the best fanfiction you've ever read was written by a woman in her 40s before she made dinner for her kids. it was written by a teenager after school when they should've been studying for a history test. and a barista came up with the idea while they cleaned the espresso machine and busser fact-checked it on their break and the post-doc edited between writing grant proposals and the nurse apologized for typos in the notes after a long shift and behind every drabble and one-shot and multi-chapter fic there is a person with a wonderful and interesting and chaotic life and it is such a privilege that we get to be apart of it because they decided to do this thing we all share, for fun.
And this is what makes fanfiction beautiful and why we can't expect trad published quality. This is a hobby that we all get to share in - how lucky we are ❤️
This piece started at least a solid year ago, if not nearly two, vaguely inspired by the various imagined meetings in Narcissa's garden. I ended up picking it back up a month ago, said what on earth was I doing and redrew nearly the entire thing. This time pulled references and I think it improved the outcome quite a bit. It isn't my best work but I am always pleased to finish an unfinished piece.
One of my favourite bits of media history trivia is that back in the Elizabethan period, people used to publish unauthorised copies of plays by sending someone who was good with shorthand to discretely write down all of the play's dialogue while they watched it, then reconstructing the play by combining those notes with audience interviews to recover the stage directions; in some cases, these unauthorised copies are the only record of a given play that survives to the present day. It's one of my favourites for two reasons:
It demonstrates that piracy has always lay at the heart of media preservation; and
Imagine being the 1603 equivalent of the guy with the cell phone camera in the movie theatre, furtively scribbling down notes in a little book and hoping Shakespeare himself doesn't catch you.
imagine having already made all the wrong decisions of your life at the age of 17 and thinking you could never be forgiven even if you spend the rest of your life apologizing for all the things you regret. but you try anyway, and in the process you become someone different enough to be loved, someone who should've always been you
non-writers will never understand the mental illness of writing an entire conversation in your head while doing dishes and then forgetting every word the second you open a blank doc
HP FESTS: Blah Blah Blah (Fest) - A Dramione x Sabrina Carpenter Event
Blah Blah Blah 2026:
A Friendly Wager (or, Bet U Wanna) by Gr8t_78 - E, one-shot - "I'm sure I can find you the perfect wizard, Granger," Draco said. Hermione's eyes sparkled in challenge. "Well, I'm certain that I could find the ideal witch for you first, Malfoy." "Care to make it interesting?" Draco smirked. "Just a friendly wager between us?" "You're on," she said with a smirk of her own. "Can both of you just... not?" asked Harry miserably.
sabotage by venus_in_aries - E, WIP - Draco seethes, fingers clenching into fists, processing the news that Hermione Granger, whom he has been hooking up with for the past 6 months, has started dating without informing him. Fear and jealousy burn under his skin, urging him to do whatever it takes to make her his. Unwilling to risk her falling for someone else before he has his chance to prove that they can be so much more than fuck buddies, Draco feels that he has no choice but to sabotage her dates. Borrowing Potter's invisibility cloak is only necessary, and when he finds himself shoved under the table where Hermione is dining with her very handsome date, hidden from view, he takes it upon himself to remind her exactly why they are so good together.
Espresso by Chengbby - G, one-shot - Hermione makes an Espresso every morning for the sexy tatted blonde man that comes in like clockwork. She's been stupidly pining for months, waiting for the day he leaves his stupid girlfriend. Will she ever get her chance?
Maneater! by ethereal_mads - E, one-shot - Hermione Granger comes when she wants, leaves when she’s done, and never apologizes. Draco Malfoy’s only problem? He loves being eaten alive. * * "Take your trousers off, Malfoy." Draco would be the first to admit that somewhere along the line, he'd apparently developed a type for terrifying women in politics who bossed him around with a snap of their manicured fingers and expected immediate compliance. Or, more precisely, for the singular, terrifying witch named Hermione Granger currently standing before him.
The Fall by Ms_Tavers - E, one-shot - Hermione arrives at Draco's door two hours early with a gift she made by hand for her best friend's boyfriend. She tells herself it's innocent. She tells herself the muse in her story only resembles her because she writes what she knows. She tells herself right up until the moment he pulls her to him. They are friends, surely? Some thresholds, once crossed, can never be uncrossed. Some ink never washes away. Sometimes we get more than what we bargained for, sometimes we want what we shouldn't have and choose it anyway.
