The best Harry Potter fanfiction is among some of the most prevalent on the internet, as the devoted followers of the world of Hogwarts have built on the Wizarding World lore in their own unique ways. The constant expansion of the Harry Potter universe — whether via new films like Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, games like Hogwarts Legacy, or the Max series — proves that audiences are far from done with the franchise.

However, another way fans have self-managed to stay connected with the beloved Wizarding World has been through Harry Potter fanfiction. From furthering canon storylines to imagining a future to re-writing favorite non-canonical ships, the best Harry Potter fanfiction further enriches the Wizarding World. Despite the reputation fanfiction can sometimes have, the world of Harry Potter has also attracted some incredibly capable authors, meaning the best Harry Potter fanfiction is an enjoyable high-quality read.

20 Something Wicked Comes This Way by Williamcipher

Harry's Chance At A New Life Takes A Dark Turn

While many of the best Harry Potter fanfics focus on romance or Harry's future, Something Wicked Comes This Way by Williamcipher offers a darker take on the titular Boy Who Lived. It also features one of the most intriguing alternate-universes and uses of time travel in Harry Potter fanfiction, and the uses of both tropes is incredibly justified and logical (rather than simply being a "what if" scenario).

In Something Wicked Comes This Way, the adult Harry has become jaded and apathetic by adulthood, with the psychological scars left by his struggles against Voldemort never truly healing. As such, when presented with a chance to live his life anew without the emotional damage from his status as the one to conquer the Dark Lord, Harry takes it. He finds himself in an alternate timeline living a peaceful life with Severus Snape as his guardian. However, it transpires that even here Harry cannot escape his past, as it seems his destiny is intertwined with that of Lord Voldemort no matter which dimension he grows up in.

19 Harry Potter AU Where Everything is the Same Except Harry is Gen Z by A_Hallucination & Cosprinkle

A Hilarious Fanfiction That Never Takes Itself Too Seriously

There are many completely serious, well-planned, and intricate Harry Potter fanfictions out there that are also quite funny. However, Harry Potter AU Where Everything is the Same Except Harry is Gen Z by A_Hallucination and Cosprinkle isn't one of them, though this doesn't stop it being a must-read Harry Potter fanfic for a specific type of reader. The title reveals everything that needs to be known about this particular Harry Potter alternate universe fanfiction, and it's just as hilarious and tongue-in-cheek as the on-the-nose title suggests.

Harry Potter fanfic readers seeking a surreal break from the serious and detailed examples out there need look no further than Harry Potter AU Where Everything is the Same Except Harry is Gen Z. The story doesn't take itself seriously at all, and this completely works in its favor. It's laugh-out-loud funny throughout, and the simple premise works for the bombastic tale.

While it may not be to every reader's tastes (especially those who want their fanfiction to spiritually feel in-keeping with J.K. Rowling's original work), Harry Potter fans who want to see their favorite franchise hilariously parodied by giving the central character a completely different worldview thanks to being born a few decades later will find Harry Potter AU Where Everything is the Same Except Harry is Gen Z beyond enjoyable.

18 Evivative by Vichan

Harry Lives Life As A Slytherin

There are many examples among the best Harry Potter fanfictions that explore how Harry's time at Hogwarts would have been different if he'd been sorted into Slytherin instead of Gryffindor. However, Evivative by Vichan (along with the sequel, Redivider) explore the idea in an incredibly unique way, and one that delves deeply into the philosophy of both houses and how this impacts Harry's actions.

Rather than being an alternate universe that shows what would happen if Harry had always been a Slytherin, Evivative instead sees Harry resorted to the same house as Malfoy, Snape, and almost all the Death Eaters, during his sixth year at Hogwarts. What follows is a fascinating and incredibly dark tale where Harry truly pushes his own boundaries when it comes to how far he'll go to achieve his goals, and sees him go to such lengths to defeat Voldemort that he has to question whether defeating the great evil in his life is leading him to become a monster himself.

17 Dark Heritage by Drops_of_Nightshade

Entering The Wizarding World Early Makes For A Very Different Harry Potter

Many of the best Harry Potter fanfics out there play around with Harry's personal timeline. There are great stories where Harry Potter never grows up in the Muggle world with the Dursleys, as well as those that see him only learning about his heritage as a wizard when he's well into adulthood. Dark Heritage by Drops_of_Nightshade follows a similar theme, but it's the execution of this idea that makes it a must-read piece of Harry Potter fanfiction.

All in all, Dark Heritage doesn't actually change the Harry Potter timeline all that much, as the only difference is that Harry leaves the world of Muggles at age 8 instead of age 11. However, these three years end up making all the difference, as Harry spending a few short years being adopted into the Black family before starting Hogwarts leads him to have completely different, and much darker, ambitions in life. Not only will this story by Drops_of_Nightshade appeal to those who enjoy alternate timeline fanfictions, it's also one of the best that positions Harry as a potential villain instead of a hero.

16 SNAKES ARE VERY NICE by Oulixeus

A Strange Harry Potter Fanfic That Makes For A Surprisingly Good Read

Harry being a Parselmouth is an integral part of his backstory in Harry Potter. It's one of his first clues about his magical heritage in Harry Potter & The Sorcerers Stone, and being able to speak Parseltongue is also key to his connection to Lord Voldemort. It's also the inspiration behind one of the strangest, but surprisingly coherent, pieces of Harry Potter fanfics out there - SNAKES ARE VERY NICE by Oulixues. While the title may make this fan-written Harry Potter story seem flippant and not worth attention, fans shouldn't be dissuaded.

