dariaastrid

[dariaastrid]

Draco Malfoy, walking cliché of brooding self-pity. 

Pathetic.

Probably normal. Nothing to worry about.

Except after the Medusa, it is worse. As if he has lost something vital and cannot even name it. And it is not Granger. Not exactly. Or maybe it is. He is not sure how her turning up in his night managed to crack him open, but there it is. Their encounter was an accident. A detail to file and forget.

It was not as if he had not done this before. He was one of a hundred lonely, restless people prowling that basement full of buried hearts. You find someone, pretend for a while, walk away.

The worst part was that it did not stop. Not when he got home, not when he crawled into bed, not when he woke up the next morning already half hard and seeing her face. It was like tumbling headfirst down the stairs: too much mouth, too much skin, too much of everythin

[dariaastrid]

On the cover of Witch Weekly was Draco Malfoy, a golden Snitch hovering above his outstretched hands. The only other decoration was the tangle of roses inked where the Dark Mark had once been, the stems climbing to his shoulder and curling around his bicep. A naked Malfoy stared out with that sly smirk, and she could almost hear his voice in her head, reminding her she’d soon have to face him in person.

Merlin, she hates him, and that's worth remembering. 

Hermione, you hate him. Wings, ink, love Art by FLYORA.

[dariaastrid]

Adera made for Wings, Ink, Love for me. I love it 🤌🤌🤌

[dariaastrid]

“Merlin, I cannot believe I’m being made to interview a man who’s posed naked for Witch Weekly. This is what my career’s come to? Cataloguing Draco Malfoy’s bloody abdominal muscles?”

Wings, Ink, Love

[dariaastrid]

“You snogged a war heroine, mate. Impressive.”

“I didn’t even realise it was her.”

“Oh, come on. Everyone knows Hermione Granger.”

“It’s not like we were mates. Quite the opposite.”

“Ohhh, so you had a crush on her in school.”

“Are you insane?”

“Just trying to find one logical reason you let that happen.”

“It was an accident,” Draco muttered, snatching the water bottle out of his hand. “And it’s not happening again.”

Wings, ink, love

[dariaastrid]

Hermione opens her hands. Two eyes stare back, unblinking. Allies.

One of my favourites fanarts of Hermione by one of my fellow Russian artists. It managed to convey the vibe of the story so good, I can't,

[dariaastrid]

WIP ALERT!!!!

[dariaastrid]

Chapters: 9/20 Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Neville Longbottom/Luna Lovegood Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Teddy Lupin, Neville Longbottom Additional Tags: Humor, Simp Draco Malfoy, Genius Hermione Granger, Auror Draco Malfoy, Aurors, Enemies to Lovers, Ghosts, Ghost Hunters, Magical Artifacts, Idiots in Love, Partners in Crime, Ghostbusting (Ghostbusters), Slow Build, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Everyone Thinks They're Together, Hermione Loves Ghosts More Than Draco (At First), Haunted Houses, First Kiss in a Creepy Setting, Hermione Granger: Danger to Herself and Others, Banter Summary:

Draco Malfoy’s new Auror assignment is simple: survive working with Hermione Granger, hunt a few ghosts, and maybe not die in a cursed antique shop. Unfortunately, Granger’s an eccentric inventor with a thing for haunted places, he’s stuck as her partner, and the ghosts aren’t their only problem. New chapter is out.

[dariaastrid]

Wings Ink Love

Why is Bowie’s Heroes so important for Wings, Ink, Love? Let me tell you.

Let’s start with a bit of history.

The song Heroes was written in Berlin back when the city was still divided into East and West, separated by the Wall. It’s a tragic piece of history, considering that even on the day the barrier fell, people were shot for crossing the border. I won’t dive into all the drama, but if you’re curious, read up on the key events. The song was part of Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy, which he later called the “DNA” of his entire body of work. Originally, he envisioned the story of two lovers who couldn’t be together precisely because of the division of Berlin into two hostile worlds. As we know, East and West Berlin were separated not just physically but ideologically.

To me, this resonates perfectly with Draco and Hermione in WIL. They’re from two completely different worlds, trying to leap over their own Berlin Wall while dodging bullets.

The lyrics are beautiful. From the whistling bullets to “my king and my queen.” To me, the song is about courage and the freedom to love even when all the odds are against you, about the heroism of an ordinary person in painful circumstances. It’s also about the fleeting nature of closeness, because in the end, they’re still “heroes” for just one day. And that comparison to swimming dolphins adds this ephemeral, almost unreal quality to the story.

Why this song in particular?

In Hermione’s arc, there’s that pull to run away, to reject. This song, on one hand, is about the desperate need to be with the one you love, and on the other, the understanding that it’s temporary and deceptive. When I created Hermione in WIL, I gave her a passion for music because I knew that someone as tough as her had to have a hidden craving for something sensual and beautiful and that, of course, gives her away completely. She wants love, even if she sabotages so much along the way.

[dariaastrid]

“Merlin, Malfoy, that's not how it works! You can't brush me off and then get mad at the people who want to take your place! It's not fair," Malfoy has eyes the color of red-hot steel, neat red lips, a pulsing blue vein on his neck, and it's not fair either, but Hermione will nonetheless go ahead and tell him everything she thinks of him. “You can't hate me and at the same time...”

“I don't hate you," a desperate whisper echoed through the room.

Hermione let out a chuckle from deep in her throat, trying to understand the train of thought of the man standing before her:

“But after that night, you don't talk to me. You don't look at me. If you don't hate me, then what's going on?”

