So glad to have @the-starryknight join me this week for our Happy Hour Rec!

I’ve long been a fan of Starry, from her own incredible writing to the lovely encouragement she gives to the Drarry fandom with her TLC Tuesdays! Just like everything else she does, her recommendation is equally amazing. Settle in, because you won’t want to miss Starry’s thoughts or this brilliant rec!

❤️ Lots of Love and Happy Friday ❤️

- The Drarry Librarian

When the Librarian reached out to see if I'd want to collaborate on a rec, I was so floored and so excited. I love seeing this blog around on my dash, spreading joy through recs and asks, and the weekly Happy Hour never fails to share brilliant pieces by beloved authors. Reccers are at the heart of community building, sharing resources and love for each other — and the Librarian does exactly that.

Today, I've brought a fic that is a few months old, by the brilliant @softlystarstruck When I was thinking about which fic to pick (and there are so, so many that are dear to my heart), I thought about the kinds of fics that tend to get a little less love. The Librarian has been working on some Historical AU recs, so… why don't we go to space?

starlight (the unsuccessful return of a runaway prince) {E, 12k} is a brilliant, unusual fic, set amid a sci-fi world. Here are a few things I love about this fic:

🌟 The world-building is impeccable.

Every detail — from Starship Hedwig to Crown Prince Draco of Scorpius — fuses the world we know with this fantastical adventure in space, weaving these characters seamlessly into a believable new universe. This fic takes every Han Solo-Firefly-Trek universe fantasy and fuses it into a delicious, confident Harry. You won't want to miss him.

“Crown prince or no, he could kill me and take my ship the second my back is turned. Though he did manage to fuck up piloting a Silver Swan, so that’s doubtful. He couldn’t handle a fraction of Hedwig. “You have to come to the cockpit with me though.”

🌟 The style is unique and sharp-witted.

Bee writes beautiful, warm love stories, with an eye for tenderness. In this fic, they manage that gentleness with a snappy edge through alternating Harry and Draco first person POVs. Each character is brilliantly developed, with subtle differences in their voices that make each shine in their own right.

“Yeah, I’m keeping him.

He just looks so lost, sitting in the chair with his fingers twisting around themselves. It’s obvious that he usually keeps his guard up– it comes across on his sharp tongue– but his facade keeps splintering and his panic spills through.

“There’s a one million unit reward on your head,” I say, and his body goes entirely still. “If you’re returned to Scorpius alive and unharmed.”

🌟 Yeah, it's hot as hell.

There's no other way to put it, this fic scorches! The dynamic here is hot, the way that they negotiate during sex feels sexy and charged with attraction, and really, you can't blame Draco when Harry looks and acts like an even hotter equivalent to Han Solo.

“Poured out underneath my thighs, Draco looks like starlight made human. His pink lips are parted, and his breathing is shallow as he looks up at me. Stars, I’m going to make this good for him.”

Ok, enough rambling! Enjoy this out-of-this-world read, perhaps with a cosmic brownie & a cup of coffee. And when you're finished, dive into more of Bee's beautiful words or the Librarian's AU reclists: historical AUs 1 and 2, non-magical, fluffy shops, and bakeries.

Harry breaks me out of Azkaban on a Thursday. We shoot up unicorn blood before we fuck. I like it; it makes my head weak, and my heart slow.

“You like it like this?” Harry asks, hopeful and hot against me. “It’s been so long, I can’t remember.”

He calls me Draco— slurred and soft and low. He’s so good I want to hate him. But I love him instead.

for the @drarrymicrofic prompt inhale

Pansy finds him in the back of the cramped cloakroom behind the rail of coats, sat on the floor with his legs awkwardly bent at the knee like a baby Bowtruckle who hasn’t quite figured out how to use all its limbs. His trousers are rucked up to the ankles, green polka dot socks exposed. One of his shoelaces is undone.

He’s breathing into a paper bag. It’s dotted with grease and it’s full of pastry crumbs. 

She knows this because she watched him stuff it into his pocket when they snuck out of the office for a cheeky takeaway coffee earlier that morning. Apparently it’s made it all the way to Granger’s birthday party.

“Well,” she says, glancing around the tight space. “Never thought I’d find you hiding in one of these again.”

He inhales deeply and removes the bag from his mouth. There’s a crumb stuck to his bottom lip. 

