The arrival of Harry Potter’s children—snapped back in time, the children themselves guessed, twenty or so years—was the most interesting thing to happen at Hogwarts for years.
It was awful, there was going to be no pretending after this. The one good thing that had happened in years, falling into the palm of his hand like a gift from the gods, impossible to understand or earn and sure to be taken away, already slipping through his fingers.
My first 2021 rec was also the hardest one to write so far! Not only I had to check it 268453 times for spoilers, it was also difficult to find the right words to express aideomai’s pure genius without either losing objectivity, giving things away or making a complete mess out of myself. Choosing a quote was also a big challenge - there are so many brilliant, gut-punching lines and I had to find one that made sense out of context, without taking anything away from the reader’s experience. I’m not 100% pleased with this rec, but I hope it has as much heart and devotion as the fic itself!
First things first (and I’m aware I’m repeating myself here, but): aideomai’s superior storytelling skills deserve endless appreciation and praise. They have this unique, seemingly effortless way of exploring a fic concept that leaves me in awe; it’s heartfelt, sophisticated and accessible all at once, which I find very impressive. I was just telling @tackytigerfic how this feels like a 400k journey wrapped in 70k because everything happens so organically you don’t even notice 100k flying by. I could wax poetry about the peak world building, perfect atmosphere, exquisite characterization (including Harry’s kids who are so very charming they immediately stole my heart) or the hot, moving and otherworldly smut, so passionate and breathtaking I can’t think about it without tearing up (I’m serious). But you know what, I think my favorite thing about about this fic is that, despite having all these elements perfectly executed, it remains a love story, and it’s just… as simple as that.
Harry and Draco’s falling in love and evolving relationship are at the center of everything and the author takes their sweet time to present and develop their dynamics in a rich and detailed way, to make sure we realize the hows and the whys later on. The story is told from Draco’s POV and it’s such a privilege to witness his changes of heart, from getting bullied to falling for Harry. We get to see their individual arcs through his conflicted eyes and both took my breath away - their voices are intense, nuanced, and so full of character and emotion it still gives me goosebumps. I love how FFT combined that 8th year’s secretive, light-hearted and experimentative tone with a more mature atmosphere linked to the complications brought by the time travel plotline. These characters are very much 18yo (by that I mean horny, awkward, stupid, tentative and emotionally constipated) but aideomai has found a way to push them into moments of introspection and altruism, and I thought that was phenomenal.
In my humble opinion, this is a perfectfic. It has the perfect amount of angst, humor, mystery, action and romance; these characters grow up before our eyes and everything comes together in such an emotionally satisfying way. The gentle devastation pays off and will make you laugh, cry, cheer and fall in love with their love, which is all we ever want out of a fic. Some moments - especially the RoR scenes - still make me want to relive the joy and hurt I felt while reading them, until it becomes a small and sweet aching, safe inside my memory.
What a majestic author, what a powerful read. I felt so completely moved, then immersed, then transformed by it, and my emotional hangover is lasting a bit longer than expected, despite Tacky’s warnings. It’s been a few days and I still feel disoriented, attacked by the bittersweet feeling of knowing that I’ll never be able to read this for the first time ever again. This is a very late rec as I might have been the last person to read it, but if you haven’t yet you’re in luck! I invite you to jump in right now and read one of the best Drarry fics out there, an instant all-time fave that will stay in my mind for a long while. Enjoy!
PS for anyone wondering yes, the graphic is bigger this time because I found the perfect pic but this is the only format in which we get to see it properly - then again this is my first 2021 rec so I say let’s go big or go home