SNAKES ARE VERY NICE is a surprisingly readable tale that explores how a young Harry might have reacted had he realized he could speak to snakes at a young age, without the background knowledge of Parseltongue and the wizarding world. Communicating with the limbless reptiles, combined with the psychological trauma at the hands of growing up with his abusive aunt and uncle, led Harry to believe that he himself was always meant to be a snake.

It's a tale that mixes equal amounts of body horror as it does with humorous moments (especially when Uncle Vernon begins to document Harry's strange behavior), and earns its place among the best Harry Potter fanfics for being a truly original take on Harry as a character and the circumstances of his childhood.

15 Harry Potter And The Methods of Rationality by Less Wrong

An Alternate Universe The Redefines The Relationship Between Harry And Aunt Petunia

Many of the most popular Harry Potter fanfictions take place in alternate universes that tweak certain aspects of the story, be it by altering single events or changing the premise entirely. One of the most intriguing of these comes from Harry Potter fanfic author Less Wrong, which redefines the world and character of Harry Potter by changing the backstory of a most unlikely character — Aunt Petunia. In the fanfiction Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, Aunt Petunia didn't marry Vernon Dursley but, instead, settled down with a biochemist named Professor Michael Verres-Evans.

This led to Harry having a completely different (and happier) upbringing than his life at Number 4 Privet Drive. By the time his Hogwarts letter arrives, Harry is a bright young boy who holds a deep fascination for all things scientific, which leads to some interesting results when he's introduced to the borderline-nonsensical magic of the Wizarding World. It's an incredibly unique piece of alternate universe Harry Potter fanfiction that shows even the simplest change to a relatively minor character can have far-reaching consequences.

14 The Aurors by FloreatCastellum

Harry's Life As An Auror Is Incredibly Frustrating Thanks To An Inept Trainee

The Aurors by FloreatCastellum is a particularly brilliant Harry Potter fanfiction due to the fact it mixes some laugh-out-loud humor with a surprisingly deep and intricate plotline, as well as introduces some original characters who seem to fit in perfectly with J.K. Rowling's wizarding world. The story takes place several years after the Battle of Hogwarts and chronicles Harry's career as an Auror. However, much to his chagrin, he finds himself paired with an incredibly inept trainee named Theia. Theia is an incredibly endearing character, and her relationship with an ever-frustrated Harry is guaranteed to put a smile an any fan of Harry Potter fanfic.

However, The Aurors also stands out due to its exploration of Harry and Ginny's adult relationship, and that it also includes an incredibly well-handled mystery plotline that is all-but-guaranteed to keep readers sticking through until the end. Seeing an adult Harry dealing with the pressures of being overworked and a mentor to young Theia is definitely the core appeal of The Aurors, but it's an all-round solid piece of fanfiction in every respect.

13 The Rise And Fall Of The Stag And Doe by SiriusUntilTheVeryEnd

A Deeper Exploration Of The Romance Of Lily And James Potter

There are many pieces of Harry Potter fanfiction that explore the life of the Marauders — Harry's father James, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew — and their time at Hogwarts. The Harry Potter books and movies showed snippets of this period, but the fandom has expanded on it significantly, especially when it comes to how James Potter eventually won the heart of Harry's mother, Lily. However, when it comes to fanfictions that explore this romance, few can top The Rise and Fall of the Stag and the Doe by SiriusUntiltheVeryEnd.

The Rise and Fall of the Stag and the Doe has an immense amount of appeal not just to avid readers of Harry Potter fanfiction, but to fans of romance stories in general.

The Rise and Fall of the Stag and the Doe has an immense amount of appeal not just to avid readers of Harry Potter fanfiction, but to fans of romance stories in general. Author SiriusUntiltheVeryEnd does a fantastic job of weaving together a narrative of key moments in Lily and James's relationship, including both the ups and downs. It's especially noteworthy since the story doesn't paint their romance as a love-at-first-sight situation, but instead one that develops over many years despite an initial animosity and even dislike of one-another.

12 Swung By Serafim by flamethrower

What If Gilderoy Lockhart Had Discovered The Chamber Of Secrets

Few Defense Against The Dark Arts teachers are as memorable for Harry Potter readers as the fraudulent Gilderoy Lockhart. The Professor in charge of teaching young Hogwarts students self-defense in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was, by all s, a liar and something of a buffoon. He met his comeuppance during a key moment when he attempted to cast Obliviate on Ron and Harry, although it backfired spectacularly — so spectacularly that the spell landed Lockhart in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries due to implied brain-damage.

The Harry Potter fanfiction Swung By Serafim, from author flamethrower, answers a simple question — what if Lockhart had successfully cast Obliviate on Ron and Harry? This piece of alternate timeline fanfic completely changes the events of Harry Potter after the Chamber of Secrets. Lockhart takes credit for discovering the Chamber, and Harry and Ron find themselves with their memories completely wiped — all of which, of course, makes life far easier for Voldemort when he attempts to rise to power.

11 The First Day by little0bird

The Emotional Aftermath Of The Battle Of Hogwarts

The Battle of Hogwarts was the emotional climax of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and while it saw Harry finally triumphant over Voldemort, it also included the deaths of many characters. The fanfiction The First Day by little0bird is an incredibly, incredibly emotional one, as it explores the immediate impact and aftermath of this bittersweet victory. While the movies skip straight to the epilogue, and J.K. Rowling's novels offer a little exposition, neither fully reveal how the survivors came to with their losses and started rebuilding the world Voldemort had all-but-destroyed during the Second Great Wizarding War.

The First Day dives into the first year following the defeat of Voldemort with unflinching emotional rawness, showing just how much of a toll the struggle had taken on those left standing. This fanfiction also explores the start of Harry and Ginny's relationship in a post-Voldemort world too, meaning there's plenty of touching romantic moments too.