Hi, if you don't remember me (because it's been so long), I'm the Drarry Librarian, and sometimes I write recs and other times I invite guests onto the blog to share their favorite recs! Thank goodness we have people like this month's guest reccer, @littlewinnow who is extremely talented and creates wonderful fanart! I adore all their pieces, but especially any that involve baby Scorpius. That said, have you seen their most recent fall-inspired piece? If not, definitely go check it out!
@littlewinnow has been waiting so patiently to give their guest rec, and it's definitely one that you don't want to miss. Without further ado, here it is!
Hello! I’m super honoured that I was given the chance to participate in Happy Hour! Thank you so much thedrarrylibrarian, you’re incredible!!
When it came to picking a fic to recommend, my mind immediately went to one of the first Drarry fics I've read, which still makes me grin silly whenever I think about it.
The Miseducation of Draco Malfoy by @magpiefngrl (37,600 words, rated E)
Zacharias Smith writes a tell-all about the D.A. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy are not happy about it.
This fic introduced me to one of my absolute favourite Drarry tropes, Draco exploring Muggle culture! Alongside Harry who gets to watch his fascination unfold. The setting was super intriguing and I instantly became absorbed in Magpie_fngrl’s humour and fun characterizations of the boys. I was utterly charmed by their boyish antics that I bursted out laughing at every interaction.
“Potter smirked. “You like something Muggle,” he crooned and Draco made to punch him on the arm, but Potter dodged and Draco tried again, and they ended up doing a sort of dance, until Potter nodded at the irksome assistants who looked ready to intervene.”
I adored watching them become friendly, silly and sweet. I became so fond of Dracos curiosity with muggle culture that to this day I continue to reread this fic constantly for a boost of serotonin. I hope you fall for this fic like I did! I’m thankful to magpie_fngrl and all the amazing Drarry authors who’ve created impactful fics that inspired me so much to draw Drarry and be part of this fandom!
Have a lovely day,
Winnow
Thank you, dear Winnow for your great rec! I know I'm due a cozy reread on this fic, and if you've never read it before, you're definitely in for a real treat!
for anyone who wants some bartender neil with Attitude™ content: whiskey sour by maqicien
Whiskey Sour by maqicien (Not Rated | 6078 | 1/1)
He feels eyes on him like a soft caress on the back of his neck, a gentle kiss behind his ear. He tries to find the honey gold of his eyes in the crowd, but they're always gone before he can find them.
Andrew is there almost every night, in whispers and glimpses. Neil finds himself fighting for even a blink of him in the crowd.
After 7 nights of being watched, Andrew pops up at the bar.
-
In which Neil is a bartender and Andrew is the crime lord that owns the bar.
Another guest rec from @rhyslahey today! Thank you!
have love will travel by nicheinhischest
Author summary:
"The Hellmouth is closed, sweetie. Scott can’t use impending doom as an excuse to ignore his feelings anymore." Lydia holds her hand out to check for chips in her polish. "Besides, it'll be hilarious to watch him pretend he’s not staring at Isaac ninety-percent of the time.”
“God, you sound like Stiles,” Allison says. “Hellmouth. This isn’t Buffy.”
“Isn't it? A transcontinental bonding session with the supernatural creatures of America. Sort of like Buffy, only on wheels and no one is dying. Werewolves, road trips, and unresolved sexual tension, oh my.”
@rhyslahey's reasons to love the fic: a roadtrip fic where Stiles plans a whole series of visits to supernatural creatures across the US and during which he and Isaac manage to finally act on their feelings, with plenty of awkward/adorable situations (and a fully-supportive pack)
Guest Rec: Heart and Mouth, by disenchanted, rated E
Carnation Books is a publisher working directly with fandom authors to publish original works of fiction that feature LGBTQIA+/MOGAI romance. Because we are always looking for authors to connect with, we are always reading. We read so much fic. We want to share some of our favorites with you!
Recommended by: Berlynn Wohl
Title: Heart and Mouth [http://archiveofourown.org/works/1839322]
Author: disenchanted
Rating: Explicit
Summary: Will returns to Hannibal.
