Mon

Thank you to @rainjulyx for the tag! This was so fun!

1. How many works do you have on AO3/Tumblr?

15, including three that are yet to be revealed...

2. What's your total AO3/Tumblr word count?

367,296 on AO3!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Harry Potter only! But I have flirted with the idea of writing for The Pitt and F1 a bit.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

A Hundred Times Before The Fourth Thing The Bonded Flask Un, Deux, Trois Shadow of Sunshine

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! I respond to every single one. They genuinely mean the world to me.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't write endings that aren't fluffy and happy so none of them! But End of Forever, Un, Deux, Trois and A Hundred Times Before are my angstier stories (with healthy doses of fluff too)!

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

End of Forever or Un, Deux, Trois. They work so hard for their happy ending in both of these stories that it makes it even sweeter. Wolfpack also has a look into the future 10 years and it's fluff central!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Lucky enough, no. But I'm also a bit of a nobody.

9. Do you write smut?

I do! It's probably what I'm known for the most. I wrote my first Kinktober this year and it was so much fun!

10. Do you write crossovers?

I wouldn't even know how!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I mean, isn't AI stealing everything? But people have stolen some of my words for their own fics... not a great feeling.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, I have not! How fun though.

14. What's your favorite all-time ship?

Drarry for life. I am monogamous and loyal to them for life. But I'm reading a little bit of Hucklerobby these days... phew.

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have soooo many WIPs, it's really a problem. A medieval Drarry fic, a Parent Trap AU, a camboy fic, and maybe even Quidditch rivals.

16. Are there recurring themes you've noticed in your writing?

Hmm, I always write heavy angst without realizing it... but I make it up with a lot of sweetness too! I also have a lot of Easter eggs in every single one of my fics (three spoons of sugar, Harry's love for daisies, their kids named Leo and Daisy, Draco loves reading bodice rippers and so many more) and I love when anyone catches them!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I am always comparing myself to all the other amazing fics out there so my weakness is probably constantly comparing my own writing to them. I try to remind myself that the sun and the moon are both gorgeous in very different ways. Some days are easier than others.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Draco speaks French in all my fics! I would love to write Harry speaking in one of the many Indian languages too (especially since I know a couple) so I don't know why I don't!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter. First and only!

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

This is a hard one... I love every single one of them so very much for different reasons. Un, Deux, Trois is my first baby, A Hundred Times Before is my most read fic and brought me a lot of new readers, End of Forever is a marriage-in-crisis that tugs at my heart and The Fourth Thing was so much fun. I don't know!! Don't make me choose!

With links and what not. I'll keep this updated as much as I can! You do have to be logged into AO3 to read all of them, but if you're still waiting for an account to be created or anything, just DM me and I'll email you a file!

You can also find me on Twitter, Instagram, Discord (megreads99)! I am a yapper, so if you want to chat, be assured that I will reciprocate.

I also do a Drarry Drabble every most days so if there's ever a prompt you'd like to see, please send it through via DM, ask, tweet, carrier pigeon. I would LOVE to bring it to life!

Binding Policy: You may bind any of my fics for personal use only, not for sale. If you do, I only request you share photos with me because I would absolutely love to see it!

Drarry Fics

Un, Deux, Trois (E, 109K, HPDM): Read if you're in the mood for a story told in two parts, about second chances, soulmates, and above all, love.

Draco had an easy goal for his 8th Year at Hogwarts: keep his head down and under no circumstances, create a stir. Burdened by the trauma of the war, Draco wasn’t interested in making friendships, but the Savior seemed to be annoyingly persistent about ruining that. Git. Potter was everywhere he looked, filled to the brim with surprising wit and unruly hair and fetching smiles that did something alarming to Draco’s chest. Unfortunately, Draco knew all too well that it wasn’t a matter of if he broke for Potter, but rather when.

The Bonded Flask (E, 46K, DMHP): Read if you're in the mood for funny, smutty, accidental bonding with a hint of tender sweetness.

When Auror partners Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy are cursed to stay in constant physical contact, things get really awkward, really fast. It doesn't help that they're both vying for the position of Head Auror and yet, the pair can’t decide if they want to strangle each other or kiss each other—preferably not in front of their colleagues.

End of Forever (E, 43K, HPDM): Read if you're in the mood for an angsty marriage-in-crisis that delves into fluff central. Featuring one (1) cute kid and married domesticity. Also, desk sex!

