The Marauders prequel that J.K. Rowling never wrote can be imagined, which many people have done in fanfiction form over the years. As a ’90s kid and a nerd,Harry Potterwas my world growing up. I’m not ashamed to say that never really changed, even as someone that identifies as queer and non-binary. When J.K. Rowling first confirmed her transphobia, I lost faith intheHarry Pottermoviesand books, but I eventually decided that Rowling’s transphobia didn’t pollute the story. Especially because fans can make it as queer as they want on AO3 (fanfiction website Archive of Our Own).
At the end of the day, I’m not a canceler, I’m a discusser of things. I get canceling to a certain extent, but I’m not sure if the logic of it can be upheld under scrutiny. If I had a chance to talk to J.K. Rowling about all of this, I would. I wouldn’t awkwardly ignore her while she was in the same room.Harry Potteris important in many ways, and I’m glad that fans honor that in fanfiction, especially the Marauders kind set way back intheHarry Pottertimeline. These fanfics create stories that Rowling may not write, but I will certainly read.
Every Harry Potter Book, Ranked Worst To Best
Every reader of the Harry Potter series will rank the books differently, but some installments stand out as the best due to their superior writing.
10The Debt Of Time
By ShayaLonnie
We first hear of the Marauders in theHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabanmovie when Harry Potter was given the Marauder’s Map, birthing the plotlines that would fuel excellent fanfiction likeThe Debt of Time(available onArchive of Our Own)by ShayaLonnie.The Debt of Timemay bethe most popular Lily-James fanfiction on AO3. This fanfic allows you to follow Hermione as she goes back in time andthe Marauders get revealed in a whole new light.
HBO is currently working on aHarry PotterTV show.
This fanfic pairs Lily with James in a ’70s setting, but keeps their canonical tragedy of an ending. In this sense, the fanfic plays right into Rowling’s story, but it is also set in an alternate universe. This popular type of fanfic is known as an “AU fanfic,” and in this instance, it enables exploration of Hermione’s character.Hermione has some close encounters with both Sirius and Remus, which makes their fate harder for her to deal with.
9The Marauders: Year One
By Pengiwen
The Marauders: Year One(available onWattpad) is an endearing story that covers everyone’s favorite animagi - Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Lily Evans and James Potter get to know each other in their first year of Hogwarts, providing a heartwarming glimpse into Harry’s family history.This fanfiction is well-written enough to be seriously poignant, with exceptional attention to detail in the world-building department.
The playHarry Potter and the Cursed Childis showing around the world.
Although not a huge focus,this narrative offers some cursory allusions to the incredibly popular Remus-Sirius pairing, known affectionately as wolfstar. Remus Lupin is in love with Tonks in theHarry Potterbooks and movies, with Pottermore mentioning that Tonks was Remus' first love. However, nothing stops fans from speculating on the unseen moments that lie behind the canon of the lengthy glances shared between the werewolf and the animagus.
8Boys Will Be Bugs
By The_Infamous_Jack
Set during Harry’s father’s adolescence,Boys Will Be Bugs(available onArchive of Our Own) by The_Infamous_Jack offers an innovativeHarry Potterprequel story.TheHarry Potterseriesexplored the Marauders to a certain extent, butI particularly like this corner of the fandom,as it follows some of my favorite characters. Those characters are transformed in this fanfic, in more ways than one. A trans Lupin’s transition mirrors his lycanthropy in this story, creating something new and powerful.
Lupin’s asexuality in this fanfiction makes him a breath of fresh air among the sea of romantic stories pairing Lupin with various characters.I also appreciate the characterization of Sirius Blackin this narrative, who is written powerfully. Ultimately, this story adds to a well-built world with excellent content, teasing powerful layers of meaning out of the books and movies.
7Always
By Aterriblebeautyisborn
This fanfiction centers on the inimitable Severus Snape, who may be my all-time-favorite - although next week may present a different favorite.Severus Snape was the alienated outsider in the Marauder era, while James Potter was his bully. This might make Snape’s perspective the most interesting perspective from this era, which aterriblebeautyisborn captured inAlways(available onFanfiction.net.)
This is one prequel toHarry Potterthat turns the tables.
Ship or no ship - ship meaning relationship or pairing -Marauders fanfiction documents when James and Lily Potter were at Hogwartswith Severus Snape. What I love about the Marauders era comes through inAlways, while telling Snape’s side of the story. This is one prequel toHarry Potterthat turns the tables.
6Commentarius
By B.C Daily
Lily and James Potter is understandably one ofthe most popular Mauraders ships, which is brilliantly explored inCommentarius(available onFanfiction.net) by B. C Daily. As Harry Potter’s parents, the Potters are given due importance in thisHarry Potterprequel.This fanfic riffs off Meg Cabot’sPrincess Diariesseries, providing a funny and romantic diversion into the world ofHarry Potterin the Marauders' era.