“I think I’m dying.”

“Crikey, are you really? Should I alert someone?”

Draco groans, his head thunking back against the wall behind him. “No. Let me die in peace. It’s what I deserve.”

“Okay, darling. Why are you dying, exactly?”

Draco closes his eyes and pulls in a bracing breath. “I said something utterly awful to Potter.”

“Okay,” she says slowly. “And?”

Pansy leans against the doorframe and glances over her shoulder. The party’s bustling. Chatter rises above the music, which to her ears is nothing more than a rhythmic bassline she can feel right in the centre of her chest. Amongst the sea of bodies, there’s a craning head, the lenses of his glasses briefly reflecting the sparkling lights. A beacon.

She squints at Draco. “What did you say?”

Draco doesn’t open his eyes. “I said… oh, god. I said, I would very much like to sit on your face.”

Pansy barks a laugh. “Well well well. Someone’s had more than their fair share of Gigglewater.”

“I’ve been spiked,” Draco groans miserably. He looks a little green. “Someone’s drugged me with some sort of… amorous concoction.”

“Are you sure it’s not just because Potter’s got new glasses and had a shave?”

He shakes his head a little too hard.

“Well. Don’t panic, but—he’s coming over.” Pansy grins and steps away from the doorframe, gesturing for Harry to come closer. 

Not that she has to. He’s walking with intent.

“What!?”

“In you go,” she says as she grabs Harry by the arm and pushes him inside. He looks down at Draco with, what she thinks, is an exasperated—fond—grin. He’s blushing, too. It looks good on him. “You boys need some privacy to hash this out, I suspect.”

She closes the door, pats it, and turns on her heel.

“Granger? Can I get you another drink?”

-

This is the first in a little series of five favourite fic rec posts I have planned for some of my favourite authors. Got a few lined up and fingers crossed I’ll manage one or two posts a month. I’m no @sitp-recs though so please expect a lot of ‘vivid’ and ‘evocative’. Hey, the intent is there, and I promise the fics are great!

I thought for this venture I’d kick off with some of the lovely people I’ve been lucky enough to get to know over the past few months, and where better to start than with the fabulous @the-starryknight? From insightful posts about fandom etiquette to her incredible microfics, not to mention the way she supports other creators with posts like this and her regular TLC Tuesday feature, Starry’s such a massive part of Drarry fandom today, and a true writer’s writer (or more accurately, a creator’s creator). Her passion for art and curios is clear in a lot of her work, and the writing is beautiful – mature and elegant. The worlds she creates are so rich that I find myself entranced every time. Starry’s original writing was recently selected to feature in a queer magical anthology which will be available as an e-book later this year here.

Read Starry's works on AO3 here

Matching Pair – T, 4k, a double love story with museum curator Draco and genealogist Harry

Summary: Harry Potter was possibly the last person Draco had expected to find standing at the foot of his favorite portrait at the Tate Magique. And yet, there he is, looking incredibly fit and monopolizing the attentions of the portrait. It's not bloody fair.

Two Zinnias and the Scent of Lemon – M, 17k, fugitive Drarry and floriography

Summary: The Ministry didn’t turn bad overnight. Harry didn’t suddenly turn rogue either. Between covert Legilimency links and Polyjuice disguises and running and running and running, Draco has forgotten what it is like to have a safe harbor that isn’t a person. If there’s an art to fighting back, then they’ll find it hand in hand.

For Old Times’ Sake – T, 3k, achingly soft and bittersweet nostalgic little slice of life

Summary: On one such Thursday in the little shop at the very end of Hogsmeade, Harry’s slow perusal of the Food and Wine section of the Daily Prophet was rudely interrupted by the noisy chime of the bell on the door. Enter: Dr. Draco Malfoy, world-renowned Potioneer and long-time keeper of Harry's heart, holding a joint.

A Room Up There (And You In It) – T, 59k, slow-burn Christmas feels

Summary: When Preservationist Draco Malfoy was assigned to work on Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, he was excited to delve into the gorgeous Black family antiques. His excitement quickly ended when something in the House decided it did not like his presence one bit. Featuring a grumpy antiques lover who most certainly did not sign up for this, encounters with a vengeful apparition, and a healthy application of Christmas spirit.

