Pre-HBP Harry Potter fanfic links

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Post-Half-Blood Prince
Alternate Universe or canon-shafted
Experimental
Poetry
Recently-added fics

Harry Potter fanfic links (most of them involving Snape!):
Pre-Half-Blood Prince and still more-or-less canon-compatible

[Stories which I consider to be especially well-written or significant are marked with a star - ]

20/20 by Adred Lightfoot
Grim and very explicit piece in which Snape discovers that Sirius and Peter Pettigrew did something far worse than he had remembered. A harrowing read, but deals seriously with a serious subject.

The Abyss Gazes Also by lunalein, a.k.a. Tangleofthorns
A strange, surreal, stunningly well-written look at Sirius (and others) in Azkaban, and the psychology of Dementors.

An Act of Kindness by Bil
One-shot: a sweet if lightweight moment of connection between five-year-old Harry and a stranger whose face he can't quite see.

Adversus Solem Ne Loquito by Defying Expectations
Deranged by grief and guilt over Lily's death, twenty-one-year-old Severus uses a Time Turner to go back in time with the intention of killing his younger self before he and Lily ever met: but Bellatrix is time-travelling as well, from quite different motives. Three part, complete.

Air by Roadstergal
Vignette - why does Snape prefer to avoid fresh air?

Alone With My Demons by SevereObsession
Beautifully-written, horribly sad little one-shot in which Harry develops some sympathy for Snape, after discovering him trying to carve the Dark Mark off his own arm in a passion of misery.

Amidst Scarlet and Gold by Scorpio Grudge
After Sirius's escape from Hogwarts, Snape tries, not very successfully, to make Dumbledore understand why nearly having been murdered for kicks when he was a teenager still burns him.

And Miles to Go Before I Sleep by wallyflower
Hermione waits up to assist Snape when he staggers back from a Death Eater meeting in a state of shock.

and she laughed by oh sweet lily beans
One-shot showing a series of bright painful vignettes of Severus looking at Lily.

And Yet He Flinched by H.L.B.
Beautifully-written, sad little vignette in which Minerva McGonagall speculates about Snape's miserable upbringing. Potentially slightly canon-shafted in that the abusive parent is a magic-user, which would mean it would have to be the mother who appears to be the lesser evil in what little we saw of Snape's early childhood - but we don't actually know she wasn't abusive herself, just because she was scared of her husband. You could even make a case for him screaming at her because she was ill-treating the child.

Another Day by Bailadora
Amusingly-written three-chapter piece looking at a day in Snape's teaching life. Ends up as slightly sad HGSS.

The Apology by NorthAngle27
One-shot consisting of a letter of apology written by Lily to Severus - well thought-out, although probably nicer than Lily is in canon.

Art of Smothering by dragonpearlz
Vignette of Snape, suffering from a horrible cold and being, as it were, Molly-coddled against his will.

As Black As He's Painted by Tabari Avaren
Following the death of Sirius, Harry's hatred depresses Snape to the point of getting rather drunk. Lupin tried to persuade Snape that he is a fallible but basically decent human being, not a monster, but Snape clings stubbornly to his own self-hatred.

At Midnight by Bil
Harry and Draco share an odd moment of understanding about the workings of fate.

Backfired ! by Bellegeste
The Marauders play an unpleasant joke on Severus which ends up trapping Lily too, and she extracts revenge.

The Beauty of it All by goodomen
Luna watches the world and sees how it moves....

Before the summer rain: Bricks in the Wall by Lucindana Sakurazukamori
Darkly-atmospheric WIP looking at Snape's time in Slytherin.

Berry by four screws loose
Songfic: Snape dreams a series of frightening vignettes from his past, and a possible future.

The Best of Hands by Anla'shok Ivanova
Snape and Sirius collaborate to get Minerva safely away from Hogwarts (and from Umbridge) after she is stunned.

Between the Lines by unlikely2
A vignette of Snape's childhood, looking at the origins of the nickname The Half-Blood Prince.

Bitter Reflections by Strega Brava
Set during The Prisoner of Azkaban : Snape is musing glumly about his fear that Voldemort will return, and his desire to keep other children from being lured into making the same mistakes which he made.

Black by Malady7
Atmospheric one-shot: Hermione wonders how to describe Snape's eyes....

Black by rae-sim
Snape thinking sourly about Sirius's death, and the applicability or otherwise of the names Black and Prince.

A Black Christmas by Elyse3
Half humorous, half disturbing piece about Horace Slughorn and some of his students attending a Christmas party at the Black household during the Marauders era; a party full of ominous undercurrents and portents which Sluggy is too drunk to take in.

The Blade by aldalindil
Sureal, trance-like meditation on the ambiguities of Snape's position, stranded between light and dark.

