#and Draco has to help him ~overcome his grief~

[kember-writes]

Did I hear somebody say dragon fic? I think I diiid....

[xanthippe74]

Masterlist of my “12 Days of Fandom” recs, inspired by this post. As always, please check the tags and author's notes before reading. Enjoy!

🔸 Terminal Lucidity by @romaine2424 (Drarry, HD Career Fair, rated G, 3K) This bittersweet fic has Harry putting his abilities as Master of Death to good use by comforting those close to death themselves. We see him at work here, adeptly easing the way for someone dear to him with compassion and care. I found this story incredibly moving and a beautiful portrait of family ties in the face of an impending loss. Featuring older, established Drarry and the Black-Malfoy family.

🔹 Our Objective Remains Unchanged by @citrusses (Drarry, rated E, 46K) Gorgeously and vividly written, this university rowing AU drew me in right from the get-go, despite the fact that Muggle AUs are not my typical cuppa. The enemies-to-lovers tension is perfectly paced as Harry and Draco fight for the same spot on the Oxford team. Citrusses did a fantastic job translating their backgrounds and personalities (as well as those of other familiar characters from the books) into this world. Class divisions and the pressure of a highly-public sporting event stand in very effectively for Harry’s canon experiences. All in all, the story has the poignancy and drama of a lush coming of age film, and I can’t recommend it highly enough!

🔸 The Pile by @b-vul (Drarry, not rated, about 1.5K) This hilarious ficlet was born out of littlewinnow’s tumblr post about Veela!Harry performing an intricate mating dance to impress Draco. Delightfully, it’s from Harry’s POV as he blindly “trusts his instincts” to guide him into increasingly bizarre actions. And the evolution of Draco’s reaction is pure comedy gold. I’ve come back to reread this one a couple of times, and it never fails to have me in stitches. (The tumblr thread also contains adorable art by regretfulcorrine!)

🔹 Shine on, You Crazy Diamond by @lagerloutfic (Drarry, HD Mpreg Fest, rated E, 42K) This is one of those fics that you can’t stop reading once you start (something I confirmed this morning when I went to skim through it for this rec and wound up spending a few happy hours devouring the entire thing again). It’s laugh-out-loud funny and deliciously smutty, with a full cast of delightful side characters and just the right amount of feelings. The story begins with the discovery of Draco’s surprise pregnancy, then switches to a long flashback of Harry’s gay awakening and his fast sexual/slow emotional burn relationship with Draco. The entire fic has a joyful feel—banter-filled pub nights, chaotic family dinners, audacious curse breaking—culminating in the baby’s arrival, which left me in happy tears and wishing for another 40K of this fabulous story. Featuring confident Harry, supportive friends & family, hot Charlie, and some shamelessly kinky Unspeakables.

🔸 Silhouettes by @sweet-s0rr0w (Draco/Ron/Harry, Dronarry Fest, rated E, 16K) Draco/Ron/Harry is not a ship I’d ventured into before I read this fic, but I’m so glad I did! Sweet’s writing always hits the right spot in my brain, and her alternating POVs and spot-on characterizations of all three boys are delightful. I especially loved Ron’s sexy self-assurance here. The unique magical theory around sentient houses is fascinating and ultimately poignant, once Draco gets to the root cause of the Burrow’s behavior. Sweet-sorrow surely lived up to her username with this one, weaving grief with humor and a heartwarming resolution.

🔹 Harry Potter Gets a Job (A 106-Page Comic) by dustmouth (Drarry, HD Career Fair, rated M) Dustmouth’s comics never miss, I swear! In this one, we find Harry overcoming his distrust of Draco with the help of the Weasleys, especially Ron (who is definitely up to something himself). All of my favorite Dustmouth elements are here: the expressive characters, Draco’s wild wardrobe choices, and punchy dialogue galore. Also featuring drunken shenanigans at the Burrow, adorable Teddy, and some first-class Slytherin-ing by Draco to win his man (and find Harry that job). What a treat!

🔸 the earth from a distance by spqr (Drarry, rated E, 15K) A whirlwind time-travel fic with breezy humor, bedsharing, and spqr’s unmatched smut with feelings… What more could you ask for in a fic? Oh, yeah: fantastic worldbuilding for Hogwarts in 1599, brilliantly clever Draco, and a dash of enemies to lovers. I can never get enough of this author!

🔹 A Year In The Life by @ladderofyears (Drarry, HD Career Fair, rated M, 19K) I swear, the author conjured a little bit of magic to write this story. It’s told entirely with 50-word microfics, one journal entry for each day of 2006 (an impressive feat, by itself!), and yet it reads just as smoothly as any traditional fic. Draco’s voice is perfect here, full of wit and subtle emotion, as his and Harry’s developing romance takes a sharp turn with an unexpected pregnancy.  Draco’s anticipation, worry, and joy are mixed with deftly-chosen details of his daily life, all captured with Emma’s trademark tenderness and warmth. This fic is a perfect comfort read for family feels and gentle romance.

🔸 try to fix you by @maesterchill (Harry/Ron/Hermione, HP Snooze Fest, rated M, 2K) A beautifully and tenderly written hurt/comfort fic set in the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts. Ron is the glue that holds the trio together here, caring for Harry and Hermione with gentle devotion. There’s no dialogue needed to tell this story, just Ron’s perceptive POV that captures the grief and love that compel him. I have a soft spot for this triad forming immediately after the war, as a way of holding onto each other and holding themselves together. Maester’s fic makes their transition from friends to lovers feel like the first step towards healing.

🔹 The Scent of Soft Rains by @dodgerkedavra (Drarry, HD Career Fair, rated E, 20K) When Harry is left housebound and isolated by a traumatic injury, magical prosthetist Draco gets called into help. But Harry’s struggles go far beyond the physical ones. This recovery fic combines magical and non-magical therapeutic treatments in a way I can’t remember reading before. The hurt/comfort is just as it should be—both heart-wrenching and soothing—but there are enough surprising revelations to keep the story from feeling predictable. Draco is wonderfully unflinching and patient, and the ending left me crying happy tears. With lovely, restrained prose and vivid magical imagery, this one’s an absolute stunner.

🔸 Connecting Lines, Connecting Crimes by @sleepstxtic (Drarry, H/D Career Fair, rated M, 15K) With its intriguing careers, fascinating magical theory, and well-researched worldbuilding, this story captured my attention immediately, and the mystery at the heart of it kept me engrossed. This was one of the more thought-provoking fics I’ve had the pleasure of reading, exploring the intersection of magic, the environment, and colonialism. Harry’s first-person POV is lovely, and it feels like we’re learning to love India and the people he meets along with him. The getting-back-together romance is gentle but satisfying, propelled by pent-up yearning that’s palpable. There’s so much to enjoy here, all in only 15K words!

🔹 Waking Up Slow by @sweet-s0rr0w and @ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm (Drarry, H/D Wireless Fest, rated E, 22K) The first word that comes to mind while reading this fic is charming. First there’s the novel setting: a Christmas shop in the tourist destination of Cheddar Gorge, in the middle of a July heatwave. Next, there’s the shop itself, so imaginatively described and full to the brim with clever Muggle and magical details. Then there are the delightful OCs, Draco’s seemingly unhinged enthusiasm for all things Christmas (including ridiculous jumpers), and Harry’s complete disregard for professional behavior. But underneath the playful banter and humor, there’s also a layer of poignancy to tug at the heartstrings, especially when we find out the backstories behind Harry’s and Draco’s unlikely careers. And to top it all off, like the glowing star on the tree, are Joy’s exuberant, colorful illustrations. This is a Christmas-y fic I’d reread any time of the year.

Thanks to all these brilliant creators for sharing their work with us!

Happy New Year!

[absumoaevum]

Jury of Hearts (53,750 Words || WIP) by absumoaevum

Chapters: 9/?

Fandom: Harry Potter

Rating: Mature

Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy

Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Crookshanks (Harry Potter), Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Narcissa Black Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Eudoria Merrythought, Luna Lovegood, Patience Bright, Pomona Sprout, Minerva McGonagall, Horace Slughorn, Violetta Hitchens, Percy Weasley, Leta Brindlemore, Gertrude Meads, Filius Flitwick, Poppy Pomfrey, Eli Cresswell, Prescott Cadwallader, Jameson Terwilleger, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Ryan Oaklane, Rory Oaklane, Zacharias Smith

Additional Tags: Hogwarts Eighth Year, POV Draco Malfoy, POV Hermione Granger, POV Third Person Limited, Draco Malfoy Needs a Hug, Slow Burn, Angst and Feels, Hermione Granger's Parents Are Missing, Post-Second Wizarding War with Voldemort (Harry Potter), Eventual Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Bullying, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Blood, Violence, Brooding, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Canon-Typical Violence

Summary:

With his family's trials on the horizon and nothing holding him to his home apart from his despondent mother and perpetually-drunk father, Draco Malfoy jumps at the opportunity to return to Hogwarts to repeat his final year. At Hogwarts, he can escape his wretched home life and perhaps even rehabilitate his reputation. Things are looking up. That is, until he gets to school and realizes that his entire House hates him. Now Draco must decide between his old life and something new.

New is the last thing Hermione Granger needs. All she wants is for her life to go back to the way it was before the war. When a hearing at the Ministry goes sideways, Hermione accepts Headmistress McGonagall's offer to return to Hogwarts, sure answers lie hidden in the school library that will help her find her missing parents. But Hogwarts is a very different place than she remembers, and Hermione must change as well if she has any hope of overcoming her past to reclaim her future.

Fates intertwine and loyalties are tested in this Post-War 8th-Year Slow Burn Dramione Drama/Suspense/Romance.

Updates Mondays.

[wordrage]

CC and the Epilogue aren't canon for me, but I do think it's nice that the redemption arc fans wanted for Draco happened, it just happened offscreen. One of the major themes of DH is breaking cycles of pain and abuse, and each character approaches it differently.

Harry is the primary example. He has all the reasons to hate and want the people that hurt him punished. Even Albus "the greatest magic of all is love" Dumbledore can't overcome past grievances or let go of his grief and regrets. He believes in Harry, because he sees Harry forgive and empathize in ways Albus can't. Anyway, Harry naming his kids after Dumbledore and Snape, telling his son that not only will Harry love him unconditionally, regardless of how he's Sorted, but even telling him that Slytherin is just as fine a house as Gryffindor is such a stark difference from when Harry was a kid.

Harry did not grow up loved unconditionally, he was told Slytherin was "the bad house" and he was extremely influenced and manipulated by others, in both positive and negative ways throughout the series. That he ends up not a perfect husband or father, but one that's choosing to unlearn what he was taught as a kid, and raise his kids in a home that is actively supporting and combating prejudice is a choice Harry made.

Ever his foil, Draco is the same. He lets go of following his parent's values and evolves into a much more liberal man. He married a witch his parents disapproved of, and stands up for her. He chooses to raise his son in a home where the magical hierarchy is way less important, where his son is raised to be kind and polite and friendly. Draco is choosing to combat the prejudice and values that he was raised with.

I think JKR's intention with Harry and Draco's brief moment in the epilogue was also to showcase how both characters have let go of the past and moved on to have their own lives. They acknowledge each other (because even as an adult Draco can't help but seek Harry out at the beginning of term to get his attention) and that's it. No snide remarks, no insults. No telling their kids to stay away or compete with each other. Both men are again choosing to leave their old prejudices and history with them, and not pass old fueds along to the next generation.

I do disagree that Draco's behavior in the book at Malfoy Manor was ambiguous that he was lying. I think it's pretty explicit Draco recognized Harry, much less Ron and Hermione, and couldn't say the words that would get Harry killed. He did confirm Ron and Hermione's identity, but when it came to Harry, he couldn't look Harry in the eye and sign his death warrant. The rest of the time he's gone back to the fireplace with Narcissa, his back turned to what's happening behind him, because he can't watch. He can't actively participate, he copes by going as passive as possible.

This is a choice, just like not being able to finish Dumbledore off, that I believe Draco's redemption arc builds from. Draco finds out during HBP and DH that he's not a killer, even to save his family, himself, he cannot kill. I like that, while Harry is consistently reinforced that his empathy and love makes him stronger, more powerful, Draco would be told the opposite. That his weakness will cost him his family's life, that the torture Voldemort inflicts on him as punishment is deserved.

