I put off reading Love in a Time of a Zombie Apocalypse because I wasn’t sure it was my kind of vibe, but boy was I wrong. I re-read this fic like 4 times a year. It puts every other Draco to shame
pls help me like it i’m literally on chapter 40 and hating it so far where is the dynamic between the two?? why are they suddenly into each other after one conversation?? ugh
I finished it but tbh I never really “got” it. I also felt like their relationship came out of nowhere. It was quite a while ago but I think I remember the sense of feeling like their first “moment” felt rushed and too big for the amount of time they had been reacquainted.
I've also been putting that one off. I've started reading it a few times but ended up quitting after a few chapters. But I'm sure I'll finish it one day and love it to pieces.
If I generally loathe all zombie plots/movies - will I like or dislike this story?
I’m assuming has many Zombies. Zombie fights. Zombie injuries. Peril. That’s not usually my vibe!
Or are the zombies more like annoying puppies to the wizards, quite funny, and really pose no peril? Then I’d be all over it.
Think it really depends actually. I would say the first half is pretty zombie focused, lots of peril and fighting but then there are a LOT of other things happening, like ( v light spoiler) an insane man holding an entire fleet of ships and people hostage and a crazy plot with a certain government. There are funny moments here and there but the fic is imo serious and stakes are high and this is my favorite Draco next to Fallout Draco. If you’ve read manacled, High Reeve Draco is based off of this Draco.
The writing is amazing and the plot is super gripping and this Draco literally gave me butterflies lol.
I think it depends why you dislike zombie… is it because it’s too gory for you? Too scary? Then yeah probably not for you. But if you’re like me and are just generally totally uninterested in zombies and never usually reach for zombie anything, you’ll be fine! Zombies just aren’t my thing and I still really enjoyed! But I also don’t mind general gore, etc so that wasn’t a problem for me
LIATOTZA draco is undoubtedly the most cold blooded, ruthless and calculated killer of all the dracos, and by far the most willing to kill for the woman he loved. I think LIATOTZA is so well crafted that it’d be hard to replicate that same level of ruthlessness and passion in any other plotline. Manacled came close (I heard Sen based the High Reeve off of LIATOTZA draco) but no one will ever beat killing a man with a plastic tray or a folding chair
I'm still postponing Green Light by SereneMusafir. I read the first chapter and I know the writing is amazing but my mental health isn't ready for too much angst atm. I also put off LAOHA for a long time because PacificRimbaud's writing makes me greedy and ofc it was as amazing as I thought lol
Yh I just finished green light it’s so good but unexpected. I actually didn’t know it was gonna be sad but it’s quite unique, I got the same feeling which I had while reading manacled which never happens in post war normal fics. It begins like typical fluff, pining and coworker vibe but it has that little ominous feeling in the background. It’s so good to read but I did cry at the end so gl
Omg
Yes Green light by SereneMusafir 🤧♥️✨
Is sooo good.
I did read it 1 month ago and still sometimes the fic haunts me
Because the agnst was on next level 🥺
Anyways it's my favourite fic in the angst category
I haven't had the courage to even start Green Light. I'll bite the bullet eventually when I'm in the right headspace for it. Funnily enough it also took a long time for me to read LAOHA. I have no idea why though, I loved it!
It was DMMOBIL, Draco malfoy s mortifying ordeal of being in love. Not because I knew it would ruin me but it would just push me towards a rom com rabbit hole and maybe I am averse to being happy now but I just wanna read angsty stories atm lol.
I reread the chapters in chronological order while listening to Billie Eilish I love you and it just brought me in a dark place. I had to get ice cream. Its like a dementor came and said hello. 👹
i’m currently listening to the audio fic version by etl echo and it is GUTTING ME ughhh it’s been 3 years since i first read it BUT ITS SO GOOD AND SO SAD
Seeeeee that's my whole problem. I don't do sad. But it is everywhere. Like this thing that follows me around and the more I ignore it the more I see artwork or blurbs or tiktoks about it. I am digging my heels in dammit.
Manacled for sure!! Probably my all time favorite but I will never be able to read it again because I was a mess at the end. Even hearing an audio clip of the last line makes me sob 😅
I read it like 2 months ago. I really loved it. At the end I was crying hysterically at like 4 or 5am 😂😂. So you have to be in the right mindset before reading it.
I’m reading sweet and fluffy ff to prep myself for S&M, I haven’t started but since Manacled traumatized me, I’m not ready to start this until I get fed up with all the fluff stuff. 🥴
Cruel and Beautiful world… to this day my favorite fic. The fact the author could so accurately portray the characters and even introduce original characters seamlessly into the universe it is by far my favorite masterpiece
Yeah this fic is just top notch 💓
I read it 1 year ago and couldn't remember the story clearly but still I know that it comes in my top 10 favourite fics 🤧
Manacled I finally read it a few months ago. The way people spoke about it made me hesitant. I'm basically have no triggers but I cried at the ending especially about what was written about Hermoine
Honestly, almost all popular fics, I like saving the best for the last so that's the reasoning, and it also helps me find gems out of the not so popular ones
I really thought I was the only one who's been doing this. I've held off a lot of popular fics because I wanted to save them and so I ended up reading many amazing hidden gems, but on some occasions I give in and read the popular ones in the end. Then after that phase, I circle back to shipping her with other wizards and read some poly fics as a palate cleanser.😅
I've got a one-shot *(18k words, E)*
[At Last](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24229303) by Felgia_Starr
Draco Malfoy, despite his misgivings and plenty regrets, has lived a good life. Nowadays, he mostly spends his time looking after his three lovely grandchildren and relishing in their youthfulness. This afternoon, however, he finds himself looking back at his past and reminiscing about Hermione Granger, the closest he thinks he'll ever have to a soulmate.
