#the disappearances of draco malfoy was at such an interesting point

[ednamode1]

Staring at my my phone and thinking about where it all went wrong now that ao3 is down:

If someone wants to help a girl out and send her the ePub version of “The Disappearances of Draco Malfoy” then I’ll be forever grateful 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

[orchidego]

ao3 has taken me places I wouldn't even go to with a g*n

smoking on that dramione pack

( @ailenach asked me for a dramione rec list so that's what this post is, anyone else read at your own risk )

Compiler’s note - skip down to the list if you don’t need to know why/what exactly I like in fic!

aka my dramione ethos: The most compelling dynamic in a ship, for me, is when it comprises of two people giving each other the strength to be the people they need to be.

Before he can be loved, Draco must be redeemed. In a way, he’s awfully bad at being a blood supremacist (lacking real conviction). Draco’s Slytherin morality, at least as a teen, compels him only in the direction of protecting and preserving himself and his own; he doesn’t seem to have a morality outside of this. Everything else is borrowed from his fear and desire to conform to his loved ones’s expectations. Contrast with Hermione, who has an outsized sense of morality—she knows exactly what is good and right, and she throws herself into her causes with self-righteous conviction, headstrong and beautifully off-putting.

Draco, the boy who belonged everywhere, watched his fragile worldview turn to ash and became unmoored. Hermione, the girl who belonged nowhere, bent the world towards her through obstinate radiant willpower, and established herself. Two people who could, maybe, find a home in each other.

A Draco in love with Hermione might wrap his morality around her courage, might steady himself while in the service of her. A Hermione in love with Draco might be preserved by him, may be bolstered against burning out or being misunderstood or unseen. They’re both industrious with their respective tasks (she researches! he toils!), which lends itself to them having intellectual parity. They’re both kind of intense. Then there’s the general enemies to lovers appeal, the idea that at no point in time were these two characters ever indifferent towards each other. The banter potential alone…!

So this is some of the kind of exploration I like in fic, pressed in many different tones; ff is especially unique in that we can play around with the elements (AUs, contrived circumstances, tonal shifts, narrative beats) and be more experimental because the weight of canon grounds it.

My rec list:

Before I truly begin, I feel like I have to comment on it: I did ultimately enjoy Manacled. A "Voldemort wins" fic with a Handsmaid Tale twist; it has compelling structure, with a D/Hr dynamic suited to my tastes and what I find interesting about the characters. However, it's dark (mind the tags) and I’m still not certain if the content was handled as effectively as the author meant it to be, and so I don't think it's a universal recommendation despite its staggering popularity. If you do want to read this I would recommend downloading it because she's going to delete it off ao3 once the novelization of it comes out next year.

My quintessential dramione recommendation is, of course, The Disappearances of Draco Malfoy. It's a full Deathly Hallows rewrite where Draco goes Horcrux hunting with the trio and as far as I'm concerned, it's canon. Unlike every other fic on my list, I would recommend this to everyone. Written very closely in style to the books, I think it has universal appeal and it’s the perfect jumping off point for the pairing while being convincing. Sometimes I would find myself wishing that this was the direction the books had taken. PG-13, in terms of violence and sexual content, which I find significant enough to bring up since there’s usually a lot of sex in popular ff.

My favorite humor-based rec: Bad Omens. Written in the vein of Terry Pratchett. I would describe this as a "star-crossed morons" kind of story. It's literally perfect.

Remain Nameless. Caveat that this sort of trailed off for me once the central tension with the relationship was resolved but I think in terms of an adult redemption arc it was very sweetly done. Sometimes achingly tender.

The Fallout is probably my favorite “extended wartime” fic of all time. The intimacy in this makes me want to kms, in a good way. I'm linking to a downloadable pdf here since it's been removed off other sites.

Love in The Time of Zombie Apocalypse. Zombie outbreak AU. Strays from canon characterization but. Plot goes crazy. Complex character work. Hooked me all the way through.

Thirteenth Night. Post-war, Hermione assigned to monitor a memory-charmed Draco. Less epic than a lot of the other recs on this list because the scope of the world is small, but it’s quietly good.

This is just my plug for anything PacificRimbaud has ever written, but particularly the historical rom com Love and Other Historical Accidents, the raunchy and funny One and Done, and the tender romantic one-shot Les Pelerins.

BLOODY, SLUTTY, AND PATHETIC. Listen to me. Listen to me. The title sort of explains the tone and it carries entirely throughout. I am obsessed with this version of Draco. All men should be bloody slutty and pathetic. Post-war, ministry employee Hermione, marriage law AU (which tbh I don't tend to love usually, so this really is exceptional).

She Whom He Harbors. Ok before you read the summary/tags and judge me, yes, this is basically a "fuck or die" fic. I figured I needed to make the rec in case this is a vibe anyone is interested in pursuing. But it's not just gratuitous smut, I swear, there's a compelling plot here. Lot of orgasms. But there is a plot.

Brand New World. Epic in scope. Diverges in plot while they're still at Hogwarts. Great Draco redemption arc (which is important to me!)

The Gloriana Set. ThebeMoon is my personal queen of Hogwarts Eighth Year fics. I would also rec The Darkwood Wand, by the same author. Both very fun reads.

Things Without Remedy. Time travel! Adore the serious relationship build in this one.

Tea & Necromancy. Sort of an experimental tone. Equal parts funny and morbid.

Sucker Punch. Also would classify this as experimental; you'll know if you jive with the writing within a few paragraphs.

Choice and Chance. Absolutely delicious plot divergence at the point of Hermione's torture at Malfoy Manor. Involves multiverse elements.

Beyond Recall or Desire. If you like soulmate bonds!

Malfoy Shrugged. On the shorter side; just a great two-shot.

Tromp as Writ. While I'm recommending perfect one-shots.

Mindbound. This author has a series of very short works based on fairy tales. This one is my favorite but I'd recommend the others too.

Past / Present / Future. Barbara Kruger AND a perfect adult Draco characterization? J’adore.

My very last recommendation is something that is so important to me, but I'm separating it like this because it's a WIP whereas all the others are completed fics. Please don't let that deter you, if at all interested.

Lionheart. !!!!

What can I say about Lionheart, except that its author somehow resides in my brain and created something for me, specifically? I've really so rarely read fic that is so perfectly balanced in dialogue, character understanding, narrative arc, plotting, action—when I read this, I feel like how I felt at 11, reading Harry Potter. For real. It's a whole series rewrite, truly epic in scope, asking the question: what if Draco had been sorted into Gryffindor? Currently the storyline is complete as to book four, partially through book five, and being updated. The character work is especially stunning to me. This is the sweetest slowburn friendship-to-lovers of my dreams; obviously heavy on the friendship arc since we're not all the way through, and yet I find that my emotional investment in this is so heightened it doesn't even matter to me. I want to read thousands of words of this (luckily, it's already got 600k+ of those). Thank you greenTeacup, for my life.

I obviously have read more than this so if there are any specific tropes/interests/limitations you want a rec for, I'm open to give an opinion. Also I have my eye on a few fics that I just haven't read yet, so alas, this list is not perfectly complete. The next thing I want to read....Détraquée....

[greenerteacups]

Your last chapter was delightful! Thank you so much!

You’ve mentioned All the Young Dudes in one of your posts and it has been a revelation. Do you have all time favorite hp fics and would care to share your recommendations please?

Oh, man, how could I ever choose? Manacled and DMATMOOBIL are obviously all-timers, but they don't need me to recommend them. Wait and Hope, similarly, is in no need of exhortation by me, but I'll do it anyway, I ate that shit up. Anything by @PacificRimbaud. Especially anything with Pansy in it. Especially Les Pèlerins. Anything by provocative_envy. Especially the college/internship AUs. You don't think an American AU for Harry Potter is going to work, until you're reading it, and wow, does it ever. Bending Light by scullymurphy. Talk about fucking atmosphere, my God. (I haven't read Falling Dark yet, I've been meaning to get around to it.) I've also been meaning to read the Gravitation series, I read the first chapter forever ago and it was one helluva opening. See, now I'm just talking about fics I haven't read and want to. Okay.

All the Young Dudes was formative because it was the first time I realized the scope of what fanfiction could do. Until then, I had a very narrow, constrained version of the kinds of stories fanfic was meant to tell (and what fanfic audiences were looking for). ATYD blew the ceiling off that by telling a story that was non-traditional, slow-paced, and completely non-focused on romance for at least half of it, and people adored it anyway. It taught me to be bolder and more creative with my choices. It made me think "well, Gryffindor Draco may not be the most popular trope in the bucket, but maybe some people will like it!" And it turned out some people did!

The Disappearances of Draco Malfoy. This was for a long time my favorite Draco redemption arc, and it remains the first fic I recommend to anyone looking to get into Dramione, because it's the perfect branching-off point for someone who loves the books. Stylistically honest and feels like Book 7, only better. Draco is not let off the hook for fuck, as is right and proper. (I'm a sucker for Book 7 rewrites, for obvious reasons.)

Boy with a Scar. All of it. Made me tear up like four times. This person understands things about Harry Potter that Rowling doesn't and perhaps never could.

Birds of a Feather is a great Tomione Hogwarts fic, and of any fic I've read, it's most interested in the practical day-to-day of life at Hogwarts, which was one of my favorite parts of the books. It's really a book about how someone like Tom, or Hermione for that matter, would experience Hogwarts if there weren't any diabolical plots happening around them: that is, as a very cool, very beautiful, but ultimately sort of mundane boarding school. It makes the place feel lived-in and real in a way that makes it a joy to come back to. And it has the most realistic depiction of child!Tom that I've ever read.

And I'm finding new ones all the time.

[atlasdoe]

THE HOGWARTS CLASS OF 1978 - pt 23

SEVERUS SNAPE

Name - Severus Snape

Blood status - Halfblood

Date of birth - 9th January 1960

House - Slytherin

Academic achievements - Part of the Slug Club

He became a professor at Hogwarts while acting as a spy for Dumbledore. He was killed by Voldemort during the battle of Hogwarts

Cannon

* His father was abusive and his mother was neglectful

* He began to identify with his mother's family and created a secret nickname from his mother's maiden name, calling himself the "Half-Blood Prince"

* His unhappy relationship with his father may have been the origin of his disdain for Muggles

* Lily Evans and her family lived in the same town, close to Spinner's End. After watching her for some time, Severus noticed her evident magical abilities and began making friendly overtures. The two bonded quickly and it appears that he was very interested in Lily right from the beginning, though she only regarded him as a good friend. During this time he also developed a contempt towards her older sister, Petunia. This was most likely because she made disparaging comments about his clothes and residence but may also be because she was a Muggle

* Had a rivalry with The Marauders

* At the age of eleven, he knew more curses and hexes than most of the seventh year students, according to Sirius Black. He was credited with creating a good number of popular spells like Levicorpus, Liberacorpus, Muffliato, and curses like Langlock, the Toenail Growth Hex, and his signature curse that he invented himself, Sectumsempra

* Hung out with Mulciber, Wilkes, Avery and Evan Rosier at one point

* Severus also had contact with Lucius Malfoy, who was a prefect during his first year and greeted him kindly when he was Sorted into the Slytherin House. Most likely the two had good rapport at Hogwarts (which could also be a reason why Narcissa Malfoy trusted Severus to take care of Draco Malfoy and why he seemed to favour Draco during his later teaching years even when Draco refused it in the task to kill Dumbledore)

* Stopped being friends with Lily Evans after he called her a mudblood

* Severus noticed that Remus Lupin  kept disappearing during the full moon and once followed him past the Whomping Willow (after being tipped off on how to do so by Sirius Black) to confirm his suspicions. This act could have cost Severus his life, as had it not been for James Potter  going after him to stop him when he learned of Sirius' 'prank', he might have found himself all on his own and caught off guard by a fully-fledged werewolf. As it was, however, James did reach Severus in time and managed to save him just before he got to the Shrieking Shack while Remus was in his wolf-form. Albus Dumbledore swore Severus to secrecy, but the true nature of Remus was clear to Severus

* Severus was a talented wizard even in his childhood. It was apparent through the notes and scribbles in his potions textbook that he made time during classes to invent curses, charms, and clever potion innovations, while simultaneously learning the required textbook lessons.

