't see it in any real relation to The Price of Magic, I like it just the same as the authors' other work. Commonplace Magic is no classic work, though it serves me well as a Harry Potter AU. There aren't many, and most aren't well-written. This one is, and I totally see Snape as a chemistry teacher. Anti-social, snarky, witty.


Same Authors as:

The Price of Magic and its sequel: We've Got a Thing Going On
The Snidget

The Price of Magic

Title: The Price of Magic
Author: Acid, Sinick
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Snape/Harry
Warning: R, slash, character death (Harry, Snape), post-war, school
Length: Novel
Status: Completed

Haunted by the ghost of a former student, an ex-wizard struggles to preserve magical knowledge for future generations.

When Harry Potter died, twin wands' explosion wiped Europe clean of magic. Enchantment-free, Gringotts crumbled into a mass grave for goblin bodies. Pixie corpses covered the meadows. Romanians buried their last dragon.

Wizards remained. Thousands flooded Muggle streets with useless chanting, unable to return home through non-existent wards.

They had nothing except pride. Remember that when watching a middle-aged, redheaded waitress and her daughter taunted by children for their strange way of talking, passing the sallow-faced, somber neighbour who prefers candles to electricity, finding a sky-blue twinkle under matted hair of a homeless man.

Pride was the reason they survived.

At AO3

A beautiful, mysterious and sophisticated post-war story. There's a lot going on "beneath the surface", paired with the dream world, a touch magic realism in there.
Nonetheless, one of the classics out there which are must-reads.

Sequel:
We've Got a Thing Going On


Same Author as:
Commonplace Magic
The Snidget

In the Area

Title: In the Area
Author: herbailiwick
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Sherlock/Sally
Warning: PG, mention of het
Length: Short
Status: Completed


How Sherlock let Sally down, and why Sally thinks Sherlock's a freak.


At AO3

Very brief story about Sherlock and Sally. One of the most interesting couples there are - because, honestly, there needs to be something to have caused the antagonism.

Same Author as:
Done With Screaming

A Matter of Convenience

Title: A Matter of Convenience
Author: azriona
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John, Sherlock
Warning: PG, mention of slash, mention of marriage, injury (John)
Length: Short
Status: Completed


When John is shot because of Sherlock’s arrogance, he wakes up to a very interesting surprise at the hospital.



At AO3


Not the most moving one but I simply liked the way it depicted the issues people have to go through when they're not married but want to be with their loved one(s). John's grumpy side was a bonus, though. Although he endulged Sherlock XD

Same Author as:
The British Government Only Asks Twice
The Adventures of the Resurrected Lover
Mise en Place

The Adventure of the Resurrected Lover

Title: The Adventure of the Resurrected Lover
Author: azriona
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Greg/John/Sherlock, Greg/Sherlock, Greg/John
Warning: PG, mention of threesome, mention of slash
Length: Medium
Status: Completed


It was supposed to be a relaxing, romantic holiday by the sea. And then Sherlock discovered a murder. So much for relaxing…



At AO3


Yeah, nice story. Actually, I read it because of the murder. Threesome's not quite what floats my boat, so to speak. There's nothing unduly in there, so don't let yourself be frightened off by the shipping. With squinting, it's even more of platonic than romantic love. Especially since it focuses on the problems of making their relationship "work", what with Greg and Sherlock being unsure of how to proceed.

Same Author as:
The British Government Only Asks Twice
A Matter of Convenience
Mise en Place

Promises

Title: Promises
Author: hastings
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Mycroft, Sherlock, Mommy Holmes, Siger Holmes
Warning: NC-17, non-con(Siger/Mycroft), child abuse, murder (Mycroft), character death (Siger), childfic
Length: Short
Status: Completed


Everything Mycroft has ever done has always been for Sherlock.


At AO3


Dark. And I love Mycroft in here, he's so lost, so fixated on his younger brother.
And their family is so screwed up, it hurts to read it. Mycroft's struggling through it and is confused, has nothing but Sherlock in his life that anchores him.

Misdialed

Title: Misdialed
Author: DLanaDHZ, Lunaflare14
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock
Warning: PG-13, character death (Sherlock), mention of slash, AU, time travel
Length: Novella
Status: Completed


John needs a new phone, one that doesn’t bend time and have an amazing man on the other end who claims to be the world’s greatest detective, except that he can’t figure out how he called Dr. Watson instead of his brother. However, with a criminal mastermind on the loose, John's phone connection may be the only thing that can save them both.



At AO3


God, the biggest confession of my life: I love sap. Sappy stories, well-written sap. Sure, most of my rec'ed stories are slash and rather NC-17 than merely PG. Who doesn't like some smut? But I really am in awe of stories like Misdialed. They are so full of emotions without turning their characters unbelievable. It's art. Fictionality at its finest.
There's nothing more heart-warming than seeing Sherlock and John communicate.
I know the rough setting from a manga I once read, so this was not that much of a novel idea. Still, it's not easy to meet my expectations, and I had quite high one's because the manga was nice.