I've never thought of that scene as Dobby fulfilling Draco's intended narrative moment and arc, but it makes a lot of sense. That's a good call-out!

If you're comfortable answering, how do you think JKR intended Draco to come across, and how did he actually come across in your mind?

I think Draco was intended to come off as weak and kind of pathetic. The Dudley Dursley of the Wizarding World. 

That’s how we’re introduced to him: “Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley.” Almost he first thing we hear Draco say is the very Dudley-ish -  “I'm going to drag [my parents] off to look at racing brooms... I think I'll bully Father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow." Later books re-contextualize this as a brag - he is not actually able to bully his father into buying him presents, and instead of Dudley's tantrums Draco likes to embellish things in order to seem more impressive and get the result he wants. But initially, I think Draco = Dudley. They both dislike people who are different, dislike Harry for being more special (and because they’ve been given tacit permission to bully him). They’re spoiled by their parents. They’re even both platinum blonde. 

JKR loves the idea of an antagonist who realizes that they were wrong and *you were right* a little too late, and then has no choice but to punish themselves. (Basically the entire deal with Snape.) So - Draco and Dudley get some of that treatment too. After Dudley meets the dementor he breaks down, has a moment where he leaves Harry a cup of tea, and another where he says “I don’t think you’re a waste of space.” BUT Dudley’s initial breakdown is framed as pathetic (even a touch comedic.)The tea he leaves outside Harry’s door has gone cold, and when Harry steps in it he initially thinks it’s a dumb prank. Dudley says “I don’t think you’re a waste of space” only in response to a comment Harry makes. Hestia Jones is super unimpressed, and thinks Dudley should be doing more more. 

Like, JKR is aware that it’s not *completely* Dudley‘s fault he’s like that. Dumbledore comments on the “appalling damage [Vernon and Petunia] have inflicted on the unfortunate boy sitting between you.” But the damage is still done, and Dudley is meant to be seen as a figure of pity. All this is supposed to read as ‘too little, too late.’ If Dudley were less of a coward, a stronger person, a better person, he would’ve brought Harry the tea directly. 

Now let’s look at Draco, who is given some *very* similar beats. We see him crying in the bathroom, comforted by Myrtle (a comedic character,) very similarly to how Dudley basically goes into shock after the dementor. Draco and Dudley are both framed as weak, but able to see the error of their ways, and their breakdowns set up an important plot/character moment for Harry.

Draco’s little “I can’t— I can’t be sure,” when he’s asked to identify Harry at Malfoy Manor is another beat of ‘too little, too late.’ Harry takes Draco’s wand a few minutes later (absolutely castration imagery - just look at how the text treats Lucius losing his wand) and then Dobby shows up to low-key shame Draco by doing the job that he [narratively] was supposed to have done: rescuing Harry and friends, probably dying in the process. I do think that’s how we’re supposed to read that scene. And then Harry gets these very similar selfless beats of saving Dudley (from dementors) and saving Draco (from fiendfyre.) That’s why JKR is so baffled when people like Draco, think he’s attractive, or ship him with Hermione. It’d be like shipping her with Dudley, it doesn’t make sense.

But a couple things went “wrong” when Draco was released into the world. For one thing, I think a lot of people saw his more indirect underhanded approach (he likes rumors, smear campaigns, blackmail, poison, sneaky back entrances, tricking/provoking Harry into breaking rules) as evidence that he's clever, and not that he’s a cowardly, spineless little weasel.

Then because JRK is committed to making Draco look ineffectual and comedic, she also makes him… not that bad? Most of his bad behavior goes down between books 1 and 3, and I’m sorry - when you’re 12 your politics are your parents' politics. You are not not responsible for that. By the end of the series Draco’s politics *have* changed, pretty drastically, and they changed under challenging circumstances.

I also think JKR accidentally gave him a better relationship with his father than she meant to? Jason Isaacs plays Lucius Malfoy as cold, I could see him being a *bit* of a bully when it comes to Draco -  but in the book, they go on outings, Draco complains to his father, Lucius is patient with him, gives him advice, sets boundaries, sends him little newspaper clippings in the mail. Lucius and Narcissa are running around without wands during the Battle of Hogwarts looking for him, and it’s supposed to be like “here are the Malfoys defanged.” But it's just a sweet moment. And if you’re positioning Draco as a romantic lead, then yeah I’d say that “good relationship with his parents” is an attractive trait.

The movie also did Draco Malfoy a HUGE favor by saying that yes, he absolutely does have the Dark Mark. That is never confirmed in the book. You can make the case that he doesn’t have it, and he’s doing what he does and embellishing the truth to seem more impressive. Hermione doesn’t think he has it. Ron says “I still don’t reckon You-Know-Who would let Malfoy join.” If he doesn’t have the Dark Mark, Draco gets to stay a semi-pathetic minor villain. But the second he does have it… well now you have someone who was given this tattoo/brand thing when he was 15 (Draco is a month younger than Harry) and now is 100% stuck. He is on a magical leash to Voldemort. He can’t run, can’t hide. All he can do is ride out this thing as best he can, and hope it doesn’t kill him or his parents. That’s a much more sympathetic character.

And my last thing, about the moment where he lies for Harry in Malfoy Manor (movies frame it as 100% a lie, books keep it ambiguous)... is I don’t think J. K. Rowling realizes that Draco is the first person in the entire 7th book who helps Harry, at all. Molly Weasley is actively sabotaging the Golden Trio's planning by splitting them up and making them do wedding chores. Xenophilius Lovegood betrays them, Bathilda Bagshot betrays them, Rufus Scrimgeor is no help, Remus Lupin needs *their* help, Dumbledore gave them a series of maddening riddles. Snape gives them a weird puzzle to solve (also he’s very much acting under Dumbledore’s orders…) So when Draco DOES put himself on the line to buy them a few minutes, it makes for a pretty striking moment. He also keeps to this lie even when Lucius tells him not to, he lies to Bellatrix, he is almost certainly going to have to repeat this lie to Voldemort, who can read minds… 

So I think most fans look at Draco and see someone who is arrogant, a little bit of a shit, but is also sensitive, clever, emotional, nonviolent. (He’s definitely got a little bit of boy band non-threatening sexuality going on.) Draco will go out on a limb for the people he loves, and he comes through when it counts. There’s a survivor-mentality practicality to him, which is especially appealing in a series where so many characters are so willing to martyr themselves.

[drarrily-we-row-along]

Day 25: Hiraeth

Hiraeth (Welch): A kind of homesickness which is a combination of the homesickness, longing, nostalgia, and yearning, for a home that you cannot return to, no longer exists, or maybe never was.

Harry hated cleaning Grimmauld. And it always seemed that no matter how much cleaning he did, more junk (half of it cursed) appeared to replace it.

He forced himself to set aside two hours every Saturday morning, someday this house would be worth living in and having guests in.

This particular morning, Harry was working in the hideous study, cleaning out the desk and thinking that he really ought to tear out the carpet and take down the wall paper, when he accidentally knocked over a small bust of Merlin only knew which Black. A heartbeat after the bust was knocked over, a panel on the wall scraped open.

That was interesting.

With a bit of caution, which was warranted given how many things had attempted to kill and maim him in this house, Harry made his way over and peeked inside of what appeared to be a cupboard of some sort. Inside was a pensive with a shelf above with memories floating in vials. Many weren't labeled at all but there were some that were labeled in Sirius' familiar script.

One sitting right in the front, as though it had been placed there for him, was labeled Harry. There were several memories swirling together in this one and Harry found himself reaching out and pouring it into the pensive without really thinking about it.

A moment later he plunged his head into the pensive.

He looked around when he landed and saw that he was standing in his parents' home in Godric's Hollow. His mum was sitting on the couch with her feet propped on the coffee table rubbing at the side of her very pregnant belly.

Sirius was knelt on the floor next to her, rubbing his hand over the other side, "And I am going to be your favorite uncle," he promised. "I'm the cool one, I'll teach you how to ride my motorbike and help you with your boy trouble."

"His boy trouble?" his mum asked, obviously amused.

"Well, I can't very well help him with his girl trouble."

(Read more below the cut)

His mum laughed and brushed her fingers through Sirius' hair. "I suppose you're right about that.

"He's kicking," Sirius crowed, rubbing his thumb over his mum's belly. "Hi, Harry," he said. "It's your uncle Padfoot," he informed him, leaning closer and putting his mouth almost against her belly, "I love you and I cannot wait to meet you."

--------

The scene faded and was replaced by the next one.

"He's perfect, Prongs," Sirius murmured and Harry saw that he was standing in a hospital room. His mum was sitting up in a bed, looking tired but smiling so wide that Harry's mouth ached in sympathy. Sirius and his dad were standing close together, a baby held securely in Sirius' arms and his dad hovering near his head.

"Yeah," his dad whispered in reply, sounding genuinely choked up as he brushed his fingers over the baby's downy head.

"Look at his tiny fingers," Sirius said. "He's got your eyes, Lily," he added.

Harry watched as the baby wrapped Sirius forefinger in his little fist.

"Oh Godric," he murmured. "I'm gone on him," he said, looking up at James and Lily. "I love him more than life itself."

"We feel the same," his mum replied, smiling. "James, you should tell him."

His dad covered his mouth with his hand and shook his head as though he couldn't manage any words.

"Tell me what?"

"We want you to be Harry's Godfather," his mum said.

"Really?" Sirius whispered looking back and forth at his mum and dad like he could hardly believe they were serious.

"Yeah," his dad said, patting his shoulder, "Yeah, of course."

Sirius looked down at the baby in his arms and Harry watched a tear track down his cheek, "You hear that, Harry?" he murmured. "I'm your Godfather. I'll never let anything bad happen to you," he promised.

-------

Godric's Hollow came back into view and Sirius was sitting on the couch, his arm around Remus' shoulders while Remus fed Harry a bottle.

"You're just a little angel, aren't you?" Remus cooed at him. "Just the most perfect, beautiful baby anyone has ever seen."

The baby kicked his feet.

"We'll teach you how to get up to mischief," Sirius promised. "Don't you worry. You'll get to inherit everything we've learned, you're going to make the best prankster imaginable."

Remus huffed, "But you'll be good to Minerva, won't you? She had more than enough trouble with your dad and uncles."

The baby finished the bottle and Remus sat him up, holding him over his shoulder as he lightly patted the baby's back. "I know things are a little scary right now," Remus murmured and Harry for the first time wondered where his parents were, if they were on a mission for the order at the moment, "But everything's going to be okay. You'll see."

Sirius rubbed Remus' neck soothingly, "Everything's going to be okay," he repeated but his face looked as weary and worn as Remus' did.

--------

"Come on, Harry! You can do it!" Sirius cheered and Harry shaded his eyes to see the back garden better. Sirius was squatted a few feet away from his dad who was steadying the baby as he apparently thought about walking. "Come on," Sirius said again, holding out his arms.

With a little giggle, the baby started to toddle unsteadily across the distance to Sirius. Sirius caught him and scooped him up in his arms, swinging him as he stood before pulling him in to smother him with kisses.

The baby giggled and grabbed at Sirius sunglasses, pulling them off his face.

"Ah, here, allow me," Sirius said, as he put them on the baby instead with a big smile. "Already developing better taste than your dad, I see."

"Oy," his dad called from where he stood with his arm around his mum's waist, stealing her glass of iced tea.

"I can't believe how big you've grown," Sirius murmured.

"Us either," his mum replied. "It's all gone so quickly. At this rate we'll be watching him head off to Hogwarts tomorrow."

"We'll all be there," Sirius promised, pressing a kiss to the baby's chubby cheek.

--------

The baby was a bit older in the next memory, and Harry knew there wasn't much longer left before the inevitable.

"I don't know how to do this," Sirius said, he was holding the baby in his arms, swaying back and forth, and Harry could hear the unshed tears in his voice.

"Be our secret keeper," his dad insisted. "Sirius we trust you with our lives, we trust you more than anyone."

