#Scorpius is so handsome!

[thecouchsofa]

It might be March, but better late than never!

While I posted more fic in 2024 (see my 2024 year in fic) than I ever have before, I also read an absolute shitload. Below the cut are some of my favourites that were published in 2024, arranged by word count.

As always, there is an absolute wealth of talent in this fandom and the amount of goodness we have here never ceases to amaze me. The fics below all really did it for me in a number of different ways. Though my opinion is subjective, I will happily vouch for all of them. Happy reading! 📚

❤️🩵💛💚

🌹Way to go, Tiger by @houndsinhades | G | 2k | 🌹

The time will arrive for the cruel and the mean You'll learn to bounce back just like your trampoline But now we'll curtail your curiosity In sweetness Way to go, Tiger Scorpius Malfoy's seventh birthday.

Read for: Scorpius at his best, Wholesome Parent/Child Relationship, Draco after the War

Note: This is technically a gen fic, but it gives major Drarry vibes so I’m putting it here anyway

🌺The game's the game by @hogwartsfirebolt | M | 3k | 🌺

Draco might be — definitely is — the world’s sorest loser, but he’s also the world’s biggest slut for Quidditch excellence, and he has it right here, holding him against his hotel room door.

Read for: Quidditch Rivals Harry and Draco, Friends with Benefits, a full story told expertly in a low word count

🌻 The sun between us by @eleadore | E | 7k | 🌻

Draco Malfoy, an omega. It was laughable until he was right in front of you, smelling like he was one shaky step from tripping into a heat.

Read for: Omegaverse, Snarky Banter, Good Characterisation (yes, I’m putting that on a PWP)

🌼 Apophenia by b6p592l11 | T | 12k |🌼

Out of the many things Sirius expected to happen after the war, having to deal with his godson dating a Death Eater was definitely not one of them.

Read for: Sirius Lives, Sirius POV, Draco/Regulus Parallels

🌷The Window by @hoko-onchi-writes | E | 15k |🌷

“I swear all you ever talk about is men.” Ron laughs and vanishes the last of the joint. “Sweet fucking Christ,” Harry says. “Remind me to never involve you in my life in any way, ever again.” He gives Harry a very handsome grin. “Padma said she saw him. At a Tesco’s.” “Who?” “Draco sodding Malfoy.” “At a Tesco’s,” Harry repeats. He’s very stoned, having an out-of-body experience imagining Draco Malfoy in a Tesco’s, holding a frozen dinner. He wonders, very briefly, what Malfoy’s been up to since the war. “I bet you wish you had a map of that Tesco’s. So you could track his name.” “Fuck off.” ~~ In which Harry grows up in darkness, falls in love, fucks up, learns some things, and falls in love again.

Note: this story also features Harry/Charlie, but it is endgame Drarry

Read for: Character Study (Harry), Adorable Scorpius, this line that I want tattooed on my prefrontal cortex: "There’s a very blond man with a laptop, and an equally blond toddler wearing a Wiggles t-shirt and brandishing a trashy romance novel like a weapon."

🪻Je te reverrai by @soliblomst and art by @kk1smet | E | 16k |🪻

When Beauxbatons visited Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament, Draco managed to control his attraction to fourteen-year-old Harry Potter. When Beauxbatons returns three years later for a cultural exchange, Draco's attraction to seventeen-year-old Harry Potter is impossible to curtail. In his defence, Harry's perfectly tailored blue robes, mixed signals, and French accent do not help.

Read for: Beauxbatons Harry, French Speaking Harry, Gorgeous Art

🌹Nine Days in Coventry by @sitaz | G | 16k |🌹

When a de-aged Draco Malfoy is discovered in Knockturn Alley, the Ministry appoints Family Liaison Officer Potter as his emergency guardian. Whisked away to a Muggle safehouse, Draco does not cope well, and Harry learns just how hard life can be when a five-year-old declares war on you.

Read for: De-aged Draco, Draco being a brat (but so cute), Harry taking care of Draco, Pre-Relationship

🌺 The most he’s ever said by @fastbrother | E | 16k |🌺

It takes them twenty years.

Read for: Down and Out to Redeemed and Competent Draco, Draco-centric, the Situationship of a Lifetime

Warning: Infidelity, but not between Drarry

🌻You And Me Against The World by @dracowillhearaboutthis | T | 17k |🌻

When Draco finally meets his soulmate, he doesn't want anything to do with Draco.

Read for: Soulmarks, Partial Canon Rewrite, Remus raises Harry, Draco and Theo friendship

🌼Equally Cursed and Blessed by @moonflower-rose | E | 18k |🌼

Harry's back at Hogwarts to attempt his final year, again. This time he's sure there'll be no shenanigans. Well. Maybe there'll be a few.

Read for: Draco’s artsy porn collection, Humour, Harry and Ron’s ride or die friendship

🌷Goodbye, Old You by harDeehar (dryrsheet) | E | 19k |🌷

As an alpha, Harry Potter should not have been an assistant for the newly minted Diversity department, and he definitely should not have been working under Draco. Draco seemed to be the only person who thought Harry was suspicious, but he was used to taking care of things on his own, anyway. Luckily, Draco was not as alone as he thought, and his understanding of Harry's intentions turned out to not be the only misjudgement Draco made.

Read for: Omegaverse, Coworkers, Mpreg

🪻Raising Hell! by @wolfpants | E | 21k |🪻

Harry and Draco are sent undercover as a married couple to investigate a dodgy Muggle love cult. Something evil is lurking in Glastonbury… but to get to it, the reluctant partners must be initiated first. And this is, after all, a love cult…

Read for: Case Fic, Competent Draco, Muggle Sex Cults, Good Smut

🌹The Superfluous Man by peu_a_peu | E | 24k |🌹

A child for Harry Potter is a miracle of magic. And it's the second act of Draco Malfoy's sorry little life.

Read for: Mpreg, snappy writing style, a pre-2015 feel

🌺On the divine agony of longing by @flimsi | E | 25k |🌺

Speaking to Draco is like poking a beehive - and Harry is a glutton for punishment. In which Harry makes some serious blunders and then tries to fix it. Somehow. Draco’s eyes narrow and his mouth purses, pretty and pink and wet from whatever he’s been drinking. “Any mediocre time is better than whatever you can you offer, Head Auror Potter. We’ve had this conversation. I thought I made myself clear.”

Read for: Magically Powerful Harry, Possessive Pining Harry, Competent Draco

🌻Antelucan Ruins by @rainjulyx | E | 29k |🌻

From the bloody Prophet, Draco discovers Harry Potter’s death splashed in grey ink printed on the front page. Potter is dead before Draco gets to see him again to fulfil a half-spoken promise. And yet, these days Draco has the power to bend the world to his heart’s desires, and that includes fucking Harry Potter even after he personally saw Potter’s pale, lifeless body lying in a coffin before it got buried under the soil. — "Do you realise that you're just as pathetic and insane? You're so hung up on the idea of me that you'd fuck a ghost, Malfoy. You risked your life for it." Draco puts an arm around Potter's body, "Whoever says I am sane? Certainly not me. It's calculated risk with more success rate than failure. And you are dead, Potter. You refuse to move on to the next realm because you crave for my cock."

Read for: BAMF Draco, Ghost Harry, a surprisingly hopeful tone considering one of them is pretty dead

🌼The only thing worse than heartbreak is Vermont by @jtimu | E | 31k |🌼

In the aftermath of a failed relationship, Draco Malfoy found himself with three things. His pride (tattered), Theo's luggage (stolen), and an all-inclusive couples' vacation package to Vermont (awful).

Read for: Lumberjack Harry, Banter, International Location

🌷Skipping Stones by @whimsibeee | M | 34k |🌷

Draco receives his very own prophecy. If Harry Potter could leave him alone, he might be able to figure out what it means.

Read for: Coming of Age vibes, Cosy Atmospheric writing, Complicated Family Dynamics

🪻Obscuro by @stratigraphywrites | E | 35k |🪻

Draco is grieving. His conversation partner is here against his will. It's a shameless rip-off of an insipid Muggle reality dating show. Hardly the occasion for true love, if you ask Draco. feat. a cat named Marmalade, a bird named Mumble, Lee Jordan's answer to Love is Blind, and two best friends who only want their dads to be happy.

Read For: Game Show Format, Hidden Identity, Good Smut, Epilogue Compliant

🌹Invito by PrinceMalice | E | 36k |🌹

Draco mused on the possible first use of the charm. What had the wizard been calling for? The text didn’t specify. As for the etymology— the meaning of the word itself was derived from I call, I summon— or the Hungarian variation of the incantation… To invite. Or, Harry keeps inviting Draco places. Draco keeps turning him down… until he doesn't.

Read for: Eighth Year, the sweetest unfolding of a relationship, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Party Games

🌺Gemini in Retrograde by @citrusses | T | 38k |🌺

Draco Malfoy doesn’t understand his son. Scorpius Malfoy doesn’t understand his father. It’s going to take more than one disastrous, body-swapping curse to change that.

Read for: Body Swapping, Alternating Scorpius/Draco POV, Draco being a good dad, Soft Harry, DADA Professor Harry

🌻No Harm by Tessa Crowley | E | 46k |🌻

After a long, bloody war, Draco Malfoy just wants to do something good with his life for a change, and resolves to become a healer. But magical society refuses to make it easy for him, and an increasingly dramatic series of events—all of them instigated by Harry Potter—get him kicked out of med school, force him to live in exile, and threaten to destroy the new life he’s trying so desperately to build. But Harry isn’t instigating anything—at least not on purpose. He’s just trying to work up the nerve to ask him out. His efforts don’t appear to be going great.