* Became a death eater for the first war

* His actions as a Death Eater are largely unknown, though he quickly became an important Death Eater in Voldemort's inner circle. He was the spy responsible for informing Voldemort about the prophecy foretelling his downfall. In early 1980, Snape eavesdropped on an interview for Divination Professor Sybill Trelawney and Albus Dumbledore at the Hog's Head Inn.

* When Snape realised that his actions had put Lily in danger he asked Voldemort to spare her to which he agreed to (idk why considering Lily is a muggleborn but I guess Voldemort is a good wingman) But Snape didn't really trust that so he went to Dumbledore to ask him to save Lily and even James and Harry if he must

* He then changed sides and became a spy for Dumbledore

* Distrusted for his past as a Death Eater by those on Albus Dumbledore's side, and hated by other Death Eaters for living as Dumbledore's stooge for ten years, Snape continued living on to complete Dumbledore's plan to protect Harry and defeat Voldemort

* Became potions master and the head of Slytherin House

* He initially applied for the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, but was rejected multiple times.

* Following Voldemort's fall, Snape never attempted to find his old master, having switched sides ever since the Dark Lord had targeted Lily and this allowed him to avoid time in Azkaban as Dumbledore staunchly defended him

* During the 1993-1994 school year, Snape demonstrated his expertise with potions by brewing the complex Wolfsbane Potion for Remus Lupin. Throughout this year, Snape suspected that Lupin may be helping Sirius Black, an escapee from Azkaban, enter Hogwarts castle

* Near the end of the school year, Snape ambushed Black as he entered the school again and attempted to apprehend him, believing him to have been the one who had betrayed Lily to Voldemort. Snape appeared from under the Invisibility cloak that Harry had left near the Whomping Willow, tied Remus up, and while engaged in a vociferous argument with Harry and Hermione, he attempted to arrange to send Sirius and Remus to Azkaban Prison

* On the last day of school, he revealed to his students that Lupin was a werewolf, forcing Lupin to resign his post.

* Snape was finally told the truth about Sirius's innocence and was forced by Dumbledore to shake hands

* He was subsequently sent on a secret mission by Dumbledore to rejoin the Death Eaters and spy on the Dark Lord as a double agent

* Snape was almost immediately forgiven by the reborn Voldemort, because he could provide him with thirteen years of information on Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix.

* He joined the second Order of the Phoenix during the second wizarding war

* In July 1996 Dumbledore had been afflicted by a powerful curse cast on Marvolo Gaunt's ring, one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, prior to the start of Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts. Although Snape's knowledge of the Dark Arts enabled him to slow the spread of the curse, the curse would have ultimately killed Dumbledore within a year. Dumbledore, aware that Voldemort had ordered Draco to kill him, asked Snape to kill him instead as a way of sparing the boy's soul and of preventing his own otherwise slow, painful death

* Narcissa swore Snape to an Unbreakable Vow, on pain of death should he break it, that he would protect Draco, help him complete Voldemort's task, and finish the task himself if Draco failed

* During the 1996-1997 school year Snape became the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. For that year he taught his classes with much more passion and became less biassed towards his students, letting Hermione Granger ask her questions and giving Crabbe and Goyle detention for dissatisfying progress in their repeated fifth year

* Kill Dumbledore in mid 1997 on the top of the Astronomy Tower

* Shortly after the battle of the seven Potters in July 1997, Severus visited 12 Grimmauld Place where, in Sirius Black's bedroom, he found Lily Potter's letter. Snape had cut off the letter and took the page, which contained Lily's signature and love. He also cut off the picture of the Potter family and took the page, which contained Lily, for himself.

* During the 1997-1998 school year, Snape was named Headmaster of Hogwarts, while Death Eaters Alecto and Amycus Carrow were appointed Deputy Heads. Snape used his position as Headmaster to discreetly protect the students and to contain the Carrows. It is later understood that, during his time as Headmaster, Snape consulted with the portraits of the previous Headmasters, and continued to receive instructions from Dumbledore's portrait

* Upon being informed by the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black of Harry Potter's whereabouts, Dumbledore's portrait instructed Snape to give Harry the sword of Gryffindor without the latter knowing it

* During the Battle of Hogwarts on the 2nd May 1998 Snape was summoned by Voldemort to the Shrieking Shack. Voldemort explained that he believed that Snape was the master of the Elder Wand from killing Dumbledore and that Snape must die so that the Elder Wand can be his. Snape tried to explain the situation but Voldemort ordered Nagini to kill Snape by biting into his neck, injecting him with her extremely poisonous venom, before he could finish speaking

* Snape's portrait was not automatically put into the Headmaster's office since he had essentially abandoned his post during the Battle of Hogwarts. However, Harry, in one of his acts of showing reconciliation towards Snape, made sure that his portrait was placed there

Headcanon

Kept to himself mostly during school

His closest friends were Bruce Mulciber, Edmund Avery, Juliette Wilkes, Charity Burbage and Aurora Sinistra

Although he didn't actively take part in Bruce and Edmunds attacks on Muggleborn students he did give them the right spells to use

He didn't care what they did so long as they didn't touch Lily

I'm still trying to figure out who I ship this man with (apart from Remus). A the moment i'm stuck between Mulciber or Aurora so just know that he's kissing one of them in the background

After joining Dumbledore during the first war he gave him information that led to Juliette Wilkes and Evan Rosiers deaths

In between wars he befriended Emmeline Vance

He also stayed in touch with Charity and Aurora during this time and would often meet with them while they all worked at Hogwarts

[em-sars]

My Top 10 (actually 9) Dramione Fic Reccemmendations:

I am not a terribly avid reader of angst-filled fics (sorry, Manacled fans). This list will be mostly romcom / fluffy, major slow burns, and Draco POV. I have included a few more serious fics, but they are just so well written / interesting, that they made my list. Without further ado, and in no particular order, my Top 9 Dramione Fics:

1. To one one's surprise, and not being overhyped at all (I'm completely serious), is Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love. This one needs no description due to its popularity, so I will only add to the hype. I have always been a fan of adventure-romance (e.g. Romancing the Stone, Princess Bride, Stardust, Love and Monsters, Shrek, A Knight's Tale, and, not to get repetitive, The Lost City), but this was the first fanfiction I read with such dedication to an interesting, funny, and, at times, suspenseful story. I also love seeing Draco fall first and his unreliable narration in Hermione's feelings for him. I adore the characterization of / relationships between characters (not just Draco and Hermione) as well as the way the author develops the existing magic system. It is definitely a slow burn with misunderstandings. I'm not a big fan of misunderstandings after they are together because I think it's lasy, and I will stop reading it. In this fic, however, the author makes sure that the 'will they won't they' isn't over done.

2. A Cosmology of Blacks, Malfoys, and Assorted Individuals. This one is in process, but updates are consistent, and I am hooked. Draco POV only. Not only does this fic have the best name, it also includes many anecdotes of Black history (particularly focused on Narcissa, Andromeda, and Bellatrix) while also tying in a romance plot. The story begins with Andromeda confronting Narcissa, and the Black family to be reunited. Draco meets Hermione again for the first time post-graduation, but something is wrong with Hermione's magic. They slowly become friends and Draco develops feelings. This one is on the angsty side, but it's nothing dark or war-based. It is decidedly cosy. I absolutely love any fic that casts a parallel between Andromeda and Ted and Draco and Hermione (I also love supportive Harry who compares them to his parents).

3. The Disappearances of Draco Malfoy. This is another popular one that deserves the hype. This one was outside my comfort zone as it is fairly heavy on the angst. BUT I think it is a really imaginative retelling of DH. If you are unfamiliar, the author rewrites the end of HBP wherein Draco accepts Dumbledore's offer of help. He is then forced to accept the protection of people who hate him and whom he hates. This is a true Enemies to Friends to Lovers story. It has a mixed POV. This story is full of mystery, suspense, plot twists, romance, and angst. This is another one that explores the magic system in an interesting way.

4. It Happened in Egypt is another romcom adventure fic. It is funny, mysterious, and action-packed. In this story, Hermione is in Egypt on a 'holiday' and runs into Draco who is drunk and has been robbed (no wallet or wand). As the author says, this fic is a love story to the Nile and Egyptian Mythology. Great for history lovers. And while this story is a relatively quick burn, there is still a major chunk of mutual pining.

5. Scary Partner Privilege is another in progress piece, but it is so creative. It is Draco POV. He and Hermione (a no-nonsense-to-the-point-of-rudeness cop) are paired as elite aurors. Each chapter is a different case like in Brooklyn 99 or other cop shows with the overall plot of their tumble into romance. This Hermione is a complete BAMF, and Draco is a darling.

6. Distance is a split POV fic. Hermione is a new Unspeakable and Draco is an auror who hasn't been given a real case. They end up teaming up to investigate a mysterious magical figurine. Another adventure fic set in the Indus Valley. Such a fun concept. Another one that is a good read for history lovers.

7. Lavender Scones and Second Chances is the final in progress story I have on this list. This story is mostly here for vibes (cosy) because the research that brought them together is more periphery than anything. But it is still a sweet story that I am excited to watch develop.

8. Love and Other Historical Accidents is Jane Austen meets Harry Potter. Hermione and Draco get sent back to the late Georgian / early Regency period in magical Wiltshire. Lots of classic Austen tropes and plot lines. It is an established dynamic between them, and Draco is already in love with Hermione.

9. Soft As It Began is a unique story wherein Harry vanished the day after the Battle of Hogwarts. Almost 5 years later, Hermione, with help from Draco (they are investigative journalists), travels around Europe looking for him. This story plays with the story of The Three Brothers and the Deathly Hallows. I just love all the characterizations in this fic.

[indigo-scarf]

Lucius did NOT want Draco to be a Death Eater

In my last meta, I explained why Draco DID want to be a Death Eater, rather than being forced into it. In this one, I will argue that Lucius not only did not coerce Draco, but was actually opposed to his son’s taking the Mark — and for this too the story is more compelling and tragic.

Lucius’s actions suggest he became a Death Eater more out of self-interest than ardent devotion to Voldemort or his cause. For Lucius, joining the Death Eaters seems more like a pragmatic matter of being wherever power and privilege are. 

Of course he believed in pureblood supremacy, but he wouldn’t die for it, like Bellatrix. He was also not disenfranchised like Snape, so it’s not like Voldemort was his only option. Voldemort was simply a convenient option at the time, but Lucius wasn’t that attached.

That’s why he doesn’t stay loyal to Voldemort after he loses the First War. As soon as there’s nothing in it for him, Lucius dips out: “[Malfoy’s family] were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they’d been bewitched” (PS6).

Between the wars, then, Lucius forgets about Voldemort and simply puts his efforts towards other sources of influence: joining the Hogwarts Board of Governors, currying political favour through “donations to excellent causes” (GF36)...

He even acts directly against Voldemort’s wishes by smuggling Tom Riddle’s diary into Hogwarts. As Dumbledore tells Harry:

Lucius was supposed to wait for Voldemorts sayso [...]. No doubt he thought that Lucius would not dare do anything with the Horcrux other than guard it carefully, but he was counting too much upon Lucius’s fear of a master who had been gone for years and whom Lucius believed dead. [...] Had Lucius known he held a portion of his masters soul in his hands, he would undoubtedly have treated it with more reverence — but instead he went ahead and carried out the old plan for his own ends. By planting the diary upon Arthur Weasleys daughter, he hoped to discredit Arthur and get rid of a highly incriminating magical object in one stroke. (HBP23)

Lucius gets away with that for the time, and by the 1994 Quidditch World Cup he’s feeling unstoppable, gathering with the old Death Eaters in a highly public place to torture Muggles for sport. However, he’s in for a brutal surprise when Voldemort returns:

“Lucius, my slippery friend,” [Voldemort] whispered, halting before him. “I am told that you have not renounced the old ways, though to the world you present a respectable face. [...] Your exploits at the Quidditch World Cup were fun, I daresay… but might not your energies have been better directed toward finding and aiding your master? [...] You have disappointed me… I expect more faithful service in the future.” (GF33)

Plus, says Dumbledore:

“[Voldemort] was not aware, for instance, that the diary had been destroyed until he forced the truth out of Lucius Malfoy. When Voldemort discovered that the diary had been mutilated and robbed of all its powers, I am told that his anger was terrible to behold.” (HBP23)

So Lucius is fully aware that he is on thin ice with Voldemort. Retrieving the prophecy from the DoM is his chance to regain his standing, but that goes horrifically for him:

“Ah, poor Lucius… what with Voldemorts fury about the fact that he threw away the Horcrux for his own gain, and the fiasco at the Ministry last year, I would not be surprised if he is not secretly glad to be safe in Azkaban at the moment.” (HBP23)

At this point, Lucius surely realises that being a Death Eater isn’t the advantageous pursuit it once was, at least not for him. So why would he want to bring his son aboard a sinking ship?