"I can't," he said, shaking his head. "Dumbledore said it himself, they'll know it's me."

"Then stay here," Lily pleaded. "Just stay with us. Help us keep Harry safe."

"I would," Sirius said, "You know I would if I could. The Order won't allow it, they need more people to be able to go out on missions."

His dad nodded, scuffing the toe of his trainer over the carpet and it struck Harry how young they were. Harry was older now than his parents had lived to be.

"How am I supposed to say goodbye?" Sirius asked, pressing his forehead into the baby's dark curls.

"It's not goodbye," his mum said fiercely. "We can't think like that. It's just for a little while. It's just a see you later."

Sirius nodded and pressed a long kiss to the baby's forehead, "See you later, love," he murmured. "I'll miss you every second."

------------

Harry was snapped out of the pensive and he stood still for a long moment, in what must have been shock, before he realized that he was crying. It took another second to realize that his entire body was shaking as he was overcome with a sense of grief that he thought he'd long since buried.

He was overwhelmed by the longing to have a home, to have a place where people loved him and cared about him, a home were people wanted to protect him and be sure he was safe. It was a longing that he'd felt from the core of his being for as long as he could remember. And in these memories he'd had that.

He'd had so many people who loved him, so many people desperate to keep him safe, desperate to watch him grow up, and he'd lost it before he'd ever really known it.

The injustice, the hurt, the loneliness, and every moment that he'd ever desperately wished to be loved welled up inside of him at once and he couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. It was like he was being pounded by waves in the ocean and he could make it up for air.

Harry couldn't stay here, he pulled out his wand and apparated.

He'd intended to go to Ron and Hermione's, or maybe even the Weasley's but that was not where he ended up. No, Harry ended up in the front yard at his auror partner's house, sobbing and gasping for air.

"What the-" he heard and looked over to see that Draco was out working in his Garden, "Potter? What-" he started as he got closer. "Are you alright?"

Harry shook his head but couldn't manage to get any words out.

"Are you hurt?"

He shook his head again, "I didn't mean-"

"Alright," Draco said softly, wrapping a protective arm around him before Harry could even finish his sentence, "Come on. Come inside."

Harry could only nod, trying to make his feet move in spite of their numbness.

"You're shaking," Draco murmured as he guided him inside of the cozy cottage, all full of sunlight and fresh air. "You're sure you're not hurt?"

"Yes," Harry whispered, voice still raw.

Draco nodded, "Let's have some tea, yes?" he asked, guiding Harry into the sunny yellow kitchen. "Here," he said, pulling out a chair and settling Harry into it before moving to prepare tea.

Harry took the few moments of relative privacy to try to get himself under control, to try to reign in all of the feelings. He was certain that he would feel embarrassed about this later; this wasn't a great look for someone you were a little bit in love with to see.

By the time Draco turned around and brought the mugs of tea over, his breathing had even out a bit and he wasn't sobbing anymore. Draco set a cup of tea in front of him, "Here you go," he murmured before sitting down in the chair next to Harry instead of across from him.

"Thank you," Harry managed as he took a sip of tea made just the way that he liked it.

"Don't mention it," he said, he reached over and rubbed soothing circles on the center of Harry's back as Harry drank his tea. He didn't push or ask any questions, he was just quiet, just there with him as Harry's heart slowly came down to a normal pace and he finally managed to stop crying. "There we are," he said.

"Sorry," Harry whispered, feeling embarrassed and foolish and raw. "I didn't even mean to come here," he confessed.

"Well, I'm glad you did," Draco told him and for some reason, Harry believed him. "I've got some ginger biscuits in, if you'd like?"

"I shouldn't impose-"

"It's no imposition," Draco said, standing up and reaching for the cookie jar. He set them out, offering it to Harry before taking a couple himself.

Harry nibbled at his biscuit, not really sure what to say.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Draco asked. "You don't have to, of course, but I can be quite a good listener."

They'd been partners for three years at this point, so Harry knew it was true that the other man was an excellent listener. After a moment debating where to start, Harry confessed, "I always felt like there was something wrong with me." He stared down at the biscuit in his hands for a moment, "When I was little," he swallowed and set down his half eaten biscuit. "My aunt and uncle didn't want me and they weren't shy about letting me know."

Draco frowned, "Then why did you live with them? Surely there were no shortage of wizarding families who-"

"I had to," Harry said. "In her death, my mother's magic protected me. It's why Voldemort couldn't kill me. Because my aunt Petunia shared my mother's blood, as long as I lived with them I was protected."

"Alright," Draco said, nodding once and apparently accepting that answer without any other questions, which Harry was grateful for.

"They didn't want me and they didn't love me," Harry continued, "and I just really wanted to be loved, you know?"

Draco nodded, "Yeah, of course," he said as though Harry was being totally reasonable right now.

"I always imagined that I'd had parents who loved me," he said. "Like I always imagined that Lily and James Potter were completely besotted with me; they literally died trying to protect me. And I've had it confirmed by people throughout my life in a casual sort of way."

Draco nodded again, "But you've just had it confirmed in a more tangible way?" he guessed.

Harry nodded and felt a tear slip down his cheek. "I found some of Sirius memories when I was cleaning today," he said.

"That's fascinating," Draco replied.

"Yes," Harry agreed, "And there was a vial with my name on it, so I poured them into the pensive and took a look." Draco waited patiently as Harry tried to calm himself enough to get the next words out. "They were all of me as a baby," he finally managed in a whisper. "Of him with me, of my mum and dad, and Remus. And they all-" he choked on the words. He could hardly get them out, "They all loved me so much," he managed.

Draco took his hand.

"And I can't even remember-" he couldn't manage another word before the waves of grief rolled through his soul once more.

"Oh, love," Draco murmured as he stood and moved to wrap his arms around Harry, holding him and letting him cry against his stomach.

"It's not fair," Harry finally managed.

"No, it's not," Draco agreed, one of his hands stroking through Harry's hair. "It's not fair at all."

When Harry finally got himself under control once more, Draco drew back and sat down in the chair beside him.

"Sorry," Harry said, feeling miserable, and drained, and exhausted.

"You've nothing to apologize for," Draco said as he took another biscuit.

Harry sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, "I just thought that I'd stopped grieving this."

"Do we ever really stop grieving the people we love?"

"It's not just the people, though," Harry said, shaking his head. "It's that I had a home, I had a place where people loved me and cared about me. If I'd fallen and scraped a knee in that home, I would have had adults clambering over themselves to fix it. I would have been tucked in at night, and someone would have read me stories. I would have always had enough to eat and I would have had clothes that fit me and toys that weren't broken. There are a million things that could have been that I'll never know."

"I'm sorry," Draco said softly, "I can't imagine what that must feel like." He put his hand over Harry's, his thumb rubbing soothingly over Harry's knuckles.

Harry nodded once, trying very hard not to start crying again because three times felt like it might be a bit ridiculous for one day.

"There are people who love you now, though," Draco said gently. "And I know it doesn't change the past, and it doesn't make this hurt any less, but you have people who love you. And I'm sure that someday, you'll live with someone who loves you, someone who wants to protect you and comfort you when you're hurt, someone who wants to share their life with you."

Harry scoffed, "I have my friends but there's no one who would want that with me."

"There are loads of people who would want that with you," Draco said, rolling his eyes as if Harry was being ridiculous.

"Not people who actually know me," Harry argued. "Sure, there are people who want me because I'm Harry Potter but no one who wants me because I'm just Harry."

"That's not true," Draco replied.

"Name one person who wants that life with me because I'm just Harry and not the savior," he challenged. "One, single person and I will go out right now and move in with them. Tell me one name of someone who would want this," he said, gesturing at himself, "Who wants all of this mess, all of this baggage, and traum-"

"Me," Draco finally exploded. "I want that with you. I want to protect you and comfort you when you're hurt. I want to make you tea in the evening before bed and I want you to wake me up with coffee in the morning. I want to spend every moment with you, celebrating your successes and weeping with you about what makes you sad. I want that."

Harry blinked at him, a bit (alright, a lot) shocked.

"And I know that it's stupid and you don't want that with me, because, well," he shook his head. "There are a million reasons you shouldn't, but you said one person and I want you to know that it's more than possible for someone to know you and want that with you."

"You do?" Harry asked.

"Do you think I would have told you that I did if I didn't?"

Harry felt a little smile tugging at the corner of his lips, "I would like that with you, too."

"What?"

Harry shrugged one shoulder, "I've been a little in love with you for like a year," he confessed, feeling brave now that Draco had already told him how he felt.

Draco smiled a shy little smile at him, "Maybe we should go on a few dates before you move in, for appearance's sake," he joked.

He laughed, but then actually considered it, "Do you care about appearance's sake? We already know that we work together, we already know that we're good at spending time together," Harry replied. "I know more about you than I've ever known about anyone I've dated."

"Do you really want to move in with me? Already?"

Harry shrugged, "I mean, you've got a second bedroom, right? We wouldn't have to rush into anything. Just," he swallowed and he reached over and took Draco's hand, "Wouldn't it be nice to come home at night to someone who cares about you?"

"Yeah," the other man agreed with a smile, "Yes it would."

"Yeah?" Harry asked, feeling hopeful.

He nodded, "Yes, of course. Merlin, of course you can move in," he said with a laugh.

"I'd like very much to kiss you if you'd be amenable to that," Harry said.

"I'd like that, too," Draco said, with a breathless little smile.

Harry leaned across the corner of the table, cupped Draco's cheek in his palm, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

When he pulled back Draco's eyes were still closed and he murmured, "I'm going to need you to do that again."

Harry grinned and obliged him.

"Again," Draco breathed.

Harry leaned in and took Draco's bottom lip between his, sucking lightly before brushing his tongue over it. Draco let out a soft sigh and his fingers clenched in the fabric of Harry's t-shirt.

"Again," Draco whispered when Harry pulled back.

He smiled and let his finger's slide in Draco's hair, tilting his head slightly as he slotted their lips together. He slowly explored Draco's mouth and Draco explored his in turn, they kissed slowly, luxuriously. Hands brushed over necks, cheeks, shoulders, and backs as they carefully learned their way around each other.

Draco was the first to pull back this time and Harry's eyes fluttered open to look at him, his cheeks flushed and lips red. "You are so beautiful," Harry murmured.

He looked down at the table, smiling shyly, "We should start getting you moved in."

"I'd like nothing better," Harry replied with a big smile of his own.

And while moving in with Draco didn't give him back the home he'd lost, it did give him a place where he belonged. It gave him a place where he could receive the love he'd longed for and give all of the love he'd always wanted to. It wasn't perfect and it wasn't always easy, but it was home and Harry wouldn't have traded it for anything.

-------------

Thank you, @iamactuallya-cat for the prompt! I hope you enjoy it and that I didn't break your heart too much! <3

Day 24: Mafia Husband | Day 26: Broken Bone

[drarryspecificrecs]

Very Drarry Summer Vibes (2020) : Masterlist of complete DRARRY fics

@gwbexchange || official masterpost || AO3 || ∑ = 15 works The Mods | Banner © : @dr-aco

1. The Coffee House by @corinalannister [G, 1k]

Draco is a struggling Barista and Harry is struggling with his fame. They start to trust each other over time when Harry visits the coffee shop Draco works in.

2. Everything Old is New Again by @rinnwrites [E, 10k]

A year after the war, Draco leaves England with a simple plan: Find a place where no one knows him, get his potions mastery, start a new life. He didn’t count on an obviously exhausted and shockingly studious Harry Potter showing up in his very first class.

3. Forget-Me-Nots and Narcissus by @triggerlil [M, 14k]

in which Draco is overcome by grief, and Harry is there to keep him afloat.

4. Head Full of You by @maesmora [E, 10k]

Harry Potter has a secret, and, just like his first year at Hogwarts, naturally everybody knows. Well, everybody except Draco Malfoy. Enter a bunch of meddling friends, a beach vacation to celebrate graduating their eighth year at school, and being forced to room with the love of his life. [...]

