#drarry gay liberation

[exvangelical-christian-nerd]

Some thoughts on Harry Potter, my complicated relationship with it, and the censorship I grew up with

TW Religion., swearing, and mention of adult content type things

Y'all, if you told younger me that I would one day be too liberal for Harry Potter, I would probably have laughed at you. It is really interesting what things come full circle. Growing up, I had to hide my enjoyment of it because all my friends were like "Magic bad." And now I have to enjoy the bits of it I do enjoy privately because JK Rowling is bad. How did this happen? My life is a joke.

This story has played a very important role in my life and I refuse to let some terf ruin it for me. Especially since my main enjoyment of it has been fan content anyway. But I also refuse to give her any platform or support. Sometimes I'll see merch that I want, but I can't buy it (even if I had the money) because royalties. So yeah basically all I've got now is Etsy and Tumblr, and anything I already had. Honestly the hardest part sometimes is I'll see something and want to get it for the young fans of Harry Potter in my life, but for the afore mentioned reasons can't (Occasionally I'm a bad enby and I breakdown and buy something, but it is rare).

This story did so much to help me break free and pushed me into self discovery.

Sirius Black was my comfort character during covid and helped me through some serious (pun intended) dysphoria, when I was in a really bad place. And long before that, Drarry (I know, I'm not proud of that either) and Wolfstar content was some the first, if not the first, openly gay content I actually allowed myself to enjoy. And I'm not alone in that, I've also seen other conservative Christian young people allow themselves to be comfortable with, or at least permit, the existence of Wolfstar. Do you know how huge that is? How important? You know what? If Rowling makes herself so conservative that the conservative Christians allow their children to start reading those books, maybe that's a good thing. Maybe some more baby gays will see themselves.

Even as a young kid these stories made me work through different things, even if I didn't realize it at the time.

If a conservative Christian kid is enjoying these books, y'all, let them. The fact that they are even allowed to read them is huge. If a conservative Christian adult is enjoying them, let them, the fact that they are willing to read them is huge. Honestly, you might have thought these books would cause you to be possessed by the devil the second you touched them, from the way they were treated when I was a kid.

Even if the author is a massive problem, and she is, there's still a lot of good in these stories. And you never know what could happen, and you never know the risk someone took just to get their hands on that series. In conservative Christian circles, the kind of media allowed in is so controlled. Even once you hit a point where it's no longer so controlled by your parents, picking up a "bad" book or other piece of media, can result in intense shaming and ridicule. As a full grown adult, I still hide things, frequently. I still get "sat down" by my parents for lectures on my "spiritual safety", and I don't even live with them any more.

You never know another person's history. Even if you've walked right beside them the whole time. You can't know everything. For some people just watching Disney Characters kiss is big, because it's something they were taught is dangerous. And everything secular is so... villainized. I honestly thought "Call Me Maybe" by Carley Rae Jepsen was about pr0stituti0n, for years, because what I had learned was that all secular music had adult themes and hidden messages.

Shows making a joke of cross dressing and trans people were some of my favorites, because they were some of the only places I ever got to see myself. Bad representation is still representation, and if it's all you have access to, you cling to it like a life raft. I still have things I watch that are just... honestly awful in some respects, but I watch them because they made me feel seen.

All that said, calling people, media, and fandoms out on their bullshit is still important. It's very necessary. But saying people are categorically this or that for liking something, maybe not. I've said it before, blanket banning or promoting is not often a good idea. Suggesting someone look into why they like something or how they engage with the content? I'd say that's good, important even. I'd say always be mindful of how and why you engage with content as well.

[wetassdrarry]

Drarry + Pride

gimme all the gay, they, and LGBTQIA themes pls

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Find your flavor

[friendofhayley]

Drarry Fics to Quarantine to: Below you’ll find 20k+ Drarry fics that will make you want to scream, cry, pace around your living space, and laugh to

🐍 Vortex by @xanthippe74 (20k) Soulmate AU / EWE

“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.

🦁 Evitative by @k-vichan (222k) Slytherin Harry / Slow burn

In the summer before his fifth year at Hogwarts, Harry is drawn to a room in Grimmauld Place. Like the Gryffindor he is, he enters the room without fear. The room is a library, and Harry is surprised to find that he’s eager to learn.

Then he gets the bad news: he’s been accidentally expelled from Hogwarts, and he needs to be sorted again. Everyone is confident that he’ll go straight back to Gryffindor, but with what he's been learning, Harry’s not so sure.

🐍 Nice Things by aideomai (22k) Hogwarts 8th year / Touch-starved boys

The first thing that happened was Theodore Nott came back from France.

This officially put the number of eighth year students up to seven across three different houses, which was, according to McGonagall, quorum, and meant that the school would no longer simply add a few beds to their existing dormitories. Instead, the eighth years would be given their own lodgings. You will be welcomed, McGonagall wrote in a letter that accompanied the standard supply list, and lodged in the Gatehouse.

🦁 survival is a talent by @shanastoryteller (338k+) Soulmate AU / Found family

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–”

🐍 Soup-pocalypse and The Great Curry Cataclysm by @norelationtoatticus (104k) Veela Draco / Pining

Eleven years after the war, Draco Malfoy leads a quiet, boring, and perfectly respectable life, thanks very much. Or, at least he does, until a sudden and very unexpected veela awakening causes him to throw soup all over Harry Potter in the middle of the Ministry cafeteria.

🦁 Twist of Fate by Oakstone730 (302k) Memory Loss / EWE

Draco asks Harry to help him beat the Imperius curse during 4th year. The lessons turn into more than either expected. A story of redemption and forgiveness.

