Recs: Harry Potter and the Slashy Slash
When I suggested to mythicdove that we put together rec lists for dimensions, I'd already started compiling mine for the Harry Potter fandom. I have to preface this by saying I'm just now exploring this fandom, and Draco/Harry was my first introduction. I've since read some other pairings, and a few are included here, but I don't feel qualified yet to rec others more extensively. So please, if anybody else wants to take on this task, please do -- I need more to read!
I also should warn you that I like long plotty stories ... no PWP here.
"Transfigurations" by Resonant: This is where it all started. I'd loved Resonant's "Higher Education" (Breakfast Club) and "Advantage" (SGA) so I gave this a try. And honestly, I can’t describe the effect this story had on me, although the fact that I've been obsessed with Draco and Harry since reading it will give you some inkling. As always Resonant is a master of details that bring her characters to life. For instance, "...Malfoy began to murmur in a soft, slurred voice. Harry tensed, but then recognized the words as transfiguration spells -- Malfoy was turning the chair into a stretcher. He still pronounced his spells like a native speaker, all elisions and dropped endings. Harry's spells were perfectly functional, but compared to Malfoy, he had always felt as though he were reading the words out of a phrasebook." In every story I've read since, this has been my Draco. (This is also where, as she described the tightly fitted dress robes, I developed an unhealthy fetish for buttons ... and unbuttoning.) If you want a gripping post-war story about how life goes on even when you do your best to escape it, read this one. (~72K words, NC17)
"Left My Heart" and "Surrender the Grey" by Emma Grant: Insistent that I wanted post-Hogwarts adult!Harry stories only, I read these two. As in Transfigurations the boys have grown up and gone their separate ways and Draco's hiding some very big secrets. The lengths she takes them through to learn trust are simply dazzling. This novel-length story has all the suspense of any JKR book, and the world she's created...I don't want to give anything away, but Emma blends muggle terrorism and magic in a way that makes the war against Voldemort even more urgent. (>250K words, NC17)
"Starts With a Spin" by Maxine: I wasn't going to read kid!Harry, I swore I wasn't! But when this story got recced by several trusted souls, I gave it a try. It turned out to be a whirlwind ride. I can’t count how many times I was cried with laughter as the sneaky Slytherins and determined Gryffindors braved games like Spin the Bottle and Truth Or Dare. But what was so lovely about this story is that the characterizations never once slipped -- everything was done in a way that I could really see a bunch of kids behaving. I blame this story for why I'm now perving over schoolboys 20 years younger than myself. (~130K words, NC17)
"Eclipse" by PhoenixSong: If I had to pick one of my stories as a favourite, it would be this one. This starts where I want it to start, with Draco and Harry at each other's throats. Literally. Draco is wholly dark, anxious to impress the Dark Lord by capturing the famous Harry Potter. His transition to the light is so slow and so subtle that it's entirely believable (unlike many stories I've read in this fandom where the Malfoys are quickly won over). PhoenixSong delves deeply into both boys' psyches with remarkable skill. I have to admit too that I started out impatient for smut, and there were places where I think lesser writers would have caved. But she doesn't, and I think she made the right choice. This whole lovely story is a delicate dance as time runs out, and I can't recommend it enough. Now I'm eagerly waiting for her to finish the sequel! (18 chaps, PG)
"Underwater Light" by Maya: I can't even remember how I found this story, it wasn't through one of my trusted recommenders, and I admit that I just wanted to read this story because she starts the first chapter with a favourite Frames song. That said, it turned out to be an unforgettable read. It's 7th year and even Hogwarts is no longer safe -- students are disappearing from the school. And through it all, Harry has a feeling that Draco might be important in some way. I love stories about suspicion and betrayal, and Maya teases it out so you never know who's on your side until the very end. Brilliantly done. (22 chaps, NC17)
"A Thousand Beautiful Things" by Duinn Fionn: After taking an oath of silence, Draco has to live without magic. I love this resourceful Draco and how he builds a life for himself with muggles. Its sequel, "Delicate Sound of Thunder", picks up the story a year later; I found it less compelling than the original, but still a good read. (~108K, NC17)
"Somnio Salvus" by Invisibabe: Another one that kept me up all night, and it was definitely worth it. Draco creeps into Harry's dreams to cause mischief, and of course distrust and tension ensues. But what I really liked here was the Malfoy family. Lucius isn't just as a single-minded death eater, but a complex character challenged to protect himself and his family. I haven't seen much of that yet (yes, I need to read more Lucius fic!) and I loved it. (24 chapters, R)
"A Year Like None Other" by Aspeninthesunlight: When I try to summarize this plot, it sounds so trite: orphaned Harry makes a new home among his enemies Snape and Draco. But the story is anything but. This story explores the HP-universe in some of the most creative ways I've ever seen -- not just from the Hogwarts' angle, but also from the intersections of the magic and muggle worlds. But what wins me over are the spot-on characterizations of everybody in the story. Snape as a reluctant and often confused father is divine, and I wanted to wring Hermione's neck more than once! This is another one that I'll be anxiously waiting for the sequel. (~760K, gen)
"Leave Your Field To Flower" by Emma Grant: I can't get this premise out of my head: the wizards and witches have forgotten their magic. It's a really intriguing idea and while on the one hand I'd like Emma to write a lot more in this verse so I can see all the effects it has, on the other hand this little glimpse is absolutely perfect. (13,500 words, NC17)
"Dark Chocolate" and "White Chocolate" by Dianann: My first Snarry. I know Dianann from the SGA fandom, but I never knew she did dark. In this first story, another of my squicks crumbled -- Harry's a student, Snape's his teacher, and boy is it ever hot. And twisted. And heartbreaking. The second story is longer and takes place 5-7 years after the first (my only complaint about this story is that she's careless with the timeline) when Harry and Snape meet again. Voldemort's risen again and their world is very dark, but that's not the only demon that Dianann makes them face. (DC ~51K words, WC 20 chaps, both NC17)
"A Nick In Time" and "Growing Pains" by Invisibabe. A brilliantly done Snape-centric story that, by taking Snape and Harry back to childhood, captures the real essence of who they both are. And once they're adults, the smut is smoking hot. Loved this story! (~174K words, NC17)
"Night-blooming Heartsease" by Julad: (Neville/Snape) Although this prequel to Resonant's brilliant "Transfigurations" has hardly any Harry or Draco, surprisingly I think it's one of my favourites so far. I never in a million years would have thought Snape and Neville could break me like this, but they do. Neville, wonderfully flustered as he is, proves himself a hero, and Snape, who never stops being his sarcastic self, proves he might just have a heart. (~33K words, R)
eta: I have to add one I just read last night: "Let's Pretend the War Is Over" by Pir8Fancier: I am such a sucker for h/c. In this one, Draco's slowly losing his grip on sanity ... or he may have already lost it. This story had me absolutely weeping, and was on my mind for a long time as I laid down to sleep last night. (~8K words, PG)
Hope you enjoyed! Did I miss any of your favourites? Let me know!