Lucius has high expectations for Draco’s future: in the same scene where he berates Draco for not being top of his class, he also says, “I hope my son will amount to more than a thief or a plunderer, Borgin” (CS4). In the past, he might have imagined joining Voldemort would bring Draco the prestige he dreamed for his son, but by now that has no reason to remain the case.

Although Lucius’s love for Draco isn’t the healthiest, he never wanted harm to come to him. In the Nimbus 2001s and Buckbeak incidents, Lucius shows concern for Draco’s well-being, even if it might be mixed with pride and possessiveness. Lucius is not Bellatrix, who “would be glad to give [her sons] up to the service of the Dark Lord!” (HBP2) — Lucius’s son is his.

Proud, arrogant Lucius also wouldn’t want to rely on Draco to save the family. For one thing, it would only compound on Lucius’s post-DoM humiliation to need his sixteen-year-old son to fix his mistakes, to allow his son to be more competent than him.

For another, Lucius struggles to believe Draco is competent at all. As mentioned, Lucius does have high expectations of Draco, but at the same time he’s very worried that Draco can’t fulfil them. So, when it comes to being a teen Death Eater — something many people justifiably doubt Draco’s capacity for — Lucius would likely be sceptical, too.

This lack of validation is the root of Draco’s daddy issues, and that’s precisely what Voldemort exploits to concoct a beautifully evil scheme.

Voldemort lures Draco into serving him by promising Draco the recognition he never got from his father. Everyone else can tell that Draco isn’t expected to succeed (if Narcissa and Snape can, I don’t see how Lucius wouldn’t), but Draco is so desperate to prove his worth that he believes Voldemort. 

Thus, Lucius’s punishment is not simply that his son is endangered for Lucius’s failure as a Death Eater. The most cruel part of it is that Draco goes willingly — and that it’s Lucius’s own fault for his failure as a father.

It’s also thematically more logical that Lucius not be in control of the situation. He starts out as a cunning man who can manipulate his way out of anything and pull all the right strings to get what he wants, but then his arc is about losing all that due to his hubris.

After the DoM, the fitting plan for Lucius would be to distance himself and his family from Voldemort, just as he did after the First War — only now that’s no longer possible. “Slippery” Lucius can’t slip away this time, because he’s literally trapped in prison. 

He has been caught by the Light side, invoked the wrath of the Dark Lord, and now he can only watch impotently as the bigoted and callous upbringing he inflicted on Draco leads his son to towards his death.

In the end, Lucius loses command of his estate, loses his wand, loses his dignity, and very nearly loses his son. The puppet master becomes Voldemort’s helpless puppet himself.

Draco, meanwhile, tried so hard to make his father proud, but only ended up feeling more incompetent than ever. He made mistakes with lifelong consequences, while everyone, including his father, could see that he was only getting played for a naïve boy.

[elliebyrrdwrites]

Dramione AU Drabbles

The rain continued to linger. Sporadic showers falling onto the city with intention. Darkening the shadows as the sun continued to hide amongst the clouds.

But, Hermione felt as if she was stuck in the eye of a storm more torrential than the fickle rain that denied to go away. Not yet, it said. Just a little longer. It wanted to drive its point home. That autumn was tumbling, furiously to a close as the winter season closed in. It refused the arrival of the Santa Ana winds that typically hit Southern California this time of year. Each year, the winds grew fiercer and drier. And every winter proved wetter and colder.

Right now, the entire region was stuck somewhere in between. Hermione was also stuck. She was in no place to be intrigued by a man. Especially not by a man like Officer Draco Malfoy.

But she was.

Everything about the situation was wrong. He was an officer. She was a witch pretending to be an ordinary civilian. But that wasn’t even the most concerning element to all of this.

Hermione had a plan. She had been working on this plan for years. Quietly moving her way through a cold world, unseen. She put away every spare bronze mark she could. Scraping and skimping. Saving.

She was closer than ever. And now, all she could think about the spark of magic that ignited inside of her skin when Malfoy touched her. All she could think about was the way he looked at her. Like he had unexpectedly stumbled upon something he had been searching for.

She couldn’t stop thinking about little things. Like the sharp point of his nose or the hard lines of his jaw. The mysterious pale blue eyes. The hint of cigarette smoke and something spicy and woodsy that lingered on his clothes. He’d gotten close enough to her that she could smell him. Could bathe in his scent.

But, it didn’t make sense. For the most notorious Generals son to be at all interested in her. Even if she wasn’t magical, what could he possibly get from flirting with a girl like her?

Nothing, she reminded herself. Not a thing, she emphasized as she tightened the tie of her apron at her back before taking her hair down from the messy bun on top of her head. She ran her fingers through her mess of curls as her eyes darted to the clock on the wall. There was only ten minutes left until closing. And he still had not shown up.

Which was good, she reminded herself. That was great. That was ideal, actually.

And so, she went about cleaning off the empty tables. She emptied out the trash cans and swept the floor. She shut the machines down and washed the milk pitchers and cups. She did all this by hand.

At a minute past midnight, Hermione hung up her apron and turned up the volume to the music. She let it wash over her. The somber, romantic croon of the clarinet. The different saxophones, a tenor and an alto. The trumpet in B Flat. There were no lyrics, This song was all music, all feeling.

She wanted to dance. It was something she did, once upon a time. Something they all before the task force was introduced, sneaking through the streets in the middle of the night, getting into dance halls that were mostly underground.

She didn’t think they existed anymore. But in here, in this coffee shop, the music lives on. It lives in her heart. It keeps her company.

Hermione went into the back room and filled up the mop bucket before dunking the mop head into the soapy water. Using the handle of the mop, she steered the bucket and wheeled it out.

Only to find Malfoy standing in the middle of the little coffee shop. His blonde hair was damp from the rain. It looked darker, as it clung to his temples and to his forehead. His coat was slung over the back of a chair and he was dressed in his usual black uniform. But the collar of his starched shirt was unbutton to expose the damp pale skin, drops of water leaking from the ends of his hair until they rolled and rolled, disappearing behind the fabric.

“You came.” The words tumbled, freely, from her lips. They were unprovoked, they were unguarded. They betrayed her.

Malfoy’s mouth twitched up at the corners. She could have sworn that his eyes brightened as he dipped his head. But when he looked back up at her, everything about him was serious. Stoic.

“We’re closed.” She rushed the words out, eager to throw him off of her trail.

“I know,” He lifted his chin and took a step toward her. “But I’m afraid I needed to come by and ask you a very serious question.”

Hermione’s hand tightened around the mop handle. Was this about her blood status? She had to know that, eventually, the question would come up. She had always figure out a way to convince people that she was pure. Untainted. But this was General Malfoy’s son. What if he required proof?

She lifted up her own chin and shook the curls from her face. “Oh?” Her voice might have shook.

His eyes flicked up to the speakers that blared out the music. The song was on repeat, and had restarted thirty seconds before she found him standing there.

He outstretched his arm, holding his hand out to her, palm facing the sky. “Will you dance with me?”

Hermione took a step back, letting got of the mop. It clattered to the floor causing her to jump. “What?” Her eyes darted to the mop and back to him. He was smirking at her, his eyes unyielding as they held onto her.

Malfoy nodded and took a step closer.

Her heart began to flutter and her stomach flipped as he moved closer. His hand was between them, as he grew so close, she could smell him again. He must have just smoked a cigarette. It smelled fresh. It mixed with his cologne and the rain, creating an all new, intoxicating scent that would forever be imprinted into her brain. Core memory creation at its finest.

Despite his damp clothes, there was warmth radiating off of him. It felt like it was wrapping itself around her, pulling her in, threatening to wrap her into an embrace that might shatter her entire world.

Which is why she had to say no. She needed to deny him this dance. She needed to keep her head on straight. Push forward, remain faithful to the plan.

Except that she found the walls that had once been fortified around herself crumbling as she breathed him in. Because his other hand reached up and tucked one of her curls behind her ear. The intimate feeling of a feather light touch against the shell of her ear sent a shiver through her, and propelled her into the unknown.

Her hand slid into his. And for a moment, it was as if she had plucked herself up and removed her entire body and mind from this existence and found herself floating into an entire new realm.

His other hand was gentle and light as it rested at her hip. Almost timid, as their feet shuffled, stiffly from side to side. As their hips swayed, slowly. But her favorite part of the song was starting, and often, it felt as if Hermione’s body had no control when music reached out and sunk itself into her heart. Her eyes fluttered, threatening to close as his feet shuffled closer to hers. Her free hand moved to his shoulder and gripped onto the hard flesh there.

And it was as if Malfoy was falling into the hypnosis that so commonly latched onto people. Because his hand pressed more firmly into her hips before he slid around to the small of her back. The warmth that had threatened to steal her away began to wind its way around them, filling her entire body with heat as his fingers entwined with hers.

His chest pushed against her cheek and her eyelids finally succumbed, closing as he held her closer. His embrace was strong, firm. It was comforting.

She hadn’t been held in months. Hadn’t felt another human touch. Except for his. He had touched her three times, now, in only three days.

Something foreign was filling up her chest with hot air. She couldn’t admit to herself that it was not nerves as much as it was something stronger. Something dangerous.

Something like desire.

She could have sworn that as his cheek rested against the top of her head, that they were floating.

The music was winding up, a cacophony of beautiful instruments that all strung together, the horns louder than the clarinet before they dwindled, masterfully to a halt.

But they didn’t pull apart. They didn’t even stop swaying as Malfoy moved his hand up her spine, and around her shoulder. It settled, finally, at the back of her neck. The warm tips of his fingers were firmly pressed into her skin and she refused to open her eyes. She refused to pull away and face her new reality.

Because they were suddenly on a crash course for destruction. She could feel the chemistry between them. She could feel the bright curl of magic responding to the flare of sudden emotions charging deep inside of her.

“Hermione.” His voice caressed her as he wrapped his lips around her name. She suppressed another shiver before she opened her eyes and pulled back to look at him. She blinked rapidly up at him, eyes adjusting to the dim light of the coffee shop as his fingers stayed gently gripping onto her neck.

Something flicked in his expression, so quickly, she was unable to make it out. But his eyes were like a soft against her own. He licked at his lips and inhaled sharply. He held his breath for several seconds as she quickly gathered as much of hers as she could. But it was coming in short bursts, slivered through slightly parted lips.

It looked like he wanted to kiss her, it felt like she might want to let him.

But with an exhale, his hand fell and his eyes shifted to stare, once again out the window as another armored truck raced by. This one had no sirens, but the engine was so loud, just as menacing. Malfoy stepped away from her, leaving her body in a sudden chill.

“Will you be here tomorrow night?” His hands lifted so that his fingers could fasten the buttons at his collar.

She huffed out a breath of…what? Irritation? No, relief. Surely, it was relief. “I work every night except for Sunday and Monday.”

He nodded and picked up the coat from the nearby chair before quickly shrugging it on. He turned on his heels and aimed for the door. But, before he could reach for it, he hurried back over, grabbed the hand that had been linked with his own and lifted her knuckles to sweep his lips across them.

“Thank you,” he smirked. “For the dance.” And then he swept away from her. Leaving her, once again, totally speechless.

[sailtomarina]

I need your permission

Theirs was a new romance, something fresh off the cauldron and still simmering with unrealized fantasies and hopes for all the future held. The relationship was public and had been for a number of weeks, but was only truly a surprise to those outside of their circles. To everyone else, their fascination with one another was obvious.