Read for: Down and out Draco, Pining Harry, same scenes from different perspectives

🌼Truth to Materials by lately & @toomuchplor | E | 54k | 🌼

In which Harry learns to appreciate art and other pleasures of the flesh.

Read for: Artist Draco, Paris, Good Smut

🌷Pillar of Salt by @epitomereally | E | 62k | 🌷

From the lake in the Room of Hidden Things, Draco knows three things: 1. Mirror universes exist, and he’s going to find the best one—the one where he did the right thing. 2. Harry Potter and him are awfully cosy in some of these other universes, whereas Potter in real life is starting to act very odd around him indeed. 3. Draco’s reflection—the mirror version of him, the worst version of him—seems to be growing crueler. And stronger.

Read for: Eighth Year, Alternate Universes (sort of), Magical Theory

🪻Behind Closed Doors by @stratigraphywrites | E | 77k | 🪻

Twelve years after Harry Potter disappeared from the wizarding world and from Draco's life, his daughter starts at Hogwarts.

Read for: Secret Child, Angst with a Happy Ending, Nonlinear Narrative

🌹A Soft Place to Fall by @amomorii | E | 142k | 🌹

When Harry arrives for his first year teaching at Hogwarts and is struck with a bizarre malignance, how on earth is he supposed to react when Draco Malfoy suddenly cares? Or; A darkness crawls out of Harry, and there's only so long he can keep it to himself.

Read for: Unique Concept, Managing Childhood Trauma, Reluctant Magical Coparenting (but it’s not what you think)

🌺The Star Splitter by @oflights | E | 219k |🌺

On a routine time travel assignment to the past, Draco stumbles upon 7-year-old Harry Potter and witnesses his neglect and mistreatment by the Dursleys. In the moment, there is only one solution, even if it goes against all his training as a Time Agent: he has to bring Harry back to the future with him. In which Draco burns his life down for the sake of his former school rival.

Read for: Time Travel, Draco taking care of Harry, Kid Fic

I hope you enjoy these fics as much as I did! If you read any, don't forget to show the creators some love ❤️🩵💛💚

[aethon-recs]

Tomarrymort Dead Dove Recs, Part 1 🕊️

Welcome to Part 1 of Dead Dove-themed Tomarrymort recs. I like fluff and soft and light-hearted fic as much as the next reader, but at the end of the day, Tomarrymort is a dark ship, and there are some brilliantly talented writers here creating incredibly dark & twisted absolute mindfucks of works that I want to pay tribute to. 

Please note there can be found potentially triggering and disturbing content in the rec list below, so this time I will be placing all 30 of these recs below the cut. Keep in mind don’t like; don’t read, so feel free to scroll on by if non-con/dub-con is not a theme you would like to explore. 

This list was made in collaboration with @danpuff-ao3’s Dead Dove Diaries Series. Check it out for other HP dead dove recs!

*

Tomarrymort Non-Con/Dub-Con Recs

A Single Love by Vera_DragonMuse (E, 23k, complete)

If Tom had been raised by Harry instead, would he have grown up to be Lord Voldemort?

A Special Day by @vdoshu (E, 3k, complete)

“I think a fresh start is important. I’d like one, and I think this can be it.” “It’s a bit late for a fresh start for me, don’t you think?” he retorts snidely.

Aconite; Thistle by @kushimanii (E, 32k, complete)

Voldemort decides to keep Harry alive and impregnate him to bear children that he can raise into loyal Death Eaters.

Aftertaste by @hiredhorse (E, 4k, complete)

Harry noticed the handsome stranger before the game began.

At the expense of the world by @itsevanffs (E, 24k, WIP)

"He had a lover, you know," Jenkins says to Remus once Harry's behind a wall and out of sight again. "A boy, and a gorgeous one at that. Nobody really knew where he came from, and Tom didn't seem to favour him either, at first, but by the end, he was besotted." Jenkins pauses. "Might have been a girl," he says. "We don't have any drawings, and all the texts are warnings that the God-Emperor is a jealous man - do not seek his puer, or you will be slain where you stand."

Cloudy by @dividawrites (E, 5k, complete)

Trapped alone in a prison on an island, there are many things Tom forgets. But he never forgets Harry.

Dark Light by CrazyJanaCat (E, 3k, complete)

Nineteen years after the defeat of Lord Voldemort, the Wizarding World is at peace, and for once, everything seems right. But what no one knows is that their hero has a dark secret...

Eulogy by @meles-merrivale (E, 6k, complete)

You run through the things you have to do for the day. It is, admittedly, a very short list. Wake up. Be clean. Be ready. An empty life, some might call it. You don’t. It is the life He has given you, and so it is what you deserve.

For He is the Sun and I am His Shadow by @aglassroseneverfades (E, 13k, complete)

The date is September 1st, 1996. Lord Voldemort is about to get everything he's ever wanted.

Frigid by @mrviran (E, 3k, complete)

In which one of Voldemort's horcruxes is broken, and needs to be fixed.

golden boy by @exarite (E, 3k, complete)

They thought Harry Potter was dead. Months after the battle at Hogwarts, the last of the Resistance finally gets captured. Voldemort shows them just how very much alive Harry Potter is.

Guaranteed Safety by Assapanick (E, 13k, complete)

The only problem would be convincing the Dark Lord to impregnate him, but Harry doesn’t plan on asking.

Harry Potter and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Rut by @neurowriter14 (E, 6k, complete)

Harry goes into the forest to confront Voldemort and his death, and all the while his rut waits in the wings, drawing Voldemort's curiosity.

Heartbeat by @phantomato (E, 24k, complete)

Harry, dumped into the past, communes with dangerous men.

Honeyguide by @cannibalinc (E, 7k, complete)

“I need an Alpha," Tom states. "Someone older. Someone already established within the Ministry with strong connections. Someone kind, a bit stupid, and rich. A Pureblood, ideally. Someone who will soften my image.” “A sweet-hearted, good-looking, oblivious moderate, you mean?” Scorpius asks. “Well, that’s Harry Potter to a T. Too bad he’s married.” This is not the problem Scorpius thinks it is.

in bad faith by @cindle-writes (E, 3k, complete)

Voldemort, despite looking thin and skeletal, is heavy enough of a weight on Harry’s chest that he’s having trouble breathing, each breath feeling like a thick, syrupy effort to draw in. “Don’t worry, Harry, I’ll take care of you,” Voldemort murmurs, hot breath ghosting over Harry’s ear.

Insatiate by @vdoshu (E, 2k, complete)

Voldemort stole both Harry and the Philosopher’s Stone, and doomed Harry to live a half-life. That was ten years ago.

Legacy by Pengress (E, 6k, complete)

His Horcrux stared at him with wide green eyes. Voldemort could see the panic, the fear. He had accepted his place in the ritual reluctantly, but he had given the important permission for Voldemort to use his body, and while the preparation seemed to have scared his Horcrux, Voldemort would make sure he would not go back on his word.

Lingering Warmth by anon (E, 2k, complete)

In the aftermath of Harry's death, Voldemort admires Harry's corpse, and when Harry comes back to life he finds himself in a perplexing situation.

My Lord, Master, My Soul by FletchleyRose (E, 69k, complete)

During the Battle of Hogwarts, Lord Voldemort learns that Harry Potter is his unintentional Horcrux. He decides to make him his – mind, body, and soul. Harry is not on board with this plan. But when the Dark Lord starts using pleasure instead of pain to convince him, will he be able to resist?

on the other side by @philolust (E, 3k, complete)

Someone abducts Harry Potter and the Dark Lord in an effort to get them to cooperate and end the war. It goes horribly wrong.

Precious Horcrux by @loneamaryllis (E, 127k, WIP)

"Precious Horcrux..." The two possessive, cloying words, hissed low, made Harrie feel nauseous. "I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to keep you."

Research and Development by @cannibalinc (E, 6k, complete)

Primary Objective: Establish with certainty that Subject IS or IS NOT a living Horcrux. Captured audio sample from Subject: You can’t keep me in here forever, Voldemort! Why don’t you come in here and face me, you COWARD! I’m not scared of you! Dumbledore will find me and—

rise anew by @duplicitywrites (E, 5k, complete)

“I must thank you for this new body of mine,” Voldemort continues in an amused tone as he flexes the fingers of his new hand, examining the unnatural length of them. “It is unexpected but not… unpleasant.”

silk of midnight and dawn by @ilya-zzz (E, 3k, complete)

Harry approaches, quietly, arms raised in front of him. It doesn’t take long before pale skin transforms into soft fur as dark as the night sky. Red eyes, now green, look at Harry with such an intensity that he has to take a step back. Four-legged and as imposing as he is when standing in two, Tom Riddle has transformed into a panther.

Such a Noble Villain (part 1) / Monster Under the Bed (part 2) by Run_of_the_mill (E, 4k, complete)

Harry and Voldemort are in a classroom, and Harry is stuck to a chair. Some very weird, creepy stuff happens next because Voldemort is who he is.

The Tattoo by @crowcrowcrowthing (E, 5k, complete)

Tom gives Harry a tattoo that creates a bond between them, giving Tom some control over his mind.

The Ties That Bind by @mosiva (E, 8k, complete)

Harry finds the locket at Grimmauld Place, but it has a curse laid on it. When Harry triggers it, he finds himself trapped with the locket version of Tom Riddle, both of them stuck within the enchantment until they can find the way out. Or so Harry thinks.