Lily has a bratty tone of voice in this story some of the time, encouraging you to laugh with her and at her. I like thatthis complicates the idea of Lily as totally perfect, which is prevalent in a lot of fan writing. This idea probably comes from Harry’s idealization of his mother in the books and movies. The Lily in this story grows throughout, making for a fun read.
5Potter
By TinaX2
Potter(available onWattpad),by TinaX2, tells the very unique story of one famousHarry Pottercat, namely the grumpy Crookshanks. However,this Marauders fanfiction complicates matters somewhat by turning Crookshanks into an animagus. This sly maneuver posits Crookshanks as one Jenna Potter, a forgotten twin of James Potter.
Crookshanks is well-known for singling out Scabbers as the rat form of Peter Pettigrew, an incredibly problematic wizard in the world ofHarry Potter. This story builds on Crookshanks' story and fleshes out a lot of Sirius Black’s youth as well.Jenna Potter’s story is a real tearjerker, so I recommend it if you’re looking for a moving drama.
4The Life And Times
By Jewels5
Another Lily-James narrative of epic proportions,The Life and Times (available onFanfiction.net)is by Jewels5. Proving again that Lily Evans and James Potter really are one ofthe most popularHarry Potterpairings, this fanfiction charts the slow romance of Lily and James. Taking its time and covering high school drama, muddy friendships, and intimate moments,I find this story both hilarious and gripping.
With standout quotes and sassy one-liners, this is as good a poolside or fireside read as any coming-of-age story you can pick off the shelves.The characters are flawed and well-rounded, which is the pull of fanfiction set in this timeframe. After all, some of these important characters only got a limited amount of screen time in theHarry Pottermovies.
3The Last Enemy: The Howling Nights
By CH_Darling
The Last Enemy: The Howling Nights(available onArchive of Our Own) is an impressive fanfiction by CH_Darling which explores this era ofHarry Potterin rich detail.I’d recommend it as a good starting pointfor someone looking to get into fanfiction of this sort, as it dives into all the main characters of the Marauders period. Featuring Severus Snape, Lily Evans, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, this story has huge scope.
The Last Enemy: The Howling Nightsexplores the rise of Voldemortand the First Wizarding War. This is one ofthe bestHarry Potterfanfictionsout there, proving the potential for some kind of Marauders prequel adaptation. While that isn’t in development as of yet, the world-building and character-driven approach of narratives like this will certainly do.
2All The Young Dudes
By MsKingBean89
Although this Remus may not work for everyone,All The Young Dudes(available onArchive of Our Own), by MsKingBean89, constitutes one of my favorite fan-madeHarry Potterprequels. Those who loyally ship Lupin and Tonks might not be particularly interested in this Remus-Sirius masterpiece, butanyone interested in a very good book would do well to pick this up, pairing aside.TheAll The Young Dudesstoryis aptly named after a David Bowie song of the same name.
This fanfiction is so popular that it comes before the David Bowie song in a fair few Google searches related to its title - and David Bowie is very famous. At over 500, 000 words long,this is a fully absorbing love story and account of Hogwarts in the ’70s. This story’s epic scale covers Remus' childhood, education, role in the First Wizarding War, and love life as he navigates lycanthropy.
1The Shoebox Project
By Dorkorific And Ladyjaida
The Shoebox Project(available onShoebox Lomara) may be one of the most lovingly producedHarry Potterfan works around, available in PDF format for those wishing to read offline.The Shoebox Projectisn’t shy about its wolfstar leanings, writing a version of Remus Lupin and Sirius Black that had me convinced. This collaborative multimedia project by Dorkorific and Ladyjaida also contains drawings, photos, and photocopied notes.
The kind of relationships described in this narrative, through multiple formats, don’t pander to stereotypes or boring tropes.
Original, disturbing, moving, and fun,this is fanfiction at its best. A visual journey for anyHarry Potterfan that doesn’t mind a non-canonical pairing,The Shoebox Projectcontains some unbelievably deep world-building. The kind of relationships described in this narrative, through multiple formats, don’t pander to stereotypes or boring tropes.
Source:Wattpad,Archive of Our Own,Fanfiction.net,Shoebox Lomara
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned boy who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. Adapted from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode film saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the tricky world of growing up, school life, and magic. Starting from year one and moving to their seventh year, the films chronicle the students' time at Hogwarts while unfurling a sinister plot that centers around the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the dark wizard, Voldemort, the students and professors at Hogwarts will fight to carry on as the world around them may change forever. Harry Potter has expanded beyond the world of its films and novels with several video games, a spin-off film series titled Fantastic Beasts, and even attractions at Universal Studios.