5. The morning left us (both defeated) by @jovialobservationanchor [M, 9k]

They'd had dreams, Harry and he. Harry was going to reform the DMLE from the inside. Draco was going to repay a spiritual debt. Now Harry woke up only to get through the day, Draco realized his debt would never be repaid, Harry never smiled anymore, and Draco found himself in the strange position of holding their partnership together.

6. Only Fools Fall (For You) by @welpslytherin [E, 6k]

It’s the summer of '98 and a certain blond Slytherin has amends to make and feelings to get over. Featuring skinny dipping, a bold Harry Potter, and a blushing Draco Malfoy.

7. Our Dreams, Our Pride by @ahhhnorealnamesallowed [M, 10k]

For six years, Harry has promised Draco a 'big thing' for their anniversary. This year is the year Harry is going to make it happen, even if he does so in a very Harry Potter way. Including last-minute vacation planning, some very sassy old people, a coach bus, and less anniversary sex than expected.

8. Out of the Ashes by Zedrobber [E, 5k]

Draco is self conscious about his Dark Mark and won't believe that Harry doesn't hate it - so Harry makes a suggestion that might help, with one condition.

9. Parades, Pansy, and fuck I’m too gay for this by @false-heteros16​ [G, 2k]

After the war, Draco, who had been staying at home like a fucking hermit till Pansy came along, finally finds out about the LGBTQ+ Community, he dives head first into research and is amazed at what he finds. [...]

10. Teddy's Favourite by @iravenish [T, 2k]

It didn't come as a surprise when Teddy demanded to finally go to the beach. [...]

---

✔ other fests in 2020 ✔ fests in other years

[sitp-recs]

Hello Liv!! Thank you so much for filling my life with so many wonderful fics (and new ships that I now can’t stop reading, thanks) your recs are really appreciated :) I was wondering if you know of any fics that have Harry or Draco playing the piano? Don’t know why but the idea of music as soothing and recovery has always appealed to me :) thank you so much! 💕💕

Hi anon :) oh I love that trope too, it’s among my favorite kind of comfort read! Here are some gorgeous fics:

A Tune for Every Occasion by @firethesound (2009, G, 2k)

Harry woke alone to the soft sound of piano music.

Big Hands by @fw00shy (2020, E, 4.5k)

Draco Malfoy is a pianist who's just moved to Paris. Harry Potter, his new roommate, has the biggest hands he's ever seen. Draco is immediately obsessed.

Harmony (Left-Handed Melody Remix) by mindabbles (2010, M, 6k)

He is the last person Draco was expecting, but then again, this is not a place Draco ever expected to be.

Stories in E Minor by @huldrejenta (2014, E, 9k)

Draco has found his place in the Muggle world. He's got his music, he's got his neighbours and he is content. Until a certain someone from the past enters his life again.

Forget-Me-Nots and Narcissus by @triggerlil (2020, M, 14k)

In which Draco is overcome by grief, and Harry is there to keep him afloat.

A Song Without Words by Omi_Ohmy (2013, E, 20k) - Harry plays the violin

When a violin goes missing, Draco has to work with Potter to clear both their names.

Us, in Lieu by @tepre (2019, E, 29k)

Teddy needs help and Harry needs funding. Draco sits in the other room and plays the piano.

[thusspoketrish]

Play Pretend (Part 1/5)

TRIGGER WARNING (PLEASE READ THE TAGS. PLEASE READ THE TAGS. PLEASE READ THE TAGS): Depression. Suicide Attempt. Suicidal Ideation. PTSD. Poor Coping Mechanism.

Harry Potter & Astoria Greengrass; Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter; Astoria Greengrass/Draco Malfoy; Astoria Greengrass/Others; Draco Malfoy/Others; Harry Potter/Others

Content: Friendship. Forced Marriage Arrangement. Unrequited Love. Falling Out of Love. Falling in Love. Betrayal. Friendships. Breakups. Mental Health Issues. Apathy. Flatmates. Acceptance. Positive Thinking. Therapy.

SUMMARY: Fate boasts a strange sense of humour when a severely depressed Harry finds himself convincing a drunk Astoria Greengrass off the ledge of Waterloo Bridge at three in the morning. The events that follow after are an exercise in strength as Harry finds himself relearning how to cope, forgive, and love alongside the blossoming of new friendships.

Thank you to @starlitsilvereyes for the beta!

====================

At approximately 2:07 AM, Harry Potter shoves his arms through his black wool coat before wrapping his Gryffindor scarf tightly around his neck. He shoves on the misshapen scarlet mittens Hermione knitted for him several years ago, realising he could summon a better pair as she’s improved greatly since Hogwarts, but finding that these reminded him of a better time.

Finally, he shoves his wand up his sleeve before wrenching the door open and taking the steps down from Grimmauld two at a time, the door slamming shut behind him with a finality. As he breathes in and out sharply, white puffs curling outward from his chapped lips, Harry looks skyward. The moon is heavy and hangs low tonight, full and beautiful as swirls of snow begin to gently fall. It’s dark, and beautiful, and it hurts to look at.

Harry had spent the entire day cleaning Grimmauld from top to bottom. Not that this mattered as Harry has found that no matter how much he cleaned or remodelled the house, he was incapable of penetrating its doom-and-gloom atmosphere. But he had cleaned to the best of his ability, and had arranged all his necessary documents across his office table several hours ago. He carefully placed each note facing upward, the individual names of all his friends in his spidery scrawl. He had even left notes behind for the Dursley’s, though, not imparting a single kind word, as seen in his other letters. He had left the Gringotts keys of the Potter Vault behind in Ron and Hermione’s name and endowed a small trust to any future children they may have. He had left the deed and keys to Grimmauld and the Black vault to Teddy and Andromeda.

Harry doesn’t think he left any stone unturned.

He had been planning this for months. Had made the nearly 40-minute walk from Clerkenwell to Waterloo Bridge nearly every night for the last three weeks, simply staring out at the water, yearning. It would take nothing, he thought, to sit on the ledge, cast a simple spell to increase his weight, and fling himself over the edge. And at three in the morning, it wouldn’t be hard to do this uninterrupted.

A numb sort of blankness overcomes him as he rolls his shoulders and makes his way through the quiet roads, onto the high street where the slow crawl of busses and cars creep past. Harry’s vision is a tunnel of black and white images flickering in and out of focus as he sets himself on autopilot. He could do this route with his eyes closed.

It’s not that Harry thinks he deserves to die. He’s simply come to the conclusion that he wants to.

He’s tired, much too tired from the debilitating numbness that’s crippled his entire existence. He’s remained frozen in time since dying and coming back to life in the Forbidden Forest. The experience has left him immobile, like a statue, weathered by the storm called time but never feeling the effects of it no matter how long he holds his breath, patiently waiting for something to come along and happen. He was waiting for the spark of life to feed his blood as it had during the war, and nothing, no reason or rhyme, has been able to replace it. He had quit the Aurors, had isolated himself from the pitying expressions of friends and family, and had shrunken himself on the outside to reflect what he felt on the inside—absolutely nothing. He was nothing, a lingering afterthought in his own mind, something ugly and broken with a piece of its soul missing. He couldn’t stand to live with that knowledge any longer.

It was no one’s fault, not directly. Harry’s never been whole, not as a child curled up and forgotten in the cupboard under the stairs; not as a child, shaped into a sacrificial soldier, not as a twenty-three year old man, alone, shrouded in the dark cloak of night, ready to end his life.

The black and purple swirls of fog and clouds paint a pretty backdrop for the breathtaking view of the Thames, the London Eye, and Parliament from Harry’s position on the bridge. It’s the only time his vision shifts to full-colour, when he’s standing on the bridge, hands gripping the cold railing as he peers over, his glasses sliding slowly down his nose. He uses a mittened finger to push them back up, a hollow laugh escaping him as he reaches deep down inside of himself to search for a feeling, anything. He wishes for even a fissure of panic as he places both hands on the railing again, wondering if 100kg added to his feet would successfully prevent his ability to kick back up to the surface.

A harsh wind whips by, and with it carrying a whimper. Harry turns, his gaze sharpening, harping on an elongated figure further down the bridge perched on the railing.

He turns back to the water, staring out at the inky black waves. He shouldn’t care.

The whimper turns into full on sobbing.

He shouldn’t care. He doesn’t.

Then, there’s a horrible scream of anguish that pierces the quiet, the sound full of devastation. He blinks several times, pushing his glasses up again. He may not have the ability to care for his own well-being anymore but he still...he still seems to care about others.

With a sigh, Harry walks to the centre of the bridge, noticing a lone figure down the road walking towards them before abruptly stopping and turning away from them.

Harry ignores them, and instead approaches the person perched on the railing. He can see that the person is wearing a black, long-sleeved ballgown, tiny sparkling beads of emerald green, gold, red, and silver shimmering in the moonlight, taking the shape of exploding fireworks across her bodice along the back of the dress. It’s beautiful, and Harry gasps when the woman turns to face him.

He’s seen this woman before, has seen her pretty pale face at the Slytherin table at Hogwarts. Her long black hair whips across her flushed face, mascara-tinged tears sliding down her cheeks. Her red lipstick is smeared across her lips and down her chin, piercing blue eyes unfocussed as she sways side-to-side.

“What do you want?” the woman asks miserably, her voice slurring, intoxicated. Harry steps closer to her, as if she’s a wild animal ready to leap away from him. The woman’s lips turn down into a terrible wound of a frown, misshapen by the smeared lipstick. “Did he send you?” she cries.

“No,” Harry says, not knowing who she’s talking about as he slowly approaches her. “Why don’t you come down?” he asks, extending an opened hand.

The woman’s gaze twists from Harry back out to the dark depths of the Thames. Harry inches closer.

Another whimper escapes her. “He doesn’t love me,” she cries, her body shaking as she weeps.

“There are people out here who love you,” Harry says, wincing. How many times has Ron and Hermione said this very thing to him over the last year?

“But not him!” she shouts, her shoulders trembling, the harsh winds whip her hair. “I’ve tried everything. I’ve even given him all of me, all my love, all my hopes and my bloody dreams, and nothing. Nothing I do makes him look at me…at me...as if,” the woman breaks off, a trembling cry escaping her before she shouts, “Why...why not me?”

“He doesn’t deserve you,” Harry says, his voice carrying on the winds, tone firm. A small spark of indignation is felt in his chest. This woman, this woman is suffering, and it’s fuelling a knife-sharp sensation alongside his slow-beating heart. He wants to touch her, see if he can pull her grief into him, see if it’ll help him feel his own, for once.

The woman tilts her head back, a wail escaping her. “I don’t deserve him! I can’t help him, I can’t even bloody keep him. I’m useless.”

“Stop it, don’t put yourself down like this. He doesn’t deserve you...you’re stronger than this pain, this numbness you’re experiencing, and you know it. You know you can do so much better than him, that your life and your hopes and dreams outweighs whatever the fuck you think he sees when he looks at you. You don’t need anything from him, not when you’re this strong,” Harry says, shaking his head. He doesn’t know where these words are coming from, they feel foreign to his own ears. A part of him wonders if he wished someone would say this to him. “What’s your name?”

The woman draws in a shaky breath before she answers in a tiny, strained voice, “Astoria. Astoria Greengrass.”

Harry nods, now remembering her, remembering where he’s seen her name lately. “Come, Astoria. You have so much to offer the world. You’re strong, but sometimes even the strongest among us have bad days, but that doesn’t make us worthless,” Harry says, the feeling in his chest swelling, lighting him on fire from the inside. Harry gasps. “You’re worth fighting for, you’re...let me...let me fight for you, Astoria, until you can fight for yourself. Please...please, take my hand. You don’t have to do this...you don’t have to do this alone.” He’s now beside her.

A wicked wind whips past them again, the snow falling now coming down in thick, fluffy sheets. Astoria huffs out another sob before she turns around, her hand stretching out.

Harry clasps it, pulling her forward. She wraps her arms around his neck, digging her face into this layered scarf, clinging to him like a lifeline. They both sink to the ground as she weeps. The cold stings the trail of tears on Harry’s own cheeks.

She smells like the cold, along with lingering scent of bergamot orange and rosewood. He knows it's a combination of scents he'll never forget as he cradles her against his chest before quickly opening his coat to wrap around her shivering form.

