#dexiha

I’m so sorry, I got this ask and I thought “yeah, I’m gonna get to this soon!!” And then time went on without me noticing and now I went back to my inbox and found that it’s been almost two months?? How did that even happen?? It feels like I got this just the other week.

Anyway, thank you so much, lovely, for your prompt :) I hope you like this little drarry thing I finally managed to write for you 💚💚

(Typed on phone and unbetaed)

During the times of day, Draco was always his breviloquent, proud and borderline rude self. That was the person that everyone else would think of if they heard the name Draco Malfoy Potter. They would wonder how it happened; how Harry Potter could marry him of all people. Harry deserved better, they would say. 

They didn’t know the Draco that appeared once the sun started to set on the horizon, though. 

They didn’t know how perfect he looked when he curled up on the sofa and motioned for Harry to join him. Or how it felt when his lithe fingers ran through Harry’s hair, massaging his scalp gently while they watched every Disney movie there was on DVD. 

It had become a tradition even before they got married. To watch children’s movies together. Harry had mentioned it off hand once, that he hadn’t ever watched any movies as a kid, and a week later, Draco had set up a DVD player that worked in the magical environment of their house, and he had bought too many movies to fit on the TV bench’s shelves. 

Naturally, Harry had refused to sit down and watch any of them at first. He wasn’t a bloody kid anymore. 

But then Draco began watching the Lion King on his own. When Draco cried over Mufasa’s death, Harry couldn’t help it. He joined Draco on the sofa, trying to comfort him with his mere presence. 

After that, Draco never asked Harry to put on a movie. He just picked one out himself, and sat down to watch it. Eventually, Harry would join him. And Harry would be allowed to be taken care of, for once. 

During the times of day, Draco was witty, and crude, sharp around the edges. People in the Wixen World didn’t understand how Harry Potter could love him.

But they didn’t know that when Draco was being witty and rude and proud and breviloquent, he also matched Harry’s own mind. They didn't know that Draco cried every single time they watched a movie. And they didn’t know that when they got home, safe behind closed doors, Draco took such care of Harry. 

The Art of Revealing Secrets

A fic, submitted as part of the @hp-soulmates fest of 2022.

I'm not gonna lie. It was a struggle to get this thing finished. I was actually close to giving up numerous times, but the mods' endless patience, the prolonged extensions and their kind encouragement helped me manage it in the end. I owe you more thanks than I could ever give for that.

Flightinflame was a goldmine when it came for asking for reassurances over specific parts I'd written, which was very important because apart from being King of Drama, I'm also MAster of Self Doubt. Thank you <3

And Emma. Beautiful, lovely, warm-hearted Emma. What would I do without you in my life? Your beating and your excited comments are valuable beyond any comparison. Thank you soooo much @ladderofyears for helping me out with this fic, and for letting me borrow your city for it.

Furthermore, I would like to thank @crazybutgood for sorting through my thoughts and ideas in the early stages of this fic. Without you, I never would have written anything more than an incomprehensible plan. It feels like it's been ages since you and I chatted about the starting points of this fic, and maybe it has been, but nonetheless, you're one of the key ingredients of this fic as well.

And lastly, thank you to @ununquadius who always cheers me on, no matter the weather, the time of day, or how crazy her own life is. I hope you stay safe and take care of yourself. Don't forget to take a deep breath and relax your jaw every once in a while. And drink water.

Without further ado; here's the thumbnail for the fic :)

I challenged myself this winter and signed up for @hd-cluefest

@written-in-ash had submitted this amazing prompt that immediately got the cogs inside my head to start turning. And they continued to turn and turn and turn so of course I had to write it.

I’m not gonna lie, it was quite hard to flesh this out, and it was, to be completely honest, a very close call that I managed to get the fic together at all! But I did it!! So yay me, I guess!

Anyway, now that the authors have been revealed for this year’s round of Cluefest, I can pridefully claim the fic Twist and Turn (Until We Find Our Way Out) as mine.

Thank you everyone who have read and commented already! Your support has been invaluable.

Thank you to @purplehotmess , ecat14, @ununquadius , @jet-playin-around and @ladderofyears for helping me out during this journey! You’re all amazing and I appreciate each and every single one of you!!!

And of course, thank you to the mods! You’ve put up such professionalism yet familiarity with all of us participants and you’ve made sure the fest has been run smoothly. I’m truly in awe!

Once Upon a Walk in the Woods

An @lcdrarry fic written by Dexiha (me), inspired by the movie Sleeping Beauty (1959).

Word count: 15670

Rating: Teen and up

Tags/Warnings: Sleeping Curse, Blood, Imprisonment, Sleeping Beauty AU, Lights Camera Drarry 2022, Various POVs, Not Canon Compliant, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, Fairytale AU, Devious Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy Being an Asshole, Good Parent Narcissa Black Malfoy, Regulus Black Lives, Sirius Black Lives, Happy Ending, Other Ships Not Mentioned in the Tags: Wolfstar

Summary:

It was prophesied that before the sun set on Draco’s eighteenth birthday, he’d fall victim to a curse which would send him into a deep sleep from which he’d never wake. At least, that’s what his father had told him for as long as he could remember. And it was the reason his parents kept him locked inside of his rooms.

