#we are so close to a WOLFSTAR REUNION i can taste it

[killerdykepdf]

[billsfangearring]

[Rec List] The Wolfstar Yearbook: 2004

Happy U.S. Labor Day Weekend/Canadian Labour Day Weekend! I have selected and reviewed what I consider to be the eight best, most memorable Wolfstar fics completed in 2004.

Fics Reviewed:

A Creature Void of Form by ignipes

Coffee and Cigarettes by victoria_p (musesfool)

Liars Leaving My House by @imochan-fic

The Love Song of Sirius Black by @kaydeefalls

Mapmakers (Making Moony Laugh: The Suicide Is Painless Remix) by Casira

Stealing Harry by @copperbadge

That the Science of Cartography is Limited by Rave

Three Days (The Rebuilding the Temple Remix) by victoria_p (musesfool)

Reviews below the cut.

Context: In 2004, we were still trying to recover from Order of the Phoenix, which came out the previous year. The “Prisoner of Azkaban” movie was released in July, which combined with Order to create a lot of hype around these characters and this ship. It was a great year for Wolfstar fics!

Disclaimers:

My selections are based on my subjective taste and what I personally have read. YMMV.

I have done my best to flag potential triggers. Please let me know if I missed something.

I know some of these fics have a different year listed on AO3. I used the earliest posting dates I could find on any site but provided AO3 links for convenience.

I did not consider non-magical/modern AUs for this post, though I do read and enjoy them.

On to the fics!

A Creature Void of Form by ignipes

Length: 6,497 words

Era: Interwar period

POV: Remus and Sirius

Summary: Christmas, 1994. Two men, a cave, a hippogriff, some blankets, a hot meal, a blizzard, a bottle of vino rosso, and a conversation.

My Review: I don't see Sirius’s year living in the cave outside Hogsmeade explored very often, and “A Creature Void of Form” draws out all the awkwardness and poignant regret that I’d expect to see in a reunion at that time. Sirius’s mental health is not the best here and his lack of socialization shows. He’s still holding on to a lot of anger and uncertainty, whereas Remus has had years to accept everything that’s happened. I especially enjoy the bit about noticing the changes in each other’s voices and the way the silence between them is almost a living thing.

Vibe: Rusty devotion with an unresolved ending.

Illustrative Quote: He's going to let the silence lurk between them, a cold dark formless thing, reaching from the fire and across the ridiculous blue and yellow blanket, with fingers and tentacles that Sirius can feel but not see.

Coffee and Cigarettes by victoria_p (musesfool)

Length: 2,089 words

Era: First War

POV: Sirius

Summary: Sirius hopes he's doing the right thing.

My Review: This fic is like an open wound. “Coffee and Cigarettes” is a striking look at the lead-up to Halloween 1981 after Sirius has convinced himself that Remus is the traitor. They meet up after some time apart, and Sirius can’t stop baiting Remus to cover up his own pain and regret at the end of their relationship. He’s questioning his history with Remus and whether their relationship would be salvageable if it turns out he’s wrong. They’re so young and so tired at this point in the First War, and their angst, desire, and doubt are palpable.

Vibe: Raw betrayal with a painful ending.

Illustrative Quote: He isn’t sure he believes two people can get close anymore, if he and Remus have drifted so far apart.

Liars Leaving My House by imochan

Length: 1,043 words

Era: Hogwarts

POV: Remus

Summary: The boys. The shack. One last gasp, in 7 parts.

My Review: This fic covers a lot of ground with very few words. “Liars Leaving My House” tells the story of Remus’s Seventh Year in seven atmospheric snapshots set in the Shrieking Shack. The whimsical little glimpses into the Marauders’ dynamic and Remus’s relationship with Sirius range from drunken shenanigans to hot and dirty stolen moments. Each scene is sharply drawn and gives you just enough before jumping to the next vignette.

Vibe: Raunchy bonding with a hopeful ending.

Illustrative Quote: Sirius kisses him now, and they can hear James yelling outside, obscenities for the hell of it, and Peter retching into the melting snow, and Ah, Remus thinks, Ah, Romance.

The Love Song of Sirius Black by kaydeefalls

Content Warning(s): canonical major character death

Length: 6,988 words

Era: Multiple

POV: Sirius

Summary: Or, Five Things That Never Happened To Sirius Black.

My Review: This fic is poetry disguised as prose and somewhat experimental in style. In “The Love Song of Sirius Black,” Sirius experiences a series of could-have-beens and visits Remus in a dream after falling through the Veil. Sirius’s slow acceptance of how he had been living on borrowed time and should not come back is haunting and lovely, and the way the fic moves through the possibilities—good and bad—is exquisite. I had Jeff Buckley’s version of “Hallelujah” running through my head and teared up as I read this.

Vibe: Reflective closure with a peaceful ending.

Illustrative Quote: "Please stop coming back," Remus whispers, and kisses him.

