Title: Hell & High Water [M] / Standard of Care [T] Author: Mel88 / Misdemeanor1331 Summary H&H: Life's choices are unfair, difficult, and occasionally impossible. But to stand in inaction is to perish, and to perish is to fail. What determines survival, and ultimately success, is one's ability to adapt to the consequences of the action taken.
Summary SC: St. Mungo’s doesn’t play politics. They expect their Healers to deliver a high standard of care to every patient, regardless of past associations. But when Hermione discovers that Draco is her assigned Healer, she doubts that St. Mungo’s had ever considered a past association as fraught as theirs.
(Reference Post)
Okay, this is a major cheat. Unfortunately, I couldn’t pick just one from this author after re-reading these and reaffirming why she’s an utter gem.
But, full disclosure, none of the pieces I selected hit all marks mentioned in the RP in one go because, as I said, rarely anything I’ve read and loved do. The office setting doesn’t exist in either of these recs, unfortunately, but like I said: I cheated. I just love this author a lot.
In Hell & High Water, they don’t work together, but the opening scene features a brief look into the type of relationship they’ve developed that is sincere and believable. Draco as an adult is often written to display prattish tendencies, which isn’t an unrealistic characterization, but I don’t come across a lot of fics where he’s depicted in this way either. He’s dignified, believably worthy of his status as a company owner, and clearly smitten with Hermione in a way that isn’t overly saccharine in sentiment.
My other favorite thing about this is the scene in the last chapter that captures the feeling that I shamelessly enjoy, where his desperation and anger prevents her from leaving due to the presence of another woman. It’s a brief moment, but the emotions the author infuses in this scene gives me life.
In Standard of Care, there’s a moment where Draco misreads a situation, which gives rise to increasing tension that’s already occurring between them during Hermione’s visits. There’s a subtle sweetness that occurs between them even though there’s not a lot that actually happens. I’m pretty sure in my original review to the author, I expressed a wish for this to be lengthened because there was so much potential to explore where they could take their budding courtship. Like I would actually kill for an extension.
On a side note, something that I’d noticed and addressed to the author, is how believable Draco is as a Healer. Medicine comes up in more than one of her stories, but her knowledge in the field is so refreshing because it’s reflected when Draco tends to Hermione. It’s such a minor detail, but it adds another dimension to an already great fic.