This rec comes from dear friend of Carnation Books, Berlynn Wohl, who was kind enough to guest-rec some of her Hannibal favorites. We will host a live Q&A with Berlynn on May 19th in order to celebrate her 15th year of writing fanfiction! Find more details here!
Guest rec! Guest rec! Guest rec! Friends of the Library is back for February! Shout out to the amazingly talented and wise @vukovich for agreeing last minute to come host Happy Hour with me! She's got a wonderful treat for you, so I'm going to get out of her way and let her share it!
Cheers! Sit! We’re doing shots.
One-shots, that is.
When asked to supply a starter round, I figured it’s gotta be strong, and it’s gotta be fast. And seeing how I remember less than 5% of what I read, I headed straight to AO3 and went shopping. I treat AO3 the way I treat a thrift store, so I dug until I found something hefty.
This little fluff fic is a gem. A perfect morsel of a story. An unopened 2017 vintage, if you can believe it. It’s only a few brushstrokes and doesn’t need more.
I have to agree with the author’s note; I couldn’t get it out of my head, either.
Fireworks by OctoberSky13 (327 words, rated G)
Fireworks and Fluff
Thanks, Vuk! Who doesn't love a little hair of the dog to kickstart your morning! We hope you enjoy this (one)shot as much as we did!
As always, please remember to kudos, comment, and bookmark! Lots of Love and Happy Saturday!
I know I always say this, but it’s always true - I am so excited for this month’s guest reccer! To say that Grace, who writes as @mintawasalreadytaken, has excellent taste would be an understatement - she is a tastemaker. I realized as I was looking through a server that we’re both in that I read Coyote Ugly (which I recced a few weeks ago) based on her recommendation first! She’s also an accomplished writer herself, so if you like her rec, be sure to check out her works.
I leave the format of the rec up to the guest reccer - sometimes people use emojis, sometimes they give the rec as bullet points, and sometimes people prefer to write paragraphs. Grace asked if we could have a conversation about this fic together, and I eagerly agreed! I’ll be TDL below, and she’ll be Grace. Just as a heads up, there are minor spoilers for the fic below the cut.
Without further ado, I present the May Happy Hour Recommendation - in conversation with @mintawasalreadytaken!
I Do Not Love You by @writandromance (228,290 words, Rated M)
In 2013, a carefully-designed Obliviation leaves Harry reconfiguring his life and identity without any memories of true love; an act that's essentially erased Draco Malfoy from his mind despite a wedding band and shared home.
In 2000, Draco had expected Pansy's relationship with Luna to bring the Gryffindors a bit closer to his orbit of quiet, carefully pacifistic existence, but he never expected to navigate such a transparent embrace into a unit of family, friendship, and love.
A mystery, two love stories, and a reminder that learning to love never has an end date.
TDL: You picked I Do Not Love You for this month's rec. Would you start by telling people who have never read it why they should give it a try?
Grace: I think I speak for a lot of us in the world of fanfiction, specifically Drarry fanfic, that we're not generally known for being chill about our obsessions. So, as someone who's read a lot of hurt/comfort and angst, I Do Not Love You stands out to me because it does a number of interesting things with its key trope, amnesia. It's a love story told backwards, and a love story that's as much about hate and how hate destroys as it is about love and how love builds.
TDL: I appreciate that you brought up the love story told backwards - I think that's one of the best parts of this story. The way, especially at the beginning, that the two plot-lines contrast makes it stand out to the reader about what Harry's lost, even when Harry himself doesn't realize.
Grace: Mmhmm, agreed. We start very firmly rooted in Harry's POV, with an eventual back and forth POVs between Harry and Draco, at opposite ends of the timeline of their relationship. So there's this wonderful tension there, right from go.
TDL: I think that's something very smart and enjoyable about Writ's writing. She's very good at creating that tension and then trusting the reader with it. She’s excellent at showing one perspective, and letting the reader infer the other perspective. It would've been easy to write from Draco's POV and get all of his angsty heartbreak firsthand, but instead she writes it from Harry's POV and we get his anger and are left to come to our own conclusions about Draco's hurt. It makes the conclusions more powerful to the reader.
