aragog was secretly a soccer mum

title: Calibration

author: TheDivineComedian

rating: T

tags/content: Boggarts, Remus Lupin is a badass, Hogwarts Third Year

summary: Remus's mind is usually a tidy place. The worst has already happened, what's left to be scared of? His fears are labelled, annotated, and most of all, archived. For one evening, though, he'll have to let them come out and play. (Remus prepares the Boggart for his lesson with the third years. Featuring Severus Snape as an unwanted critic, and Sirius Black as the elephant in the room.)

wordcount: 4k

rec notes: After writing about Boggarts myself, my friend sent this to me and said, "Wait, have you read Calibration?" The answer was no, I had not, but I have now, and oh my god. Oh my god! This is how you do a character study. I want to teach this fic in a masterclass. By weaving the motif of the Boggart alongside explorations of Remus' past and his fears, this fic manages to mix tense psychological horror with a sense of gradual revelation, as we get to know Remus a little better with every calibration step. I love the character work in this fic - there's some good stuff on Snape and Sirius too, with the Sirius moments being particularly heartwrenching - and the worldbuilding/magic stuff too. Plus I think this fic does something that all perfect fic does, which is sits perfectly in relation to canon as well as presenting a sort of opposition to canon in the way we receive a different version of events. It's just stunning. Short but rich, this is an easy one to tick off your "must read" list, which I have just put it on. You're welcome.

title: Draco's Delicious Dilemma

author: darkmagicalgirl

rating: T

tags/content: Not Epilogue Compliant, Future Fic, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés

summary: Draco Malfoy bravely deals with new coffee shops, Harry Potter, low-sympathy coworkers, feelings, free muffins, Looks, and some extremely rude signage.

wordcount: 5k

rec notes: I'm not a huge fan of coffee shop AUs, so believe me when I say: if you read only one, make it this. It stands out from your usual because the characters are clueless adults, not clueless teens - no offence, but that's not my cup of tea, if you'll pardon the pun - and instead of someone working at a coffee shop to make ends meet, you have Harry running one in Hogsmeade as a retreat from the world, which he sorely needs. This is played off against Hogwarts Prof Draco, who has two braincells and has to use both of them to fight a talking sign (a lovely worldbuilding touch) and work out that Harry's into him. Laugh out loud funny, a quick read, and high reread value.