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Rigel Black #1

The Pureblood Pretense

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Harriett Potter dreams of going to Hogwarts, but in an AU where the school only accepts purebloods, the only way to reach her goal is to switch places with her pureblood cousin—the only problem? Her cousin is a boy. Alanna the Lioness take on HP.

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918 pages, ebook

Published June 21, 2012

10 people are currently reading
154 people want to read

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Murkybluematter

5 books60 followers

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5 stars
189 (72%)
4 stars
55 (21%)
3 stars
12 (4%)
2 stars
2 (<1%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Profile Image for aforestofbooks.
477 reviews150 followers
January 16, 2018
Wow this was amazing!! If you're a fan of Tamora Pierce and Harry Potter, I highly, highly recommend this! It's fanfiction, yes, but it's SO GOOD!!

The amount of FEELS this story threw at me, like OH MY GOSH MY HEART 🙈😭

The only complaint I have is that occasionally the writing style was a bit confusing, and the somewhat old-fashion dialogue was a bit different, especially from reading the Harry Potter books. It fit with the Song of the Lioness theme though!

Speaking of Song of the Lioness...I loved all the connections between Harry's story and Alanna's! Everything Violet (author) did was so ingenious and very well planned! She's an excellent writer and I'm really looking forward to reading the second book!

My opinions on Snape and Draco (the Malfoys in general), and especially Slytherins has changed! Even though this isn't canon, I wish it was, because Snape is SO MUCH BETTER! And Draco is literally my adorable smol child!!! I also fell in love with Pansy and I loved seeing more of her since she wasn't mentioned much in the books.

Also...THE MARAUDERS *insert squealing* I AM LITERALLY IN HEAVEN BEING ABLE TO SEE MORE OF SIRIUS AND REMUS!! Sirius' letter to Rigel at the very end broke my heart, and when Rigel/Harry ran to him at King's Cross, I wanted to cry with happiness. TOO GOOD. TOO PURE. TOO MANY GOOD FEELS.
2 reviews
April 15, 2018
The best way to describe this series is that it is presented as a sheaf of functions on an n-dimensional manifold where other books are usually 1 or 2-dimensional vector spaces. To the non-mathematical reader think of it as a huge collection of intricately connected deep labyrinths each of which is a delight to explore. You may well choose a single path to explore and still enjoy it a lot.

It is HUGE though.

DISCLAIMER: This book has the capacity to destroy all other books for you, be it fiction or non-fiction.

This book has a lot going for it. It manages to please almost every part of the reader in you.
The book weaves in emotional stakes and a relatable tales for every character in ways you can empathically associate to your life in a subtle situational fashion.
The book manages to make the path the characters take to certain revelations and discoveries in a natural and logical fashion that is sure to please the researcher in you.
The world is presented with theoretically coherent physics and social structures. Characters are complex and weave the narrative well. There are no elements of the story that suddenly lose their purpose in the story. Every event has long-lasting consequences that echo throughout the story and characters participating in it.
At the same time people who want emotively easy concepts like good and evil to rule would still find the narrative at any given moment of their reading.

For the few of us who enjoy complexity and conceptual depth in all its glory, this is the only work in existence. (If you feel, nope think you know some other please feel free to message me and let me know)
PS: read the series 13 times so far.
Profile Image for sophia (flitteringpages).
33 reviews3 followers
August 8, 2020
my love for pansy is now much stronger than my love for draco ever was (his actions in tff may have had an affect on this) i just think pansy deserves way more appreciation and love and i am hereby declaring myself her sworn protector and if anyone is mean to her i will simply fight them
Profile Image for Alyssia Cooke.
1,426 reviews38 followers
May 14, 2018
It went against my natural inclinations to give this fic a chance, but I am truly glad I did. This is ome of the most cleverly written and plotted fanfics I have read in a long time. The changes to the world building are well thought out and carefully unveiled, giving you ever more snippits as you go. The representation of a politically poweful Riddle is well implemented.

The aspects of the fic I thought I would struggle with most was the gender change of the Potter heir. In reality, I am still not sure why this was so necessary but perhaps I will become further enlightened in future years. I suppose it adds the cleverly avoided complications of needing to avoid the hospital wing at all costs and I am vaguely interested to see how the subterfuge manages through puberty.

The characterisations are where this truly excels however and I adored the presentations of so many characters including the Weasley's and Severus. It's rare for fanfic writers to get both Snake and Lion so right, but here they are. It's stunningly well done and several minor characters are given the limelight.