Tom Riddle and the Quest for Vulnerability by lejf (E, 16k, complete)

Auror Harry Potter has eighteen-year-old Tom Riddle bent over the table barely a day after he becomes his ward.

Violent Delights by @katsitting (E, 5k, complete)

“The Golden Boy is no more…” Voldemort whispered, voice high and reedy, amused. Harry was shoved against something hard and unyielding. It scratched along his back, chafing the skin. Harry didn’t so much as flinch, refusing to make a sound when more jeers sounded in the clearing, the words cutting through the rush of blood flooding Harry’s ears—

*

[shrimpalbuspotter]

Scorpius could honestly get with anyone he wanted in seventh year because he grew out of his awkward looks and is finally carrying that patented Malfoy Allure about him. However one is not able to outgrow their awkward and obnoxiously loud personality that makes everyone steer very clear of them.

Albus was always extremely handsome he's just unfortunately the equivalent of the "weird kid" in primary school who had the 'cheese touch' and so was avoided by everybody.

[froidefille]

Day 21: a fic rated M

📚 Among the Elements by @sweet-s0rr0w

Draco/Harry, 8.3k, M

Summary:

Harry getting pregnant might have been an accident, but Draco means it when he says that he’s all in. What he doesn’t expect is to find himself all alone in St Mungo’s neonatal unit, making life-or-death decisions for a tiny human he’s never even held.

Yet another Mpreg fic on my list! I remember being on a con 10 years ago where a brave soul made a whole lecture on Mpreg to a hundred people in the audience. I have so much respect for this person years later because that must have taken some balls to do 😀 Anyway, I remember a part of the lecture were on theories on why this trope is so popular and I remember exactly zero of them but yeah, there is something to this trope and I indeed do love it 😇

This one is a gentle, raw, aching story.

The relationship between the boys is so mature, so profound and yet so on edge! Also, I will NEVER get tired of Draco being adopted by the Weasleys, and in thic fic it is so delicately done <3 But by far my favourite aspect of it is the way it describes the tiredness of being a new parent so touchingly *melts* I thought about sending it to my friend who has a 6-week old baby but I just thought it would be too rough on her to have the experience being caught in words. I’ll send it to her in a few months tho:

She’d blathered on about ley lines and standing stones and planetary alignment while Draco tried not to weep with exhaustion at the very thought of a midnight ceremony. Everything’s so heavy now, waterlogged: his old self gasping for air somewhere between feeds and changes, between nights spent mumbling Wakefulness charms to avoid falling asleep with Scorpius in his arms and days filled with the stomach-churning terror that he’s doing this all wrong.

And just have a look at the below ONE sentence that somehow encapsulates the wonder of getting to know a brand new family member that haven’t existed yesterday:

“Scorpius,” Draco echoes, as he burrows closer – and for the first time, the word is more than just a sharpness behind Draco’s breastbone, more than an absence of air in his lungs: it’s a promise. A gift. Their future.

 *cries* more than just a sharpness hehind his breastbone 😭 more than an absence of air in his lungs 😭 😭 😭

Thank you for today’s prompt @hprecfest and @sweet-s0rr0w for all your delightful works!

Some more of beautiful words under the cut <3

PS. Just to let you know – it’s quite possible I may need to take a break for the next few days. Christmas is pretty crazy in my home, there’s a hundred dumplings to make, at least six cakes and eight other dishes </3 And I am exagerating none of it, damn the traditional Polish cuisine. Wish me luck!!

It had all happened so fast. One moment: Christmas classics on the Wireless, box-knives through packing tape, hanging tiny Quidditch outfits on the line, talking hopes and dreams over ice cream at midnight. The next: panicked shouts, Expecto Patronum (five times before it worked), stern-voiced medics, and a harsh, insistent bleeping that no-one but Draco seemed to hear. One day: Harry, carrying their baby, a beautiful, remarkable, imperfect family that Draco still couldn’t quite wrap his head around. And the next– The next day, Draco had found himself perched on the edge of a plastic armchair, staring numbly through a magical field at the blurry, purplish outline of a baby he didn’t know. His baby, the sign said, though the thin-skinned, bony-limbed creature below resembled neither a Malfoy nor a Potter, but something else entirely. Hardly a baby at all. 

The angsttttttt *cry*

Draco pictures a child, small and uncertain, clinging to Harry amidst the hustle and bustle of a busy September Kings Cross platform. He imagines a boy, tall and handsome, beaming up at him from the middle of a Quidditch pitch. He thinks of endless hospital visits, endless frustrating tests, of three lives trapped between separate worlds. And then there’s Harry, shielded in a magical coma, clinging to life by the faintest of threads. Harry, brave, beautiful Harry, who was starved and beaten and raised in a cupboard, all for being different.

The way Draco, with all his pureblood upbringing, knowing nothing but magic, decides in a instant that he’d rather have Scorpius healthy than magical – there were tears in my eyes, I swear.

“I’m sorry,” Draco says all at once, his mother’s disapproval echoing in his head. He’s a disappointment, he knows – to her, and now probably to Pansy, but he’s made up his mind. He can’t let Harry down, not with this. “Oh, my darling,” Pansy whispers, looking for all the world as though she can’t decide whether to smack him or hug him. In the end, she just reaches over to pour him some wine.

Oh Pansy! I have grown to love Pansy in Drarry, I especially love when she’s a fiercely protective friend unrelenting in all her elegance all the same <3

You wanna grab some food? Harry had asked, once Scorpius was settled and they could dawdle by the cotside no longer, which was how Draco had found himself in the local Chinese, pulling out Harry’s chair for him, nerves and embarrassment tangling up inside his chest as he tried to make sense of the menu. They were parents when they’d barely been lovers, partners when they’d barely been friends, and now… this. This is new: this isn’t Harry bringing a fucked-out Draco peanut butter on toast as dawn breaks outside, or the two of them on the balcony in Malta, working their way through the room service menu in an effort to find anything that Harry could eat without gagging. This isn’t takeaway pizza in a half-decorated nursery, or another tray of beige hospital food, or Draco’s Sunday roast left untouched as life moves on around him at the Burrow. What this is – what it feels like – is a date. Draco’s first proper date with the man he sleeps beside, the father of his child, the person he’s fallen in love with somewhere along this brief, crazy journey. A date that goes well.

The fact that they had a baby before they went on a date – well, somehow I’m not even surprised, those boys 😂

[dewitty1]

Fic Recs Wrap Up February 2024♡(੭ˊ͈ ꒵ˋ͈)੭*･:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆

where all the veins meet by eight_of_wands  @saxamophone

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? His friends try to help, but the only thing that can hold his attention—one of the only things that ever has—is Draco Malfoy, out on parole and weirdly hanging around the British Museum. As they keep running into each other, Harry sees that Malfoy is different, and he wonders if he can be someone else, too. Featuring rumpled band shirts, poker games everyone hates, fumbling sex, and a Harry going a little mental over how wands even work. Rec Post

The Secret’s in the Telling by Verayne @veraynes-blog

Draco Malfoy suffers the unthinkable when he is turned into a werewolf. How is he supposed to live any kind of life afterwards, especially when Potter continues to stick his unwanted nose into things? Rec Post

Here’s The Pencil, Make It Work by ignatiustrout @6balls

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?” Rec Post

Tapestry by Kbrick @kbrick

In 2017, Harry is on his way to Pansy and Luna’s beach house. He’s a bit terrified of seeing Draco, to be honest. It’s been a while, and then there’s the little matter of Draco having married someone else in the interim. In 2001, Draco is drunk, wearing Pansy’s mother’s ermine coat, and afraid to walk into the Leaky because someone might throw a curse at him. So, of course, he runs into his ex-nemesis and hopeless crush, Harry Potter. This is a love story that isn’t perfect, about two people whose timing is never quite right, and all the moments that come together to make something extraordinarily beautiful anyway. Rec Post

Sense of Doubt by FibromyalGIA

Normalcy is driving Harry insane, and just when he thinks it can’t get any worse, he’s invited to Draco Malfoy’s hearing as a witness. Drama ensues. Rec Post

Canary Creams and New Yellow Paint by dothechachaslide

It’s not Draco’s fault that Potter is seeing things and Scorpius’s campaign to be the Ministry’s Creature Liaison is struggling, it’s not. Draco didn’t ask for Potter to walk into his Ocularistry Clinic in Northern Ireland fifteen years after they last saw each other, demanding to know why the Spectroculars Draco invented malfunctioned while Potter was painting and cost him an eye. Scorpius hadn’t asked for any of that either, though, so when Potter and the rest of Draco’s patients start to see mysterious symbols through their prosthetic eyes, and the resulting blow to Draco’s public reputation drags Scorpius’s campaign through the mud, Draco is determined to fix it. If that means trudging through a boggy moor in search of a fictional species Luna thinks is causing their problems, Draco will just have to pluck up the courage, march in with a team of Gryffindors, and be ready to battle any beast they meet. Even if that beast looks less like the large, bipedal talking toads they find and more like the Ministry of Magic as a whole. Rec Post

Draco’s First Holiday by Meowfoy @resilientkitteh

Draco catches Blaise cheating, breaks up with him and decides to leave his French Villa behind to swap houses with a woman named Hermione and her husband Ron. His relaxing vacation becomes far more interesting when a handsome stranger (Harry) knocks at his door in the middle of the night. They meet and get to know each other, and suddenly Draco feels much better about his decision to leave France behind for Britain. Rec Post

Englishman Extraordinaire by BlueSundayCake  @bluesundaycake

When Draco’s life goes to shit, he gets scammed. Maybe it’s for the best. Who doesn’t love new beginnings? Rec Post

Here are a few more fics I've read recently that y'all might like to check out as well!(ノﾟ∀ﾟ)ノ━☆ﾟ･*:.｡. .｡.:*･.*･｡ﾟ*:・ﾟ✧

Mirror Mirror by epiphany_dex

Harry’s new year starts with a bang when he encounters Draco Malfoy at the Ministry Ball.