Wildfire by Samniosa - E, WIP - There was no conceivable reality where Hermione Granger would want him, but Draco had made that possible—in his dreams. He had chosen to call them that, instead of what they really were. It seemed less degrading, less self-destructive; it felt more innocent. So he bent the concept until it became true. In his dreams, she wanted him back. She was his.
tell me i'm the only, only, only, only one by riddikulus_puff - E, one-shot - Draco Malfoy always acted out a bit, the rebellious child — more so since the divorce between his parents and the introduction of a new step-mother and step-sister — and he is insanely jealous of his little sister, Hermione Granger, who can apparently do no wrong and is seemingly the favourite of his father and his new step-mother. Bitter, Draco decides that what better way to sully that perfect reputation than to knock his sister up? [WARNINGS: RAPE/NON-CON, STEP-SIBLING INCEST]
outlines on bed sides by palomab1anca - E, one-shot - "Addiction was complicated, Draco had gathered. And for a man who planned, he wasn’t overly pleased to have been caught off guard by the likes of Hermione Granger." In which Hermione and Draco fall into each others bed, and in and out of love.
You Don’t Know How Hard I Can Make It by annieinthesun - E, one-shot - Some nights are about grief. Some nights are about pleasure. This one is about reclamation.
One Red Tulip by DancingInMoonlight - E, WIP - She grabbed his wrist and pulled the spoon into her mouth slowly, holding his gaze as she did. The silver touched her tongue, her lashes dropped shut and she gave a soft, mewling sound of approval. "Fuck." Or: Draco Malfoy had planned everything: the right restaurant, the right flowers, the right outfit. Hermione Granger, as it turned out, had plans of her own. A first date, a very good dinner and an Aston Martin that nearly didn't survive the drive home.
Lifelike by Anonymous - E, WIP - Hermione Granger and her merry band of miscreants have made a habit of breaking into pureblood homes. Malfoy Manor is up for the night. She's looking for an object and maybe some answers from a boy--now man--that went quiet. The object she finds is unexpected. The answers she's given, even more so.
Room Four by Department_of_Depravity - E, one-shot - Draco and Hermione return for a debauched night in the exclusive dungeon club Le Désir Noir — Room Four, the one with the glass wall. You ask, “Why?” “For an audience, silly.”
engagement by Anonymous - E, one-shot - Distance didn't matter. Nor the time apart. It had been weeks since they last saw each other. His father made sure of it, keeping Draco busy with the company or away on business trips. Her family was never good enough for theirs. But nothing would keep them apart. -or- Hermione is invited to Draco and Astoria's engagement party.
One Fated Night by MayleneSweet - E, one-shot- Hermione returns to her dorm room after an evening studying, finding Draco Malfoy drunk and muttering to himself. Not sure what to do with the inebriated git, she decides it would be best if he stays the night. A fated connection is set in motion after an unexpected confession.
Granger, Granger, Granger (and her wonderful, wicked plan) by Anonymous - E, one-shot - Draco Malfoy is absolutely certain Hermione Granger has lured him to France as part of a brilliantly wicked seduction scheme. Is he right—or just hopelessly gone for her?
Ride the Dragon (Tamer) by mayanahi, Ninjawurp - E, WIP - “Hermione, these are your vitals. Your body is shutting down because you have been abusing it with too much stress. The department has decided on six weeks of remunerated leave for you to heal mind and body. Luckily, Charlie Weasley runs a rehabilitation program in Romania–” “With the dragons?” “Yes,” he snarled. “You are going. End of story. This isn’t a suggestion–it’s an order. And if you refuse it, you will be fired.” Or: Cowboy-coded Draco Malfoy helps burnout-City Girl Hermione Granger find her balance while tending to Dragons in Romania.
the taste of you by littlewolfsyndrome - E, one-shot - “They say that I—I taste like… like…” “Oh, right. Like another woman’s flower.” “Don’t call it that.” “I shall. Vulva is too clinical, pussy is too pedestrian, and cunt is too severe.” “And flower is too bloody stupid.” In which Draco Malfoy tastes like a flower.
Woodwind by saltyorange (Velaaa) - E, one-shot - Draco Malfoy, drummer in marching band, prodigal son in the making, is in his last year of college and the world as we know it is coming to an end. Or Draco Malfoy is convinced his girlfriend is on the verge of breaking up with him, again, and again… and again.
A Twist of Fête by myfatherwillhearaboutthisss - T, one-shot - Hermione Granger comes back to England for a wedding and accidentally attends a magical fête. OK, fine. She expects fairy floss and a catch-up with the girls. She does NOT expect Draco Malfoy to be there. She expects even less to find out he's a paediatric healer, single father, and apparently... Prince Charming. Somewhere between the Ferris wheel and a four-year-old who's eaten too much sugar, Hermione realises she hasn’t just missed the latest gossip. She’s missed an entire life.
