Magic

Spellwork, enchantments, and the impossible made systematic — whether the canon is already magical or the writer is introducing magic where none existed. Covers everything from intricate original magic systems to a single inexplicable curse driving the plot.

200,000 works

What is Magic in fanfiction?

Spellwork, enchantments, and the impossible made systematic — whether the canon is already magical or the writer is introducing magic where none existed. Covers everything from intricate original magic systems to a single inexplicable curse driving the plot. With over 200,000 works on Archive of Our Own, Magic is one of the most beloved tropes in fanfiction.

Why readers love Magic

Magic is fanfiction's most flexible tool: it can externalize emotion, literalize metaphor, and give any pairing a curse that can only be broken one obvious way.

Examples of Magic

A witch's familiar turning out to be a transformed human, or two characters bound by a spell that forces honesty between them.

Best Magic Fanfics

The highest-rated Magic stories across all fandoms on AO3.

1

Evitative

Complete

by Vichan

In the summer before his fifth year at Hogwarts, Harry is drawn to a room in Grimmauld Place. Like the Gryffindor he is, he enters the room without fear. The room is a library, and Harry is surprised to find that he’s eager to learn.Then he gets the bad news: he’s been accidentally expelled from Hog

91,386 kudos 222,453 words ~890 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Slytherin Harry Potter Dark Arts Hogwarts Fifth Year
2

The Standard You Walk Past

Complete

by bafflinghaze

On returning to Hogwarts for their Eighth Year, Headmistress McGonagall decided to room Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter together. She may have hoped for a leading example of house unity; the other students fully expected insults and fights. But nothing happened.That was, until Harry sleepwalked into D

71,914 kudos 46,202 words ~185 min read Mature
Hogwarts Eighth Year Some Homophobia in the Wizarding World Romance
3

Away Childish Things

Complete

by lettered

Harry gets de-aged. Malfoy has to help him.

60,897 kudos 153,881 words ~616 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Age Regression/De-Aging Past Child Abuse Past Malnutrition
4

The Songbird and the Sea

Complete

by maia_archives

In a world where dominance of the sea is an endless battle between pirates and mariners, Park Jimin is content living in his little village on a small, uninteresting island by the eastern mainland. He wants nothing to do with the bloodshed of good and evil, the heartless killing of both innocents an

48,822 kudos 255,883 words ~1024 min read Explicit
Alternate Universe - Pirates Alternate Universe - Fantasy Action/Adventure
5

Mental

Complete

by orphan_account

Harry has had quite enough of sharing his mind with someone else, thankyouverymuch. A miscast Legilimecy spell says otherwise.(Fic from 2010 FF archive being uploaded here.)AND FOR THE LAST FUCKING TIME, STOP REPOSTING THIS ON WATTPAD. I DO NOT WANT IT ON WATTPAD. YOU DO NOT HAVE PERMISSION TO POST

44,434 kudos 186,678 words ~747 min read Mature
Romance Slow Build Getting Together
6

The Electric Fizzing Prick Pistols, or Whatever

Complete

by whitmans_kiss

Everyone is born with Words on their arm that connect them to their Soulmate. James finds his, Sirius had everything figured out back in First Year, Peter doesn’t talk to girls anyway, and Remus thinks he’d very much just like to put his earmuffs back on and disappear.

43,073 kudos 3,816 words ~16 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Magical Realism Soulmates Soulmate-Identifying Marks
7

Every Step You Take

Complete

by Nokomis

Stiles accidentally ends up magically bound to Derek. It’s super.

41,744 kudos 49,347 words ~198 min read Mature
Ensemble Cast Magic Witches
8

Gravity's Got Nothing on You

Complete

by zosofi

“Three weeks,” Derek says. “Still don’t want to,” Stiles says.“I’ll pay you,” Derek says, and that… that has Stiles interested. Alf’s Antique’s may be a great job, but it’s not a high-paying job, and half of Stiles’s tuition is coming from financial aid, so…“How much,” Stiles asks, “are we talking h

41,587 kudos 83,979 words ~336 min read Explicit
AU Humor Romance
9

In Evidence of Magical Theory

Complete

by bixgirl1

When a hex meant for Draco accidentally catches Harry as well, they're forced to learn to understand each other in ways they previously might have thought impossible.In which Harry and Draco can't fight, so they fall in love instead.

38,085 kudos 43,747 words ~175 min read Explicit
Hogwarts Eighth Year Accidental Bonding Magical Theory
10

Don't Look Back

by Onyx_and_Elm

It’s the smell of it. Chemical. Bitter and sharp as a raw edge on metal. Just a hint of it as she passes him at breakfast — but enough to stop her dead, mid-step.There is Wolfsbane in his tea.

