a short fic a day...

...keeps the blues away || drarry fics under 10k || see taglist

[drarryshorts]

drarryshorts is a rec blog for fics under 10k that feature Harry/Draco as the primary pairing. we believe in and practice basic fandom etiquette (i.e. SALS & DL/DR), are firmly against JKR and her transphobic views, and have a zero-tolerance policy for bullshit.

[drarryshorts]

Malfoy is up to something .

ATONEMENT by Rei382 ( G | 1.8k ) - Harry's back on his Malfoy-is-up-to-something shit. So when no one believes him (again), he decides to investigate on his own (again). But why is Malfoy going to Hagrid's hut??

If you've ever found yourself wondering how Draco feels about Buckbeak and everything that happened in Third Year, this one is for you. Malfoy is up to something, that much is true. It just isn't what Harry expected it to be.

[drarryshorts]

It was a day like any other when the Aurors burst in.

WE PREFER THE DARKNESS by @quicksilvermaid ( E | 4.3k ) - Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy and a cursed item. What could go wrong?

A little bit of action, a little bit of very kinky smut, all wrapped up in gorgeous prose and a delicious push-and-pull dynamic.

[drarryshorts]

"He's dead."

DESPERATION, DEVOTION by @ronbinary ( T | 1.9k ) - Harry and Draco are Britain's last hope.

Dark!Drarry vs. The Ministry of Magic: this short fic is sure to get your heart racing with mystery and suspense, as Draco and Harry fight to save each other, and take the Ministry down, all at the same time.

[drarryshorts]

“Morning beastie,” said Harry Potter from the chair beside their bed, his voice warm with affection.

JASMINE AND SALT by @teledild0nix ( G | 1.4k ) - After the full moon ends, Draco needs some tender loving care, and Harry is on hand to provide it.

Heart-melting romance in the form of taking care of your beloved werewolf the morning after a full moon. This one will have you smiling at every word.

[drarryshorts]

They lay on a pile of soft pelts, and Draco feels warmer in Harry’s arms than he thinks he should, naked under an enchanted sky in a kingdom of caverns.

RAPT OVER THE DEEP, IMPELLED BY LOVE by @kryptidfoxwrites ( T | 192 words ) - Spring approaches, but it can wait a little longer.

A stunning Drarryfied version of the Hades and Persephone myth. Pure romance in a baker's dozen of sentences.

[drarryshorts]

Draco Malfoy—heir to the Austrian crown—has somehow never been to a place like this.

YOU CAN MAKE MY NIGHT by @devilrising ( M | 2.4k ) - Draco has never been to a place like this; an underground, queer speakeasy. There are men everywhere, dancing, drinking, talking. He can't believe he gets to be a part of this. Or: how Draco Malfoy meets Harry Potter in a bar in the 1920s

A queer speakeasy in 1920s New York. A meet-cute, chemistry that's off the charts, and a Draco that is head over heels for Harry, just the way we like him.

[drarryshorts]

“Harry, you have to go in,” Sirius told Harry firmly.

WE'RE ALREADY MARRIED by @xx-thedarklord-xx (T | 3.9k) - "Our whole lives we have always told people that we were married. I knew that it wasn't exactly normal but it was always something that filled me with so much affection for you. I have loved you for so long. Longer than I ever realized." Harry took a deep breath as he looked into shining silver eyes.

Or...

Three-year-old Harry asks little Draco to marry him and they insist to anyone who will listen that they are indeed already married.

The sweetest childhood best friends to lovers fic — read this one to if you need a smile, or to brighten a grey day.

[drarryshorts]

Draco found the parchment at the back of an old warlord's bust.

FOUR LETTERS AND A DANCE by @vaysh11 ( G | 1.6k ) - Harry and Draco have been lovers since fifth year at Hogwarts. When the War has them on opposing sides, they communicate through magical letters, addressing each other in code. Draco is Silver-Green, and Harry is Golden-Red. Inspired by This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone.

A triumph when it comes to the epistolary format and a masterful spin on canon. One for all of us who can't resist love winning in the end.

[drarryshorts]

Harry shivered under Malfoy’s stern glare.

AN AUROR ERROR by @fluxweeed ( T | 1.2k) - Auror Malfoy is determined to demonstrate his dominance. Harry decides to dabble in a bit of banter.

In need of a giggle? This is the fic for you. Masterful wordplay and togue twisters that will have you howling with laughter.

[drarryshorts]

The last thing Harry expected to have happen at this utterly boring Ministry party is for Draco Malfoy to push him up against the door in the small parlor where Harry has taken refuge, but here he is, and here Malfoy is, and there’s the door.

DRAWN TO YOU by @phd-mama (E | 4k) - The last thing Harry expected to have happen at this utterly boring Ministry party is for Draco Malfoy to push him up against the door in the small parlor where Harry has taken refuge, but here he is, and here Malfoy is, and there’s the door.

The title says it all, really. Settle in comfortably for this one, grab a glass of wine if you're so inclined, and be prepared to fall head first into this gorgeous world for a little while.

[drarryshorts]

The crowd roared, Harry along with them, as the Quaffle flew through the hoop, Ginny clocking another ten points to the Holyhead Harpies.

GAME ON by @pennygalleon (T | 4.8k) - Draco blows Harry a kiss and the press goes nuts. Harry suggests they use this to their advantage.

Fake dating with delicious chemistry? Check. Shameless flirting? Check. Oblivious Harry? Check. Incredible dialogue? Check. What else can you ask for?

[drarryshorts]

“This isn’t how it’s supposed to happen, is it?” Draco looks sceptical and for very good reason.