When Draco Malfoy was 26, he held Harry Potter’s hand in front of all their friends and family, exchanging vows and teary kisses. Finally, after years of being in love and dreaming of this day, Draco married the love of his life and promised to love him forever. At 30 years old, Draco Malfoy thinks that they might be at the end of forever.

A Hundred Times Before (E, 37K, HPDM): Read if you're in the mood for an angsty amnesia fic with pining, daisies, slight mystery, and so much love.

Draco Malfoy woke up married, employed, and utterly confused. Why was he in Grimmauld Place? Who hired him as a Hogwarts professor? How did he acquire a husband? Good thing his aforementioned husband was apparently the Head Auror. Harry Potter was used to saving the world, right?

Shadow of Sunshine (E, 16K, HPDM): Read if you're in the mood for a short, slightly angsty friends-with-benefits between professors, who are both in love with one another. Featuring a rather inappropriate use of bodice rippers. Written for the We💚Draco fest!

Draco always told himself it was just physical. Stolen nights and silence in the morning. But it was getting harder to lie when Potter touched him like he meant it. And harder still to pretend it was nothing, when it was the only thing that ever felt like something.

The Fourth Thing (E, 13K, HPDM): Read if you're in the mood for possessive werewolf Harry with a tattoo, simmering sexual tension between Auror partners, and shameless smut. Features art and a playlist too.

Draco and Harry break a few HR rules.

Wolfpack (T, 23K): Read if you're looking for tooth-rotting fluff, Drarry dads, and Teddy shenanigans. Lots of sweetness and adorable moments, beware. Written for the H/D Hurt/Comfort Fest!

“Harry?” Teddy said, turning to his side. “I love Draco.” Sighing, Harry kissed his godson’s forehead because the truth of it all suddenly seemed so incredibly simple. “Yeah, cub. Me too.”

Mistletoe Mystery (M, 18K): Read if you're looking for a friends-to-lovers holiday fic with all the feels and a little bit of magical mystery.

Harry had a plan: host his first Christmas and prove he was perfectly fine. Thirty and single, but fine. When Grimmauld starts acting strangely, however, and the man he’s had an embarrassing crush on for years looks far too good under the mistletoe, he has to admit… maybe his plan has a problem.

Drarry Microfics

Saturday (G, 2K): Read for a fluffy one-shot, inspired by this gorgeous art!

Saturday in the life of the Potter-Malfoys.

Dinner Is Served (E, 3K, Fem!Drarry): Read if you're in the mood for nothing but smut, fem version.

The most important meal of the day... is spread out on the table.

Other Fics!

The Bagels, the Booze and the Birthday Suit (E, 5K): Read for a fluffy and smutty one-shot, featuring baby Harry (and maybe a little Drarry because I can't help myself). Super short and sweet!

Ron: …why are you buying gifts for Malfoy?

Harry: Well next week is the 10-year anniversary of Malfoy and I becoming rivals, I should probably get him something right?

Ron: Mate if you’ve been rivals with this dude for ten years you’re not even rivals anymore

Ron: You’re just gay

Another year, another bunch of Drarry fics! Like in 2022 and 2023, here is the list of the fics that made 2024 such a cool year to me. Thanks to the writers for making me happy with these wonderful stories of my favorite boys <3

More than one chapter:

Dwelling by aideomai (83k)

In Every Universe by @skeptiquewrites (27k)

Can I tell you something? by GallaPlacidia (33k)

A Big Black Sky by alexmeg (90k)

All Life is Yours to Miss by Saras_Girl (114k)

Harry Potter: DILF Hunter by @vukovich (11k)

What We Pretend We Can't See by @gyzym (131k)

The Day Before the Wedding by @kbrick (39k)

Eclipse by Mijan (287k)

Secrets by Vorabiza (395k)

Twist of Fate by Oakstone730 (302k)

Finely Drawn Lines by @the-sinking-ship (61k)

A Pocket Full of Stones by @amywaterwings (67k)

The Devil's White Knight by orphan_account (64k)

One-shots:

Truth or Dare? by @lettersbyelise (3k)

Always the Last to Know by @nv-md (10k)

Lovesick by @corvuscrowned (7k)

Tangled Up in Midnight Memories (and you) by @ronbinary (8k)

Seven Ways to Get Harry Potter Hard (in Public) by @curleecue (7k)

Ten Thousand Reasons Why Not by @lqtraintracks (8k)

telepathy by @hogwartsfirebolt (2k)

Howl by @tackytigerfic (8k)

Let’s go dip it low (then you bring it up slow) by @andithiel (3k)

The Boy Who Only Lived Twice by @letteredlettered (54k)

Draco: You’re The Chosen One, Potter. Shouldn’t your arch nemesis be The Dark Lord?

