I'll second (or
nth, as the case may be) Black Comedy, 30 Minutes and the sequel, Inner Eye, Invincible Technomage, Distaff Side and Chosen Tricksters.
Some suggestions of mine:
Natural Order:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3942400/1/Natural_Order
- This is a short time-travel fic. Harry decides to go the hard-and-fast (and risky) route towards changing history.
Notebooks and Letters:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3867175/1/N ... nd_Letters
- AU from year 5 on. Told looking back, in part using journal entries and letters, and manages to do a good job with this style.
Harry Potter and the Transfer Student:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4686581/1/H ... er_Student
- AU 5th year, from the perspective of said transfer student, who is from a very foreign culture. The bashing level is a bit high for my tastes, especially of Hermione and Ron, although a good part of that is that the story is very much from the student's point of view. Definitely not for everyone, but I enjoyed it.
Mahou mo Ken:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3441687/1/Mahou_mo_Ken
- A nice Harry gets a mentor fic, giving him help and power without going overboard. Unfortunately, updating very slowly recently.
The Natural Animagus:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4183350/1/T ... l_Animagus
- Through accidental magic, Harry turns into a Kneazle after half a year at the Dursleys, and spends much of his pre-Hogwarts years living as one. This changes much, not just because of his very different outlook on life.
Taking Control (
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2954601/1/Taking_Control) and Free Life (
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4924075/1/Free_Life)
- 6th year, Harry works on taking control of his life, and trains himself with some unusual help. The sequel is coming along slowly, but both are worth reading.
Forging the Sword:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3557725/1/Forging_the_Sword
- AU after the Chamber of Secrets. "Harry’s Gryffindor traits were always so much scarier than other peoples’." Not happy, but a powerful story.
Warning: the above may contain strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and logic (which may be unsuitable for stupid people).
-adapted from xkcd
I'm a solipsistic conspiracy theorist. I'm sure I must be up to something, and I will not stop until I find out what.
-xkcd