The plotting is also superb and the changes mean it is not reliant on the original Potter plot. It is impossible to forsee where it is going and that alone is a rare find in fanfic!
Profile Image for aforestofbooks.
477 reviews150 followers
July 13, 2018
It’s fitting this would be the first book I finish in 2018. And yes, I am currently writing some painful fanfic of this fanfic for everyone to read cause I can’t help myself.

Was this even better the second time? HELL YES. I had all the same feels and painful heart stabs that I did the first time. There were so many little things mentioned that made me squeal with happiness or scream with terror lol

I love love love Rigel. She’s so much like me in so many ways. Her work ethic honestly keeps me going in school. Just everything about her is perfect.

Draco is my smol precious child and I love him to death.

Pansy is interesting to read about, especially after what I know now. I love how calm and cool and collected she is. Like I want to be like that 24/7 please.

SNAPE. Let me talk about him. First of all, he’s a billion times better than in Harry Potter, and I’m just going to pretend this is canon okay? He’s so talented and snarky and smug and proud and akskdkfkf I love all every scene with him, especially once’s when Rigel starts yelling cause it’s amazing.

The amount of thought gone into the magical theory in this fanfic is just incredible. It’s written in such a way that I feel like it would be canon, and it just makes sense. Like it could be real in a way.

I’m terrified for book two, more terrified for book three, and I just want more chapters of book four please and thank you Violet 😭
Profile Image for Chalilodimun Angel.
142 reviews4 followers
August 28, 2025
2025 reread (at the occasion of the readalong on the Discord)

What do you mean it's been 4 years since I've read PP?
Anyway, time for the obsession to start again.

(apparently I read it 3 times in 2021, wild)

it has definitely given me the boost I needed to continue the translation of book 2

This time, reading this early start of the Ruse just made me so anxious for Rigel. She's still just a baby with a baby Ruse that anyone could uncover if they just looked.
Oh and I just love the way Violet write the magic system. and the potions, omg the potions. Harry and her special interest were definitely a big part on my road to an autism diagnosis.

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3rd reread of 2021
Well, I just love this book. It's my comfort story.

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Well, I didn't know you could find Fanfictions on Goodreads! Now I can finally truly show how much I read the Rigel Black Chronicles! And that makes more books for my 2021 reading challenge. I read it a lot, okay. That's my emotional support fanfiction. The best one ever. Go read it, you fool. You don't know what you're missing. (And yes, I'm translating it in French on FFnet because it's so good.)
Profile Image for Anniek.
2,574 reviews889 followers
March 7, 2018
This came highly recommend by a friend, so I picked it up, even though I don't usually read fanfic. I'm not sure if the whole fanfic thing is really for me, but I still had a lot of fun reading this! There were some interesting concepts and ideas and I really liked Harriet/Rigel for the most part.
Profile Image for Gretal.
1,059 reviews85 followers
April 10, 2020
I still love this so much. The perfect mix of Harry Potter and Tamora Pierce. The way the plot comes together in a serial work is just incredible
Profile Image for Philipp Meder.
69 reviews1 follower
July 12, 2023
Wow! I never would have dreamed that a Fanfiction could be this good. But I have to say that if one can count this as a book, which by its length I would, this is one of my favorite books ever. The way the author describes magic and especially how a magician‘s mind works is so beautiful and at the same time makes so much sense to me, that I cannot recommend reading this enough. It’s a wonderful addition to reading the 7 original Harry Potter books and one of the few books I’ve ever read that really made me think of them throughout the day. It’s actually written well enough that I am pretty sure it’s one of those books that will have a lasting impact on myself.
93 reviews
February 22, 2021
This was honestly a great read for me, and really helped draw me back into the world of reading after two years of hardly reading a page. It was a delight, and the fact that some of my favourite childhood books include the two this fanfic is derived from just immediately brought me back to the joy I felt when I read them years ago.
I enjoyed the Harry Potter series on the first read as a child but I haven't the courage to re-read it for fear of irritation by the numerous plot holes and not being able to stand Harry (I never really liked him, but this was before I realised there existed books with main characters I could stand), so this was the next best alternative. I honestly think the world of Harry Potter to be interesting (if not fleshed out adequately so by JK Rowling), and found the details on the magical process to be a satisfying explanation for the specifics of magic (and most importantly potion brewing) of the original world.
I thought when I was reading that Rigel was a bit of a paragon, including the way everyone either adores her or hates her - but then again so was Harry, and oh boy was he more overtly so - but I thoroughly enjoyed everything turning out perfectly and Rigel being all too prepared for everything. I also pondered how realistic it is, her being so smart (I mean she completed fifth year essays with decent marks while simultaneously doing so much!), but I do remember thinking a lot of Harry's decisions utterly idiotic all the way through to seventh year when I read it in primary school, so it's not at all a stretched she's smarter that Harry?
I found it so enjoyable to read more on many of the more interesting (in my humble opinion, of course) secondary characters like Fred and George, Draco, Pansy, even Flint, and also found it immensely satisfying to read Percy's course change for the better (including the Author's Note at the end which brought a smile out of me in surprise).
I found it to be less Alanna and a lot Harry Potter, the hiding-her-gender part being the biggest point borrowed from Tamora Pierce, but maybe it was more in the writing style (which I thoroughly enjoyed) that was of Alanna.
This was the first Harry Potter fanfic I read (nay, the first fanfic altogether), and was utterly unprepared for the length of the whole thing (only shorter than the fifth book out of seven), and although the chapter got longer and longer, I didn't mind so much seeing as I read it over the course of two days. I'd say to the author "don't be afraid to leave your readers hanging sometime" in order to cut down chapter length also, but the chapter cut offs were very easy to pause at which honestly was a relief for me to be able to actually (somewhat) be back in the real world.
Overall I found myself grinning uncontrollably at the turn of events/humour that caught me by surprise, and will continue to read the rest of the series to enjoy the rest of Rigel's school years (although I've noticed there are only four currently). :)
Profile Image for Lily Evangeline.
557 reviews41 followers
December 24, 2019
Debated whether or not I should count this as a book or not, seeing as it's technically a Harry Potter fanfiction, but due to the pure length of the re imagining (and also just how much I enjoyed it), decided to add it on here too. I've never been a huge Harry Potter fan, though I definitely tore my way through them the first time around, but I stumbled upon this fanfiction while stuck at work with nothing to do and got sucked right in. The author makes an effort, in the retelling, to correct some of the major things that irked me about the original HP (such as the kids never asking adults for help, more representation across houses, better characterizations for some minor characters, Harry just being annoying for no good reason). Also having Tom Riddle as a politician adds a court politics kind of feel that I believe must come from the Alanna the Lioness influence, which I surprisingly didn't mind at all.
15 reviews2 followers
August 8, 2018
I was initially skeptical of a female Harry Potter, but since I also love Tamora Pierce, I decided to give it a go and was not disappointed.
2 reviews
August 18, 2019
Absolutely brilliant. It is one of the best books I’ve ever read. An absolute credit to the author Violet and should be published.
Profile Image for Mia G.
12 reviews
May 8, 2021
4.5 stars - an impressive and enjoyable read