(Never) Let Me Go by maraudersaffair @maraudersaffair

Harry and Ginny are married, but she abandoned him for her Quidditch career overseas. He is lonely and desperate for love and very interested in sleeping with a man. Then, one night at a party, Draco Malfoy whispers in his ear: Do you want to leave with me? Harry knows he should say no, especially since a scandal would ruin his chance at becoming Head Auror, but Malfoy is entirely too fit to pass up the opportunity.

Another Mind Game by May_May_0_0

Harry’s occlumency reveals his disturbing home life which sets off a chain reaction that cannot be undone. Snape finds himself begrudgingly caring about the bespectacled boy, Harry discovers what it's like to have adults who care, and Hermione finds herself becoming an accidental crime lord. Draco Malfoy is very much along for the ride, in all senses of the word. A ridiculous blend of hilarity and tragedy, Another Mind Game is the multi-faceted fanfiction you didn't know you wanted but will absolutely adore. Featuring a sassy Harry Potter, good friends, and a great deal of sarcasm.

Dragons Don't Know Paradise by teacup_tai @teacup-tai

In 2004, when Remus spends two scary weeks in the ITU due to complications of pneumonia and his HIV condition, Sirius walks around the house like a ghost and Harry finds comfort and strength in Draco through a chat in an online LGBT forum. Harry falls for him, but Draco has a lot of secrets and, before long, will need to come clean—even if he believes that no one is able to understand a dragon. This is a story about falling in love online and about facing the reality of death, but above all, this is a story about hope, finding love and acceptance.

( •ॢ◡-ॢ)-♡ I hope you enjoy these fics as much as I have! Happy reading, y’all! xoxo Carey  (◍•ᴗ•◍)♡ ✧*💜💙💚💛❤💗💕💖

[hoomandoescosplay]

Photo Booth | Albus Potter x Scorpius Malfoy Oneshot

Prompt idea from @blue--ingenue

Scorpius is practically pressed against a shop window, peering at the different types of cameras on display. Albus has noticed how fascinated Scorpius got whenever they passed by a technology shop.

“This is… incredible.” Scorpius begins, eyes wide. “These things are all so cool. Cameras, phones, computers… these muggle inventions are incredible”

Albus just chuckles at his reaction. “I’m surprised you're so into these cameras considering ours are magical.”

“Precisely - I’ve been using magical cameras ever since I was little. I have no idea how these could possibly work.” He pointed at the display of photos near the window. “I’m dying to know how they produce pictures without magic! I feel like we should go inside!”

Albus laughs and nods, letting Scorpius pull him into the shop. It’s small and a bit cramped, but packed with electronics and little gadgets. Scorpius looks around like a kid in a candy shop, immediately heading to the section with cameras.

Albus follows him to the camera section and begins inspecting a few of the cameras on display, fascinated by the technology. “This is insane.” He mutters, adjusting a few of the settings to see how they work.

“I know.” Albus says, smiling. He looks over at Scorpius who’s fiddling with the settings, looking concentrated. He’d be lying to himself if he said he didn’t find his boyfriend's fascination with cameras adorable.

Albus watches as Scorpius continues to examine the cameras, feeling a fondness in his chest. He could happily stand here and watch him play with the cameras for hours.

Scorpius picked up another one of the cameras, messing with its settings as well. He suddenly turned it and pointed it at Albus. “Smile!”

Albus blinks for a moment as he processes Scorpius’s words before giving him a small smile. As soon as he smiles, Scorpius takes a picture of him. He grins triumphantly as he looks at the photo that he had just taken.

Albus leans in closer to look at the photo as well. The photo shows Albus smiling directly at the camera, looking a little caught off guard by the sudden picture. “See? You look handsome even when not prepared for a picture.” Scorpius teased.

Albus rolled his eyes, his cheeks turning pink from the compliment. “You just took a picture of me without warning, of course I didn’t look prepared.” He smirked.

“I gave you a warning by saying the word smile.” Scorpius continues to tease with that contagious grin of his. Albus rolled his eyes again, still blushing a little. “That hardly counts as a warning in advance, you git.” He nudged Scorpius playfully.

As they continue with their bantering back and forth one of the employees makes their way over to the two. “Do you need help with anything?”

Albus and Scorpius both turn to face the employee, caught off guard by the sudden interruption. They look at each other, a little stunned, before Albus gathers himself enough to speak. “No, we’re just browsing,” he says with a polite smile.

“Actually,” Albus says before the employee walks off. “We’ll take this camera.” He points to the camera in Scorpius’s hands.

Scorpius looked down at the camera in his hands, surprised by Albus’s sudden decision to buy it. “Really?” he asked, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

Albus nods. “You like that one right? If you want a different one that’s fine too.” He begins to ramble making sure Scorpius didn’t want a different camera.

Scorpius shakes his head, stopping Albus’s rambling. “No, no. I do really like this one. “A small smirk tugs at the corners of his mouth. “You just surprised me, that’s all.”

A smile returns on Albus’s face as he takes the camera from Scorpius’s hands to give it to the employee.

“Let me get the box for this and I’ll meet you back at the register.” the employee says kindly as they begin to walk off.

Albus and Scorpius nod and begin walking towards the register to wait. As they’re waiting, Scorpius nudges Albus with his elbow. “You didn’t have to buy this, y’know. You didn’t have to buy anything.”

“I know but I wanted to.” Albus shrugged. Scorpius smiles at that and reaches out to link his hand with Albus’s.

While waiting Albus notices something out of the corner of his eye taking a mental note of it as the employee returns with the camera just then and starts ringing up their purchase.

Scorpius watches as the employee rings up the purchase, barely able to conceal the excitement on his face as he thought about the camera that Albus had bought for him.

A smile forms on Albus’s face at Scorpius’s excitement. He’s always so much more smiley whenever Scorpius is around.

The employee finishes ringing up the purchase and tells them their total. Albus quickly pulls out his wallet to pay them. He can feel Scorpius practically shaking with excitement next to him, making his own smile grow.

Once the transaction is complete, Albus turns to Scorpius and holds out the bag to him. “Here you go. It’s all yours now.”

Scorpius takes the bag carefully, almost as if he feared that the camera inside was going to explode, and pulls it close to his body, grinning from ear to ear.

“Thank you,” he says, his gratitude evident in his voice. “Now come on I saw something I think will really get those wheels in your mind turning.” Albus says pulling him deeper into the store.

Albus’s vague statement piques Scorpius’s curiosity, and he lets himself be pulled deeper into the store. They quickly find themselves in front of a photo booth and Albus smiles excitedly at him.

Scorpius looks at the photo booth and then turns his gaze to Albus, a mixture of curiosity and excitement on his face.

“A photo booth?” He raised an eyebrow at Albus, a small smirk playing at the corner of his lips. “If you think cameras are interesting just wait and see how this works.” Albus grins.

Scorpius’s curiosity was now fully piqued. “How does it work?” he asks, walking closer to the photo booth and examining it.

Albus lightly pushes him into the booth before following right behind. “Best way to learn is to watch.”

Scorpius stumbles into the booth, surprised by the sudden push, and then turns to watch as Albus closes the curtain behind them and joins him inside the cramped space.

Albus fishes out some spare coins from his pocket and inserts them into the machine. “Okay so there will be a countdown on this screen so make sure you pose before the countdown ends.”

As he inserts the last coin he says one last thing. “I think this machine takes four photos.” Scorpius listened intently as Albus explained to him how the photo booth works. His face lit up at the information, eager to try it out.

“Four photos, got it,” he repeated, nodding his head in understanding. The machine lights up and the boys blink from the extra sudden lights before the countdown appears.

As the countdown appeared on screen, Scorpius felt a sudden sense of urgency. “Albus! We have to make four different poses!” he whispers urgently, slightly panicked by the time limit.

Albus chuckled as he saw Scorpius’s panicked expression. “Relax, Scorp. We have enough time to make four different poses.”

3…

Scorpius places his bag in front of their feet before standing back up.

2…

He glances at Albus as they still aren’t in a pose. His eyes dart around as he tries to think of a pose for them to do.

1…

Scorpius throws himself into Albus as he tightly hugs him. That’s the only thing Scorpius could think of as the countdown was stressing him out.

Albus almost stumbles backwards from the force of Scorpius’s unexpected hug, but he quickly steadies himself and hugs Scorpius back. He grins as he looks down at his boyfriend, thinking that the panicked hug was adorable.

As they sway in the hug and finally get their balance back they turn to face the camera and see in bold letters ‘Thank You! Please collect your photos down below.’

“We’re done already?” Albus asks, surprise evident in his voice. Scorpius grabs the photo card that the machine printed and can’t help but laugh.

As they both look at the photos Albus joins in on the laughing. All four photos were of their singular hug. Each photo was slightly different due to the force Scorpius put behind the hug.

The pictures were all slightly blurry, but captured their hug in various stages. In the first photo, they were both off-balance and stumbling backwards.

In the second, they were just managing to regain their balance. The third picture showed them standing still in a hug, and the final photo captured them looking at each other with such adoration in their eyes.