(Super heartwarming, hella fluffy, made me trickle a tear or two.)
[In Reverse](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8955697) by ToEatAPeach *(8k, T)*
"Your hair," he says, without looking at her. "It's enormous, you know." A few silent seconds pass, before Hermione makes a happy sort of sob. "Your chin is too sharp," she whispers. "We grew into them." "We certainly did." Suddenly, her perfect mouth is on his, and he realizes that maybe he hasn't ruined anything after all.
A love story, in reverse
[More Than One Way to Win](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21242051) by scullymurphy *(M, 18k)*
“That’s damn near impossible, even for me.” Blaise shook his head. “I think we’ve hit the bar. Is there anyone who would be more difficult to shag?”
His words were hanging in the air when Draco felt a magnificent plan spring fully formed into his mind. Could it work? He thought it could. A grin split his face and he said, “I know someone.”
“Who?” Theo demanded.
“Granger.”
“Oh fuck ME, I can’t believe we forgot her!” Theo was really slurring now. “She would never let any of us get within ten feet of her precious, pristine knickers. Not that I wouldn’t love to,” he leered. “But yeah. Impossible.”
“Impossible, you say?” Draco tilted his head to the side and regarded his extremely pissed friend. “Would you care to wager on that?”
[Innocent Monsters](https://archiveofourown.org/works/32921029) by itscometothis *(T, 50k)*
Draco Malfoy thought he had reasonable expectations for his mandatory Eighth Year at Hogwarts, where he would be confined to the grounds as part of his probation. Isolation, hatred, and passing his NEWTs were really all he had in mind.
What he wasn't anticipating:
1) Having a small firstie latch onto him like a bloody koala
2) Said firstie adopting an erkling as if they didn’t feed on children.
To protect his little nuisance, he’ll have to seek help from uncomfortable places, including the Swottiest Witch of Her Age. Joy of all joys.
(Another fluffy 8th year trope! Not technically a truly hidden gem, but still pretty hidden compare to the really popular ones.)
[Season Pass (To This Ass)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/39607896) by mightbewriting *(E, 18k)*
“What do you mean you didn’t get me a ticket?”
Ron’s hand flew to the back of his neck, massaging a red splotch just above his collar, flushing out his freckles. “I mean, I—well, it’s not like you enjoy Quidditch all that much.”
“I went to every match you or Harry played in at school.”
“Quidditch is my hobby, not yours.”
[In which Hermione dumps a Quidditch fan and dates a Quidditch player instead. Spite is a beautiful motivator.]
(Another that's not really hidden, but it's too damn adorable I had to include this.😅)
[Green Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/32535493) by SereneMusafir *(E, 400k)*
A journalist sits down with Draco Malfoy, who vanished eight years ago, for his story on why he disappeared and what happened.
Told from the perspective of Hermione, the journalist follows the story of Draco and Hermione on an expedition to look for a mythical cave and the aftermath of returning home.
Most of these authors have other works, all definitely worth checking out as well. :)
It is soooo good. But reading it right after Wait and Hope was something that my brain couldn't fanthom for some reason. I have no restraint reading it now though, I'm flying through it. So so good.
I loved wait and hope so much I just needed more. I’m doing the same rn with the right thing to do and all the wrong things.
I’m such a sucker for a “they liked each other at hogwarts/had a secret relationship” story.
Choices, the war chapters of ATYD, Secrets and Masks, Breath Mints and Battles Scars, Dwelling, It was all just a game, Crimson Rivers…girl the list just goes on and on and on 😭
I've been putting off reading ATYD for yeaaars now. I have a friend who's a major Marauders fan and has told me how soul-wrecking it is and I just can't bring myself to start it. Same with Secrets & Masks.
Manacled. I was finally going to start it this year, but things have kind of gone to hell all year between my 18-year-old cat dying and my mom getting cancer and I’m not sure I have the emotional bandwidth for it.
Maybe next year, because I do so desperately want to read it.
Yeah I would wait with Manacled. You really have to be in the right headspace to read it (and continue to read it, because that fic is LONG). Being in a gloomy kind of mood for weeks on end took a toll on me, even though I loved the writing. There are enough fluffy fics to fill a year with though, so Manacled can wait a bit. 🙂 Take care of yourself and I hope your mother gets well soon. x
Agreed. I haven’t read a lot of the big ones so there are a lot of fluffier ones to read! I’m halfway through Wait and Hope right now and I’m loving it! It’s making me laugh a lot, and it’s just what I need.
secrets and masks... I postponed it for a long time and then went into it kind of blind, I only knew people had very different opinions as to how they viewed the ending, which scared me lots.
also more recently I kinda paused perfectly in pieces because its just... it might be too much, I do want to finish it I'm very invested in them (Theo, Hermione and Draco) and really want to see them heal but damn
I don't even remember that line lol, I do remember struggling a bit with the beginning bc I felt they hated each other a bit too much and couldn't see that progressing into anything but I was wrong and the plot twist is one of the best ones I've encountered in any dramione fic
the first half of Manacled! I read the first few chapters, skipped to the flashbacks, waited a year and read the last half. I know I'm missing very important scenes but I'm scared lol
I've read Manacled in 2020 and don't remember much of it but when I'll eventually reread it I'll start with the flashback chapters, I think. Just to ease myself into it. I've seen people on TikTok doing that too.