Siren Call (It’s Not Love) – E, 1k, gorgeous post-breakup getting back together boat sex Drarry

so harry becomes a hermit after the war and ends up on his own magical island where he lives in a defunct lighthouse. there's a lot of fog. blankets everywhere. light metaphors. draco comes to the island to study magical evolution in isolated places, he doesn't know harry is there, but then guess what?? they fall in love.

E ~ 11.5k ~ Drarry

Middle-aged Drarry with background Scorbus; Minister for Magic Harry Potter; fake marriage; sentient homes; getting together; fluff; life, love, and laundry.

For @dragontamerdame whose art is pure magic!

My deepest thanks to @skeptiquewrites who did such a sterling job on the beta, and to @maesterchill and @sweet-s0rr0w and my friends in tqc for the guiding handholds and general cheer. And to the @hd-wireless mods for another brilliant year. You're all legends!

Two Houses

Two households, both alike in... meddling Floo connections, apparently?

Draco Malfoy is a highly professional and well-respected Ministry official, with a demanding schedule, a loving son, and—through no fault of his own—a faulty Floo connection that keeps regurgitating the Minister for Magic through his fireplace.

“A real marriage. We certainly couldn’t sanction a sign-off on anything that wasn’t a love match, not with the high levels of magical energy involved,” the Estates chap said, eyeing Potter suspiciously. As well he might—Potter’s colour was high, glasses discarded somewhere, eyes looking very green. “The terms of the Contract are very clear.”

“Of course,” Potter said calmly. “That makes perfect sense. And it’s not precisely how we planned this but—”

He paused, probably because both Draco and the Estates man were looking at him uncomprehendingly, and then he very deliberately reached out to Draco and placed a hand on his leg. It was only just above the knee, entirely decorous and not in the least bit lascivious, and his hand felt very warm and wide and somehow solid. Draco wasn’t sure why the touch would send heat crawling through him, the shock of it sizzling up his spine. No doubt he was blushing; his face always did give everything away.

“What do you think, darling?” Potter said smoothly. “I know we wanted a bit more time to plan, but given the circumstances, I think we might have to move the wedding forward.”

Teeth by @amelior8or

Harry/Draco (2020, Explicit, 6k)

Potter’s been practically begging for it, for months, constantly staring until the air crackles with the intensity of it. Draco always stares back, until all it takes is a brush, a spark, before they go up like flash paper. The crash into each other is inevitable. 

Draco’s heart has got teeth. And there is nothing he won’t do to keep up the fight with Harry fucking Potter.

Draco looks down at his shirt. It cost 320 Galleons, spelled to be impervious to any stain, any potioneering reagent. It was the first significant purchase he made once he started getting a steady income, and it makes him look fit as fuck.

“I’m not particularly attached to the shirt,” Draco says.

This fic left me so overwhelmed I literally had to take a break before leaving a comment because for a moment there my brain wouldn’t connect to my fingers 😳 what a gorgeous PWP, sexy and angsty with top notch characterization and one of the hottest, most intense smuts I’ve ever read. Werewolf!Harry is pure sex on legs and if that and the scorching sexual tension don’t kill you, the frantic porn with feels and enthusiastic consent definitely will. Their game of push and pull is so delicious and the wall sex!!! displays of strength left me breathles, holy shit. I love how this goes from rough and euphoric to emotional and tender - you can see that their chemistry runs deeper as Draco’s issues come to surface and they decide to be vulnerable together. It’s subtle and intimate in a way that makes my heart ache. Fantastic read!

Hidden Gems by Snegurochka

Another rare pair champion, Snegurochka might not be active anymore but her amazing and varied catalogue keeps on giving. I always find her writing gripping, sexy and fresh with a perfect amount of heart wrenching angst and unapologetic dirtyhot sex, my fave! If you’re a smut fan like me, believe me when I say this author should definitely be on your radar. Her main ship is Remus/Severus but her extensive collection of rare pairs include het couples, lots of cross gen and some niche ships I had never considered before. I especially recommend her work if you’re into Remus, Sirius, Teddy, Charlie or Bill (I mean, who isn’t??? 🔥) pls go ahead for delicious permutations between them including age gap and incest goodness. I also really enjoy her occasional het content, thanks to it Harry/Pansy got a special spot in my heart. Here’s just a small sample of her amazing talent, but I’m sure you’ll go to her AO3 for more :)

Drarry

The Den of So-Called Iniquity (2010, E, 4k) - it’s about the yearning!! Fuck buddies, drug use, mutual pining, second person POV, open ending

Potter is watching you, as usual, his fingers tight around his glass. You know what will happen if you swallow that potion in such close proximity to Potter – the same thing that has happened every time you've done it so far.

