#(un)wanted aibidil

[sitp-recs]

livvvv my rec goddess. i’ve recently developed an insatiable knack for draco doing little muggle things, like being obsessed with soap operas, or learning how to bake, or playing board games, or painting a house (??) etc etc. any recs as such perchance?? my eternal thanks x

Love this ask anon, “Draco in the Muggle world” can be such a fun trope! I tried to include a bit of everything but I feel like driving and cooking are very popular in fic, so there’s probably a lot of it here. I hope you enjoy these!

magic in the making by getawayfox (G, 2k)

I didn’t see Malfoy for a year after the trial. When Gin told me that, according to Pansy, he had opened a little posh bakery in Mayfair, I thought she was joking, so I went to see for myself.

Market Saturdays by iota (M, 3k)

In which Harry is an accidental part-time cheesemonger, Draco is an organic farmer and they fall in love.

Muggle 'Drug Store Items' by loveglowsinthedark (E, 4k)

Malfoy's interest is caught by a certain Muggle drug store item. (Hint: Flavoured Condoms)

To Make A Way by cavendishbutterfly (E, 5k)

When Harry finds Draco in the back row of the cinema, he doesn't mean to accidentally befriend him. Or fuck him. Or catch feelings. The thing is, Draco only does casual.

How We Throw Our Shadows Down by thistle_verse (T, 14k)

Draco has finally found the perfect, rare piece to complete his collection. The only problem is that the item belongs to Harry Potter, the last wizard on earth Draco wants to ask another favour from.

The Tapestry of Kinship by khalulu (T, 15k)

Harry is at loose ends, Draco is good with needles, and Draco's young daughter wants to see a certain tapestry repaired. The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black will never be the same.

Tuesday Nights by firethesound (E, 15k)

The absolute last place Harry expected to see Malfoy was in a rundown Muggle cinema on a Tuesday night.

Rich Friend by iota (E, 18k)

As far as Harry can tell, Draco Malfoy is still rich as hell. He’s just not a wizard anymore. Featuring: Draco Malfoy trying to make it as a Muggle pop star, Harry Potter as our confused and horny hero, bad driving, good music, and the mysterious magic of falling for someone.

Harry Potter and The Bisexual Awakening by Writcraft (E, 23k)

Harry is perfectly content being single, heterosexual and living in Godric's Hollow with his very clingy rescue dog, Snitch. When Draco Malfoy turns up on Harry's doorstep demanding that Harry teach him how to drive, things quickly become a lot more complicated.

I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor by birdsofshore (E, 28k)

Harry felt lit up from inside as soon as he entered the bar. There were blokes dancing together, their bodies close to one another, not keeping a wary distance as Harry was always careful to do when he was near another man. God, he wanted this – wanted it so much he could taste it, a metallic tang of heat and desire. He suspected nothing would ever be the same again – especially when he saw who else was in the room.

Around You Moves by ignatiustrout (M, 29k)

Harry knew Draco was gay when he invited him to move in. He’s never had a problem with this. So why does he feel so weird about Draco bringing men home all of a sudden?

Faint Indirections by ignatiustrout (T, 30k)

Draco Malfoy is the last person Harry expects to turn up in Boston, Massachussetts. But now he's here, and he won't stop requesting books from the library where Harry works.

Open For Repairs by FeelsForBreakfast (M, 35k)

After the war, Draco works at a tv repair shop and Harry breaks things.

(Un)wanted by aibidil (E, 36k)

Ginny's pregnant, then she's not and Harry's single. Harry, again with no family, doesn't know what to do with this turn of events, or how to find a new life—post-war, post-Ginny, post-abortion—in which he belongs. He doesn't expect that life to include dancing to the Backstreet Boys with Hermione and Draco Malfoy. A story of finding belonging in the unexpected.

The Miseducation of Draco Malfoy by magpie_fngrl (E, 37k)

Zacharias Smith writes a tell-all about the D.A. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy are not happy about it.

Take A Chance On Me by mintaminta (E, 40k)

There's a DJ on RareFM with a secret. Or: the one with all the ABBA in it.

Nights With You by The_Sinking_Ship (E, 58k)

Draco is mortified when moments prior to departing for the most anticipated destination wedding of the year, he is cruelly dumped. But when he learns that Harry Potter has, at long last, split with his horrible boyfriend, Draco is certain his luck has changed. Never a man to squander an opportunity for revenge (and what would probably be a spectacular shag), Draco vows to make Potter his for the weekend. Now all Draco has to do is convince him.

Salt on the Western Wind by Saras_Girl (M, 60k)

When the war isn’t quite as over as it first appears, a guilt-ridden Harry is sent to a mysterious safe-house. Among sandwiches, insomnia, and Mills & Boon, he discovers something quite unexpected.

Modern Love by tackytiger (E, 61k)

Harry Potter, of all people, knows that life isn’t always fair. And no one gets to be happy all of the time. But surely there’s something more—something better—than a rubbish Ministry job, and a lonely old house, and that feeling that everyone out there is doing a better job of living than Harry is.

Running on Air by eleventy7 (T, 75k)

Draco Malfoy has been missing for three years. Harry is assigned the cold case and finds himself slowly falling in love with the memories he collects.

[blorger]

There's a clatter of the kettle, and Malfoy turns around. "Is Earl Grey—What's the matter with you, Potter?" Harry doesn't answer. "Oh good grief, I wasn't trying to proposition you or anything. I thought you were propositioning me. No need to look so violated." "We had sex," Harry blurts. Malfoy squints. After a long moment, "Indeed we did." "We could have sex again." Harry stares at him. Malfoy opens his mouth, then closes it. "This is literally true of any two or more people who are in the same place at the same time. This has been true every time we've seen each other for the past few weeks." "Yeah, I guess." Harry runs a hand through his hair. "I kinda forgot we had sex." Malfoy's eyebrows shoot up under the hair that flops over his forehead. "Excuse you?"

from (Un)wanted by Aibidil

[cassiaratheslytherpuff]

Drarry podfic recs - length 3-6 hours

A list of podfics I've enjoyed. Sorted first by length, then alphabetically.

This is the list with podfics that are 3-6 hours long. I also have lists for Length 1-3 hours, Length 6-10 hours and Length 10+ hours or you can check out the masterlist.

Post

3+ hours

Title: Keep Holding On Read by: Thunder_of_Dragons Authour:  gnarf, with art by MaesterChill. Length: ~3.5hRating: Mature Summary: After the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry and Draco both fall into their own battles with their mental states. Draco is sent to Azkaban, and Harry turns to drinking, hoping to forget. Months later, Harry visits St Mungo’s new ward on the request of a friend, only to find Draco in a deep vegetative state. Not willing to give him up, Harry stays by his side, while simultaneously dealing with the Ministry's newest grand idea to make everything worse. Making new allies, and losing old ones along the way, will hopefully be worth it in the end. This deals wonderfully with healing and building a bond, and it’s read really beautifully. 

Title: The Moon Looks Lovely Tonight Read by: seeking_semperfiona Authour: omi_ohmy Length:~ 3.5h Rating: Mature Summary: When Harry moves into the damp and empty Black house, it doesn’t quite feel like home. And then the first owl moves in. After that, it’s a steep slope leading to bed-sharing, more owls, assorted housemates, strange potions experiments, and terrible cooking. And a bit of waltzing, too. This is wonderful, slow-burning, heartbreaking and sweet. RattleandHum has a beautiful voice that really bring the fic and emotions to life.

Title: This Summer Read by: RattleandHum Authour: Saras_Girl Length:~ 3.5 Rating: Teen Summary: This is a summery romantic comedy featuring my favourite ensemble cast, in which Harry is confused, Draco is Draco, and Hermione attempts to eat all the things. Costume parties and pining and all the good things! This fic is sweet and funny and listening to it made me smile.

4+ hours

Title: Because Potter Is Allergic to Poppies Read by: sisi_rambles Authour: lomonaaeren Length:~ 4h Rating: Mature Summary: Auror Harry Potter is in hospital being treated for a curse when someone tries to kill him. Obviously it is up to bored, trapped Apprentice Healer Draco, who was only admitted to the Healer Program in the first place to do the menial work, to find out who did it. Because then they will promote him. No, it’s for no other reason, thanks. You can't go wrong with Healer!Draco really, and sisi_rambles reads the fic so well!.