All the while, feeling more alive than he has since the day he died.

[gameofdrarry]

Wizards Hearts Recs: Soulmates

Wizards Hearts was a four-month-long Drarry reading fest. Players were given a playing deck of 52 tropes, and were asked to find 52 different fics to read and comment on to fill their decks. To prevent the same few fics from being read, fics were restricted to only being used for the game three times before being considered ineligible for further points. The tropes and submissions list can be found here.

Check out the masterlist of fics for this trope below the cut!

📜 survival is a talent by ShanaStoryteller Rated:  Teen and Up Words:  367490 Tags: Soulmate AU, Indian Harry Potter, Black Hermione Granger, canon? i don't know her, Slow Build, Lucius Malfoy is a bad person but a good father, Parselmouth Harry Potter, Smart Draco Malfoy, I'm offended that's a tag OF COURSE he's smart, sometimes bad things happen, but this fic isn't out to hurt you, Secret Relationship, Slytherins and Gryffindors being reluctant friends, Plotty, suprising lack of focus on soulmates for a soulmate au Summary:  In the middle of their second year, Draco and Harry discover they're soulmates and do their best to keep it a secret from everyone. Their best isn't perfect. ~ “Are you trying to get killed, Potter?” Malfoy drawls, stalking forward. Quick as a serpent himself, he reaches out and grabs the snake just below the head. It thrashes in his grip, but is no longer able to bite anyone. “This is a poisonous snake, and I doubt anyone brought a bezoar with them.” Harry glares. He opens his mouth, and feels the beginning the snake’s language pass his lips, and this isn’t what he wants, what’s the point of insulting Malfoy if he can’t understand him – Malfoy’s eyes widen. He slaps his hand over Harry’s mouth, “Potter, what the hell–” ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Vortex by xanthippe74 Rated:  Teen and Up Words:  20625 Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, POV Draco Malfoy, Down and Out Draco Malfoy, Azkaban, Knockturn Alley, Redemption, Poverty, Angst with a Happy Ending, Auror Harry Potter, brief mention of past suicide attempt, brief mention of past self-harm, Past medical abuse (over-prescription of Calming Draught), Non-graphic off-screen injury Summary:  “Don’t worry, my dearest one,” Draco’s mother told him when he confided his worries to her. When he was old enough to feel the pangs of adolescent longing, but still too young to sense the storm gathering around them. “Magic will overcome any distance or obstacles to bring two soulmates together when the time is right. Circumstances will arise that steer them in the right direction; strange coincidences will make their paths cross again and again. Then the most wondrous moment arrives, when you both realize that your soulmate, your perfect match, stands before you, and from that day forward your hearts will be one.” Ten years after that conversation, the idea of perfectly-matched soulmates feels more like a curse than a blessing to Draco. Who would want a soulmate who was a schoolyard bully, a Death Eater, and a convicted felon? Certainly not Harry Potter. And Draco is determined to take this secret to the grave. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Tie My Heart to Yours by Craftybadger1234 Rated:  Mature Words:  36661 Tags: Rape/Non-conHogwarts Eighth Year, Potions, Red String of Fate, Soulmates, Depression, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Child Abuse, Angst, Getting to Know Each Other, Mild Sexual Content, Mildly Dubious Consent, Fluff, Bisexual Draco Malfoy, Happy Ending Summary:  For fun, Slughorn has the eighth year students brew a potion to reveal their Red Strings of Fate. Harry doesn't know what to think about being tied to Draco. Or how to make a relationship work between them. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Highly (in)Compatible by daisymondays Rated:  Teen and Up Words:  36828 Tags: Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Romance, Draco Malfoy in the Muggle World, Post-Hogwarts, Denial of Feelings, anxiety mention, References to Depression, Panic Attacks, Forced Dating, Enthusiastic Consent, POV Draco Malfoy, Humor, Magical Theory, Soulmate Theory, HP: EWE, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Forced Proximity Summary:  Draco’s been shagging The Prat Who Lived on and off for a few months when his soul mark starts to change. Draco’s had to accept a lot of adjustments to his life, but accepting that Harry Potter could be his soulmate is one step too far. It can’t be true? Can it? ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 A Tale of Woo by Veritas03 Rated:  Mature Words:  25330 Tags: N/A Summary:  Harry’s a bit of a mess, despite a successful Quidditch career. Draco’s not too much of a mess, but believes his life is as good as it’s likely to get. Both want something more. Fate is going to help them out with that. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 With You, Always by acupforslytherin Rated:  Mature Words:  14542 Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Hogwarts Era, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Non-Explicit Sex, Dreams, Lullabies, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, hearing, TasteofSmut 2020 Summary:  All his life, Harry repeatedly hears one same calming tune in his dreams. No one seems to recognize the mysterious song, until one day, Harry catches Malfoy humming it when he thinks he's alone. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Not By Duty Are We Bound by Dreaming_of_a_Bright_Sky Rated:  Teen and Up Words:  17176 Tags: Graphic Depictions of ViolenceAU, Soul Bond, Hurt/Comfort Summary:  Draco Malfoy has saved Harry's life so many times that it's joked about (and even bet upon) by the Aurors Harry works with. When Harry finds out how and why, it forces him to see a reality that he'd been blinding himself too. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 All Our New Years by Frayach Rated:  Mature Words:  2525 Tags: New Year's Eve, Soulmates, Minor Character Death Summary:  It takes too many New Year's Eves without each other but eventually they get it right. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Changing Tides by carpemermaid Rated:  Explicit Words:  109687 Tags: Bisexual Harry Potter, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Dumbledore's Army, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Auror Harry Potter, Auror Partners, Auror Draco Malfoy, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Patronus, Gardens & Gardening, Cultural References, POV Draco Malfoy, Hogwarts Fifth Year, POV Alternating, POV Harry Potter, Wandless Magic, Coming of Age, Mutual Pining, War AU, Romance, Falling In Love, Humor, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Healing, Post-War, Ministry of Magic, Minor Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley, Soulmates, Community: hd_erised, Sexual Fantasy, Wet Dream, Snogging, Frottage, Blow Jobs, Anal Fingering, Masturbation, Mutual Masturbation, Non-Penetrative Sex, Emotional Sex, Hand Jobs, Professor Harry Potter, Person of Color Harry Potter Summary:  Draco has spent half of his life spouting the things his father has taught him without much thought about how he feels about what he says. When he unexpectedly comes face to face with the Dark Lord, he grapples with the harsh realities of the world and struggles with his changing views on life. Instead of doing what’s expected of him fifth year, he joins Dumbledore’s Army and learns how to defend himself, how to make his own choices, and how he can be something greater than his father’s example as he grows into his own man rather than his father’s shadow. The choices he makes change both his and Harry’s fates, intertwining their paths until they converge. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Everything a Word Can Mean by OTPshipper98 Rated:  Teen and Up Words:  2355 Tags: Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Sectumsempra Scars, Pre-Hogwarts, Hogwarts Era, Post-Hogwarts, Foot Massage, Nicknames, Cuddles, Happy Ending, Drunken Confessions, Getting Together Summary:  In a world where magical people are born with the nickname their soulmate will call them by tattooed on their skin... what does it mean that the word on Harry's chest is the thing he hates to be called the most? ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Danse Russe by Frayach Rated:  Explicit Words:  140119 Tags: Novella, Soulmates, Angst, HP: EWE, Explicit Sexual Content, World Travel, not a wip Summary:  True Love. Soul Mates. They're just words until put to the test. Harry and Draco have a bond that was forged in the hell of the post-war years and pulled them both back from an abyss of nihilism and self-destruction. Nothing can break it, or so they believed. But True Love can demand sacrifices too great to bear and deeds too terrible to justify. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 A breath worth of life by Explicit Rated:  Explicit Words:  39791 Tags: H/D Hurt!Fest 2020, Soulmates, Terminal Illnesses, Death, Preparing for Death, Minor Character Death, Grief/Mourning, breaking up, Loneliness, Depression, Self-Hatred, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Suicidal Thoughts, Heavy Drinking, Therapy, Grief counselling, Vomit, Hospitals, Cruise, Pirates, Treasure hunts, parenting, blended families - Freeform, It Takes a Village to Raise a Child, Magic Theory, Healer Hermione Granger, Cursebreaker Draco Malfoy, Auror Harry Potter, Accidental Bonding, love is the most powerful magic, Breathplay, Domesticity, Weddings, proposal, vactioning, hermione deserves all the awards, Kópakonan saves the day, Italians do it better, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Draco is father of the year, Ron is father of the year, Harry is not even in the competition, PoC Harry, POC Hermione, Long-Haired Draco Malfoy, long-haired Harry Potter, Short-haired Draco, Short-haired Harry, questionable medical ethics get handwaved here for the sake of fun, close encounters with ponies puffins sheep and other assorted fauna, Trans Luna Lovegood, Casual Sex Summary:  ‘...that moment when everything clicks into place, when the circumstances are right, your magic aligns, and you touch your soulmate. You'll know then, Draco, my darling.’ His mother used to look at his father with such devotion then. ‘It will feel like breathing fresh air for the first time, you'll know you'd been living on borrowed time until then but no more. There is an entire lifetime in that one breath.’ Finding your soulmate is the one way a wix can hope to live past thirty, but if he can’t have that with Astoria, Draco is ready to check out, let his magic eat him up and be done. Harry, on the other hand, isn’t about to leave any stone unturned or path unbeaten until he finds the one person meant for him before that fated birthday rolls around. After every failed attempt he grows more and more convinced that whatever Voldemort did to him might have made him unlovable, but he will go down fighting if he has to. Hermione still thinks the whole thing is cancer but what does she know? ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Today, Forever by PalenDrome (nerdherderette), PotterArt Rated:  Explicit Words:  60958 Tags: Explicit Sexual Content, Explicit Language, Voyeurism, Frottage, Masturbation, Oral Sex, Rimming, Anal Sex, Auror Harry Potter, Veela Draco Malfoy, Winged Draco Malfoy, Veela Mates, Bonding, Soulmates, Enemies to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending, Draco Malfoy/OMC (brief), Past Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Case Fic, Minor Violence, Minor Character Death, Magical Theory, Magical Biology, Muggle and Wizarding Technology, Digital Art, Embedded Images, Harry/Draco Big Bang 2018, Community: harrydracobang Summary:  As if his recent divorce and sleepless nights weren’t bad enough, a rash of escalating crimes against purebloods forces Harry and his team of Aurors to protect the riskiest target in all of Wizarding Britain. Of course, Draco Malfoy would still be ridiculously infuriating and impossibly gorgeous. As well as a Veela. Who happens to be Harry’s mate. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Dragon Heartstrings by JET_Playin Rated:  Explicit Words:  23825 Tags: Soulmates, Red String of Fate, Explicit Sexual Content, HP: EWE, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Angst, Fluff, Romance, Implied Relationships, Top Harry, Bottom Draco, Falling In Love, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Tall!Harry, Misunderstandings, Oblivious Harry, Oblivious Draco Malfoy, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending Summary:  Draco has seen the strings for almost as long as he can remember, but they don't mean anything. Anything at all.... ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Love and Paranoia by sunnyeclipses Rated:  Explicit Words:  48547 Tags: Post-Hogwarts, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, Addiction recovery, Near Death Experiences, Overdosing, Relapsing, Drinking, Partying, Drunkenness, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, wall punching, Concern Over Someone Else's Weight, Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Caretaking, Pining, Falling In Love, Slow Burn, Explicit Sexual Content, Self-Esteem Issues, Auror Harry Potter, Down and Out Draco Malfoy, Domestic, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Minor Ginny Weasley/Blaise Zabini, Minor Theodore Nott/Pansy Parkinson, Minor Neville Longbottom/Luna Lovegood, Hurtful Comments About Drug Use, Brief suicide ideation, Christmas, Pets, Sharing a Bed, Weddings, supportive friends, Forced Proximity, classic literature, H/D Erised 2020 Summary:  When Harry finds out his soulmate is none other than Draco Malfoy, he genuinely expects his life to go to shit. It doesn't help that Draco is an addict, coasting on reality-altering highs to feel something happy, something pure just once more before the comedown. What Harry doesn't expect is to care so much that it tears him apart at the seams. A story about love, drugs, and getting better. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Every Me and Every You by bixgirl1 Rated:  Explicit Words:  69300 Tags: Forced Proximity, bed sharing, Legilimency, Veritaserum, Snark, Magical Theory, Tropes (please read author's note!), EWE, Falling In Love, Frotting, Mutual Masturbation, Rimming, magical sex, Really just all the sex, Gift Fic, UST, RST, Soulmates Summary:  Harry liked his life just fine, thankyouverymuch — so it was bad enough when a sly fairy cursed him to leap into alternate realities. But seeing Malfoy in all of them? Definitely way too much. And worse yet: needing the bastard's help to figure out how to get out of of it. It was a disaster waiting to happen, really. Well... probably. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 you've got the antidote for me by Kandakicksass Rated:  Mature Words:  20730 Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Soul Bond, Red String of Fate, Heavy Angst, Terminal Illnesses, Major Illness, Angst with a Happy Ending Summary:  When Harry Potter unintentionally severs their soulbond before it can fully form, Draco Malfoy resigns himself to a slow death and decides not to burden Harry with a soulmate he's made it very clear he doesn't want. He's never been selfless before, but for Harry, he can try. ❤️ Read on AO3