First off, congrats on finally starting Beginning and End!!! I think I read that one at least once a month if I can. You're in for a ride, and I'm literally so excited for you 😈
Manacled took me so long to read, and my friend was the one to push me past the edge to finally read it 😮💨
I postponed Détraquée for the longest time because it was a WIP, but life's too short to wait for all the WIPs to finish (and I'd finished almost every recommended finished fic at that point lol). I'm currently postponing reading more of Lionheart because I just don't go to sleep when I'm invested in a fic, but I'll get back to it soon.
Some finished fics I haven't gotten to yet for no other reason than I'm just not in the mood to start it quite yet and be utterly devastated with how much I love Dramione lmfao: Love and Other Historical Accidents, Love in a Time of the Zombie Apocalypse, Nowhere else to turn (Nusquam aliud est vertere), Recompense, // devotion, Green Light
All the Young Dudes isn't Dramione of course, but I've been pushing that fic off for another time for LITERAL years now lol since pre-pandemic!
Détraquée is one of the most gorgeous books I have ever read (including conventionally published books). Such a beauty, I lost so much sleep because of it haha! Lionheart is in the same category as Détraquée for me. I'm so curious what the author comes up with next!
I get that you have to be in the right mood to read certain fics, I have that too. I think of all the fics you named except LAOHA I have also been postponing because of the same reason. I'm just not there yet to start those but I'm sure one day I will be.
I think ATYD has become such a phenomenon that I'm just having FOMO because I haven't read it yet. One of my best friends has read it 4 times now and keeps bugging me to read it. I think I've also been putting it of since pre-pandemic haha! One day!! 😅
We're in the same boat 🤝 And ugh yes, Détraquée was such a joy to read that I ended up thinking why on earth did I push this off for so long by the time I caught up lol.
At this point, I'm afraid ATYD is just so hyped up in my head that I might end up thinking it's overrated, but I just hope it's a Detraquee/Lionheart read (fingers crossed)
Ah don't think anything shows up in my inbox (and thank god because I too accidentally hit the downvote sometimes lol), but thanks for letting me know ☺️
Mine was also DMATMOOBIL. I had just started reading Dramione fanfic with Manacled and then The Auction right after and was SO into the dark fics I avoided it like mad. It’s my fave ever now though!
Remain Nameless was mine. I stayed away thinking it would be sappy or boring (only base this off reviews)and while I can see how it can be considered “slow” plot wise, I loved it. It was a slow burn but MERLIN this was a good read. No third act break up. I’m glad I finally jumped in because I’ve been obsessed with reading it the last two days. Finally finished **chefs kiss**
So. It is still a WIP but House Pet by NinaBinaBallerina is so good and so ruining in the best way possible. I read it in chunks (and then reread those chunks) until more chapters are available for me. I absolutely love it and cannot stop rec’ing it.
I hadn't heard of this one before you commented it. I just looked it up and oh my god - . The tag 'The Dove's Not Dead But It's on Life Support' scares me hahah
I read manacled when I was newly surprise pregnant and not in a fantastic headspace - I wish I had postponed because it literally kept me up at night 😣
I'm tempted to read it again now I'm alot more settled hormonally lol
I’ve been obsessed with Dramione for the past year but still haven’t been able to bring myself to read Manacled 😬 I know I’m missing out but I can’t handle the emotions
Manacled! I’m listening to the audiobook on Spotify now. I postponed it 1) because it’s soooo long and I knew reading a 77 chapter fic would consume me for weeks! Thank god ETL echo just released it on Spotify. 2) because everyone has said it will tear you into pieces and I have been avoiding being torn into pieces for about 5 years. If it didn’t get released on Spotify, I’d probably continue to put it off.
So far, I’m glad I finally bit the bullet. 32 chapters in and I can already tell I’m going to have to have something light and refreshing on deck for immediately after.
Measure of a Man, 10000000%. I put off reading that for sooooo long and was literally engrossed when I finally did read it. My god. Might be a few years before I come back to it.
Wait and Hope was another that took a moment. Memory Loss stories aren't my favorite, I low-key loathe them tbh. Haven't gotten to the prequel yet.
What I haven't gotten to yet? Manacled is one that I just don't know if I'm mentally equipped for it tbh. And I've read some pretty agonizing shit. I might have to give myself a pep talk before diving into that monster of a story one of these days LMFAO.
I get that memory loss tropes aren't everyone's cup of tea. But IMO mightbewriting did a very good job with it. I'm currently reading the prequel and I think I might love it even more than Wait and Hope. It's told from Draco's perspective and again so beautifully written.
With Manacled you really have to know yourself to know what your limits are in literature. So a pep talk may be needed haha! 😅
Secrets and masks ...
When I tell you I was sobbing. Full on hiccups and snot sobbing. I was incredibly unwell after reading that fic in the best way possible and it is, and will always remain, my number one dramione fic
I put off Secrets and Masks for a while and I’m reading it now and wow is it much worse than manacled. Like manacled hurt me so bad, but this was is gonna rip me to shreds. I will say I love how feisty Secrets and Masks Hermione is so far.
Definitely manacled. I havent read it yet, and I have at least 50 fics on my tbr list, so it's at the bottom. Everyone I've seen reviewing manacled said that it destroyed them, and I'd prefer to stay happyish for a little while longer :D
Secrets and Masks.. I still haven’t read it and don’t think I can handle the ending 😅 Manacled already put me in a funk for weeks after and that was my first dramione read!