Title: On a Clear Day Read by: 6shotsamericano Authour: Saras_Girl Length:~ 5h Rating: Mature Summary: Draco Malfoy is waiting for his real life to begin, and it appears that he’s not the only one. Coffee, charity, and the wisdom of the elderly. I've listened to this one too many times to count over the years. Humour, falling in love and learning to live.

Title: (Un)wanted Read by: aibidil Authour: aibidil Length:~4h Rating: Explicit Summary: Ginny's pregnant, then she's not and Harry's single. Harry, again with no family, doesn't know what to do with this turn of events, or how to find a new life—post-war, post-Ginny, post-abortion—in which he belongs. He doesn't expect that life to include dancing to the Backstreet Boys with Hermione and Draco Malfoy. A story of finding belonging in the unexpected. This one is so good. It's about being lonely and feeling unwanted, but finding family and learning to accept love when offered as well as loving oneself. I love Harry and Hermione's relationship in this. Actually, the women in general are awesome.

5+ hours

Title: A Gift of True Esteem Read by: Cailynwrites, ETL_Echo_Audiobooks Authour: apliddell Length: ~5.5h Rating: Explicit Summary: Professor Draco Malfoy believes he has something unique to bring to Hogwarts' History of Magic course. Professor Harry Potter is willing to be convinced. This was such a lovely listen! I loved the relationship between Harry and Draco, and how Harry came into himself throughout the fic.

Title: Here's the Pencil, Make it Work Read by: teas_me Authour: ignatiustrout Length:~ 5.5h Rating: Explicit Summary: Harry thinks, "Why is Malfoy working in a coffee shop in muggle London?" is a much simpler question than, "Are you going to accept that auror offer and, if you don't, what will you do?" This one has Harry discovering Draco in the muggle world, a building friendship, coming out and wonderful humour. I loved all the friendships in this story, and the way ignatiustrout voices them.

Title: Modern Love Read by: lastontheboat Authour: tackytiger Length:~ 5.5 h Rating: Explicit Summary: Harry Potter, of all people, knows that life isn’t always fair. And no one gets to be happy all of the time. But surely there’s something more—something better—than a rubbish Ministry job, and a lonely old house, and that feeling that everyone out there is doing a better job of living than Harry is. And it really doesn’t seem fair that Draco Malfoy is back in Harry’s life, all of a sudden, and even though he’s wandless, and living with Muggles, and making his mother cry with his lifestyle choices, he’s happy. So what's he doing right, that Harry isn’t? Because things don’t really change, do they? And if Harry can’t be happy, he’ll settle for a good night’s sleep, some posh antiques, and the opportunity to find out what Malfoy has been up to for all these years. And that’s what starts it all. I really enjoyed this one. The story is really engaging and full of emotion, and the reader conveys them perfectly. 

Title: Stately Homes of Wiltshire Read by: Lazulus Authour: waspabi Length:~ 5.5h Rating: Explicit Summary: Malfoy Manor has mould, dry rot and an infestation of unusually historical poltergeists. Harry Potter is on the case. This fic is so lovely, both the story and the reading has made me laugh on several occations. It's a mystery with love and friendships and figuring out what you want from life.

Bonus (Podfics from my tbr):

3+ hours Dirtynumbangelboy written by magpie_fngrl and read by RattleandHum (ThirdEye1234) 3.5h Moldova's Magical Tea written by aibidil read by Cailynwrites 3.5h

4+ hours Boiling Point written by GoldenTruth813 read by aibidil 4.5h Changing with the season written by harryromper read by lastontheboat 4h Fawning Over You written by toxik_angel read by Cailynwrites 4.5 King's Crossing written by LowerEastSide read by reveriepi 4h Stop All the Clocks (This Is the Last Time I’m Leaving Without You), written by firethesound read by lastontheboat 4.5h The Crane Lord of Gringotts written by Vukovich  read by Melcarrianna 4.5h The Standard You Walk Past written by bafflinghaze read by Gabriel_Audio 4.5h

[kbrick]

Peak Drarry: Celebrating Incredible Writers - aibidil

Peak Drarry is a series of posts celebrating the absolute treasure trove of talented writers in this fandom, and a reminder of how lucky we are to have them here with us. I’m kicking it off with one of my all-time faves, @aibidil​. 

✨AIBIDIL✨

I’m guessing there are very few people involved in the Drarry fandom who haven’t heard of aibidil. Aibidil has been showering us with quality fic since 2017 and has over sixty offerings on AO3. Her works were some of the first I consumed when I fell headfirst into Drarry during covid, and had a lot to do with my desire to write my own. I still distinctly remember being blown away by A Hag, a Hex, a Tale of Redemption, by how aibidil had managed to create such a compelling, funny, and heartfelt fuck-or-die fic, one that stood out from the rest. So, why should you read aibidil’s fic? Here are a few reasons:

They are creative and get you thinking

Sometimes there’s a trope or two thrown into the mix, but even then, the trope is merely a jump-off point into something much bigger. Trope: Ginny and Harry break up and Harry finds solace in and then love with Draco. Aibidil comes along and says, okay, fine, but make the problem Ginny’s unwanted pregnancy, have Harry experience emotional turmoil over that fact (not that Harry-Abandonment-Issues-Should-Be-My-Middle-Name-Potter identifies with an unwanted fetus, no, of course not), have him spend the rest of the story sorting through his complicated feelings, and make the whole thing a testament to reproductive choice (this fic is called (Un)wanted, by the way. It’s incredible). Trope: Malfoy wears a skirt and Harry goes feral. Aibidil’s take? Malfoy wears the skirt because he and Hermione are leading a protest against the gendered, outdated Ministry dress codes (Beards, Booty Shorts, and Binaries).

Abidil’s stories don’t always skew political (although I love when they do), but they always have something to say. In A Hag, a Hex, a Tale of Redemption, Draco must come to terms with what it means to love someone, and how consent plays into that (does a lie negate consent?). Truth and love also play a role in When Times Are Dire, when Harry and Draco must pretend to marry to save the world. But is it pretend when they really are joining their lives and families together?

Beyond the deeper moral and ethical questions present in these stories, aibidil’s fic always manages to be creative and interesting. Abidil comes up with some of the most inventive sorts of magic (you really have to read her latest, Always Already, for one of the most thoughtful depictions of magical time travel I’ve ever read). Her premises can be angsty, like what if Astoria tells Scorpius—on her death bed no less—that he is actually Draco’s child with Harry (when by now and tree by leaf)? They can also be downright silly, like what if Draco can’t stop hiccoughing for days (Upside Down, Holding One’s Breath)? But one thing of which you can be certain: they’re never, ever boring.

They’re a master class in characterization

So, aibidil can dream up interesting, different, thought-provoking storylines, yes. But she also gets it right when it comes to characterization. Her Harry and Draco are always recognizable to me, no matter how evolved and changed they’ve become. There is something essential there, something true to the characters we know and love, that is ever present. And I think that’s because aibidil truly empathizes with and cares about her characters. This knack for getting in a character’s headspace means that aibidil is able to create some of the most fully formed, well rounded and realistically portrayed versions of Harry and Draco I’ve read. Whether it’s Harry in When Times are Dire enjoying the way his children sort of take his love for granted (because Harry wants that for them so badly, wants to be a constant, unquestioned source of support in their lives) or Draco in Always Already shoving down his snark in order to be as inoffensive as possible as a sort of penance for the war, you both recognize and feel for these characters. They’re flawed and imperfect, but they’re trying, and you love them for it.

There are moments in aibidil’s fic that leave me breathless because of how well they nail down the essence of a character in just a few words, or a single exchange or situation. For instance, in When Times Are Dire, Draco and Harry take a trip to the zoo and Draco buys Harry an absurdly enormous ice cream sundae after Harry recalls a time his aunt and uncle bought one for Dudley but not him. “Harry found himself at a loss for words,” aibidil writes. “He thought he’d worked through his childhood zoo issues. He’d been here so many times as an adult, without the abuse of the Dursleys. He had so many wonderful memories here, so many trips with his kids. But no one had ever bought Harry an ice cream before [emphasis mine].” The way Draco understands Harry, and the way he helps Harry to understand something about himself in such an everyday sort of scene is beautiful.