I was a bully, but I love her ( how do i get her to notice me?) by HerMuse14 - M, WIP - How far will Draco Malfoy go to have the Golden Girl forgive him? Well when a “how to” goes wrong he just keep trying until she’s his! ——— Hello everyone this is my first maybe full length multi chapter. Remember fan fiction is free and if you don’t like the story or have something negative to see just close the tab and be on with your day! Yes I’m a terrible writer but this is my fun and I don’t need you bashing me.. sweet now that we have that out of the way I’m dyslexic so bear with me!
ain't nobody's safe when I'm a little bit drunk by Anonymous - not rated, WIP - Draco has a problem. He can't seem to stop making drunken confessions to his long time crush and co-worker, Hermione. But the state he needs to reach to make such overtures, well.....it means they aren't particularly effective. They are, however, amusing to everyone who gets to / is subjected to witness them.
Just staying inside by bibidrink - E, one-shot - Draco becomes an absent friend and we get a sneak peek of why he likes staying inside so much.
Wrong Number, Right Person by DancingInMoonlight - E, one-shot - Hermione Granger has been hopelessly in love with Draco Malfoy for longer than she'd like to admit. So when he asks another woman out right in front of her, she decides enough is enough. One night out, one fresh start, and absolutely no pining. It would have been the perfect plan, really, if she'd just left her phone at home.
A Thousand Flashing Suns by Anonymous - E, WIP - Minister Hermione Granger has a secret--no one knows who is the father of her son, Archie. That is about to change, though, with movie star Draco Malfoy returning from America.
We almost broke up again last night (one shot) by Bana_Bhuidseach - M, one-shot - Sex is all they had left, this frustrating consuming bond between them, it is demanding and cruel how much that person can get you off even when you are both long overdue.
Silver Thoughts About You by Akira0828 - M, WIP - 10 years after the war, heroine Hermione Granger finds herself partnered with the mysterious and curmudgeonly co-worker Draco Malfoy. Researchers teamed up in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. While awkward at first Hermione finds herself drawn to him, simply because he seems so attuned to her. It is almost like he can read her mind.
A Modern Woman by Evergreenblue - E, 3 chapters - Draco has long given up the fanciful notion that he might get what he wants. The reason is not that he doesn't think he deserves it. It is because his elves are utter fucking wankers. Still, when Pansy sets him up on a date with a witch he's been pining after for months, Draco prepares. He even has the elves lay out his favourite jacket. Wait – where is his jacket? *** Follow Draco on a fine spring day, during which he attempts to woo Hermione Granger, is humiliated by his own dressing room, accidentally becomes an environmentalist, and finds out he has been wrong about more than one thing.
Only the Truth Will Do by NoRemedyForMemories - E, one-shot - Looking to liven up their relationship, Hermione Granger plans to meet her boyfriend, Theodore Nott, at a high end sex club. Except when she gets there, she discovers he is there with someone else. Determined to get answers, Hermione seeks out a sullen Draco Malfoy at the bar. “And how in the fuck would I know that?” Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. “Theo is one of your best friends, is he not?”All the blood seemed to drain from Malfoy’s face. “Theo Nott is your boyfriend? For how long?” “About six months,” she supplied, not understanding his haunted tone. “Oh fucking hell,” he cursed under his breath and knocked back the rest of his drink before signaling to the bar man that he needed another. “I hate to be the one to break this to you, but Theo is no longer your boyfriend. He’s in there with some muggle fashion model, a blonde with spindly legs, that he has been entertaining for the last three weeks or so. Suffice it to say he is no longer my boyfriend either.” OR Both spurned by their former lover, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy plot the perfect revenge.
Don't Forget Me by basketheadgirl - T, WIP - Hermione and Draco are young, in love, and couldn't be happier. If only his estranged mother would stop sending him countless unsolicited letters asking to see him. Draco should never have left their house that day. Maybe then, Hermione wouldn't have lost him to his past. (HEA)
Well and Truly by constantblathering - E, WIP - Hermione Granger has spent the past decade building her career as one of Western Europe's foremost experts on Curse Breaking. She's independent, in charge and completely content with the way life is unfolding for her. Draco Malfoy is stuck down a well. When the two of them encounter a strange fairy pool, their souls are bound and suddenly each knows everything about the other. Hermione is having none of it. A philosophical, feminist investigation of soul bonds.
Read Her Mind, Seek Her Heart, Play For Keeps by Rosewood_Embers - E, one-shot - A friendly Quidditch match at the Burrow proves dangerously distracting when Draco is surprised to discover he can read Hermione's mind. Suddenly, the win he was seeking can’t compete with a far more tempting prize; if only he were brave enough to chase it.