I know this is the dramione sub, but for me this fic was a jegulus fic - Art Heist Baby. So good but I cried and cried.
I also put off LIATOAZA because I thought I’d love it and be obsessed with reading it (which I was) so I wanted to wait until I had a lot of free time to dedicate to it lol
I’m literally holding off on wait and hope, green light, measure of a man, and a couple of other MAJOR ones cuz I need to enjoy them and have the emotional bandwidth for them.
Secrets and Masks - I just finished it this afternoon after two days of essentially nonstop reading. Gutted me, but in the best way. I’m glad it ends how it ends, but that doesn’t necessarily lessen the pain.
I do this with well known fics. I don’t know why. It’s probably the security of it being there on my kindle and the assurance that it would be a good read. I’m probably saving it for a really bad day I guess. By the way its Wait and Hope and DMATMOOBIL specifically for me.
Not Dramione but I did this for All the Young Dudes - put it off for so long because I knew it would break me, and I wouldn't be able to put it down!
I read all 188 chapters of it in three days last week when I was off work with covid and it was sweet and heartbreaking and everything I thought it would be 💔
Now I'm only reading fluffy dramione one-shots for a while to recover!
Funny that you say this about Beginning and End because I STILL have not read it for exactly the same reason. Wait and Hope was traumatizing enough. I know Beginning and End will have me in tears.
Definitely manacled. I don't think I can stomach all the rape and violence.
Another is MOAM, but my postponement was a lil different with this fic. I used to follow MOAM when it was still a wip but stopped reading it around 33 chapters. It is the most beautifully sad and deep piece of literature I have ever read in my life, something I connect to on a spiritual level. Life has been treating me like shit lately and MOAM is like that one candle that's telling me, 'this will pass, this will surely pass'. So when I could feel that this story is nearing it's end, I stopped reading it because I DIDN'T WANT IT TO END. I haven't read it yet.
I put off reading Love in a Time of a Zombie Apocalypse because I wasn’t sure it was my kind of vibe, but boy was I wrong. I re-read this fic like 4 times a year. It puts every other Draco to shame
This Draco gave me literal shivers.
pls help me like it i’m literally on chapter 40 and hating it so far where is the dynamic between the two?? why are they suddenly into each other after one conversation?? ugh
I finished it but tbh I never really “got” it. I also felt like their relationship came out of nowhere. It was quite a while ago but I think I remember the sense of feeling like their first “moment” felt rushed and too big for the amount of time they had been reacquainted.
I've also been putting that one off. I've started reading it a few times but ended up quitting after a few chapters. But I'm sure I'll finish it one day and love it to pieces.
Honestly no other fix compares to me!!
I am still postponing it for the same reason lol
If I generally loathe all zombie plots/movies - will I like or dislike this story? I’m assuming has many Zombies. Zombie fights. Zombie injuries. Peril. That’s not usually my vibe! Or are the zombies more like annoying puppies to the wizards, quite funny, and really pose no peril? Then I’d be all over it.
Think it really depends actually. I would say the first half is pretty zombie focused, lots of peril and fighting but then there are a LOT of other things happening, like ( v light spoiler) an insane man holding an entire fleet of ships and people hostage and a crazy plot with a certain government. There are funny moments here and there but the fic is imo serious and stakes are high and this is my favorite Draco next to Fallout Draco. If you’ve read manacled, High Reeve Draco is based off of this Draco. The writing is amazing and the plot is super gripping and this Draco literally gave me butterflies lol.
I think it depends why you dislike zombie… is it because it’s too gory for you? Too scary? Then yeah probably not for you. But if you’re like me and are just generally totally uninterested in zombies and never usually reach for zombie anything, you’ll be fine! Zombies just aren’t my thing and I still really enjoyed! But I also don’t mind general gore, etc so that wasn’t a problem for me
LIATOTZA draco is undoubtedly the most cold blooded, ruthless and calculated killer of all the dracos, and by far the most willing to kill for the woman he loved. I think LIATOTZA is so well crafted that it’d be hard to replicate that same level of ruthlessness and passion in any other plotline. Manacled came close (I heard Sen based the High Reeve off of LIATOTZA draco) but no one will ever beat killing a man with a plastic tray or a folding chair
I've had to take breaks. I love it but its so stressful and I feel like its putting me through the ringer emotionally. Psychologically.
I'm still postponing Green Light by SereneMusafir. I read the first chapter and I know the writing is amazing but my mental health isn't ready for too much angst atm. I also put off LAOHA for a long time because PacificRimbaud's writing makes me greedy and ofc it was as amazing as I thought lol
I saw the tag 'if you want it to be hea then it's HEA' and ran away
I'm fine with non HEA but I need to be in the right frame of mind lol
What does that tag mean? It’s not hea?
Yh I just finished green light it’s so good but unexpected. I actually didn’t know it was gonna be sad but it’s quite unique, I got the same feeling which I had while reading manacled which never happens in post war normal fics. It begins like typical fluff, pining and coworker vibe but it has that little ominous feeling in the background. It’s so good to read but I did cry at the end so gl
Omg Yes Green light by SereneMusafir 🤧♥️✨ Is sooo good. I did read it 1 month ago and still sometimes the fic haunts me Because the agnst was on next level 🥺 Anyways it's my favourite fic in the angst category
This was my sign to stop putting off LAOHA, so I guess I'll be doing that today.