The pictures were all so candid, so real, and Albus couldn’t help but think that they were perfect. He looked over at Scorpius with a smile, seeing the same adoration in his eyes as in the final photo.

[pintsizemama]

Dickens

Day 8

Summary: You and Draco take your son to the local Dickens Christmas Festival.

Pairings: Draco Malfoy x You, Draco Malfoy x Female Reader (American)

Fandom: Harry Potter AU (no magic)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: language, talk of sex/breeding

Word Count: 799

A/N: This is my first time writing for Draco. I have some ideas for him. Let me know if you want more Draco!

Day 7 Day 9 Christmas Masterlist Main Masterlist AO3 Join my taglist

“It’s so beautiful, Mummy,” Scorpius said in awe. You had just arrived at the town’s Christmas festival. It was Dickens themed, and you felt like you had stepped back in time. Everywhere you looked people were dressed like they had stepped out of Victorian London.

“It’s more English here than in England,” Draco chuckled wryly. This was the first time you had brought your husband and son back to your hometown in America. You met Draco while traveling abroad, fell in love, and stayed in England to be with him. You missed your extended family and wanted to show Draco and Scorpius where you had grown up, so Draco suggested spending Christmas there.

“I’ve always loved this festival,” you told him. “It’s so magical. And you know how much I love all things English.”

“Especially the men,” Draco replied, puffing out his chest slightly. You laughed merrily.

“Yes,” you agreed. “I am lucky enough to live with the two most handsome men in all of England!” Draco smiled and kissed you softly on the lips. He was a cold, calculating man to the rest of the world, but for you and Scorpius he was doting and loving.

“Mummy, can I please have some of that!” Scorpius pleaded, pointing to the booth with hot chocolate.

“Yes, my darling boy,” you said immediately. “That is the perfect way to warm up.” The three of you got in line and you looked around to see what else was near by. “I believe Santa is here somewhere. We’ll have to see if we can find him.”

“Yes!” Scorpius agreed enthusiastically. A few minutes later the three of you had piping hot chocolate. You walked along the booths looking at all the crafts and gifts for sale. When you spent just a little longer than normal looking at a gorgeous pair of earrings Draco insisted on buying them. The man had more money than God and spoiled you rotten.

You turned down the next street and saw a massive kid area set up. There were games and stalls selling junk food, face painting, and a massive inflatable slide.

“Mummy! Daddy!” Scorpius squealed and jumped up and down as he pointed towards the slide.

“Go on, baby,” you encouraged him. “Just remember to take your shoes off!”

“Why on Earth would he take his shoes off?” Draco asked.

“It’s just the policy with inflatables,” you explained. “Bouncy houses and slides. Shoes can damage them.”

“Scorpius, come back here!” Draco called out, but the little boy was already shoeless and climbing the stairs. “That thing is filthy. God knows what diseases he’ll pick up on it.” His face was creased in disgust.

“It’s fine, Draco,” you said with a wave of your hand. “Don’t be such a snob. I used to go on these things all the time, and I turned out fine.”

“Debatable,” Draco teased with a straight face. You playfully smacked his chest. Scorpius had made it to the top and screamed with joy the whole way down. He jumped off and ran over to you, his face beaming with happiness.

“Can I go again?” He asked breathlessly. Draco looked into the blissful eyes of his son, and his face softened.

“Of course,” Draco answered. “You can go on as many times as you want until we tell you it’s time to stop.”

“Really?” Scorpius bounced up and down with excitement.

“Yes,” Draco nodded. “Now get back up there.” Scorpius ran off to slide to his heart’s content. You were so proud of your husband. His upbringing had been privileged, but strict. He had very little fun as a child. It was wonderful to see him break from tradition and allow Scorpius to be a child.

“Have I told you today how much I love you?” You said and placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth.

“I believe you did this morning after I woke you up with my head between your—” you clapped your hand over his mouth and cut him off.

“Not around the kids,” you whispered. Draco chuckled against your hand and you removed it.

“Right,” he said. “I’ll just wait until we are back at your parent’s house. I’m sure Grandma would love to bake some cookies with Scorpius so I can spend an hour ravaging my wife.”

“You better not word it that way to my mother!” You gasped. He shrugged.

“Your mother adores me, and she wants more grandchildren,” Draco said simply. “She wouldn’t object to me breeding the fuck out of you all week long.” You felt your face warm and panties dampen at his filthy words.

“Mr. Malfoy, behave,” you said quietly. He wrapped his arm around your waist, pulled you in close to his side and nipped your ear.

“Never,” he whispered gruffly.

Day 9

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[getawayfox]

Do you have favorite Drarry tropes :)?

Hi Anon! Thank you for sending this ask and giving me an excuse to make another self-indulgent rec list. It was so much fun - mainly because I haven’t been reading much in the last few weeks, so revisiting my favourites for this has been an absolute blast. 

I’m a soft bean and while I will read and enjoy angsty tropes on occasion, you’ll more likely find me searching for wholesome stories. And smut. So, here is a handful of favourites for my most sought-after tropes. I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I do!

👬 Established relationship

Dragon by @lqtraintracks (M, 356 words) Things get interesting when your husband's Patronus is a Romanian Ridgeback.

It Is I Who Will Surely Expire by @tepre (T, 1k)

I call this: Draco Malfoy is super awake at 3AM staring at the ceiling going over dramatic doom scenarios (while Harry drools on his chest)

Through the Window, Clear Skies by @tackytigerfic (M, 1.4k)

What would happen if Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy moved in together, too soon after they started kissing and then fucking and not hating each other anymore? Will Draco insist on a wine rack? Or: Domestic Drarry with a bare hint of angst.

acts of service by @oknowkiss (E, 5.6k)

Harry's sick, and Draco just wants to take care of him, but they're two idiots in love, so it couldn't possibly be that easy.

✨Bonus: this piece by @bluebutter-art

🤍 Found family

Take the Moon by @tackytigerfic (M, 15k)

Harry Potter has always wanted a family of his own, and when a deadly blood curse forces him into a marriage bond with his best friend Draco Malfoy, it looks like he might just have found one. Living with Draco (biscuit-lover, no work/life balance, good hair) and his son Scorpius (also biscuit-lover, colour-codes his bricks, proud bearer of plastic swan-shaped garden ornament) gives Harry the routine and companionship he’s always craved. There’s also the matter of the really great sex (because what’s a marriage of convenience without a little fun, after all?) It's just a shame they’d always planned to break up after a year… This isn't the story of the marriage. This is the story of two hurt and damaged men who learned how hard they could work for the sake of love.

Beneath the Wave by @moonflower-rose (M, 30k)

Harry is done with a life in the spotlight. No more adventures, no more mortal peril. He wants a quiet life of food and friends, and family. He even manages to have it for a while, until suddenly there are giant rabbits that need ferrying to a mysterious island, and a handsome Draco Malfoy, and Harry's right back in the middle of the action again, despite his best efforts.

Pages of You by @wolfpants (E, 101k)

Summer, 1980. Harry is floating between university and becoming a Real Certified Adult. He's not ready. He really isn't. In a desperate attempt to have the Best Last Summer ever, he takes a casual job at his godfather's bookshop in London, starts an illicit pen pal affair with a wordy posh boy that he's catching feelings for, all while dealing with the son of Sirius's business rival, one Draco Malfoy, insufferable know-it-all extraordinaire. A story about trying to figure out who you are, where you're going in life, and who you want to take along with you.

Make This Leap by @oflights (M, 118k)

Harry owns a struggling restaurant which is running out of money, and his Head Chef has just handed in notice. He's at a bit of a loss as to what to do until Narcissa Malfoy presents an obvious solution: bring in Draco Malfoy as Chef and part owner. Harry does.

✨Bonus: more art by @bluebutter-art

🍋 Smut with feelings

First Times by @fw00shy (E, 1.5k)

Their first time is in the loo.

Your Breath, My Lungs by @wolfpants (E, 1.7k)

I try not to think of the years we have behind us. School was a lost cause, it was always going to be a lost cause, but in the time since—Eighth Year, all of us cautiously coming together the way we had, how we all ended up, how we are now, nine years later, friends and loved ones and infinitely intertwined—I can’t help but worry if it’s too late for us. Maybe I’ve waited too long to tell him how I feel. - During a friend's engagement party, Harry finally tells Draco how he feels about him.

Flip/Fuck by @shealwaysreads (E, 1.8k)

Switch: to give up (something) and take something else in return

The Night of the Fireworks by @corvuscrowned (E, 6.3)

It isn't easy keeping a relationship a secret, especially when it's so new. So if Harry and Draco can find a moment to sneak off for some alone time, they're going to take it - even if it happens to be during Ginny and Luna's wedding party.

✨Bonus: Cake by the Ocean by @bluebutter-art (E, art)

On Harry's 42nd birthday, Draco treats him to a romantic getaway at the Malfoy's private beach in Sicily.

[rockingrobin69]

competitive arse

They’re not supposed to participate, only to observe, and perhaps step in to referee if there’s trouble: and yet, again and again Potter makes his way down to the pitch, to give ‘helpful’ tips or just ruffle everyone’s hair a little and say what a good job they’re all doing.

And grin, and nod, and yell ‘go team red’ when blue and yellow are playing, and flaunt his huge arms and thick thighs and that absolutely ridiculous arse Draco doesn’t see in his dreams. Often. And stretch, with the old Gryffindor Seeker top that leaves a fair bit of his belly on display, dark and hairy and driving Draco out of his mind. What? nothing. He’s fine, absolutely fine. He’s agreed to do this.

