dracomort

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so.

i guess fanfiction wasn’t a phase….

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"oh you're asexual? you must like gay porn then"

- an insane read from my coworker that I still haven't recovered from

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my ideal Narcissa characterisation is one that has Harry posting on r/justnoMIL on a weekly basis

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I’m always thinking about those little freaks

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tragedy is when a man has so much failwife potential & yet gets assigned suave dom by the fandom and isn't allowed to be anything else. chin up king your loser energy is seen and appreciated. by me

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i think your takes on draco are the most interesting and realistic that i've read! would you mind sharing some more about your thoughts on him? specifically his life after the war (you mentioned that he is unlikely to be down-and-out, which i agree with vehemently and it was always off-putting for me to read in a fic lololol). but also you mentioned he is likely to not be SUPER guilty after the war and i wonder how that plays into your idea drarry dynamic? (i hope that made sense @_@)

Makes complete sense, anon :)

There's a million-and-one things i could say about Drarry, but I'll keep this Draco focused to maintain a somewhat reasonable wordcount and actually answer your question.

I don't think I have an 'ideal' post-war Drarry plot/setting since what I like most about Drarry is the variety in fics. Thematically and relationship arc-wise though, what I enjoy seeing most from Drarry is a situation where they both bring something to the table and shift each other's perspectives, rather than Draco bending over backward to align to Harry's moral rigidity.

Just as Harry won't be cheerily joining the Death Eaters and declaring Muggles scum that need to be wiped off the planet (or maybe he will be in your fic, IDC), I also don't see Draco embracing the Muggle world with open arms, abandoning his family and donating all his money to charity. I don't care how much Voldemort bullied him. This is still Draco Malfoy we're talking about.

I know the more common dynamic is for Draco to be self-loathing and Harry to give him a motivational pep-talk about how he was a victim/he was acting under duress, etc. etc. But personally, I think Draco would deny responsibility till he was blue in the face. Not only is he a known compartmentaliser (hence why he was good at Occlumency), but he's also a spoilt brat who has never had to take responsibility for his actions in his life. It's easier for his psyche to insist that he played no active role in the war or anything that came before it. He's very well practised at playing the victim, after all. This of course would lead to a legendary spat and Harry wondering why he ever felt sorry for Draco in the first place.

Draco is not someone who handles rejection or embarrassment well (e.g. "you don't like me? well your mum is dead"), so I hardly think he would cope with shame or guilt in a productive manner. It's precisely this guilt that would lead him to lash out with aggression, hostility and blame, rather than cope with those emotions in a healthy manner. He's not a pleasant person at the best of times, let alone when you mix in war trauma. Only through getting to know each other (perhaps through some sort of forced proximity) would Harry be able to begin to unpack the clusterfuck that is his brain.

In post-war Drarry I would love to see more of an emphasis on the recovery of the Malfoys as a family unit. Even if Draco eventually decides to distance himself from his family, I think that would be a complex, extremely difficult decision for him to make. Quite frankly I don't see Draco ever cutting them off, leaving behind the magical world, etc. I can see his focus post-war being on improving the reputation of the Malfoys, returning the Manor to its former glory and strengthening their relationships with the other surviving pureblood families. I don't think the Malfoys would be the only family doing this. Many purebloods would double-down on their ideology and cry about persecution under post-war scrutiny while, for the most part, still benefiting from being a formidable, wealthy, politically powerful force within Wizarding Britain, regardless of whether they have Voldemort. I don't exactly buy Lucius spending much time in Azkaban, but if necessary for the plot/Draco's character growth, I fully support.

Draco is the Malfoy heir and the last of the Blacks. There's a thousand years of history resting on his shoulders and that's not something that Harry can easily empathise with. I don't believe characters can overcome all their flaws, nor that couples need to agree on everything. Harry and Draco will always have differences that they will never, ever see eye-to-eye on, and that's perfectly fine. Smooth, flawless characters that can come to an agreement on any topic through healthy, open communication regurgitated from some shrink's relationship script-book are not at all interesting to me. Sorry lol.

