#eveningstruggle

to build a bower

dramione, rated t, 8.7k

She has a cat, the same ugly orange thing that she’d had at Hogwarts. She lives in a flat in Clapham Common, has a bird-feeder outside her kitchen window, and is engaged in a war of attrition with the squirrels who believe they are entitled to her Songbird’s Favourite Patio Mix. She wears glasses most days, but contact lenses when she has an important meeting. She loves hazelnut and is allergic to kiwi. She finds Ted’s golf stories tedious.

And now he can add to the Granger, Hermione entry that a piece of pale mint green glass, tossed and tumbled through a thousand ocean waves, is enough to make her stop at his desk and speak to him.

--

or: Draco stumbles across a surprising way to get Hermione’s attention.

In the Air There's a Feeling

dramione, rated T, 5k

“Still using caffeine to bribe the local business owners into liking you?” “Doing my best.” He held up his copy of the card. “Has any person ever looked less happy about Christmas than this man? His idea of nice decorations is probably a fake tree and some dusty plastic garland.” “I opened Crooks’ Book Nook four years ago, and in all that time the DABA hasn’t done anything except collect annual dues and turn down permit applications for new benches. I almost don’t want to participate, just on principle, but that’s a lot of money.” “If you ask nicely, I’ll share some of it when I win,” said Malfoy as he turned to leave. Hermione shot two fingers at his back.

or: Hermione and Draco decorate competitively.

“Really, I think it was just the way you had my back yesterday. And before. I never thought I’d be going birding again, certainly not willingly. I’m glad to have you along with me, spoon-feeding or not. It’s been—nice with you.” “That’s what most people say. Heaps of five-star reviews on Draco Malfoy, and they all read, ‘It’s nice with him.’” “What else do they say?” “Oh, loads of things. Incredibly handsome, sparkling wit, filthy fucking rich but ever so generous. Ace at almost identifying seven different bird species.”

wild sings the bird, chapter 5

She pulled the door open, and—

“Malfoy?”

“Hello, Granger,” said Malfoy.

She stood in the doorway, staring at him, trying to process what was happening. She stuck her head outside the door and looked around, as if Benjamin would be waiting down the hall. But he wasn’t. It was just Malfoy.

“What are you—doing here?”

He squinted at her and cocked his head. “You ordered me here. Yesterday. Rather rudely, but I’m growing used to that.” He watched her. “Are you okay, Granger?”

wild sings the bird, chapter 6

He put up a hand to stop her. "Did Hermione Granger just admit she likes me?" His eyes lit up, a very smug smile creeping up one side of his face, the newly-discovered dimple creasing his cheek. She directed her gaze away from the dimple and towards his hand in front of her face. Unfortunately, she knew how that hand felt on her skin: heavy, comforting, and warm. Very irritating. Disliking Malfoy-that is, drinks night Malfoy, Ministry Malfoy-was an old, familiar habit. And this Malfoy looked like Ministry Malfoy. Just a little over a month ago, she'd been waiting for drinks at the bar with him, standing just here, and it had been very easy to hate him then. But now she knew a different Malfoy-Outdoor Malfoy, "you're doing fine, Granger" Malfoy-was hiding behind the robes, and it was much more difficult to ignore all the things she was used to ignoring. Such as: how fit he was.

Wild Sings the Bird

dramione, rated M, wip

Birding is for • Weirdos • Septuagenarians • Hermione Granger (not anymore) • … • Draco Malfoy?? Hermione is fine. Really. She’s very busy these days, cancelling her wedding and avoiding her well-meaning but overbearing friends. Unfortunately, her friends have given her an ultimatum of sorts: teach her hobby-hopping yet accident-prone enemy, Draco Malfoy, about birdwatching, or suffer the wrath of constant friend support and supervision. What does it say about her life that birding with Malfoy is the better option?

hypothetically, yes

dramione, rated E, 11.8k

“Malfoy.” She pushed her frames up higher on her face. “I’ve objectively analyzed the situation—“ “What situation?” “Our situation, and—“ “What is our situation?” “The state of our relationship.” “Which is what, exactly?” “—and I’ve determined that you and I should date.”

OR: Hermione uses science to convince Draco Malfoy to date her. He's not interested.

thank you @oknowkiss for tagging me!!

I really thought I posted a lot more to ao3 in 2023 than I did, lol.

MARCH

hypothetically, yes / dramione / 11.8k / rated E

“Malfoy.” She pushed her frames up higher on her face. “I’ve objectively analyzed the situation—“ “What situation?” “Our situation, and—“ “What is our situation?” “The state of our relationship.” “Which is what, exactly?” “—and I’ve determined that you and I should date.” OR: Hermione uses science to convince Draco Malfoy to date her. He's not interested.

JUNE

Good Kisser / dramione / 843 words (lol) / rated T

Hermione kisses Draco to prove a point.

Then I posted 3 short little fics I shared last year on twitter for friends' birthdays. Even though I didn't write them this year, I'm including them because otherwise this list is really short lmao.

AUGUST

Practicum / 1.2k / rated M

"Why did you ask him to obliviate you?” “I…don’t remember. But the point is, he did it, and he mis-fired. And now I’ve lost a large body of valuable knowledge I spent years acquiring through countless hours of intensive study.” Hermione is intrigued. “What did you lose?” Malfoy hesitates, a faint flush staining his cheeks. “Sex.” She raises her eyebrows. “You forgot—sex?” OR: Draco needs a teacher.

SEPTEMBER

Romancing the Receptionist / 1.7k / rated T

Only after she escaped into the conference room and felt her shoulders drop did she realize her entire body was bracing for a confrontation. The next week, it was the same: sad eyes, a nod, tense shoulders, a flock of mischievous memos. Malfoy wasn’t gearing up for a fight. He was just trying to get through his days without a paper cut. OR: Draco has an in with Hermione’s favorite novelist.

Returning the Favor / 1.4k / rated T

“Malfoy. Will you please do me the very great honor of taking my slapginity?” “If I do, will you stop saying slapginity?” “I solemnly swear I’ll never say it again.” He heaved a sigh. “Fine. Stand up.” He stretched his arms in front of him and cracked his knuckles. “Where do you want it?” “My face.” She pointed at her cheek. His eyes widened briefly. “Fuck. Are you sure?” “Give it to me, Malfoy. And don’t be gentle,” she said, full of drunken bravado. He smirked. “I’m never gentle.” He raised his hand. OR: Hermione asks Malfoy to try something new.

Wild Sings the Bird / 27.5k (WIP) / rated M

Birding is for • Weirdos • Septuagenarians • Hermione Granger (not anymore) • … • Draco Malfoy?? Hermione is fine. Really. She’s very busy these days, cancelling her wedding and avoiding her well-meaning but overbearing friends. Unfortunately, her friends have given her an ultimatum of sorts: teach her hobby-hopping yet accident-prone enemy, Draco Malfoy, about birdwatching, or suffer the wrath of constant friend support and supervision. What does it say about her life that birding with Malfoy is the better option?

(This is my personal pride and joy, my beloved. I posted 4 chapters this year and have 18-20ish to go.)

DECEMBER

Not What It Looks Like / 5k / rated M / for dhr advent 2023