Harry: Nope. You’re my arch nemesis. No one will replace you. My one and only arch nemesis. Mine

AURA READER by toxik_angel https://archiveofourown.org/works/33987673/chapters/84529762 My absolute fave Drarry, main character death tho. It's rough and rly hard and painful. Basically the 6th book got rewritten by the author and therefore the whole canon got changed. Main character dearth, IT HAS A HAPPY ENDING tho.

INSIDE GREY EYES by toxik_angel https://archiveofourown.org/works/31908952/chapters/79015036 Draco gets kidnapped my Fenir Greyback and forced to work in a stripclub, saed and drugged a lot. harry wants to help him get out. Very dark very heavy but so so good.

WAY DOWN WE GO by xiaq https://archiveofourown.org/works/18591952/chapters/44075971 Werewolf Harry and Veela Draco so good

MENTAL by sara_holmes https://archiveofourown.org/works/5163386/chapters/11891996 Legilimecy miscast and Draco can hear his thoughts. Eigth year.

I'LL BE INSUFFERABLE FOR YOU by toxik_angel https://archiveofourown.org/works/30415035/chapters/74987151 Eigth year, Harry starting to protect Draco bc Draco is rly not fine. SO he protects him from himself. (my first ever read)

THE CLAIMING OF GRIMMAULD PLACE by bixgirl1 https://archiveofourown.org/works/12693843/chapters/28945038

When Grimmauld Place begins fighting against Harry’s ownership of it, he decides he needs help to train the historic home — but little does he expect that it’ll be Malfoy who’s most suitable for the challenge.

THE ORDEAL OF BEING KNOWN by louisfake https://archiveofourown.org/works/28864512/chapters/70806630

When Auror Potter is anonymously cursed with silence by being forced to hide his own voice inside his mind, there's unfortunately only one person in the country with the qualifications to fix it: Certified and Licensed Healer Legilimens, Draco Malfoy, specialist in Mind Curses and Afflictions.

TALES FROM THE SPECIAL BRANCH by Femme (femmequixotic) https://archiveofourown.org/series/661862 This is so good I fell in love with the whole plot, it'S rly well researched, and it all started with a oneshot: After he sees Harry Potter naked in the Auror showers once, Draco can't stop thinking about him. fell in love with a fucking OC character and felt like Harry (my fav character) doesnt deserve the oc bc he's too kindhearted. THIS FIC HAS SEVERAL BOOK LONG PARTS 5 books BUT IT HASNT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2019 but it'S fucking worth the read still. (it all started with a small oneshot)

Here are a few drarry fic recs in which party games play an important part. Listed in alphabetical order, as always.

Back to You by @aibidil & daisymondays [8k]

The eighth years make Harry and Malfoy go head to head and back to back in a question-and-answer drinking game. The worst that can happen is they end up drunk, right?

Boom Clap (The Sound of My Heart) by @femmequixotic and @noeeon [39k]

Post-war Hogwarts has been energized by its new teaching fellows program. Where once bitter enmity divided the wizarding community, Malfoy and Potter chummily patrol hallways together whilst Granger and Zabini seek lost parts of the castle at McGonagall’s behest and Chang supervises Quidditch when not lecturing in Charms. It’s a veritable wizarding utopia and life is predictable for the first time in years. Which is, of course, when everything blows apart as the result of a drunken dare and Malfoy’s life is ruined beyond his capacity to repair it. Ever. In a million years.

check this hand 'cause I'm marvelous by @lqtraintracks [7k]

Harry's had a crush on Malfoy for months now. But it will take a bar full of his friends, some Firewhisky, wagers made on his behalf, and Malfoy himself to get him to act on it.

Erase the Shame by FleetofShippyShips [6k]

An Inter-House unity party is the last thing Draco wants to go to. It's not long into a game of Truth or Dare when he is reminded why. But maybe his dare is worth it after all.

Exceeds Eggspectations by Elle Gray (LGray) [61k]

Eighth year. Winter. Christmas has been and gone. Harry’s just been dumped and so has Malfoy. There’s a stupid fake baby assignment to be done, and what’s the harm in doing it together, really, when life is this shit already? This is not slow burn, this is a roman candle pointed at a pile of dry twigs that represent your heart.

