HP recs: Harry/Draco long fics

Posted on October 1, 2007
Filed Under HP recs masterlist, HP recs |

A fair warning: I’ve been out of HP fandom for quite a while by now. As I read HP fiction nearly not at all nowadays, please don’t expect these listings of mine to be kept up to date. If you report a broken link or suggest a new addition, I might fix/add it… in half a year. So please don’t use these lists as a proper gateway but rather as a general guidance for what to look in other places if you find a dead end here. For new stuff, check comments.

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Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy. Part 1: Long fics (stories over 50K words, long series and such)

Go to: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy. Part 2: Medium-length fics.

Go to: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy. Part 3: Short fics.

Fics are sorted in alphabetical order by title (articles excluded).


ab epistulis, by autumnlecroix (aduialelin) (or here) #
R. Summary: “A future fic that takes place when Draco is 30, living in Edinburgh, Scotland. Draco owns a bookstore and ends up developing a correspondence with the author of his favorite novel. Through a series of letters, they learn more about each other than either thought possible and end up forging an unusual relationship that would not have been possible 15 years ago.”

Good, long, plotty story that shows us grown-up Harry and Draco, both of whom changed a lot. I do love well-executed fics with the “hidden identity” intrigue and epistolary bits that add spice to it. As in any story of this type, the author plays with the tension that is born from the reader’s extensive knowledge of what’s happening (in relation to the characters’ lack of said knowledge.) You can’t help wanting to nudge Harry, “Come on, confess already!” or fidgeting when thinking of what will happen when Draco finds out (finally realizes.) It all is wrapped in many a fascinating detail of Edinburgh and London city life, both wizarding and Muggle. On the downside, there are typos and occasional errors, but as for me, they are easy to overlook when you follow such an enjoyable plot.

Abide the Sleeper, by Furiosity and Imadra Blue (or here) #
NC-17. Some Harry/Ginny and Draco/Ginny. Big Bang HD challenge, Wave 2. Warnings: Violence, dark themes, gore. Summary: “Every hero, self-styled or otherwise, must undertake a quest, and Harry Potter’s quest has already been set for him by those older and wiser than he. Where there is prophecy, there is also destiny, but there are forks in the dark path that Harry and his friends now walk. There are allies they know not, and enemies they’d know but for their smiles. There are lessons in the past that Harry would do well to learn, and guidance in the present from unexpected sources.”

This story is action-packed, and this is what I liked best about it. Sometimes I want to read a fast-paced, action-driven fic, not a relationship one. In AtS Harry & Co are hunting for Horcruxes, and so many things happen that I had the impression of being on a roller-coaster. Another thing that appealed to me is magic. There are very interesting magical things in this story; they are very vivid too. I also liked the theory behind the magical portraits. Oh well, and many other things.

There were two things that didn’t work for me: the title (I don’t get it) and the very ending — as for me, it doesn’t work at all in the context of this novel, but as the authors say that this fic is part 1 of a trilogy, it probably works as a bridge to the next part. I hope so.

All Bets are Off, by Allegra []
R. Summary: I am SICK of Good-little-innocent!Harry… Enter Playboy!Harry and his Overinflated Ego, a challenge, a bet, a couple of Really Cunning Plans - and there you have it, “Forty days and forty nights”, Hogwarts style. Mayhem ensues! Warning: judicious use of Emphatic Capital Letters and idiotic one-liners.

Alternate, by Sam Vimes (copperbadge) (requires password) #
NC-17. Summary: It’s Harry Potter’s sixth year, and the international Quidditch Juniors World Cup is on. A handful of Hogwarts students are chosen to travel to Argentina and represent Great Britain—including Harry as Seeker, and Draco … as his alternate.

Animus, by Isolde13 []
R. Summary: Harry has defeated Voldemort but he did not come out of the war unscathed. Into his life comes Draco, who is working as a prostitute in Muggle London.

As Time Unfolds Us: A Memoir, by Agnes Bean #
R. Big Bang HD challenge, Wave 2. Warnings: Character deaths. Summary: “Desperate for his own escape from the Death Eaters, Draco Malfoy does something he never expected to do: he helps Harry Potter. With his ideology abandoned and his former protection lost, Draco finds himself in an unfamiliar world, where his greatest struggle —and his ultimate fate — hinges on defining the line between old loyalties and new.”

I hadn’t read anything by this author before this novel, so I was pleasantly surprised because I loved the first person narration here. IMO, it makes the novel. To tell you more, this isn’t a happy fic. It’s angsty, sad, even tragic. The narrator who looks back at the events that have led him to his present situation strongly hints that we won’t find it light and happy from the very beginning — and I loved this narrative device too. As for me, there’s only one flaw in this fic — typos. Not many, but some are really silly. But the rest, I liked a lot. The inevitability of it, the family and friendship conflict, Harry and Draco’s strange relationship, and most of all, once again, the narrator’s voice.

Beautiful World, by Cinnamon (starflowers) #
R. Summary: “Draco is afraid of living and Harry is afraid of dying, but sometimes the choice isn’t offered. Draco’s got to learn what it is to really live, while showing Harry how beautiful the world really is when you’re not too scared to see it.”

I was going to read it for a long time but was too scared because I knew he died. Well, it isn’t such a huge spoiler ‘cos everybody knows it about this fic. Finally, a kind person wrote spoilers and I read it. I must say it lived up to my expectations fully.

Cinnamon here (as she often does) plays very obviously: she pushes the same pedal of simple sentiment again, and again, and again (a child is dying for 11 chapters), but it works and it doesn’t look silly. Besides, in the first two chapters the author shows her talent of comedy, also by the same device of repeating the same thing in different variations until it becomes crystal clear — and they are really hillarious.

Don’t tell me that Harry is not too similar to his canon self; don’t tell me that the ‘big plot’ of the canon (i.e. Voldemort) is forgotten behind Harry’s tragedy. I don’t care because I’m told a good story, good and plausible in itself, within its own rules. I would call it ‘a puppy-dog fic’ because of how it’s made and works, what emotions of yours it evokes and how Harry and Draco are shown. They are teens, and they are written essencially as such. They are funny, and moving, and irritating, and sweet, and stupid, like playful puppies. And Harry’s upcoming, inevitable death is as impossible and heart-wrenching as it can be because, imagine, you know that your funny and ridiculous teen-dog, with its big paws and shining eyes, your dog that is now playing with your slipper in abandon, has to die, and you know about it.

Beneath You, by Cinnamon (starflowers) #
R. Summary: Draco had no idea that the repercussions of stealing Potter’s journal and shoving it down the back of his trousers would be so extreme. Featuring nefarious plots, the mating rituals of Slytherins, double-crossing spells, Ron/Pansy, and Draco/Harry.

Big dick, come quick, by Calanthe (also at Cipher and at HPFandom) []
NC-17. Summary: Draco’s got a theory. About sex. And after much searching for the right candidate, it appears that only Harry Potter, his life long enemy, can help him test it out.

This is basically a PWP with just enough plot to get the smut moving. I loved the first three chapters an awful lot and have issues with the rest. So let me speak about those three chapters first. What I loved best is that it’s a very honest and forthright smut. Draco is obsessed with big cocks. Harry has more than enough for one man in that department. So Draco simply has to get that enourmous cock up his arse. The awful title is perfect for this fic. So perfect in fact that after a while it looks good. No, really, it’s porn, unapologetic, straightforward porn. Long, for a PWP. There’s a really long sex scene that reads like it were well-lubed, forgive me the bad pun. I do think that when it comes to part 4 (the reader-requested continuation), it … no, it doesn’t become worse, it’s just… the porn was enough. It just begins dragging ‘cos there’s not enough drama/conflict to let it be this long. So as for me, it just peters out.

So, delightful in small doses, nearly perfect for the first part. Go read, only don’t read at work or with family around.

