One night, when November is dying in a sea of mulchy brown leaves and heavy storms that shake the trees around the castle, Harry asks Draco about his subject choices.
“Because I like them,” Malfoy replies with a gentle shrug. He’s allowing a low-level lumos this time, a blue light that hovers over their heads, humming gently and, according to Malfoy, smelling like pines and fresh earth, and… I don’t know. Something dark and sweet, like brown sugar. You. That’s what your magic smells like.
He’d blushed a little at the admittance, and that’s when Harry saved him from the embarrassment of it - saved them both, really - by asking him the question, his cheeks warm, his stomach flip-flopping.
“Is it for a career, or…?”
“A career,” Malfoy says with a soft huff of laughter. “Potter, I’ll be lucky if someone hires me as an apprentice for—well, anything.”
There is a queen of AO3 tags and it’s @teacup-tai. She has brought us such gems of tags as “a confusing wank in the shower,” “drarry meets church,” “this blow job is going to break you for the good reasons,” and my personal favorite: “he [Voldemort] holds onto restraint like a lifeline”
You want a writer who can break your heart? Tai. You want a writer who can write super hot smut? Tai. You want a writer that can make you consider characters/worlds you’ve never thought about before in 3K words? TAI!
random recs and superlatives
the character study you need to read: The Old Ways// NR // 3K // Walburga Black/Tom Riddle // Walburga as you’ve never seen her before: a powerful and capitvating dark witch with so much life. Voldemort can’t stay away and if you read this, neither will you.
an unexpectedly and incredibly moving AU: For God is love // M // 3K // Drarry // Respectful and beautiful, regardless of your religious (or not) inclinations. My heart is still aching.
Blaise being too sexy for Ron’s (and the reader)’s sanity: The Truth Runs Wild // E // 3K // Blairon // Tai writes with so much imagery and she gives so much life to cocky (lol) quidditch player Blaise. To quote the fic: “Ron is very much not straight.”
NINJA PANSY?!?!? (a.k.a. part 1 of a new series to look out for): All Rivers Merge into the Sea // T // 3.4K // Gen // The worldbuilding of Japanese magic is FANTASTIC and I’m obsessed. You have to meet Minamoto Panji.
the fic to make you fall in love (again) with Wolfstar: One Night in Limerick// M // 3K // Wolfstar // A raw, tender and emotional look at Remus and Sirius reuniting after Sirius’ imprisonment. It brought tears to my eyes and a magical sense of hope.
Tai, I think we first connected over Blaise and rarepairs and I’m so glad we did. It’s been a bit, but thank you for sharing your works with the HP community! You’ve hurt us in all the best ways and I hope you have a fantastic day! Sending all the love!
for more info on mutuals march and/or to figure out why the hell I just wrote an ode to you, check out this post. this post was written by Anaxandria, who is guest-hosting for @thebooktopus.
thank you to everyone who took the time to like/comment/reblog, it meant the world to me!! anything with an asterisk was written by @anaxandria-writes during her MM takeover!
here’s a bit of my weird AU about drarry in eastern europe, with son of a profiteer!draco and balkan romani!harry. this will be like, the most niche thing ever and is entirely wish fulfilment for myself
We Are Ours
It was immunisation day, and Draco wasn’t going. The rest of the class would be gone for lunch and two double periods, but it wasn’t a long enough break to be worth the trouble of asking Lucius’ driver to come get him. Draco got all his shots in Munich this winter, because Greg’s aunt worked as a nurse there - and besides, he wouldn’t let the underpaid donkeys here stick him with anything sharper than a q-tip. Instead, he’d be celebrating his brief freedom with a freshly pirated release from The Used and the black Camels Severus had let him ‘steal’. Pretendednot to notice because Sev and Narcissa let Draco smoke with them in the kitchen during their coffee and gossip sessions, but Draco was never technically allowed to have his own pack. He’d asked Pansy to bring him Sobranie when she went to Sweden last month - and to her credit the bint did buy them - only she’d smoked all of them before she even came back. He couldn’t really blame her though - nic was the minimum requirement to surviving two weeks of your diaspora family talking about how they do things better over there. Sometimes Draco was glad all they had in Germany was Narcissa’s sister and Lucius’ baustelle friends.
Rounding the corner from the school gym, he climbed over the bombed out stone wall to the fire escape - the safest place away from the security cameras the ministry made the school put in last week. He should have been alone there, should have been by himself in the overgrown grass and scattered bricks, but of course nice things don’t have happy endings and so on his wall, right in his spot, tan and compact and kitted out in genuine adididas was Potter. As Draco’s brain tripped over the ignition sequence for a hasty retreat, a melodic, polysyllabic cry sounded from far away, then multiplied in tone and direction to form an echoing call to prayer. It was noon. Potter looked up. His eyes were so green.
Harry Potter AU in which Remus Lupin doesn’t leave Hogwarts after Snape tells everyone he’s a werewolf
instead, he fucking stays where he belongs
and, as the howlers start coming, insults exploding at the teacher’s table every morning like clockwork, the students take notice. They see Lupin’s face, and he’s not even angry, he looks fuckingresigned to it, like he deserves it.