Love in Every Language by deathbytbrwrites - E, one-shot - Hermione Granger takes the stage at the Magical UN, hoping to change international magical law. Draco Malfoy is the polyglot interpreter at her side—translating her words into more than half a dozen languages and making sure she has everything she needs along the way. Or: Draco speaks nine languages and Hermione loses her mind over every single one.
Talk Dirty To Me by CarolineSedgefield - E, one-shot - 14:52, DM: [swallows] Are your knickers soaked through, Ms. Cattermole? 14:52, SC: [clicks tongue] I have a confession to make. 14:53, DM: What’s that? 14:53, SC: I was wet the moment I sat down across from you.
footsies by Lunathebat - E, one-shot - Returning to Hogwarts two years after the war, the students are required to take a new course called Wizarding Early Family Unity and Child Development, in which they get to experience a delightful week of magical pregnancy symptoms aimed to deter premarital and unprotected sex. With hormones coursing through her and pheromones in the air, Hermione becomes quite feral at the sight of Draco, and he's all for it.
Misconstrued Notions and Malfunctioning Potions by Kisses_K - E, one-shot - After finally deciding to take their relationship to the next level, Hermione wakes up the morning after alone. She's ready to write Draco off and is livid when they're paired at work to find a solution to an ongoing potion crisis. Stuck in a lab together, will they be able to move past the tension or will they put it to better use?
How to Read Draco Malfoy's Mind by Xumie - M, WIP - Hermione Granger, who became a Legilimens after being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange, has others' thoughts rush in unexpectedly and without warning. Then one day, Hermione realises that there is a person whose thoughts she simply cannot —truly cannot — hear...
Guess who it is.
Because She Loved A Boy by Eldrafrey - T, one-shot - Harry died in the Battle of Hogwarts, so it was Draco Malfoy who ended the war with a wand that wasn’t his. Both these facts have sat heavy in Unspeakable Hermione Granger's heart all these years. So, when invited to Malfoy's farewell Ministry ball, the curiosity to uncover the mirage of the boy she once loved wins over - only for her to discover that the truth of the man before her is far more dangerous than the ghost of her memories.
Cartwheels in my stomach when you walked in…. by adiontherocks10 - not rated, one-shot - Nonsense: Cartwheels in my stomach when you walked in... You said you like my eyes and you like to make 'em roll br /> Treat me like a queen, now you got me feelin' thrown, oh
Lookin' at you got me thinkin' nonsense Cartwheels in my stomach when you walk in
Draco Malfoy is stuck down a well (oh no!) Will a hot curse breaker with a powerful brain save him??? (Yes)
New WIP
Hermione Granger has spent the past decade building her career as one of Western Europe's foremost experts on Curse Breaking. She's independent, in charge and completely content with the way life is unfolding for her.
Draco Malfoy is stuck down a well.
When the two of them encounter a strange fairy pool, their souls are bound and suddenly each knows everything about the other. Hermione is having none of it.
A philosophical, feminist investigation of soul bonds.
Hermione Granger has a plan. She's going to return to Hogwarts, bury herself in studying for a record number of NEWTs, be an excellent (almost) girlfriend and try to ignore the growing sense that she doesn't actually know who she is when she has nobody to help.
Draco Malfoy has no plan. What he has is a powerful imagination and a propensity for burying himself in it when things get a bit... challenging. But perhaps even his imagination won't save him from the slow, inconvenient realisation that he has no idea who he actually is either.
This is a dual POV story about the painful business of growing up. And about two rivals doing it in uncomfortably close proximity.
Hermione Granger lives in a house with legs, with a swamp-lizard named Stripes, in a semi-sentient ecosystem that occasionally burps up lost things. It’s not ideal, but after five and a half years in the Neitherlands, she’s made it work.
Then Draco Malfoy falls from the sky. Literally.
He has questions, a missing bag, and limited patience for her deeply repressed need for human contact.
As they navigate a shaky path between physics and magic, and a shared past, they might even figure out how to save their world.
Cover by: AccioPeaches
https://archiveofourown.org/works/66671743
This is a story about two lonely people trying to stitch the cosmos back together.
NOW COMPLETE: Slow burn enemies to lovers road trip across Australia with banter, romance and political intrigue.
Draco Malfoy is on a quest to save his son. Hermione Granger is on a quest to steal his quest. What could go wrong?
Terrified that his son Scorpius may one day succumb to a centuries-old blood curse, Draco embarks on a desperate search for a mythical fountain rumoured to hold the power to heal. Tracking ancient magic across Australia would be hard enough on its own, but with Hermione Granger (freshly divorced, endlessly clever, and irritatingly determined) insisting on joining him, the task becomes even more infuriating.
Equal parts adventure, romance, and self-discovery, this is a story about redemption, unlikely alliances, and the healing magic of second chances.