Blood and Nails, by Calmardaa (blood_wrangler) (or here) #
Sequel: Smoke & Mirrors (R; discontinued WIP)
R. Warnings: Not too graphic, but yeah, bad stuff. Summary: Would you kill for it? Die for it? What would you do for love and would it do in return? Would it save you from yourself?

Draco has been suspected of multiple killings but has been released and lives with Harry. Meanwhile, the killings resume and the time of them is, suspiciously, the same with Draco’s absence from home. It’s a mystery/thriller, written in the best tradition of good paper-back thrillers. Every couple of chapters something new is revealed that shifts your picture; you can’t relax for a moment. What if you miss an important detail that will let you make the right guess? Really captivative and entertaining.

Bond, by Anna Fugazzi (or here) #
R. Summary: It seems 95% of H/D writers feel compelled to write a “Harry And Draco Are Forced To Be Together By Something Beyond Their Control And Then Unlikely Stuff Happens That Leads To Twoo Wuv” story. Count me among the 95% ;)
Sequels: Not Seamus’ Fault (R; or here) , Bond, One Year Later (PG) , Anniversary (PG; or here.

Boys Don’t Cry, by Furiosity and Pixies ##
Harry/Draco, NC-17, novel-length, AU. Summary: After the eventful Christmas in Harry Potter’s fifth year at Hogwarts, his godfather gave him a badly wrapped package. Inside was something Harry could use it to get in contact should the need arise, Sirius said. Harry resolved never to use whatever it was — he would not put Sirius in danger. When later that year Harry was shown Sirius in terrible danger, he did not think of using Sirius’s last-minute gift. Hermione, however, did. This is the story of what happened after that.

This fic shows why I picked the plottiest fic in HD Wordcup and attributed it to F :) (and was mistaken but let’s forget about that part, ok?) Because boy, can F do plotty! I’m not very familiar with Pixies’s style but I guess that if this is the result, the collab has been very successful. The fic simply swept me off my feet. I’ve read the first couple of dozen pages (I’d printed it out) and then realised: oh my, I’m 20 pages in and I never noticed I had been turning pages. It’s a very interesting AU that starts off the end of the fifth year and then incorporates certain elements of the following books, but not all of them. I think the authors walked the line between “too much the same” and “too much too different” really well. This is, in a sense, my ideal school age H/D fic: on the one hand, it’s a really well-done schoolboy H/D that I missed since reading all those classics in my earlier fandom days, on the other hand, it works with all the seven books. Sirius and Kreacher were hilarious and tragic and lovely, Draco and Ollivander’s niece were moving and vivid, and the very H/D OMG so hot! Wonderful story, real pleasure to read!

The Cicatrix Cycle: Origins, Haven, Belong, Quiescent, by Ivy Blossom #
R and NC-17. Part 4 is a discontinued WIP.

new A Confusion of Will and Desire, by Gatewaygirl ##
Harry/Draco, some Harry/Ginny, Harry/OFC, NC-17, novel-length. Canon Compliancy: EWE. Summary: When Harry starts to have erotic dreams about his godfather, he questions his sexual preference. The real issue turns out to be even more complicated and disruptive. Warnings: highlight in the fic post.

Gatewaygirl writes my dream Harry/Draco. Well, she writes my-dream-many-a-thing; she’s only of my favourite writers in general. But her H/D, rare as it is, is unique, as for me. It’s long, plotty enough, sexy, and has this something undefinable that charms the pants off me. If you have read her Snakes and Lions, you’ll love this fic: it has some similar ideas, only shown differently, and somewhat similar relationship dynamics. Somewhat, not quite. (If you haven’t read SaL, whatever are you waiting for?)

I saw this story posted and thought the premise looked intriguing. Ha! The actual story turned to be even more intriguing, and I was completely hooked by the second thousand words. What’s happening to Harry at the beginning is both interesting and creepy. Of course I wanted to know what was going on. When very soon Harry had to talk to a Muggle shrink, well, this was the scene that made me fall in love with this fic. It’s hilarious, even though it’s not comedic per se. It’s just… try to imagine in detail how the story of Harry’s life and various relationships would look if told to a Muggle. Yeah :)

Anyway, it’s near 70K words that kept my attention all the way. The ending parts show us some ideal version of HP reality, of sorts. I don’t mean that it’s all roses, fluffy bunnies, and holding hands. It’s hard to explain. I mean, in another story, I probably would dismiss the last few parts as too easy or unbelievable, but in this one, they weren’t unbelievable at all. We’ve been led to it through the entire story, so as a result, those last parts are as enchanting as the rest of the fic, and not boring at all, as I would have expected. I probably confused everybody completely, so to summarise: I loved the story, the beginning, the middle, the ending, all of it :) Do try it!

The Depths of Winter, by Cosmic []
R. Summary: Four years after getting out of Hogwarts, Harry lives alone in the Muggle world. He has turned his back on the magical world - until one day, when Draco Malfoy gets into a car crash before Harry’s eyes and ends up paralysed in a wheelchair. HP/DM slash.

The was is over; Harry barely copes with his post-war disorder. He lives among Muggles. He is now a famous writer; he also attends lectures in a university and actively avoids anything that could remind him of the world he has run away from. These settings are, as you see, rather cliché. However, if all cliché-fiction was as solid as what Cosmic does here, nobody would ever need recs ‘cos they would be able to read just anything without the risk of bad!fic.

If I were to name one emotion that reigns in the fic, I would say ‘reluctance’. Having happened by the place of the accident that left Malfoy disabled, Harry doesn’t want to deal with it. He doesn’t, but something pushes him to visit Malfoy; something makes him take the homeless and helpless former enemy home; something makes him force-feed him when his state worsens. But he’s not alone in denial and reluctance. Malfoy also doesn’t want either Harry’s visits or his help or his home. Harry wants to be a Muggle, to live like one, to forget everything about magic. But how can he if there’s a living reminder in his room?

The story is slow and detailed. Not a chef d’ouevre but well worth reading. It also features sinister!Hermione which I didn’t believe in and which, IMO, rather spoiled the final part, but maybe you will be OK with it.

Doppelganger, by vichan (or here) #
R, WIP indefinitely on hold. Summary: Harry sees himself in a mirror with a green towel. Draco is nice to him one second, and his typical self the next. What does it all mean?

Draco Malfoy and His Unknown Fate, by Jitterbug []
NC-17. Summary: Due to a difference of opinion, Draco is disinherited by his father. He now has to make his own way in life.
Sequel (that I haven’t read): Draco Malfoy and His Happily Ever After.

The premise is Draco’s admitting to being gay to his father and being disowned for it. Draco faces poverty, he has to work on holidays and rearrange his life in general. Slytherins have an amusing club, Draco plays with dogs. Well, the fic isn’t outstanding but it’s long and enjoyable enough, and the writing is OK. Good reading for a ‘target audience’ = H/D shippers.

Draco Malfoy and the Tome of Entrapment, by Saber ShadowKitten (or here) #
PG-13. Summary: Draco took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It sucked being in love.

A fascinating fic. The very secret Potter Rescue and Tending Society (PRATS) has a meeting where you’ll see quite a few unexpected members. Then a sinister book appears at Hogwarts and Harry, two other parts of the Trio and several people they wouldn’t like to have as travel companions get sucked into it. They must get out but it turns out to be very difficult. They will have dangerous adventures, will take a stray, see wild and rare creatures, find towns full of people and much more. The word ‘adventures’ always calls forth the idea of something juvenile, but this fic isn’t. It’s really interesting, creative and unusual. I really enjoyed it.

Draco’s Boy, by Empathic Siren (or here) #
R. Summary: Non-magic AU. A mysterious little black-haired boy named Harry moves next door to Draco Malfoy. Enchanted, he’s determined to make the boy his friend and find out all of his secrets. Later, when they grow up, Draco is determined to make Harry much more than a friend.