In Pure Imagination, Harry and Draco, experiencing depression after the war, are given a potion that allows them to tap into their imaginations completely, the way a child would. They have an excellent time on the potion together, imagining all sorts of things, including taking a trip to a Muggle skate park (together), which they agree to do at a later date. But afterward, Harry retreats and doesn’t go to the skate park (a decision that gives us incredible insight into the Harry of this story, come to think of it). In their joint trip to the counselor’s office later, Draco tells the counselor that imagination is dangerous because it opens people up to disappointment. “It’s smart that I don’t allow myself delusions like thinking I can somehow have a fulfilling career, even given my past,” he says. “It’s smart that I don’t allow myself the delusion of thinking Potter might want to spend time with me when he’s not high on a fucking imagination potion.”

And doesn’t this cut right to the heart of Draco? Whether he’s being cruel the way he was in canon, or being cool and indifferent, the way he is at the beginning of Pure Imagination, he is someone who struggles to believe in his own self-worth, and has found an entire arsenal’s worth of methods to hide this fact, even, sometimes, from himself. 

They’re just so damn funny

And finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one of the absolute best things about aibidil’s stories. Because on top of incredible storylines and beautiful character work, aibidil is fucking hilarious. I don’t think I’ve ever read through anything of hers without laughing out loud. Oftentimes, the humor is situational, like in When Times Are Dire when Harry and Draco tell their children that they’re in a relationship (when they’re actually not) and proceed to have one of the most awkward exchanges of all time with them, which leads to Harry clarifying that they are together ‘sexually’ (He says that. To his children.). Or in Auld Acquaintance, when Harry comes through the floo looking like a teenager and Draco finds himself torn between the ghost of attraction his own teenaged self had for this version of Harry and the fact that to his mature, grandfatherly eye, Harry looks “doughy…like an underbaked infant.” Or in Starve Your Distractions, Feed Your Focus, when a coupled-up Harry and Draco have to work out with a very sexy Neville, who is wearing joggers that leave little to the imagination.

Sometimes, though, the hilarity is in the form of amazing dialogue (her Harry and Draco banter is always top-tier) or of others’ observations of the Drarry dynamic, like when Neville says (in Always Already) this about Harry and Draco’s teasing of one another: “Don't mind them. It's like their little traumatised child-warrior foreplay or something.” Aibidil is always aware of the story she’s telling, and of the Drarry-ness of it all. These are not simple men, and theirs is never a typical, simple relationship, and you know what? That can be funny. As Harry says in When Times are Dire: "Ah yes. I'm a cheap date. All it takes to get me in bed is to almost kill each other, survive a war together, work together over decades, have children who fall in love and get married, get married for political reasons, pretend to be in love for two years to all friends and relatives, become grandparents together, and take a controlled substance to open up enough to tell each other the truth. That's all."

See? Easy.

Finally, I shouldn’t leave out the fact that aibidil’s acronyms are the best of all time (her most recent fic’s C.O.C.K. is my new favorite, but there are oodles of excellent ones).

Recommended For…

Everyone. Listen, if you enjoy laughing, or exciting and original storylines, or fic that makes you think, or fic that reveals the beating hearts of our favorite characters, aibidil’s catalog of work is for you. There is angst in places, there is smut in places, but that’s not really the point of her fic. The point is the journey, the character development, and the ridiculous amount of joy and energy contained in all of these stories. Here are a few you might want to check out, but honestly, you can’t go wrong with anything she’s written.

Top 3 Fics Over 25,000 Words (by kudos)

Dating for Dads in Denial (25k) - In which one wizard designs and another reluctantly patronises a magical matchmaking service, amidst the chaos of children and parenting.

when by now and tree by leaf (46k) - When Scorpius Malfoy is saying goodbye to his dying mother, he doesn't expect to hear her confess, "Your father slept with another man and became pregnant with you." 

Moldova’s Magical Tea (32k) - Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and—to everyone’s surprise—Draco Malfoy are opening a magical tea shop to revive wizarding tea culture. Harry, who is unemployed and trying to find his way in post-war society, wants to help his friends with their new business—but that means spending a lot of time around Malfoy. 

Top 3 Fics Under 25,000 Words (by kudos)

Back to You (8k) - The eighth years make Harry and Malfoy go head to head and back to back in a question-and-answer drinking game. The worst that can happen is they end up drunk, right?

The Usual (9k) - Harry finally tries the new magical coffee shop on Diagon Alley. A story in which Draco is Up To Something™ and Harry is going to get to the bottom of it, and to the bottom of that sixteen ounce to-go cup.

Beards, Booty Shorts, and Binaries (9k) - Harry was hoping for a quiet day at the office, but Hermione and Draco are waging a war on discrimination with beards and skirts.

Kbrick’s Picks (in order of obsession)

When Times Are Dire (130k) - Magical Britain is screwed, and it's once again up to Harry to save it. This time, by marrying Draco Malfoy.

Always Already (170k) -  It's 2004: Harry teaches primary school and loves his job and friends; It's 1980: Harry has to fight Voldemort, again; It's 2004: Draco is a trainee Healer and reformed member of society; It's 1980: Draco has to face his father's cruelty; It's 2004: Harry and Draco definitely aren't lonely or depressed or traumatised; It's 1980: Harry and Draco listen to Kate Bush and watch Dallas and drive a 1979 Ford Cortina; It's 2004, it's 1980, it's...

Pure Imagination (15k) - An eighth-year tale of depressed happiness, reluctant imagination, and conflicted hope. And skateboarding.

.

[weeklyreadings]

Week 11 - 15

(Un)wanted by @aibidil

Rated E. 37k. Drarry

Ginny's pregnant, then she's not and Harry's single. Harry, again with no family, doesn't know what to do with this turn of events, or how to find a new life—post-war, post-Ginny, post-abortion—in which he belongs. He doesn't expect that life to include dancing to the Backstreet Boys with Hermione and Draco Malfoy. A story of finding belonging in the unexpected.

Always Already by @aibidil

Rated E. 170k. Drarry

Harry and Draco are perfectly fine, separately minding their business in 2004, when the Unspeakables conscript them into service... in the First War against Voldemort.

shorn and scarred and yours by @lynxindisguise ♥️

Rated T. 50k. Wolfstar

Blacks do not cry. Blacks do not make empty threats. Blacks do not care about 'goodness.' And they most definitely do not fall in love. Sirius was the perfect Black. Until he wasn't.

don't forget the nights when it all felt right by @wrapped-up

Rated T. 8k. Wolfstar-ish & Jegulus- ish

James tells Harry about how he introduced Sirius and Remus.

What is this, fucking Jeopardy? By @lumosatnight

Rated E. 20k. Drarry

Draco is struck by a wayward curse of unknown origin and keeps trying to get Curse-Breaker Potter to help him. It’s rather frustrating that he seems to be so busy… and that Draco can only speak to him in questions. Draco’s at his wit’s end trying to get oblivious Potter to realise why he’s bothering him, and Harry won’t stop making obscure Muggle references. Like the last time, when he just stared at Draco before yelling “What is this, fucking Jeopardy?!” before walking away.

[lostdrarryfics]

I think it’s set in muggle London? Hermione and Ron break up and Hermione and Harry move in together. Ron has a new girlfriend and Harry helps them both move into a new house at one point. The only thing I can really remember is that Draco, Harry, and Hermione are singing and dancing to boy bands in the living room when Ron floos over and gets mad at them for befriending Draco.

I think the girlfriends name was Lisa, but I might have made this up lol

Hi anon, could you be mixing up some details from (Un)wanted by @aibidil (36k, E)? Let us know!

[thenightwherethouart]

(Un)wanted by aibidil [E, 36k]

Harry keeps sneaking glances at Malfoy, remembering that first night when they were at the club. The atmosphere is similar in some ways—music, lots of people—but that's where the similarities end. They're not drunk, and they're not hiding, and they've spent the last few weeks figuring out how to be friends. It's so strange, but it doesn't really feel strange. Harry finds himself thinking, fuck it, why not? He's put everything off for his whole life, but there's no reason to do that anymore. Fuck it.