[asmugfirefighter]

Why you should ship Drarry

Harry and Draco is a great pairing for several reasons. When the threat of the war is real, when death is unavoidable, Harry and Draco try to save and help each other out. A bond is always created between the saviour and the saved person. The reasons why I think Drarry works, are:

1. They have undeniable chemistry. Draco is the only one who gets Harry all riled up and wanting to prove himself and Draco always craves for precious Potter's attention : his jealousy is shown consciously but subconsciously, its the need for Harry's attention. Here's why : Harry was the first person Draco saw in Madam Malkin's. Drawling tone, disrespecting Hagrid and favouring Slytherin notwithstanding, Draco still tries to make conversation. In the only way he knows. He, then, tries to offer Harry his friendship. Again, in the only way he knows how to, and is rudely clobbered. This gives rise to a sharp acrimony inside Draco and he hence tries to dish out grief to Harry.

2. They are evenly matched and like minded. This phenomenon manifests itself when Harry, in the end, defeats Voldemort with both of those wands which once belonged to Draco Malfoy. The Hawthorn wand is the wand which Harry keeps , because its the *friendliest* of the three wands which he snatches at the Malfoy Manor. The wand always chooses the wizard. Both Draco and Harry are the masters of the Elder wand for some time. Their likelihood and their compatibility and likemindedness shows from the wand allegiance. Wand only changes allegiance when it senses similar qualities or trusts the wizard. This is the biggest point of their compatibility, according to me.

3. Harry is Draco's way to Light. Harry can be the beacon of power, strength, staunch support and correct guidance for Draco, who has lived in the dark for so long. Draco, in turn, is sly, cunning and composed. His composure will be a fitting quality to Harry's brash and impulsive nature.

4. What Harry desires is for people to treat him like everyone else; he is done with adventure. Draco will always treat him like an equal but not as though Harry is someone special (even though he will worship Harry secretly). He will call Harry out to his poop and not behave like a doe-eyed fan girl. He will be the challenge that Harry always needs and wants. Draco always wanted to come over to the Light side secretly. Draco can be a surprisingly tender lover, especially to Sodding Potter. Because he is Potter. Even if Draco won't show his reverence to Harry.

5. In the world post war, Harry and Draco can become really good friends, companions and thus find what they were always looking for. They can help each other overcome the PTSD after the war, the horrible aftermath of the massacre and renew the bond they always had but was never explored .

6. Hatred is always coupled with intense love. You only hate the people who you have truly loved. Or given a damn about. They can discover something permanent within each other. It only makes sense for these two to fall into gradual companionship, their bond slowly evolving past their differences and finally settling into something more stable. Falling in love would be as easy as falling asleep.

7. Mindblowing, enthralling, bewitching sexual chemistry.

8. Would Harry have been jealous if Malfoy suddenly got obsessed with some other person? Yes! He is too used to Draco's attention.

9. By not recognising him at Malfoy Manor, Draco incidentally helped Harry defeat the Dark Lord, because the moment Harry Disarmed Malfoy, he won the Elder Wand's allegiance. Partners in Heroism, much?

10. Draco never came out because he knew his father would never approve him which is why drarry never "happened"

12. They're cute af :heart_eyes::

Concluding, I would like to say that Harry should take his sweet time settling down with someone after the war. He should explore who he really is, without the threat of death constantly looming over his head. Explore himself as a person. And so should Draco. There are wayyyy too many possibilities for this pairing and it only makes sense for them to truly discover each other and be together.

[absumoaevum]

Jury of Hearts (34,390 Words || WIP) by absumoaevum

Chapters: 5/?

Fandom: Harry Potter

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy

Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Crookshanks (Harry Potter), Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Narcissa Black Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Eudoria Merrythought, Luna Lovegood, Patience Bright, Pomona Sprout, Minerva McGonagall, Horace Slughorn, Violetta Hitchens, Percy Weasley, Leta Brindlemore, Gertrude Meads

Additional Tags: Hogwarts Eighth Year, POV Draco Malfoy, POV Hermione Granger, POV Third Person Limited, Draco Malfoy Needs a Hug, Slow Burn, Angst and Feels, Hermione Granger's Parents Are Missing, Post-Second Wizarding War with Voldemort (Harry Potter), Eventual Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Bullying, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Blood, Violence, Brooding, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm

Summary:

With his family's trials on the horizon and nothing holding him to his home apart from his despondent mother and perpetually-drunk father, Draco Malfoy jumps at the opportunity to return to Hogwarts to repeat his final year. At Hogwarts, he can escape his wretched home life and perhaps even rehabilitate his reputation. Things are looking up. That is, until he gets to school and realizes that his entire House hates him. Now Draco must decide between his old life and something new.

New is the last thing that Hermione Granger needs. All she wants is for her life to go back to the way it was before the war. When a hearing at the Ministry goes sideways, Hermione accepts Headmistress McGonagall's offer to return to Hogwarts, sure answers lie hidden in the school library that will help her find her missing parents. But Hogwarts is a very different place than she remembers, and Hermione must change as well if she has any hope of overcoming her past to reclaim her future.

Fates intertwine and loyalties are tested in this Post-War 8th-Year Slow Burn Dramione Drama/Suspense/Romance.

Updates Mondays.

[lupinuslilium]

The Summer Before Eighth Year

Harry Potter tries to keep busy.

He testifies for Draco, Narcissa, and all the children of death eaters who have the mark themselves at the ministry. He believes scared children trying to do what is expected of them have no place in Azkaban.

He believes the mother whose love for her child saved him has no place there either.

Hermione and Ron are away looking for her parents. They invited him to come with them of course but he felt out of place in their newfound love. He felt out of place everywhere really, but wished for them time and space to explore their feelings for one another, without his unpredictable emotions, nightmares, and outbursts of anger.

Neville is part of the rebuilding team at Hogwarts, working day and night to make it a suitable place for students to call home again in September. Ginny splits her time between Hogwarts and the joke shop, doing everything she can to help George. Everything she can to distract herself from her own grief and anger. It sometimes overcomes her in waves, she’s brought to the ground sobbing and screaming at nothing, at everything, at this world, this war for taking her brother, her friends, her childhood.

She and Harry tried. They really did. It wasn’t long before the reality of who they were washed away the excitement they felt and the idea they had of being together again. They weren’t the same as they were before. Their time apart during the war that ended their innocence killed certain parts of them and magnified others. They were both running from their pain, in opposite directions. They loved each other, of course they did. They loved and needed each other as family does. That’s why after weeks of pain and fighting that did nothing to aid their grieving they decided the best way to save their relationship as friends that spent their childhood together was to end their relationship as anything more.

Of course it hurt. Realizing your first love isn’t your forever love always hurts. Breaks you even. But Harry knew it was for the best. He couldn’t live in a world where Ginny wasn’t one of his closest friends and this was the best way to keep her as one. After a time, he didn’t feel jealousy as she reconnected with Dean Thomas, didn’t feel pain as she worked and trained and sometimes drank away her grief. He always worried about her, but he knew that she had her own healing process. One that couldn’t involve him.

Harry spends his days split between the Ministry, the Burrow, Hogwarts, and Grimmauld Place. He tries to be useful any way he can, to be busy. But in the quiet moments in that dusty old house filled with ghosts and memories, he knows he’s not healing at all. He’s distracting. And maybe it’s that knowing that draws him to her.

As soon as he walks up the the path and sees Luna lying beneath the fruit trees in her garden he knows he was right in coming here. She doesn’t look up as she hears him approaching and he doesn’t say anything as he lies down beside her. He just lies there and tries to match his breath with hers. He focuses on the singing birds, the buzzing insects, the warm sun on his skin, and the dirt beneath him. He remembers Luna’s words after the war, “I’d want some peace and quiet if it were me” and he realizes that this moment is the first thing resembling peace and quiet he’s had since napping in his dormitory that day. A few minutes pass before he realizes he’s crying. And once he realizes, he can’t stop. Luna says nothing still. Just reaches for his hand.

It was there, laying on the ground in the sunlight, crying beside the strangest, most accepting, most honest and purely good person he’s ever known, Harry feels it. His first step towards healing.

[richie-mead]

Oxygen

//so this is my first one shot and the first thing I've written in 3 years. It's based off of sias House On Fire. I highly recommend putting the song on repeat until you're done,. Feel free to message me for requests! Gif is not mine. Credits to original owner//

You and Draco, Where do people even start with your relationship. You two had been glued by the hip starting as soon as you first stepped off the Hogwarts express, He of course was as crass as ever when you first met. Only you showed him compassion when no one else did.

To most it just looked like a normal friendship between a slytherin and a Y/h/n, until it wasn't. It started just before your sixth year started, You were about to leave for kings cross when a carrier owl brought you a letter. It was short and said that you needed to talk. No signature, but there was no need for one. You recognized the loopy script written in a dark green ink as well as the snake wax seal.

You had noticed that towards the end of the previous year, Draco had started to become more reclusive, after the rise of the dark lord as well as his father's arrest, you couldn’t really blame him.

I don't like to wait too long, to wait too long, wait too long

Bring it out and bring it strong, bring it baby.

As soon as you got onto the train and saw him, you knew something was very wrong. His eyes had turned a dull shade of gray and his face had gotten thinner as if he hadn't slept in weeks,

He pulled you into an empty cart and shut the door, you remember hearing the soft click of the lock before he pulled down the blinds.

He turned to face you and grabbed your upper arms and just stared at you. you e/c eyes looking into his gray ones and you could see he was screaming to tell you something but held back

I feel the pain and it feels good, I know it would, your heart burns slow,

I feel the pain and I cry it out, I cry it out

“Draco? What's going on?” You say in a voice so quiet he might have not even heard it, you could feel his hands shaking as he held onto you. You knew something was very wrong, Draco had almost never done this, especially in company.

I need you, I need you

Babe, oh I wanna drink you in like oxygen, like oxygen

Baby i'm a house on fire. And I want to keep burning.

All you could do was stand there and silently beg for his answer

“I’m scared” was all he said, His voice was rough, you could tell he had been crying.

Boy, i'm going up in flames, and you’re to blame, yeah you’re to blame.

Baby i'm a house on fire. And i want to keep burning,

I wanna keep burning, I wanna keep burning, I wanna keep burning

All you can do is stand there, trying to read him, he was hiding something from you

“Draco please.. Tell me what's going on. Let me help you” You plead, you manage to break yourself away from his grip and placed your hands on his face

Baby i'm a house in fire.

I wanna keep burning, I wanna keep burning, I wanna keep burning.

Baby, i'm a house on fire

“He was going to kill my family.. He.” Draco managed to choke out before you could see him start to break down

“I didn't have a choice, Please. Don't leave me like everyone else” He manages

So take me to the heavens now, as we burn down, as we are found.

Take me to the heavens now.

