five faves from h/d erised: dec 1 - dec 14
Is there something in the water for Erised? How does everyone write the absolute best version of the fic that they set out to write? I’ve been honestly blown away by every fic that I’ve read so far & it was exceedingly difficult to narrow this rec list down. I am also so behind reading Erised this year, so this is only the first two weeks, despite posting being on week five — can’t wait to tackle the rest of the fest :)
ART: the art created for Erised is out of control this year. I don’t feel qualified to write any art recs but I have loved every single piece. You can’t go wrong with viewing/reading them all, honestly :)
The Hardest Hue to Hold by @cavendishbutterfly (17k, M):
Harry needs to get the hell out of England. So he sets up a teaching assistantship in America, hops on a plane, and heads off to a fresh start. Except there’s a familiar face among the university faculty, and it’s really not the familiar face that Harry wanted. Or at least, it’s not who Harry wanted at first.
You know when you read a fic & you immediately have to put down your phone or computer because you’re so overwhelmed? Like you have a hangover and you can’t read any more fic for a little bit? This fic did that to me. It’s so gorgeous and tender and cathartic as you watch Harry and Draco rediscover themselves and each other.
Historians by @oknowkiss (30k, E):
It’s the Dumbledore’s Army Reunion Holiday, and Harry’s found himself in hot water with his friends once again, after telling them he has a boyfriend he definitely does not have. In an attempt to fix things, he’s made it his colleague on Level Nine, Draco Malfoy’s problem too. Featuring a ski chalet in Switzerland, a pair of bunk beds, and an agreement that should’ve been simple, were it not for all the bloody feelings getting in the way.
Sorry for including two fake dating fics on this list (Fire Meet Gasoline is another incredible one, recced below), but this fic was such a delight! From the incredible use of switching POVs to build tension to Department of Mysteries absurdity (which I am a SLUT for) to Draco & Ron in the hot tub, I couldn’t put it down. This fic alternates between hilarious (Harry unable to log into his email for months) and deeply lonely (both of their work at Mysteries, the red sweater), but always remained light-hearted. It also was one of the hottest fics I’ve read for the fest this year. All the teasing of their ‘fake’ sexual dynamic throughout & then the way it actually played out 🥵
The Binding and the Loosing by @goblinmatriarch (35k, M):
Draco Malfoy is a reclusive academic who works on layered generational magic under the pseudonym Scholar Griseo. When he is contacted by a ‘James Black’ for help with a tricky situation with a magical House, he can’t help but notice the similarities between his potential client and Harry Potter.
Since he can’t exactly refuse to help the Saviour of the magical world, Draco girds his loins and visits Grimmauld Place, where he ends up involved in what he must presume is one of those classic Harry Potter misadventures. Bonding, sentient Houses, domesticity ahoy!
I loved this light-hearted take on accidental bonding & house magic! Despite dealing with some extremely sad material (how Harry has never had a real happy home & doesn’t know how a home is supposed to feel — just rip my heart out), this fic is so funny & generous. It’s also chock-full of incredible details: magical theory & sentient houses (the alarm clocks that sound throughout Grimmauld Place!), Harry as a magical toymaker, Draco as a reclusive academic, and pitch-perfect characterisation for all of their friends (Ginny orchestrating a race between Harry & Draco, Luna’s ability to bridge gaps between friends, & Pansy’s crush on Neville). Come for a gorgeous, growing understanding between Harry & Draco, stay for the hijinks and magical theory :)
Everything is Relative to You by @thehoneybeet (43k, E):
Potter was supposed to have lived. Draco is certain of this. That Potter would no longer walk the earth was tantamount to the sun moving west to east across the sky. If only he could have stopped this from happening, if he’d have known…
It comes to him as ideas often did: too late.
Or, Harry dreams of his past lives, and Draco is in every one.
I don’t even know how to write a rec of this fic; it left me absolutely speechless. It’s a deeply melancholic meditation on loneliness and longing — for a better life, to be a better person, for love. The prose is sparse and elegiac (like “Harry had traded fraught unhappiness for the kind of melancholy that settles in dusty corners, clinging to him and drifting everywhere he goes.”) There is so much to love about this fic: the deft handling of a non-linear story; the casual and thoughtful wandlore; the way this story lingers and then speeds by and somehow covers so much more ground than 43,000 words; and how my expectations about where the story was going were completely subverted. I’ll absolutely be returning to this fic to drink in the richness of the worlds & the love in all of them.
Fire Meet Gasoline by @lettersbyelise (E, 62k):
When Draco’s anger management issues land him in St Mungo’s, he thinks his Quidditch career is over. But Harry, A&E Healer and notorious workaholic, is faced with a similar predicament. To save their jobs, the two of them decide to fake a relationship. All they have to do is convince their friends and employers… and not fall in love in the process. Simple, right?
Another incredible subversion of a classic Drarry trope that I love — fake dating! This fic is super steamy; Draco & Harry’s chemistry rolls off the screen, both physically & emotionally. I love that neither Harry nor Draco start out as perfect, or even well-adjusted, but still suit each other so well & both push each other to be better. This fic will alternately make you laugh out loud, bang your head on the table (because they’re such idiots!), fan yourself, and cry.
I actually haven’t seen any Erised rec lists cross my dash — if you have one, please let me know & I’ll link it (for my own reference and anyone else’s! I love seeing all the rec lists!). @gracerene is doing so much work reccing Erised fic & art in individual format on her tumblr though & I love all of her recs. @sitp-recs has a lovely list here & @thehoneybeet here.
