aragog was secretly a soccer mum

title: Devil's Bridge

author: veeagainst

rating: E

tags/content: Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Adventure, Thriller, Smut, Angst, Wrongful Imprisonment

summary: A non-magical AU set in a dystopian world not at all inspired by current events where Voldemort is the UK’s fascist dictator. Sirius is sent to prison as an innocent man and escapes to avenge James and Lily - only to discover that the man he loved knows he is innocent.

wordcount: 30k

rec notes: Is this the first E rated fic I've rec'd? ceu would be so proud of me. This fic is one of my faves and honestly I had to double check I hadn't already rec'd it; I guess I was saving it up, just as you'll need to savour it, when you read it. The storyline here loosely follows the canon Marauder plot, but it's set in a modern dystopian AU - something I don't see a lot of in fanfic. Alongside a gripping story and great characterisation, we have very clever worldbuilding and political commentary, as well as a good British sense of humour. This is a fic that'll take you on an emotional journey and make you think. Highly recommended.

title: This Word Lies At The Bottom Of A Lake

author: berhanes (sqvalors)

rating: T

tags/content: Canon Compliant, Marauders' Era, Post-Prank, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Dreams and Nightmares, Black Family, Drowning, Prophetic Dreams, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Sirius Black & James Potter Friendship

summary: Briefly he'd considered going to visit Remus, but Sirius has too many stacked up feelings about him to add any more, and he doesn't trust himself not to ruin their carefully patched situation in the wake of the incident – it's only been a year, after all, and there's no better way to shatter a barely recovered friendship than by doing something stupid like throwing out a declaration of love in the middle of explaining the myriad ways in which your family is deranged and terrible. So instead Sirius had hailed the Knight Bus and requested Bowness-on-Windermere.

wordcount: 8k

rec notes: I don't remember many of the details of this fic on account of the fact that I was in an emotional fugue state throughout reading it - well, all the better to reread, over and again. Short but incisive and to the point, and with the kind of characterisation that will absolutely leave you heartbroken. If the James and Sirius friendship is perfect, then the relationship between Remus and Sirius is transcendent. It's all written with such a deft touch that the prose has stuck with me ever since I first read this over a year ago. Really exceptional.