Beholder!

My hp_beholder gift has been posted! It's called The Cat's Claws, and it's terrific. The pairings alone thrill me: Minerva/Umbridge and Minerva/Hooch. Umbridge is wonderfully chilling, anger- and hate-ridden, and totally believable. Minerva appears completely oblivious, which makes me feel for Dolores a bit; it's easy to understand why she hates Minerva and hates herself. Plus, it's second-person, which I adore, especially when it's done as well as it is here. The whole thing is beautifully structured, with every word just right.

My only disappointment is that the fic is so short -- at 1024 words, it just manages to meet the fest minimum. It's a sketch rather than a story. Still, the author fulfilled the rules, so s/he can't be faulted for not writing more. But the piece is so good that I very much wish s/he had. /g/

Go read it; you won't be sorry. I seriously love this.

I'm still far behind in my Beholder reading, though so far, the fest is proving yet again why it's the best in the business. It's my third year of following it, and I'm fascinated to see how different characters surface each year to receive attention. In my first year of reading (2009), Minerva was the star; last year belonged to Viktor Krum and Rufus Scrimgeour; this year, it's Dudley and Millicent who seem to be center stage. (Though Poppy has shown up three times!)

Then there are the superb rare pairs: in 2009, it was Arabella/Argus who delighted me most (also Minerva/Augusta); last year, it was the glorious Auntie Muriel, first with Ollivander and then with (yes!) Griphook. This year, we've had Hagrid/Draco and my favorite pairing so far, Umbridge/Aunt Marge. And each year has provided wonderful turns for McGonagall, Flitwick, Filch, Snape, Moody, and other favorites.

Other hp_beholder Recs (with more to come, no doubt, when I catch up):

Give Him the Good News (Albus Dumbledore/Argus Filch)
This story also contains excellent art. It has a World War I background, which pleases my history-nerd heart no end. I love the depictions of Albus and Argus. For once, Albus is the one who knows and understands less than his partner, and Argus is a full and real character.

Principles Before Personalities (Dudley/Harry)
I don't think this story even needs the pairing; it's good already, and I think it would be even more effective as gen, with just a friendship between Harry and Dudley. It's a fine exploration of Dudley's return from alcoholism. He's presented very realistically, and the characterizations overall are strong. Watch for the painful scene with Petunia in particular. (I was skeptical initially, partly because I have some problems with the whole 12-step-program thing on which the story is based. But the 12-step frame turned out to work very well as a narrative device.)

The Ministry's Man (John Dawlish/Rufus Scrimgeour; John Dawlish/Barty Crouch, Sr [unrequited]).
Told from Dawlish's pov, this story is a triumph of characterization, imagery, and insight. Beautifully conceived and written.

(My earlier Beholder recs are here)

I'll have some femmefest and springtime_gen recs to give as soon as I catch up with reading.