Mapmakers (Making Moony Laugh: The Suicide Is Painless Remix) by Casira

Content Warning(s): implied/referenced suicide attempt and self-injury

Length: 8,973 words

Era: Second War

POV: Fred

Summary: Discovering just who Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are brings up even more questions for Fred—and when fate takes another of them away, it's time to go back to the source for some answers.

My Review: This fic is a remix of “Making Moony Laugh” by Raven, which carries the same content warnings. “Mapmakers” is the story of the Marauders, the story of how Fred Weasley discovers who made the Marauder's Map, the story of Remus and Sirius, and the story of Remus after Sirius’s death all rolled into one. I’ve never read a Wolfstar fic from Fred’s perspective before, and Fred’s understated thoughtfulness and his desire to understand is both touching and heartbreaking. Casira avoids all of the pitfalls writers often fall into when writing the Weasley twins. This fic made me cry—you’ll want to have something light and happy queued up to read afterward.

Vibe: Searching care with a bittersweet ending.

Illustrative Quote: Fred supposed it might have been impossible to know, except with the benefit of hindsight, that Sirius' brash talent would be the end of him, that Peter's sneaky cleverness would be the end of James, that Remus' steady hand would hold so much together until the very end—when it almost dealt his own death.

Stealing Harry by copperbadge

Note: “Stealing Harry” is the first fic in a 443,000-word series. The series has been abandoned, but the author posted detailed notes about where it would have gone. This rec is specifically for “Stealing Harry.”

Content Warning(s): canonical child neglect/abuse at the beginning and violence toward children in later chapters

Length: 99,937 words

Era: Interwar period

Trope: Raising Harry

POV: Multiple

Summary: In an alternate universe where Sirius Black never went to Azkaban, Harry divides his life between the Dursleys’ house and Mr. Black’s bookshop—until Sirius realises what the Dursleys are doing to him, and takes him away from their care.

My Review: The OG raising Harry AU! This was one of the two most famous Wolfstar fics back in the day. “Stealing Harry” reads like a novel and has a similar tone to the books. Peter, who is still at large, serves as the primary antagonist in this fic; Snape, the Weasleys, and the Tonks are our protagonists’ most important allies. There are hints that copperbadge correctly predicted two of the big revelations from Deathly Hallows—namely, Snape’s love for Lily and Harry’s status as a horcrux. In terms of the Wolfstar angle, Remus has quietly loved Sirius for years and is content with their friendship, whereas Sirius wants to dive in head-first after his epiphany. I love the development of their bond with eight-year-old Harry—who is a bit more earnest and less snarky than in the books—and the combination of parenting and privately exploring their evolving relationship feels very adult.

Vibe: Domestic love and looming danger with a hopeful ending.

Illustrative Quote: "I'm half of all we've done, Remus.”

That the Science of Cartography is Limited by Rave

Note: AO3 account required—alternate link here.

Length: 7,364 words

Era: Multiple

POV: Remus

Summary: The whole thing is silly and illogical. There has to be a rhythm. There has to be a sense. Because there are things that make sense about living, and you can’t come to a logical conclusion from an illogical premise, it doesn’t work like that.

My Review: “That the Science of Cartography is Limited” is one of the most hauntingly beautiful stories I have ever read—published literature included. Remus tries to carry on alone in Grimmauld Place after Sirius’s death, mourning him through a series of Hogwarts-era flashbacks. The prose is gripping and evocative, and Grimmauld Place and the Marauder’s Map are sharply rendered motifs. Sirius’s characterization is pointed even through Remus’s memories, contrasting his entitlement and casual cruelty with his deep love for those he deems worthy. Rave also lays the groundwork for Peter’s betrayal in a quietly realistic way. There’s obviously a lot of thematic overlap between this one and “Mapmakers” (above), but the two fics are very different in tone, style, and perspective. I had a hollow ache in my chest after reading this.

Vibe: Potent grief with a heartbreaking ending.

Illustrative Quote: Remus has heard of haunted houses being full of the dead; he thinks it is strange that anyone could find this terrible.

Three Days (The Rebuilding the Temple Remix) by victoria_p (musesfool)

Length: 15,107 words

Era: Second War

POV: Sirius

Summary: It seems they have both learned to hope.

My Review: This fic is a remix of one of my 2003 picks! “Rebuilding the Temple” reimagines kestrelsan’s Remus-POV “Three Days” from Sirius’s perspective. It’s the first fic I’ve found that focuses on the reversal of Remus and Sirius’s power dynamic post-Azkaban. James and Sirius were the ringleaders of their little group growing up, but Remus is quite clearly the leader and Sirius the follower in their 30s in canon. musesfool really gets into Sirius’s headspace as he reflects on that shift and on his childhood while he’s stuck in Grimmauld Place, and by pairing this fic with the original you can see just how much he and Remus misunderstand and speak past one another.

Vibe: Restless melancholy with a hopeful ending.

Illustrative Quote: Grimmauld Place is nothing but Azkaban writ small, with the bitter pains of childhood lurking in every shadowed corner with no respite.