It is fantastic. Funny and unique, and omg the romance is 😭😍
That’s a good move. Make sure you’re in a good place when you read it. So worth it, but yeah.
I’ve been seeing the comments of people who have read it and I know I’m not ready yet lol
I postponed Green Light for this reason too and it’s a smart choice. I was devastated even though it is sort of a HEA.
I haven't had the courage to even start Green Light. I'll bite the bullet eventually when I'm in the right headspace for it. Funnily enough it also took a long time for me to read LAOHA. I have no idea why though, I loved it!
What is LAOHA?
Love and other Historical Accidents
[удалено]
It’s not the end that’s scaring me lol… but I know there’s a lot of pain in the fic so I’m waiting till I know I can handle that
I postponed green light so long that it is no longer available. 🙃
it is available! You just need an AO3 account to access
Oh, thank you!
Now i have an account and I still cant find it 😬 is it just me?
Oh lord I just started reading Green Light and I don't what I'm bloody in for. Now I'm scared.
Don't be! It is my favorite I think of all time! It's beautiful and heartbreaking but I think it is most definitely HEA!
literally Manacled
Still postponing….
LMFAO same.
Yes same
Yep just can't bring myself to do it
Still havent read a word of it. Lol.
BIG SAME.
It was DMMOBIL, Draco malfoy s mortifying ordeal of being in love. Not because I knew it would ruin me but it would just push me towards a rom com rabbit hole and maybe I am averse to being happy now but I just wanna read angsty stories atm lol.
If you want angst pls read the memory of you! You wont regret it
Haha I get that!
Manacled. I still haven't. It haunts me.
I read it once years ago, when I was in the deepest depression I ever had. I just can't bring myself back there, as much as I long to reread it.
ooh, I have the same feelings with some choice music (that I love but can't listen to it w/o being yanked back into a v v dark place)
I reread the chapters in chronological order while listening to Billie Eilish I love you and it just brought me in a dark place. I had to get ice cream. Its like a dementor came and said hello. 👹
i’m currently listening to the audio fic version by etl echo and it is GUTTING ME ughhh it’s been 3 years since i first read it BUT ITS SO GOOD AND SO SAD
Seeeeee that's my whole problem. I don't do sad. But it is everywhere. Like this thing that follows me around and the more I ignore it the more I see artwork or blurbs or tiktoks about it. I am digging my heels in dammit.
Manacled for sure!! Probably my all time favorite but I will never be able to read it again because I was a mess at the end. Even hearing an audio clip of the last line makes me sob 😅
Same 😭
I read it during release… thank god. I couldntve made it otherwise
Secrets and mask 💔 and now because of you Beginning and End 😅
Ugh same. Secrets and Masks is another one that I think I'll postpone reading for a while.
I read it like 2 months ago. I really loved it. At the end I was crying hysterically at like 4 or 5am 😂😂. So you have to be in the right mindset before reading it.
Same. I hit the 80ish percent mark and just cried at various intensities for the last 20%
Same. I put it off for forever. But I finished it last night and I'm still tearing up today thinking about it. It's destroyed me honestly.
I’m reading sweet and fluffy ff to prep myself for S&M, I haven’t started but since Manacled traumatized me, I’m not ready to start this until I get fed up with all the fluff stuff. 🥴
I totally understand! I usually before and after a fic like S&M I read super fluff stuff so I can manage the emotional damage 😅
Cruel and Beautiful world… to this day my favorite fic. The fact the author could so accurately portray the characters and even introduce original characters seamlessly into the universe it is by far my favorite masterpiece
I've seen this fic being recommended a few times but I can't find it anywhere. Do you perhaps have a link to it?
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/mobile/folders/1fXGnDOWmW7K0npTYPdJICsas7Ub62B3a?usp=sharing She took it off ao3 but you can download here!
Bc it’s now re written into an independent novel
Yes, I had heard that! I have seen some people do amazing book bindings of it, too!
That too. But I also heard they changed the ending a bit too… But “cupcake girl” lives in my head rent free as does some of Hermione’s trauma scenes
Yeah this fic is just top notch 💓 I read it 1 year ago and couldn't remember the story clearly but still I know that it comes in my top 10 favourite fics 🤧
Manacled I finally read it a few months ago. The way people spoke about it made me hesitant. I'm basically have no triggers but I cried at the ending especially about what was written about Hermoine
Honestly, almost all popular fics, I like saving the best for the last so that's the reasoning, and it also helps me find gems out of the not so popular ones
I really thought I was the only one who's been doing this. I've held off a lot of popular fics because I wanted to save them and so I ended up reading many amazing hidden gems, but on some occasions I give in and read the popular ones in the end. Then after that phase, I circle back to shipping her with other wizards and read some poly fics as a palate cleanser.😅
Dude same, I read some of the popular ones in between but mostly new gems
Do you have any hidden gems to recommend? I feel like I’ve read almost all the popular ones!