I never read fanfic, I haven’t read all of Harry Potter (stopped at book 5), and I have never read Alanna the Lioness. That said, I’m glad I was convinced to give this fic a chance. It’s impressively well-written, with excellent world building and a fleshed-out magical system that is very interesting to read about, not to mention the complex political conflicts and intrigue the book covers within this fictional world. The main characters are for the most part well developed, complex, and intriguing, and the numerous side characters have life and dimension that adds depth to the story. I love that we get POV switches every now and again to keep the story fresh and interesting. It is also perfectly readable and understandable without having detailed knowledge of the series that it is based upon, which I appreciate.

Frankly, this would be an excellent and publishable original work if it didn’t rely so heavily upon the HP franchise for most of the side characters (and therefore couldn’t be published without copyright issues). The story is very original, which in my opinion made it more interesting and way more fun to read. I give the author major props for injecting so much innovation into the story and giving it a life of its own.

I removed half a star for a couple of minor reasons - Rigel is way too smart, reasonable, and accomplished for an eleven year old, and the story has a fair number of grammatical errors. Overall, these are truly minor gripes, and the plot and world that the author created drew me in better than some of the published novels I have read. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy series!
Profile Image for Soham Panchamiya.
43 reviews
April 19, 2021
This is one extremely long read, but it was also very fun. There are some elements of it that I am not a fan of: (1) kid politicians (2) empathising with out and out racists (3) magical cores (4) deus ex machina powers for Harry. But I love how the author made a solid attempt at subverting tropes and made potion-making out to be much more complicated and gone deep into magical lore.

This book was a great primer on the revolution to come if the epilogue is anything to go by and I am excited to continue the sequel of this very strange story. I love the fact that a constant tension exists that HP's pretense will be found out. Can't wait to see when it all comes crashing down.

I do cringe at the constant Americanisms, but it's fanfiction, so whatevs.
Profile Image for archana.
318 reviews2 followers
June 11, 2021
ok i've been reading this series for the past week and they're pretty long so I'm just gonna count it towards my reading goal
this was amazing. like. i've been reading fanfic for almost ten years and I've never seen anything like this. of course, it's not perfect, and people could point out plot holes or argue that the characters act older than their ages but...i still loved it. it was a fun read, a fast read, and god was it a good time
Profile Image for Tatiane Nicchetti.
101 reviews22 followers
February 7, 2022
Wow!