34,581 kudos 199,242 words ~797 min read Explicit
Hogwarts Sixth Year Creature Fic Werewolf Draco Malfoy
11

The Truth Is You

Complete

by bigmamag

Arthur lies to a sorceress and gets slapped with a truth spell. Awkwardness ensues.

33,235 kudos 8,957 words ~36 min read Mature
Romance First Time Season/Series 01
12

Vertical Limit

by hppjmxrgosg

Danny Fenton is not okay. TM.Honestly? Just overall bad vibes.But he's doing his best. Making it work. And trying not to become fully dead in the process.The Justice League is very concerned. But it's actually their fault they got involved so take that one, Batman.John Constantine told them not to d

32,133 kudos 67,892 words ~272 min read Teen And Up Audiences
i have too much power This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things Basically I finally got an ao3 account and started a story I can only hope to finish
13

Harry Potter and the Welcome to the World of Grey

Complete

by sobsicles

When Harry fails to keep his anger at bay and Voldemort possesses his mind, the events that follow lead him down a long road to realizing the world isn't as black and white as it seems. Chaos, hilarity, and tragedy ensue with a Dark Lord being honest all the time, a rival becoming something else, an

30,024 kudos 456,640 words ~1827 min read Explicit
Slow Burn Harry Potter is a Horcrux No one dies who doesn't in the books
14

Patterns of Intention

Complete

by drunktuesdays

Derek looked like the stuff of his deepest fantasies. His shirt was rumpled where Stiles had his hands in it, and he was breathing hard as well, chest heaving. His eyes—his eyes were glazed over and he looked stunned, like he’d been—like Stiles had—“No,” Stiles said, blood draining from his face.

29,954 kudos 17,085 words ~69 min read Explicit
Magic First Time Pining
15

beneath six layers of silk

Complete

by darkredloveknot (enheduane)

While exorcising a haunting, Lan Wangji gets cursed with a brand of honesty, and is forced to speak his every thought out loud.

29,235 kudos 12,551 words ~51 min read Explicit
Post-Canon Canon Compliant Getting Together
16

The Ordeal of Being Known

Complete

by louisfake

When Auror Potter is anonymously cursed with silence by being forced to hide his own voice inside his mind, there's unfortunately only one person in the country with the qualifications to fix it: Certified and Licensed Healer Legilimens, Draco Malfoy, specialist in Mind Curses and Afflictions. It's

28,134 kudos 146,637 words ~587 min read Mature
Healer Draco Malfoy Auror Harry Potter Head Auror Ron Weasley
17

It Might Just Come Back To Bite You

Complete

by Arobeebee

After Jungkook goes out of his way to help a sickly-looking stranger on a rainy night, the universe chooses to reward him in the most bizarre and unexpected way possible – with a nest of overprotective Vampire sugar-daddies.

27,355 kudos 175,438 words ~702 min read Mature
Vampires Magic University Student Jeon Jungkook
18

Another Chance

by ProfessorMicroPenis

Harry leaves the white limbo of King's Cross to find himself in his childhood cupboard once again. Luckily for him, it seems he's brought Ron and Hermione back with him, and with his best friends at his side he can do anything.The Golden Trio take Hogwarts by storm, a bit more jaded and ruthless tha

27,168 kudos 57,529 words ~231 min read Mature
Time Travel Fix-It Slytherin Harry Potter Slytherin Ron Weasley
19

Holly & Yew

by LovelyLotus

After a bout of accidental magic when Harry is six, Vernon goes too far. When Harry wakes up, he is gravely wounded and more than fifty years in the past in another world. After some shuffling, Harry ends up at Wool's. There, he meets Tom Riddle, his mysterious roommate, eventual best friend, and th

26,290 kudos 300,849 words ~1204 min read Mature
Childhood Friends Magically Powerful Harry Potter Eventual Healer Harry Potter
20

Draco Malfoy and the Wheel of Hecate

Complete

by starbrigid

Whatever Draco does in the past, it seems he is unable to change much for the better. But he hasn't given up trying, and in the year where Voldemort rises again, he will stop at nothing to ensure he prevents it, leading him down a dangerous path. Standing in his way is not only the force of evil and

25,921 kudos 172,692 words ~691 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Time Travel Slow Burn Fluff and Angst

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Magic fics are on AO3?

There are over 200,000 works tagged with Magic on Archive of Our Own.

What fandoms have the most Magic stories?

Popular fandoms for Magic include Harry Potter, The Witcher, Merlin BBC.

How can I read Magic fanfiction on my phone?

Download Fanfict Reader for iOS to browse and read Magic fanfiction with a beautiful mobile interface, offline reading, and custom themes.

Read Magic fanfiction on the go

Fanfict Reader is the best way to browse, search, and read AO3 fanfiction on your iPhone. Download for free and start reading your favorite stories today.

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