Rec List: Harry and Draco and 'What Ifs’
This list came about after a discussion with @lower-east-side and @korlaena about fics we loved that involved “universe hopping” / “alternate realities” / “what if” scenarios.
Some of these fics involve time-travel, while others involve multiple parallel universes. But in all cases, Harry and Draco get a chance to explore the consequences of different decisions and choices they might make, and wipe the slate clean and start over again.
Glimpses of Alternate Realities:
Progressive Displacement by @gatewaygirl | 20K | NC-17
Harry didn't mean the wish that way. From his point of view, it hadn't even worked.
The If Sieve by @blindmouse | 36K | PG-13
An If Sieve lets you see how things would have unfolded if somebody had made a different decision at a particular time.
Abandoned Destinies by @ladygagalion | 2.5K | R
Harry finds a stone that can show him how his life would have played out if only he'd done things a little differently, and it reveals something he'd never considered before. Is it too late to fulfill an abandoned destiny?
A New Path by @i-didnt-wanna-do-it | 3.5K | PG
The Stone of Abandoned Destinies had been given to Draco in hopes that it would show him a path out of the darkness. It had saved him, and now he hoped that it would work one more time and guide him on a new path. (A remix of Abandoned Destinies above)
Déjà Vu by VivacissimoVoce | 19K | NC-17
Draco is experiencing something strange. Everything is weird and repeating. Everything is repeating and weird. Draco is experiencing something strange.
Time Travel:
Tea and No Sympathy by @who-la-hoop | 70K | NC-17
It’s Potter’s fault, of course, that Draco finds himself trapped in the same twenty-four-hour period, repeating itself over and over again. It’s been nearly a year since the unpleasant business at Hogwarts, and Draco’s getting on with his life quite nicely, thank you, until Harry sodding Potter steps in and ruins it all, just like always. At first, though, the time loop seems liberating. For the first time in his life, he can do anything, say anything, be anything, without consequence. But the more Draco repeats the day, the more he realises the uncomfortable truth: he’s falling head over heels for the speccy git. And suddenly, the time loop feels like a trap. For how can he ever get Harry to love him back when time is, quite literally, against him?
Brevem Conspectum by @heaven-is-my-hell | 12K | NC-17
During a routine clearing of an old Death Eater house, Harry stumbles over an ancient spell that sends him somewhere completely different. He has to work out where he is and how to get back. Or if he even wants to.
Life is a Twice Written Scroll by @heaven-is-my-hell | 22.5K | NC-17
The new world order hasn't been kind to Draco and his family, and he wishes it could all be different. So does Harry, although not for the same reasons. But as Draco works to fix the mistakes he made in the past, he finds his reasons for doing so changing in a way he never expected.
A New Life by @dracogotgame | 9K | PG
A lonely Harry wishes on a star on the Eve of Christmas: all he wants is a family to celebrate with. He wakes up on Christmas morning with Draco in his bed and a band of adorable, rambunctious toddlers running amok in his house. Harry figures something went wrong and he should probably try to fix it. But does he really want to?
Eternally Consistent by kitsunealyc | 44.5K | NC-17
Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter assumed they would never be anything but civil enemies, until Potter lands on Malfoy's doorstep, bleeding, covered in curses, and acting very strangely indeed.
And So Death Took by @icmezzo | 25K | T
Fairy tales may soothe small children into slumber, but some stories themselves refuse to sleep. The Tale of Three Brothers, retold.
Ones I haven’t yet read:
(These fics were recced by @korlaena or @lower-east-side - I’m probably the only person in the fandom who has yet to read Turn!)
Turn by Saras_girl | 300K | NC-17
One good turn always deserves another. Apparently.
The Satellite Heart by Ellerina | 20K | R?
It is probably the most functional relationship Harry has ever had. So of course it’s all happening in his head. A story about the importance of reality and how to hold onto the things that really matter...
Oscillate Wildly by marksykins | 55K | NC-17
After a particularly gruelling Occlumency session, Harry practically comes apart at the seams and finds himself living partway between two lives. One is his life at Hogwarts. In the other, he's been in a mental institution for the better part of six years. What happens when Harry realises his whole life may be one elaborate fantasy?
Song of the Dark Between by @tessacrowley | 100K | NC-17
Draco Malfoy jumps off a bridge, hoping for death but getting something very different. Harry Potter languishes in a loveless marriage and colorless world, until quite abruptly he does not. From the dark places of the universe, there is a song that echoes everywhere and nowhere. It sings of power and it sings of hunger. It will devour all things before the end. Multiple crossovers.
I’m going to have to stop there or this will get wildly out of control! There are more great fics with similar themes involving the Mirror of Erised or Seers/crystal balls but someone else will have to create those lists!