I cannot even start to say how much I loved this book and the whole series! At the beginning, I had to make myself read it, but... OMG, was it worth it!

And the next books... It is impressive how it ends getting better and better. the social issues, the policial stances, the scientific magical development... Everything made me really impressed with the brillance of the author!

I recommend it for any HP fans out there
Profile Image for beeha.
35 reviews
February 18, 2022
this was a wild ride from the start to the end. i absolutely love everything about this fic. I have reread it so many times that I can list it from the top of my head by now. harry is such an amazing, multi dimensional character, and now that I think about it,her character development is exemplary. Archie is another one that I loved, along with aldon.
this is absolutely worth reading
I wish you the best, violet.
lots of love
159 reviews13 followers
May 10, 2023
I like this whole series. What might have been if Harry Potter had been born a girl, and Voldermort had handled things differently 50 years ago. It sucked me into the well-known universe but explored more of the magic, introduced exciting new ideas, and keeps up the drama. It's targeted at a more mature audience than the original, probably the same as the original 6th and 7th books.
Profile Image for Elena.
518 reviews12 followers
May 13, 2024
the way I keep reading HP fanfics better than the original is absurd- This one is a clear king of a book, with amazing world and magic system building that JK Rowling never even attempted in her series. I can't believe how fast I got through 229,389 words, it was so easy, so engaging and so fun to read.
Profile Image for AC.
69 reviews
February 13, 2022
I really liked this! It of course has some of the classic hp fic tropes (magical cores anyone?), but I eat that stuff up so it's all good :)
3 reviews
March 11, 2023
The rare occasion that a fanfiction is so unbelievably better than the original that you actually wish they'd swap places, if not only to be able to watch a film version of this story. It is addictive from the start, and written so well in every way. The vocabulary is amazingly varied, which is again something uncommon for a fanfiction. The world-building is excellent and immersive, and expands on the wizarding universe in ways the original never could. On top of all this is the story itself, which pulls you in so strongly you could be living it. What I enjoyed most was the way in which there is not merely one or two subplots with an overarching main story line, but instead many intricately woven in, and this is what makes this series so immersive. There is honestly so much more to say about this book. The characters are another thing that, I personally feel, have been improved on immensely. There is a depth to them and you so easily get attached. The magical theory and addition of scientific-like lore also deepens the story, and is surprisingly not at all boring to read considering it's based off of a magical knowledge and logic that does not actually exist. Overall, this is will probably always remain one of my favourite book series, one that I will keep coming back to to relive the first experience of reading.
Profile Image for Mitticus.
1,165 reviews241 followers
July 14, 2021
re-lectura julio 2021

En este AU, la primera guerra de sangre no ocurrió así que los Potters estan vivos , y no hay Horcruxes. Sin embargo Harriette Potter es una genio de las pociones cuyo ídolo es Severus Snape (cosa que a los Merodeadores no hace gracia); el problema es que Hogwarts es un colegio exclusivo para sangre puras que no acepta ni mestizos ni nacidos de muggle, de modo que Harriette decide cambiar de lugar con su 'primo' Archie Black (hijo de Sirius Black) , quien desea estudiar para ser Sanador por su parte en el Instituto de Magia en NAmerica. Asi nace Rigel Black.

Rigel planea llevar el engaño hasta terminar de estudiar sin echar a perder la reputación de Archie para cuando vuelvan a cambiar de lugar. ¿Podran lograr engañar profesores y amistades por tanto tiempo? La politica de los sangre pura, y los peligros de Hogwarts continuan bajo diferentes fachadas y actores. Además de ella luchar con prejuicios en diferentes campos academicos y sociales, siempre manteniendose bajo el peligro de ser descubierta.

Una de las partes más importantes es la tremenda complejidad explicando diferentes magias y campos de estudio en pociones y cosas de magia y poder magico.

Esta escribiendose ahora el quinto libro asi que emprendi esta relectura.
Profile Image for Vjeverica.
751 reviews3 followers
July 1, 2025
Kolejny reread czerwiec 2025 r. Juz chyba przestaje liczyć ile to czytałam.

To już 3 reread w tym roku? A zapewne czytałam to już z 7, może 8 razy.
Tysiące razy lepsze niż oryginał. Ciekawa fabuła, niecodzienne pomysły, zupełnie inne spojrzenie na historię Harry'ego Pottera.

Jeśli miałabym polecić jedną książkę komukolwiek to byłaby to ta. Nie znam lepszej historii że świata magii.
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