snowgall

I was inspired by carowren's post today about her HP fandom journey. She listed just about every HP pairing under the sun *except* Draco/Hermione, and I decided I couldn't let that go without a response :) So I've decided to rec my top 20 favorite Dramione fics, in the hopes that she might find one she likes. I deliberately chose 20 fics by 20 different authors too, to spread the love ♥

Just a quick note: I was a Dramione shipper before I was a Drarry shipper. But since I discovered Drarry about a year ago, I haven't read very much Dramione, so I'm a little out of date for this ship - there could be great stories written in the last year or so that I might have missed. But these are all still terrific fics, and I highly recommend them.

Three sets of Dramione fic recs grouped by length under the cuts:

Short fic

Three Steps Forward, One Step Back by ldymusyc, R, 5,800 words (12/2007)
Summary: When tracing a relationship step by step, sometimes they move forward, sometimes they fall back. In the end, they find they can move in step. The tracing of a relationship in fifteen short vignettes.

Beautiful. If you only read one Dramione fic, make it this one. Manages to trace an entire relationship in less than 6,000 words, and yet still draw you in to these characters and their story.

Tempest by xfsista, NC-17, 4,600 words (10/2011)
Summary: Hermione fights with Ron and runs into Draco in Muggle London. He's living as a muggle after the war and they start a friendship that leads to more. Sometimes, the storm is more alluring than the calm.

This story hits all my buttons: I'm a sucker for a well-told short story that still feels rich and complete. I'm also a sucker for Draco redemption stories containing a heartfelt apology. I like when Ron and Hermione break up but Ron is still a good guy. And I especially like a little well-placed smut for good measure. Everybody feels in character and it's just a perfect little story.

Introduce People with Thoughtful Details by captainraychill, R, 5,900 words (04/2012)
Summary: To Hermione Granger's great irritation, Draco Malfoy mocks her newest social skill. *2nd Place - Participants' Choice Award, Dramione Couple Remix 2012* Romantic comedy, one-shot, complete!

A remix of Draco/Hermione re-imagined as Mark Darcy/Bridget Jones, and it really works! Very very funny, while simultaneously lovely and touching too.

A Proper Expression of Gratitude by greenschist, PG, 3,500 words (05/2011)
Summary: Never again will Hermione leave Draco unattended with a stack of blank cards and their address book; or, Hermione teaches Draco how to say "thank you."

Draco's thank-you notes, with revisions by Hermione. Clever, charming, and amusing. Perfect little story. Partially epistolary.

The Whole Truth by aviddaydreamer, PG-13, 2,800 words (04/2011)
Summary: Due to a well-executed prank, the whole of Gryffindor has been fed veritaserum. Draco's not about to pass up the opportunity to question Hogwart's resident bookworm, but what will she have to say?

Perfect little story is perfect. Hermione's answers to Draco's questions are most unexpected, and so is how he chooses to use the information he hears.

Out of Order by worksofstone, PG, 4,400 words (12/2011)
Summary: Hermione's stuck in a broken lift with a tipsy Draco Malfoy. What a way to spend the Friday before Christmas.

Just a lovely, well-written declaration of love and longing.

Not The Runes by girly_curl_3, NC-17, 6,800 words (08/2006)
Summary: “Do you know you turn pink when you talk about Runes?”

Hot. Just...hot. Seems to be a 7th year AU, though very little info is actually given as to timeframe. Hermione and Draco are paired together as study partners in Advanced Runes and Draco wastes no time going for what he wants. One-shot.

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Medium length fic

Instinctive by goldhorse, NC-17, 19,700 words
Summary: Voldemort has discovered a new punishment for his victims. Will it make or break them? (08/2013)

An unusual story (for this pairing) and surprisingly compelling and well written. As punishment from Voldemort, Draco has been turned into a werewolf and magically held in his wolf form in a human zoo. He is later joined by other such captives (including Hermione) who become his pack and who he feels he must protect. The majority of the story involves Draco and the other captives in wolf form before they are rescued and must learn to live again as humans. AU after HBP

The Initiate by phloxness, NC-17, 19,900 words (08/2011)
Summary: "Want to impress upon people that you’ve changed, Malfoy? Take responsibility for your actions and your choices. Not liking where you ended up, not wanting what came after doesn’t change the fact that you wanted it at the time. You were a willing participant. Changing your mind can’t erase any of that."

Everything about this story was lovingly and carefully constructed, and while I know nothing about the psychology of overcoming sexual abuse, the slow and conscientious development of the relationship between them felt completely believable and earned. Just lovely.

Pieces by kyra4, NC-17, 24,800 words (04/2011)
Summary: Can the same person who broke you into pieces, be the person to put you back together again?

This story is brutal and dark and relentless, and the ending is not sunshine and roses (though I would argue that this ending is the ending that the story needs). The emotional depth and maturity that the author brings to the story makes it a satisfying and cathartic read nonetheless. Non-con, prisoner!Hermione, wartime AU.

What Happens in Bulgaria... by eevilalice, NC-17, 17,200 words (07/2012)
Summary: While on holiday in Bulgaria with his (largely MIA) parents, Draco is surprised with a belated birthday present courtesy of his father. A very special, naughty birthday present.

Surprisingly good and unexpected given the set-up. Draco feels very in-character, Hermione a little less so, but close enough. I like their chances.