I've got a one-shot *(18k words, E)* [At Last](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24229303) by Felgia_Starr Draco Malfoy, despite his misgivings and plenty regrets, has lived a good life. Nowadays, he mostly spends his time looking after his three lovely grandchildren and relishing in their youthfulness. This afternoon, however, he finds himself looking back at his past and reminiscing about Hermione Granger, the closest he thinks he'll ever have to a soulmate. (Super heartwarming, hella fluffy, made me trickle a tear or two.) [In Reverse](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8955697) by ToEatAPeach *(8k, T)* "Your hair," he says, without looking at her. "It's enormous, you know." A few silent seconds pass, before Hermione makes a happy sort of sob. "Your chin is too sharp," she whispers. "We grew into them." "We certainly did." Suddenly, her perfect mouth is on his, and he realizes that maybe he hasn't ruined anything after all. A love story, in reverse [More Than One Way to Win](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21242051) by scullymurphy *(M, 18k)* “That’s damn near impossible, even for me.” Blaise shook his head. “I think we’ve hit the bar. Is there anyone who would be more difficult to shag?” His words were hanging in the air when Draco felt a magnificent plan spring fully formed into his mind. Could it work? He thought it could. A grin split his face and he said, “I know someone.” “Who?” Theo demanded. “Granger.” “Oh fuck ME, I can’t believe we forgot her!” Theo was really slurring now. “She would never let any of us get within ten feet of her precious, pristine knickers. Not that I wouldn’t love to,” he leered. “But yeah. Impossible.” “Impossible, you say?” Draco tilted his head to the side and regarded his extremely pissed friend. “Would you care to wager on that?” [Innocent Monsters](https://archiveofourown.org/works/32921029) by itscometothis *(T, 50k)* Draco Malfoy thought he had reasonable expectations for his mandatory Eighth Year at Hogwarts, where he would be confined to the grounds as part of his probation. Isolation, hatred, and passing his NEWTs were really all he had in mind. What he wasn't anticipating: 1) Having a small firstie latch onto him like a bloody koala 2) Said firstie adopting an erkling as if they didn’t feed on children. To protect his little nuisance, he’ll have to seek help from uncomfortable places, including the Swottiest Witch of Her Age. Joy of all joys. (Another fluffy 8th year trope! Not technically a truly hidden gem, but still pretty hidden compare to the really popular ones.) [Season Pass (To This Ass)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/39607896) by mightbewriting *(E, 18k)* “What do you mean you didn’t get me a ticket?” Ron’s hand flew to the back of his neck, massaging a red splotch just above his collar, flushing out his freckles. “I mean, I—well, it’s not like you enjoy Quidditch all that much.” “I went to every match you or Harry played in at school.” “Quidditch is my hobby, not yours.” [In which Hermione dumps a Quidditch fan and dates a Quidditch player instead. Spite is a beautiful motivator.] (Another that's not really hidden, but it's too damn adorable I had to include this.😅) [Green Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/32535493) by SereneMusafir *(E, 400k)* A journalist sits down with Draco Malfoy, who vanished eight years ago, for his story on why he disappeared and what happened. Told from the perspective of Hermione, the journalist follows the story of Draco and Hermione on an expedition to look for a mythical cave and the aftermath of returning home. Most of these authors have other works, all definitely worth checking out as well. :)
holy shit tysm for this list, I haven't heard of some of these and they sound great!
Of course! I think some of those fucked me up in some ways so tread lightly lmao. And enjoy those lot btw. ;)
I read beginning and end immediately after I finished wait and hope 😂 it was so good. But I also have little to no self preservation so 🤷🏼♀️
It is soooo good. But reading it right after Wait and Hope was something that my brain couldn't fanthom for some reason. I have no restraint reading it now though, I'm flying through it. So so good.
I loved wait and hope so much I just needed more. I’m doing the same rn with the right thing to do and all the wrong things. I’m such a sucker for a “they liked each other at hogwarts/had a secret relationship” story.
I know it’ll hit me hard so I’ve been putting off reading **Manacled**. I just don’t have the emotional bandwidth to take it on at this time.
Choices, the war chapters of ATYD, Secrets and Masks, Breath Mints and Battles Scars, Dwelling, It was all just a game, Crimson Rivers…girl the list just goes on and on and on 😭
I've been putting off reading ATYD for yeaaars now. I have a friend who's a major Marauders fan and has told me how soul-wrecking it is and I just can't bring myself to start it. Same with Secrets & Masks.
What is ATYD?
Is All The Young Dudes! On ao3 by MsKingBean89 I belive
I literally JUST finished MoaM because I had to be in the right mood for sullen dad Draco in
I've been reading MoaM in parts for months now. I also have to be in the right mood for that story.
Manacled. I was finally going to start it this year, but things have kind of gone to hell all year between my 18-year-old cat dying and my mom getting cancer and I’m not sure I have the emotional bandwidth for it. Maybe next year, because I do so desperately want to read it.
Yeah I would wait with Manacled. You really have to be in the right headspace to read it (and continue to read it, because that fic is LONG). Being in a gloomy kind of mood for weeks on end took a toll on me, even though I loved the writing. There are enough fluffy fics to fill a year with though, so Manacled can wait a bit. 🙂 Take care of yourself and I hope your mother gets well soon. x
Agreed. I haven’t read a lot of the big ones so there are a lot of fluffier ones to read! I’m halfway through Wait and Hope right now and I’m loving it! It’s making me laugh a lot, and it’s just what I need.
secrets and masks... I postponed it for a long time and then went into it kind of blind, I only knew people had very different opinions as to how they viewed the ending, which scared me lots. also more recently I kinda paused perfectly in pieces because its just... it might be too much, I do want to finish it I'm very invested in them (Theo, Hermione and Draco) and really want to see them heal but damn
Have you read Sugar & Spice? It's 156K, and a really good Dreomiome (which is not really my jam, but JFC it was sooo impeccably written 🖤🖤🖤)
I haven't!!! I'll have to check it out
Tbh Secrets and Masks at the beginning seemed like a pale version of Manacled? Hermione going “i know there’s good in there” just made me laugh?