Drop Dead Gorgeous, by Maya # (not available online anymore. I’m keeping the rec up just to remember it)
R, novel-length; also Draco/Katie, Harry/other in the background. Summary: “I realise this may come as a shock to you, but our investigations have been going on for some time, and we’re quite sure. Your mother Lily Evans was not, as we had all previously believed, of pure Muggle stock. One of her ancestors was a Veela.”
Sequel: The Way We Get By (R)

I don’t like reccing WIPs. I don’t even like reading WIPs. But Parlophone has been ironing my ears about this fic, and I caved. I don’t think a new WIP by Maya needs any recs — see the number of comments and assume that most readers interested in H/D already follow it or know about it — but I’m really enjoying it, so — reccing.

It’s funny and even cracky in places, and when not outright funny, it’s amusing. It’s a Veela…..Harry fic! Draco Malfoy is Harry’s Auror partner and one of the few people immune to Harry’s super Veela charms. It’s all plausible. Well, often crack-plausible but still persuasive. Harry is besotted with Malfoy. Malfoy is head over heels for Katie Bell — believably, too. Former Gryffindors and Slytherins are tangled into various relationships. If you are familiar with Maya’s writing, you know that however light and funny, it can’t be all giggles. There’s place for angsty and moving things too, and the further in the richer the story becomes. I love Draco in this fic: Malfoy, though he hid it well what with all his oceans of steely hatred whenever he thought you didn’t like him, was a soft touch as soon as he thought you did. Who really would have thought that Draco cooing over some chit could be so charming and heart-warming? All in all, I find it truly delightful. Hope the ending doesn’t disappoint.

Earthbound Spook, by crawfords lover (or here) #
Harry/Draco, PG-13, 55,000 words. Summary: Harry has no reason to like or trust Draco Malfoy. The fact that Malfoy has already died once shouldn’t change that. Not Deathly Hallows-compatible.

Crawfords Lover posted a new story, and it’s as delightful as The If Sieve was. Draco Malfoy, who died in a DE skirmish, is found alive on Hogwarts grounds in Harry’s 7th year. He behaves strangely: his bed is placed in Gryffindor and he thinks that Harry and Ron are his friends. Well, of course Harry doesn’t share this sentiment. Very interesting, well-written, wonderful characterisation and pacing. Delightful!

Eclipse, by PhoenixSong (mijan) (or here) #
PG-13. Summary: “You’re dead, Potter… I’m going to make you pay…” Draco swore his revenge on Harry for Lucius’s imprisonment, and Harry all but laughed at him. But Draco is planning more than schoolyard pranks this time. The old rivalry turns deadly when Draco abducts Harry for Voldemort. It’s the perfect plan, guaranteeing revenge, power, and prestige, all in one blow. But, when Draco’s world turns upside down, the fight to save himself and Harry begins, and the battle will take them both through hell and back. If they come back. Harry/Draco slash, Post-OotP.

For 16 Galleons, by Ruhgozler ##
PG-13 to R; AU; discontinued WIP. Summary: “For Draco’s 7th birthday, he wants his very own boy. We all know Lucius spoils him rotten.”

One of my favourite fics of all time. This is one of those unique cases when the unfinished status of the fic shouldn’t keep you from reading. Well, everybody would be happy if it got finished, but even now (a lot is already written) it’s very much worth reading for the sheer enjoyment it can give you. This is one of the most charming stories I’ve read. I could eat it with a spoon :)

In the world where Voldemort rules, only wizard-born wizards and witches are allowed to marry and be citizens; Muggle-born wizards serve them but are allowed to have children from them who, being wizard-born, will have full rights. Squibs are married into influential Muggle families to help keeping control of both worlds. And the Muggle-born children that weren’t picked up early and weren’t fully trained as servants, are made slaves. This is the fate of young Harry.

The author doesn’t smooth over the sharp points. The fic isn’t conflictless and slavery is ugly, but the story is still charming and fascinating. Fantastic reading!

The Ghost of St. Mungo’s, by Marcasita (or here) #
R. Summary: After a fateful night at Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy’s life is turned on its silver-blond head.

Come to me all you abused!Draco lovers. Come to me all you who crave to see him humiliated, hungry and doing some miserable menial job for the cruel people who don’t appreciate him. I’ll rec you a fic that will scratch your itch. After the events of book 6, Draco didn’t enjoy his freedom for a long time. He was caught and placed in St Mungo’s to work as an orderly. He’s overworked, half-starved and kicked about. Everybody hates him for what he did, there are people out there who’d gladly kill him for what he wasn’t able to do, and to add insult to injury, Harry Potter gets himself bitten by a dragon and, learning about Draco’s work in the hospital, asks for his services. This is a H/C with lots of H and a bit of C, wonderfully detailed (if sometimes slow). Interesting fic, quite engaging.

The Goodness of Their Hearts, by Taratext (or here) ##
R. Summary: Malfoy Security Inc. is hired when Chudley Cannons’ star Seeker Harry Potter starts receiving disturbing letters.

A Gryffindor and a Slytherin, by Furiosity []
R. Summary: The second war against Voldemort has begun. One sunny September afternoon, Draco Malfoy overhears Harry Potter confess something deeply personal. Does that change anything? HP/DM, DM/other, contains more plot than slash. Pre-HBP.

Hall of Mirrors, by Ella Bane (or here) ##
NC-17. Summary: In the summer before Harry Potter’s sixth year, he confronts a frightfully suspicious wizarding world, where friends are strangers, mirrors hide secrets, and enemies become lovers. Warnings: explicit gay sex, underage (boys are 16), mild D/s theme.

This is the story that made me pounce on every Smutmas fic that featured really well-written and hot sex, thinking it was by Ella Bane. The novel has lots of really hot sex mixed with really original plot. I loved the idea of the Hall of Mirrors! So, plotty and sexy, what more does one need? Me, definitely nothing as long as characterisation is good (as for me, it is) and writing is, too (IMO, it also is). This is, in a sense, my ideal 6th year H/D novel. Pity that the real 6th year took it out of canon possibility, but I’m a flexible reader, I have multiple fifth years, sixth years, and so on in my mind. Fabulous reading, as for me!

If You’ve A Ready Mind, by Maya (mistful) # (not available online anymore. I’m keeping the rec up just to remember it)
PG-13, sorting AU.

I suspect that everybody has read it already, but no matter. This is an AU where Draco is sorted into Ravenclaw. Opposite to most sorting AUs where the character remains the same, only making different friends, in this story I can see how Draco is really a Ravenclaw: he’s a geek, he loves reading, spoils his eyes with it so that he has to wear glasses; makes friends with Hermione ‘cos two bookworms like this can’t miss each other. On the other hand, Draco here is probably more Draco than in many a non-AU fic. He’s the same and different, and here lies one of the biggest pleasures of a good AU. Sometimes Draco here makes the same choices as in canon, sometimes he choses to do something else entirely, and it’s fun to follow and watch what will stay the same with similar motivation, what will remain unchanged with a different reason for it, and what will be completely unlike canon. The story is fun and interesting, and although it’s a bit verbose in places, it’s not annoying. Very pleasant reading, as for me.

Incurable, by warholhp (or here) #
NC-17, non-magic AU. Summary: Harry Potter didn’t receive his Hogwarts letter when he was eleven as his parents planned. Instead, when an altercation with his uncle turns violent, Harry is sent to St. Brutus’s Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys. Four years later, the staff at Hogwarts Academy realizes their mistake, they bring Harry to Hogwarts, where he gradually learns to live a life he never thought possible for himself. Featuring mentory Snape and some H/D love.