Hic Sunt Dracones by strawberrykait, R, 17,400 words (04/2012)
Summary: One afternoon, as Draco Malfoy awoke from a heavy stupor, he discovered he had been transformed…

Draco as a dragon, and no one knows he's really human. That is, until Hermione arrives at the Dragon preserve and starts to notice something odd. Excellent, interesting story. Very unusual and moving too.

An Inconvenient Wedding by snegurochka_lee, NC-17, 19,000 words (12/2011)
Summary: When Scorpius and Lily announce their engagement, it really couldn't come at a worse time for Draco and Hermione.

Surprisingly good, given that it's an infidelity fic, and I don't usually go for those. They married the wrong people and have loved each other for over 20 years. It's actually rather poignant. And pretty hot.

Blindsided and Illuminated by secretdiary, R, 26,000 words (combined) (05/2005, 09/2008)
Summary: It's the last night of school, and Hermione Granger has something to prove. // Sequel to Blindsided. He knew it was her. Just what was he going to do about it?

Blindsided is good, but its sequel, Illuminated, is even better, and with a more satisfying ending. Draco has been obsessed with Hermione since the events of "Blindsided" at the end of their 6th year. When he sees her again after the summer he tries to start a relationship with her but she rebuffs him. Undeterred, he makes a show of dosing her with love potion instead. Hermione tries to resist it and searches for the antidote, but over the course of many weeks and seeing the person he really is, she ends up falling for him anyway. Was it only because of the potion? The developing relationship here is quite moving, and Draco's actions and motivations are actually rather heartwarming. 7th-year AU where Draco and Hermione are Head Boy/Head Girl.

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Long fic
Silencio by akashathekitty, NC-17, 87,000 words (08/2007)
Summary: One late night, hate turns to lust.

Wow. This story is fantastic. I usually find hate sex to be a tough sell, and I will say that their first encounter does require some suspension of disbelief. But it takes off from there and is one heck of a ride. The emotional characterizations of both Draco and Hermione are very well done. Takes place during year six (Half-Blood Prince), and while it doesn't directly contradict canon, it would be a stretch to say it's canon compliant. Deliciously angsty and poignant, with a not-necessarily happy ending.

The Politician's Wife by pir8fancier, R, 66,000 words (06/2005)
Summary: This story is set twenty-three years after the fall of Voldemort. Our main characters are Ministry employees, middle-aged, and the majority of them not very happy.

A beautiful and lovely and intelligent story about second chances in life and love, and it's fantastic. The romance between Draco and Hermione is a slow, deliberate build. It's told from Hermione's POV, and still we can clearly see before she can that Draco is head over heels for her and not even really trying to hide it. Hermione's opinion of Draco hasn't changed much in twenty years, and she starts out with a severe dislike for him that takes a very long time to thaw, and you can see how much it wounds him when she lashes out at him. Draco is manipulative, ambitious, and snarky, but also heartrendingly vulnerable. Hermione is a workaholic with an iron-clad moral code, but unhappy in her marriage to Ron. The blame for the failure of her marriage falls on both sides and is handled by the author in a very mature and realistic way, though there is inevitably some Ron-bashing. This was just so, so, well done.

Kiss, With Tongue by tamlane, NC-17, 59,500 words (02/2013)
Summary: Frustrated with the male propensity to ‘shag and run,’ the girls engage in a contest to see who can go the farthest by Valentine’s Day without going all the way. But perhaps they should have chosen their partners more carefully…

Brilliantly done. Hot, funny, clever, hot, entertaining, and did I mention hot? For all the fun and games, the characters and their motivations all seem realistic and honest, which is what makes it all work. 8th year fic.

A Pound of Flesh by pennilyn_novus, MA, 185,000 words (02/2007)
Summary: One night at a strip club, Hermione comes face to face with Draco Malfoy--Memory Charmed and living as a Muggle--and an opportunity too good to pass up. What starts as revenge quickly grows into something more, and as Hermione delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding the man who can't remember who he is - the man everyone thought was dead--she might discover more than she can handle.

Really, really good. Good story, good mystery, emotionally gripping and also hot. There are two endings: one for saps like me and one for people who don't like people to be happy. You know which kind of reader you are.

Acceptable Loss by celticsass, NC-17, 54,500 words (11/2007)
Summary: After she is given a mission by The Order (to go back in time and kill Draco before he lets the Death Eaters into Hogwarts), Hermione must choose between changing the past or ignoring the possibilities of her own future.

Fascinating story, well told. A time-travelling Hermione is sent by the Order to kill past!Draco, but she can't bring herself to go through with it. Love this Draco, who has been waiting patiently for her for years, knowing that she chose not to kill his past self, and falling in love with her for it. Hot sex at the end.

The Taste of Honey by a_bees_buzz, NC-17, 52,000 words (02/2007)
Summary: There is nothing a parent would not do for their child, even if it means facing their fears, making peace with their enemies, and opening their hearts.

Difficult premise handled carefully and intelligently. Any misunderstandings are dealt with promptly and without stupidity. These are smart, three-dimensional characters who have been badly hurt but earn and deserve their happy ending because they don't avoid the difficult conversations that need to be had. Nothing is rushed but it never drags, and there are even much-appreciated flashes of wit and humor. Impressive.