So, the students take matters into their own hands.
“You’re the best teacher EVER” is heard on a Monday morning, followed by a “We really like your classes” on Tuesday and “Thanks for being such a cool guy. AND FOR THE CHOCOLATES” on Wednesday.
by Friday, things have escalated to the point that you can’t go ten minutes without a howler bursting and showering Lupin in compliments.
(It’s a whole month before the fateful “YOU HAVE A VERY CUTE ASS, 10/10 WOULD BANG! ” and the subsequent banning of all howlers for the teachers.
Snape has never looked more constipated in his life.)
Harry did not move, contemplating the shimmering crystal chandelier in the ball room. Of course, Malfoy. When Ron, Hermione and himself had planned this new robbery, they had studied the Malfoy family closely : these blond, conservative witches and wizards were the epitome of the old magic nobility. The very reason for the segregation between pure-bloods and the rest of them.
The Malfoys were living in such opulence, luxure and wealth, it was almost painful to see.
“I want to take you down, Malfoy. I want you and your kind to fall from your ivory tower, and taste the mud you think that is running in our veins.”
The heir’s mouth parted for a second, his eyes shining outrageously in the darkness of the alcove. Harry licked his own lips without thinking, and couldn’t quiet believe it when Draco Malfoy replied :
“I’ll help you.”
(More about that Magic Robin Hood-like thieves AU : Harry doesn’t know why Draco wants to help him in the break in of his own manor, so of course, he’s wary. Draco, on his behalf, finds an opportunity to distract his family from the upcoming ceremony where he will have to pledge allegiance to the Dark Lord.)
Written for @drarrymicrofic with the prompt “we look so good”.
The badge appears on a Monday morning, the day after Harry gets to kiss Draco for the first time.
He still remembers the taste of his soft lips, how his pale fingers trembled when they found their way under Harry’s tatty t-shirt, tracing his ribs and brushing a thumb against his belly button.
“You have an innie,” Draco murmured before sliding his tongue inside his mouth again, making Harry moan helplessly.
He looks at Draco’s flushed cheeks now, at the colourful badge on his black robes.
Blue, pink, white, pink, blue.
“What does it mean?” Harry asks Hermione, eyes glued to the Slytherin table, and for once she doesn’t know.
“Whatd'ya mean you don’t know?!” Ron asks, sounding shocked.
“It’s the transgender flag,” Luna announces serenely while spreading jam on her toast.
“Oh,” Harry replies, his eyes meeting grey irises. Harry remembers the smooth scars on Draco’s chest. “Oh!”
Draco stands up abruptly, and all Harry can do is follow him outside.
The badge flashes in the sunlight, and Harry catches a glimpse of Potter stinks for a fleeting moment.
When he catches up with Draco, hand finding his and squeezing hard, he can feel him relax even though his stormy eyes still look worried.
“Do you…” Draco stars, teeth worrying his bottom lip. Harry’s dying to kiss him again.
“I like it,” Harry blurts out. “I like what it represents.”
“Okay,” Draco breathes out, the corner of his lips finally curling up for a smile.
“Do you think you could make one for me?” Harry asks tentatively. “Is there a flag for people who don’t mind other people’s gender when it comes to…you know…falling in love?”
Draco’s cheeks turn scarlet, and he tilts his head as he stares back at Harry.
“I don’t think there’s one, not yet at least,” he says. “But I have a lot of Potter stinks badges left, so we could make one for you.”
“How about magenta, yellow and cyan?” Harry suggests. “I bet that would look good.”
But what he is actually trying to say is that he thinks Draco and him look good together. Terribly good.
“Tell me why missing you is so easy?” You press the words into my hip, nose surprisingly cold. I don’t answer. I can’t with your fingers pushing in and out of my mouth. If you only knew how long I’ve fantasized about this… It’s delicious — the burn I feel as you press them deeper and deeper. Your other arm comes up to press across my hips, stilling me as I vainly seek friction. “I don’t want to miss you.”
I don’t want to miss you either, but somewhere between sucking you off in the locker rooms and my best friend moving in with yours, I got used to having you around. I don’t know how to tell you that I beg Pansy to invite you to pub nights and that every time I tell a joke I look for your reaction. Saliva gathers at the edge of my lips, dripping a bit when you finally pull your fingers free.
“You don’t have to miss me,” I manage, voice rough.
“And why,” you move your fingers lower. “Is that?” My breath catches. You stop suddenly, pulling away. “Potter—”
I shake my head, “Please?”
Your sigh is fond, if a bit annoyed. “Harry. Harry. Harry.” You punctuate each word with the softest of kisses to forehead, my temple, my nose. You drop your forehead to mine. I can’t tell if it’s acceptance or defeat.
For@drarrymicrofic prompt ‘we look so good’ by chaz cardigan
“We look good together.” Draco credits the success of the evening for his good mood. Ten minutes previous, Harry kissed him quiet in a ballroom to maintain their cover story. Harry shrugs off his tux jacket.
“Well, congratulations, Malfoy. Your commitment to the Department remains unmatched. I’m going to bed.”