Under wand-point, yes, but—Merlin’s balls, what is Potter doing now? On all fours on the grass and letting one of the kids ride him like a pony. One of the—it’s Scorpius. It’s Scorpius. Holding on to Potter’s hair like reins and laughing. Draco… hmm? No, he can’t, ah. Think. Anymore.

He’s going to kill Ginny. He’s going to kill her, and Astoria, and then Potter for good measure, and then he’s going to lick that glisten of sweat all the way down his neck and—argh! Not good not good not good. They’re in public and Draco’s bloody son is playing pre-broom Quidditch. Meant to be playing, too busy making heart-eyes at Draco’s forever-crush. Forever-nemesis, he means. Oh, fuck, Potter took his shirt off? When. No, why. No, when, and also, what, and also, oh, no, oh, fuck, he’s coming closer.

What to do? What to do. How to, ah, survive this now, and also what to fucking—

“Malfoy,” two steps down and a thick grin like he’s so pleased about something. He didn’t shave this morning, face full of stubble, and Draco dreams of rash and tickles.

Says: “Potter.” And then, once he’d cleared his throat of this awful, er, thing, “You make the rest of us look bad.”

“Hmm?” Potter is distracted with something on Draco’s lips. What on earth has he got? Jam from breakfast (and Ginny and Astoria holding him at wand-point), mud from the tackle-hug Scorpius gave him, grass in his hair, what, what?

“What,” Draco says without fully intending to. Shaking his head, “I mean. You’re so—all the other parents are just sitting there watching.”

He laughs. The sound is so distracting, Draco almost manages a smile. “Yeah, ���Mione’s already told me I’m showing off. Can’t help it, though. They didn’t tell me you’re coming today.”

“Yes,” Draco agrees, because Potter is flexing his arms and Draco would quite like to choke in between them, and then, “What? What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” Potter says. Is that winking? Is he winking or having a fit. Draco’s face feels awfully warm and he’s pretty sure he’s losing whatever competition they’re currently on.

Breathes in, out, looks to the sky (blue-blue and unhelpful. Where is lightning when you need to be struck). “Well,” he says when nothing more catastrophic happens, “I suppose I could come every week-end, if, ah. If this is the kind of show I can expect to get.”

When Potter’s grin turns luminescent: “I meant the kids! The way they played was so, ah, they’re so enthusiastic and it’s great to see, ah, stop it, stop, you absolute goon.”

“Yes, you’re only here for the kids,” with a hand in his disastrous hair, disastrously handsome, coming—ah—coming closer, for some incomprehensible reason.

“Stop it,” Draco says, when he truly means—something? Potter’s so close. His chest is bare. It's, ah, stunning. “What, what do you want.”

“Usually we go to the café across the road, after,” Potter smiles from under his thick lashes. Draco, who's milked every last detail regarding the Quidditch Junior League from Astoria for the past three months, knows this to be a definite lie. “Just some of the parents and the kids. You’ll have to come too. Scorp and Albus are just starting to get along, it's be such a shame, to tear them apart.”

It’s a weak excuse and Draco’s weaker. “Of course,” he coughs. “If that’s something you usually do. Who am I to break such a sacred, ah, tradition.”

They both know they’re full of it. On the ground, the actual coach has grown a peculiar set of tentacles, and is carried away by one of the parents who happens to work at St. Mungo’s. The kids are all cheering, and Scorp looks up to the stands and smiles. It’s… a bright sunny day, and Draco was threatened with a bad haircut if he backs out, and besides, he wouldn’t dream of being anywhere else.

(For flufftober day 27. Find the soft AO3 collection here).

[cursedwithwords]

Okay, who fell first and who fell harder? For everyone.

You said everyone so I'm including ocs in TBOTS 🫰

But starting with jeddy, I used to say James fell first and just didn't realize it but honestly I think they both fell at the exact same time and equally as hard. Like they're fucking obsessed with each other. The moment they see each other again on the platform it's instant sparks, but they're both damaged so they didn't realize it until much later. James has the baggage of "I can't be loved" while Teddy has the baggage of "I can't love", so. God I'm obsessed with them. ANYWAY, NEXT!

Scorbus is also a hard one cuz I sort of see them falling in love pretty slowly through years of friendship. Like they sort of slip into it so slowly and effortlessly that there's no sudden "oh" moment between them. It's something obvious and inevitable. It's not so much "oh" as it is "duh". "Duh of course we'd fall in love". I think Scorpius fell first, though, realizing it while he was in the alternate verse without Albus and having it hit him that he just can't live without the guy. Albus falls harder, a little bit later. He is VERY protective, which I think he inherited from both his parents tbh. I kind of imagine him being the most protective person out of all his siblings because he's got such an equal share of their parents, but anyway.

Lilyander is an easy fun one. Lily fell first, though she hid it way better. She thought Lysander was super fun and super silly. She thought he was interesting and always felt comfortable around him so at some point she's like "I think I could be with this guy forever". Lysander falls harder. Like HARD. Lily is one of the only people Lysander feels at ease around. She's someone he's never felt the need to impress because she's so open about insisting she likes him exactly the way he is. She makes him feel more comfortable in his own body despite all his perceived flaws. She makes him feel like he's worthy of his family name.

OC time 😌 cuz you SAID everyone!

Imamu fell for Roxanne first, and has been attempting to court her and ask her out since the moment they met despite her constant rejection. Roxanne falls harder, once she gets to know Im a little better and discovers what kind of person he actually is; because he comes across as very suave and savvy, he's charming and very good with his words. He's a remarkable pianist and drummer, good at writing music and a born performer. He seems perfect at first glance, which used to irritate Roxanne. Overly confident men bothered her. It's only when he let's down his guard and is vulnerable around her that she starts getting interested in him. He's a mystery to her, she can never figure out what he's thinking, and that's both fascinating and infuriating.

Louis fell for Julian first. First from curiosity and fascination, then because he genuinely thought the man was handsome. Jule consistently pulled away and avoided Louis, though it was obvious he felt SOMETHING along the lines of interest for Louis. Something held him back and that immediately drove Louis to pursue him. Julian fell harder. Way fucking harder. He thought Louis was gorgeous from the moment their eyes met, but he's a cautious person by nature and was scared to get too close to him. It's actually Louis' persistence, kindness, and fearlessness that had Julian finally bending.

Last but not least, my lesbians. Adrien fell first and Malika fell harder. They were hard to decide on because I think they loved each other pretty quickly and simultaneously. I think Adrien was drawn to Malika's courage and cheerfulness, the fact she seemed like a crazy bright light, but she held back because of some personal issues, worried about pursuing something for fear of hurting Malika. Malika had no such fears. She thought Adrien was gorgeous, literally stunning, and was surprisingly protective of her despite the fact she was a squib while Adrien was more than capable of protective herself. She liked making Adrien blush and liked to hold her. They compliment each other almost too well as silver and gold. Malika is the only sunlight that doesn't burn Adrien.

Fuck I'm obsessed with all of them fr.

[theserpens]

Drarry Fic Rec: Set Six

Dady Says by GallaPlacidia podfic circa 3,9 hours, M

Eleven-year-old Scorpius starts writing to Harry. Harry starts to fall in love with Draco through his portrayal in his son's letters. Featuring an extremely remorseful Draco living with muggles and working at a second- hand book shop, an isolated Harry, and a Scorpius who's dreading going to Hogwarts because he knows he'll be bullied there.

Modern Love by @tackytigerfic 61,323 words, E

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.

Here’s The Pencil, Make It Work by ignatiustrout 49,493 words, M

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 set includes my favorite stories about Draco having found his place in the Muggle world and Harry being lost among wizards. All of them feature the boys running into each other a few years after the war, and Harry trying to understand this new Draco Malfoy. Surely he is up to something; why else would he be laughing with his Muggle friends and look so bloody handsome!?

Friendships are always formed first, but they fall in love every time (sorry, spoilers).

'Dad Says' is a wonderful, high-quality podfic read by Galla herself. It has a sad and lonely Harry, a charming but exiled Draco, an adorably earnest Scorpius, and a perfect dynamic between the three of them. 'Modern Love' is lovely, fun, and has many of these same ingredients, but there is also a (sexy, tall!) vicar flirting with Draco and making Harry incredibly jealous. 'Here's The Pencil, Make It Work' also features this same dynamic (sad Harry + exiled Draco = meeting in the middle), and I will honestly never tire of Draco's Muggle friends recognizing Harry Potter's stalking of Draco Malfoy as the crush that it is.

Also, all of these have incredible original characters that make up Draco's new group of friends, and Draco casually using Muggle things with Harry gaping at him. Enjoy!

[flower1622]

Unfinished Fanfics (p.1)

. The goddess not so ordinary

Ships: Annabeth/Percy, Padme/Anakin, Original Character/Original Character, Diego/Matilda, Goku/Chichi, Sasuke/Hinata/Naruto, Nico/Will, Boomer/Bubbles, Blossom/Brick, Buttercup/Butch, Adrien/Marinette, Achilles/Patroclus, Merlin/Arthur, Harry/Draco, Albus/Scorpius, Boruto/Sumire

Friendship: Hercules and Iolaus

A baby was born called Selena. She was the daughter of Zeus and Hera. Eris, jealous of her sister, threw Selena to the human world. Now, Selena has to live a life like a "human". After many years, Selena finds a Greek Academy. But she didn't expect that one of the heroes, descendants of gods and witches, could be swayed by the dark side. That person would be considered by the gods as the hero of the prophecy. Selena would need to figure out who was it to help the person not to become what the gods feared.