🐍 There Is Always the Moon by @firethesound (159k) Cursed Draco / Fake relationship

Draco's life after the war is everything he wanted it to be: it's simple, and quiet, and predictable, and safe. But when a mysterious curse shatters the peace he'd worked so hard to build, there's only one person he can trust to help him. After all, Harry Potter has saved his life before. Now Draco has to believe that Potter will be able to do it one more time.

🦁 Azoth by zeitgeistic (faire_weather) (88k) Magic nerd boys / Hogwarts 8th year

Now that Harry is back at Hogwarts with Hermione for eighth year, he realises that something’s missing from his life, and it either has to do with Ron, his boggart, Snape, or Malfoy. Furthermore, what, exactly, does it mean when one’s life is defined by the desire to simultaneously impress and annoy a portrait? Harry has no idea; he’s too busy trying not to be in love with Malfoy to care.

🐍 you’ve got the antidote for me by Kandakickass (20k) Soulmate AU / Terminal illness

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.

🦁 Say My Name by Thunderbird487 (199k) Hogwarts 8th year / Character growth

Harry witnesses something unexpected in the 8th year boys' showers and starts to see Draco Malfoy in a whole new light. The question is now, what is he going to do about it?

A coming of age Drarry tale about letting go of the past and building the future.

🐍 Little Deaths and How to Avoid Them (or Draco Malfoy’s Guide to Stop Dying and Start Living Instead) by dustmouth, nerakrose (96k) Asexual Harry / Slow burn

Malfoy is way too interested in coroner reports for somebody who's definitely not looking for ways to die, Harry wants to be friends with him, and Ginny wants to break up with Harry.

Features: Little League Quidditch, an abundance of bath bombs, happy endings, and gay robots in space.

🦁 Tea and No Sympathy by who_la_hoop (70k) EWE / Time loop

It's Potter's fault, of course, that Draco finds himself trapped in the same twenty-four-hour period, repeating itself over and over again. It's been nearly a year since the unpleasant business at Hogwarts, and Draco's getting on with his life quite nicely, thank you, until Harry sodding Potter steps in and ruins it all, just like always. At first, though, the time loop seems liberating. For the first time in his life, he can do anything, say anything, be anything, without consequence. But the more Draco repeats the day, the more he realises the uncomfortable truth: he's falling head over heels for the speccy git. And suddenly, the time loop feels like a trap. For how can he ever get Harry to love him back when time is, quite literally, against him?

🐍 Veela-Struck by Lomonaaeren (148k) Veela Draco / Slow burn

Veela don’t have destined mates, and thank Merlin for that. Draco wants to date Harry Potter because Harry is one of the few people in the wizarding world who treats him decently. But when Harry refuses, with his refusal focused on Draco’s creature blood, Draco sets out on a different journey than he ever expected.

🦁 Purity Control by frnklymrshnkly (28k) Hogwarts 8th year / Redemption

In which Harry tries to ignore his trauma with fantasy Quidditch but Malfoy's Thereness™ is distracting and all his classmates want to talk about are unicorns, virginity, and Muggle music.

🐍 Away Childish Things by @letteredlettered (153k) Hurt/Comfort / EWE

Harry gets de-aged. Malfoy has to help him.

The last thing Harry remembered was talking to a snake. The snake had talked back—or sounded like it had—and then the glass had disappeared, and the snake had escaped. Dudley had blubbered like a baby, and Harry had got in trouble—or he thought he might have done, but that was when it started to get hazy, like grey swirls inside his own head.

[maraudererasmut]

what kinds of things did you do when you were first practicing digital drawing? did you use reference images? where did you find them? anything you would recommend to a baby drawer with a short attention span for instructions?

Well, first and foremost, I’m gonna take a moment to do a little fangirl wiggle, because I’m a huge fan of your work! Thank you for messaging me! 

I’m gonna include a lot of info here, so bear with me! I’ll try to break it down so that it’s easy to understand, but if anyone ha any questions, feel free to ask!

The absolute most important thing for starting out drawing is practice. 

You’re going to hear it from everyone, everywhere, but it’s so very true. When I first started digital drawing, I made sure to use my tablet every single day. Now, that doesn’t mean I spend three hours each day trying to do something amazing; some days I only had a few minutes here and there, but I’d try to sketch something rough, something loose, maybe just a doodle. Maybe it’s a face one day, maybe it’s just a bunch of swirls and stars the next. It doesn’t matter what you draw, as long as you are developing the habit of drawing! No matter what it is you are doing, you’re learning! Playing with brushes to see how they feel on your new drawing program? Learning! Trying to see if one way of colouring is better than another? Learning! Drawing the same nose over and over and over again until you like what you see? Also learning!

Another key step to learning to draw is to identify what you like!

What does that mean? Well, look at other artists who inspire you! Why does their work appeal to you? What is it about their drawings that you LOVE? Once you realize what it is that makes something beautiful to you, you know what to practice and how to learn to adopt that into your own style!

@burdge is an excellent example for illustrating this. They are a fandom artist that has been around for so long, nearly every fandom artist I know has been inspired by them in one way or another!

So what is it about Burdge’s art that I love? I love the closeness that’s portrayed, and the softness. But those are very arbitrary things that are difficult to identify and even more challenging to implement. I love the noses. I love the proportions. I love the hairlines! I love the body movement! Those are things that are a bit easier to pick out and start practicing!

This leads so well into my next point:

It is okay to copy someone else’s work if it’s for practice!