"I'm glad you came," Harry says, picking his hand up to touch the silky fabric of Malfoy's shirt. He drags his fingers down the sleeve, past the elbow, until his hand gently circles Malfoy's wrist.

"Potter," Malfoy drawls, eyebrow rising and mouth curling up. "Is this you wooing me? Because you told me I would know, and I have to say, I'm not yet certain. I have an inkling, but there remains a shadow of a doubt."

Harry leans closer, not breaking eye contact. "Do you want to see my bedroom?"

Malfoy, cheeks pink, sets down his butterbeer. "Lead the way."

[drarryspecificrecs]

Most popular fics of 2020

✔ subjectively sorted by Hits || alphabetically listed || as of 2021.10 (5868 works) ✔ 2020 in review : (daily) complete fics + (monthly) longest fics + list of fests ✔ most popular fics of other years

—

(Un)wanted by @aibidil [E, 36k]

Accidental Magic by @penguinanimagus [E, 34k]

Adventures in Truth and Texting by @fluxweeed [E, 11k]

Adventures of a Suicidal Gentleman by GallaPlacidia [?, 47k]

Aletheia by @lazywonderlvnd [E, 8k]

The Alpha's precious treasure by @polly-weasley [E, 3k]

'And The Forest Met The Sky' by Silverhood [M, 87k]

Another Heart Whispers Back by @slytherco [E, 53k]

the best treasure is up Harry’s arse by @bafflinghaze [E, 2k]

A Big Black Sky by @alxmeg [M, 90k]

Bitter Transmutation : Cruel Transformation by @dorthyanndrarry [M, 103k]

The Blind & The Silent by darkpyroangel06 [E, 59k]

Bond Bright by @caedes12 [E, 36k]

A Brother to Basilisks by Lomonaaeren [M, 613k]

The Bucket List by GallaPlacidia [?, 32k]

Can't Afford to Fall by @p1013 [E, 100k]

Can't Fight The Moonlight by @magicalrocketships [M, 16k]

Can't Fight This Feeling by @writcraft [E, 10k]

Cassiopeia Lily Malfoy by GallaPlacidia [?, 37k]

Caught by the Ferret Tail by Alien_Slushie [T, 4k]

The Changing Lights by @lazywonderlvnd [E, 142k]

Clouds That Veil the Midnight Moon by @drarrytrash [E, 36k]

The Courting by the Pureblood Who Only Has Five Milligrams of Romantic Intelligence and Thinks He’s Real Smooth by @cibeewastaken [T, 19k]

Criminal by @the-sinking-ship [E, 83k]

Crown Witness by @slytherco [E, 70k]

The Curse of the Sea by @samyistrying [E, 62k]

Diffraction Patterns (I Don't Know How to Forget You) by @yourdifferentoctober [E, 93k]

Doing love the right way by Linola [E, 2k]

Draco might not be a Weasley by blood, but he's family by @mfingenius [M, 50k]

Evitative by @k-vichan [T, 222k]

Ex Nihilo (And Other Feats of An Untrained Veela) by Kandakicksass [M, 127k]

A Family of Our Own by @dwell-on-dreams [E, 2k]

The Ferret's Nest by @l0vegl0wsinthedark [E, 9k]

Found Family by Doctor_Who_Cares [E, 148k]

The Four Doors by @fluxweeed [E, 48k]

freely, as men strive for right by @bixgirl1 [E, 17k]

Friends? Is That What We Are? by @l0vegl0wsinthedark [E, 33k]

Get Your Kinks Out by @cassiopeiasshadow [E, 38k]

The Gryffindor And His Slytherin by ridleyrey [E, 59k]

Heart Like Neon by @lqtraintracks [E, 41k]

Hogwarts a school for all kinds of creatures by UnicornPower1 [E, 254k]

I Was Held In Chains But Now I'm Free by gayshiit [E, 24k]

I'll Tell You Mine (If You Tell Me Yours) by @drarryruinedme7 [E, 4k]

I'm So Tired by andrewminyardenthusiast & @brekkerenthusiast [T, 84k]

If an Injury Is to Be Inflicted by @shealwaysreads [E, 44k]

If It Takes All Night by @tackytigerfic [M, 10k]

In Another Life (I Would Make You Stay) by aboutmalfoy [T, 112k]

in heat by @bonesliketambourines [E, 4k]

Inside Your Mind by @lazywonderlvnd [E, 36k]

knickers in a twist by technicolourbeat [E, 86k]

Let Out the Beast by @acupforslytherin [E, 9k]

Licking a Path to You by @drarryruinedme7 [E, 18k]

Light up the Night by Saras_Girl [M, 98k]

Love and Other Unsafe Medical Practices by @tedahfromtayla [E, 116k]

Lucid by @dracoladon [E, 4k]

Luckiest Baby in the World by @mfingenius [M, 18k]

The Mirror of Ecidyrue by starbrigid [ series ]

Modern Love by @tackytigerfic [E, 61k]

Nero su bianco by @zuzallove [E, 40k]

Never Grow A Wishbone by @shanastoryteller [T, 123k]

The New Flight Instructor by @mxmaneater [E, 143k]

The Nobility of Ascent by Lomonaaeren [E, 27k]

Nothing Stays the Same by isabelbarret [E, 103k]

Nyctophilia by prolonged_autumn [E, 108k]

Of Custody and Guardianship by Ghostnic [T, 50k]

Omega's Binding by @madriddler [E, 49k]

The One Where Draco Loses his Mind and Gains a Boyfriend by @dianacopland & @sassy-cissa [E, 18k]

Owl Was Well by @fencer-x [T, 66k]

A Perfectly Valid Dare by @ano-ka-ba & @kittymiaomeow [E, 5k]

Ruined Omega by @madriddler [E, 97k]

See It My Way by @queenofthyme [E, 26k]

Sententia by @anchanee [M, 313k]

The Sinner’s Redemption by @dianacopland [E, 55k]

Snowball Kisses by @eatamilkbone [E, 21k]

A Social Arrangement by @bitkahuna [E, 143k]

Something Good (The Second Time Around) by Ravenclaw626 [E, 99k]

Split by @pocketwatchangora [E, 41k]

Strawberries and Pajamas by @drarrysht [E, 3k]

Sucker by @ruinsplume-lefthandedbasilisk [E, 117k]

Synonyms For Pretend by Scarlett_Lucian [T, 33k]

There Will Be Time. by dracoseratonin [T, 62k]

There’s Too Many People (That Walk Alone) by huffinglepuff [T, 39k]

Time and Again by @manixzen [E, 68k]

To Be Out of Your Own (and consumed by another) by @cassiaratheslytherpuff [E, 18k]

True Children Still by @gracerene [E, 34k]

Two Trees by @eelwinks [E, 36k]

Under My Skin by @polly-weasley [E, 8k]

Vanished by @devilrising [E, 134k]

Vortex by @xanthippe74 [T, 20k]

The Wand That Chose Two Wizards by @talkingtravesties [T, 116k]

What Dreams May Come by @firethesound [E, 36k]

What's Left Behind by ElvaDeath [T, 74k]

when evil blooms by thedoomofvalyria [E, 83k]

When The Smoke Clears by GoldFrostbite13 [M, 158k]

Where The Falcons Fly by MyNameIsThunder [M, 283k]

With Friends Like These by @bixgirl1 [E, 6k]

The Wrong Sort by @caffeinatedflumadiddle [T, 289k]

You Look the Way I Feel by @yourdifferentoctober [E, 108k]

You were made for me by @polly-weasley [E, 4k]

Your Daddy Knows (You're A Flame) by @ladderofyears [E, 27k]

[wetassdrarry]

Top 25 Drarry

my own favorites, rich and dripping

Wild by orphan_account (92k)

Who we are in the shadows by Quicksilvermaid (100k)

When Times are Dire by aibidil (130k)

What We Pretend We Can’t See by gyzym (131k)

Turn by Saras_Girl (306k)

Timeshare by astolat (14k)

The Way Down by lettered (65k)

The Nightmare Club by Elle Gray (85k)

The Compact by astolat (64k)

Soup-pocalypse and The Great Curry Cataclysm by SquadOfCats (104k)

Orbit by HenryMercury (52k)

Now The Shining Sun Is Up by lettered (22k)

Little Red Courgette by blamebrampton (31k)

I Am Not Who I Became by mab_di (93k)

How to Handle a Matzo Ball Soup Emergency by Blowfish_Diaries (22k)

Howlr by partialtopotter (47k)

Faint Indirections by ignatiustrout (29k)

Dwelling by aideomai (83k)

Currency by blythely and circetigana (31k)

By the Grace by lettered (140k)

But That’s History by ebbet (54k)

Balance, Imperfect by bixgirl1 (91k)

Away Childish Things by lettered (153k)

All Bets Are Off by dualwieldteacup (31k)

A Hag, a Hex, a Tale of Redemption by aibidil (43k)

Find your flavor

Honorable Mentions!