A Blissful Sleep by saiyanwizardgurl
Dreamy sweet one-shot of Dumbledore taking care of Snape when he is exhausted and unwell.

Blood by Hannah Catherine
Young Severus at school, viewing the Marauders as a ravening dog-pack out for blood.

Blood On His Soul by Bil
Dumbledore agonizes about the hard choices he has to make to win the war.

Blot out the Stars by everysecond
Emotionally-intense one-shot: Transfiguration master Dumbledore tries to numb himself to the pain of Gellert's dark fanaticism, and his imprisonment, by seeking refuge in an alternative obsession. Companion-piece to Love and Other Childish Ways.

A Bludger to the Gut by duj
Snape fuming about Dumbledore's decision to give the DADA job to Lupin. Pretty-much anything by duj is worth a look as she writes very well, and her stories about Snape have a quality of kindness and tenderness towards him which is very appealing.

Book of Shadows by Harmony Bites
"Pre-HBP" is a misnomer in this case, as it's set during HBP. Dumbledore orders Hermione to study Occlumency with Snape, in an effort to build bridges between Snape and the Trio. Excellent writing, believable character-development and an intelligent understanding of magic. WIP

Boys Don't Cry by Lady Isabella Van Eimeren
After the "Snape's Worst Memory" incident Lily comes across the young Severus sitting alone in a deserted classroom, trying not to cry.

Breaking Point by duj
After the Pensieve incident in Order of the Phoenix , Snape explains to Dumbledore why he feels completely unable to work with Harry any more. Pretty-much anything by duj is worth a look as she writes very well, and her stories about Snape have a quality of kindness and tenderness towards him which is very appealing.

Brilliance by trinsan
Horace Slughorn contemplates a brilliant but difficult student. There's an uneasy edge suggesting that Sluggy may fancy his pupil, but if so he is responsible and does nothing about it. You may find you have to go to the Occlumancy site and set up an account before you can access this story.

The Broken Prince by alatariel-gildaen
A look at Snape's development from age eleven to HBP, although at time of writing we've only covered his first two years at school. The story is well-written and painfully vivid: which is why I've included it despite the fact that it makes young Severus more vicious than canon really supports, and contains an annoying canon error [Snape starts at Hogwarts in 1971 and only overlaps Lucius by a year, when it's canon that he started no later than 1970, and overlapped Lucius by at least two years]. WIP

Brooding by A Darker Shade of Bright
Following the death of Sirius, Snape broods darkly on the subjects of self-hatred and hatred of the Marauders. [Preceded by the poem Feeling the Wind Storm Through in Lansing.]

But Life Goes On by SongoftheDarquePhoenix
Brief, sad little songfic which portrays Snape as achingly lonely. Slightly spotty grammar but much more cleverly constructed than songfics usually are.

But They Never Did by Lindsey Grissom
Snape spends his life overhearing spitelful or patronizing whispers about his hair, but nobody actually asks him about it.

Buttons by blink-once-4-yes
Creepy little one-shot: Snape has a harmless if peculiar obsession....

Buttons by unearthlychild70
Brief vignette of an unspecified female person, probably Hermione, meditating on the erotic possibilities of film-Snape's buttons. Slightly spoiled by The Block Paragraph of Doom and by a gratuitously hyperbolic description of "sex soaked sheets" - but still interesting and atmospheric.

Call of the Dark by Esmestrella
Beautifully-written one-shot which portrays Snape as rather darker and more convinced by Voldemort's racial agenda than he is in the books. Teenage Severus believes that he can somehow burn away his Muggle blood and make himself pure - and that Lily could join him in this quest for purity if he can only persuade her.

Candles by confusedcynic
Dreamy, creepy WIP: pre-Hogwarts, child Lily keeps seeing a ghost - or is it an echo of her future self?

Caring for Dark Creatures by mouse
Hagrid contemplates a realistically sour, spiky young schoolboy Severus. You may find you have to go to the Occlumency site and set up an account before you can access this story.

Cast Adrift by darklyromantic
Death Eater!Severus waits for Lily, to make sure she hasn't been killed in a raid in which he took part. Second-person one-shot which portrays Snape as a bit darker than he is in the books, but is very well-written.

Catalyst of Dreams by Caged Eternity
A rather grim look at a very young Snape, dreaming about which house he might belong to....

The Cats of Hogwarts by Eucritta
Humorous one-shot: sometimes, the best way to get students using non-verbal magic is to teach them spells that are too embarrassing to say aloud....

Caught in the Rain by Gedia Kacela
Professor Sinestra gets caught out in the rain, and is nearly rescued by Snape. Erudite and witty, with realistic dialogue.

The Chamber of Clocks by snarkyroxy
Dumbledore sits up watching a clock with Snape's face on it pointing to mortal peril....