So it came as a surprise when Hermione admitted Draco still hadn’t visited her flat, a modest, two-room apartment in a trendy neighborhood near Diagon Alley. They spent all their time at his place, or the manor’s library, or Theo’s.

“It’s been what, two months now?” Harry’s look of skepticism had her feeling oddly guilty.

“Something like that, but it’s not like I made a conscious decision to avoid my place. Everywhere else just seems more…suitable.”

Harry’s eyes carded around her living room, taking in the wall of bookshelves, mismatched furniture, the army of potted plants taking up every surface and window. Her place was small, but lived in like a home should be.

“Ah yes, this hovel must be beneath Malfoy.”

She smacked him over the head with a cushion. “That’s not what I meant and you know it!”

“Then what do you mean?”

Hermione chewed on her lip, clearly uncertain about whether or not she should tell him. Harry was her best friend who supposedly knew her better than anyone else. There probably wasn’t a better person to ask.

“When you look at my home, what do you see?”

“Books. Also…books.”

“Harry, I’m serious!”

“Furniture meant to sleep on. They’re comfy. A jungle of plants I suspect you sourced from Neville. Too many cat toys. A scary amount of wall space dedicated to platforms for Crookshanks—”

“And what do cats shed?”

“…is this a trick question?”

In triumph, Hermione gestured wildly at her surroundings and Harry realized the sofa and chairs were indeed covered in signature orange hairs.

“I can’t have Draco coming over here getting covered in Crookshanks! Have you seen the clothes that man wears?”

“Here’s a thought: how about you just clean? You know, a common chore we all do to keep our homes livable?”

She snorted. “Obviously. I clean as frequently as I can, but you know me, Harry. I’m busy. I’m out more often than in. I don’t clean up as much as I should and I just don’t want to bother with worrying about it when there are tons of other places we can go instead.”

Harry stared at her for a moment. His look reminded her of his expression when she fell off her broomstick only a few meters off the ground.

“What?”

“Are you, or are you not, a witch?”

“I know where you’re going with this, and I’ll give you the same reason I give for cooking and gardening without magic: I prefer doing them by hand.”

“But why?”

Now it was her turn to stare at him in disgust. She disappeared into the kitchen for a couple of minutes before returning with a plate.

“Here.”

She shoved a muffin at him and he grudgingly took a bite. As predicted, his eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head as he moaned.

“My god, this is bloody delicious.”

“Okay, now try this one.”

“Blah!” He spat out the second muffin into his hands before guiltily looking up at her.

“Need I state the obvious?”

“I fail to see how cleaning is similar to cooking.”

“I’m not going into a practical lesson right now, but trust me when I say that cleaning by hand is 10x more thorough than cleaning by magic. Didn’t you ever wonder why Snape’s detentions always involved scrubbing the cauldrons rather than just vanishing the mess?”

“I don’t know, maybe because the man was an arse?”

She sighed in disappointment. “Harry…”

“Okay, okay, I get it. I still don’t see why you can’t just plan ahead and make sure to clean before Malfoy visits.”

Her shrug summed up her lack of interest in hurrying the milestone.

“I need your permission to make a Floo call.”

Thrown off by the sudden change of topic, Hermione pointed out the Floo powder before returning to the kitchen to clean up the muffin disaster. Casting a quick evanesco on the cat hair, Harry popped his head into the fireplace to place his call.

“Draco Malfoy’s flat.”

“Potter. To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected call?”

“You’ve got about five seconds to get your arse over to Hermione’s flat before she catches me and shuts the connection.”

“And why do I need you to tell me to go see my girlfriend?”

“Take it or leave it. Chances are the opportunity won’t present itself again for a long time.”

The blonde pursed his lips as he considered Harry’s statement. “Back up, Potter. I’m coming through.”

And not a moment too soon.

The second Draco Malfoy shook off the remnants of powder and muttered a vanishing spell, Hermione rounded the corner.

“Draco!”

“Hey, love, why—achoo!”

The immaculate scion in his tailored suit doubled over violently in a fit of sneezes and inelegant coughs. Hermione fussed over him, her hands fluttering in uncertainty.

“Draco, what do I do? How can I help?”

“Ahhh, ahhhh, achoo!” He backed up towards the fireplace, fumbling around for Floo powder. “I need to leave. I’m so sorry, I—”

Another violent cough and he was gone.

Silence reigned and Harry tried to blend into the bookshelf behind him. What he would give to have his invisibility cloak on hand.

Hermione’s eyes moved slowly from Draco’s last spot over to her friend, narrowing in realization.

“Perhaps I should have been more clear, though I didn’t realize you’d be so moronic as to go around me and invite him into my home. Draco is allergic to cats.”

“I…uh, figured that one out. Why didn’t you just say that at the start?”

He should’ve fled the moment her expression transformed into a sickly sweet smile. He should’ve remembered the bluebells and little birds viciously attacking Ron. He should’ve remembered Hermione’s vengeful streak.

“I’m going to cook, and while I do, you will clean this house by hand. You will also call Draco this instant and apologize for almost killing him, again, before inviting him over for supper.”

“I don’t see how it’s my fault the ferret almost died when you didn’t even tell me…” Harry’s mumble ended in a yelp when her thrown slipper hit him on the head.

“Call. Apologize. Clean.”

WC: 1081

[misguidedasgardian]

The Lifeaters (II.1)

I. A Kerfuffle

MASTERLIST

Chapter Summary: You are back!

Pairings: Draco Malfoy x Fem!Reader (platonic)

Warnings: Cursing, magical objects, Mugglephobia, classism, in this “book” it comes in strong!, a physical altercation, a bit of violence, hehe

Wordcount: 2.8 k

Notes: The second book! it gets more interesting!

Only few things could make Draco Malfoy upset

He had a comfortable life, parents that adored him, and gave him anything he would want, he also had friends, more like… followers… more like and then, he had you

His very best friend.

Hence… the upset part

He didn’t got any news from you all year

You lied to him, according to himself, you didn't come back in August, you didn’t even write, but that wasn’t your fault, he sent many letters, but his eagle-owl came back with his letters unopened. Owls were not allowed to fly internationally, not all of them. 

Hence, he was upset, he couldn’t even care that his father had stopped by the broom shop and ask the owner how much the Nimbus 2000 cost, he didn’t care anymore if you weren’t with him

He did get some messages through though, through floo, and they were short because you were busy with your family, he only knew that today at certain hour you were going to Diagon Alley to buy your things, you just yesterday came back from France

He was frowning, he only managed to distract himself when his father took him to Borgin & Burkes, he thought he could buy you a present there. He knew just how much you liked mystery and curious magical objects

��Touch nothing, Draco”, warned his father as the bell over the door ranged announcing their presence

“I thought you were going to buy me a present”, he said, already bored 

“I said I would buy you a racing broom”, he said shortly

“What’s the good of that if I’m not in the house team?”

“You will be”, he assured him, “trials are normally the second week of classes Draco, don’t fret”

“So? Harry Potter already had a year playing Quidditch, he and his NImbus 2000, gifted to him by a teacher…only because he is famous!”

“‘You have told me this already”, he said with a silent warning on his eyes, “and I would remind you that it is not…prudent… to appear less than fond of Harry Potter, not when most of our kind regard him as the hero who made the Dark Lord disappear… ah, Mr Borgin”, he greeted an old gruffy man that showed up behind the counter 

“‘Mr Malfoy, what a pleasure to see you again”, even Draco could tell he was lying, “and young Master Malfoy too! How may I be of assistance?”

“I’m not buying today, Mr Borgin, I’m selling”, said Mr Malfoy, wanting to be done with the interaction already

“‘Selling?”, Mr Borgin’s was not smiling anymore

“You have heard, of course, that the Ministry is conducting more raids”, said Mr Malfoy, taking a roll of parchment from his inside pocket and unraveling it for Mr Borgin to read. “I have a few items at home that might embarrass me, if the Ministry were to call …”

“The Ministry wouldn’t presume to trouble you, sir, surely?”, asked the man, seemingly outraged

“I have not been visited yet. The name Malfoy still commands a certain respect, yet the Ministry grows ever more meddlesome. There are rumors about a new Muggle Protection Act… no doubt that flea-bitten, Muggle-loving fool Arthur Weasley is behind it… and as you see, certain of these poisons might make it appear…”

“‘I understand, sir, of course”, said Mr Borgin. “Let me see …”

“Can I have that?’ interrupted Draco, pointing at the withered hand on its cushion.

“Ah, the Hand of Glory!”, said Mr Borgin, abandoning Mr Malfoy’s list and scurrying over to Draco. “Insert a candle and it gives light only to the holder! Best friend of thieves and plunderers! Your son has fine taste, sir”.

“I hope my son will amount to more than a thief or a plunderer, Borgin”, said Mr Malfoy coldly and Mr Borgin said quickly, “No offense, sir, I only meant…”

“Though if his school marks don’t pick up…”, said Mr Malfoy, more coldly still, “that may indeed be all he is fit for”

“It’s not my fault,” retorted Draco. “The teachers all have favourites, Hermione Granger…”

“I would have thought you’d be ashamed that a girl from no wizard family beat you in every exam,” snapped Mr Malfoy. “Even (y/n) did better than you!”

“It’s the same all over,” said Mr Borgin, ”Wizard blood is counting for less everywhere”

“Not with me”, said Lucius

“No, sir, with me neither”, said Mr Borgin, with a deep bow.

“In that case, perhaps we can return to my list,” said Mr Malfoy shortly. “I am in something of a hurry, Borgin, I have important business elsewhere today”.

He looked around for a gift for you, eh found a beautiful opal necklace, that had a small sign that read “cursed, this item had taken the life of 18 muggles”, that did interested Draco

“Done,” said Mr Malfoy at the counter. “Come, Draco!”, the exchange was done and both abandoned the store.

But your absence wasn’t the only thing upsetting him, it was the secrecy and anger of his own father. Not directed to him, never him, but…

There have been many raids from the Ministry, and his father was scared they were going to dare to take items that were in his father’s possession, and more so, Lucius was angry, so angry, he started to look for a culprit.

And Draco had heard all about it, all summer.

He couldn’t find any gift for you but… he was relieved when his father finally pulled him out of that creepy store, and they went back to Diagon Alley, next stop was Flourish & Blotts, for his books. Lucius sent him ahead while he went to find something else, Draco left him, because maybe he was going to take himself back to that broom store and…

Draco smiled mischievously entering the bookstore

He growled visibly when he realized he was not the only one looking for this year’s books, everyone was there, and Gilderoy Lockheart was signing books, his own books, books Draco needed to purchase for school.

He found the guy to be a creep and a phony, he was even more angry when Potter himself showed up in the scene Gilderoy grabbed him and they started taking pictures together. He rolled his eyes as he went to the second floor of the store to grab the rest, and then he came back. 

Not even the chance to bother Potter was fun without you by his side, laughing at his jokes. 

He grabbed a book, saw something that you might like, ripped the page and kept it, yeah he shouldn't do that, whatever. 

He was certainly more interested when he heard the squeals of Granger herself, he looked down and spotted the lot of them, Potter, Granger, even the Weasleys, all of them. 

“This is for the daily prophet”, even a photographer was there. Draco pulled out his tongue in disgust when he saw the both of them, Gilderoy and Potter together 

“When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography… he had no idea that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his school fellows will, in fact, be getting the real, magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that, this September, I will be taking up the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!”, Draco did not like this idea at all

But the small crowd there, waiting for him to sign their books, clapped and cheered 

Potter released himself from the small mob and walked towards the exit

“Bet you loved that, didn’t you, Potter?”, he couldn’t help it, he had to say something, “Famous Harry Potter,” said Malfoy. “Can’t even go into a bookshop without making the front page”

“Leave him alone”, muttered the smaller of the Weasleys, Draco looked at her with a smirk

“Potter, you’ve got yourself a girlfriend!” drawled Malfoy. Son the other two members of their little trio showed their faces

“Oh, it’s you, bet you’re surprised to see Harry here, eh?”, he mocked, but Draco was in a mood for a good kerfuffle 

“Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley”, he retorted. “I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for that lot”, Ron was ready to fight too, walking towards him with that look on his face that meant trouble, but Granger and Potter grabbed onto him

“Draco!”, he turned quickly, to see you entering the store with a big smile on his face, he only smirked

“There you are!”, he said quickly, but there was no time for hugs. You looked behind him and saw the troublesome trio with a little girl that you could only assume was a Weasley, and then right behind them, the Weasley’s father

“Ron!”, he called, “what are you doing? It’s mad in here, let’s go outside”, his eyes traveled to Draco, and then you

“Well, well, well, Arthur Weasley”, right behind you was Lucius himself, he placed himself right behind you, placing one of his hands in Draco’s shoulders, and the other one in yours

“Lucius”, said Mr Weasley coldly

“Busy time at the Ministry, I hear”, said uncle Lucius, you didn't understand what was happening. “All those raids ... I hope they’re paying you overtime?”  