For You and For Myself

Title: For You and For Myself
Author: soulofair
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Sherlock/Irene, OFC, OMC, John/Mary
Warning: R, het, pregnancy, character death (Adele, OFC), illness (Sherlock), marriage (OFC)
Length: Novella
Status: Completed


Irene's role in Sherlock's life doesn't just fade away. Fading isn't her thing. Instead, their relationship flourishes.


At FF


Almost epic Sherlock/Irene story. A bit on the light side of style but it's a story woven over decades.
As much as I love this story: I have one major problem with it.
Adele's death did not become real for me. I could not feel it. Not grasp it through Sherlock's and Irene's grief. The closest I came was with Sherlock breaking apart. But I never got to the point where you acknowledge a character's death. It was more like she was away. Thus, the second child seemed like a very bad idea, I couldn't come to terms with that. To me, Sherlock and Irene never really dealt with the loss, they always behaved like Adele was simply 'gone' for an undetermined time. They were sad but not mourning, not grieving. The author didn't manage to induce this magic moment when the reader simply cries because it's too much.

By Fair Means or Foul

Title: By Fair Means or Foul
Author: LdDurham
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Lucius/Snape, OFC, Draco
Warning: NC-17, slash, mpreg, marriage, attempted rape
Length: Medium
Status: Completed



Someone wants Professor Snape as his own, but so does every other wizard loving wizard out there! Let the schemes commence as he becomes the target of many, MANY courtship offers.



At SH

I love this Lucius/Snape story. Just do. It's not philosophical, doesn't depict PTSD or any other problematic themes. It's just... nice to read it. It's not even written in a serious, sophisticated style. Yet it's nice^^ simple in its way, but nice.
Author also wrote Indago which I once tried to read but kind of didn't like.

Perspectives on a Singular Theme

Title: Perspectives on a Singular Theme
Author: branwyn
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Sherlock, Mycroft, Lestrade
Warning: PG, mention of non-con, mention of drug abuse, genderbender
Length: Short
Status: Ongoing Series


Sometimes it seems to Mycroft that Sherlock is racing the world to destroy herself before it can destroy her.


At AO3

Let's face it: the title's nothing special, the main idea is no break-through, the writing is not especially captivating.
And yet I really, really like this. I adore it. It is a mix of Sherlock's life in slices and tells a story without stating facts. It merely exists for its own sake. For the setting. There are no new developments, there's no hard case in there, there is no real shipping. The author seems to have dedicated this story to the setting itself. That's special enough about this series. Plenty.

The Only Thing Worse

Title: The Only Thing Worse
Author: Bishopsbird
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Sherlock, John, Sally
Warning: PG-13, mental illness (eating disorder),
Length: Short
Status: Completed

The finishing touch is the scarf, and once that’s wrapped around his neck he looks almost normal (normal for the Freak, Sally amends). Still too thin, maybe, although the coat hides most of it, makes his form look more substantial than it really is. But the illusion’s broken now, and Sally knows that she won’t be able to look at him without seeing ribs and spine and collarbone stretched under too pale skin.

Or...the one where Sherlock has an eating disorder and Sally tries to help.

At AO3

The Unexpected Key

Title: The Unexpected Key
Author: Desiderii
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock, Mycroft, Lestrade, OFC, Sally
Warning: NC-17, het, genderbender, AU
Length: Novella
Status: Completed

Miss Sherlock Holmes objects most strenuously to the very idea of finding a husband. Instead of accepting that she must, she sets out to ensure she will never have to.

John Watson, invalided home and recovering from a nasty bout of enteric fever, never thought to find anyone interested in him ever again, let alone someone like Sherlock.

At AO3

Definitely a must-read. I liked the Victorian setting, Sherlock's bloody stubbornness and Mycroft's desperate act. Yes, if Sherlock was female, if they were living in the Victorian Age, then it would have happened like this. If it hadn't... shame it wouldn't have XD

What You'll Never Expect When You're Expecting

Title. What You'll Never Expect When You're Expecting
Author: IronicNarwhal
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock
Warning: R, slash, mpreg, omegaverse
Length: Short
Status: Ongoing



Sherlock has always considered being an Omega a vague hindrance, if that. Far from worrying about unplanned pregnancy, he laughs at those who stress themselves over it. However, karma has a funny way of catching people when they least expect it...


At AO3


Another omegaverse story rec'ed by yours truly.
While it's short, it still shows some insight on omegaverse and has a more or less serious tone in it. I wouldn't call it a jewel, but something with potential. Pity there was no update in a while. Well, lovers of omegaverse sure won't mind.

Same Author as:
Diets Are Made to be Cheated, as Marriages to Work