Changes by Pavonis Mons
Peeves messing with anagrams of Tom Marvolo Riddle....

Chocolate by naomipoe
One-shot, supposedly satirical but oddly serious in patches. Snape falls for the charms of Muggle chocolate.

A Choice by Hekko
One-shot: for one brief moment, eleven-year-old James has a choice between fairness and prejudice: a choice which will have far-reaching repercussions.

Christmas Eve This Year by Charis M
Neville's grim grandmother thinking about the boy who is all she has left.

Circle in a Spiral by jin fenghuang
Snape confronts his boggart. Plausible and beautifully-written: in fact anything by this elegant writer is worth a look.

Classroom monologue by tigercatcher
A teacher (unspecified) tries to keep control of the class.

Confessions of a Classroom Tyrant by semuta
Grim little vignette of Snape thinking about what drives him to lash out all the time.

Crucio by Arctic Demon
Delicately written, poetic one-shot: Snape remembers, with regret, what it felt like to cast an Unforgivable Curse.

Damnation by My'Bittersweet'Song
Brief, sad one-shot: Snape asks Tonks, the shape-shifter, for a curious favour, much good may it do him.

Dancing Hero by Lily Among the Thorns
A little atmosphere piece - Snape and other staff members relax after the Yule Ball.

Danger Lies by Trin2
Young Sirius trying to understand and help Remus, as one part-time canine to another.

The darkest hour is nearest the dawn by Frayed Misfit
A series of vignettes of different Christmases in Snape's life, started with his depressing childhood. WIP

Dead Roses by MissJinny
Snape is badly injured for stalling on a project assigned to him by Voldemort. He is left with two weeks in which to do the Dark Lord's bidding or come up with a very convincing excuse - whilst at the same time trying to deal with his complex feelings about Lupin, who wants to help but who still terrifies him half to death. Unfinished but in progress at time of listing.

Deadly by bibliophile42
A creepy vignette looking at seven original Death Eaters as exemplars of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Dear Professor Snape by crockywock
An entertaining little piece in which a student writes a letter to Snape, explaining how and why they came to blow up his laboratory.

The Death of a Generation by FirstYear
Gentle elegiac long one-shot which looks at the Death Eaters as tragic and lost. Snape's expectations, in life and in love, are very low, and his hopes are hardly any higher.
Pre-HBP: added 27/07/08

The Death Of Socrates by jaderook
Snape contemplates the death of the philosopher, and considers imitating him. You may find you have to go to the Occlumency site and set up an account before you can access this story.

Derision by ArithmancerProof
A little character study of Snape as a teacher, knowing he shouldn't lash out, but too stressed to stop himself.

Desk Duty by Mosylu
Madam Pince fences skullfully with Dolores Umbridge.

Diamond Mind by Fidelis Haven
Bellatrix in Azkaban, hardening.

A Difference of Opinion by MadgeM
Amusing one-shot of Severus winding Minerva up about Quidditch, with slightly racy results.

Dire Drabbles by Snapesforte
Gnomic vignettes.

Divination by Elektra3
Sad vignette of Poppy Pomfrey considering the 11-year-old Severus, already so isolated, and predicting that that isolation will drive him to the Dark Arts. Very slight canon-shaft in the suggestion that his family are Dark wizards (but the Princes could have been, of course). Sequel to Other, q.v. .

A Dream of Misfortune by breannatala
One-shot: during Harry's first year, Snape has a strange dream, half nonsense and half prophesy.

Dumbledore's Creatures by LizBee
Slightly sinister vignette, set during The Prisoner of Azkaban, in which Snape and Lupin discuss trustworthiness and betrayal.

An Eagle In the Warren by Jenna Al-Ansari
Snape seeks out Karkaroff in hiding; a rather dark and mildly slashy story, but beautifully written.

Easy by Kraken1
Colin Creevey looks at pictures of Harry, and understands his own situation.

Eileen and Tobias by mouse
A different, complex, less violent than usual but still very sad interpretation of the vision Harry sees of the young Snape's parents fighting. You may find you have to go to the Occlumency site and set up an account before you can access this story.

Emotional Pain by QuidditchFlea101
Snape feels hopelessly trapped inside his own harsh shell.

The End is Nigh by Pavonis Mons
During the year before they go up to Hogwarts, Ginny and Luna enjoy a strange, fragile friendship. Bittersweet.

Familiar Conversation by Captain Evermind
One shot of the staff discussing their familiars, and what sort of familiar Minerva and Severus should have.

Fat Boy by MourningDove
A sympathetic look at how Dudley feels about life.

The Favor by CMW
Whom was Florence kissing behind the greenhouses? Young Snape being misguidedly chivalrous, and Sirius being his usual vicious self.

Finding A Four Letter Word by Ayame Nekura
A very intense vignette looking at young!Severus, looking at Lily.