Let’s break this one down, just to ensure that nobody accidentally misinterprets what I’m saying: It is okay to copy someone else’s work if it’s for practice. It is NOT okay to copy someone else’s work and post it, claiming it as your own! If you use a reference picture, generally speaking, most artists will post which reference they use, but I know that I often forget to do that as well! But using a reference picture is different than copying. 

When you copy someone’s work, what you’re really doing is working on identifying what you love about it. You’re practicing drawing in their style! And that’s totally fine! When you’re first starting out, it’s actually really helpful to be able to use someone else’ expertise and practice to guide you to draw something you love! A lot of people have it in their heads that copying = bad. And sometimes it does. But I think it’s important for new artists to get rid of that notion in their heads. Practice is practice. When you practice cooking, you copy other people’s recipes! You’re not going to post those recipes online and say you created them, but you CAN feed them to your friends and you CAN eat them yourself! And if you do post pictures of your food? You can say whose recipe you used and thank them for a great meal! 

We were all starting at one point, and every artist I know started by copying something. 

Use reference pictures! Use them liberally! References are helpful!

Yes, some artists are so good that they do not need reference pictures. That’s fine. Good for them! I’m very proud of them!

When you’re first starting out, you don’t have to worry about that! Don’t get into your own head and tell yourself “Real artists do XYZ, blah blah blah, etc.” None of that is helpful. Use whatever is available to help you improve!

Now the question is what actually makes good reference pictures? Well, everyone uses something a little different. Some people use faces of famous actors, some people use stock photos, some people use other people’s drawings that are specifically made for references! 

What do I do? I save every single photo I come across that inspires me into a folder. I have tons of folders labeled “Reference: Pose” or “Reference: Remus” or “Reference: Gay”. (That one is smut references. :3 )

I use blogs like @posereference and @fantasyartistreference, which I follow on here! I’ve gone through their content and saved photos that I think will inspire me in the future. Sometimes I don’t do anything with them. Sometimes I use them! 

I also take advantage of stock photos. That includes ones that adobe puts onto the internet as well as ones that other artists put! Senshi Stock on Deviant art is an excellent resource that has made a TON of photos available to artists to use for FREE! 

Google is also my friend! I like to google terms like “Couple Pose Reference” or “Couple Kissing”. If you include search terms like “pose reference” you often find that you get things specifically created for artists to use to help with poses!

Look at all the helpful poses! 

Now, this leads us to my next point:

How to use reference images

Everyone does this part differently, too! I’m going to show a few different examples. Let’s use this amazing reference sheet by @kibbi as our example!

Some people like to have their reference photo beside their drawing space, to use for them to look at, simply as a guide:

Some people like to have their pose reference in a layer beneath their actual drawing on a lower opacity so that they can trace right over it:

Often times, what you end up doing is using your traced sketch as your base for your drawing, with your actual drawing over top of it. Essentially, you’re using this time to identify what you DO like about the reference pose and what you DON’T like about it, and changing it!

See how different it’s looking already? I put my own style over top of it, but I used the pose as a reference because I really liked it!

((EDIT: I JUST REALIZED THAT I GAVE SIRIUS THREE ARMS. I AM SO SORRY, GUYS!!!!))

Side by side comparison for the curious:

Eventually, a time will come where you can do simple poses like this without the use of a reference. That’s amazing! You will be so proud of yourself! But if you still need to use references for complicated poses or foreshortening, remember not to beat yourself up about it. It is OKAY to use reference poses, and it is OKAY to take advantage of resources that are available to you! Just try to remember to cite your sources, just like we all did in school! :P

Practice Anatomy

Try doing things like figure drawing! Use sites like Quick Poses to give yourself a timed figure drawing session, if you’re up for it! The more you practice bodies and anatomy, the better you will get at drawing them! Don’t focus too much on anything being perfect; remember to say loose and just aim for general shapes and general proportions.

This isn’t the greatest example, because I didn’t do any dynamic poses, but here are some rough figure sketches:

See how loose I was? See how little I cared about it looking nice? That’s the best way to start a sketch! Just with loose scribbles!

The same thing can apply to faces:

Learn the rules, and then learn when to break them!

Just like writing, where you have “rules” for writing an essay, in drawing, you have rules for anatomy! But… I don’t always love to follow those rules. It’s important to understand human anatomy (if you plan to draw humans), and then figure out where you want things to be exaggerated in order to create your own style! Here’s an example:

The same rules apply to musculature! It’s important to understand what muscles go where and how they move in order to properly draw them consistently! However! That is something a bit more complicated that we can go into another time! I don’t think that would be included in my simple break-down of drawing!

And… last but not least…

Have fun!

You’d think this one would go without saying, but I’m going to specify it anyway. If you are NO LONGER enjoying drawing what you’re drawing, STOP. Don’t just draw humans because I told you to practice anatomy! If you’re not having fun, you’re going to grow to resent it, and we don’t want that! Draw whatever it is that you want! If you want to draw the same two men hugging over and over and over and over and over (Case in point: my entire blog), you do that! Ignore everything I said about knowing anatomy and about reference pictures and about anything! Just do exactly what makes you happy, nothing more and nothing less. Practicing should be fun, and the moment it’s no longer fun, you’ll begin to lose your passion. So… move on to something else that’s fun! Tired of drawing Wolfstar? (Pfff, that’s impossible, but okay). Move on to Drarry! Or to Linny! Or to a different fandom! Or to flowers! Or to still life! Or to whatever you think will bring back that spark!