The silence spreads through the room, getting under her skin and making Hermione cringe. She can smell sweat and dirty socks. Malfoy bites his lower lip, a small crease appears on his forehead, and he dulls his gaze.

“I don't understand you," Hermione gave up and felt the anger is getting replaced by fatigue. “What do you want, Draco?”

“You.”

“What?”

“I want you," he mumbles, the sentence coalescing into a single word. “And at the same time, I can't want you because... Fuck! You're everywhere, aren't you?” he sighs, shifting his stinging, angry gaze to her. “And things that are connected to you, to us.... What happened a few years ago in the war.... I was glad as hell to be rid of the nightmares and memories. I'd been working on it for years and then you came along and it all went to hell!” Wings Ink Love

[dariaastrid]

Hermione knew that sooner or later they’d have wrinkles, their eyes would lose the brightness of youth, and silver would streak every strand of hair. She knew that decades from now, their memories might falter, and their children would turn up with children of their own, reminding them where her quills, his medals, and their shared photos were hidden.

But none of that mattered. She knew she would still love him. No matter what, they would still be the same as they were now — feet buried in pebbles, breathing in sea salt, licking sweet frosting off their lips, sharing happiness and facing hard times hand in hand.

Hermione loved him, and that made the thought of growing old feel almost comforting. From their first kiss to their last, she loved him. And that was all that mattered.

Wings Ink Love is finally completed. The last chapter is out.

Art by lenivic.

[dariaastrid]

It is not what most people would dream of, and it is not something he already possessed. He hadn’t claimed the Quidditch World Cup when he first met Granger, though he did snatch it a year later as part of the Lisbon Devils.

Draco’s happiness does not come from fame or from a glittering career lined with trophies and records. Nor does it come from being talented, clever and wealthy, since those things are a given. To suggest otherwise would be pure Malfoy nonsense. The truth is far simpler: nothing in his life compares to the shiver that runs over his skin when a low, lingering whisper of “Draco” drifts through their bedroom, when her fingers tighten on his thighs and her tongue winds around his.

Read Wings, Ink Love on ao3.

One chapter till the end.

Art by Alex Varh.

[dariaastrid]

“We’re gliding through clouds. Like dolphins.”

He arches a pale brow.

“Dolphins?”

“Like in the song,” Hermione breathes, then recites softly, “I wish you could swim, like the dolphins can swim. Though nothing will keep us together, we could beat them, just for one day...”

She pauses.

Draco falls silent, lips parted slightly. His expression softens. His features almost boyish. Her gaze drops to his chapped lips. The hush is almost too much. The air doesn’t move. Hermione can hear his heart beating, slow and steady. She wants this moment to last forever, wants them to keep floating here while the sun burns itself out below.

And as it burns, so does the day—a long, strange, but undeniably happy one. She realises she wants to love him. That she does love him.

Wings, ink, love.

Art by AILA

[dariaastrid]

The eye from Allies.

Double agent Draco Malfoy was exposed and captured by his own unit after the war ended. Believing he was dead, the Order made no attempt to rescue him.

Several months later, during a sabotage mission in one of the Death Eaters' laboratories, Order agents found the heir of an ancient family chained inside an experimental chamber.

The only person still alive who knew about Malfoy’s true role in the war was Hermione Granger.

Now she has to decide if it's worth remembering.

Art by Mia.

[dariaastrid]

My thoughts

I’ve been working on Allies in Russian for a long time, and it’s still inspired by the situation I’ve been stuck in. I’m planning to finish it this summer. I wouldn’t call it a romantic story set during the war. It’s more of a character study of what might have really happened to Hermione if she had chosen to sacrifice her humanity to save others. It explores pain, regret, internal conflicts, and heavy moral dilemmas. The issues for which I don’t have clear answers. The horrors and mental instability that come with events like these aren’t romanticized in my writing.

In this story, Hermione isn’t a victim. Well, she doesn't need saving. My goal was to show her evolution and fierce character, as it’s written in the books. She takes action, and, of course, pays the price for it.

In many war fics, we see Draco portrayed as someone tempted by darkness, who often saves or protects Hermione. And while I’m not against this, I couldn’t make sense of Hermione always being the one unaffected by the chaos around her. I can’t imagine her not being cynical, conflicted, or losing her inner light.

I didn’t make Draco the main character. He’s more of an anchor and a reflection of Hermione’s arc. Their relationship is born from pain and a mutual desire to hide away from the world. They aren’t perfect, but I never intended them to be. The story isn’t about a couple who goes through a lot and somehow wins; it’s about complicated choices that could lead to tragedy.

Allies is my way of showing that the world is never just black and white, it’s full of grey areas. Sometimes, evil is born from within, but we don’t see it because we’re too focused on justice and victory. The story is about how humanity isn’t defined by which side you’re on, but by what you choose or what you fail to do. And sometimes, maybe, there’s no way to save it at all.

I'll try to update every 2 or 3 weeks

[dariaastrid]

Draco Malfoy, a double agent, was captured by his own division after the war. The Order, convinced he was dead, left him behind. Months later, during a sabotage mission in a Death Eater lab, Order agents found the heir of an ancient house shackled in an experimental chamber. The only person still alive who knew the truth about Malfoy’s role in the war was Hermione Granger.

Read Allies on ao3.

[dariaastrid]

Every choice Blaise Zabini makes is random. Real choices he avoids—he has a firm belief in the knut with the bicorn and revers. Two round faces determine his fate.

Prometheus.

Art by Fundamentally Frabelsome.