This fic was pointed to me for the list of Non-magic AUs. If you have read Empathic Siren’s Draco’s Boy (see above), you’ll probably be surprised by how similar and at the same time different this story is. The premise is similar: non-magic AU, a disturbed and abused Harry who has various relapses when he’s being “rehabilitated”; Hogwarts as a non-magic school where Snape has to act as a mentor for Harry; a H/D love story where Draco is somewhat obsessed with Harry. But still there are enough differences not to suspect plagiarism at all and to thoroughly enjoy it. And it is really enjoyable!

Interregnum, by Furiosity #
Harry/Draco, Draco/Blaise, other, NC-17 overall, novel-length. Genre: Mystery/Suspense. Summary: Without contraries there is no progression. Attraction and repulsion, reason and energy, love and hate, are necessary to human existence. [William Blake]

Gosh, can F do plotty! I began reading this story and was sucked in immediately. Something sinister was happening. I was nearly chewing on my fingers. Then it became even more interesting when several more plotlines were introduced. It’s looong. I’ve been reading it on the train for a couple of weeks. This isn’t the first HP fic I’ve read where nuclear bombs were used. But this is the first one where SPOILER: Britain breaks the Statute of Secrecy. For real. If you are looking for something romantic or light, this fic is a wrong place to look. It’s complex and Harry and Draco’s relationship is anything but easy or pleasant.

I feel that I’m doing this fic disservice with this short and insubstantial rec but I’m afraid that every step I take to speak in more detail will end up a spoiler. Lots and lots of things happen in the story plot-wise. Heroes travel all over the globe, meeting wonderful OCs and seeing how wizarding customs and attitudes can vary from place to place; villains do vile stuff. Harry has to come to terms with his sexuality, Draco has to learn important lessons too. I like how F writes Draco and I loved him here. What I loved best about this story was that it was interesting all the way through, every bit of the long 250 MSWord pages that the printout took. I could understand the main characters’ thoughts and emotions; I could connect with them. I admit that Ginny in my head is tougher and more resourceful that F’s Ginny here but as she’s a minor character, I don’t mind. So if you want a long plotty reading to consume you for hours, go for it. It’s a really wonderful story.

Interview with the Hero, by Scoradh ##
Also Draco/Blaise, Draco/OCs, R. Summary: At the age of twenty-five, Draco is confronted with the past he’d rather not remember and the questions that still need answering. Still, a little Slytherin guile goes a long way. The only problem is that he might discover more than he bargained on about the people he thought he knew.

This is the pure magic of Scoradh’s voice. If one wishes to find fault with this story, they probably will have a field day with it. They might find Harry’s characterisation questionable; some of them might think that the story could have been bound more tightly or have been shorter by half; others might wish for some scenes and leads to be expanded and some questions to have an exact answer; some others might dislike the abundance of original characters. Those imaginary “they” can say whatever they want; those imaginary “they” are parts of my mind that try to stay “objective” after reading. But it’s an impossible task. So to hell with objectivity or pseudo-objectivity. You know what I think? I think it’s a damn good read. It’s a story that charms you in every which way: with the fantastic manner of storytelling, with every single original character that are so real that they seem to step from the pages; with the cast of supporting characters that seem idiots until you see how tragic and life-like their fictional lives are; with the heartless, fucked-up, conflicted, wilful, wonderful Draco; with the clever mysteries that appear and are solved one by one; with the ending that will make you go crazy trying to answer its questions, and with everything that isn’t told. It’s a story that makes you think it over and relive it for hours afterwards. It’s a story I like from the depths of my heart. Because it’s sad and whimsical, intriguing and charming, complex and captivating, and moving, and wonderfully written. I loved it!

Invisible to See, by Pandarus ##
NC-17.

Irresistible Poison, by Rhysenn (iscaris) (or here) #
PG-13. Summary: Under the influence of a love potion, Draco learns that poison doesn’t always bring death.

A bit of old classics. Intense, captivating, amusing. Even very much so. The plot is very well developed. Some scenes are simply elegant. Characters (especially the main ones) are absolutely charming. In another words, this novel would be one of my first recs if somebody asked me what H/D to read. Rhysenn writes very well, and this is her most popular work.

What becomes an object of my pondering here is that for creating a believable change in HP/DM relationship, the change from enmity to amity, many authors have to use a special plot device. Like the accident which loses Draco his eyesight (Draco in Darkness) or potions accidents (the potion Draco makes in this novel turns awfully wrong). The last version is especially comfy ‘cos magical universe is perfectly adapted for such tricks. It considerably simplifies the writing of the relationship for an author: no need to torment herself writing persuasively how they somehow, by themselves, stopped hating each other. The only thing you need is an accident that will help you explain sudden cracks in the characters’ psychology. Well, perhaps I’ll eventually come across a H/D novel (persuasive and in character) where there will be no special plot devices. We’ll see.

Now, however, I will be the last to throw a stone at this novel. It’s really worth reading.

PS: I still enjoy rereading it after all this time in fandom.

Just This?, by blue (requires password) []
NC-17. Summary: Things change and, 3 years after Hogwarts, Harry Potter is no more our Golden Boy, but an appreciated muggle writer. And one night he meets somebody from his past… Warning: violence.

Left My Heart, by Emma Grant (or here) ##
NC-17. Sequel, Surrender the Grey. Summary 1: Post-Hogwarts. Auror Draco Malfoy has disappeared, and Harry Potter has been sent to find him. 2. Draco Malfoy returns to London after five years of self-imposed exile to start a new life with Harry. But will the secrets of the past destroy everything they’ve worked for?

Love Under Will, by Aja #
R; discontinued WIP. Summary: In their 5th year, Harry and Draco choose to be with one another; but the story–and the battle– is just beginning…

The Marks We Bear, by Marysia (or read R rated version here) []
Prequel: The World According to Draco Malfoy. Sequel: Circles of Influence
NC-17. Summary: Draco is changed by events occurring over the summer between his 4th and 5th years. When he gets back to school Harry finds him a very different kind of distraction than the old Draco Malfoy.

The Misadventures of Draco Malfoy, Ferret, by Saber Shadowkat (link to the last chapter, the rest is linked from there; or here) ##
R. Warnings: Multiple beastialities, ‘m’preg, Gryffindors. Summary: Snape turns Draco into a ferret for his own protection. He would’ve been safer with the Dark Lord.

The best crack!fic ever :) Ferret!Draco is used as a breeding farm, impregnated by another ferret, taken to live with Harry, gives birth to 5 kits and plays a fussy mommy, has his true identity uncovered etc. STOP! Don’t run away! Now that I’m reading my summary, I’m sure as hell that I wouldn’t like to read a fic like this. But the thing is, MDMF is fabulous! It’s not your average crack!fic. Really, it’s not. While it’s silly and ridiculous and outrageous in places, it’s fuzzy and cute and moving and funny too. It’s awww. I was refreshing Saber’s journal twenty times a day in hope for an update while she was posting it, and I know I wasn’t alone in my addiction. The fic is rather ironic towards the cliché it uses, and as for me, among the ferret!Draco fics this is one of the best, if not THE best. It’s shameless and playful. Give it a chance, it’s fun!

My Nawa Jujun, by romaine24 []
Harry/Draco, NC-17, ~50K words. Warnings: bondage, rimming, EWE. Summary: A small, unsolved case has Auror Harry Potter annoyed. His persistence pays off, and the answer reveals what his favourite DADA professor, Remus Lupin, meant by “the Animagus transformation can go horribly wrong”.