Because that’s what drawing is all about. It’s just another form of expression and another way to have fun!

ANYWAY! I know this was SUPER long! I hope it was at least somewhat helpful! I’m not an expert, not by any means, but I enjoy doing this, and I am still working on improving! If anyone has any more questions, shoot me a message!

[neoromances]

red, white, and royal blue: my thots - i didnt realize this was adult fiction the cover looks like every YA romance novel that has ever been made, ever - didnt expect the audiobook reader to speak aloud some non-explicit M-rated smut, but thats all on me. this was longer than i thought it would be everything is under the cut :)

what i liked: - cute and silly rom-com moments - all the characters are relatively functional competent adults and its not     infantilizing - enemies to lovers (-ish? does enemies count if youre both faking it?) - explicit minority representation - acknowledgement of the british royals as a legacy of colonialism and imperialism - acknowledgement of some american queer history what i disliked (aka my minor criticisms): - if youre going to be a millenial harry potter nerd the least you could do is not write drarry fanfiction and then publish it with different names <3 -  if youre going to be a millenial hamilton the musical nerd the least you could do is acknowledge that the only reason you keep bringing up alexander hamilton is because of some musical. and this isnt even a call to validation for the millenial hamilton nerd reader, im not even entirely sure there was a reason to bring UP the recurring motif of hamilton because the author really doesnt do anything with it other than for the author to be like “look i listened to this musical back in 2016 and i really like it soo.....” - its a romcom so this isnt. a huge criticism but the plot was very,,, predictable. not inherently a bad thing because i didnt come into this fiction with the expectations of a tragedy or major plot twists or anything, but, within the genre of rom-com romance novels the story itself limited by the fact that its universally expected to have a happy ending. - throwaway cheap one-liners that represent both the characters and the authors political takes - that ending with the election result was the most boring shit in my LIFE. wrap it up, folks, i honestly dgaf about alex’s mom’s campaign. this is a romcom i know shell win.

what i really disliked: - the treatment of british and american political spheres. aka this wet-dream liberal america. this america that elects some woman president two terms in a row, and not donald trump. again: this book is a rom com and im NOT expecting it to delve into the deficits of the current american government but it feels weak that its only really a vague one-liner near the beginning that acknowledges the US imperialist state and the fact that the MC’s mom is a war criminal. - okay yeah i KNOW it was written pre-pandemic and there was absolutely no WAY the author could have predicted it but the fact that she chose to set it in the future during the 2020 elections,,, not much i can say but BIG yikes. it comes off as insensitive and yes- adds to this above image of a perfect, democratic, idyllic, founding-father perfectionist patriotic america that doesnt get involved into these things like pandemics. - the main baddie (vaguely?) is a republican which in and of itself is representative of the narrow-mindedness of the author- (as in: democrats=good, republicans= bad and evil and conservative and campaign-sabotaging). truth is theyre all bad <3 - again, the richards or whatever they were were painfully supposed to be a trump mirror but it was done very poorly the only realistic thing in this novel was that no federal reform or election drop ever came of the confirmed sabotage of the claremont campaign. - hatsune miku binder thomas jefferson but its gay latino bernie sanders - this book was so pandering towards america the brave + the beautiful and other patriotic bullshit while it kept relentlessly criticizing britain for having the exact same nationalist ideas.

its a cute story; its commercial adult fiction in this new age where its possible to monetize off of queer stories. would this story have worked it if were a straight couple? i mean, yeah. at least in the spheres that im in, this book is popular because its queer fiction. the author does go into attempts to look at the realistic political ramifications of a high-profile same-sex couple but in the america that im seeing right now? its not viable. in the creation of this utopia where the queer and high-profile gay characters arent subject to endless scrutiny and vitrol (something that the author could have looked at more instead uhhh, i dont know, the mom-presidents political campaign), mcquinston has effectively created this book that is so distanced from the political happenings of realities she may as well have written henry as the prince and alex as the son of the leader of two completely fictional, made-up countries and gotten the exact same story across.

[drarryruinedme7]

prompt: drarry for "you're not in love with me." angst with happy ending if possible. thanks

Hi @okaypottah I am sorry this took me so long, but RL stuck in the middle. Anyway, here we are and I hope you’ll like this! Thanks to precious @inevitabledrarry and @random-realist for helping me with ideas and beta work!! ❤️

Rating: MatureWarnings: explicit sexual content, angsty, but it’s sweet I promise, bottom!Harry Word count: 2.2k

Drarry + “You’re not in love with me.” (angst with happy ending)

“THEN ASK ME TO STAY!” Malfoy was yelling, his nostrils flared, face red, eyes shining.

Harry was sick of everything and he spat angrily, “STAY!”

A lonely tear rolled down Malfoy’s cheek. “You don’t mean it.” A shrieking noise, a pop, and he was gone.

*****

Harry was pacing back and forth in the kitchen, a mug of warm tea forgotten on the table.He glanced at the wooden clock on the wall, above the fridge: 8 p.m. He should’ve arrived already. Harry approached the window and moved the curtain apart, to see if Malfoy was arriving. He nearly had a heart attack when he saw him, walking with a pair of black sunglasses and a v-neck shirt. Harry was waiting for him, but he still didn’t know if he’d really show up until he saw Malfoy about to ring the doorbell of his house.

Harry reached the door and before opening it, took a deep breath and closed his eyes, repeating in his mind that he could do this; that if he had faced Voldemort, surely he’d get through this thing with Malfoy. He gripped the handle of the door and opened it, revealing a too gorgeous Malfoy perched on the wall, sunglasses pulled over his head.He smirked and held out a hand, “Potter.”Harry’s heart was dancing in his belly, making him feel dizzy, but he couldn’t show that to Malfoy. It wasn’t a courtesy call.He nodded and replied, “Malfoy” gripping his slender hand.