My heart screams out

All you could do was hold him, You knew what he was talking about, He voiced his fear of this happening to you before

“Draco I.. I'm not going to leave you. Not after six years when you need me more than ever”

You say softly, you dragged your thumbs over his face to wipe away the tears as they fell

I need you, I need you

Babe, oh I want to drink you in, Like oxygen, Like oxygen

Baby i'm a house on fire

And I want to keep burning.

Draco stared at you with red eyes before he pulled you in for a hug, You felt his whole body shaking as you held him. You had never seen him so broken before, He had always been so well composed even after fights with his father, He always managed to pick himself back up. But not this time. He needed you more than ever

Boy, i'm going up in flames, and you’re to blame, yeah, you’re to blame

Baby i'm a house on fire, and I want to keep burning.

I wanna keep burning, I wanna keep burning, I wanna keep burning

He pulled away and you could see him trying to recompose himself as he looked at you with a look as if he needed to ask you something. He was still hiding something from you.

People had always assumed you were together but you simply brushed them off, Maybe you needed to tell him something too

Baby, i'm a house on fire

I wanna keep burning, I wanna keep burning, I wanna keep burning

Baby i'm a house on fire

“Y/n..” He said as his eyes seemed to dance across your face, He was hesitating.

Overcome with confidence and the urge to tell him, You weren't leaving. Not now and not ever.

You moved your hands so the were just resting on his neck and pulled him to you,

It was a desperate kiss, His hands moved to your waist and held on so tight he was afraid you might disappear if he let's go

Love me, to the beat of a drum, to the beat of a drum, to the beat of a drum, yeah

Love me, till the walls give in, yea

Love me to the beat of a drum, to the beat of a drum, to the beat of a drum, yeah

Love me, I don't wanna say, baby

His lips were soft and moved perfectly with yours. Everything both of you needed to say was read loud and clear. He had lost everything.

Everything except you.

Babe, oh I want to drink you in, Like oxygen, Like oxygen

Baby i'm a house on fire

And I wanna keep burning.

Boy, i'm going up in flames. And you’re to blame, Yeah, you’re to blame

His hands has moved from your waist and tangled themselves into you h/c hair, he just wanted to touch you. He wanted to know you were really there for him, he wanted to make sure you weren't a hallucination brought on by lack of sleep and grief.

Baby, i'm a house on fire. And I want to keep burning

I wanna keep burning, I wanna keep burning, I wanna keep burning.

Baby I'm a house on fire,

I wanna keep burning. I wanna keep burning, I wanna keep burning

Draco pulled away only when you needed to breathe, He stayed close to you and pressed his face into your neck like you were the very thing keeping him from crumbling down.

And that's when it started.

Draco Malfoy had become a House on fire. And you were his oxygen

Baby, i'm a house on fire.

Baby, i'm a house on fire

[tathrin]

Albus Severus Potter: a defense of a well chosen name

(In conjunction with a truly excellent post by @waterbird13​, I wanted to share my additional thoughts...but without word-vomitting all over their post.)

The name “Albus Severus Potter” is about healing. About moving forward. About Harry reconciling with his past, even the nasty parts of it, and choosing not to hold on to his old grudges for the rest of his life. To live.

The same thing he chose when he walked away from King’s Cross Station.

Over the course of these seven books, Harry watched Sirius, Snape, and Dumbledore all bow, bend, and even break under the weight of their old sins and hatreds. He saw how much their refusal to let go of, to live with and move on from, the past damaged them. One could even argue that it killed them:

If Sirius and Snape had been able to learn to trust each other (not to like each other, not even to forgive each other, but just to move on and stop treating one another like the vile kids they had once been) would the whole Department of Mysteries debacle have happened as it did? If the two of them had been able to come to an understanding of one another as allies, would Harry have trusted Snape enough to believe he would pass along his message about “Padfoot” and “the place where it’s hidden”? If he’d even just trusted Snape enough to come back to the castle and check with him after they left Umbridge in the forest, he would have known that Sirius wasn’t actually in any danger...but Harry didn’t think he could rely on Snape, because of the vicious cycle of loathing between Snape and Sirius (and the memory of his dead father). Certainly their mutual hatred did nothing to make life easier for the two of them, nor for the Order as a whole, weighed-down by their old grudges; whether Sirius might have survived past the end of OotP if he and Snape had come to some kind of understand is, of course, something we’ll never know. But don’t tell me it’s not a question Harry asked himself; he even brought up the issue with Dumbledore in the immediate aftermath of Sirius’s death.

Dumbledore knew that ring was a Horcrux and he put it on anyway. He isn’t stupid, he had to have known that was a bad move -- but he was overcome by guilt and grief and he did it anyway, because he wasn’t thinking logically, he was too consumed with the need to see his sister again and, presumably, get some kind of closure that he had spent so many decades longing for. And yes, Snape cast the final spell that ended his life on the Astronomy Tower, sure -- but he was already dying, that was the whole point. If he hadn’t been doomed, would he and Snape have come up with some other plan to deal with Draco? I expect Dumbledore would have wanted to stick around longer, if for no other reason than to increase their odds of winning the war, if not for the ring that doomed him due to his fixation on the Resurrection Stone. There’s a reason why Harry was able to drop the stone in the forest and leave it behind, even though he had lost so many people he loved himself; part of that reason is that he thought he was marching to his own death, true, but the other part is that even then, he was thinking about the future. Harry didn’t die to absolve the sins of the past; he died so his friends would have a future.

That Snape was consumed and, ultimately, destroyed by the ghosts of his path should require no further illumination on my part, but if you’re not clear on it just go re-read Prince’s Tale for starters or really any of the seven books because Snape’s whole character arc was one long line of misery and an inability to forgive, move on, or let go. Always, remember?

In DH we see Harry actively reject following Dumbledore’s path when he chooses to let the D.A. help him find the Horcrux. If Dumbledore had been able to let go of the pain of his past, maybe reconcile with Aberforth, would he have needed to keep all his secrets so close to his vest? Again, maybe Dumbledore would have gone down the same path in the end...but it certainly didn’t make him happy, clinging to the sins of the past like that, and Harry knew that by the end, and he chose to step away from that.

And back to Sirius for a tangent: if he and Regulus had not been so estranged, don’t you think it likely that Regulus would have sought-out his brother (whom he knew was working against Voldemort, he had to have known, Sirius had made no secret of his allegiances for years) when he decided to turn traitor, and maybe at least shared some information with him? Maybe asked for help, even -- but at the least, he might have sent Kreacher with instructions to seek Sirius out if he couldn’t destroy the locket on his own; how different would things have been if Dumbledore had gotten his hands on one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes back then? Maybe Regulus would still have died, maybe he would have still insisted on going into that cave alone save for his elf...but other lives might have been saved, if the Black brothers had been on speaking terms...

So in summation, we know that Harry saw, first hand, the kind of damage that clinging to the wounds of the past can do to people.

Now mind you, I’m not saying that some of these grievances were not legitimate things to be upset by. Because they were! And I’m not suggesting that anyone should be “required” to forgive people who’ve hurt them, because nope. Fuck that abusive nonsense. Goodness knows I am a spiteful bitch, and I’m not about to go spouting some “forgiveness is good for the soul” bullshit here! There are things that do not deserve to be forgiven, and anger is at least as powerful a motivator as any other emotion, and there is nothing unhealthy about anger in and of itself; anger can change the world.

However...there is a point where it gets in the way if you can’t learn to work with your anger, if you can’t learn to move on in spite of your grudges. Frankly I like to think that if I were in some kind of Order of the Phoenix situation, and one of my childhood enemies were part of the group too, I would be mature enough to be able to work with the slimy good-for-nothing bastard in a professional, civil manner; not forgiving, not forgetting, but also not focusing on my own wounded pettiness the way Sirius and Snape did. Not constantly re-affirming and reveling in the old slights and torments. There were more important things to focus on than their personal feelings -- but they couldn’t move on from the past; couldn’t live in the present instead. They refused to even try.

And Harry saw that. He saw what that kind of thing does to people, saw how toxic and indeed even fatal it could be; he saw first hand (both in the Pensieve and in the present) how the cycle of hatred between Snape and the Marauders just kept circling around, clawing away at all of them, damning and damaging them all. He watched the past poisoning them for seven years.

And then he looked at his life and, as he had with Dumbledore’s habit of secrecy, he made the conscious decision not to live like that.

That is what Albus Severus’s name represents: healing, closure, moving forward. It shows that all really is well, because Harry has healed. He isn’t a broken shell living in the evils of the past; he’s a whole, healthy human being (scarred, yes, they’re all going to be scarred, and I don’t mean foreheads and arms and backs of their hands) and he is getting on with his life. He’s not wallowing. He broke free from the cycle of hatred that defined the lives of so many of the dead he lost. He isn’t reliving the sins of the past. He’s living.

And the name Albus Severus Potter shows that all is well.

Honestly, it was that name more than the whole rest of the epilogue scene, that made me actually believe the closing line of the series, and I’m sick of people shitting on it because they can’t take two seconds and think it through.

Final Notes in Rebuttal:

Harry didn’t know he was going to have two sons when James was born, so of course the first boy got both names! If he had had twin sons, it probably would have been “James Albus” and “Sirius Severus” -- but nobody ever knows for sure how many kids they’re going to have, okay? So please stop talking about how he ought to have “spread out the names” blah blah blah. That isn’t how procreation works.

Orphaned Harry Potter, who named his kids James and Lily after his own dead parents, was not going to take the name “Remus” away from his own god-son you selfish pieces of trash. That name belongs to Teddy more than it does to him, and Harry would recognize that import because he named his kids after his dead parents, so of course he’s going to leave Teddy the option to do the same! (Besides, it might have been weird for Teddy to grow up with a younger quasi-sibling named after his dead dad or mum, don’t you think? I dunno seems weird to me.) And by the way, Edward Remus Lupin already is named after Moony, so Harry’s already got a son (or god-son, anyway, and don’t even pretend that Harry wasn’t a huge part of Teddy’s life) named after him! You think he’s going to turn around and say, “oh well now someone who matters is named after Remus, and not just you, Teddy” -- which is basically what is being suggested every time someone complains that Harry didn’t name any of his kids after Remus? I don’t bloody think so!

None of the other Weasleys would ever be callous enough to even go near the name “Fred” don’t be an ass. That name belongs to George and George alone and if he never wants to hear the name “Fred” again because it hurts too much then they won’t fucking speak it. And if he wants to name his son after his dead twin, then they will respect that. End of story.

Neither “Albus” nor “Severus” are weird names in wizarding culture. This is a world where Phineas, Arcturus, Rabastan, and Lucius are all quite ordinary names for boys. Albus, in particular, would be a name that was familiar to wizarding society, after Dumbledore’s long and (in)famous career. Do you think Harry’s second son was the first “Albus” to walk through the halls of Hogwarts after Dumbledore’s death? Come on! So no, nobody is going to tease Albus because “his name is weird” pay attention to some basic world building, please!

Frankly giving your kids the names of dead people whom you knew well seems a bit awkward to me; the fact that Harry didn’t know James or Lily, and the fact that he never called either Dumbledore or Snape by their first names, gives those names some remove from immediate usage. It would be like, if I wanted to name a kid after my dead grandmother, I wouldn’t call her “Dottie” which was the name we all used for grandma; I might call her Dorothy, because nobody ever called grandma that, so while the name is still hers it doesn’t trigger immediate associations to grandma in my head, and yet would be a definite gesture toward honoring her. Right? So when Harry shouts, “Albus, stop that!” he isn’t going to automatically feel like he’s talking to Dumbledore...so just, remember that there is some level of remove between the names “Albus” and “Severus” and the people who bore those names, for Harry. So yes, he named his son after a man he hated...but he used a name that was never really associated with that man in his head, and which furthermore was just the kid’s middle name, so...yeah. It was more of a gesture, a symbol, I think. If he’d called him “Snape” it would have been weird; he would have had a hard time shaking the associations of that name, I expect. But the name “Severus” meant as much to him as...well, as the first names of some of your teachers whom you only ever knew as “Mr Smith” or “Ms Jones” etc. And that’s also why Sirius works as a middle name much better than it would as a first name, just btw.

