Compiled by the Espresso Addict

Espresso Recommendations

Innovative and stylish fanfiction, showcasing the very best across multiple sf, fantasy & literature fandoms. Good writing in all its forms can be found here, including gen, het, slash, OCs, AUs, crossovers, future fics, humour & pastiche

Contents: 1010 recs in 235 fandoms; 65 links

Harry Potter

Albus Dumbledore

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Alone and Palely Loitering by Squibstress

'For the first hundred years or so, he'd loved her. Or as much as one could love a wife he'd only met for the first time when she was six and for the second time on their wedding day.' The Flamels' marriage, over the centuries. An unusual & surprising story, laced with a delicious dark humour. Brilliant!

[Added 14/01/2014; Drama; 2500-6000; Harry Potter; Characters: Nicolas Flamel, Perenelle Flamel, Albus Dumbledore, Mademoiselle de Brie, Dr Crippen]

Dumbledore, or The Magical Prometheus by Marginaliana

'Mandrake grown in blood and sperm, picked before dawn, bathed in milk and honey in the cauldron.' A dark & powerful look at Dumbledore & his relationships through the lens of the premise promised by the title. Marginaliana deftly reinterprets canon events as they unfold to their inevitable end

[Added 13/06/2014; Drama; <1000; Harry Potter; Characters: Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape; Crossover]

The End of the Beginning by Mariner

A page-turner of a crossover novel, featuring an interesting external view of the Marauders in adulthood plus a surprisingly persuasive mixture of the Joss- & Potterverse magics (BtVS/HP)

[Added 09/10/2005; Drama; >50,000; Harry Potter; Characters: Rupert Giles (BtVS), Ethan Rayne (BtVS), James Potter, Lily Potter, Albus Dumbledore, Voldemort, Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy; Crossover]

The Ladies of Godric's Hollow by Tetley

'Putting her arm around the frail shoulders, she placed a kiss on the wisps of hair, just as she'd done when they still were dark brown and sprang from a bun that always held pencils or quills to jot down a thought or a question, an idea or an hypothesis.' A poignant novelette, thoughtful & rich in detail, which moves effortlessly between the 19th & 20th centuries to tell Bathilda Bagshot's story

[Added 02/10/2012; Drama; 6000-20,000; Harry Potter; Characters: Griselda Marchbanks, Bathilda Bagshot, Gellert Grindelwald, Ariana Dumbledore, Aberforth Dumbledore, Albus Dumbledore, Kendra Dumbledore, Muriel Prewett, Rita Skeeter, OCs]

Romance of the Age by Livesandlies

'The wizard ... was not by any means a small man. He had, however, a collection of very miniscule attributes – small eyes, a small nose, thin little lips, and a thin little chin – that seemed to suggest he had been sketched out on parchment by a child only just learning to use a quill, who'd had very grand ideas to begin with, and who, discovering for the first time the very disagreeable runniness of ink, had splashed on a few dots for the features and then given up.' The first war, à la Vile Bodies. The Waugh pastiche provides the perfect lens to view the terrible events as they inexorably unfold, and the novella overflows with sparkling wit at the expense of almost all of its enormous cast. A wonderful achievement

[Added 15/01/2014; Drama; 20,000-50,000; Harry Potter; Characters: Severus Snape, Lily Evans, Narcissa Malfoy, Regulus Black, James Potter, Albus Dumbledore, Sirius Black, Voldemort, Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, Barty Crouch Jr, Walburga Black, Eileen Prince, Tobias Snape, Death Eaters, Marauders & Order; Crossover]

Spiritus, Sanguis et Aqua by Heretical Vision

'And then her sister screamed and when Petunia turned around all she saw was blue glass in the light, a strange wooden stick, and Lily's face covered in Mrs. Snape's blood...' A very dark AU, which escalates from the original premise outwards to encompass the entire wizarding world. Heretical Vision sometimes sacrifices the characters to the idea, but when the idea is as novel & interesting as this one, I'm happy to go along for the ride

[Added 13/08/2012; Drama; 2500-6000; Harry Potter; Characters: Severus Snape, Lily Evans, Albus Dumbledore, Eileen Snape, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Harry Potter, Lucius Malfoy, Petunia Evans, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, original character; Adult]

The Stolen Child by Delphi

'He had not spent the night out in the weather; his skin was dry and his feet clean, though there were fresh leaves caught in his hair.' A haunting, ambiguous tale where the stolen child of the title is never quite pinned down. Eileen's cameo is particularly memorable

[Added 13/06/2014; Drama; 2500-6000; Harry Potter; Characters: Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Eileen Snape]

Tower of Air by ClueGirl

'Albus has never been one to seek the murky depths, after all, hiding his heart in the castle's stony bowels as old Salazar did his vengeance.' A perceptive character study, which wields the angst brush effectively

[Added 11/12/2006; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Harry Potter; Characters: Albus Dumbledore, Sirius Black]