Harry moved slightly to his right and gestured Malfoy to come in. He entered the house slowly, looking around and slightly brushing his hand on the railings of the stairs. “Ah, it’s good to be here again.”

Harry closed the door with that little bit more strength than really necessary.It’s good to be here again?He clenched his fists and went straight for the kitchen, hoping Malfoy would take the hint.A second after, Malfoy entered the kitchen and sat on a chair, looking Harry in the eyes.“C’mon, Potter, stop this silent treatment.”Harry’s eyebrows furrowed and a thousand thoughts raced through his mind, but all he said was, “Malfoy, I’ve accepted for one reason and one only. Because you threatened me, Head Auror, to divulge your memories of us fucking if I rejected. So, go on and explain to me how this would work.”Harry was proud of himself; He managed to say that without stumbling on the word fucking as he always did when he rehearsed the speech alone, in front of the mirror. They didn’t fuck, or, at least, Harry didn’t fuck with Malfoy. He made love to him. He had been hopelessly in love with Malfoy for too long now, but Malfoy had shown more than once that it wasn’t the same for him.

After the first time they had sex, Malfoy came back to pinch and prod Harry, mock him, behaving as nothing had happened. Harry tried to talk with him, but Malfoy always slipped out of the conversation, making a joke, clapping Harry’s shoulder and saying something about being drunk and young, and they never talked about it again.But then the episodes succeeded one another: they would have sex or blowjobs or hand jobs at Ministry meetings, gay pubs, Hogwarts reunions, birthday parties. Every time it was the same: they’d tried to avoid each other until one of them would be too tipsy and approached the other. They would always go to Harry’s apartment and Malfoy would always disappear after their intercourse. Until once Harry was sick of the situation and told him that things had to change. He half expected Malfoy to ask him to date, but he didn’t. He got angry and told Harry that all he had to do was ask him to stay, but when Harry did, Malfoy just Disapparated.  

After two years of silence, here Malfoy was, asking Harry for help. And obviously, Harry said yes; the threat wasn’t even necessary, but Malfoy didn’t need to know that.He adjusted the table cloth so that it was perfectly aligned with the table and looked at Harry, starting to explain.“Now now Potter, I didn’t threaten you. I merely suggested it could be favorable for you to agree with my request. You know that next week there’s a charity ball for the house elves liberation and I’ll need to be there. A lot of important people will attend it and it will be the right occasion for me to show them I’ve changed, and am a good party for cooperation. What I need is a partner for the ball. So, yes, what I’m asking you is to be my fake date.”

Harry listened to all his rambling without blinking. He didn’t want to miss the smallest change in Malfoy’s tone, behavior, the color of his face or movement of his eyes. Unluckily, Malfoy was specialized in hiding his emotions and putting a blank mask.Harry was thrilled at the idea of dancing with Malfoy and he knew it was wrong, that this was all fake, but he couldn’t help it. Hoping it would calm him down, he took a sip of his – now cold – tea, and told his mug.“Malfoy, I understand why you would need to attend this ball. What I don’t completely understand is why you asked me to be your date. Erm, I mean, fake date. You’ve plenty of blokes that would like to date you.”Harry felt his face tinting red and he blew into his mug, in an attempt to make steam come out of it and partially cover his face. It didn’t work. When he flicked his eyes up, it was to see Malfoy smiling smugly.“I did forget that you’re a total moron, Potter. Yes, a lot of blokes would like to date me but to show up with you, of all people, at my side? That’d be perfect.”

Harry was fed up at this point. “Malfoy, we had something, and you disappeared. We never talked about it. And now you use that against me, to have me at your side at a charity ball and I, I… Merlin, you know I’d say yes anyway, for fuck’s sake!”

Malfoy did wince at that, the smirk disappearing from his face. He was torturing a cuticle on his finger and cleared his throat. “Listen, I’ll pick you up next Tuesday at 7.30. Remember to wear a suit.”

Harry stayed there, staring at his mug and thinking about all the possible scenarios of the charity ball until a splitting headache started torturing him. He decided to go to sleep without having dinner, dreading next week’s arrival.

******

Fake smiles, fake caresses, fake kisses, fake words.It was proving to be a horrible night for Harry, who was washing his face in the bathroom. He probably overestimated his acting abilities, because it was becoming more and more hard to stay at Malfoy’s side and kiss him, or slightly brush their fingers, their hands or arms, to dance together, to stare into his eyes and smile to him. It came naturally, their bodies clinging together and searching each other of their own accord; Their movements attuned, their words linked. Whenever Harry would start saying something, Malfoy would finish the sentence in just the right way, with the right words, laughing softly, stroking Harry’s back or neck. It was driving Harry crazy.

Malfoy entered the bathroom shortly after; Harry was bent over the sink, water dripping from his face. He turned to look at him, no words necessary: Malfoy strode towards him, pulled him up by his collar, pushed him inside a cubicle and kissed him hard, shoving his tongue into his throat, touching everywhere, panting, moaning. In a second, Harry was grinding against Malfoy’s thigh, desperate, hot, mouth going to lick his throat, hands sliding under their shirts.