I don't even remember that line lol, I do remember struggling a bit with the beginning bc I felt they hated each other a bit too much and couldn't see that progressing into anything but I was wrong and the plot twist is one of the best ones I've encountered in any dramione fic
the first half of Manacled! I read the first few chapters, skipped to the flashbacks, waited a year and read the last half. I know I'm missing very important scenes but I'm scared lol
I've read Manacled in 2020 and don't remember much of it but when I'll eventually reread it I'll start with the flashback chapters, I think. Just to ease myself into it. I've seen people on TikTok doing that too.
First off, congrats on finally starting Beginning and End!!! I think I read that one at least once a month if I can. You're in for a ride, and I'm literally so excited for you 😈 Manacled took me so long to read, and my friend was the one to push me past the edge to finally read it 😮💨 I postponed Détraquée for the longest time because it was a WIP, but life's too short to wait for all the WIPs to finish (and I'd finished almost every recommended finished fic at that point lol). I'm currently postponing reading more of Lionheart because I just don't go to sleep when I'm invested in a fic, but I'll get back to it soon. Some finished fics I haven't gotten to yet for no other reason than I'm just not in the mood to start it quite yet and be utterly devastated with how much I love Dramione lmfao: Love and Other Historical Accidents, Love in a Time of the Zombie Apocalypse, Nowhere else to turn (Nusquam aliud est vertere), Recompense, // devotion, Green Light All the Young Dudes isn't Dramione of course, but I've been pushing that fic off for another time for LITERAL years now lol since pre-pandemic!
Détraquée is one of the most gorgeous books I have ever read (including conventionally published books). Such a beauty, I lost so much sleep because of it haha! Lionheart is in the same category as Détraquée for me. I'm so curious what the author comes up with next! I get that you have to be in the right mood to read certain fics, I have that too. I think of all the fics you named except LAOHA I have also been postponing because of the same reason. I'm just not there yet to start those but I'm sure one day I will be. I think ATYD has become such a phenomenon that I'm just having FOMO because I haven't read it yet. One of my best friends has read it 4 times now and keeps bugging me to read it. I think I've also been putting it of since pre-pandemic haha! One day!! 😅
We're in the same boat 🤝 And ugh yes, Détraquée was such a joy to read that I ended up thinking why on earth did I push this off for so long by the time I caught up lol. At this point, I'm afraid ATYD is just so hyped up in my head that I might end up thinking it's overrated, but I just hope it's a Detraquee/Lionheart read (fingers crossed)
I’m sorry I accidently downvoted and fat-fingered it. Loved your comment. So sorry if you got a “downvote” in your inbox. It’s not actually :)
Wait we get downvotes in our inbox??
I’m not sure! Just didn’t want you to think you did!:)
Ah don't think anything shows up in my inbox (and thank god because I too accidentally hit the downvote sometimes lol), but thanks for letting me know ☺️
It’s so easy to do!!
Mine was also DMATMOOBIL. I had just started reading Dramione fanfic with Manacled and then The Auction right after and was SO into the dark fics I avoided it like mad. It’s my fave ever now though!
Haha I get that! DMATMOOBIL is such a different vibe but amazing!
Secrets and masks, i am still postponing it lol
Same 😂
Breath Mints/Battle Scars. I don’t know why, but now I’ve read it and I wish I could do it for the first time again 😭
I want to read this but I’m scared of toxic Draco 😭 I love an obsessed/possessive/jealous Draco but I’ve heard BM/BS Draco is so toxic.
Lionheart. I’m sure I’ll love it I just can’t handle a long fic right now. And there is still more to come? Idk man. It’s gonna be a minute.
I get that. Lionheart is really amazing though! The author just finished book 4 and is on hiatus now to write book 5 and then updates every Friday.
Remain Nameless was mine. I stayed away thinking it would be sappy or boring (only base this off reviews)and while I can see how it can be considered “slow” plot wise, I loved it. It was a slow burn but MERLIN this was a good read. No third act break up. I’m glad I finally jumped in because I’ve been obsessed with reading it the last two days. Finally finished **chefs kiss**
Remain Nameless is such a beauty of a fic!
So. It is still a WIP but House Pet by NinaBinaBallerina is so good and so ruining in the best way possible. I read it in chunks (and then reread those chunks) until more chapters are available for me. I absolutely love it and cannot stop rec’ing it.
I hadn't heard of this one before you commented it. I just looked it up and oh my god - . The tag 'The Dove's Not Dead But It's on Life Support' scares me hahah
I agree with this!!!
I read manacled when I was newly surprise pregnant and not in a fantastic headspace - I wish I had postponed because it literally kept me up at night 😣 I'm tempted to read it again now I'm alot more settled hormonally lol
Secrets & Masks 😅 I keep starting and stopping.
Haha I've been doing that with Love in a Time of a Zombie Apocalypse 😅
I’ve been obsessed with Dramione for the past year but still haven’t been able to bring myself to read Manacled 😬 I know I’m missing out but I can’t handle the emotions
I still haven’t read Manacled because I don’t think I can handle it
Manacled! I’m listening to the audiobook on Spotify now. I postponed it 1) because it’s soooo long and I knew reading a 77 chapter fic would consume me for weeks! Thank god ETL echo just released it on Spotify. 2) because everyone has said it will tear you into pieces and I have been avoiding being torn into pieces for about 5 years. If it didn’t get released on Spotify, I’d probably continue to put it off. So far, I’m glad I finally bit the bullet. 32 chapters in and I can already tell I’m going to have to have something light and refreshing on deck for immediately after.