He grabbed a book from inside the cauldron the little girl was holding 

“But judging by the looks of this, obviously not”, he said. “What’s the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizards if they don’t even pay you well for it?’”, you didn’t understand the hostility, but Draco seemed to do so, as he was smirking

“We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizards, Malfoy”, the other man snapped.

“Clearly”, said Mr Malfoy, you didn't know what happened there, since he was behind you you couldn’t know where he was looking at, “The company you keep, Weasley... and I thought your family could sink no lower”

A loud bang distracted you when a cauldron dropped to the floor and then Mr Weasley was lounging for Uncle Lucius, he grabbed him and pushed him against the bookshelf 

“oh Merlin! un cafouillage!”, you murmured

“A what?”, asked Draco

“A Kerfuffle!”, you pointed out outloud, grabbing into Draco, you had never seen uncle Lucius so angry and less of it in a physical fight, but he pushed back Mr Weasley, they grabbed each other and started to bump into shelves, dropping books left and right

“Get him, Dad!”, cheered Fred and George Weasley

The assistant of the store came begging for them to stop, but they wouldn’t listen

“Break it up, gents, break it up!”, he begged

But Hagrid showed up out of nowhere, grabbing both men and separating them easily.

Mr Weasley had a cut lip and uncle Lucius had been hit in the eye by an Encyclopedia of Toadstools. He was still holding that old transfiguration book. He almost threw it at her

“Here, girl take your book, it’s the best your father can give you”, that sounded mean, he released himself from the hold Hagrid had in him, grabbed you and Draco and pushed you out of the bookshop

“Where were you?”, asked Draco as you walked down Diagon Alley

“Sorry, my aunt, she... needed more time to work on a skin potion”, you said softly, “I’m sorry for not coming back”, he twisted his mouth, thinking to prolong the whining, but he thought better of it.

“Extend our gratitude for the invitation to your grandfather”, muttered uncle Lucius, “we will make it next time”

“Yes uncle Lucius”, you whispered with a soft smile

“It was a boring summer”, Draco whispered

“I know, for me it was too a bit”, you answered back, you had no friends in france, and no family of your age

Uncle Lucius was rattled, you could see it, after going to other placed he brought you back to Flourish & Blotts to purchase a large collection of books from Gilderoy Lockheart

You knew who he was, and not because he was a famous wizard, but because… he dated your aunt a couple of years ago, it did not end well, so you were nervous

You liked the sound of the engine of the train, you loved train rides, it was a comfortable sound as Draco spoke what they had done all summer

“Did you even practice?”, he asked

“Yes I did! in my old broom though, we went to see a couple of games, in one, the french minister of magic took a bludger in the head, it was pretty funny, he had to pretend it didn’t hurt because he didn’t want the game to get canceled”, you giggled, “he is a Quiberon fan just like me”, you said cheerfully

“I don’t understand your obsession with that stupid game”, mocked Mathhew, you didn’t know what to say, “it’s stupid, besides, Potter if the star of it”

“Well, last year, despite Potter, we won the cup”, you said dismissively

“It will be fun to knock him off his broom”, mocked Malfoy, “I didn't see him on the platform, maybe he is not coming!”

“Whatever, I don’t want to dance to that halfblood’s pace”, snapped Matthew, that sounded a bit aggressive.

“Half Blood?”, you asked

“Potter’s mother was a mudblood”, he said contemptuously

“So?”, you asked

“That makes him a half-blood”, said Draco, and you looked alternatively between them, what did that have to do with anything?

“And he was raised by muggles”

Yes you knew what a halfblood was but still, when that mattered for anything? Well your family did prefer the company of pure-bloods, but in reality,  maybe it was a coincidence that… all their friends were pure-bloods… or… was it?

You started doubting.

The ride now was a bit uncomfortable, you wanted to talk to Draco, just the two of you, like before, but matthew seemed to be attached at the hip to him, you noticed Lucius buying two sets of books, you thought the other one was for him

But why? But you thought it was rude to ask, at least out loud

This year, since you were not first years, you had to ride a carriage that was pulled by something invisible, so you were going to get there faster. They were right, you didn’t see Potter on the platform, and you didn't see him now either, well… you couldn’t be that lucky, right?

It all looked the same, as no time had passed at all, everything was just like you remembered it, and you were so excited for this new year, it was going to be even better!

You sat on the Slytherin table, wearing your ceremonial hats again. Dumbledore of course gave you a small speech, then he made you stand up and sing the Hogwarts song, which you didn't know

To your horror, Gilderoy Lockheart was the new professor against the dark arts, this was going to be a long semester. Draco didn’t like it either, but Pansy, Milicent, Tracy and Daphne seemed like they loved it.

Like you said, you weren’t that lucky. The very next morning, everyone was talking about how Potter and Weasley arrived last night in a flying car that crashed against the Whomping Willow in the castle’s grounds, and they were sitting at the Gryffindor table.

The first mail arrived at that moment, you thought it was a bit rushed, given it was the first day, but you received a letter from your aunt, like always, wishing you for the best and she even sent you a sweater that you forgot, to warm you up for the fall and coming winter.

You almost jumped out of your seat when you heard a loud voice screaming, Draco was laughing and you noticed that Weasley had gotten a howler from who you could only guess was his mother.

Her voice was still ringing in your ear through the first period.

You had a heavy schedule this year, all classes of last year, but no more flying lessons. You were trading that one for Quidditch, you hoped. Next year were the trials and you couldn’t wait any longer. 

Even though it had only been almost three months, and even though Draco looked the same, you couldn’t help ut felt guilty, something had happened in the summer, he was different, he sounded different, and his hatred for Potter increased if that was even possible

You wished you could have been here, but you had to go back to France, your family had called you back, what happened in the summer? You knew uncle lucius was angry because something happened at work

With you he acted the same, but… 

You had a bad feeling about it 

[alexander-arcturus-black-lupin-r]

Dramione Au

Prompt: Ron is not it, Harry is Ron's bestie, Draco is better, Dramione is best

Hermione slumped onto the stairs, crying her eyes out. She wasn't the only one crying but she was the only one not being comforted. 

“Isn't this a surprise.” Hermione raised her head to the blond above her. She grabs her wand and points it right at his throat. 

Draco raises his hands in mock surrender, a slight smile on his lips. He opens his mouth to speak but Hermione cuts him to it. 

“Ron and Harry are over there just make it quick.” Draco's perfectly sculpted face frowns a bit. 

“And what do you mean by that love?” 

“You're going to do that obnoxious gloating thing where you make fun of them, get them angry, detention for them while you go scot free,” Hermione sighed. “Only for it to happen again.”

Draco chuckles. “I've become too predictable haven't I.” Hermione smiled and Draco knelt before her.

“Quite.” Hermione tilts her head as she realises one key fact. She addressed him as Draco in her head and he's addressing her as love? Where's the hostility? The open display of hate?

“Guess I have to do something different then.” 

“Like what?” 

“Depends.” he answered cryptically, a slight upturn in his lips she'd never seen before. 

“On?”

“Your answer.” her eyebrows raised 

“On what?”

“Will you spend the rest of your night with the prince of the Slytherin House?” 

Badump

Badump

Badump

“And why on earth would I do that? The rest of the Gryffindors would have my head!” 

“No need to be that dramatic. What they don't know won't hurt them y'know.” Draco held out his arm. 

“That logic always ends with a blowing up in everyone's faces.”

“Let me show you how a real boy treats a girl like you.” a blush coated her cheeks

“Don't you hate me for my blood and all I feel like I'm missing something really key here.” 

“What's the muggle saying? Ah yes, I grew out of it. I've had my worldview perspective changed and I'd like to tell you about it if you'd let me steal you for a while.” 

Hermione let out a laugh earning a few looks, looks turning to staring as they say who her conversation partner was.

“Steal me away?” 

“Why yes. You're a gem aren't you.” 

“Does flattery run in your Malfoy genes.” 

He gave a non commital shrug. 

“So you're not leading me to a trap or some kind of prank.” 

“I'm being completely honest with you, love. Take my hand won't you? It's getting quite cold all alone out here and it needs some company.” 

“One wrong move and I'll hex you without my wand, make it more embarrassing.” 

“Wouldn't expect anything less,” Draco grins. “Come on love, I know just the place.” 

Ron and Harry watch from the top of the stairs as Hermione takes Draco's hand and walks out with him (them and the onlookers on the stairs) 

“Has she gone mad!?” Ron asks bewildered. Harry looks at the leaving figures. 

“You were so wrong she switched sides.” 

“How dare you I-” 

“Save it, let's follow them.” Harry takes out his cloak and they’re gone in seconds. They follow Draco and Hermione up to the third floor where the statue of the witch is. Down the passageway, and soon they’re in hogsmeade. They follow closely behind and the pair disappear down an alley but when Ron and Harry turn-

“They’re gone!” Ron exclaims as he scans the alley.

“Great detective work Sherlock.”

“Who’s Sherlock?” 

“Nevermind.”

***

“You think a random get together in a fancy apartment is going to make up for the past three years? I’d expect more from you Malfoy.” Draco winced as he sat down. 

“I’m not really sure how to apologise or even make up for what I've put you three to, but I want to start here. I am really sorry Hermione. I grew up with the prejudices and mentality of a pureblooded wizard and I have a lot to make up for not just to you but to everyone else. I made a few friends outside of it all and it’s made me realise a couple of things.”

Hermione leaned in, curious. “Like what? Go on, I’m interested, Malfoy”

“One, I prefer being called Draco.”

“Draco.” Draco froze as the sound of his name left her lips. 

You have no idea what you do to me, love.

“Two, most purebloods suck.”

“True.”

“Three…”

“Three?”

“Three. I like you.” Hermione’s eyebrows flew into her hair and her cheeks reddened.

“I-”

“Don’t feel the same I know,” Draco smiles a crooked smile. “In my head I planned it all out to the tea but elements kept shifting, plots got poked with holes, inaccuracies. But, one thing stayed the same, your feelings for me.”

Hermione reached over and took his hand in his. 

‘You have one month to convince me to date you.” Draco’s shock was quite evident, making Hermione giggle. 

“But if you are tricking me know that I will hex you with a curse of my own creation. Meaning? No identifiable anti-curse.” her voice low and threatening, sending a chill down Draco’s spine. 

“Yes Ma’am.”’

They talked a little more and Draco finally rose two hours later holding out his hand. 

“If for any reason you need a place, here is always open to you.” Hermione slipped her hand in his. “I hope it's easy for you to find.” 

“Yes.” 

The pair descended and Harry spotted them. 

“There!” He pointed out. “Hurry, he might have her under a curse or something.” The boys followed closely behind as Malfoy and Hermione went back through the secret passageway. 

“We'll see how you go, Draco.” Hermione's face was hidden. “For now, I'm on the fence about this.”

“May I have some sort of insurance for this one month, a trust that you won’t give me a hard time.”

‘What might that be?”

“Nothing major.” he said before a lone figure patted his cheek. “A kiss maybe.” 

“You are bold Draco.” Hermione said, rolling her eyes, Draco fell in love 10 more times.

“True but indulge me this once.” a cheshire grin that reached his eyes. 

Hermione leaned forward, her lips brushed against his cheek, leaving a pink hue in its place. 