This fic is an odd mix of the stuff I dream of and things that hold little interest for me. The former is botched Animagus transformations, lots of them, with many an incredibly vivid, fascinating detail that made me fall in love with all those characters. The latter is bondage, specifically — Japanese rope bondage, which is neither kink nor squick for me. It was interesting to read about though; I even went and looked at the photos of the patterns described in the fic — not that one needs photos to supplement the descriptions; they are very detailed. I didn’t find the reasons the author gives for the characters to go for this kind of kink unbelievable, but it did seem a bit too easy to me, plot-wise, that Harry and Draco would so conveniently have the same, rather rare, kink and would so conveniently fill the Dom/sub roles. Be it as it may, the part of the story that has to do with Animagi held my attention all the way through. It was fascinating and enchanting. After reading it, I had a feeling as if I watched a film.

Nightingale, by michichu ##
Harry/Draco (Harry/Ginny off-screen), NC-17, novel-length, AU. Warning: This fic contains depictions of sexual dynamics that many readers may find extremely disturbing, and, well, traumatic. Summary: God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages. -Jacques Deval

In my opinion, there’s only one problem with this story — a very small one, in this case. The problem’s name is “blonde”. The world is used consistently but it’s the only epithet used. When it appeared first, I thought it would drive me crazy. But it turned to be really insignificant for me later. So I urge those who dislike “blonde” said about Draco as much as I do to turn a blind eye to it. Because the story is so worth reading!

It tugs on my heartstrings in all the proper ways, desirable ways even. There are two interwoven time lines: the AU sixth year where some events are the same as in the book and others are different and where Harry and Draco form a rather, ahem, unconventional relationship; the other one is present time where Auror!Harry has an on and off relationship with Ginny and where Draco is in St Mungo’s mental ward. I don’t want to say any more about the plot ‘cos it would be spoiler on spoiler, let me just tell you that this story stirred so much emotion in me that I’m still turning it over in my head, having finished it a week ago and read another dozen fics since. It’s disturbing and tender at the same time, it’s devastating and soothing, it’s funny and spooky. At some points, I couldn’t say who of the pair was more insane; at others, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to kick Harry or wrap him in a fluffy blanket.

Also, this was the story were the accompanying illustrations struck me really hard. Of course looking at all the wonderful artses was the first thing I did, before reading any of the fics. And of course all Big Bang fics have amazing illustrations. But in this story, art by Lilithium and the art for the ending by Sherant simply made me cry. They are wonderful on their own, but when you know what they are about, they are just so much more striking.

Nine Days Till Christmas, by Rurounihime []
R. Summary: Harry decides to be very straight-forward about what he wants. Unfortunately, the answer he gets is more than a little disappointing. Now he has nine days to turn things around.

Oscillate Wildly, by Marks ##
NC-17. Summary: “After a particularly gruelling Occlumency session, Harry practically comes apart at the seams and finds himself living partway between two lives. One is his life at Hogwarts. In the other, he’s been in a mental institution for the better part of six years. What happens when Harry realises his whole life may be one elaborate fantasy?” Read R-rated version at the Fiction Alley.

This story is not unbearably tragic, but I cry like a baby every time I reread it. And I do reread it often. It’s sad and strange, and it has this inevitability of choice that gets stuck in a reader’s head.

The way how the main plot was resolved seemed a bit anticlimactic to me, but then, when the scenes began coming back after I finished the fic, particularly the very last one, I thought, “No, not anticlimactic, just not heavy-handed.”

All in all, the story was definitely worth waiting for it to be finished when I first read it. There are two planes of existence and a reader is left puzzled about which one is ‘really real’. Here in OW the way both realities are shown made me involved in both equally – the switches are wonderful, the other reality looks really clever. I cheered for both Harries, and in spite of the fact that Marks makes readers agree with her protagonist’s final decision, the last scene casts the light of profound sadness on it.

Go read, it’s a really interesting novel. Very moving, too.

Owned, by Jordan Grant (also on LJ) #
Harry/Draco, NC-17, WIP, frequent and regular updates. DH-compliant. Summary: The Malfoys have always been owned by the Potters. HP/DM Romance. Warnings: Slavery, dominance/submission, slash, angst.

Who’s better to write a slavery fic than Jordan Grant? Hardly anybody, as I’m sure many will agree after Cambiare Podentes. The author takes an absolutely unbelievable prompt and runs with it, making it into a completely believable story. Every lover of Draco that is poor, abused, and generally down should run read this fic immediately ‘cos here Draco suffers so prettily, but it’s written so delightfully that you’ll love it, promise. It features lots of UST and some of the sexiest sex scenes I’ve read. Wonderful!

Quantum Leap, by Scoradh (on the BB site, in one file with art; or on LJ, chaptered) #
Harry/Draco, R, novel-length. Summary: In a multiverse of endless possibilities, everything we imagine exists somewhere. The bad choices we didn’t make, the good choices we should have made and, most of all, the choices we wish we’d made. This is a story about the choices that change the world.

Scoradh shakes my comfortable reader’s world in this or that way with her every fic. There’s always a detail (or dozen) or subplot or character (or dozen) that shift my view of this very familiar fandom and canon. The same sort of thing happened to me with this fic. In my opinion, it would fit the “Old Clichés, New Tricks” fest very well. ‘Cos the cliché here is certainly old (Draco staying with Harry at the Dursleys’) but it’s made fresh and shining. I started reading it and after the first 10K words, was sure that I wasn’t going to like it. The premise seemed too cracky for my tastes. Here it is, white on white, to spare the spoilerphobic: it’s a 6th year AU. Voldemort is on the move; he’s doing something sinister with the weather so that Little Whinging is suffocating in a most uncharacteristic heat. Dumbledore closes Hogwarts and places students in groups, with an adult Order member as a minder, to be home-schooled or to attend Muggle schools with a magical portal to Hogwarts library so that they can continue their magical education. Meanwhile Narcissa Malfoy makes a different vow with Snape. As a result, Draco is placed with Harry at the Dursleys’, and Snape is their minder. Dudley was expelled from Smeltings. Now Harry, Draco, and Dudley, whom Draco happily befriends and calls Lee, have to go to the same Muggle public school. Anyway, by the middle I fell in love with it. Draco being friends with ‘Lee’ is dream come true; Dudley sleeping with his head in the freezer, Petunia carrying a brisk trade in fans; the OCs Miss Thompson and Cherub, Snape who’d rather have a heat stroke than remove a layer of clothes. Utterly charming and so vivid I can’t get it out of my head all day today. And the ending? Well, I can’t say I liked it and it seemed too abrupt to me, but at the same time it worked for me. A very interesting, engaging, original story!

Ruses, by Empress of the Eclipse (lycoris) []
R; some Lucius/Harry. Summary: After his father challenges him, Draco ends up inviting Harry to his house for the summer. But what SHOULD have been a fairly harmless visit goes horribly wrong and leads to tragedy. Harry/Draco with snippets of Lucius/Harry. Written before OOTP!

A Scrap of Humanity and The Metamorphosis of Narcissus, by H.F (aesc) (also at PSA) #
R. Summary: Two years after the defeat of Voldemort, Draco is called out of exile by the last person he ever expected to meet again, a person looking for answers even as Draco is looking for his own.

Second Chances, by kishijoten #
R. Summary: For the first time in over a decade, Harry Potter crosses paths with Draco Malfoy. Both have changed a great deal, but what do those changes mean to them - and to each other?

The novel is full of what’s called ‘fluff’, it’s sweet and emotional. But, in spite of the fact that I don’t usually like fluff, there’s something in it that makes me love it. Draco is a single father with three children, the elder daughter and the younger twin-brothers. Harry is a teacher at Hogwarts. The process of upbringing is shown in many details, the kids are not some flat background figures, they are real interesting characters. Maybe, this is the point, maybe something else, but it makes this story really remarkable — and very warm.

Seeker to Seeker, by Baron Nomaw []
NC-17. Summary: What begins as a slashy bet on the Quidditch field soon develops into something much more significant.