Games Night by @agentmoppet​ [6k]

Harry has no idea why Hermione decided that an inter-house Games Night would be a good idea, but he’s here now, and he intends to beat Malfoy, no matter what game he chooses. But, who would have thought muggle games could be full of so much... tension?

How to Handle an Enemy by who_la_hoop [7k]

Everyone knows that it’s no fun playing truth or dare with a Slytherin. But add a little Veritaserum, a scheming duo of Slytherin girls and surprising things can be revealed. Particularly about the fine line between love and hate… Turnbout Is Fair Play by who_la_hoop [10k]   After a – cough – revealing game of truth or dare instigated by  his fellow Slytherins, Draco Malfoy finds himself in possession of a).  the interesting knowledge that a certain Gryffindor horror may not be as   immune to his personal charms as hitherto suspected and b). the   password to the Gryffindor Tower. But Draco makes a fundamental error   when he decides to make use of these facts.

Love, Harry by Zzzara [26k]

Harry Potter keeps a huge secret: that scary thing he can’t tell anyone about. Until a mysterious penfriend changes his life, because he keeps a secret, too.

Never Have I Ever Thought That You Might Want Me, Too by @drarrymyheart [8k]

“When it’s his turn, Ron gives Harry an ominous look. “Never have I ever wanted to kiss any of the boys in this room.” Harry freezes. Dean, Seamus, Hermione, Hannah, Pansy, and even Blaise are all immediately lifting their drinks. Malfoy moves to pick his up as well and Harry tracks the movement as if watching in slow-motion…The ridge of Malfoy’s bottle of cider pushes against his lower lip as he takes a sip. Harry nearly groans. Steeling himself, Harry drinks.” Harry and the crew take a ski trip. Harry can’t seem to keep his eyes and thoughts off a certain blonde.

One Night at the Leaky by birdsofshore [41k]

Harry should have known better than to accept a drunken dare. Especially when Malfoy was sitting right there, looking like that and wearing those bloody tight trousers. 

A Perfectly Valid Dare by kitty_fic [5k]

“It’s a perfectly valid dare,” Pansy says, and somehow she looks like she actually believes what she says. “I am not doing that,” Draco insists. He really has no idea when daring someone to wank in Harry Potter’s bed became a perfectly valid dare?

Right Hand Red by @lqtraintracks [73k] 

Harry felt Malfoy’s breath on his lips as they came together over the bottle, hands firmly planted on the floor as though they each needed their familiar soil, refusing to cross into enemy territory. Except that Malfoy no longer felt like his enemy. Malfoy felt inevitable.

Silk Scarves and Enchanted Handcuffs by TommyLane [28k]

It was only supposed to be for seven minutes and then the blindfold would come off and he'd be free from the dark cupboard and his mystery partner - only Harry was no longer sure he wanted it to end.

Starts With a Spin by Maxine [119k]

It started with the spin of a bottle, and now Harry and Draco have gotten themselves so far into their own game there's almost no way out again. Except to keep playing.

Truths, Dares, and Love Affairs by @ronbinary [17k]

NEWTs are approaching, Mind Healing is mandatory, and something is wrong with the castle. And then, there’s Potter.

When I Put My Eyes On You by Zzzara [31k]

When a hero defeats a villain, there’s supposed to be a happily-ever-after… but when did anything ever happen to Harry Potter the way it was supposed to? Having sacrificed himself to the greater good, Harry is left alone in the darkness, blindly groping for the shreds of the life he knew. When the enemies meet, how is the story supposed to go, once they learn there’s more to it than the eye can see? A story of pain, hope and things we discover, once we stop looking for them with our eyes.

where all the veins meet by eight_of_wands [146k]

It’s the summer of 1998. The battle is over, and Voldemort is dead, but Harry still has more questions than answers. Who is he without a piece of Voldemort’s soul in his head? What is he supposed to do now? His friends try to help, but the only thing that can hold his attention—one of the only things that ever has—is Draco Malfoy, out on parole and weirdly hanging around the British Museum. As they keep running into each other, Harry sees that Malfoy is different, and he wonders if he can be someone else, too. Featuring rumpled band shirts, poker games everyone hates, fumbling sex, and a Harry going a little mental over how wands even work.

a gift for @quicksilvermaid​ commissioned by @drarryruinedme7 who requested a scene from quicksilver’s fic Who we are in the shadows​

✨ Finely Drawn Lines / 61k / Draco doesn't consider himself an artist (though the dozens of sketchbooks lining his shelves might suggest differently). Yet ever since Potter returned to Hogwarts, accepting a teaching position alongside Draco, his drawings have taken on a rather singular focus. From the curl of his lips to the exact number of lines that form at the corners of his eyes when he laughs, Draco has catalogued every shade of one Harry James Potter between the pages of his sketchbook.

