MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

Fanfiction is a way for fans of a work to be an active participant in their fandom. Fanfiction allows for fans to become a part of the experience; they can fill in parts of the plot they feel are missing, continue the story after the canon ends, or, in some cases, express a preference for a certain romantic pairing that may or may not be canon. Shipping, or the advocating for a relationship pairing, is a major part of fan interaction, which may in some cases provide an area of conflict within the fandom – consider “shipping wars” like Team Edward/Team Jacob. However, despite the large number of characters and potential relationships, the Harry Potter fan community has not had the type of large-scale shipping war that many other fandoms have. In fact, the fandom might be well described by the shipping name for a Harry/Hermione pairing – Harmony.

That is not to say that shipping is not a major part of *Harry Potter* fanfiction; Fanfiction.Net, which features over 700,000 *Harry Potter* fanfics, allows users to sort through this large number of offerings by pairing, among other options. I argue that, in the *Harry Potter* fandom, rather than being a source of conflict, shipping serves as a way for fans to become more active participants in the community. Unlike other fandoms that see massive shipping wars, *Harry Potter* fans tend to be more peaceful, splitting into separate groups rather than fighting over the fandom. Rather, shipping allows fans to create their own sub-community within the larger fan community. This paper examines shipping in *Harry Potter* fanfiction (particularly “Harmony” shipping), looking at how fans express their preference, what types of stories they create, and the purpose that shipping and fan creation serve in creating a greater experience for the fan community.