“One month.” 

They went their separate ways leaving Ron and Harry speechless. 

“She kissed him Harry, SHE KISSED HIM, That’s proof!”

***

Hermione started to act stranger than ever, sneaking off to the library even more, and when they were in the library investigating the egg Harry had gotten, she’d leave randomly at the end of it all and finally Ron had enough. 

“Hermione, we need to talk!”

“Talk? Talk about what?’ Hermione asked packing her bags and get ready to go to the girls' dormitory. “You and Harry find something?”

“Your disappearances.”

 Hermione freezes before slowly putting everything down. “My disappearances?” 

“You bloody well know what we’re talking about, all you're sneaking off. When we ask you about it either you are funny enough don’t hear it or you change the subject!” 

“Since when did I have to tell you and Harry everything!” 

“Since you started hanging out with that twit Draco!” Ron’s ears were popping red. Harry watched as Hermione’s fingers twitched. 

“IRONIC HOW A TWIT LIKE HIM SEEMS LIKE A BETTER OPTION THAN YOU RIGHT NOW!” 

“MIGHT AS WELL CHANGE HOUSES HUH? SEEMS GREEN LOOKS BETTER ON YOU.” choked Hermione grabbed her wand and Harry raised his, however, that was the wrong choice.

“Always choosing his side over mine,” a dry sob left her and she wiped her tears, with a flick of her wrist all her things were in her bag. “I’ll see you later.” however Ron wasn’t done.

“OF TO HANG OUT WITH YOU LITTLE SNAKE BOYFRIEND-” Hermione lashed her wand in the air, soon Ron was in a body-binding curse but his facial features were mixed. His lips had duplicated and replaced his eyes while his real eyes were on either side of his head. 

Hermione stormed out of the common room, leaving Harry to Ron’s humiliated self. 

“Hey ‘mio! Wait up,” However Hermione ploughed on to the astronomy tower. Sitting down she noted how sad she was and how she probably looked worse for wear. Quietly he sat down beside her. 

“It’s late, you shouldn’t be out here by yourself.” Hermione brought her knees to her chest. 

“What do you truly think about me?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I want to know what you see in me that makes you want to be with me in any sense.”

“I think,” Draco paused, searching for the right words. “I think you are the epitome of intelligence, I think you are the brightest star in the sky, brighter than Sirius, brighter than the sun.”

Hermione raised her head and looked at his eyes glistening in the moonlight. “Draco.” she whispered. 

“I’m not done yet, love.” 

Hermione smiled. “Aïe, mon cœur, your smile lights up even the darkest of days, stronger than any patronus. You are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met who I think no picture or portrait can ever capture. I think you are something special that I have to work hard for, that I don’t deserve but I want to anyway.”

“Thank you Draco, I don’t hear sonnets like that from Ron or anyone really.” 

“Usually Poet’s have to love or care deeply about someone to be able to write a sonnet.”

“It’s sweet knowing you care for me-”

“Other one.” Draco said, fixing his eyes on the moon. “Don’t get me wrong, I do care about you, sometimes more than I care about myself. But the other one is more accurate.”

“Oh Draco.”

“This month, this one month, has meant the world to me, our little dates, the faded enemy lines. Hermione Jean Granger, I want to make a confession and I hope you will hear me out.” Draco glances over at Hermione who looks at him with wide expecting eyes. “Do I take that as a yes.” Hermione nodded. Slowly he shifted till he faced her, planting both knees on the ground he took her hand in his.

“Hermione Jean Granger, you are a witch who made me question everything at the tender age of 11, however I never saw the idea of you wanting anything to do with me. You were a muggle born whom I insulted almost everyday and I just kept digging a bigger, wider hole. So i attempted something that if my father heard about he’d have me avada’d in minutes, I attempted to woo you.”

“I managed to gain you as a friend but you may not come to love me like i love you but if you ever love another, just know that my heart's always yours.” 

A soft chuckle perked his ears. “Who knew the snotty brat I met in the Hogwarts train was such a softie.” Draco’s face burned and he turned his attention to the moon. However the head on his chest brought him back. 

“Your heart is beating so fast. I  like you too, Dray.” Draco grins. 

“I should mark this in my calendar.” 

“Fermez-la, Dray.”

“Look who’s learning.”

“I learnt from the best.” 

“Well of-”

“Marie Curie is such a muggle inspiration in the field of research for radioactivity. The first woman to ever be awarded a Nobel Prize, like come on-” Hermione burst into a fit of giggles at Draco’s ‘bored’ face. “You’re also a factor.”

“That’s nice.” 

Hermione stood up and held out a hand. “Come one before Filch catches us.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

[drarrily-we-row-along]

The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Know (Part Four)

Harry decided that he was just going to glue his mouth shut. Or maybe just make his whole mouth disappear, there must be a spell for that, right?

Because he just couldn't believe the way his mouth ran away without his permission when he was talking to Draco Malfoy. More to the point, he couldn't believe that Draco Malfoy was interested in listening to him. He couldn't believe that his lack of impulse control hadn't led to mockery and derision, that Malfoy hadn't used his silly little daydreams to embarrass him in front of their friends.

He combed his fingers through his curls before tugging on a hat and wrapping up in a scarf, mittens, winter coat, wool socks, and boots. Luna was having a winter campfire and Harry didn't quite know what to expect, but he assumed he would need the layers.

With a shrug he apparated and followed the trail from the front garden around the house and to the fire. The party seemed to be in full swing, everyone standing around it with their partner(s) and chatting. He moved to the drink table and poured himself a mug of hot chocolate, wrapping his hands around the steaming cup and taking a sip.

"Mind if I join you?"

He turned and saw that Malfoy had walked over, he must have been here for a while because his nose and cheeks had turned a delightful shade of pink in the cold. "Not at all," he replied, giving him a little smile that felt far too genuine, especially in light of what Harry had told himself about being detached and in control of himself.

"I've never been to a winter campfire," the other man said, moving a little closer to Harry so their shoulders were only inches apart.

Harry swallowed, the heat of Malfoy's body radiating through the layers of clothes that separated them. Rather forcefully, he was reminded of the feeling of Malfoy's fingers in the hair at the base of his neck. "Me either," he replied, in what he hoped was a completely normal tone of voice.

"I didn't anticipate it being quite so chilly," he confessed.

"Oh, I can cast a warming charm-" he started to offer.

"Not allowed," Malfoy replied, giving the fire a baleful glare. "Luna said that we had the fire to keep us warm or we could go into the house for a little bit to warm up. Apparently she has some sort of project going on with some creatures that are highly sensitive to magic."

Harry glanced over at him, at his pink nose and ears, the little shivers that kept traveling through his body. "Do you want to go inside?" he offered, "You look like you could use a warm up."

Malfoy frowned a bit, "I don't know, do you think she'll feel like I'm being rude?"

He snorted, "Come on," he said, tugging on Malfoy's elbow and pulling him toward the kitchen door. "She and Goyle look like they're meditating on the fabric of life, she's not going to even notice."

Glancing over, Malfoy laughed, "they do look rather serious, don't they?"

"Come on," he repeated, "I know where she keeps the good tea."

Malfoy followed him into the house and they both stripped out of their winter gear.

He pulled down the tin of loose leaf tea and coarse sugar from the cupboard. "You don't take milk, do you?"

"Only in coffee," Malfoy replied, plopping down at the table and rubbing his hands together.

Harry went through the motions, putting their tea together before he sat down next to Malfoy. "How long have you been here?" he asked as he passed him his cup.

"Half an hour or so," Malfoy said with a little shrug. "I don't do terribly well in the cold, I don't have any sort of tolerance for it."

He hummed, "Not one for snowy scenic vacations then?"

Shaking his head, he sipped his tea, "certainly not." He glanced over at Harry from the corner of his eye, "Are you?"

Harry shook his head, "Not really. If I'm going to go on vacation I want to be somewhere warm. But sometimes," he broke off and bit his lip, wondering again about a spell that might make his mouth disappear.

Draco hunkered down in his seat, tugging his sleeves over the tips of his fingers and snuggling down into the neck of his jumper, "Tell me?" he murmured, eyes bright.

"I always imagine that playing in the snow with my children might be fun."

"You want kids?" the other man asked, not a hint of judgement in his voice, just curiosity.

With a little shrug, Harry continued, "Maybe. I could go either way, really, depending on what my partner wants. But I sometimes imagine how much fun it would be to go out sledding or ice skating, then come back home to have some hot chocolate and warm up."

"Sounds nice," he said a little wistfully, resting his chin in his hand.

"Sometimes," Harry said, the words spilling from his lips at the look of interest on Draco's face, "sometimes I imagine what it would be like to have my partner come through the door in the winter, their cheeks rosy and fingers cold."

"Yeah?"

He nodded, "I imagine taking their hands in mine," he murmured, glancing at Draco's hand on the table, "and warming them, bringing their fingertips to my lips to kiss them," he added, images of Draco's hands in his, fingers pressed against his lips, filling his mind.

"That sounds nice," Draco breathed.

Harry glanced up and caught Draco's eyes, "Can I?" he whispered, reaching for Draco's hand on the table between them, hovering a scant inch above it.

Draco blinked but nodded before Harry could panic.

He didn't let himself think, he just collected Draco's hands in his, pressing Draco's palms together and covering Draco's hands with his own. Watching Draco's face, he slowly drew the other man's hands to his mouth and breathed over the cold tips of his fingers, lips ghosting along the chilled skin.

Draco's breath caught and his mouth fell open, his cheeks coloring an endearingly blotchy red, "Harry," he whispered, and Harry's stomach swooped.

He opened his lips and was about to take the tips of Draco's middle fingers between them when the outside door swung open and Pansy and Ginny tumbled through with George and Angelina, laughing and shoving.

They snapped apart like they'd been burned and Harry wished he could get a better read on Draco before he threw on that emotional mask he wore nearly constantly.

"You guys beat us in," Ginny said, collapsing on the bench next to Harry.

He nodded, "Draco was chilly," he said.

"Draco was, was he?" Pansy asked with a sharp grin and he watched as Pansy and Draco shared a complicated look which seemed to communicate more than anyone else in the room was able to pick up.

"Yes?" Harry said, looking between the two of them.

She leaned back against her chair, looking smug as a cat that got the canary and Draco frowned into his tea cup.

Unsure of what he was supposed to do, Harry offered to make tea for everyone and everyone resumed chattering as he started on the tea.

It was only as he was passing cups around the room that he realized that he'd called the other man Draco for the first time to anyone except the other man himself. Upon this revelation, he looked up to find that Draco's eyes were already on him, watching him with a curiosity that Harry couldn't interpret.

Not for the first time, Harry couldn't help but think he was in a bit over his head.

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

Part Three | Part Five

[nami-writes]

Seek, And Ye Shall Find - Harry Potter

[ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 ]

hideaway.

“Come with me?” He extends a hand. “I’ll need help getting my stuff together. And you’ve been wanting to know where I disappear to anyway when I’m not in class.”

“You just don’t want to move into our dorm room alone,” Harry scoffs. He takes his hand anyway. “But I am curious.”

Draco smiles. “Knew you were.”

“Lead the way.”

—

He expected somewhere interesting and profound, like maybe the Room of Requirement, or more isolated, like the Forbidden Forest, or representative of something he cares about, like a stand on the Quidditch pitch.

He doesn’t expect the Owlery.

“This is where you hide all the time?”

It’s covered in feathers and bird seed. A variety of birds perch or sleep in open alcoves recessed into the wall. But Draco just hums affirmatively. “It's not so bad. Nobody comes up here since the owls go where they're needed. And if people do come up here, nobody goes up to the top.”

He summons his broom and it descends to allow Draco to mount it. Draco beckons Harry on too and together, they fly up to a loft at the top. The alcoves there house generic school owls and a bed that must be transfigurated is situated against one of the walls, presumably Draco’s. Harry takes this in but waits patiently for Draco to take the lead.

“I wanted to, uh… show you this. To show that I'm serious.” He shrugs. “And… so I can't keep running away.”

Harry scoffs playfully. “‘Least you're self-aware.”