. Kronos knew Luke would sacrifice himself, so Kronos splits in two and his other part possesses another body.

. Annabeth dies. Nico and Will have their lifes connected. So, if Will dies, Nico dies too.

. Clarisse and Percy stay together in the sequel. They adopt Selena's baby.

. The heroes got turned into vampires and they want to turn the people they love.

. Brothers and Sisters

I thought about a story that a popular girl at school called Claire would be the center of attention of two handsome popular boys, called Cody and Zack. They are both rivals. But, what they don't know is that they are actually wizards, born from the same Dad.

- Cody will be a kind and smart guy who everyone likes. He would have green eyes and blonde hair. He would like Claire.

- Zack would be a sassy and evil guy who everyone would fear and admire. He would have green eyes and black hair. He would like Claire.

- Claire would be a kind and smart cheerleader who everyone likes and adores. She would be a witch. She would have an evil twin sister called Meredith, something that she doesn't know. She would have brown hair and brown eyes. She would like Cody.

- Meredith would be a smart and evil girl who everyone fears, admires and hates. She would be a powerful witch who hates Claire and likes Cody. She and Claire would be rivals.

-  Brittany would be Claire's best friend. She would be a smart and funny black girl with black eyes and black hair. She likes to dance Hip Hop. Brittany would be a normal girl. She would be like a precious sister to Claire, like a rock that holds Claire. If something happened to her, Claire would be very devastated.

- Zack and Cody would have a best friend called Michael. Michael would be a nice and strong athlete boy. He would like Brittany. He would be like a bridge that connects Zack and Cody. He would stop the brothes' fights. Michael would have dark eyes and dark hair.

- In the end, Meredith would be with Cody and Claire would be with Zack. Brittany would be with Michael.

. Bites to Suck

In another world, a band called BTS was very famous. But, there was something nobody knew about them. They were vampires, except for one: Namjoon. The other members were very protective of Namjoon and very obsessed with him too. Everything he did, they were always watching him. Even though Namjoon was their leader, he still had a kind heart and many people use him because of it. They try to protect him in the best way possible. But after being turned evil, they want to turn him. Each one of them has a special power.

[aethon-recs]

So I saw that someone requested Professor Tom but what about Professor Harry? Shouldn't we give him some love to😏😉

Thanks for the ask! I also love the Professor Potter trope. I think Harry would have made a great Hogwarts instructor, whether for Defense or Quidditch coach or even Muggle Studies.

See below for a list of some favorite Tomarrymort fics featuring Professor Potter, arranged by alphabetical order. Here is a link to my previous rec list of Professor Riddle fics.

*

Professor Potter Tomarrymort Recs

Altered Course by @crowcrowcrowthing (T, 12k, complete)

Tom Riddle has a problem. He has so many plans, so many things to learn and accomplish during his time at Hogwarts, but one professor—one charming, talented, maddeningly handsome professor—is determined to get in his way. 

Being seen & being known by Baryshnikov (M, 2k, complete)

Harry had no intentions of being seduced by his student; Tom had every intention of seducing his professor.

Costumes (part 1) / Gowns (part 2) by @neurowriter14 (E, 7k, complete)

Tom has been absolutely and utterly obsessed with his Defense Against the Dark Arts professor since his first year.

Invisible Man by RenderedReversed (T, 10k, complete)

Harry doesn’t need the Invisibility Cloak to be invisible. With an unblemished forehead, he fades into the background—utterly ordinary. Voldemort begs to differ.

I'll Eat Your Heart Out, Sir by @katsitting (E, 18k, complete)

“You smell divine, Professor,” Harry heard Riddle growl, his eyes fluttering open to stare intensely into Harry’s own, breath fanning across Harry’s lips. And then Harry recalled just what the potion was meant to do.

Life tempts, but she is ever sweeter by SpitFire97 (E, 17k, WIP)

Harry Evans, their newly annointed Defense of the Dark Arts Teacher, gets under Tom's skin like no others. It is bitter-sweet, when she learns that she does, too. Quite literally.

Muggle Studies is Economics in Disguise by May_May_0_0 (M, 12k, complete)

Dumbledore acquiesces when Tom Riddle asks for the defense post. Harry stumbles into this AU version of Hogwarts hoping to teach defense. But there is only teaching one spot available: Muggle Studies. Chaos ensues as Muggle Studies becomes everyone’s favorite class. Tom Riddle is enraged, concerned, and… turned on?

My Beloved, My Only by @neurowriter14 (E, 3k, complete)

After a few months, Harry and Tom are professors at Hogwarts. Harry sneaks down to Tom's rooms in the dungeons and soon finds herself there for the night.

Seduction by any other name by Baryshnikov (M, 6k, WIP)

Tom might finally have met his match—his professor.

the eternal flame by @duplicitywrites (E, 25k, WIP)

There’s a well-dressed older man who enters the orphanage asking after Tom Riddle. “My name is Harry Gaunt,” the man says, the tenor of his voice soft and faltering, a reflection of Tom's deepest, most secret anxieties, “and I’m here to adopt you.”

To Sir, with Love by ShizukaU1 (M, 2k, complete)

Tom is devoted to the Greater Good. And what is greater than the goodness of being bed by Professor Potter himself?

Under the Mistletoe by Anonymous (T, 1k, complete) 

When the entirety of the Hogwarts populace just wants the oblivious Professors to kiss and get it over with, Scorpius, Albus, Rose, and Molly decide to take matters into their own hands.

you alone of all creatures by @duplicitywrites (E, 3k, complete)

There is no place for us in the light, where my robes bear a Prefect’s badge and you are addressed as ‘sir’, and so I have been cornering you, for weeks now, in darkened corridors and dusty, abandoned classrooms.

*

[shrimpalbuspotter]

My favourite personal hc based off canon lore is that Albus has always been very handsome in a sickly sort of way but he doesn't believe it so he doesn't carry himself with the confidence that he does around Scorpius or Delphi. Because of this, people tend to be a little too scared to even approach him unless they are shouting insults from across the hall where his glare can't reach.

What supports some of this in canon? This line right here:

"— Albus’s eyes become darker, his face grows more sallow. He’s still an attractive boy, but he’s trying not to admit it."

Yea. I think he (albeit probably unknowingly) trys to make himself seem less attractive because then people won't pay him as much attention. Cause let's be for real, what's so interesting about a tired looking, hunched over, snappy Slytherin? There are much more interesting people to talk to, such as Rose, Lily Luna, or James Sirius! Why waste a breath talking to the "Slytherin Squib"?

[cursedcreator-pat]

blog intro yippe

Ive been here for so long and never had one so i figured it was time to remedy that

This is a fanblog DEDICATED to everything @/poisonappletales makes!!! Their games are so cool and the webtoons too, if you've managed to find me and you dont know them please check out their stuff!!!

Anyway. Silliness under the cut

a summary of me and unknown

summary over (lie)

fun facts about me:

i am 18 at present, my birthday is the funny 6/9 number (June 9th) and that is my claim to fame

i use she/her and i am pansexual but on this blog i will be 90% unknownsexual

I like weirdo freak fictional men SORRY.

My sona/self-insert's name is Creya, formerly spelled as Crea. (This is not my real name for clarification but it's what I prefer to go by online.) She is just me except you may notice my little sona is green. there's no logical reason for this, I made her using a color palette i found on tumblr YEARS ago and it stuck and now she's alien forever.

On top of the weird color scheme I also have long hair irl i dont know why i draw her with short hair.

I found poisonappletales through markiplier's playthrough of dttr when it came out. I have been obsessed with these games since and show no sign of stopping soon

fun facts about (MY INTERPRETATION) of unknown:

Please first consider these blinkies i made

Basically he is so Weird!!!!!!!! But that's why I like him man!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I may ocassionally say "i wish he was real" and stuff like that but i can assure you im joking. Full serious right now. He would be locked in prison for life if he was real so instead hes confined in my brain. Anyway back to silly

I call him Antares! This is taken from the brightest star of the Scorpius constellation, which is also referred to as "the heart of the scorpion". I don't know i just thought it fit and i like it

I have also previously called him Blumiere (based off count bleck's real name from super paper mario - though i didn't use this name for long,) and Eros (based off the greek love god - this is the name i used the longest and you honestly might find fragments of it in places)

I draw unknown with the blanket hood off of his face a lot because 1) blankets are hard to draw and 2) handsome......... I also put him in clothes a lot because 1) im not drawing him NAKED and 2) handsome.......

Also here are the tags i use most frequently

#theory time (for theory posts)

#creya talk (for me just talking about whatever)

#unknown posting (for. You know. Unknown posts. This is also where my unknown art goes.)

Also the standard #reblog

I don't tag every post (i forget sometimes......) but this is generally how it goes

Heres some links to cool stuff (to be added more to later)

Look at my freaking BIRTHDAY GIFT!!! (THANK YOU CROWN RULER) (ALSO A HAPPY RANT POST ABOUT UNKNOWN)

[angebabyblue]

Title: Celebrating the First of June

Summary: Draco Malfoy celebrates his 42nd birthday with the people he loves most.

Rating: PG

Warnings: suicide attempt (unsuccessful); fluff; father/son relationship; undeclared love

~ = = = ~

SCORPIUS

Consolations, by Liszt. Number 6, I recognized from the curvy melody. That is my favorite term for the technicalities of the piece — “the melody is very curvy, Mummy.” I was six when it was taught to me.

It followed me as I descended the grand staircase, and became louder until I finally approached the source in the drawing room.