Prompted by @missfreefairy

Link to Ao3: Here

Excerpt:

His favourite time to be outside, though, was in the evenings at the end of August. With the sun warming during the day, the temperature was always perfect all through the night, and leftover aroma of summer hung in the air, but Draco could still smell the hints of the dawning autumn. It felt like change, and every year, he wished that his confinement would pass with the summer. It never did, and having his hopes crushed hurt increasingly much each time.

Thank you to everyone who have already read this fic and who have left kudos and comments.

Thank you to missfreefairy for prompting this. I hope I did it justice.

Thank you to the mods for running this year's fest. You did amazingly well!

Thank you to my betas and alphas, @ladderofyears @ununquadius and @all-drarry-to-me

The cold of winter is fading, the season breaking as the world prepares itself for spring. Spots of snow can still be seen on the fields outside their house. Every morning, they still wake to frosty grounds, but during the day the sun melts it away. Little by little, life is returning to the valley.

A blue tit flies past with a small twig pinched between its beak. Various other passerines are eating seeds from the bird feeders by the edge of the porch.

Draco absolutely loves to spend mornings like this, sitting in his chair, enjoying the lack of rain. The patio faces south, so the sun shines the most pleasantly on him during this time of day. On the other side of the house, there is a balcony which he can use to savour the afternoon sun too, but there’s something about the morning sun that fills him with a sense of peace.

Some days, he finds himself solving a crossword or two while he’s out here, and other days he opts to do handicrafts. Today is one of the latter days.

He’s working on a gift for the newborn Rose Granger-Weasley; a crocheted pair of shoes. He hopes Ron and Hermione will appreciate them. He’s not even using magic to weave in the loose threads!

“Draco? Are you on the porch again?” Harry calls from inside the house.

Draco doesn’t answer, because of course he’s on the porch. Harry knows he won’t get a reply to a question he already knows the answer to.

“You still working on the shoes?” Harry asks as he steps out on the porch. “How’s the progress?”

“It’s currently going according to plan,” Draco smiles.

“Excellent. But enough about yarns and kids. I’ve got something for you.”

Harry hauls him up from the chair and gives him a kiss.

Draco really loves these times of day.

The last sunbeams of the day stretched over the treetops by the horizon. Everything was painted in nuances of orange and violet, and it almost seemed like the sun had stopped its journey for a moment, pausing time to cling to the view of the countryside landscape.

Despite the slight cold that was creeping in – as is ordinary during evenings this time of year – Draco couldn’t find it in myself to leave his seat on the balcony. Ignoring the occasional shiver that went through his body whenever a particularly cold breeze grazed his skin, he focused only on how golden and rich the fields of sunflowers seemed to be.

His father had never understood this kind of beauty. It isn’t valuable, he would say if he caught Draco in moments like these, because he didn’t see worth in anything but true gold, money and power.

But Lucius wasn’t here. There wasn’t anything that could disturb the peace and quiet. Even the book in his hand lay forgotten as he took in the colourful picture in front of him.

He wasn’t really thinking about anything, he was just living in the moment, yet he was lost in his head somehow anyway, because he didn’t hear the door behind him open a little wider, nor did he feel the shift of air as someone came closer. He didn’t even feel the presence of magic.

He wasn’t even aware that he wasn’t alone until strong hands grabbed his shoulders and hauled him up from his cushioned chair. Before he could wrap his head around what was going on, his assailant changed their grip and suddenly he was being hugged firmly.

Coarse stubble scratched against his skin as someone snuggled their face into Draco’s neck. They breathed in a long, long breath through their nose, and then hummed as they breathed out through their mouth. Their breath tickled against Draco’s cheek.

“Hmm, you smell like summer, my love,” Harry murmured.

“You scared me, dimwit!” Draco huffed in response, but he made a point of leaning into Harry’s chest to show that he wasn’t actually mad. At least, that was a part of the reason. Mainly though, it was because he simply loved having Harry as close as possible, feeling completely protected.

“I’m sorry, but I really couldn’t resist. I saw you sitting there, surrounded by all that gold, and I just had to hug you. I had to grab my treasure before it disappeared with the sunlight, you know?”

“Sap.” Draco smiled.

“You love me, though.”

“Yes I do.”

“I love you too. Which is why I have prepared dinner for us. You ready to come in yet? You can tell me everything about your book. It’s a new one right? I don’t recognise it.”

You were never one to follow the rules, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, really.

Anniversaries are supposed to be happy times, but with your persistence of doing the opposite of what you’re supposed to, I should've been prepared.

We swayed close to each other, whispering smiles and stolen kisses shared between us.

The music was soft, and we were dancing alone. You had bought out the entire hotel, and the ball room was empty apart from the two of us.

I leaned in, murmured in your ear how much I loved you. I moved back, watched your eyes glimmer with happiness.

You asked me to hold your cup. You reached into your pocket. You brought out a beautiful wedding band.

I expected you to ask me the question, but you said; “Honey, I don’t feel so good,” before you collapsed into my arms.

You didn’t wake up again.