“I am,” Draco frowns, much less lightheartedly. “I know it’s been a problem. And I’m sorry. And— and I want to fix it. But I, um… I-I need…”

“Help,” Harry finishes for him. Draco nods.

“Yeah.”

“Well, you’re fixing it now.” He approaches the bed and starts pulling off the green covers and red fitted sheet, folding them up as he goes. “So let’s get started.”

—

Malfoy, in the seven years he's known him, has never expressed fear towards anything but a stand of hair falling out of place. But it turns out that Draco, in the eight months Harry’s spent trying to get to know him, has been terrified. Of everything.

“It’s funny when you think about it. Right now, it’s Harry Potter— the golden boy, the Chosen one, the prized Gryffindor— who’s the only one who can stand to be around me, Draco Malfoy,” he says, a bitter laugh contradicting his self-deprecation. He folds clothes and puts them in a suitcase like he’s just making small talk. “But that can change anytime. So I suppose I just… decide not to take that risk at all. And I run away. And then I regret it, but by that point, it's too late.”

“You didn't run this time,” Harry says. He hands him a stack of his schoolbooks. “That's progress.”

“Yeah.” Draco shrugs and fits the schoolbooks into his suitcase. “I guess it is.”

[rockingrobin69]

Step up

For the glorious @mintamintathings, 900 words. TW for alcohol. 

Draco closed his eyes and laughed, and laughed, and laughed. His head shook with the vibrations, smacking against the tiles every time he took a gasping breath to the rhythm of distant music. Gods. How ridiculous, how impossibly ridiculous this all was, the entire fucking situation. He tried to raise a hand to wipe his face, but it was heavier than lead. It just lay there in the ends of his useless arm. Useless—everything was useless. Draco laughed, choking on each sob of it like he was a child, like he was insane. He was a little bit of both.

“Malfoy?”

He stopped laughing, but only for a hiccough, tearing through his chest. Then another stab of manic laughter. “What—” another hiccough—“Do you want?”

He meant to inflect more. To make it accusatory: what do you want? Or at the very least, what do you want? Instead it sounded like a joke. Potter, to his credit, didn’t laugh. Draco’s chest was still going up and down too fast for comfort.

“I just—you disappeared.”

“No, I didn’t,” was what Draco intended to say. What he garbled instead was a matter of chance.

“It’s your party.”

Finally a good point. Draco bestowed a generous shrug.

Potter sighed and then suddenly, out of nowhere, he was down by Draco’s head, crouching improbably close. “Why are you hiding back here at your own party?”

“Am not hiding,” Draco huffed. “Just—tired.”

“Tired.” Potter lifted a thick eyebrow. Were they always so thick? So black, too?

“My arms won’t move,” Draco said, and it wasn’t an excuse, because he didn’t need to excuse himself to Potter. In his own party. Even if he was lying on the floor in the kitchen laughing like a bastard.

“Your—what?”

“Look,” Draco whined, wiggling them. “I can’t. Training broke me.”

Now Potter laughed, and it wasn’t even a bad laughter. “Training didn’t break you, don’t be such a crybaby. I thought you were trying to impress me.”

“Exactly, I—what? Who said I was—” he squinted, which for some reason made Potter laugh even more. “I’m not trying anything. Wanker.”

The last word was served with such venom, it should have scared Potter away. Instead he actually sat down on the floor next to him, and picked up one of Draco’s useless arms.

“What on earth are…?”

“Let me,” Potter said, and started massaging Draco’s forearm. “I told you. I said you should take it easy, no? But you kept… fuck, Malfoy, you’re so tense. Doesn’t it hurt like shit?”

It was more stunning, actually, in the full sense of the word, jaw-gaping-stunning, to have Potter touch him like that. Not that Draco only joined the gym for—none of it mattered. He’d already given up way before the party, hence why he was hidden alone on the floor, crying—er, he meant laughing—but the warmth circling back into his arm made him wince, drop it.

“What are you doing?” he asked, suspicious. “Why are you so… all of a sudden?”

Potter had the audacity to seem confused. “So what?”

This, Draco wanted to say, but found his mouth too dry for words. Like this, with me. He hoped his glare was telling enough.

“I’m not… look—I didn’t know what you wanted, in the beginning. What I could give you. Or if I wanted to. But you just kept on coming week after week with your fucking leg warmers and that ridiculous sweatband, making me laugh with your crazy jokes, and at some point I… fuck, you’re too drunk for this. Let’s just talk tomorrow.”

In a feat of supernatural strength, Draco managed to push himself up, so fast the whole room was spinning. It was dark, the glow of fairy lights from the living room faint, but he could see the frown on Potter’s face. Why did he have to be so fucking pretty? Wasn’t it enough that he wrenched Draco’s heart every single night at that blasted gym? Which may or may not have been the reason why Draco was suddenly so interested in fitness? Which may or may not have been the reason he now yelped as he tried to grab Potter’s face, which wouldn’t stop spinning?

“Potter.” It was a question, and a statement, an accusation and a bit of a plea.

“I like you, okay,” he sighed. “You’re an absolute lunatic, and I like you. Let me help you to bed, and then we can—I can ask you on a date, tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” it felt like his heart was trying to claw its way out of his chest. “Really?”

How did he make rolling his eyes seem so fond? “Yeah. And you’d better say yes, after all this. I have training at six tomorrow and yet here I am, scraping you off the floor in your own bloody party. Thanks for inviting me, by the way.”

“I didn’t… think you’d come,” Draco swooned, literally, unsteady on his feet. “Why did you come?”

“Are you really that drunk?” a thick slug of an eyebrow cocked. “Or do you just want me to say it again?”

“Please.”

“I like you,” Potter laughed, putting an arm around him. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

It would hurt like hell tomorrow. Draco fell asleep to the sound of Potter’s laughter, and discovered he didn’t really mind at all.  

You can prompt me too!  

[lyraoftheevergreens]

In The Morning

Chapter 4

Professor!Snape x Female Student Reader

Summary: What happens when Snape falls in love with a 7th year student at hogwarts just 8 years after the death of his first love. What will happen when she discovers the darkest sides of him and brings up trauma from her own past. Will she stay with him despite what she learns? Reader is of age.

Warnings: she/her pronouns. Mentions of eating. Mentions of abuse and torture. NSFW.

Word count: 2,400

Tag list: Open 🖤

Authors Story Note: In The Deathly Hallows Narcissa Malfoy mentions that Draco is home for spring break when the the golden trio are taken to Malfoy Manor. So they do have a spring break in Harry Potter, the duration I’m unaware of, so I’ve given them a week.

authors note: I AM SO SORRY!! I apologize for the fact that it has taken me 2 months to post the next chapter of In The Morning. I’m sorry and i hope you guys enjoy this chapter. There are some parts that make me cringe a little and I wish I could have come up with something better for you all.

Spring break.

Y/n woke up that morning with frustration and dread flooding her mind. One week. Just her and Severus. This man she knew nothing about consumed her every thought. The man she touches herself to as she lays in bed late at night craving his touch. What did she know about him? He was a professor here at Hogwarts. She trusted him. He makes her feel comfortable around him. For two months she opened up the most private parts of herself to this man. The only man to have touched and worshiped her body in ways she had only dreamed of. She fooled herself into believing she knew everything about him. Those late-night dinners where she talked about herself endlessly like a blabbering fool. Your not that interesting, she thought to herself. To consumed by her downward spiral of self-deprecating thoughts she forgot she was supposed to meet him that morning for their first breakfast together of the spring break. She looked at the delicate silver watch on her wrist, one hour late. She quickly dressed in dark blue jeans. A black sweatshirt and of course her necklace. Her hair was thrown messily in a bun and she ran out quickly to his living quarters. Already late she entered without knocking and found Severus sat alone shoulders shrugged forward at the table and chairs set for two. He appeared as though he’d been crying.

“I’m so sorry Sev.” She said walking quickly to the table and taking her seat in front of him.

“It's okay.” He said still looking down. Y/n reached over and took his hand in her two.

“What’s wrong?” She asked rubbing her thumbs over the top of his hand.

“It seems I’ve fallen victim to my thoughts.”

“I as well this morning. Please. Tell me yours?” She pleads with such need in her eyes.

“You're usually so punctual that when you were 10 min late I had assumed you overslept given it was the first day of the break. 30 minutes went by and I could hear students in the corridor I had hoped you would come through that door any minute. But when the voices disappeared and you were nowhere to be seen I assumed the worst. But now here you are.”

“What did you truly think.”

“That’s enough of this. Let’s eat, I’ll heat the food.”

“No Severus. Please, this is the most you’ve opened up to me, I’ve only ever received pieces of you.”

“I was scared. I was scared you left. I was scared you changed your mind. I was scared you were done with me. You graduate in June and I wouldn’t blame you if you left your old professor behind as well.”

“Severus, you are not just my professor.”

“Oh yes, I’m the man who makes you cum a few nights a week.”

“You will not talk to me like that. I have asked you time and time again to open up to me and you shut me down. I want to know you! I want to love you and you won't let me! You don’t let me in!”

“What do you want to know Y/n!”

“Everything!”

“No!”

“Why not!”

“This was a mistake.”

“Come off your high horse and tell me the fucking truth.” They’re both stood up at this point having a yelling match at each other.

“God! I don’t know what to fucking believe from you. Either you are scared to lose me or you don’t want me. Make up your damn mind.” She yelled at him again.

“Fuck!” He shouted walking away. He turned his back to her and stood there staring at his desk stacked with parchment. Y/n walked to him and rubbed his lower back he turned. His scared face and glossy eyes met hers as streamed down her face. She managed to choke out,” opening up to me won't cause you to lose me. Shutting me out will, do you want to lose this before it has even begun? Because I don’t.”

“What do you want to know first.” He said with pain in his voice.

“Really?”

“Yes.” Y/n grabbed his hand and lead him over to the edge of the bed where they sat facing one another.

“It’s gonna sound childish.” She said looking at the ground.

“It's okay, ask me.”

“Why can’t I see you naked when you see me naked nearly every night.”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Why not,” Y/n asked her voice breaking tears threading to spill.

“I’ve already lost someone I loved deeply because of it and I can’t lose you too.”

“Severus.” She paused and got off the bed to sit on his lap. Her fingers ran threw his black soft hair, she could tell he washed it that morning by how soft it was, she gently wiped his tears with her fingers and put her head on his chest, and whispered,” how many times do I have to tell you, you won't lose me.” His arms wrapped around her tight as he sobbed into her shoulder terrified of the possibilities that flooded his mind. His sobs were those of someone grieving. Preparing himself for the fact is she might leave after he shows her this, he cried mourning the loss of a relationship that had just begun. Something that could have been great. Once he settled down he unbuttoned the cuff of his sleeve on his left arm and rolled up his sleeve. When Severus finished rolling up his sleeve y/n was met with what she feared.

“When.”

“ I was 17. I was troubled as a boy and got heavily into the dark arts. I joined the wrong group of people. I just wanted friends. And then after Hogwarts.”

“What sort of people did you hang around with?”

“Lucius Malfoy.”

“Do you know my father?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve been to y/l/n Manor.”

“Y/n please.”

“Tell me the truth.”

“Yes.” By then she was off of his lap and sat back on the bed.

“Were you there when they tortured Elouise.”

“Yes.”

“Oh-.” She choked on her cry as she sobbed into her hands.

“Did you help them?” She asked once she managed to control her sobs.

“No. I didn’t. I’ve only ever tortured one person, it was a man in his 30s. I had to prove myself to the dark lord.”

“The dark lord. Do you actually believe in blood supremacy?”

“No, I don’t.” He said with urgency and worry in his voice.

“You were there. At Christmas time when I was 7 weren’t you. You were the boy that was wandering the halls and conjured a stuffed lamb for me.”

“How do you remember that.”

“You were there with Lucius Malfoy. The Christmas Eve death eater meeting. For years they were at y/l/n manor. Until Voldemort fell.” By now Y/n was passing the room thinking back to her days at y/l/n Manor. The death eater meetings when her mother would keep y/n and her older sister in their shared bedroom. When Eloise used to read to her.

“Don’t say his name!” He pleaded with her.

“Why shouldn't I. He’s gone is he not?”

“He could come back.”

