Dramione Recs - Favourite in character (completed fics)
1. Enemies with Benefits by DrusillaMaxima
Minific: ~40.000 words. - Tropes: co-workers; enemies to lovers; P with P; canon compliant (EWE). - Rating: E.
What it’s all about? The story sets off with a meet-cute at a boring ministry function, featuting lots of alcohol and a recent break-up with Ron. You can guess how the story goes... Don’t be fooled about the smut-tag though; this minific is serious business and has one of the tightest and most convicing relationship-development out there - all that in under 40k words! Bonus: Text-message chaos between Ron, Harry, and Hermione - it’s a glorious vision of how the Golden Trio might have been in their twenties.
What made me happy? Enemies with Benefits has everything that makes me insanely happy: Hermione as a bossy, over-achieving, whip cracking Ministry carrierist, set during her time at the D.R.C.M.C. Draco is his manipulative, snarky, wonderful self, and has also been working at the Ministry as part of his sentencing. They both have strong motive for doing what they’re doing, and the fic successfully includes both their circles (something a lot of Dramione fics tend to ignore).
Why should you read it? This one sold me, a (former) fanfiction and Dramione sceptic, on both. So, if you need a short-ish fic to convince them that Draco and Hermione should have happened, this is the one to choose!
FFN: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9371350/1/Enemies-With-Benefits
AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8358286/chapters/19146571#workskin
2. The Mountain and the Sea by Alexis.Danaan
Minific: ~40.000 words. - Tropes: Veela!Draco; Healer!Hermione; Mate/Soulbonding. - Rating: E.
What’s it all about? It’s got a competent, no-nonsense Healer!Hermione navigating a post-war society that has not completely overcome the old blood-prejudice (subplot). It has the added bonus of an intact friendship with Harry and Ron (yes, please!), and also - of course - Veela!Draco who (what else) recognises her as his soul-mate when he is delivered to St Mungo’s for a Veela related malady.
What made me happy? Don’t be deceived by the author’s modesty: It’s quite the irony that Alexis.Danaan has marked the fic as ooc herself, when it’s, in fact, the Veela!Dramione with the best in-character depiction. A fantastic minific that I come back to regularly!
Why should you read it? If you think the Veela trope is ridiculous and has serious canon-related issues, this will be the one for you. Of course, the male Veela-thing plus bonding is still there (hurrah for the hardcore Veela!Draco fans!), but the author succeeds in keeping the characters true and giving enough plausibilty to fit it into the Potterverse. Big plus: it doesn’t have the frequent fanfiction-y flaw of dragging on or moving too fast; the pacing is on point.
AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/674762/chapters/1234854
FFN: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6917885/1/The-Mountain-and-The-Sea
3. Role-Playing your Old Enemy by eevilalice
Minific: ~10.000 words. - Tropes: Co-Workers; Enemies to Lovers; P with P. - Rating: E.
What’s it all about? Draco and Hermione argue so bitterly that it interferes with their work. As a form of punishment, they are mandated a role-playing exercise. And so it goes...
What made me happy? I’m a sucker for the co-worker trope. Aside from that, I find it most believable when Hermione and Draco start out as despising one another, and the process of understanding the other leads to mutual attraction. The thing that impressed me most though, is how well the author grasped both Draco and Hermione; but not only that: also Hermione-as-Draco and Draco-as-Hermione - an incredibly hard thing to do!
Why you should read it? Characterisation, characterisation, characterionsation. Added bonus: smut!
AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/632334
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This list will be updated somewhat infrequently. Have a fic that you think should be on here? Send me an ask!