Wormwood & Reaglar by opalesqueopioid (24k)

Why doesn’t this have more hits??? Breathtaking magic theory and politics unfolded through DRAGONS, I mean...

Up here (everything is different) by Etalice (14k)

Something broke or mended in my chest

(Un)wanted by aibidil (36k)

Two Zinnias and the Scent of Lemon by thestarryknight (16k)

fuck the police

The Pure and Simple Truth by lettered (65k)

Ni idea de por qué me encanta tanto esta "sitcom,” pero es un agudo estudio de personajes de nuestros tríos de oro y bronce

it is a strange thing to nourish what could kill you (in the hopes it does not kill you) by dicta_contrion (18k)

I think it's brilliant but be wary ye who enter here

Heal Thyself by astolat (47k)

draco malfoy’s substitute murder service by oknowkiss (10k)

A Gift for Draco by SquadOfCats (33k)

Cuuuuuute

[ghaniblue]

It's time for July favourites. Most of my fic reading this month was done for @hp-bodiceripper and boy howdy do we have some amazing fics, art and podfics in store for you. ❤️ Anyway, Drarry fics and podfics I enjoyed this months. I've also been reading an incredible fic about the Black brothers, but that one deserves its own post.

Drarry Fic

Cut Me Open (and use me) by @triggerlil | Drarry, E, 3k

Draco is the heir to the throne of England. Harry is a nobleman who wants to reclaim his honour. Somehow, these two things are intimately linked. Enter a sword, a dagger, and the hands of God, and you have a story about two men with tongues like knives, learning to lick love off sharp edges.

Royal AU and knife kink and blood play and Harry being a bit of a pain slut (and incensed about it). Dear sweet baby jesus.

In Pieces by @m0srael | Drarry, E, 4k 🏳️‍⚧️

Draco nods. “I need to know that my body can feel good again. I need to know that I can feel pleasure how I want to feel it, and…and make you feel pleasure with my body. I need to know that I can ask it to do things and that it will comply, and that it will feel good.” His expression is shattered and needy, and Harry kisses away the worry lines crinkling his forehead. “I n-need to know that you can ask me, tell me to do things and I can choose to do them. Please, Harry.”

I was lucky enough to beta this and it flayed me open. I love how much they love each other. This is high emotion smut in the best way: so tender and passionate and scorching hot.

Drarry Podfics

This Summer written by saras_girl, read by @thirdeye1234 | Drarry, T, 3:40h

This is a summery romantic comedy featuring my favourite ensemble cast, in which Harry is confused, Draco is Draco, and Hermione attempts to eat all the things.

The sweetness and charm of the story is brought out perfectly by RattleandHum. This is the perfect comfort podfic for a balmy summer day.

Harry Potter and The Incredibly Organized Personal Assistant written by maegyal, read by hananobira | Drarry, T, 21:37min

Harry Potter's new assistant is snarkily organized.

There's a quality to hananobira's voice that is just so charming. This made me smile.

(Un)wanted written & read by @aibidil | Drarry, (Harry/Ginny), E, 4h

Ginny's pregnant, then she's not and Harry's single. Harry, again with no family, doesn't know what to do with this turn of events, or how to find a new life—post-war, post-Ginny, post-abortion—in which he belongs. He doesn't expect that life to include dancing to the Backstreet Boys with Hermione and Draco Malfoy. A story of finding belonging in the unexpected.

I always enjoy aibidil podfics: her reading is relaxed but expressive, and her voice so warm. I love how Ginny's abortion is handled, and how this plays into Harry's trauma and issues with self worth. For all that there's a lot of emotional mess and sadness here, this is also very sweet: with Harry&Draco falling together unexpectedly, lots of video games and a lovely Harry&Hermione friendship.

June Favourites

[softlystarstruck]

✩ softly reading, sep 27 - oct 3 ✩

✩ - a fave | 🔥 - hot | purple- reread

HAPPY OCTOBER 🎃🍂👻 it’s the month of kinktober, @creature-kinktober, and @hp-fearfest , AND @hd-fan-fair has started posting! there are so many good works to bask in- here’s what i’ve read this past week 🥰 short & sweet, pocket-sized, and non-drarry under the cut!

spotlight rec

✩ Seasick by @academicdisaster24 [T, 3.7k] 🏳️‍⚧️

A boy came down from the cliff. Draco watched him as he stood by the waves, all scraggly limbs and messy hair and bright green eyes behind wire frames. Draco recognised something in him; perhaps the glint in his eye, or the hunching of his shoulders.

why i rec this: this may be my favorite mermaid!draco fic that i’ve read. rooney weaves such a delicate tale of desperate loneliness and wanting to belong (on many levels- in a family, in your own body). the setting is nearly tangible, with its stark cliffs and sea air. this is one i will be coming back to again and again!!

longer reads

✩ Right Hand Red by @lqtraintracks [E, 73k]

Harry felt Malfoy's breath on his lips as they came together over the bottle, hands firmly planted on the floor as though they each needed their familiar soil, refusing to cross into enemy territory. Except that Malfoy no longer felt like his enemy. Malfoy felt inevitable.

Days Like This by space_wingdings [E, 52k]

Draco Malfoy is disgruntled at being overlooked for all the high-profile Auror assignments. He's on the brink of quitting his job when he's finally given a prestigious case: to keep Harry Potter safe.

(Un)wanted by @aibidil [E, 36k]

Ginny's pregnant, then she's not and Harry's single. Harry, again with no family, doesn't know what to do with this turn of events, or how to find a new life—post-war, post-Ginny, post-abortion—in which he belongs. He doesn't expect that life to include dancing to the Backstreet Boys with Hermione and Draco Malfoy.

✩ Safer than Houses by anon [T, 24k]

After five years abroad, Harry’s thrilled to be home and working at the most prestigious ward-building firm in Britain. But everything gets turned upside down when he's assigned to work for Draco Malfoy—who somehow grew up to be just the sort of sexy bastard Harry goes for. As if that isn’t enough, Malfoy seems strangely on edge, his wards are a mess, and Harry keeps feeling like he’s being watched in the garden. [H/D Fan Fair 2021]

✩ It’s the Love of the Chase (That Created the Ride) by @lqtraintracks [E, 13k] 🔥

Draco and Harry are new Auror partners. It's a bit dull. Until they finally see some spell action and things get a lot more interesting (in Draco's pants).

short & sweet (< 10k)

✩ Good Talk, Potter by @l0vegl0wsinthedark [E, 6.7k] 🔥

Potter begins to take me apart, each savage, pounding thrust peeling away layer after layer of everything that I am.

Come On, French It Up! by @frenchmarshmalloww [E, 6.4k]

When Harry fails to learn the basics of French like the Ministry wants him to, he turns to the only person who’s able to help. Thankfully, Draco is a very creative professor. [HP Fluff Fest 2021]

Draco Malfoy and the Admittedly Suspicious Potion by rachoid [E, 6k] 🔥

Draco learns his lesson about why he shouldn’t purchase mysterious “pleasure” potions from dingy shops in Knockturn Alley.

