32 Comments
User's avatar
J Claire H's avatar

FINALLY somewhere to dump all my niche dramione knowledge! There’s another actiony slow burn called Soft as It Began that everyone sleeps on and is one of my favorites. I usually recommend the Watergaw as a good entry for beginners because it is short, sweet, and light on the spice. This was a lovely read and I can’t wait to hear how you feel about the adaptations!

Expand full comment
Alyssa Morris's avatar

it was worth writing this one just for all of the good dramione recs in the comments!

Expand full comment
julia sea's avatar

I LIIIIIIVVEEEEEE I'm so excited to read all these. Just finished my fifth reread of DMATMOOBIL and am chasing. that. high.

Will I find it? Will I survive the next slow burn? Will I be reduced to a goopy puddle when they fall in love? Will I cackle like a mad nun at the hijinks and banter? Let's goooooo

Expand full comment
Kali's avatar

I started reading Dramione in October when I stumbled upon Bloody, Slutty, Pathetic and haven’t breathed since. I had never even read fanfic before, so it’s been a very interesting experience!

Some not on the list here that Ives loved are Love and Other Historical Accidents, An Ever Fixed Mark, Hot for Teacher, and Modern Romance (not exactly a Dramione, but rather lots of stories told through anonymous weekly journal entries for a magazine). There are so many good ones!

I’m reading Green Light now and enjoying it too.

Expand full comment
Alyssa Morris's avatar

oh wow I forgot about Modern Romance, love that one! This is so interesting to me - I'm curious if you've tried fic from any other fandoms yet?

Expand full comment
Kali's avatar

Oh no! I missed your reply. I’ve still only read Dramione (minus one Draco/Harry that wasn’t very good)! I’m not sure if I need another world to suck me in. Hahha

Expand full comment
Kim's avatar

A friend and I read Manacled on a whim a little over a year ago, and I still think about it at least once a day. Maybe it was a mistake to start with that one because none of the others I've read can quite live up to it! I've loved several of them, but it is hard to top.

Anyway, one I read recently that was great if you like a very specific kind of vibe was A Certain Slant of Light by onebedtorulethemall. It's very gothic, Crimson Peak-y. Also, pretty short in Dramione fic terms.

Expand full comment
Alyssa Morris's avatar

that sounds amazing! will add it to my list :)

Expand full comment
Megan Clark's avatar

I am very excited for The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy! The publisher is very insistent that it's original and not just serial numbers filed off, so I'll be interested to hear what you think. One I devoured recently was Lost and Found, where Hermione wakes up having forgotten the last 20 years of her life. In the present, she and Draco are divorced and seeing other people, but in her mind they're still in love. It's so angsty and has Dramione as 45 year olds, which was really great. You know I love amnesia, lol.

Expand full comment
Kim's avatar

I recently got the ARC for The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy. I've just barely started it, but it does seem VERY different so far.

Expand full comment
Alyssa Morris's avatar

ooo interesting, I keep getting sidetracked (I've been reading Lucy Score for the newsletter tomorrow) but I really need to pick it up!

Expand full comment
Megan Clark's avatar

So excited!

Expand full comment
Alyssa Morris's avatar

I feel like I've read this one? It sounds very familiar but that's also the plot of a lot of Drarry fics, lol. I'll have to go investigate. Apparently I only like amnesia stories in the context of Dramione fic.

Expand full comment
Megan Clark's avatar

Here’s the link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48107593 Amnesia is the best tool for redemption and who needs redeeming more than Draco? 😂 I was just pleasantly surprised by their ages in that one and the very adult things they had to deal with. They’re so often much younger.

Expand full comment
Alyssa Morris's avatar

a problem in both fanfic and mainstream romance!

Expand full comment
julia sea's avatar

"Amnesia is the best tool for redemption and who needs redeeming more than Draco?"

I will be thinking about this constantly today, and not getting a lick of work done! (My god I love the fanfic community)

Expand full comment
Kristen's avatar

Oh, I’ll need to check this one out. Have you read The Politician’s Wife? Also, a middle-aged Dramione fic that was written prior to the release of DH.

Expand full comment
Megan Clark's avatar

Oh, interesting! I'll check it out!

Expand full comment
Kristen's avatar

Ah yes! My little corner of the internet. Such great picks here and some of which I haven’t read yet like Bloody, Slutty and Secrets and Masks, though they’re definitely on my TBR.

I think I see the reverse as far as defining Wait and Hope as a “New Classic” and DMATMOOBIL as a “Classic” since Wait and Hope was written first. But both are definitely classic status!

I’d add in the Disappearances of Draco Malfoy by speechwriter as a fantastic starter fic, especially for those wanting something closer to canon.

Expand full comment
Casey Kohlberg's avatar

Ahh the line “with the Harry Potter Serial Numbers filed off” was brilliant

Expand full comment
Allison's avatar

I have to admit, my favorite enemies to lovers ship in HP is Harry and Draco, but I haven't yet read any dramione.

Expand full comment
Alyssa Morris's avatar

I love a good Drarry fic, too!

Expand full comment
Angela's avatar

Isn’t the Carry On series sort of Drarry fic? And that was 10 years ago now (how?!)

Expand full comment
Cait's avatar

I can’t fathom wanting to read Dramione fic myself—but based on history that just means give it a couple of years and I’ll be obsessed (love Ali H but I would not voluntarily read Reylo fic)

Expand full comment
Madeleine Cee's avatar

I dabble in a few different fanfic ships but it’s been a while since something really grabbed me like Dramione has. This edition is timely because I’ve been slowly amassing a pile of fics to hibernate with for the back half of February so thank you!

Expand full comment
Alyssa Morris's avatar

let me know which ones you read!

Expand full comment
notes from a nereid's avatar

I am 1000000% positive that Lionheart and Detraquee will be considered classics soon

Expand full comment
Kristen's avatar

Detraquee is a piece of art. Just gorgeous all around.

Expand full comment
Christina Vourcos's avatar

Emma Watson is getting her PhD, but I would love to see what she thinks about these books and Dramione fanfiction.

Expand full comment
Kristen's avatar

I linked this article in my most recent post since it inspired me to drop another deep dive into the fandom: https://justadevotchka.substack.com/p/the-commodification-of-dramione-fanfiction

<3 Love the fanfic discourse you've brought

Expand full comment
Ness Mercieca's avatar

Came to the comments for the recs, and to add my own, but also there’s something about Remain Nameless I have to say that I will leave to the end!

For lovers of DMATMOOFIL (if you haven’t read it, skip everything else and do so immediately) I cannot recommend Bad Omens enough, it is hilarious and adorable!

Lion Heart is phenomenal. It’s a WIP and already very long but it’s GOOD that it’s long because it’s just the best. It feels very informed by All The Young Dudes (🤌🫶🙌) in its structure and in the way it treats the marauders generation, and in the way it’s rewriting offers a criticism of some of the bigotry in the original work without feeling heavy handed. It is an AU of Draco’s POV if he was sorted into Gryffindor, very slow burn romance, and more deliciously, a very slow unravelling of his prejudice and privilege.

Ok about Remain Nameless:

I DNFd because he hasn’t freed his house elves and SHE KISSES HIM ANYWAY? She would never. Please tell me if I should keep going because I found it very uncharacteristic of HG to kiss a slave owner. I’m sure he frees his elf later, but how much later?? I was enjoying myself immensely until that point!

Expand full comment
Magnolia McReed | Author's avatar

I read Manacled first and my god the exquisite emotional wreckage— I read Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love next and absolutely devoured it. I have several others locked and loaded but idk which one to pick next?!! But now I have more to find on Ao3 🙃

Expand full comment