Grace: Trusting the reader is certainly one of her strengths. Part of my deep enjoyment of this fic is how it begs to be re-read. It's only on the re-read that certain details, "tells" in Draco's behaviour, for example, become clear indicators of what will happen. But you need to learn them from Harry's POV first. It makes for a very fun circular read, in that way. Another way that trust is established masterfully is the contrast between Harry's anger in the present and the vignettes of his empathetic, whole-hearted earnestness in the flashback scenes. The distance between the two Harry's emotional states is enough for the reader to draw their own conclusions of how much it must pain Draco to go through this experience.
Though I will say, the angsty heartbreak moment we do get to see firsthand gets me every time. It's the most delicious stab in the heart!
TDL: I know it’s a spoiler, but will you be specific? What part exactly are you thinking of?
Grace: “I lost my husband.”
TDL: I put that quote down in my notes too - and "I didn't even get to say goodbye."
Grace: It gets to the heart of the worst part of a beautiful relationship: the fear of loss.
TDL: So we've done our favorite angsty moments. This fic, while angsty, is also really full of fun and funny moments. Does anything stick out to you along those lines?
Grace: Two stick out to me immediately. One is a callback to the Pablo Neruda quote off the top, from which the fic takes its title. "Your hand on my chest is my hand,” only Harry adds his own sexy twist to it, lol. The second is this incredibly tense moment mid-fight where Harry snaps about how long it would take to fall back in love with Draco and Draco's deadpan response of "You said 'when'" which is peak Drarry to me. That stubbornness in the face of literally anything, even the other avowing their supposed hatred.
What's your favourite funny moment?
TDL: Oh it’s got to be when we find out later that Pansy laughed at the toothbrush incident. It's just such a best friend thing to do. It felt like something I'd do to my sister or that she'd do to me and I think it added a realness to their friendship. They’re ride or die for each other, but they also laugh at each other, even in the hard times. I also love any scene Jules is in!
Grace: Agreed! The toothbrush moment was hilarious. And Jules is one of my favourite of Harry's familiars/pets-with-speaking-roles, ever.
TDL: I'm obsessed with the idea of a chameleon speaking Parseltongue! I also feel like Jules' character had a lot of thought put into it - what would be important to a chameleon? What would a chameleon notice and think in this situation?
Grace: Yes, his take on death and his sense of humour about it – that bonds Harry to him. The lens of his understanding of the relationship between Harry and his "ice queen" and the purpose of molting. It was all so well done. The fact that Jules can infer Harry's emotional state and then decides on whether and to what degree to argue about what kind of feed he requests is so spot on. Amazing characterization work.
TDL: With all of Harry and Draco’s friends and family, this fic had an ensemble of characters. Were there any other favorites?
Grace: My two favourites live on opposite sides of the spectrum. Ron, for his stoic, constant style of quiet and level-headed support. And Blaise, a true wild-card, who is ruled enough by ego to do things that endanger his relationships with both Harry and Draco, just never too much. They love him for it, even though he can be a chaos monster.
TDL: Blaise was on my list too! I thought his shenanigans brought a lot to the fic and I thought it was cool to see him portrayed as an equally important friend to both Harry and Draco that Harry saw him as someone to turn to for help, not just “Draco’s friend” but “my friend.”
Grace: The melding of friend groups, as most often happens when you're in a long term relationship, was done masterfully here. and the lines drawn in the sand becoming murky in places and crystal clear in others when a break-up looms, too.
TDL: Which brings us back to that relatable fear of loss - this loss is not just one person but friendships, community, a life and a future.
Something else that I want to mention is how immersive this fic is, even in a re-read. I knew what was coming and was still hooked.
Grace: True! It begins with a focus on interiority. We get the emotional punches first, and then the plot to underpin it. But in my view, the plot comes second to the feelings. It's a fic that invites you as the reader to put yourself into Draco's shoes. We all experience loss and so when we get thrown into this situation of experiencing what, for both of them, they consider a world-ending loss, we relate. The troubles only begin there, because after that there's still waking up every day and trying, again and again.
TDL: For a fic whose title refuses love, what better description is there for love than waking up every day and trying, again and again.
Is there anything else you’d like to add before we end this rec?