✩ Beyond Sound by SumthinClever [E, 5.7k]

Draco is deaf and meets Harry again years after his accident. Draco offers to help Harry learn British Sign Language for a student Harry is working with. Soon, so much more grows from that offer. [HP Fluff Fest 2021]

You better run, you better take cover by agentmoppet [E, 5.6k] 🔥

Harry escapes the demands of his public by running all the way to Australia. While he’s there he finds Draco Malfoy, a lot of mimosas, and a disturbing drinking vessel—not in that order. He also finds some great sex.

✩ But My World Is You by @moonstruckwytch [M, 4.7k]

Harry’s been very secretive about where he’s taking Draco for their first anniversary, even against Draco’s more interesting methods of persuasion. Draco has no idea what to expect. Nothing could have prepared him for what Harry’s got planned.

A Little Death Never Hurt Anyone by @tackytigerfic [E, 4.2k]

Harry's getting good at slipping through the Veil. He's determined to win the war, even if means he has to raise the dead to do it. Draco just wants a stiff drink and a good night's sleep.

Student Digs by Lokifan [E, 4.1k] 🔥

Harry’s living in *student accommodation*. Just the phrase makes Draco shudder.

✩ Tell Me How You Like It by @phdmama [E, 3.3k]

It's a beautiful sunny day, and when Ron is laid up in the common room with a broken ankle, he gets more of a glimpse into his best friend's private life than he ever might have wanted!

If We Make It Through January 7th by @fallingoverpotter [T, 2.9k]

Draco's a little bit self-sabotaging coming to his ex-boyfriend's bakery in the midst of his post-Holiday gloom, but you sometimes need a great big knock to the head to break traditions like these ones. And if it's the icy cobblestones that deliver the knock, well, who's Draco to look a post-Holiday gifthorse in the mouth?

✩ in a pickle by @bonesliketambourines [E, 2.8k] 🔥

Draco should have known better than to try and bake something this complicated; now he owes Potter a debt. Luckily, he's more than willing to pay up.

Sweetheart by leontina [E, 2.1k] 🔥

Draco and Harry are Auror partners, and for some reason Draco has taken up the habit of calling Harry "Sweetheart" like it's a normal thing. It gets Harry all hot and bothered.

Denial by @manixzen [E, 2k] 🔥

Harry loves to let go of control, particularly after a hard week of work—and even when that means not getting what his body so desperately wants.

Revelation by @shealwaysreads [E, 1.4k] 🔥

Harry gets caught watching.

On The Edge (With You) by CapricornBookworn [E, 1.4k] 🔥

“You’re a sadistic little shit,” Draco bit out as he squirmed beneath Harry's teasing strokes, tensing his muscles in an effort to keep himself still.

✩ Your Attention, Please by @calypsotempete [E, 1.3k] 🔥

Harry might love the thrill of getting caught, the shot of adrenaline that comes with every near miss, but Draco… Draco loves this.

✩ Safest In Your Mouth by @p1013 [E, 1k] 🔥

They care for each other in any number of ways. This is just one of them.

pocket-sized (< 1k)

✩ Rules by @shealwaysreads [E, 884 words] 🔥

Rules apply to them both.

non-drarry

Strong Hands, Spiced Lips by @mystickitten42 [Dudley/Greg, M, 5.4k]

Dudley's life changes dramatically after Harry drags him to a party, and he'll never be the same again. This is the story of that night and the year (almost) that follows. Featuring Slytherins, Gryffindors, drama, soft moments, and too many baked goods to count.

Heart’s Ease by hannelore [Luna/Pansy & drarry, E, 4k]

It’s not all whips and handcuffs, for them the simple acts of service and devotion are what really count. Pansy’s service to Luna has been a part of her life for many years. Draco realizes that service submission isn’t as easy as he (or Harry) thought it might be.

out of ideas by @bonesliketambourines [Ron/Hermione & drarry, E, 2.8k] 🔥

Hermione's not going to let her sex life suffer if there's something she can do about it. Luckily, after a few false starts, Ron's on board. Harry is no help. At least his boyfriend has something useful to contribute.

Unsanitary by @lqtraintracks [Ron/Hermione/Pansy, E, 501 words] 🔥

Hermione finds a way to spice up date night and enjoy a lovely evening with her husband.

[sitp-recs]

hi! please feel free to delete this! but i read through your rec list (and found some amazing fics, ty!!) but i was wondering if you had any recs for fics where harry is helped by draco after the war? like he’s struggling with PTSD and being a public figure and going through it emotionally and draco takes care of him and helps him and they become closer for it and harry learns he doesn’t always have to be this Savior he can just be Harry with Draco! thank you in advance and sorry to bother you!

Not a bother at all, anon! I definitely have some recs for you. Some are set in the immediate post-war, some are set years later but they all explore Harry struggling with war/childhood trauma, fame, loneliness and the unbearable weight of having to find your way when no one else is telling you what to do anymore. Such a relatable feeling tbh. I hope you enjoy these!

Unseen by astolat (M, 11k)

When he wasn’t wearing it, he got jumpy, always waiting for someone to come at him wanting something—and now they did it even more urgently, if they ever saw him, because most of the time, nobody did.

Holly and Hawthorn, Thistle and Thyme by bryoneybrynn (T, 31k)

After the war, Harry can’t shake the feeling that something is very wrong with him and he has a terrible feeling he knows what that “something” might be. He has a terrible feeling Malfoy might know, too.

Expecto Patronum by @writcraft (E, 35k)

As Draco Malfoy negotiates his feelings for the wizarding world's brightest star, he becomes increasingly attached to Harry and unravels the secrets he keeps hidden from the rest of the world.

(Un)wanted by @aibidil (E, 36k)

Ginny's pregnant, then she's not and Harry's single. Harry, again with no family, doesn't know what to do with this turn of events, or how to find a new life—post-war, post-Ginny, post-abortion—in which he belongs. He doesn't expect that life to include dancing to the Backstreet Boys with Hermione and Draco Malfoy. A story of finding belonging in the unexpected.

He Who Must Not Be Normal by lettered (E, 41k)

Potter has fame and fortune and posh clothes and all he wants is a simple life. Draco has a flat and a cat and a steady job and all he wants is a complicated life. Which makes you think this story has something exciting like body-swapping, but it doesn’t.

Unseen by RenVeree (T, 47k)

Harry Potter finally has the chance to leave England and its expectations for The Chosen One behind for good. All he has to do is survive one Auror training conference overseas with Draco Sodding Malfoy.

Modern Love by @tackytigerfic (E, 61k)

Harry Potter, of all people, knows that life isn’t always fair. And no one gets to be happy all of the time. But surely there’s something more—something better—than a rubbish Ministry job, and a lonely old house, and that feeling that everyone out there is doing a better job of living than Harry is.

The Way Down by lettered (T, 65k)

Harry is overwhelmed by his own power and fame and angst, so he's become a hermit. Draco Malfoy is tired of the melodrama.

Harry Potter and the elusive day off by pleasebekidding (E, 71k)

Auror Potter needs a fucking break. He is wiped. He is exhausted. He probably didn't intend to put himself into a magical coma but these things happen. And who cares, really? He is comfortable in a house where he has hidden away all the shit he can't deal with.

I Am Not Who I Became by mab_di (E, 93k)

Draco left England after the trials and has travelled the world meeting wizards and Muggles from different cultures and with vastly different relationships to magic, each other, and the natural world. Now he's a fisherman in Finland on commercial vessels. Harry has been struggling since the war and has become a recluse while trying to write his autobiography.

Who we are in the shadows by @quicksilvermaid (E, 100k)

What happens when you’re forced to become the very thing you despise? Ex-Auror Harry Potter, tossed out of the Ministry for something he had no control over, has been looking for a way back to his former life. When he comes across Draco Malfoy in the criminal underbelly of Wizarding London and in need of protection, Harry figures bringing him in to face the Ministry's justice is his ticket back to everything he's lost.

