I'm so excited to welcome @phoebe-delia to the library! I've loved reading her work for a long time, and am always especially impressed by the fact that she answers so many prompts! My favorite of her series is Eight Drarry Nights at Hanukkah time every year, which are always warm and so full of love and light. I knew she'd pick a great fic, and I think it'll be a sweet and romantic start to your Valentines season. Thanks again to @phoebe-delia!
I want to start out by thanking the incredible @thedrarrylibrarian for the chance to participate in Happy Hour. You do phenomenal work, and I just really hope you know how valued you are. I fangirl every time we interact and I am incredibly honored to get to do this.
When our lovely Librarian asked me to do a guest rec for Happy Hour, this fic was the first to come to mind. I still gave it a lot of time and consideration, of course, but at the end of the day I kept coming back to this story.
plant me in your garden (and watch me grow) by @thehoneybeet. 5,505 words, Rated T, and make sure to check the tags to see if it’s right for you!
Malfoy walks across the grounds to the forbidden forest nearly every night, but falls asleep in class during the day. Harry can't get enough of him.
Every fic of Honey’s that I’ve read makes me want to be a better writer, because their storytelling is so effortlessly rich. I always have at least one moment where I have to pause and look off into the distance so I can really appreciate a line and let it sink into my brain.
And this fic has quite a few of those moments for me. The descriptions here are so vivid; I felt like I was watching Drarry through a pensieve. I’m resisting the urge to quote dump here, because I think you should experience this writing for yourself in the way Honey intended it. It’s the kind of story that, in my humble opinion, can’t really be captured in a quote or two. It flows exactly as it needs to.
I adore how Honey characterizes both Draco and Harry. Draco has clearly changed after the war but has kept the same wit and fire that attracts Harry so much. And Harry is just trying to figure out how to exist in this post-war world without Voldemort after him, and it turns out Draco is a big part of his healing. It’s a joy to watch the two of them fall for and into each other.
I just looked back at the comments, because I remembered that I’d left one a while back when I first read it (which was, apparently, in September 2022? What even is time, omg). I’m going to quote from my past self, here, who called the writing “decadent,” and the story “fucking gorgeous,” “creative” and “special.” I told Honey that this fic would always have a special place in my heart. Clearly, my heart kept that promise.
I also told Honey at the time that the fic deserved a much longer, more intensive comment than I could articulate at the time. Turns out I needed over a year. This is as close as I think I’ll get to accurately expressing the way it makes me feel.
Plus, as a personal bonus, this fic happens to include some of my favorite tropes: eighth year, pining, and Harry’s never-ending obsession with Draco.
I hope you all enjoy this fic as much as I do (and that you remember to leave them kudos and a comment!) And Honey, thank you for writing something so wonderful that it stuck with me for over a year.