Fingerprints in Dust by Rachael DuBois
Vignette looking at the Snapes, mother and son, trapped in a repeating pattern. Very sad.

The First Time by Eisblume
One-shot: there's a first time for everything, but teenage Severus finds he isn't as cut-out to be a Death Eater as he'd thought.

A Fledgling by Moria Polonius
Very creepy story involving Snape and Hermione, but mainly about the origins and beliefs of the Dementors.

The Flight of Icarus by a true Elsewhere
A series of scent-related vignettes of Harry and Snape, ending in a moment of understanding. [Warning: full of errors suggesting the author isn't a native English speaker.]

Fly by Rae Seddon
Sad, atmospheric one-shot. A year after they broke up, Severus and Lily meet by accident at a funfair, but too much has changed to be able to really put things right.

Flying by Alisonven
One-shot: how Severus learned to fly - and taught the skill to Tom.

For Him by Bil
A gentle, elegantly-written one-shot in which Snape and McGonagall discuss their separate kinds of love for Albus, who is too detached ever to return their feelings, and McGonagall thinks about her own fondness for her younger colleague, and how alone he is. Beautifully characterized, although it does depend on the assumption that the wizarding world of the 1980s was way more straight-laced than Muggle Britain.

For my hurt ... by aloe
Stressed-out, disjointed stream-of-consciousness - Snape trying not to freak out too much about the traumatic memories of his childhood and/or his time as a Death Eater, while Dumbledore makes a total insensitive pig's ear of trying to help him.

Forty Hour Week by Skye13
How does Snape manage to combine teaching with spying? By not wasting time on eating or sleeping.

The Game by Einna Aurora Du'an
Snape reflects on the nature of the deadly game he is playing with Voldemort.

Gateshead Revisited by Prieda Solo
A pair of low-key, bleakly-convincing one-shots of young Severus's life both at home and at school.

Give her hell from us, Peeves! by Possum132
Umbridge, Flitwick and Snape all have their own take on the dramatic departure of Gred and Forge....

Gloria, in Excelsis Deo by Moria Polonius
Snape is obliged to go along with a Death Eater plan to syphon off and twist the power generated by the faith of the worshippers at a Catholic cathedral. Creates a very grand, impressive atmosphere.

Gods and Monsters by jin fenghuang
A very different but believable take on Snape in Azkaban following his defection from the Death Eaters. Slight slash elements in his memories of schooldays. Anything by this elegant writer is worth a look.

Green Stained Glass by pandafoot105
One-shot of Severus and Lily as lovers. Starts off seeming like a PWP and then becomes sad and strange.

Grey by The Sentient Wolf
Emotionally-intense one-shot of Dumbledore thinking about Snape and what he has read in his mind, about the various pains which underly Snape's neuroses. The take on Snape (or at least Dumbledore's interpretation of him) is quite dark and amoral but it's still a beautifully-written and affecting piece.

Hands by Willy-Chan
Tiny but very erotically-charged vignette of Hermione contemplating Snape's elegant hands.

The Hanged Man by Trin2
Draco thinks about what Harry's triumphs mean for his family.

Harry Potter: A Monologue By Dudley by JuicyJuice
Ever consider what Dudley might feel about his magical cousin?

Harvest by Scion of Kushiel
A highly original and well-written look at Lily and Severus as two friends both manipulated into dangerous positions they really don't want to be in.

Haunted by magnetosdaughter
Vignette: Snape remembers a shared moment with Lily.

Having Victory Snatched From You by Red Fiona
A justifiably sullen Snape muses about having the House Cup snatched away from Slytherin by Dumbledore's blatant cheating.

Heart to Heart by Prieda Solo
One-shot: Tobias tries to do his fatherly duty and talk to his son about dealing with bullies, but Severus is already quite good at it.

Hell Is In Ourselves by CatsOnMars
Two-part story which takes a sad, quiet look at Snape's mental state, his feelings about Dumbledore, about his past and about memory, wishing for a numbness he can't achieve. Follows him through until death, but the bulk of the story is pre-HBP.

Her Taste by epiphanies
Dreamy surreal vignette of the young Severus noticing Lily for the first time, and having a premonition about his future fate.

Here Comes the Sun by the return of merry
Sad atmospheric one-shot. Snape is reminiscing, looking at old school photographs, and if you think he seems a little out of character or confused there's a very good reason for that.... The setting which frames this story is post-HBP but I list it as pre-HBP because it is mainly concerned with looking at events of Snape's schooldays.

Hero's Burial by Wren Truesong
Hermione dreams of Harry lying-in-state, young, heroic and dead.

The Herring Affair by Yasmyn Yaslanna
A severely hungover Harry tries to explain to Snape exactly where the mutant herrings came from. Very silly.