They fucked hard and fast, Harry smashed on the door, Draco behind him, pounding into him with increasing force, whispering into Harry’s ear, “So good, so, so, good, Potter, I missed this, fuck yes.”Harry was an incoherent mass of whines, gasps, grunts, and “more” and “faster” until he spilled hot cum in Malfoy’s hand, right in time with Malfoy releasing his orgasm into him. Merlin, it felt right.They pulled apart, Malfoy tucked his cock in his trousers, slicked back his hair again, planted a kiss on Harry’s lips and exited the cubicle.Just like that. Harry took a moment to adjust his suit and made his way back to the ballroom, but Malfoy was nowhere to be seen. He apologized with the other hosts and ended up back home with an empty bed.

He saw Malfoy again a week after, soaked in rain, outside the door of his house. Harry was walking back home from work, to clear his mind, with an umbrella charm on himself to avoid the rain.He slowly reached the stairs that led to his door and climbed them, until he was face to face with Malfoy. Not only rain was streaming down his face.In a rush, Harry hugged him tight, afraid of losing him again. Malfoy hunched his head into Harry’s neck and started sobbing, uncontrollably, until Harry dragged him inside.

He used a drying charm over Malfoy and put on the kettle to make a hot tea. Malfoy was still sobbing, and Harry felt his own eyes stinging. He cleared his throat to take a hold of himself.“Malfoy, what happened?”

Malfoy sniffled and wiped his nose on his sweater sleeve. Harry had never seen him this wrecked. He looked up at Harry with puffy red eyes and started tripping on words.“I c-can’t do t-this, Potter. I j-just can’t.”Harry waited a few seconds for him to continue, but when he remained silent, Harry encouraged him.“What can’t you do?”

Malfoy opened his mouth to talk again but no sound came out; He gaped at Harry in a silent cry and Harry hurried to take him into his arms, rubbing a soothing hand on his back and lulling him slightly back and forth. Harry kissed his temple and whispered into his ear, to calm him down.“Mal – Draco, breathe. You’re worrying me. I can’t understand you if you don’t talk to me. Close your eyes and breathe, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”Harry felt Draco’s breath ghosting on his neck, making gooseflesh raise long his back. After some deep breaths, Draco pulled away and looked at their clasped hands. With a firmer voice, he managed to talk to Harry:“I know I’ve been shitty with you. That I’d show up, ask you something, be the usual git with you, kiss you, hug you, fuck you…and then, I’d just disappear like a true arsehole. But, b-but…” he stopped, looking somewhere behind Harry.Harry tried to supply him, “You don’t have to explain anything, Draco. You’re not in love with me. It’s okay, but you could have – ”

Harry didn’t manage to finish the sentence: Draco placed a finger on his mouth, caressing his bottom lip and he resumed.“Merlin, Harry, you’re so fucking blind. That’s not what – ugh. Listen, I’ve had some difficulties these past years. After the war, I couldn’t feel anything anymore. I wasn’t happy or sad or angry or troubled just… nothing, nothing at all. Do you know how that feels? I thought I was dead inside, I thought I couldn’t recover from it. And then you happened, and I started feeling something? I was… worried when you appeared in the papers, worried I’d see you with someone else. Happy when you looked at me, stupidly delighted when you kissed me or touched me and it – it scared me. Harry. It scared me because I slowly understood that I – I. I love you. And how can it be a good thing? You deserve so much better than the mess I am, and I have no idea how love works… I just don’t think I can live life like a normal person. Every time we were together you would look at me, and in your eyes, in your breathtaking emerald eyes, I would see promises of happiness, a family, love, children, a house, breakfast in bed, kisses, cuddles, and I’m not - I’m not ready for that, I’m not the right person for that. You deserve someone else, someone who didn’t make the stupid choices I did, and this, this awareness scares me so much because there’s nothing more in life I want than being with you.”

Malfoy’s hands were trembling towards the end of his speech; Harry stood there, trying to process what he’d heard, and recover from it.Draco had just admitted to loving him and to wanting Harry more than everything else in life.Harry’s heart was doing somersaults; He took Draco’s face between his hands, kissed his nose. Then his eyes, his forehead, his cheeks, his chin, his ears. Light brushes of lips against skin. He kissed Draco’s tears away.

“We’ll work on everything you need together, Draco. The important thing is that we are together. I don’t mind as long as I can be yours. Just promise me something. From now on, we’ll be honest with each other.”

Draco squeezed Harry’s hands and smiled softly, whispering, “Ask me to stay.”

Harry’s eyes brightened. He asked, voice shaking with emotion, “Stay.”

And Draco stayed. Forever.

[ashes-and-ashes]

Draw Us

~okay, so apparently my super crappy drarry sick muggle au somehow was actually decent. so, this is my attempt at part 2. again, sorry if this is bad or anything - I really can’t do fluff!!~

Tagging: (just people who seemed interested in it in Part 1) @stevecarlsbergstolemycookies @shelbylpierson @slytherwitches @princessofweirdos @thatmadwomaninthelibrary @scarheaded-ferret @blackpinkdolan

~

He was honestly getting tired of Harry’s fussing.

Two days, shut up in the house, lying in bed as Harry brought him tea and toast and generally spoiled him. He wasn’t allowed out of bed, wasn’t allowed to do anything but sit in bed and stare at the ceiling, while Harry played on his phone.

It was driving Draco crazy, having Harry this close, and yet so far.

It was small things - the careful way he stirred the sugar into Draco’s tea (four tablespoons and a splash of milk), the sunlight gleaming in his hair as he adjusted the blinds, the feeling of his wrist against Draco’s face as he checked his temperature. He wished he had his sketch pad, wished he was good enough to translate this feeling into something tangible.