Do I think Harry would tolerate bigotry or have a healthy, warm relationship with Lucius? No, though the latter would be pretty funny. But do I think Draco will ever be able to match to Harry's idea of moral goodness? Also no. I like to see them find a middle-ground. Draco lives in a world of ambiguity and contradiction. I'm sure he's very used to the people he loves most doing horrible things that he will never properly be able to comprehend. As a child, he justified their bigotry and cruelty with a certain level of moralism, but I doubt he'd be able to keep that up post-war. I imagine he would just ignore their unpalatable traits, avoid conversations where he has to address that, etc. I don't think Harry would respect that approach, but I also think he has enough empathy and maturity (post DH) to understand the difficult position Draco is in.

I have some difficulty with eighth year fics where pursuing a career is something Draco sees as a natural next step. I don't have an issue with Draco falling on hard times financially for the sake of the narrative (I too have written, as one commenter called it, Temporarily Embarrassed Billionaire!Draco), but I think he would struggle with the shame and embarrassment of having to 'lower' himself to take a job. Again, something that Harry, with his (at best) middle-class upbringing, wouldn't be able to even comprehend. You thought first world problems were obnoxious? Try 0.001 percenter problems. I do love fics where Draco pursues a career though, be it Auror, Healer, Curse-breaker, etc. It's one of my favourite features of post-war Drarry fics. The world is their oyster. I just don't agree with Draco having a middle-class liberal mindset. Bro is an aristocrat.

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today is a GOOD DAY

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how do you feel about the down and out style Draco that became a lot more popular in drarry spaces in the late 2010s- early 2020s? ( it’s crazy that I can say early 2020s now. God time just flew these last four years and also dragged like molasses ). I’m going to guess, from the way you write taco and the fandom things you’ve answered and said about Draco, that you’re not very fond of that characterisation lmao. But still, I’d like to know! I like how you frame your thoughts. As for me, I like both! In drarry I much prefer down and out, because honestly the idea of ex wizard nazi Draco Malfoy being continually mean and entitled to somebody who was a previous victim of his racist regime doesn’t really sit well with me ( for context, I joined the fandom through these down and out fics ). It’s one of those things in fiction that, for whatever reason just doesn’t go down my throat all that well. With Tom tho, I’d like him to be as nasty as Draco is possible to be. Tom deserves nothing better /pos

Just answering this like 8 months late...

I guess first to clarify what I have in mind in terms of Down and Out!Draco, it's a Draco who's down on his luck/ousted from wizarding society/destitute/a pariah etc. this tends to go hand in hand with Draco depicted as deeply remorseful/low self-confidence/self-hating etc.

I won't say I dislike the Down and Out trope as many of my favourite Drarry fics do, in fact, feature Draco under these circumstances. It's the accompanying self-hating shrinking violet personality that I kinda get sick of. It's not so much that I have an issue with these fics, as that I would like to see more variety in the characterisations in modern Drarry. I miss the nastiness of late 2000s/early 2010s Draco. Not saying they aren't still being written but it's rarer.

My favourite ships are typically enemies/rivals to lovers and the butting heads, push and pull, challenging of each other's ideology is a major part of the appeal. So much of DAO!Draco operates under the assumption that Draco Malfoy would be deeply remorseful and that he would cast out every single part of his prior personality and beliefs, becoming the perfect boyfriend for Harry. There's usually a massive power imbalance between them which Harry would never abuse, yet exists unchallenged regardless. My opinion is that if you're going to depict Draco Malfoy as someone whose besties with Muggles, despises his parents and wants nothing more than to be friends with Harry & Co., do you even like Draco? And is it really Drarry if you have to change every single thing about Draco for them to possibly be in a relationship?

This isn't all DAO!Draco fic, but this is what I dislike in the trope. I've always called it the Cinderella trope and thought of it as something done to Draco because there would be no need for Harry to come in and sweep him off his feet if he had the power, wealth and agency that he has in Canon. Instead of Harry being attracted to the idea of saving Draco and Draco being attracted to the idea of being saved they might actually have to... tolerate each other's personalities! Oh, the horrors.

At the end of the day, what i want from Drarry is to see them change each other. Harry challenges Draco to shift his cruel, selfish, bigoted ideology and Draco challenges Harry to question his own black and white morality. What would Harry do in Draco's shoes? In Canon he has never been put in a position where he has to choose between doing the right thing and staying loyal to those he loves. The answers aren't so simple for Draco. Don't get me wrong, Draco needs to do a lot more changing, but if there isn't compromise it just isn't interesting to me.

