Drarry for Beginners: 8th year
Nice Things by aideomai (2020, M, 22k)
The first thing that happened was Theodore Nott came back from France.
Aideomai has the ability of turning even the softest plot into something poignant, quietly devastating, full of feels and gentle catharsis. This is one of the most emotionally rewarding 8th year fics I’ve ever read - we get to see the kids coming back to Hogwarts and sharing a gatehouse, where they bond and heal together in their own time. The tentative domesticity sucks you in and Harry’s childhood issues are explored in such a sensitive way. His friendship with Draco is as gentle and inevitable as their falling in love, and these two soft bois filled my heart with warmth and longing. This fic is a gorgeous comfort read and it will make you wish you could live inside this verse forever!
Like Lightning at your Fingertips by potterwatch (2019, T, 43k)
The problem with living with another insomniac is, eventually, they find out you’re an insomniac, too. When Harry and Draco return for their eighth year, they think they’ll see very little of each other. Then McGonagall assigns them to room together. And the castle starts breaking. And there’s that thing with Potter’s magic.
And they were roommates, but make them sad and insomniac instead. This fic is a triumph - a sensitive and introspective story exploring grief and all the subtle ways in which the war changed these kids’ lives. But there’s also a powerful sense of nostalgia and familiarity about their last year at Hogwarts that makes this both melancholic and hopeful. Harry and Draco’s tentative friendship runs in a very organic way, laced with easy banter, quiet understanding and old magic shenanigans. I love how their shared room becomes a sacred space “removed from time, sleepless and unending” - such a gorgeous imagery! If you’re looking for emotional payoff combined with sentient Hogwarts and ancient magical theory, this is the place!
Right Hand Red by @lqtraintracks (2015, E, 73k)
Harry felt Malfoy’s breath on his lips as they came together over the bottle, hands firmly planted on the floor as though they each needed their familiar soil, refusing to cross into enemy territory. Except that Malfoy no longer felt like his enemy. Malfoy felt inevitable.
Shared dorms, sneaky party games, inter-house cooperation. I’ve reread this fic so many times and it never gets old - the cozy and magical 8th year universe LQT creates conveys perfectly the bittersweetness of growing up and enjoying your last moments at school before letting your childhood behind. More than the world-building, the character arcs are brilliant here, and remains so consistent it’s hard not to picture this fic as an extra book. There’s banter, longing and unresolved sexual tension, and as the characters grow and their ties get stronger, the light atmosphere morphs into something wholesome that gives us the closure the books never could. Get ready to bask in the warm joy of youth nostalgia!
andulkaphoto
turnnoffyourmind
prguitarman
titsay
areudirty
gamechangershow