So long as Potter remains none the wiser, Draco will have no trouble controlling his crush.

But when Potter comes to him with a dangerous proposition, Draco fears things are about to get so much more complicated.

✨ head over heels / 21k / Everyone in Harry's life thinks he's engaged to Malfoy. The solution to this is not pretending to date Malfoy, but here he is doing that anyway.

✨ A Lick and a Promise / 55k / Something sinister stirs in Hogwarts!

When magical creatures and students at the school are hit with a debilitating blood curse, Minerva McGonagall approaches the Ministry for help.

Star Auror Harry Potter seems to be the obvious choice to go undercover-as

DADA Professor, naturally. He's going to need the help of the Ministry's foremost expert in blood magic to get to the bottom of the mystery, though, and he's not entirely convinced that going back to Hogwarts with Draco Malfoy is a good idea.

Things are complicated between them-what's new?-but they know they have to learn to work together (and keep their hands off each other in the corridors) in order to solve this case.

Luckily for them, Hogwarts itself wants to lend a hand.

A tale of love, lessons, and learning to really live.

✨ Darkest Before the Dawn / 47k / The last thing Draco wanted was to show up at Harry Potter's door, cursed blind and holding a boxful of his friends Transfigured into snakes, but here he was.

Between breaking the curse, adjusting to life without sight, and teaching his Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, Draco's got his hands full. Being forced to live with Harry Potter might just be the death of him.

This is a story about the bonds of friendship, fairy tale endings, and learning to ask for help (even from Gryffindors).

✨ how can i love what i know i'm gonna lose? (don't make me choose) / 8k / Harry's soulmark is his scar, but he doesn't know that. He thinks he has no soulmate.

And Draco, who has Harry Potter's scar on the inside of his hip, is not planning on ever telling him. Ever. It would break him in two.

But when Hogwarts institutes a Health Ed week where Draco is tasked with the topic of soulmates, he begins to think maybe Harry needs to know.

✨ The New Potions Professor / 33k / Harry wearily entered the teachers’ lounge to meet the new Potions professor. After much convincing by McGonagall, Slughorn had finally agreed to retire and take better care of his health.

So now some new Potions master was taking his place, and they had arrived today.

Harry went inside and froze immediately.

“You’ve got to be joking.” He said.

or

Harry has taught Defense Against Dark Arts for over a decade and a half and Malfoy thinks he can just waltz into Hogwarts and teach too? Absolutely not.

✨ Phoenix in the Fire / 28k / Harry never expected to have a hot summer fling with Draco Malfoy when he agreed to mind the castle with him. He also never expected that it would all have to end on August thirty-first. What happens when casual sex with Harry’s ex-enemy turns not casual after all? And how the hell is he going to stop Draco from making one of the biggest mistakes of his life?

✨ Two Shadows in the Night / 81k / Five years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry returns to his old school to claim the position of DADA teacher.

The way he's been ignoring his issues and trying to live up to everyone's impossibly high expectations is catching up to him. Will a certain blond ex-Death Eater be able to help him finally heal?

✨ Most Favourite Bedtime Story / 46k / Scorpius' most favourite bedtime story? The story of how his parents fell in love. And his grandmother tells it the best!

✨ Living in a Muggle World / 22k / After getting together during Eighth year, Harry and Draco move to Harry's cottage in the Scottish countryside and Draco starts working in a muggle library.

Or

My flimsy excuse to write the sappiest, cutesiest shit with almost no plot and love-letters and cheesy poems and I have absolutely no excuses or regrets.

✨ Spoiled Little Brat / 9k / Harry won't stoop to Malfoy's level.

Really, he won't.

@drarrymicrofic

word count: 318

The ink had bled into Draco’s fingers from reading the article over and over and over. His eyes were burning in the dim light of his study, but he couldn’t stop himself, sick with anxiety.

He knew this would happen. He knew it was never going to work, that the world was never going to accept them, but he’d let himself get caught up in the feeling of wanting something for himself for the first time since he was sixteen.

He reads the spread again, trying his best to ignore the rather salacious image they caught outside the pub the other night, and feels regret for dragging someone with such a perfect image down too.