Draco scowls at the heat in his cheeks. It’s the fever, he tells himself. It’s the fever.

He almost sighs with relief when he hears the door open, Harry’s steady footsteps filling the room. Draco props himself up on unsteady elbows, rolling his eyes as Harry sets the tray down and rushes over to slide pillows underneath him. “For the last fucking time, Potter. I’m okay.”

Harry just shrugs, adding liberal amounts of sugar to Draco’s tea. “Who says I’m doing this for you? I’m getting paid for this, doorknob.”

Draco glares down at the mug proffered to him. “Tea? Again? Why?”

Harry smiles, holding the mug out until Draco takes it, his fingers brushing against Draco’s. “Because. When you’re sick, you lose a lot of fluids. You need to keep hydrated, otherwise it’s harder to recover.”

Draco groans. “Who told you that?”

Harry shrugs. “Fucking Wikipedia.”

Draco arches his eyebrow, letting the warmth of the tea seep into his chilled fingers. “You’re fucking Wikipedia?”

“Is that jealousy I detect?”

With an eye roll, Draco sips the tea, the sweetness overcoming the budding headache. He stretches, his back cracking, warm and comfortable in his bed, as Harry lets his gaze fall over his room.

It’s very messy. Pads of paper lying on the ground, paint and watercolor stacked on boxes, pencils and things of ink on top of crumpled sweaters and socks. Harry sighs, rubbing the back of his neck (Draco trying not to peak at the small sliver of skin where his shirt rode up) “I would clean this up but - “

“Yeah.” With a smile, Draco places the empty mug on his nightstand. “That’s like...third date territory. We might as well be dating.”

It’s meant to be an offhand comment, but Harry flushes and looks down. Draco curses, his insides shriveling up. He had hidden that part of himself for so long, the only secret that his parents did not know, and here he was, vomiting out all of his wishes to Harry. He shakes his head, cursing himself. “Oh, shit, sorry Harry, I - “

Harry interrupts him, pulling out a random sketchbook. “Can I see?”

Draco feels like he’s on the edge of a cliff, staring down into emerald green waters as the waves beat against the shore. It’s oddly intimate, letting Harry see his drawings, almost like handing Harry the key to his mind and letting him rummage through. Harry hesitates, quickly setting the book down. “Oh. Sorry. I-I mean I don’t have too, I was just...curious.”

Draco takes a deep breath and jumps. “It’s fine. You can look.” He winces. “They’re...um. They’re pretty crappy. Some of them, anyways.”

Harry just glances at him, green eyes meeting silver. “How could I think that anything you do is crappy?”

It’s as if he’s swallowed something. A lump appears in his throat, suffocating him, as Draco forces a tiny smile. It’s lost, though, as Harry sits next to him, crossing his legs underneath him, and opens the sketchbook.

The first page is nothing, just a few splotches of ink and a streak of charcoal. The pages are yellowed, slightly wrinkled, as Harry flips the page.

It’s mainly sketches, a bottle, a champagne glass, broken glass and the night sky. There are other things too - intertwined hands and fingers through hair and bodies pressed together, all spines and legs and necks.

Harry stops on one page, a small drawing of two people kissing. It’s blurry, a smear of lead, but it’s obvious that they’re two boys, dark hair mixing with light, against a wall, snow coming down in buckets around them. “When did...when did you draw this?”

Draco shrugs. “Don’t know. Can’t be bothered to put a date.”

He swallows, hard, trying to gauge Harry’s reaction. His face is set, teeth worrying at his lip, and Draco’s heart leaps into his throat. Please, let him be okay, don’t make him go, please let him be okay.

The silence stretches, thick and heavy, like strings of golden syrup on a hot day. He tastes blood in his mouth, and realizes that he’s bitten through his cheek, copper filling his mouth, and Draco curses. “You know.”

Harry looks up. “Know what?”

Draco sighs. “Oh, don’t bullshit me Harry. You know what...what I feel. Anyone who looks at this knows what I feel.”

Harry’s voice is too light, too careful. “What exactly do you feel?”

“I...” Draco closes his eyes. “Goddamn it. I’m not good with words, Harry. If I could just draw it - “

He feels a pencil being pressed into his hand, Harry’s face still emotionless. “Then draw it, Draco.”

So he does.

It’s small things, dozens of sketches. Mugs of tea, sugar spread over the table, splotches of milk and jam and cream. An empty house, the silence that presses down, the disapproval and the glares. Rooftops, nights spent talking and laughing. He draws the sunset, the first time they met, and the sunrise, the first time they actually stopped to talk. He draws a narrow bed, a dark haired boy next to a light haired boy, and he draws the way their hands touch. He draws laughter and contentment, swear words intertwined like fingers, and he draws a pair of silver eyes, catching onto a pair of green ones. An entire page of this, small details, his entire heart spilled out in lead on paper.

Draco holds his breath as he hands the paper to Harry. “This. This is what I feel.”

There’s silence again, agonizing and unending, and then Harry sighs, puts the paper down and kisses Draco.

It’s a soft kiss, a brushing of lips, Harry’s fingers coming up to tangle in Draco’s hair. It’s light, careful, spider silk in the wind, and Draco is smiling against Harry’s lips as he kisses him again and again, sunlight spilling down on them.

When they finally break apart, Harry’s eyes are wide, his hands brushing over his own lips. “I never thought....”

Draco shakes his head. “Me neither.”

Harry smiles. “I thought you were straight.”

Draco raises an eyebrow, unable to keep the grin off his face. “I always knew you were gay.”