A Sword Laid Aside by korlaena (E, 128k)

When Draco’s cover is blown during a deep undercover operation and the Ministry is compromised, Ron takes Draco to the only safe place he can think of—Potter. Hiding out with a taciturn Harry Potter, who has been missing from the Wizarding World for almost two decades after a shocking fall from grace, is nothing like Draco thought it would be

By the Grace by lettered (T, 140k)

Harry is an Auror instructor. Malfoy wants to be an Auror.

where all the veins meet by @saxamophone (E, 146k)

It's the summer of 1998. The battle is over, and Voldemort is dead, but Harry still has more questions than answers. Who is he without a piece of Voldemort's soul in his head? What is he supposed to do now?

[stavromulabetaaa]

a playlist of songs from drarry fics

i get a lot of music from fic, whether a song or an artist is influential to a specific scene, or is even just simply mentioned by a character. some of them really stuck with me, so i’ve compiled a short list of my favorites :)

spotify playlist

1. Dreams - The Cranberries

Far From The Tree by aideomai

THAT scene, if you know you know! it’s so hard to talk about this fic without giving away spoilers, but let’s just say Draco dances to this song with a female character who totally stole my heart. it’s impossible for me to listen to this song and not daydream about a certain 90s themed party.

2. Iris - The Goo Goo Dolls

The Ordeal of Being Known by @lou-isfake

of course Harry put this song on a mixtape, of course he did. i just about lost my mind when i listened to it at the same time Draco did. and it just fits the narrative of this fic so well! i could have chosen from the many songs and artists mentioned in this fic, but for me this was a no-brainer.

3. Boy With a Coin - Iron & Wine

and a special mention:

4. You Are A Runner And I Am My Fathers Son - Wolf Parade

The Man Who Lived by @e-sebastian

sometimes an author just has to describe Draco turning up a song on his stereo in passing for me to immediately hop over to spotify. which is exactly how Boy With a Coin became one of my favorite songs! i also became obsessed with Wolf Parade last year after reading about Draco wearing their band t-shirt a couple of times in this fic, which is how i eventually discovered ‘You Are A Runner’ and accidentally made that song a Drarry headcanon. read the lyrics and tell me you couldn’t write a fic based on that song!

5. Ray of Light - Madonna

(Un)wanted by @aibidil

in a fic centered around the theme of loss, this small moment of joy stood out to me. this fic also mentions a lot of music, but i just love the image of Harry and Hermione dancing like idiots to Madonna.

6. Age of Consent - New Order

Criminal by @the-sinking-ship

this is my favorite song from a chapter i consider to be a significant point in this fic. a high point of UST and drunken silliness (aka letting their guards down, i live for those moments), a change in dynamic that sets the rest of the story in motion. this song represents that for me, and gets an immediate hell yeah if it starts playing when i shuffle my entire spotify library.

7. Svefn-g-englar - Sigur Rós

Let It Fall by @buildyourwalls

i honestly read this fic ages ago and it isn’t super fresh in my memory, but i remember how often music was incorporated into the story. it introduced me to this Icelandic band and every time i hear this song i have no clue what they’re saying but i feel Draco’s grief and guilt and uncertainty. i can imagine so clearly Harry’s longing and persistence. this band was only really mentioned in passing but it made its mark on me.

8. Modern Love - David Bowie

Modern Love by @tackytigerfic

i apparently live under a rock and was never properly introduced to David Bowie until i read this fic and looked up the song it’s title comes from. i wanted to put this song at the end of the playlist because it sounds like it could be on the soundtrack of a movie as it rolls to the credits (a quick google search tells me it’s been in a bunch of movie soundtracks lol). god, what i would do to see this fic as a movie. an absolute masterpiece by Tacky, a moving story about friendship with superb world-building. i could daydream about this fic to this song all day long.

[wistfulrat]

a 4-part rec list of my fave drarry fics - the thrillers, dramas, soft bois, and wankbanks getting me through 2020′s shitstorm

[ for my fellow fledgling drarry stans! the drama list is here and, well. like i didn’t initially intend to go off in the mini-reviews beneath every rec but it’s just that you can't nOT yell about drarry as classic literary foils!! also it’s my dumb sideblog so i decided there are no rules and i get to be annoying about good writing.

but rly, the whole premise of the drarry pairing is shaped by this genre and if the ~serious world of serious published writers~ weren’t absolute cowards, they would admit that drama fic authors have contributed more to the genre than the average shit you can find at your local chain bookstore. so that's that on thAT. & if you love a fic here, don't forget to follow the authors, leave kudos & comments on their work, send them nice msgs bc they do all this shit for free xoxo ]

part 2: dramas

mood: for when I need emotional catharsis and maybe 7 hours to sob/brood about loneliness, the cost of love, & the perpetual fear of being truly known

includes: angst, hurt/comfort, reconciliation fics. it’s cruelty o’clock folks and someone is about to say/do something Fucked Up that they can’t take back. but don’t worry!! there will be a Reckoning feat. hamlet-worthy monologues, ugly truths, unbridled rage, trauma, insecurity, and just a fuck ton of tears!! but maybe even tender apologies and mended things.

(Un)wanted by @aibidil​ - 36k - E | Ginny's pregnant, then she's not and Harry's single. Harry, again with no family, doesn't know what to do with this turn of events, or how to find a new life—post-war, post-Ginny, post-abortion—in which he belongs. He doesn't expect that life to include dancing to the Backstreet Boys with Hermione and Draco Malfoy. A story of finding belonging in the unexpected. | --- can a fic be tender and unflinching at the same time? bc this story strikes that balance rly well and for a piece about unwantedness, it is incredibly humanizing. ginny holding her own, draco being gentle but not letting harry play victim, hermione calling harry “hazzah” and just the way this friendship insists on the validity of found families even when harry is spiraling?? and you’re forced to consider that no one has the monopoly on fucked-upness and that doesn’t absolve us of the ways we hurt each other but it means that everyone has the same potential to be better after being broken. goD JUST READ IT, OKAY.

Blood Magic, the series by @houseofhebrideanblacks and @thestralsofspinnersend 335k - E “Later that night. . .Draco wondered at the depths of magic, its breadth and scope. The ways in which life pervades and eludes death, the ways in which they endure all manners of small and large deaths within their lives.” -- if you don't read any other fic on this list, i hope you read this series bc holy shit it’s breathtaking. harry’s a recovering addict, draco’s recovering from abuse, and in a cottage within the forbidden forest begins an unlikely partnership as the boys take up the tedious work of healing. there are thestrals and everyone's in therapy. there are whole chapters of cottagecore drarry. it's a beautiful exploration of how we bare the immensity of loss against the miracles of birth and regrowth. 

Ship of Theseus by GallaPlacidia - 18k - T “A ship in a full sail, a ship in a state of decay, a ship that had been rebuilt, slightly different. A repeating cycle. “What makes the ship the same?” asked Harry. “I don’t know. There must be something in it that lasts across the changes.” -- DO YOU KNOW HOW THIS QUOTE LIVES RENT FREE IN MY SAD, SAD BRAIN. DO YOU KNOW HOW I LOSE SLEEP THINKING ABOUT THE FUCKING SHIP OF THESEUS. it’s a memory loss fic and everything is so unFAIR. you want to murder harry sometimes bc he’s such a shiT and you suffer through the ways he questions desire, penance, redemption, true love. and by the end, you want to believe in those golden slumber lyrics: “once, there was a way to get back home” 

Yours to Keep by @dracoismytrashson​ - 135k - E i love the university setting, i love getting to see harry and draco’s first forays into a real LGBTQ community, the class and race structures outside of the wizarding world. i love that this is the context in which they’re allowed to confront the shittiness of PTSD, anxiety, depression etc. as they come together and fall apart against each other’s traumas. it makes the ending feel earned af. “Baby, we’ve been easing into it for a decade.” -- my god this line

Away Childish Things by @letteredlettered​ - 153k - T  this fic is devastating. like, completely forget whatever reticence you might have towards a de-aging fic and read this. the de-aging premise allows the author to cut through the ways harry and draco hold each other at a distance and you end up with these stunning moments of clarity where they’re truly seeing each other for the first time. and suddenly everything makes sense. i won't spoil it here but there’s a scene towards the end where harry is talking to hermione and ron about realizing the first time he felt what its like to be loved and I fucking SOBBED. an all-time fave fic about learning how to belong.