“And would you return?”

“If I do it's to keep you safe. When you came to Hogwarts it was my second year teaching, I became a teacher here to feed information on the dark lord to Dumbledore.”

“Do you fear him?”

“I care for you more than I fear him.”

“My father used to talk of you. The dark lords' teenage companion. My father tried for the position of the dark arts at Hogwarts before you became a professor and was denied. Then you became the potions master and my father was enraged. He still doesn’t like you. Before when I used to return home he would say such awful things about the school, and all the professors truly. But every sentence finished the same. I’m glad you are in Slytherin, when the dark lord returns he will be proud. At least one of my daughters turned out alright.”

“Did you recognize me when I arrived here?” She asks him

“Yes, you looked the same as you were then.” He wanted so much to tell her that she was safe here when she arrived and saw the fear in her eyes. The same fear in his when he was a child.

“Why me Severus.”

“You were so timid when you arrived but I knew how bright you were from seeing you as a child at your parents' house. When you got upset with me constantly singling you out, I thought good. Maybe you would finally come out of your shell. I remember how sad you were your first year here I grew accustomed to keeping an eye on you. Then eventually I would watch you laugh with your friend at the table and then I found myself enchanted by the sound of your laugh, your smile, and the way your eyes squint. The tears that come out the sides of your eyes from laughing so hard. Usually at your own jokes.” Y/n found herself smiling at the man who hypnotized her with his words.

“Why were you a spy for Dumbledore?” She asked now standing in front of him.

“To keep Lilly safe.”

“Lilly Potter?”

“Yes. She was my only friend when I went to Hogwarts. I ruined it though. When I heard the dark lord was after her family I went to Dumbledore asking him to keep her safe and he wanted a favor in return. I fed him information in return for her and her family's safety. It didn’t work though, in the end, their secret keeper gave away their location.”

“You said you loved her deeply.”

“As a friend.” He said caressing her cheek.

“I hated those death eater meetings.”

“I hate them too.”

“Thank you.”

“For what my dear?”

“Opening up to me.”

“I know my past brings up some things for you as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if you left and never came back to me.”

“Severus Snape.” She began as she made her way back on top of his lap. Both hands in his hair, behind his head.”Your past and my issues are just that, in the past. I’m here, and I’m staying. I’m not going anywhere. It’s gonna take a lot more than a dark mark to get rid of me.” With his arms wrapped around her body, he kissed her so softly yet with such passion and need. Y/n deepened the kiss as her tongue pushed past his lips. Their tongues danced as Severus laid back with Y/n on top of him. She moved from a sitting position on his lap to laying on top of him. Her hands worked to undo the front buttons of his shirt. Once he felt the brisk air on his abdomen he grabbed her wrist abruptly.

“No Y/n.” He said sternly.

“Sev.” She said pouting at him with pleading eyes.

“Once you graduate. I promise you, darling.”

“Okay.” She said resuming their passionate make-out. Severus sat up and removed his shirt. Still in his lap y/n ran her hands up his torso starting at his abdomen, moving to his chest, over both his shoulders and down his arms stopping at the dark mark.

“Can I touch it?” She asked.

“Yes.” With that, she used a single finger and traced the snake's body, and resumed her adoration of Snape’s body. Pushing his shoulders back gently so he would lay back down. She kissed from his mouth down his neck to his abdomen and stopped at the bulge in his pants. She gently left a single kiss on his clothed bulge. With his right hand, he cupped her cheek. She understood what he needed bringing her face back to his, and their lips reconnected. Severus wrapped his arms around her waist and flipped them both over so he was now on top. He removed her sweatshirt with ease revealing nothing underneath.

“Looks like someone suspected they would be undressed the remainder of the day.”

“I know of no such thing.” She said with a slight giggle as Severus went on to remove her pants.

Nothing ensued the rest of the day. They lay in bed together enjoying the feel of one another. When they both fell asleep peacefully in each other’s arms. It was Severus who was startled awake from the peaceful nap by the wet feeling he felt on his chest and Y/n’s trembling body on top of his.

“Darling wake up.” He said lowly rubbing her back and trying to wake her up.

“Y/n please wake up.” He said getting louder. Finally, he sat up pulling her into his lap and gently shaking her by the shoulders.

“Y/n wake up!” His final attempt woke her up. She began gasping for air. And then began to cry into Severus's chest.

“What happened?” He asked her in a gentle soothing voice.

“I-I-I was-was back at home.” She struggled to catch her breath and explain what happened in the nightmare. “I was 7 again. Eloise was screaming. I was in a dark room. I couldn’t get out. He was there. Vol- and Lucius Malfoy.” Now able to breathe she began again.” for years until I began here my father would have me perform a series of tasks to “strengthen my abilities” is what he would say. Lock me in a dark room and see if I could get out. As I got older the space got smaller. The month before I started at Hogwarts he locked me in the chest. Eloise used to beg and scream for them not to do this to me. They used the cruciatus curse on her countless times for years. For years all I knew were the dark curses my father used on others.”

“I’m sorry you had to experience that.”

“That’s why I can’t go back, Severus. If I go back I have to marry Amon Delahaye. He used the killing curse on his first wife and it was covered up when you know who infiltrated the ministry.”

“Yes, I know him. I will do everything I can to make sure you don’t have to marry him.” He said pulling Y/n closer to him and leaving a kiss on her forehead. A million thoughts raced through his head. First, he needs to tell Dumbledore.

[narcissa-black-supermacy]

Please tell me more about the whole generational trauma thing, cause its not talked about enough and I'm genuinely interested in what else you have to say about this <3

tumblr swallowed my entire reply :'') so i'm starting over and hopefully this time it will be shorter and more to the point

for the sake of this post, I am diving the characters into the following generations:

GT Gen (Golden Trio): Harry and his friends, Draco, the Weasley kids, Nymphadora etc

M Gen (Marauders): The MWPP, Black sisters, Snape, Lucius Malfoy etc

TR Gen (Tom Riddle): Riddle, Wal & Orion and their siblings, Abraxas Malfoy, Lyall Lupin, Effie and Monty Potter

E Gen (Elders): Dumbldore, Pollux and Arcturus Black, etc

There are several aspects to the kind of trauma I am talking about. There are more, of course, but I believe these are the main ones:

The Witch Hunts: often brushed off and disregarded as irrelevant due to how "old" they are. However, witch hunts in the UK haven't ended until the very end of 17th century/beginning of 18th. It was a literal genocide by the entire muggle population of Europe against a tiny minority of Wizarding families, so much bigger than all the wars put together. Considering we are told that the average life expectancy for wizards is much older than muggles (between 120 and 140 I believe, but in PS we are also told there are wizards as old as 500 and 700), the TR and E generations would grow up in families who still remember that. They are told stories how their great grandparents were burned at the stake. It's a lot of cultural and historic baggage for any family who lived through that and survived.

20th Century Wars: The Global Wizarding War (1910 to 1945); the First Wizarding War (1970 to 1981); the Second Wizarding War (1995 to 1998 on paper, but in reality the fear in tensions never really disappeared between 81 and 95). This goes beyond just terror and murder, this is persecution of followers (think of DEs knocking on every pure-blood's door like ding dong do you have a minute to talk about our Lord and Savior), this is living in constant fear that your loved ones might not return home, and certain generations (like Gen TR) literally knew no peaceful time at all, they were just tossed from one war to another.

Bloody Purity Culture: Stems from point 1 - witch hunts. This is the most by-the-book, typical, generational trauma response on a larger scale. When a minority group gets persecuted to the point of near genocide, the most natural reaction is to be hostile to the "oppressor" group and to distance yourself as far away as possible. The obsession with blood purity is deeply routed in the fear that if they let muggle-born kids in and muggles find out about the Wizarding World once more, history might repeat itself. Gens like E and TR have actual living relatives who still remember that.

Physical and Corporal Punishment at School and at Home: as I talked about it more deeply in the original post, it is mentioned by Filch that just like in the muggle world, Hogwarts had a corporal punishment system for a pretty big chunk of the 20th century. Phineas Nigellus Black was actually the Headmaster up until 1925, so it is likely that he either enstalled these laws, or enforced existing ones, which hints that the situation at home for most families like the Blacks was not any easier.

Use of Unforgivables at Home for Punishment/Training: The Unforgivable Curses actually were not categorized as such up until early 18th century, so the parents and grand parents of Gen E grew up with Unforgivables being used freely at home if not for punishment, then at least for resistance training. This kind of practice does not just die out upon being outlawed, it usually takes several generations, so we can safely assumed that Gen E and TR both grew up with curses like Cruciatus and Imperius being used at home at least for durability training, especially considering they were growing up in times of war.

So since I am a big fan of visual data, I even made an Excel table for you:

As you can see, Gens E and TR are the peak of generational trauma in this timeline. Especially TR, who lived through all three wars, fought in two of them at least, and also witnessed living memory of witch hunts, corporal punishment at schools and use of Unforgivables at home. It is no coincidence that Tom Riddle came exactly from this generation.

The thing about generational trauma that most people don't realise, is that when you grow up in a war, it's not just you - it's everyone, so nobody ever gets treated. When everybody has PTSD, then nobody really has PTSD, right?

These things leave lots of issues in people, each reacts in their own way to it, and this does not go away with one generation, even with lots of hard work and treatment, which neither generation ever got, except for maybe GT when it's finally all over.

This is why I'm so against painting characters like Dumbledore or the elder Blacks as strictly bad - these are deeply traumatised generations that carry previous gen's burdens as well as their own, they never had the chance to get treated, and it reflects on their kids as well.

[slytherintragedy]

It was quite easy to tell how drunk the male was, probably hadn't been sober in months. And that truly alarmed the female, how could it not? Her best friend was an alcoholic and why? Well Daphne could only assume it had to do with the fact she was dating Malfoy because Theodore clearly didn't like it when he found out. Which if that was truly the case then this was her fault, she turned her best friend into a mess. And she truly didn't know if she could live with herself, honestly could she blow up her relationship with Draco and just disappear? It's not like he'd truly care, after all she didn't have to be a genius to notice the lack of interest lately. Sure, he could easily be mourning the loss of his best mate but she was skeptical. To the point that maybe, she was just waiting for it to blow up on it's own. Was definitely envious of her own baby sister, how she can make it look like it was a dream come true when it really wasn't. Tsk, bloody hell - when did she become so pathetic? She truly didn't know when, maybe she always had been. And she had been so distracted with the male that she didn't notice and now that Nott was gone, it was all she could notice. God, the female hated the male in that moment cause now she wanted a drink. But no, that just wasn't going to happen. Instead she was going to fix the idiot underneath her, she owed him that much if she was the one who broke him.

❝Tsk, is that really what you want? For me to go away, to disappear from your life for good? Because if that's what you truly want then I will, I will disappear into the night and I'll be just a distant memory soon enough.❞ Daphne promised sincerely, ocean hues scanning over Theo's features as she held him down. ❝Oh grow up, Nott. If you had enough to last a lifetime, I'm not about to let you drink yourself into an early grave. Even if you want to throw everything we had away.❞ She remarked before sighing. ❝You know a part of me was always so scared of how this would end but then I'd tell myself I was just being silly because you were always going to be the one person that I'd never lose. Guess I was wrong about it being forever, right to be scared about losing you.. Huh?❞ The confession left her lips before she could stop it but truth was, she didn't care. Because if this was the last time then he was going to at least listen to her.

theo had been drinking. excessively. so much so, that in the past few months, the better question to ask him was not how many drinks had he consumed, but rather how many nights had it been since he'd been fully sober.

he wasn't an alcoholic — he claims he could stop if he wanted to. but why would he if it dulled the ache in his chest and allowed him some respite from the harrowing realities of his two best friends dating? it's how one half of said pairing finds him, drinking alone at a pub on a dingy old couch with an array of empty bottles in front of him. theo had been in the process of pouring himself another drink when daphne had stolen it, downed it, and proceeded to pin him down and sit on him.

"no, go away." theo slurs stubbornly, squirming beneath her. theo attempts to push her off, but he's weak and drunk and it barely makes her budge. "i said i didn't want to talk to you, and now i really don't want to talk to you. you stole my drink."