Seven Days in June, by Fourth Rose (or here) #
Harry/Draco, NC-17, novel-length. Summary: “The war is over. The dust has settled; the survivors are moving on. The hero is finally allowed to go on leave - and meets an old enemy, who is working in a Muggle profession in a city without magic.” Written pre-DH.

I’m so in love! With Draco whose hair is black, with Vienna. Imagine how persuasive the fic is that I’m seriously planning to go to Vienna and have a “Draco’s tour”. Ah yes, this is the story where Draco works as a licensed tour guide. Harry goes to Vienna on holiday because it’s the city where magic is dead. Harry has his reasons for wishing to be in a place where there are no wizards. He decides to go on a walking tour — and is astonished to recognise his school enemy in a not-so-familiar yet familiar guide. There’s no sudden love here. Harry finds Malfoy attractive but the past history breeds mistrust. It’s a long way for them both — and for us. Vivid, intense, ultimately satisfying. And even if magic doesn’t exist in Vienna, it’s present in the story, oh, very much so! Wonderful!

The Shadow of His Wings, by Mirabella #
R; WIP. Summary: In which Evil faces an insurrection, Good faces an unexpected betrayal, and Harry means to find out which side Draco is on.

Snakes and Lions, by GatewayGirl ##
R. Summary: When Ron and Hermione get together, they notice only each other. A nightmare prompts Harry to return alone to the empty Chamber of Secrets, and leads to a new look at an old enemy. Harry enjoys the company, but with Bellatrix LeStrange actively hunting him, how far can he trust a Death Eater’s son? (H/D — mostly friendship, progressing to mild slash) Sixth year. Rated R for unseemly behavior (drinking, stealing, and Dark Arts), occasional cursing (the non-magical sort), and off-screen violence.

Somnio Salvus, by Invisibabe []
R. Summary: Year Six at Hogwarts, and Draco finds a way to spy on Harry’s deepest fears. But will he use this knowledge to gain power over Harry, or to change his own destiny? Featuring Harry/Draco in a big, fluffy, slashy way. Also a hint of Ron/Hermione, a chorus of Death Eaters and one illicit potion.

All not bad, especially the major (dream) line, except Harry’s actual encounter with Voldemort, which reminds me of the climax of a Hollywood action film where the protagonist simply *must* deliver speeches at the crucial point to irritate the hell out of you. But the major plot line and magic are really enjoyable.

Squib, by kestrelsparhawk #
Harry/Draco; past Harry/Ginny, Harry/others and Draco/wife; NC-17, 52K words. Summary: Harry has a respectable life: devoted to his family, teacher to the least-talented of the Wizarding community, retired hero. The Prophet hasn’t caught on to a few things, such as the fact that Harry is gay. He and Ginny want to keep it that way. It’s not a great life, but it’s his – until one day, an old school rival comes by to investigate his class. Suddenly, Harry’s life is no longer predictable. Fully DH-compliant.

This is a very interesting story! Harry teaches pre-school Squib sorry, Magically Challenged children. His main goal is to make them well-adjusted to life in the magical community. One day there’s a new addition to his class: one Scorpius Malfoy. And Draco, who brought him in. There’s a slowly revealed family conflict, there’s a mystery, there is fantabulous magic. I loved Harry’s job and Draco’s hobby-turned-job, the classes, the theories Hermione comes up with. It all was very absorbing. I really liked how the author wrote Harry and Ginny’s relationship. Many would (and do) kill Ginny to clear the way for Draco, many make her a horrible bitch or a shallow, uncaring mother, but here instead the author managed to take none of these well-trodden paths BUT keep it fully DH-compliant, epilogue included! That’s a wow from me :) I absolutely loved the teenage James and Harry’s parenting woes. The mystery was very interesting too; I thought I figured it out in the middle of the fic and was very glad to discover later that I didn’t, or not quite. It was a wonderful reading, truly, and one I’ll remember for a long time.

Tempus, by Ravenna C Tan #
NC-17. Also other slash pairings, but it will be a spoiler to explain; as for het, some kissing, almost not sexual. The “Old Cliches, New Tricks” Fest at hp_cliche entry. Cliche: Time-travel, but that isn’t Snarry. Warnings (apply to certain chapters, you’ll see them in chapter headings): Ambiguous Consent, BDSM (B/D, D/s, S/M), Disturbing content. Summary: “Students at Hogwarts have always been warned about corridors that appear and disappear. Did you ever wonder where they go? Or when? Harry thinks he is late to his seventh year potions class, but he turns out to be more than seventy years early.”

This is a very captivating story. Harry’s accidentally sent 70 years back in time where he meets…. Draco Malfoy. The school in 1926 is at the same time similar and very much unlike the Hogwarts he knows. As nobody knows how Harry appeared there, or better to say then, he has to be sorted and this time the hat chooses Slytherin. Harry quickly becomes friends with that Draco who, as Harry finds out, isn’t that bad without the influence of Voldemort’s servants as parents. But things aren’t that smooth in 1926. Something very wrong is happening to Draco, the headmaster is sinister and sadistic, and the mystery gets only more intriguing as new variables are added to it.

Many fascinating concepts are explored in this story, such as how wandless magic works and how spells are created, how the Ministry found Muggle-born magical children in 1926, how the perception of same-sex relationships and the idea of appropriate punishments for students changed with time, how Slytherin house works and what the students do there in their spare time, and many other things. I’m not a historian, so I can’t really say how valid the historical stuff is, but it seemed to me to be well thought-out and I could see that the author had researched.

It’s all besides the very intense relationship between Harry and Draco and plenty of hot sex.

On the downside, there are some typos here and there, but not too many. I really enjoyed the story! Don’t forget to leave feedback!

That Way Lies Camelot, by Scoradh and Cynical Pirate (or here) ##
NC-17. Part of Big Bang HP. Summary: “The road to victory is forced to take a few detours, as Harry stumbles across all manner of unexpected things. Not least of these is one Draco Malfoy, on the run from the Death Eaters but not walking the walk of the side of light either. However, the most unexpected thing of all is Harry himself … that, and the teapots.”

Looking back at all the six novels of this wave, I probably like this one best. Not that I think it’s flawless: as for me, there are about ten pages that could be cut off easily and the fic wouldn’t suffer — some unnecessary banter for the sake of banter or even several scenes that add nothing, not that they are very distracting or bad, not at all. But! It’s one of the most vivid fics I’ve read in a long time. The authors created fabulous original characters, the boy in particular. They are amazing!

I liked that the authors chose to not explain many a thing because their not explaining works perfectly well in this fic. The reader doesn’t need to know every how and why; it’s enough that those not explained things don’t become plot holes. And they don’t, in this story. But most of all I liked, no, even loved how they didn’t show us that scene they didn’t show. This instance of omitance worked for me better than any description could — think about leaving some things to the readers’ imagination. It’s like, I dunno, like this: you expect a strike and this expectation works stronger than the strike itself.

And I loved the ending, such as it was.

Thicker Than Blood and Adamant and Starlight, by Corvette Claire (or at FFnet) ##
PG-13. Summary1: “It is Harry’s sixth year at Hogwarts, and Voldemort has returned to full power. The Death Eaters lay siege to the castle, trapping everyone inside. Draco is injured, Harry gets roped into saving his life, Crabbe shows unexpected resourcefulness, Dumbledore gets his way (as usual), and life is complicated for Harry. But then, life is always complicated for Harry, and adolescence only makes it worse.” Summary2: “Draco disappears from Hogwarts, then returns just as mysteriously, unable to explain where he’s been. Suddenly, half the wizarding world wants to get their hands on Draco, and Harry will lose him to his mother, the Ministry of Magic or much worse, if he can’t find out what happened to him during those missing days.”