MONSTERS ON THE SECOND FLOOR by @greaseonmymouth (G | 2.5k) - The IDRU (Inter-Dimensional Repair Unit) is the least known and most underfunded department in Magical Pest Control. This may be about to change.

The most fun humour meets horror meets that very unique drarry dynamic we all love. If the concept of daycare for eldritch horrors doesn't make you want to click on it, I don't know what will.

[the-starryknight]

No, It's Not Too Short...

People intending to compliment short fics often comment with something like, "I need more!" It's a nice thing to say, but it often feels backhanded.

"I need more" implies that the piece isn't complete as-is, that the piece is a prompt for something more, or that there's something missing from how the author wrote it. This probably isn't what these enthusiastic commenters think at all!

So, here are some alternative compliments that have a similar meaning:

I didn't want this fic to be over!

I loved this story so much, I'd want to read more like this piece.

Your writing made me never want to stop reading.

I wish I could read a whole series like this piece because it's so good!

This story feels complete and finished. Thank you for sharing it!

This story feels so expansive -- I can imagine more before and after what you've written.

Wow! This fic made me feel so much in so few words.

I wish I could go back and read this again for the first time.

I've never read anything else exactly like this!

Thank you for writing this fic!

shoutout to the microfic server for starting this convo 💛

What are some other compliments you'd like to hear on a short piece?

[drarryshorts]

“Loser does the talking,” Harry says.

YOU FIRST, LOSER by @lol-zeitgeistic (E | 6.3k) - When Harry and Draco’s “not serious” three-year relationship results in a one-in-a-million pregnancy, they decide who will be the unlucky one to tell their families in a very mature and adult fashion that indubitably proves their inherently stellar parenting abilities: with a bet over a (probably rigged, let’s be real; Draco is playing) game of Exploding Snap.

Harry and Draco are absolutely fine with their unplanned pregnancy but telling their families is a whole different story in this delightfully funny mpreg short fic!

[drarryshorts]

Harry’s bed at Grimmauld Place is too big.

SO LIE TO ME TONIGHT. by @bonesliketambourines (T | 5k) - Ginny thought it would be different, after.

This fic has a stunning and heartwrenching Ginny POV and a fresh take on Draco/Harry. Enjoy!

[onbeinganangel]

What do you love about short stories?

Hi lovely anon,

Sorry if it’s taken me a wee while to get to your question, it’s been a busy time over here but I LOVE this question and wanted to give you a proper answer.

What do I love about short stories?

As a reader, opening tumblr, the @drarrymicrofic blog or ao3 looking for short fics, is like opening a box of Celebrations or Quality Street or whatever your preferred chocolate selection is: I’ve got tons of different flavours of fic to pick from. This means I can just have the one as a sweet treat (maybe before bed, maybe on the go, maybe while I'm taking a break from work), or I can sit on the sofa with a cup of tea and demolish the whole box, trying a ton of different flavours in one sitting.

To stick to the metaphor, this doesn’t mean I don’t like a good slice of chocolate cake. I love longfic. However, longfic requires the emotional bandwidth to get attached to a story for a little longer, the time to read it and appreciate all the nuances, all the details I’ll have to remember further on into the story.

This doesn’t mean longfics are better (or worse) than shortfics — shortfics are often incredibly well-written pieces (there is a very specific skill to packing a lot of plot and/or feelings into a short piece, but we’ll get to that when I get to the writing part of this question) and some have stayed with me for just as long as some longfics.

I’m often left thinking “how did this writer make me feel all these things in such a short word count?” I think, especially in the Drarry fandom, longfic is (used to be?) the norm — which is great! We are so lucky to be part of a fandom that has numerous fests happening all at the same time and such a great variety of works being written, topics being explored through a Drarry POV and wordcounts. There really is something for everyone. Not everyone likes short fics, and that’s absolutely fine, there are long fics being posted every single day. But short fics (yes, even the 50 word microfics and 100 word drabbles) are complete stories in their own right.

When I don’t have the emotional disposition and the time to dive into a longer fic, short stories are there for me. I don’t have to feel FOMO, I am still participating in fandom actively by reading, commenting, chatting about fic and supporting other writers and I can do it with the little time and availability that I have.

As a writer, short stories are harder to write, in a way. Writing short fic and specifically microfics has really helped me explore tropes and topics I wouldn’t have the time and availability to write as a longfic and I believe it has made me a much better writer. Practising with short form has given me the opportunity to play with different POVs, different narrative voices, different genres that I definitely wouldn’t otherwise feel comfortable writing.

There is an expectation of a longer fic, which requires much more work and time. You have to plan your timeline, there’s the worry of consistency, of engaging the reader for a much longer period of time, of balancing out tension, suspense, revelation and a whole neverending amount of feelings. Shorter fic sometimes lets me get an idea out of my head so that it stops bugging me. I often have ideas that could, of course, fit into a bigger fic — but why should they? If all I want to write is a short scene to let go of some happiness or some lust or some grief, why should I have to turn that into a bigger story? Often when I already have at least four or five longer fics I’m working on when I have the time, on top of that?

Short fics give me the freedom to do my writing organically, to write what I want when I want to, post it and let it go, and move on to other projects, while challenging me to become a better writer and to play around with form.

TL;DR: I’m here for fic of all lengths. Sometimes I want a nibble, sometimes I want a full meal, sometimes I want a tapas dinner where I get to taste lots of different things in one go, or sometimes I want a long, drawn-out multi course dinner with different accompanying wines.

Thank you for this lovely question, anon! It really made me think about my fic writing and reading experience, especially at a time I’m not feeling particularly present/connected in fandom because real life is really demanding. I hope you have a lovely day, and I’m sorry I wrote you a whole bloody essay.