Grace: Just to say thank you for entertaining this, and for your thoughtful questions! And to thank Writ for writing this masterpiece of a painful, quietly beautiful love story. And to end on a quote – one of the ones I come back to constantly, as a reminder to self of the usefulness in trying at the things we find the most difficult:
"Aw, don't get smart to wash off all the vulnerability, you wore it so well," he replied, eyes sparkling. As he backed towards the doorway, his arms opened wide. "Bask in the beauty of a difficult, emotional conversation."
xoxo minta / grace
❤️ As always, if you enjoy this rec, please bookmark abd leave the author a kudos or a comment! ❤️
Lots of Love and Happy Friday!
PS - If you're interested in knowing what Grace and I are reading next, @writandromance just started posting a new Pride and Prejudice based fic. It's not complete, but chapter one went up today and we are so excited!
One of the questions I see float around on tumblr often is "How do you find new fics?" I think one of the best ways to find new fics is through authors you already love, whether you're just following them and seeing what they're reblogging or digging through their bookmarks, it's a surefire way to find new fics. I've admired @ladderofyears' work for ages, and was thrilled when she agreed to give a rec. I fell in love with her rec and I know you will too!
Hello, and happy August to everybody reading today!
First, I would like to offer my sincere thanks to thedrarrylibrarian, both for inviting me to write a rec for Happy Hour and for all the hard work they do. It’s often said that fic reccers are the backbone of fandom, but there’s never been a truer sentence. It certainly makes my day whenever I’m recced and I think it’s safe to say that most other writers feel the same.
Now, with no further ado, let me begin this week’s rec.
Dear Stranger by @iero0 (22,751 words, rated T)
The one thing more pointless than falling in love with an anonymous wizard over a correspondence is falling in love with Harry Potter when you’re Draco Malfoy.
The story I’ve chosen is Dear Stanger, written by my friend @iero0 as part of @hd-cluefest. This was a fest which featured mysteries, secrets and surprises and this story doesn’t disappoint on any level.
Draco Malfoy – living a sparse, quiet existence as a potion emporium owner – receives the first of a series of anonymous letters very soon after Valentine’s Day. He doesn’t know who their author is and, at first, is suspicious that someone is out to trick him or cause him trouble. However, the letters keep arriving, and as the months pass, they change his whole life for the better.
Okay, I hear you saying; that sounds like every epistolary story ever written. What makes this story so different? Why should you give it your time? My answer to that is Draco, whose perspective this story is written from. He is the beating heart of this fic, and his characterisation is flawless. This Draco, without a doubt, is the best one I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.
Life hasn’t always been easy for him. The Malfoy fortune and lands are long gone, and finding a job after the war wasn’t simple. After serving a long probation, he found work in a Knockturn potions shop, taking it over after the owner died.
The Draco we meet when the fic opens isn’t the sarcastic, poised boy from Hogwarts; an existence of hard work, long hours, and caring for Narcissa has left him tightly wound, self-reliant and untrusting. He is touch-starved, and lonely. His days run through familiar routines, his friends have married and moved on, and seeing his mother each Sunday is his only excursion.
However, as we all know, Draco was always gifted at brewing potions, and this fact hasn’t changed. Harry Potter – top Auror and father of three – visits every single week, picking up his prescription whilst exchanging only a few scant words with Draco.
As the letters arrive, we see the walls Draco has built around his world slowly start to crumble. Under the encouragement of his fellow letter writer, Draco starts to take better care of himself, starts to smile more often, and begins to believe he is of value to the world. He starts to see himself from the letter writer’s perspective and blossoms in the light of their affection.
When I first read this fic, I was breathless with hope. I wanted so much for Draco’s anonymous stranger to reveal himself and give them the happiness they both deserved. The ending, when it arrived, gave me everything I wanted and has lived in my head ever since. There isn’t a week that goes past where I don’t think about the Draco who lives in this story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Plus, if this rec hasn’t persuaded you, there is beautiful art by @fictional (milkandhoney) embedded in this work which makes my heart soar every time I see it.
Thank you for reading, all my love - Ladderofyears.
Thank you so much, @ladderofyears for joining me for Happy Hour! I appreciate your time, energy, and the thoughtfulness you put into finding the perfect August rec for us.
❤️ As always, if you find a fic you enjoy, please remember to leave the author a kudos or a comment! ❤️