This story was written quite some time ago, pre-OotP. So now it’s what some people call “rendered AU” or what other people (namely Pauraque) call “jossed” — which I like better, as far as fandom terminology goes. This is the main reason why I can’t read H/D fics set during school that were written two (sometimes three) books ago: new canon not only gave us plenty of new information events-wise but also changed our view of characters. For example, I’ve known of Naadi’s Checkmate for years but put off reading it until it was finished. Now it is, but I can’t read it. I don’t believe in that Draco anymore [I don’t mean to say that the fic is bad; I think it might be quite good, but I’m afraid I’ll never find out now. Which is sad, come to think of it]. This is also why I’m wary of rereading those “old school” H/D novels that I loved so much in my newbie days: I’m afraid that the charm will be broken now.

This doesn’t apply to CorvetteClaire’s dilogie for me. It’s a pre-OotP novel set in Harry’s sixth year. Nothing is like canon; even Blaise Zabini is a girl (although she’s only mentioned in passing), but I reread it and love it every time. I think the key to my undiminished enjoyment is that I can believe in this Draco. Another thing that makes me love it, I believe, is its language. Yeah, there’s a typo here and there, but the language is so powerful, clear and to the point that I find myself inside the fic, not noticing how it’s written. This I think to be one of the best compliments to the writer.

And last but not least, I think this novel has the perfect balance of its main elements: plot (very tense), magic (it’s a bonding plot, but how interesting and detailed everything is!), characterisation and character development (including minor characters like Dumbledore, Crabbe or Crookshanks), and love story. They all work together really well, enriching each other. And the author’s attention to detail, magical or mundane, makes me find new things to fall in love with every time I reread it. Fabulous story, wonderful reading!

Things That Change, by eutychides (aka Ociwen, reposoir) ##
NC-17. MPreg. Summary: After Hogwarts, everything changes. Link to the last chapter, the previous chapters are linked from there.

Two stars, really :) I’ve been reading it as if addicted. It’s Harry/Draco, MPreg, and not a one-kid MPreg. It could have been awfully sappy or overly didactic in that “wife, home, babies” way. But it’s neither. Instead it has an absolutely incredible intonation. Incredible, because what would make me close the window or laugh at the author in another fic here made me love it. It has everything I’ve been dreaming of for a MPreg fic. It hits my kinks so perfectly: lots of sex, not of the “oh let me hold your hand” variety; a fucked up, really imperfect but very appealing Draco (who suffers a lot); children who aren’t just crutches for the sap; a lot of small events that look big because of how well the author writes their life; plenty of detail that the author doesn’t get stuck in; a long time span. Harry sort of lacks active characterisation, but in the end he, as for me, turns out to be no less a real character than Draco.

There are some typos in the opening chapters, please, don’t mind them.

I’m completely enchanted. It’s so vivid and warm and wonderful. Go see for yourselves!

PS: I can’t help squealing some more. This fic appeals to me on so many levels that I reread it four times when it was on the way to be finished. This is one of those fics which, when you hear it summarised, will make you run away really fast, but it’s a really great story of love, life and family, and the way it’s written is fantastic: unique, subtle, understated, and bit weird. One of the best fics I’ve read ever!

A Thousand Beautiful Things and sequel, Delicate Sound of Thunder, by Duinn Fionn (Geoviki) ##
NC-17. Summary 1: “Draco Malfoy struggles with changed fortunes, shifted alliances, an ugly war, and an unusual spell, with the help of a concerned professor, an insightful house-elf, and an unexpected Gryffindor friend.” Summary 2: “Draco knows that happily ever after is for fairy tales. When someone threatens to expose his wartime past, he risks his life to protect his secrets, but learns he’s not the only one with something to hide. Sequel to A Thousand Beautiful Things.”

I might be biased ‘cos she’s a friend of mine, but IMO Viki’s one of the best writers out there. Her writing is intelligent, mature, and kind. Her characters are as complex as real people. I do imagine them as real people! Her dialogues are brilliant, but not like those so well-crafted literary dialogues that look like nothing from real life.

In my opinion, what Viki writes is more than fanfic. It’s literature. But not like an oh-so-clever modern stuff where the author can’t say a plain word. No, when I read Viki’s fics, I regain my belief in literature, the literature that spoke of what we are and wasn’t afraid of being plain in times, or of being sentimental. Viki’s fics have plot, and wit, and fabulous magic. And the most important thing, everything is bound tight, there are no loose ends, and everything in her fiction works as it should. Viki does often stir in more fluff than what I usually like, but her fluff is also of the highest quality.

ATBT: In my opinion, ATBT is *the* best H/D novel out there. And one of the best novels in fandom in general. Every time I re-read it, I’m stunned by how well it’s done. All characters stay in character, all of them have an opportunity to express themselves; they look real, and all of them make you ponder over their personalities and fates. I love Viki’s Draco here. I also love Dean and Seamus, Hermione and Ron, Snape and Draco’s house-elf. The main plot-driving detail, the spell, is so original and well thought over that it makes me ah and oh in delight and admiration, and so does how Viki writes the war - magical (and it’s really, really original!) but still ugly. Viki shows us the Wizarding World in all its complexity and in many a fascinating detail. It’s nearly War and Peace in how many aspects of life she touches and explores. Amazing. This novel offers us the perfect balance between form and essence. It evokes our strongest feelings for the characters and makes us get involved in the plot, and at the same time it has complicated but clear structure. I don’t think there are many people left who haven’t read this story but if you are one of them, what are you waiting for?!

DSoT: First of all, this fic won’t make sense if you haven’t read ATBT, so you should do it first (in the highly improbable case you haven’t read it yet.) I do love ATBT better, but I don’t think it’s because of writing, plot or anything objective at all. I believe it’s just because the vow from it and war have very strong personal appeal to me as a reader. However, it would be a huge lie to say that I didn’t love DSoT. I did. I really don’t understand where all those squeals and swoons all through fandom are, because the fic is excellent and truly delightful, and worth much squealing.

DSoT has a mystery/detective intrigue. Although it’s far not my favourite genre, it shows that Viki likes it and can write it as well as professional writers who earn money with the novels full of the clever investigations of devious plots. What I liked best is the OC, a Muggle gay hairdresser Daniel. We met him in ATBT, but he plays a major part here in the sequel: we see many important things through his eyes. He’s fabulous! Another thing that blew me away is a bit of pre-history. Harry tells Draco how Voldemort was defeated and how he, Harry, was trained for it. His story is awesome. Even if you remember how Voldemort was defeated in ATBT, this one will surprise you.

But what I love most of all about this fic, more than excellent writing, more than fantastic structure in which all the elements work perfectly, is its maturity and kindness. And I can’t quite believe it was written for me. I should be a much better person to deserve it.

Time Out of Place, by Cosmic #
R. Summary: “Harry wakes up with a throbbing head, but he soon realizes that a headache is the last thing he has to worry about. Suddenly, he is thrown into a world that is much like his own — yet at the same time very different. Visions, Voldemort, potions, poison, fun, adventure and romance follow. And what part does Draco play in it all?”

Harry and Draco wake up in the future where they are lovers and colleagues and where they have dozens of mutual friends. So, they must cope and step over their animosity. You’ll say it’s simple. But in cliché fics the devil is indeed in details, and Cosmic is thorough and inspired: she creates her future world and her characters with love, and she pictures it all in such a way that a reader will remember. It’s one of my “compiler’s picks” from the list of time-trabel fics — not flawless but interesting. There are some features of an inexperienced writer there, but in general the story is warm and very enjoyable. For general audience as well as for H/D shippers, in my opinion.

Tissue of Silver and Seeing the Light, by Fearless Diva ##
R. Summary: A love story concerning possessed furniture, black silk pyjamas, courtroom drama, premonitions of doom, assassination attempts, Death Eater yoga, absinthe, bare feet and a sensible werewolf. Rated: R for coarse language, brief drug use, some sexual content, and consideration of issues of sexual consent.