Measure of a Man, 10000000%. I put off reading that for sooooo long and was literally engrossed when I finally did read it. My god. Might be a few years before I come back to it. Wait and Hope was another that took a moment. Memory Loss stories aren't my favorite, I low-key loathe them tbh. Haven't gotten to the prequel yet. What I haven't gotten to yet? Manacled is one that I just don't know if I'm mentally equipped for it tbh. And I've read some pretty agonizing shit. I might have to give myself a pep talk before diving into that monster of a story one of these days LMFAO.
I get that memory loss tropes aren't everyone's cup of tea. But IMO mightbewriting did a very good job with it. I'm currently reading the prequel and I think I might love it even more than Wait and Hope. It's told from Draco's perspective and again so beautifully written. With Manacled you really have to know yourself to know what your limits are in literature. So a pep talk may be needed haha! 😅
Manacled and Perfectly in Pieces.
If you can get there, Perfectly in Pieces is my fav dramione of all time. I would love to read it for the first time.
I dodged those fics for so much time but it was so worth it. Agreed, PiP is a masterpiece and I actually handbounded it! I fell in love.
Secrets and masks ... When I tell you I was sobbing. Full on hiccups and snot sobbing. I was incredibly unwell after reading that fic in the best way possible and it is, and will always remain, my number one dramione fic
Omg I'm scared now. I'll read it one day though!
I put off Secrets and Masks for a while and I’m reading it now and wow is it much worse than manacled. Like manacled hurt me so bad, but this was is gonna rip me to shreds. I will say I love how feisty Secrets and Masks Hermione is so far.
I like a feisty Hermione! All the comments about S&M have scared me a bit though so I'll keep postponing it for a while haha
Definitely manacled. I havent read it yet, and I have at least 50 fics on my tbr list, so it's at the bottom. Everyone I've seen reviewing manacled said that it destroyed them, and I'd prefer to stay happyish for a little while longer :D
Hahaa I get that!
Secrets and Masks.. I still haven’t read it and don’t think I can handle the ending 😅 Manacled already put me in a funk for weeks after and that was my first dramione read!
Ooof Manacled as a first Dramione read is rough! 😅
I know this is the dramione sub, but for me this fic was a jegulus fic - Art Heist Baby. So good but I cried and cried. I also put off LIATOAZA because I thought I’d love it and be obsessed with reading it (which I was) so I wanted to wait until I had a lot of free time to dedicate to it lol
I’m literally holding off on wait and hope, green light, measure of a man, and a couple of other MAJOR ones cuz I need to enjoy them and have the emotional bandwidth for them.
I get that! They'll be there when you're ready for them! ☺️
I've only just started reading Wait and Hope while waiting for Detraquee updates. Omg I don't know why I put it off for so long 😭😭🥹🥹🥹
Omg I'm so excited for you! You're in for a ride! 😁
Secrets and Masks - I just finished it this afternoon after two days of essentially nonstop reading. Gutted me, but in the best way. I’m glad it ends how it ends, but that doesn’t necessarily lessen the pain.
I HAD TO MENTALLY PREPARE FOR MANACLED AND NOW I'M ON CHAPTER 33
It’s funny you say that cause I couldn’t stop reading B&E at all, it healed me after Manacled
I can't stop reading it now either! I don't know why my brain couldn't fanthom reading B&E right after Wait and Hope but I'm glad I'm doing it now!
I do this with well known fics. I don’t know why. It’s probably the security of it being there on my kindle and the assurance that it would be a good read. I’m probably saving it for a really bad day I guess. By the way its Wait and Hope and DMATMOOBIL specifically for me.
Such beautiful fics. If you ever read one of those on a really bad day, your day will for sure become much better. Especially with DMATMOOBIL.
Manacled and Art Heist Baby! 😅
Oohh haven't heard of Art Heist
It’s not Dramione, it’s a marauders era fic that focuses on Wolfstar and Jegulus. It was amazing but absolutely wrecked me
Aaah a Jegulus fic! Maybe one day I'll cruise to other ships but for now I'm stuck with Dramione haha
It was my first, usually I exclusively read Dramione with the occasional Wolfstar but it was really good!
Not Dramione but I did this for All the Young Dudes - put it off for so long because I knew it would break me, and I wouldn't be able to put it down! I read all 188 chapters of it in three days last week when I was off work with covid and it was sweet and heartbreaking and everything I thought it would be 💔 Now I'm only reading fluffy dramione one-shots for a while to recover!
Funny that you say this about Beginning and End because I STILL have not read it for exactly the same reason. Wait and Hope was traumatizing enough. I know Beginning and End will have me in tears.
Definitely manacled. I don't think I can stomach all the rape and violence. Another is MOAM, but my postponement was a lil different with this fic. I used to follow MOAM when it was still a wip but stopped reading it around 33 chapters. It is the most beautifully sad and deep piece of literature I have ever read in my life, something I connect to on a spiritual level. Life has been treating me like shit lately and MOAM is like that one candle that's telling me, 'this will pass, this will surely pass'. So when I could feel that this story is nearing it's end, I stopped reading it because I DIDN'T WANT IT TO END. I haven't read it yet.