The Placebo Sequence (2011, E, 7k) - psycho!Harry! Dark and sexy, ambiguous narrative, open ending. Cw: infidelity (Hinny)

Harry Potter has only ever had two goals in life: to defeat Voldemort and to bring his followers to justice. One, he's done. The other is in progress. It should be simple, except there's one former Death Eater who doesn't meet the right criteria.

(Ninth Rehearsal for) The Main Event (2010, E, 9k) - scorching hot BDSM with sub!Harry, bondage and consent issues. Masterfully written!

The first invitation Draco received to exact revenge on Harry Potter was a thrill. The second, he'd only considered to be an unexpected bonus. By the third, the chance for a repeat performance of Potter on his knees, bound and gasping, was one that Draco couldn't turn down. This is the ninth time.

Interoffice Communication (2011, E, 10k) - deliciously funny and hot af, love this concept, development and characterization. A+!

Draco has convinced the Auror department to test his new messaging charm for secure communications. Harry really would have preferred that he not find out through messages like, 'Yeah, tonight you're going to beg me for it,' that the system wasn't as secure as they thought.

Humbug (A Christmas Tale) (2012, E, 29k) - a Christmas classic, I reread this one all the time! Fwb to lovers, perfect levels of angst, sinfully hot smut 🔥

Draco has been taking his casual relationship with Harry for granted. Visits from four key ghosts the night before Christmas just might shake up his priorities in life.

Rare pairs

Getting Hard (2010, E, 3k) - one of my favorite Harry/Scorpius PWPs, hot af and a really sexy take on age gap established relationships 🔥

Scorpius always preferred to do it now, now, and then maybe again in twenty minutes, but Harry took forever. Slowly, though, Scorpius is beginning to see the appeal of being patient.

Fade In (Let Me) (2011, E, 7.6k) - the only Hermione/Harry/Pansy fic I’ve ever read, this is so hot and complicated I can’t resist!

Until the night Hermione walked in on them together, Harry and Pansy didn't know what they were missing.

Drawn Down to Life (2010, E, 9k) - very emotional and well written Draco/Snape short, feels everywhere!

The first time they kiss, Draco is twenty-six years old, and Severus looks the same as the day he died.

The Werewolf Handbook, Page 147 (2009, E, 20k) - Teddy/Bill slooow burn with lots of UST and fun werewolf lore plus, some family drama and heartbreaking Charlie/Remus (past). A perfect Snegurochka fic, scorching hot and complicated - my kind of cross gen!

Everyone knows that when a person with any werewolf blood reaches 21, untamed sexual urges will manifest themselves and require an outlet. It's a fact. No question about it. The Werewolf Handbook says so, right there on page 147.

The Sketchbook (2009, E, 30k) - breathtaking Sirius/Teddy with past Sirius/Remus and past unrequited Sirius/Harry 🥺 gorgeous, melancholic, heart wrenching.

One: Draco Malfoy is his healer.

Two: Draco Malfoy is hot.

Three: Draco Malfoy, hot doctor, is about to touch his cock.

The most heart-warming fic I have read in a thousand years: A FIC REC

Falling for a Golden Boy - @rockmarina​ - 44k - Explicit

Merlin. Why couldn’t Draco have moved to a forgotten village in the Alps? He could have turned into a shepherd, learned to make his own damn cheese and given up his damn magic. But no, he’d had to come back to his Eighth year, hadn’t he? And this was his life now. Draping himself over Potter to hear words from him that he knew Potter wouldn’t ever mean.

Great. The school year ahead of him looked simply great.

“All I know is—when I’m with you, I…” Potter, the heathen, grunted when he read the rest of his line. “Do I really need to say this?”

“What, scared of believing your own words, Scarhead?” Draco spat.

“Boys,” O’Neill warned them.

“All I—all I know is you’re the most amazing person with weak ankles that I’ve ever met, Meg.” Potter scowled. He was blushing again. “And when I’m with you, I feel less alone.”

