#ooru

OORU drarry spend Christmas Eve with the Malfoys—formal, stuffy, suffocating. Lucius and Narcissa are not fans of Harry but Draco has made it clear that if they are not both welcome, neither will attend. It’s all very polite and painful. Everyone is trying; no one is certain it’s worth it. Christmas Day, however, is spent with Sirius and Remus, and it’s perfect and cozy and all four of them take turns get embarrassingly sentimental about it: about finding a family and being that for each other and getting a bit weepy into his champagne. Harry loves how Draco fits in so well with his godfathers now. Harry is thinking he should ask Draco to move in with him; he feels the uncertain flare of that old fear of rejection when he considers it, finds it terrifying, and resolves to press on in spite of it.  

Gemini in Retrograde drarry are at Grimmauld, where Draco lives, with Scorpius home for the holidays. Scorpius still thinks it’s kind of gross that anyone would want to date his dad, but he’s also never had such a happy Christmas since before Narcissa died. They exchange presents on Christmas Eve; Draco and Scorprius shock each other by picking perfect presents for one another (it’s new, for them). Harry “helps” their house elf make dinner (marking the first time they’ve had an edible meal on Christmas in years). All three of them go to the Burrow for lunch on Christmas Day, the tradition that started the first year Harry and Draco were together. While Scorprius is still working up the courage to properly talk to Victoire, he has none of that shyness when it comes to pick-up Quidditch in the garden. Draco and Harry play, too—Draco flies all the time, now. Harry is still better than him. 

Isle of Ogygia drarry are at the lighthouse, still — ostensibly they’re both working on getting Draco’s sentence reduced, but both of them are more than a bit nervous about leaving the island when the time comes. Their communication about this difficult subject needs work. However, Christmas in the lighthouse is beautiful—the place has been transformed into a real home, and the spellwork has been smoothed out, and the Christmas tree that Neville helped Harry safely transport there is thriving. It’s storming outside, but it’s warm inside, and they have more food than they could possibly ever eat, and they end up not opening presents until the evening because they spend the whole day shagging. They both think they’re being very funny and clever and ended up getting each other the exact same dry, unreadable encyclopedias for Christmas. 

Löyly drarry spend every Christmas traveling somewhere new. They like to alternate between cold and warm destinations: cold places mean shopping at Christmas markets, hearty meals, and saunas if they can find them, and sex on rugs in front of blazing fireplaces; warm places mean dips in the ocean, and dinners and cold wine in the open-air, and Harry watching Draco's long, solid body turn pink in the sun in a way that makes him weak. Draco considers it his duty to become an expert in each country’s specific magical traditions; if there’s sex magic to be found, that’s all the better. Draco and Harry have been forbidden from returning to at least one country because of a public incident involving said sex magic. It was, they both think, worth it. 

Lea!! of course, anything for you. Thank you for this ask. OORU spoiler + director's cut thoughts below the cut:

I have talked about this before, but this was my very first fic, and I thought it would be an M-rated fic. I was publishing as I wrote it, and the incomparable @sweet-s0rr0w was beta reading and britpicking. The scene after the Boat Race where draco + harry hook up was originally much less explicit, and sweet left a comment saying "maybe not fade to black here?" Thus the "stroke rate smut" scene was born, and the rest of the fic got more E-rated, too (thank you, sweet!).

Thank you so much for saying this! I really have no words for what that means to me.

In terms of headcanons … I like where that story ends, both with the hope of what’s ahead of them and the pervasive messiness of real life. I think they’d still have a lot to figure out. Harry isn’t quite settled into what he wants from life, and I think he and Draco would frequently have to navigate their class differences in both small and significant ways. I think Harry would chafe at the ease of Draco’s financial situation, and both of them are still not world class communicators.

But I think they’re so in love and they really do understand each other in ways that no one else does, and, perhaps most importantly, they really want this to work and are going to work at it. They just love being together and making each other happy.

so here's my question: what made you want to write au?

I'm so glad you enjoyed the fic! Thank you for letting me know, and for this ask. I appreciate it so much <3 Answer below the cut because I got rambly.

I wish I could give this amazing binding by @sits-bound aka @sweatersinthesummer the gorgeous Thames photo shoot it deserves (maybe one day) but for now here is the (in my unbiased opinion) most beautiful binding ever made. Thank you so much @sits-bound for creating this bind of Our Objective Remains Unchanged and sharing it with me.

The collage of rowing posters as the cover is inspired, the fonts are stunning, the rowing icon headers are perfect, and that cover page actually made me weep.

Our Objective Remains Unchanged

Harry/Draco, Rated E, 46K

Harry Potter, returning member of the Oxford University Boat Club, has two goals for the spring of 2005: beat Cambridge, and beat Draco Malfoy. Perhaps not in that order.

“I don’t know why the coaches are insisting upon this idiocy,” Malfoy finally said, almost to himself. “There’s a certain kind of breeding that merits an Oxford rower, and that’s not something I can teach you, Potter.”  “There’s a certain kind of man that makes an Oxford rower, Malfoy,” Harry said, his voice even, though he felt shaky all over. “Only one of us has been anywhere near the Blue Boat, and it’s not you.” 

Tags: Muggle AU, University, Rivals to Lovers, Rowing, Past Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Minor Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Classism, Self-Hatred, Period-Typical Homophobia, Edging for sports reasons, Blow Jobs, Drinking, Hand Jobs, Anal Sex, Poetry

Thank you so much to my absolute inspiration of a beta-reader/britpicker/cheerleader @sweet-s0rr0w, and thank you to everyone who read along and enjoyed this story!

Harry Potter, returning member of the Oxford University Boat Club, has two goals for the spring of 2005: beat Cambridge, and beat Draco Malfoy. Perhaps not in that order.

Our Objective Remains Unchanged, Harry/Draco, muggle AU, rated E, chapter 3/8

“It will be months before the Head Coach’s mind is made up. I recommend you both think very hard about what it is you are putting at risk if you exceed your current training regimen. Am I understood?”

Harry Potter, returning member of the Oxford University Boat Club, has two goals for the spring of 2005: beat Cambridge, and beat Draco Malfoy. Perhaps not in that order.

Our Objective Remains Unchanged, Harry/Draco, muggle AU, rated E, chapter 2/9

“I have every right to be here,” Harry growled. “Your Daddy might have rowed for England, but it doesn’t make you any more suited to this team than I am. I’m not sorry that I’m better than you are.” “You aren’t,” Malfoy said, his arms crossed, his voice cold as ice. “You aren’t a better man than me, and you certainly aren’t a better rower, and it won’t be long before the coaches end this farce and kick you down to the bottom of the ranks where you belong.”