Harry Potter: Changeling, by lydiabennet

[espresso_addict]

FANDOM: Harry Potter
FIC LINK: Changeling
AUTHOR LINK: lydiabennet
RATING/WARNING(S): PG | No author warnings; dark
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 2,000 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Fred Weasley, Weasley family

FIC SUMMARY: Fred wants a dog, and he'll do anything to get one. Anything at all.

RECCER'S NOTES: I recommended this back in 2006 in my first flush of HP enthusiasm and I've been plugging it everywhere since, not only as one of the more original stories I've encountered in the HP fandom but also as a prime example that gen need never mean dull. It's a creepy short story that slips seamlessly into canon and could easily have been written by Rowling, yet it changes everything. The whole Weasley family is characterised perfectly through the young Fred's eyes, from the mother he barely hears to the paragon elder brothers he doesn't want to emulate. Unlike many older stories, it only gains extra impact from the events of Deathly Hallows.

Comments

[valley]

I enjoyed this a lot - great rec!

[espresso_addict]

I'm glad you liked it! I wonder sometimes whether plugging older well-known stories is worthwhile, but I think gen ones are more likely than others to get forgotten.

[valley]

I think I've missed a lot of the old well-known fics, those kinds of recs are definitely worthwhile to me, at least! :)

[espresso_addict]

And there are always new readers, I suppose :)

[marginaliana]

This is one of my all time favorites - nice to see it's appreciated by other people!

[espresso_addict]

It was one of the stories that dragged me into HP fandom. Lovely to see that others love it as much as I do!