Had To Be You by @lettersbyelise​​ - 59k - E a genuinely excellent slow burn about absolute fucking morons who refuse to express their mutual love over the course of literal years?? HOW MANY TENDER MEET-CUTES DO 2 GAY IDIOTS EVEN NEED. a car ride a bookshop a street corner -- when harry met sally is my enemy. but you know what? this fic is masterfully written, it’s an epic tale of unexpected friendships and the inability to say the things we feel. also its very much also a soft boi fic if not for the Major Fuck Up that pushes it into drama territory for me. so worth the turmoil tbh.

Hurricane by phrynne - 120k - E auror partners terrified of love. it’s a fic about walls - where the emotional landscape of this fic is occluded by dishonest words so you feel the tension play out in hollow voices, shuttered looks, emptied eyes. it’s like watching two ppl get flayed alive in slow motion and everything is SHIT for a little. it’s mean, it’s ugly, it doesn’t let you give the characters an out when they’re being cruel - to each other and to themselves. but harry and draco are two violent forces hurling toward each other’s walls and the inevitable reckoning comes and it’s so very worth the ending. the hospital bed scene to rule all hospital bed scenes.

Returning Tides by @zigster-ao3​ - E  “Is my timing that flawed? Our respect run so dry? Yet there's still this appeal That we've kept through our lives” --those fuCKing ian curtis lyrics in the summary!! p a i n. why do i put myself through getting-back-together fics knowing full well i’m gonna be Sad As Hell during the not-together portion of the story?? we are all unfortunately hoes for heartache. anyway this fic is beautiful. draco’s a dad and recently widowed, harry has a thestral reserve, the settings here are stunning. a story about grief and love that lingers.

A Piercing Comfort by @talithan - 44k - T “There is no objective scorecard. There isn’t anything that a person does that tips the balance from ‘deserving’ to ‘undeserving’, or vice versa. A ‘deserving’ person will not run out of worthiness after a set time of happiness and have to then go about working to deserve it again. And an ‘undeserving’ person does not have to suffer at length before having the opportunity to be ‘deserving’.” -- the heart of this fic. harry’s in therapy, facing depression, and learning how to accept love he doesn’t think he deserves. (also draco is harry’s therapist but yes, that power dynamic is handled ethically-well imo and addressed in the author notes I promise!!).

Borrowing Courage by @xx-thedarklord-xx​ - 70k - E |After years of being a Magical Artist and painting for other people, Draco decides it’s time to paint for himself for once. The secrets pile up as he tries to unravel the mystery of his relatives but the only thing he didn’t count on was having to go to Potter of all people for approval.| --god i love this fic. the thing about drarry here is that they never mean to hurt each other but they do. they do and draco’s trying to do the right thing and he wants so badly for good family but harry’s never rly stopped grieving sirius and it’s this whole unintended mess of festering wounds forced to heal. everyone needs a hug. also ron/blaise pairing and ron+draco’s friendship here is everything!!

Reparations and the sequel, Foundations by Saras_Girl - 320k - E | Harry is about to discover that the steepest learning curve comes after Healer training, and that second chances can be found in unexpected places.| -- incredible. harry and draco’s dynamic as healers, the cast of original characters, the boys learning what it means to trust each other, draco building a rehabilitation center, harry falling in love with him, and “meus fabula est mei ut dico: my story is mine to tell.”  i cry

The Ties That Bind by phoenix_writing (not on ao3) - 61k - T | Upon Andromeda’s death, Harry and Draco are given custody of Teddy. Their lives will never be the same.| -- harry’s got major abandonment issues and he’s just trying to be a good co-parent with draco but everyone is being the woRST and you want to murder them on behalf of harry. but then, the boys learn to listen to each other and god it all becomes so tender. also harry has a gay panic. things are awful but it all works out. -

[part 1: thrillers | part 2: dramas | part 3: soft bois | part 4: wankbanks]

[drarryficrex]

Good morning! I love your blog! I’ve been in sort of a funk and haven’t been able to finish any fics so I think I want to go back to some classic tropes. Do you know any fics where Harry is injured and Draco is there to comfort/help him? Thank you!!

i’m terrible at rec requests but a few came to mind :)

All Life is Yours to Miss by Saras_Girl [Mature, 114k]

Balance, Imperfect by @bixgirl1 [Explicit, 91k]

The Ordeal of Being Known by @lou-isfake [Mature, 146k]

Away Childish Things by @letteredlettered [Teen, 153k]

(Un)wanted by @aibidil [Explicit, 36k]

you’ll have better luck checking out @sitp-recs blog or browsing her masterlist!

[aibidil]

aibidil fic masterlist

Draco/Harry: Always Already (E, 170k), again, for the first time (E, 15k), When Times are Dire (E, 130k), (Un)wanted (E, 37k), Beards, Booty Shorts, and Binaries (T, 9k), Pure Imagination (T, 15k), The Usual (T, 10k), A Hag, a Hex, a Tale of Redemption (E, 43k), when by now and tree by leaf (E, 46k), Back to You (T, 9k, with @daisymondays​), Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love (E, 80k), Dating for Dads in Denial (T, 25k), Luck Is Not Chance (M, 20k), But no Man moved Me — till the Tide (E, 7k), Moldova’s Magical Tea (E, 32k), Wouldn’t It Be Nice? (M, 5k), You See Through My Disguise (T, 10k)

James Sirius/Teddy: Calamity’s Child (E, 42k), Lost in My Own Home (E, 105k), This Must Be the Place (E, 29k)

Scorpius/Albus: Guess I’ll Die (E, 21k), The Way It Didn’t Happen (E, 5k), Accidentally on Purpose (E, 3k), I Want to Break Free (E, 5k)

Hermione/Ron: Learning Curve (E, 10k)

Wolfstar: Calamity’s Child (E, 42k)

Gen: Coach Snape (G, 10k, with @yrfrndfrnkly​ and @banana-ge-ge​), When the Hurlyburly’s Done (G, 7k)

Cormac/Ron: The Thing About Cormac (E, 2k),  A Routine Tuesday (M, 1k),  Manner of Dress (T, 5k)

Podfic: Always Already (E, 20 hours), (Un)wanted (E, 4 hours), When Times are Dire (E, 14 hours), You See Through My Disguise (T, 1 hour), Boiling Point (E, 4 hrs, written by @goldentruth813), Harry Potter and the Curse of the Malfoy Dildo (T, 30 min, written by @daisymondays)

By trope/theme:  8th year: Back to You (T, 9k, with @daisymondays​), When the Hurlyburly’s Done (G, 7k) Abortion: (Un)wanted (E, 37k) Animagus: The Thing About Cormac (E, 2k) Bonding: This Must Be the Place (E, 29k) Coffee shop: The Usual (T, 10k) Depression: Pure Imagination (T, 15k) Fake relationship: When Times are Dire (E, 130k), This Must Be the Place (E, 29k) Felix felicis: Luck Is Not Chance (M, 20k) Fuck or die: A Hag, a Hex, a Tale of Redemption (E, 43k), Guess I’ll Die (E, 21k) Infidelity: when by now and tree by leaf (E, 46k) Kidfic: Dating for Dads in Denial (T, 25k) Love potion: Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love (E, 80k) Magical traditions: Moldova’s Magical Tea (E, 32k) Metamorphmagus: Calamity’s Child (E, 42k), This Must Be the Place (E, 29k)

Mpreg: when by now and tree by leaf (E, 46k), Calamity’s Child (E, 42k) Multiverse: Lost in My Own Home (E, 105k) Polyjuice: Learning Curve (E, 10k) Older characters: When Times are Dire (E, 130k), Luck Is Not Chance (M, 20k), when by now and tree by leaf (E, 46k), Dating for Dads in Denial (T, 25k) Quitting the Aurors: But no Man moved Me — till the Tide (E, 7k), When Times are Dire (E, 130k) Snape: Coach Snape (G, 10k, with @yrfrndfrnkly​​) Sobriety/addiction: again, for the first time (E, 15k) Surprise relative: when by now and tree by leaf (E, 46k), Calamity’s Child (E, 42k) Time Travel: Always Already (E, 170k) War AU: You See Through My Disguise (T, 10k)