He sat tall and handsome at the piano, his figure swaying along with the movement of those slender fingers across the keys. The long blond hair was gathered low at the base of his nape, tied with a single black satin ribbon. The tips of it curled in the middle where his shoulderblades met. He was dressed in a dark, long-sleeved formal jacket, paired with crisp black trousers. He looked majestic that morning.

I chose the leather loveseat opposite the piano to sit on, directly behind him so that I could watch and listen. Beyond the piano, our eight-paneled window showcased a beautiful morning outside. Sunshine began to sip through despite the early hour, and a gentle breeze created a slow, waltz-like sway of the greens by the window. What a lovely way to welcome summer.

I’d loved listening to either of my parents when they played. Mum played with a smile on her face, whether a rhapsody or ballad from the romance era, or a melancholy tune by Chopin, she always approached any piece of music with a positive attitude. “Sadness marks a beginning of happiness along the road,” she’d used to say. “Always remember that. When there’s sadness, joy is sure to come soon.” At seven years old, that sounded very cryptic to me. At thirteen, the saying made absolutely no sense as I experienced such immense grief that I never would have wished on anyone else. At sixteen, I’m still trying to comprehend the meaning of it, if it at all existed.

Dad always played wholeheartedly, like he put his every thought and emotion into the piece he was playing. His style tended to be very bold; if it had been a waltz, it would’ve been suitable for a royal banquet, and if it had been a ballad, people would weep listening to it. There was never halfway with Dad; it was always all or nothing. He did not play very often, but when he did, it was tremendously profound.

When he finished the piece, I gently clapped. He didn’t startle, but paused for a moment to register my presence. When he turned to address me, I nodded at him and offered a smile.

“Good morning,” he greeted.

“Happy birthday, Dad. Quite a melancholy one to start off summer, don’t you agree?”

He tilted his head to one side, then turned back to the keys and started something that sounded like Sergei Rachaminoff’s Sleeping Beauty. I chuckled and clapped again. I noticed the side of his face stretched; he was smiling, too.

House-elves appeared as if on cue, pushing a silver cart of breakfast things. Thick, hot tea with fresh cream on the side, strawberries, champagne for the celebration, and the Full English on two round plates. The fried eggs were litterally still bubbling when they were served to me. I thanked them properly; they still blushed when I did so (though they’d stopped hitting themselves with cleaning broomsticks by now).

I poured the champagne into two crystal goblets. Nibbling on a strawberry I watched him play until the piece was done. I gave another hearty clap, and invited him over to the table. I prepared the tea for him.

“What are your plans today?” He asked, sipping on the tea and humming in gratitude at the perfect brew.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that instead?” I teased. “It’s your birthday. We can go to town, do some shopping, then early dinner and theater? Would you like that?” I took a big bite off a sausage and chased it with a forkful of gooey eggs.

“That sounds lovely. Sure. What play do you have in mind?”

There actually was Sleeping Beauty at the West End that the both of us agreed to see. It ended up being marvelous. I bought him a nice set of leather journals for his upcoming travels. We had dinner at a Muggle-run establishment nearby where the food was served on authentic chinaware and crystals, and the table hosted silk napkins that felt so soft to the touch. We dined on succulent poultry and drank robust wine (he let me have my own full glass; the server did not question). We talked and laughed and talked some more. It was a beautiful night.

“Scorpius,” he said just as we Floo’d into Malfoy Manor, “thank you. For everything. I had the best birthday.”

“I’m glad—“

“But it is the first week of your very last school summer holiday, son. The next one will be very, very different for you. You’ll be in the last year of Hogwarts soon. So go out, have fun. Enjoy it.”

“I appreciate that, Dad, but I’m really ok staying with you.”

“Go see Albus,” he said gently. “I thought you said he invited you to stay with them for a bit?”

That was true. Albus did. He’d owled just the night before, too, to remind me the invitation still stood openly.

So I packed up and gave Dad a lasting birthday hug. Then I Floo’d to the Potters’s.

~ = = = ~

HARRY

He’d found Draco in Romania two years prior, at a monastery of all places. It was a dingy room with one rectangular slit of a window on a stone wall. He’d sat on a small wooden table sporting a deep, horizontal gash on his left wrist. A Muggle-made razor was clasped in his right hand. His face was raised to the burst of sunlight coming through the window, eyes open but unseeing, lips slightly parted.

It had been his birthday afternoon. He’d been staying there for a couple of nights. The monks began to worry when Draco did not appear for the fourth time during their routine daily meals and contacted the one name Draco had provided when he’d checked in. Harry was suspicious when his Muggle-made cell phone had rung that day showing an unrecognizeable international number.

“You have my son,” was his reasoning to Harry. “You would’ve taken good care of him. I wanted you to find me.”

Harry had to force himself not to curse Malfoy to the pits of hell. He performed the quickest emergency first aid spells, just enough to stop the bleeding and keep Malfoy alive while he explained to the monks that they were leaving. Then he’d taken them on a long journey through various international Floo networks, and miraculously kept Draco breathing until they’d reached St. Mungo’s.

“You’re a fucking idiot,” Harry chastised at the hospital as soon as the pale blonde gained enough consciousness to comprehend anything. “Scorpius needs you. He adores the shit out of you, don’t you know that? Your son loves you, Draco, and he’s still here. So you need to figure out a way to cope with this grief and depression and be a father to Scorpius. You’ve got to do that much, because you two need each other desperately. Fuck, I can’t believe you did what you did…”

Harry had been distraught, once more, by Malfoy, years after school was over for them both. He despised that—at the same time craved for it. He continued to monitor Malfoy ever since, as inconspicuously as he could muster. He listened intently to Albus’s stories that involved Scorpius, because through those stories he could follow Malfoy’s progress. As long as Scorpius remained cheerful through Albus’s counts, that implied that Draco was also fine.

Scorpius stayed with the Potters last year, like he always did, and Harry decided to pay a visit to Malfoy Manor. Leaving Draco Malfoy alone on his birthday was no longer ever an option in Harry’s mindset. He’d stayed with Draco until the wee hours of the morning, sharing a whiskey, listening to him play the piano, listening to him cry his heart out. Then he’d left. They’d never said more than five words to each other that night.

So when Harry found Draco sillhoueted against the window in the Malfoys’s drawing room this year, he exhaled a huge breath of relief. It had been later at night when Scorpius had arrived by Floo at Grimmauld Place. Harry had listened to the boy’s quick recap of his father’s birthday celebration, meanwhile dressing quickly to Floo over to Malfoy Manor. He’d instantly departed once Scorpius stopped talking. Scorpius would never understand this behaviour; he found it quite bizarre, and Harry would never want the boy to find out.

Draco stood tall and lanky with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a glass of whiskey. The bottle sat on a round ornate table next to him by the window, a second empty glass next to it.

“You’re here,” was his way to acknowledge Harry’s arrival.

“Scorpius came in late; I was getting worried sick all day. Sounds like you had a great birthday, though. I mean, he sounded cheerful enough.”

Without turning away from the window, “You really love that kid.”

“He keeps Albus happy. He’s all Albus ever talks about, so yes, I do like him quite a bit. And you’d better take good care of him.” Harry picked up the empty glass and filled half of it with golden liquid. “Happy birthday, Draco.”

The blonde offered a sideways glance at Harry, the corner of his mouth curved into that smirk Harry had gotten so used to seeing over the decades. “You know, you should really try to stop chastising me, Harry. It’s been years; it’s getting really old.”

“Hm. You’d like that, wouldn’t you.” Harry met the glance, then gestured towards the piano behind them. “Play something for me.”

This time, the blonde straight out chuckled. It was a flat one, not mocking, neither joyful. Just pure reaction. “I played all morning for my son earlier. I need to rest these hands. Besides,” he checked the table clock, “it’s almost midnight. My birthday’s nearly over.”

“No matter. We can still do something. Anything. Whatever you want. I need to keep you awake.”

Just like that, the indigo summer sky suddenly cracked open and water doused the earth. The greens outside the window, happily dancing in the morning breeze just hours prior, now sulked downwards as rain fell upon them.

“And it’s been a fine day all day long,” Harry commented, taking another gulp as he watched droplets tap against the glass of Draco’s window.

“Even the finest days need to weep sometimes, Harry. You can only be fine for so long before sorrow catches up on you.”

He approached the piano despite his own previous words. With the whiskey glass settled on top, he sat down and placed his fingers on the keys. He looked up at Harry, genuinely smiling. “This is for you.”

A melody began to take shape as slender fingers danced, faster and faster. Harry moved to stand by the piano, his body leaning against the instrument.

“It’s a Schubert sonata,” Harry suddenly blurted out. Draco was honestly so shocked that he stopped playing for a second. It was Harry’s turn to smirk. “We have a piano at home, too, you know, and your son plays for us sometimes. He’s been doing that for years.”

“Still, not a piece anyone would recognize so quickly. I’m impressed, Potter.”

The rain tapping on the window served as an efficient metronome as Draco continued to play, one piece after another, switching from Schubert to Liszt then Mozart, then back to Schubert, until he honestly and thoroughly was tired. The table clock boasted one in the morning. His birthday had passed.

“Thank you,” Draco whispered, eyes on the clock. “Thanks for doing this with me every year. I’m really fine, now. You don’t have to… I mean, I’m grateful, but you don’t need to… if there was ever any feelings of obligation…”

“I’m staying, Draco.”

“I’m out of tunes to play anymore, Potter.”

Harry reached out to touch Draco on the cheek; his fingers caressed gently against Draco’s soft skin. The blonde leaned into it; his eyes fluttered closed.

“I’m staying.”

~Fin~