Ginny Weasley grew up with more family than she knew what to do with. Harry grew up with none (oh he had relatives, but the Dursleys weren’t family). Ginny spent her whole life having a family; Harry finally got to make a family of his own (to recreate what he’d lost on Oct 31, 1981) after they got married. Not a family that had welcomed him into its folds, but a family all of his own. That would have meant a lot to him, more than it meant to her; Ginny could take family for granted. You don’t think she understood how important having kids was to him? Yeah, she would have wanted kids too or she wouldn’t have had any -- but it would have been an expected, matter-of-fact thing to her. To Harry...it would have been the whole world. So yes, I expect she was perfectly content to let Harry have the emotional catharsis of suggesting their kids’ names, and going along with his preferences, because it would have meant so much more to him than it did her. Ginny had six brothers. Do you really think Molly and Arthur spent hours and hours picking out big, deep, meaningful names for each of them? Or do you think, more likely, they just picked some names they liked and didn’t make it into a great big deal? So I reckon Ginny looked at it much the same way: “I’ve got kids, does it matter what their names are so long as I can shout them real loud when they do something like blow-up half the house?” (Can you not see Ginny turning to Harry at some point in the middle of the night and saying, “Sirius would be a good middle name for a boy.” And Harry would be all, “Er...yeah, I guess so, but shouldn’t we pick a first name first?” and Ginny just laughing at him and saying, “Oh Harry, please, like I haven’t known what the names of our first son and daughter were going to be since I was first crushing on you when I was ten...” And Harry would blush, and mumble, and admit she was right.)

Naming your kid after a house-elf probably would be a good way to get them teased, however.

[lemedy]

QUICK THOUGHTS ON THE FLASH 3.23: ‘IRIS WEST HAD BETTER NOT FUCKING DIE OR I QUIT EVERYTHING’

IRIS WEST DIDN’T DIE AND I DON’T HAVE TO QUIT ANYTHING

My heart at the way Joe immediately collapses in grief and shock before the big reveal.

Speaking of that reveal, the way that Tom Cavanagh who is very briefly playing as Iris (WORDS I NEVER THOUGHT I’D SAY), really nails the way she picks up the gun to shoot Savitar, realises immediately what’s happened, and is overcome with obvious horror and probable guilt. His quiet ‘oh no’ is very Iris and not HR – it’s a small thing, and it’s really fucking nicely done.

THE DRUMSTICKS. I KNOW IT’S MEANT TO BE SAD AND ALL, BUT I CRACKED UP. THE HIPSTER DRUMSTICKS REVEAL ALL.

I am again trying to think of something I care less about than HR and Tracey’s doomed romance. I am not coming up with much.

That being said, I am super on board with Anne Dudek sticking around because I have had a crush on her since her House days. Coincidence that my interest in House died when her character did? I think not.

Just assume at any point I am Joe and none of this time travel fuckery makes any sense. Just have the characters say ‘paradox’ a lot and there’s your scene.

So unpopular fandom opinion and all, but I’ve never really felt ‘the original Star Labs trio’ of Barry-Cisco-Caitlin. I know there are fans out there that really dig it and feel like that dynamic’s been missing since season one – but I’ve never gotten the same vibe from these three that I have, say, Buffy-Xander-Willow from BVTS. The problem has always been the Barry-Caitlin relationship, in that it’s kind of….well, it exists, and of course they care about each other. But it’s not a hugely strong connection, and I’d say that for Barry it goes Iris->Joe->Cisco->Wally->Caitlin in terms of other characters he cares about (obviously not including his parents).

My point being not to shit on the people who are into that ship, but to say that I do think the show has really sold Cisco and Caitlin’s relationship which is truly excellent, and I do fully believe that it’s by threatening Caitlin that Savitar could get Cisco to even consider helping him.

BARRY SAVING EVIL BARRY WITH THE POWER OF LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP. SOMEONE WAS CLEARLY A SAILOR MOON FAN.

Okay, but who is going to pander to my self-indulgent ass and write a POTO AU with Barry x Iris x Savitar

“HE STOLE MY FUTURE” Tracey, look, I’d love for you to stick around so this show can raise its number of main female characters to three, but sweetie. You knew HR for about two seconds. Sure, he was cute and funny and all, but I guarantee you after date five you would have been pretending to visit your grandmother for the next six months and throwing his drumsticks out the window. You’ll be fine. Date Caitlin instead.

There is seriously not enough Wally in this episode, and I am 99% sure Keiynan had some other shit going on because he has barely been in the last few episodes.

Also Keiynan is one of maybe five Australian actors on US television who didn’t start out as a baby actor on Neighbour or Home & Away. Truly he is exceptional.

“Because we are connected. Jackass”. I love Cindy.

It is good, correct and important that Cisco a) finally reached the Caitlin in Killer Frost b) let her make the choice about taking the cure and c) some of Caitlin came back and knocked Savitar flat on his ass because Cisco is her biggest connection and her best friend and no one is touching his pretty nerd ass with her around.

God, Caitlin’s so much more interesting this way. They finally made me really care about her. Took nearly three seasons, but we’re there.

Yeah okay, I’m done with the Power Rangers reject. Let’s just end it already.

Oh and hey, Dawson’s dad. Yay to see him again.

I was never sold on the Caitlin/Julian relationship, so I give little fucks about that apparently being over. Frankly he should be happy that he’s survived the season, given her track record. I’d like Draco to stick around, because I do really like his dynamic with the team, especially Cisco.

IN THE TRADITION OF KELLY TAYLOR, CAITLIN CHOOSES NEITHER BRANDON OR DYLAN AND CHOOSES HERSELF.

Christ, I am old.

Barry and Iris continue to be one of five heterosexual couples I give a fuck about. LET THEM BE HAPPY.

THREE SECONDS LATER: BARRY GOES TO SPEED FORCE HEAVEN.

GODDAMNIT SHOW, I LIVED THROUGH THIS SHIT ON BUFFY SEASON FIVE WHY DO I NEED TO DO THIS AGAIN.

DOES THIS MEAN CISCO’S GOING TO SACRIFICE A DEER NEXT SEASON TO BRING BARRY BACK.

I APPROVE OF NONE OF THIS.

Oh my god, Candice is killing me with this. Like it’s stupid as hell and comic booky and of course he’ll be back next season, but she is selling it so well.

LET BARRY AND IRIS BE HAPPY NEXT SEASON GODDAMNIT.

[drarryspecificrecs]

Top 10+ longest fics of 2008

✔ chronologically listed || AO3 || as of 2020.08 (988 works)

--- JAN

1. Healing Hands by Draconi [E, 46k]

► Harry Potter has been living the life of a recluse. Will a new friend become the catalyst that will bring him out of seclusion? Sequels : Red Letter [49k] & Myrddin's Henge [49k]

2. Never A Memory by Dotowe [M, 183k]

► Draco Malfoy loses his memory after the battle that destroyed the Dark Lord for good and Harry Potter finds himself protecting the Malfoy heir from renegade Death Eaters who would see him dead for his actions against Voldemort. Then, their world spirals out of control when an unforeseen Prophecy begins the countdown for the End of Days.

3. Of Butterflies in a Hurricane by silver_etoile [E, 93k]

► After Dumbledore's death and Draco's disappearance, Harry knows what he has to do. He must find and save his boyfriend while concealing the relationship, destroy the Horcruxes that will ultimately help him destroy Voldemort, and deal with his grief. With Ron and Hermione by his side, he may just have a chance. Prequel : Falling Away with You [2k]

4. Parity Transformations by Suki Blue [M, 65k]

► Eleven years since he ran from Hogwarts and seven years since the end of the war, Draco has moved on. Now in his late twenties, Draco lives a reclusive life in a tiny village in Hampshire. Never in a million years does he expect to cross paths with Harry Potter again. But he does, and there are two, rather small and rather excitable, complications.

5. Special Gifts by @dianacopland [E, 129k]

► Ten years after a devastating accident costs Harry Potter the love of his life and leaves him with life altering injuries, he is asked to return to Hogwarts to help the child of an old friend, with the help of an old adversary.

--- FEB

6. Marked by Melusine [E, 102k]

► Draco needs protection, Harry needs a distraction, and Ginny has her own problems.

--- MAR

7. Under The Cover Of Darkness by shadowsamurai [E, 129k]

► It’s been 2 months since Voldemort’s defeat, and the wizarding world is slowly returning to normal. But an evil remains, hiding in the shadows. An evil that threatens to destroy everything, and everyone, Harry has worked so hard to protect. But is he strong enough, both in his heart and his mind, to defeat evil once again? Or will darkness finally overcome the light? See what happens when traditional east meets wizarding west, and Harry truly meets his match.

--- APR

8. Dare to Know by dracoredeemed [T, 49k]

► It starts in the dungeon of Malfoy Manor, where Harry et al are being held captive. Draco brings a broken Hermione down to join them and makes them an offer they can't refuse.

9. Undefined by rachel_cm [M, 90k]

► Go inside Draco's mind as he grows up in Malfoy Manor, attends Hogwarts, joins a secret resistence group within the Death Eaters, develops feelings for Harry, and faces Voldemort.

--- MAY

10. Bed of Nails by Alysian_Fields [E, 93k]

► Harry and Draco return to school for their sixth year, their lives drastically changed for the worse. However, they begin to see each other in a whole new light. Featuring a very angst-ridden Harry who's acting out and a very repressed Draco who doesn't know what he wants.

11. Gate of Ivory, Gate of Horn by Wemyss [M, 160k]

► Knowing only what they know before the events of Fifth Year fully befall them, Harry and Draco are dreaming dreams. The same dreams. The same, possibly precognitive dreams. The Headmaster knows this. He also knows that trying to fiddle a prophecy is rather dicey: look at Œdipus at the crossroads, Tom Riddle at Godric’s Hollow...

12. Unfinished Business by rachel_cm [E, 43k]

► What happens when Draco and Harry meet up 10 years after graduation, both still harboring feelings for the other?

--- JUN

13. Reparo by amalin [E, 84k]

► Voldemort's final defeat does not mean Harry Potter's troubles are over; far from it. In the aftermath of war, he returns to a Hogwarts that is fractured and divided, but this is no break that can be fixed with a spell. New owls, fading scars, surprising alliances—and along the way, the hardest task of all, to live with it. ★ Big Bang, Baby : Final Challenge 2008

--- JUL

--- AUG

14. Kiss of a Dragon by DemonVampyreGoddess [E, 71k]

► War brings out the best of some, the worse of others. Harry's world is falling all around him, and no one is there to help except for....Draco Malfoy.

15. The Secret Diary of Draco Malfoy: Aristocrat, Ne'er do Well, Rampant Homosexual by Alysian_Fields [M, 73k]

► Draco is the bitchy gay wizard version of Bridget Jones. And he has a huge crush on a certain Boy Wonder...

--- SEP

16. Double Edged Sword by Romaine [E, 554k]

► Harry thinks his life has been planned out, but the night he comes of age changes everything. Now there are decisions to be made and a path to be chosen, and the choices before him will change the lives of everyone he knows. But when destiny calls, Harry finds himself ready to listen.

--- OCT

17. Reconciliation by kowaiyoukai [M, 63k]

► Draco needs a safe place to stay. So does Harry.

18. Take A Sad Song (And Make It Better) by @femmequixotic [E, 46k]

► The last thing Harry wants is to lose his kids. ★ H/D World Cup 2008

--- NOV

--- DEC

19. Bite Me, Hate Memes by @pir8fancier [E, 44k]

► Draco Malfoy is incensed to realize that someone is trying to usurp his position as the premier Harry Potter hater.

20. Dukedom Large Enough by Alysian_Fields [E, 93k]

► His fortune lost, his family shamed and exiled, Draco feels he has finally found contentment in his new job as Hogwarts librarian. But this is about to change, once Harry Potter, the acclaimed Auror, returns to the school to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts and to turn Draco’s world upside-down!

21. History's Guardian by sollardragon [M, 42k]

► Harry and Draco discover their past are more similar than either realized... thanks to a little help. But at what cost? And what will Dumbledore do to keep his Weapon on track?

---

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