HP: You Never Forget Your First Fandom
Ensnare the senses,
Strong defenses,
The silver doe,
You still don't know,
The Prince, the spy,
But why, but why,
Give love for lies?
For him with her eyes.
...originally there was a rather thoughtful post on my first fandom, Harry Potter, and brief recs list here, but of course LJ ate it.
Here are the links anyway, with the warning that when I was in HP, my tastes gravitate towards dark, angst, AU, political intrigue & ambiguity, and Snape/Lupin. Some of these I've grown out of, but they were memorable...and I can still find links to them.
the ill-made knight [late Marauder's Era, Lupin(/Snape), AU] Read a better rec here.
unsticking the shadow [Hermione, gen, AU] liroa15 ? One of the most memorable fics I can remember that touches on the discrimination against Muggleborns and Muggles that you mentioned. There are others I'm sure, but this one's compact and elegant.
Traitors and Allies [Snape/Lupin, dark, AU] Go in with an open mind, it'll mess with you, and you'll like it, I promise.
Remembering Tomorrow [Snape, angst, gen] Forget JKR's version, this explains Severus Snape.
Are You Now or Have You Been? [Snape, Harry, angst, gen] "No one will ever accuse Severus Snape of being a Gryffindor."
End of the Line [various, gen] The post-DH fic that I, at least, needed. Appropriates Death from Discworld to give closure.
Release the Wolves [Lupin, Marauder's Era, slash] Part of a long sort-of Severitus series, but not a huge part of this epic fic. This is the story of Remus Lupin.
Finding Viktor Krum [epilogue generation: ASP(/VK)] Summary: ""A man walks into a pub..." Or, how the universe played a joke on Albus Severus Potter and how he learned to go along with it." If you don't read any of the other fics I've rec'd because angst or politics or Snupin is not your thing, read this one. It made me forget why I hated the DH epilogue; it really is that wonderful and lovely.
Anyone who was in HP as well, and I know there must be some of you...rec me some of your favorites?