To Hell and Back, by furiosity and incapricious ##
Bleach/HP crossover. Harry/Draco, others, R, novel-length. Summary: Turns out that Dumbledore meant it when he said death was the next great adventure. Spoilers: Harry Potter — up to and including Deathly Hallows sans epilogue; Bleach — no plot spoilers, massive world spoilers, minor character spoilers. Warnings: violence.

I’m posting this rec in a Bleach rec set even though I’ve seen To Hell and Back on HP newsletters rather than the Bleach one. Yes, probably because it’s Harry/Draco. But the world of the story is the world we know and treasure from Bleach, and this is what I love best in fanfiction: the exploration and expanding on a canon universe. F and Incapricious do wonders here in this respect. I savour every chapter!

Harry and Draco die (not a spoiler; it’s a premise) and appear in Rukongai. Having being wizards on Earth, apparently they have Reiatsu now. That gives them lots of opportunities and problems. And wow! It’s simply wow! Rukongai and Seireitei, Soul cutters (Zanpakutou) and Kidou, Shinigami Academy and glimpses of the characters we love, traditions and customs, etc, etc. It’s amazing. Everything is really really amazing! As soon as I come up with a question on how this or that would be, the answer comes within the story, much better, more logical and interesting than what I could come up with. And Harry and Draco? Guh! So. Much. Love!

This is a story that you can read if you are into both canons or only one of them. It will make sense, promise. Anyway, it’s an awesome story. “Run, don’t walk” how awesome. And knowing both authors’ record, it won’t deflate or wither away. Go read!

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, by November Snowflake #
R. Also Ginny/Tonks. Summary: In the war-torn years after Hogwarts, one man has no knowledge of his yesterdays.

Rec written when the story was a WIP: The war is raging, everybody is deadly exhausted. In a St Mungo’s ward there’s one Draco Malfoy who remembers nothing about who he is. Upstairs, in the incurable hexes ward, there’s Ron Weasley. Ginny works as a Mediwitch. Once an Auror Harry Potter comes to speak with Malfoy who observes him with clear and curious eyes. The Auror Harry Potter, who barely tolerates Malfoy for what he’s done in this war, needs him to remember because Ron’s fate depends on his memories. Unsuspecting Malfoy, who likes the Auror, also wants to remember. Everyone is at the verge from tiredness, nerves are like strings. Intriguing, isn’t it?

Transfigurations, by Resonant ##
NC-17. Summary: Five years after Voldemort’s defeat, Harry returns to England to help re-open Hogwarts.
Prequel: Night-blooming Heartsease (Snape/Neville; R), by Julad (recced here).

Under Your Spell, by Empress of the Eclipse []
R; some Lucius/Draco; discontinued WIP. Summary: After a brutal attack, Harry loses his memory and ends up trapped in Malfoy Manor. Here, games are everything and you have to keep your wits about you to survive. Can Harry play the Malfoys at their own game?

Underwater Light, by Maya (mistful) [] (not available online anymore. I’m keeping the rec up just to remember it)
R. Summary: Featuring an extremely depressed Harry, in a war-torn wizarding world, about to get the shock of his life when he discovers that Draco Malfoy is slightly more important to him than he would have ever guessed. Including a very odd friendship, lots of angst, suspicions, conflicted loyalties, clueless Ron, on-the-warpath Hermione and two very messed-up boys.

Unthinkable Thoughts, by Aidan Lynch []
R/NC-17. Summary: The last part of this H/D slash tale sees our two heroes face up to their biggest issue yet, and a great deal hinges on how they cope…

It’s almost really good. I admit to enjoying the story; some parts are absolutely wonderful. This fic is for those of you who like fluffy-bunny!Draco. If you accept such Draco, you’ll enjoy the story. An undeniable magical bond creates love against which our antagonists struggle for all they can. But what can they do if it’s clearly said - undeniable. Draco is first to submit, and from that moment on, he’s sweet and fluffy.

Everything to do with the Crimson Cloud in this story is okay and even interesting, and the plot is enjoyable, too. Minor characters are rather well-characterised. But the ending leaves a reader puzzled. The impression is that the author was writing, writing, writing and then suddenly got bored and gave up. All the actions around the Crimson Cloud had strengthening Harry as their aim. Harry’s and Draco’s amplified magic was necessary for Harry to kill Voldemort. But the story ends before that, even without the formal ending that could have rounded it, say, ‘now they were ready for the future to come, but it’s quite another story’. Nope, it just ends. The story happened to be deprived of the major climax; it’s finished after the minor one, and because of it all the things associated with that minor climax seem overdone. Awful cheating. But the rest is really enjoyable.

Volunteers, by Anna Fugazzi (or here) #
Harry/Draco, past Harry/Ginny, Draco/OFC, PG-13, novel-length. Written before DH. Summary: Written for livejournal’s Beltane Fic Exchange: Harry, Draco, and a volunteer position that was supposed to be quick and easy.
Sequel: Ember to Ember, NC-17, WIP (or here).

Harry and Draco volunteer as Ministry and Muggle (respectively) liaisons for Beltane. Yes, this is another story where Draco lives among Muggles but this is where similarities with the previous rec end. Volunteers was written before DH, so while both Draco and Harry have sons, they aren’t James or Scorpius. Harry’s son is kissed by the Muse: he’s in love with and understands music like none of his equals in age. Draco, as Harry slowly learns while working with him, sings in and conducts a Muggle choir. Music permeates everything in this fic. Even though most of it isn’t the music I love, I was tickled by the very concept.

It’s a lovely story. In places it’s a bit more fluffy or sentimental than what I usually like but it’s not all “flowers and kisses”. There’s family vs love conflict and past vs forgiveness, there’s a culture clash too. I love kid!fics. I love it when small children have character in fiction, when they are interesting. Here they are. There’s also lots of interesting magic, both dark and light. All in all, a very pleasant long reading.

What Separates Us, by Amy (swtalmnd) ##
NC-17. Mentions of Lucius/Draco and Snape/Lupin. Warnings: Slash, underage (17), mild BDSM, mentions of underage non-con incest, rimming, wanking, somnophilia, violence, clichés. Summary: Harry does something phenomenally stupid in Potions class, and the consequences are farther-reaching than anyone suspects.

Winterwood, by stlrenwench (or on LJ) #
NC-17. Part of Big Bang HP. Warnings: violence, sex, het, some disturbing content. Summary: There’s no such thing as destiny–there’s only action and inaction, who takes the first step and who sits waiting, check and checkmate. Sometimes the worst part of the fight is the bracing breath before the first step.

What I loved best about this story is that’s it’s like a dream. Many things happen but seem somehow disjointed, but in a pleasant way, or maybe the logic that connects them is a bit strange, as in a dream. You know how you are going out and the most logical things to do are to phone Tony Blair and ask where those wonderful blue sandals are sold and then put a pan on your head ‘cos pans are the best protection from the rain? It all looks perfectly logical in your dreams, and so it’s here, although nothing as ridiculous as what came to my mind by the way of example. The word ‘dream’ in the URL even somewhat spooked me, but probably it was just the draft title or something.

Anyway, ask me to retell the plot and I’ll stumble ‘cos I’m not sure I’ll be able to follow the logic. But ask me to recall my favourite scenes, and there’s a dozen instantly on my mind. Is it good or bad for the story? I believe it’s for every reader to decide for themselves. But the thing is: try to forget a fic with the opening scene like in this one! [me, a Snape lover, tells you not to run away:)]

Go to: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy. Part 2: Medium-length fics.

Go to: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy. Part 3: Short fics.

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  this is pj's fannish place made with the goal to be a sort of public library of (or a gateway to) fanfiction. I read mostly slash, I love sex and various kinks, so if you are underage and somehow wormed your way here past net nannies and warnings, please surf responsibly and go somewhere else when you are asked to!

  
  
  

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