Or where a drama play, a grumpy pompom and a bunch of well-intentioned friends help Draco and Harry find peace—and each other—after the war.

Thoughts under read more

SOMETIMES WE ALL JUST NEED SOME FLUFF, so I’m going to try to make this list extra lovely (and long!) ^-^ 💜💜💜

Fluffy Drarry Recs

Talk to Me by Saras_Girl (15.5K)- When the usual channels of communication are shut down, the most surprising people can find a way in. A strange little love story.Harry is cursed temporarily blind and deaf while alone outside, and is helped by a gentle stranger (*cough* Draco). SO SWEET. Part of her fluffy!verse (collection of one-shots), and anyone after fluff should really read them all <3

Yours Until Midnight by drarryisgreen (4.5K)- Harry sits at a cafe owned by Draco day after day and wonders why Draco likes to bother him. / Lots of rain, lots of tea(s), lots of fluff.Some fics you just adore for no reason you can articulate, and this is one of those for me. Harry is a (secret) fiction writer under the alias January James, and he writes all his stories in Draco’s cafe, while drinking Draco’s tea and pining without even realizing what he wants. Heart-clenchingly sweet!

Then Comes A Mist and A Weeping Rain by faithwood (21K)- It always rains for Draco Malfoy. Metaphorically. And literally. Ever since he had accidentally Conjured a cloud. A cloud that’s ever so cross.This fic has the most kudos of any Drarry fic on AO3, so everyone and their grandmother has probably read it, but READ IT AGAIN because there is a cloud that follows Draco around raining on the poor boy EXCEPT WHEN HARRY’S BEING NICE TO HIM <333

Luckiest Fucking Size Queen Alive by @l0vegl0wsinthedark​ (6K)- Potter escorts me home, presses me into my front door and kisses me with a ferocity that’s exhilarating. And then Potter asks me, in a growl that makes my cock throw a wet tantrum in my pants, how many more dates I would deem mandatory before I let him fuck me. I drag Potter to bed.This fic is fucking hilarious. Quite possibly my favorite humor/fluff/smut combination ever. They both work at the Ministry, and Draco is lured to Potter by the rumors of his amazing cock and they’re so cute and it’s just pure brilliance.

Good to me (And I’d Be So Good to You) by AWickedMemory (9K)- Everyone returns to Hogwarts after the war, but nothing is quite the same. Harry’s groupies are creepier than ever, Ron and Hermione are snogging all over the place, and the once-proud Draco is shuffling around like a kicked puppy. But that’s okay: Harry’s got a plan.Harry implements Operation Make Friends With Draco Malfoy, and Draco is very confused. Also featuring “Harry’s Draco Lucius Abraxas Malfoy Repository of Information Collected Whilst Stalking (DLAMRoICWS)” hehehe <3

The Wolf Pack by dracogotgame (13.5K)- Nobody said achieving your animagus form was easy. Draco could handle being a wolf pup for a while, right? How bad could it be?Oh my GOD Draco’s animagus form is a wolf PUPPY and he meets another wolf in the forest and bothers him all the time and then he adopts this wolf as his protector. And the wolf is annoyed but reluctantly amused and endeared and I WONDER WHO THAT WOLF IS HM WHO COULD IT BE????

Mingling, Mistletoe & Misdeeds by @jadepresley​ (10K)- Three couples in denial. One Christmas party to make them finally see sense. Christmas fluff!This fic is adorable! It also features Ron x Pansy and Hermione x Theo, and I fell in love with those other two pairings in this fic as much as Drarry! Christmassy and LOVELY. And Draco planned the party, so you know it’s a good one ;)

Candy by @bixgirl1​ (5.5K)- It was only after careful consideration that Draco came to the wildly preposterous conclusion that he and Potter were actually friends. Sweet fic. May cause cavities.Harry wants to be friends with Draco, but Draco refuses. And keeps refusing. Until somehow they’re suddenly friends, and then they’re more then friends, and Draco has no idea how any of it happened! Oblivious!Draco is my favorite Draco and yes I think I may have indeed gotten a cavity from how sweet this fic was ;)

To Love a Loathed (Arch) Enemy by Sophie_French (11.5K)- “For the last time, Malfoy, I have absolutely no hidden agenda giving you your wand back.”Harry brings Draco his wand back after the war and the rest is history.After Harry returns Draco’s wand, they start sending (FLIRTY OMG) owls back and forth, and then Draco helps Harry with the Hogwarts Restoration and it’s all just adorable :)

Harry Potter and the Incredibly Organized Personal Assistant by megyal (2.5K)- Harry Potter’s new assistant is snarkily organized.Not gonna lie, I have a huge thing for Draco being Harry’s Personal Assistant and basically just running his life. This short little fic is so lovely and funny!