“How did I know I’d find you like this?” comes a voice from the doorway. Harry is leaning against the frame, looking gorgeous in his nonchalance, a trait Draco has always envied.

“You can’t actually be okay with this?” Draco asks, holding up the paper.

“I’m actually okay with it,” Harry approaches Draco’s desk, cocking his head to the side, “I’m used to their lies and slander. This is just more of the same.”

“So you don’t think I’m a…” he pauses, trailing his finger until he finds the sentence he’s looking for, “ah…’a troubled miscreant who is using you to salvage what is left of my dignity’?

“Troubled miscreant, maybe,” Harry laughs, but Draco’s expression remains unchanged, “I’m serious, Draco. Fuck them. They don’t know anything about you. Or about us, for that matter.”

“Maybe we should just end it,” Draco suggests, tearing his eyes away from Harry, “we agreed we’d keep it secret, and now…”

Harry circles the desk, swivels Draco’s chair to face him and leans down, his hands gripping the armrest. “Is that really what you want?”

SINISTER LOVE POTION SCANDAL? DEATH EATER DRUGS DARK LORD DEFEATER!

“This is your fault,” Draco scowls. Still hasn’t glamoured the marks up his neck though. Harry’s finding it hard to focus. “And now I’ll have to file suit.”

@drarrymicrofic | words: 216 | prompt: slander

“HARRY!” Draco shrieked, crossing the common room in three seconds flat. “DON’T LISTEN TO HER SLANDER!”

He haphazardly dove over the back of the sofa.

After taking a brief moment to right himself, he sandwiched Harry’s head between his hands, pressing firmly against his ears.

“Pansy, what did I tell you?” he hissed, shooting her daggers that she dodged easily with a roll of her eyes.

“No telling Harry how you’re madly in love with him,” she recited in a mocking tone.

“That’s right! We’re finally friends, and I don’t want to screw this up with my stupid feelings!”

“Fine. I won’t tell him.”

He didn’t like the gleam in her eye, but her tone sounded sincere.

He sighed in relief, looking down at Harry who was staring at him with wide eyes. Draco shot him an apologetic smile and pulled his hands away from his ears.

A glint of metal stopped him in his tracks.

Draco’s jaw dropped in horror as he traced the sleek metal that hooked behind Harry’s ears, a thin cord weaving into each ear canal.

“Did you forget I read lips?” Harry smirked.

Draco nodded slowly. In his panic, he had forgotten entirely.

Pansy was failing spectacularly to smother a snicker behind her hand.

***

“Tall,” is Luna’s immediate conclusion. “Very tall. Looks like he’s fair, too.”

Harry coughs. “Sorry, he?”

Ginny snorts, hair falling into Luna’s face as she leans over to get a look.

“Definitely he,” Luna replies, brightly. “Oh, and look, I think it’s saying–” She picks up the mug, tilts it appraisingly this way and that. “Yes. It’s someone you work with.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. See this, here?” She holds it up for Ginny, whose answering nod seems a little too enthusiastic. It’s all very strange, Harry thinks. This reading had been Ginny’s idea, but… since when did she believe in Divination? Even Hermione, four Firewhiskys in and giggling, had urged Harry to go for it. Was his love life really that tragic?

“Look at those leaves there,” says Ginny, poking at the rim. “That looks phallic, right?”

Luna nods sagely, her eyes very wide.

“So what does that mean, that he’s a bit of a prick?”

They've drawn a little crowd now; a dozen or so observers, most of them half-cut. Harry himself feels painfully sober.

“Right,” says Hermione, holding up her fingers, “so we’ve got: tall, blond, male, works with you, acts like a knob.”

“Ringing any bells?” Ginny asks him, eager.

Harry looks around the room, finding a sea of hopeful faces. Hermione smiles at him, encouraging. Could they mean, he wonders – could this really all be about…?

“Alright,” he says, slowly. “Alright, yeah. I’m not really into this tea leaf stuff – no offence, Luna – but you all seem pretty certain. And, well. I can’t say it’s never crossed my mind.”

Draped over Luna’s shoulders, Ginny grins. “Thank Merlin, Harry. We thought you’d never–”

“I mean, I wouldn’t say I work with Zacharias exactly – he really just does consulting for the department, and he’s not that tall, but–”

There’s a loud chorus of groans. “For fuck’s sake!” Ginny exclaims. Luna – Luna, really? – kicks him in the shin. Hermione’s got her head in her hands.