Harry whacks him with a pillow, laughing, as Draco pulls him down again into another kiss. “Next time, I’m drawing this.”

Harry closes his eyes. “Next time, draw us.”

[drarryismymuse]

Tag Meme Game

Tagged by @macremme - Thanks!

When you get this, please post 10 facts about yourself, then tag 10 followers.

1. I have shipped Drarry my whole life, but just discovered fanfic was a thing about 2 months ago. This has been a game changer.

2. I am of the generation that literally grew up alongside Harry, Draco, and the others. I’m talking midnight release parties at B&N for each book release where my grandmother had to drive me b/c I wasn’t old enough yet and didn’t have a flying broom.

3. I have 4 tattoos, with number 5 and 6 already planned (cat and whomping willow) and I would really love #7 to be Drarry-related, but I haven’t thought of a tasteful and timeless design yet.

4. I can’t draw to save my life, but I so desperately want to draw like the artists I follow that I am getting a drawing tablet and have bought self-teaching books. I will force these clumsy hands to make something beautiful eventually.

5. I own a Sphynx cat (the hairless kind) and she is the love of my life. 

6. I grew up in a very conservative Southern home where I always followed the rules, but by my sophomore year of college I morphed into the super gay, super liberal nightmare my parents dreaded. I wear the black rainbow sheep badge proudly.

7. I am currently taking a Burlesque dance class and it is so much fun. I love how body-positive the Burlesque community is and how it empowers women to own their sexuality.

8. Coffee is my favorite beverage in the universe. Soda is a close second, but coffee is my #1 and can solve most of my problems, at least while the mug is hot and full.

9. I think I have reverse seasonal-disorder. The summer makes me angry, and my pale skin hates the sun. However, a crisp, cloudy, somewhat misty winter day lifts my spirits without fail.

10. I feel like Pluto should still be a planet. It was/is my favorite. 

As for tagging others, literally everyone I have thus far interacted with on this platform have already been tagged, so I think I am going to skip the tags. I don’t want to be the weirdo that double tags folks, so I hope not tagging is less of a faux pas. 

[potterficrec]

Summary:

It's Potter's fault, of course, that Draco finds himself trapped in the same twenty-four-hour period, repeating itself over and over again. It's been nearly a year since the unpleasant business at Hogwarts, and Draco's getting on with his life quite nicely, thank you, until Harry sodding Potter steps in and ruins it all, just like always. At first, though, the time loop seems liberating. For the first time in his life, he can do anything, say anything, be anything, without consequence. But the more Draco repeats the day, the more he realises the uncomfortable truth: he's falling head over heels for the speccy git. And suddenly, the time loop feels like a trap. For how can he ever get Harry to love him back when time is, quite literally, against him?

Tea and No Sympathy is possibly the first fic that made me ship drarry. The fic that showed me it was possible and all the ways it worked. It will always have a special place in my heart.

That said I’ve read this fic three times and each time I forget just how much is in it. I remember the basic plot but I’ll be reading it and then be “OOHH, THIS IS THE FIC THAT HAS THE PERFECT SCENE WITH HAGRID AND BUCKBEAK” or “Omg the gay bar bit!” “GAH the smol owl!!”

It has such a perfect ending and Dracos character growth is so believable and precious. We see him in the beginning still striving for approval, knowing something is wrong but unable to break the patterns he’s lived all his life to BURNING THAT SHIT TO THE GROUND.

My favourite line is when Harry and Draco are competing about bad things in their lifetime and Draco says "Let's just take the "Voldemort tried to murder me again" as read, shall we? Don't be boring, Potter.” There’s something so them about that line and sums up everything I love about drarry.

Basically a great fic. Read right now.

Words:70045 Chapters:11/11 Rating:Explicit No Archive Warnings Apply

[nottooldforthisship]

Ah, I should've known there were multiple fics called "Famous Last Words," haha. I'll totally have to read the one you linked, but I was thinking of the one by JenNova that starts here: /works/512279. It's a series where the pack institutes a buddy system for, like, sex pollen situations. It's great! Also bonus drarry: "The Vanishing Department" by dicta_contrion, "Tea and No Sympathy" by who_la_hoop, and "The Venice Job" by nishizono. Hopefully you haven't read all those yet? ~sterek anon

Oops ! I didn’t see this message sorry ! I’m gonna fix the Sterek rec then ;)

Thanks for the Drarry fics love !! I haven’t read any of them !

- The Vanishing Department : The things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, even if that involves a lot more form-filling, bickering, covert glancing, miscommunication, and flying furniture than we might expect. (47k)

- Tea and No Sympathy : It's Potter's fault, of course, that Draco finds himself trapped in the same twenty-four-hour period, repeating itself over and over again. It's been nearly a year since the unpleasant business at Hogwarts, and Draco's getting on with his life quite nicely, thank you, until Harry sodding Potter steps in and ruins it all, just like always. At first, though, the time loop seems liberating. For the first time in his life, he can do anything, say anything, be anything, without consequence. But the more Draco repeats the day, the more he realises the uncomfortable truth: he's falling head over heels for the speccy git. And suddenly, the time loop feels like a trap. For how can he ever get Harry to love him back when time is, quite literally, against him? (70k)

- The Venice Job : Harry Potter was one of the youngest Aurors in history. He was the Boy Who Lived, and the Boy Who Lived Again. He loved Guinness and Quidditch, and hated pineapple. He wrote letters to Hagrid every Thursday, and on Sundays, he visited Hermione and Ron. Harry Potter was also not gay. (25k)