Get Me From My Good Side by @julietsemophase​ (5.5K)- The only reason Harry agrees to these Ministry publicity articles is he knows he’s in safe hands with Draco Malfoy as his stylist. But then a shoot doesn’t quite go to plan and Harry worries his secret is out.Personal stylist is another job I just LOVE for Draco. This fic is perfect perfect perfect because Draco is the only one Harry trusts to style him. And of course that’s not because he’s secretly in love with him, what are you talking about?!

To Bag A Hero by moonshoespotterr (7.5K)- When Draco realises that insults are getting him nowhere, he decides to take a new approach to bagging the Boy Who Lived.Draco starts being nice to Harry and gives him his scarf and YEP this is pure fluff

Tug-O-Want by dysonrules (16.5K)- Harry is back at Hogwarts minding his own business when he finds himself magically drawn to Draco Malfoy. Over and over again.Aaaah amazingness! Accidental bonding! Being repeatedly drawn to each other from opposite sides of the castle! Neither of their faults but they blame each other anyway! Giving in to their desires more and more each time! Y E S

One More Cup of Coffee by Lonov (10.5K)- Harry thought the best part about being a Healer would be saving lives every day without the constant fear of being murdered by a megalomaniac, but when Draco Malfoy walked into the room, he realized he hadn’t escaped so easily.Both are healers, Harry is miffed that Draco has a more senior position than he does, Draco brings Harry coffee every day, and I could choke on the sweetness

Check Me Out by lumosed_quill (3K)- Draco works as a librarian. Harry visits often and attempts (possibly) to flirt with Draco through his choice of books. Draco is not getting it. At all.YES this fic is exactly as adorable as the summary makes it sound :D

Storm in a Teacup by faithwood (8K)- For reasons he’d rather not think about, Draco is obsessed with Potter’s hair. This cannot end well.FLUFF FLUFF HARRY’S HAIR IS FLUFFY LIKE THIS FIC. They study together in a hidden alcove <3

Hey, Potter by SunseticMonster (16K)- Harry returns to Hogwarts for his 8th year, determined not to let Malfoy get to him. But when the snarky teasing starts up again, Harry finds that returning the jibes with compliments has a far more interesting outcome.GAH Harry starts complimenting Draco whenever Draco insults him and Draco gets all flustered and baffled and it’s adorable as FUCK.

9 times Harry kissed Draco, and the 1 time Draco kissed Harry by LockWhoSuper (4.5K)- ‘Harry grinned, Draco fell into his trap perfectly. Surging forwards, Harry wrapped his fingers around Draco’s tie and pulled him forwards until their lips met over their cauldron. The pressure lasted for three seconds, Harry’s eyes shut and Draco’s wide in surprise. When Harry let Draco go, he slid back into his seat slowly, eyes still wide, tie crooked and a blush painting his cheeks.’Every time Draco swears, Harry kisses him. That’ll make him stop. Yep. Perfect plan. Nothing at all to do with Harry wanting to kiss Draco. Nothing whatsoever.

What Potter Wants by birdsofshore (3.5K)- Harry definitely didn’t want to do that to Malfoy. Not at all. So why did Malfoy keep saying that he did?This fic is hilarious and perfect and I think about it all the time because the idea is just that brilliant. Draco insists over and over that Potter is dying to suck his cock. Harry denies it and denies it, but….for someone who doesn’t want to suck Malfoy’s cock, he sure is protesting a lot. Fluffy Smutty Humor ;)

Thought I’d post this Harry separately. No. You cannot tell how fond I am of isn’t a kingdom Harry by @garagepaperback.

Glue your eyes on the screen (like me) when you check out my (precious!) fairy-dusted ficbind collab with the multi-talented and amazing @phoenixortheflame here.