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Hello, your Alley Cat work has sunk into my soul, so I would like to know if there is a schedule for the release of chapters?

Have just answered a question on this now :)

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In AC, how long has Tom known that Draco likes him?

It's not really any singular incident, just an awareness that has built up over years. Also Tom kinda just assumes everyone is into him by default (and he's right).

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Hello! I just finished reading the last published chapter of Alley Cat and this is incredible! This is one of the best fanfics i have ever read! Thank you very much for your work and talent! Honestly, i found this fic on russian internet (in russian), and then moved to Archive Of Our Own to enjoy the original. You have quite a large russian fanbase. They (and i along with them) would like to know when the continuation is coming, and if it is planned at all. Because this wonderful work cannot leave readers indifferent to the plot's outcome. I repeat, this is excellent!

Oh I had no idea my work had Russian fans! Thank you for letting me know :)

I've been out of the HP fandom for a while but I am in a mood to write more Alley Cat, actually. It's a bit difficult with my job and studies to find the time (50-60 hour weeks + 10-15 hours study fml). So I can say it's not abandoned but I'm not confident of when I'll have time to dedicate to it.

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Will Alleycat have a happy ending ?

optimistic ending (ie. a happy, albeit open, ending)

if I ever get around to finishing it haha...

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One kiss pwlease🥺

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I've had fun reading all your taco fics, and I must say your version of them is sooo great! Definitely not one of the ships I'd have though of, but you write them so well that I am now shipping them for sure!!

Of all the fics, I am most fond of tabula rasa. I love found family sort of relationships, and drarry + kid??Tom is definitely the dynamic I never knew I needed, and all the bits you've shared were honestly perfect. Tom liking draco precisely because draco treats him respectfully and lets him do what he wants most of the time, but emotionally it's Harry that knows what Tom is going through better than draco, trauma responses and all. Hermione doing her best to help recalibrate both Tom and Draco's views about muggles as well.

Alley Cat also has a special place for me too, because himbo-ish draco becoming Tom's morality pet/friend is definitely an awesome take 🤣 along with the slow burn!!!! Especially love how you handled Pansy and Tom's relationship between the lines.

Thank you so much for sharing your fics!

Yeah Draco goes off the guidance of his own childhood to offer Tom a pampered and stable, albeit lonely, childhood; while Harry has more of a blueprint of what NOT to do, and also a better understanding of the kind of baggage Tom is carrying. Meanwhile Hermione is the only one who will actually read parenting and child psychology books 😂

Thank you for reading!

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In TTC, why doesn't Tom like Walburga Black? (Scene where he’s talking to her brother in a pub)

She hates half-bloods and muggle borns and was a year above him in Hogwarts. They didn't have a good relationship as a result.

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Does Draco’s cowardice bother Tom in AC and TTC? In TTC he says he hates cowardice but understands it due to the situation, but even in AC where he’s less mature it doesn’t seem to bother him as much as I’d think it would, especially as it’s one of Draco’s defining traits. I love your interpretations btw I’m not criticising them I’m just curious

I think it's important to distinguish Draco's fear from cowardice, particularly in Alley Cat. Is he scared? Absolutely. But is he cowardly? Not exactly.

The situations Draco puts himself in throughout Alley Cat are often stupidly brave, if you think about it. He wanders knowingly into a Basilisk's lair looking for Tom, he (sensibly) flees from a mad wizard brandishing a knife and then... comes back, he wanders solo into the Muggle world despite how dangerous he thinks Muggles are, etc. Even just hanging out with Tom is an act of bravery/stupidity. That Draco is scared but stays anyway is not something that escapes Tom's notice. It's not as if Tom himself is immune to fear. In fact, it's one of the only emotions he feels intensely.

Also, Tom in AC has grown up with Draco. That affects his own development and means that he's more tolerant of cowardly behaviour than Canon Tom or TTC Tom. TTC Tom has to come to intellectually understand the logic of Draco's choices, while AC Tom has an instinctual acceptance of them lol. That's not to say that AC Tom doesn't have firm limits that Draco could cross, but he hasn't done so... yet.

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Has anyone figured out what’s so viscerally wrong with this woman yet