#puncertainty

i do remember quite a bit, so I'm rather frustrated that i could not find this fic, haha

it starts off with draco going back to hogwarts during seventh year, or right before he's about to return, while the trio are off on the horcrux hunt. draco is having a moral dilemma about what it means to be a death eater — having to crucio fellow students, killing, blood supremacy, etc.

draco is extremely uncomfortable about the carrows' takeover, and there was a scene in dada in a joint class with the gryffindors where draco was made to crucio seamus. he feels very guilty and goes to help him afterward, but neville angrily pushes him away.

draco was very close to dobby and finds solice in the kitchens with the other elves as well. he was surprised to find that dobby was alive and working at hogwarts, and they had a heartfelt reunion. dobby promises to help draco escape if the need arises.

eventually, draco receives a coded letter from narcissa urging him to escape. draco overhears someone (snape? or maybe one of the carrows? or another death eater?) talk about the trio possibly being found at a specific forest. during a dada class (possibly the scene with draco crucioing seamus or could be because of crucioing first years), draco has what is essentially a panic attack and runs out, leaving his school bag and belongings behind. dobby helps him run away in a very rushed manner. there was no time to pack anything, and the elves find him random clothes to take from the laundry. they also give him a paper bag with sandwiches and a self assembling tent. dobby brings him to the forest previously mentioned, where draco tries to find the trio in an effort to help them with whatever quest they are on. i can't quite remember the order of these events, but they all happen in close succesion to each other.

draco then spends days, possibly weeks, searching for the trio across the english countryside. he tries singing/humming the hogwarts school song and calling their names to try to get their attention. when he finishes his last sandwich, draco finds that the paper bag is connected to hogwarts, and the elves replenish his food whenever he runs out. he is deeply grateful to them. draco follows random clues that lead him to muggle areas mainly (presumably because the death eaters would be unfamiliar with nonmagical places). he finds himself in a lot of places with muggle hikers and such who look at him strangely for how thinly dressed he is for the weather. eventually, he figures out that the trio may be at a location that is somehow a pun on witch. i can't quite remember. when he arrives there, he follows a muggle family who want to walk to an unfinished rock formation of some sort.

when draco finally finds them, there is only harry and hermione as ron has left them at this point. draco is yelling their names, which forces them to reveal themselves to try to stop him from causing a scene and blowing their cover. they are very wary of draco at first and do not allow him into their tent. draco is very complacent and overall just very relieved to have even found them at all.

the charms on draco's tent begin to wear off, so he has to pitch it himself instead. hermione helps him assemble it at some point as draco obviously struggles with doing it manually. after a while of close proximity, harry and hermione take pity on draco when the temperature drops and they find him shivering. this prompts them to let him in their tent, and he sleeps in ron's abandoned bunk. i don't think he returns to his own tent after this. harry and mione eventually run out of food and are about to go restock, but draco shows them his paper bag, and they are grateful to enjoy a meal other than canned and instant food.

when ron rejoins them, he is very hostile towards draco, but harry and hermione defend him, saying that he was more help than ron who disappeared on them. draco feels a bit displaced after ron returns and feels dejected when he reclaims his bunk. i think harry and draco begin to share a bed after this, but i am unclear.

i think this is getting too verbose now, so i will try to do bullets going forward. apologies.

-when snatchers find them, both draco and hermione jinx harry's face

-draco pretends that he was out searching for the trio in order to help the death eaters

-draco leads the group into the manor and demands the gates open for him

-narcissa meets them and calls draco to her while the trio are still bound

-draco stupefies narcissa and lucius in their bedroom

-dobby dies and draco is devastated

-draco tells dean that he crucioed seamus and is apologetic

-when getting helga's cup, griphook betrays them and draco places a blood curse on him. hermione is impressed by this. he does this by cursing three of his generations i believe? im quite sure he says i curse you thrice or something along those lines

-when they attempt to return to hogwarts they are almost caught, but aberforth saves them. draco tries to throw off dementors with his patronus as they don't know his but know harry's. in the chaos, there was no communication, so harry casts his anyway. aberforth deceives the death eaters by saying that it was his patronus, and the death eaters mistook it as a stag.

-when the four return to hogwarts, they meet with the da members in the room of requirement

-everyone rejoices that harry is back, but go silent when they notice draco as the last they saw of him, he was torturing one of theirs.

-i think the rest of the battle follows canon but with drarry endgame

i feel like i've just rewritten this fic through a series of poor summarizations lol but i must find it to give it a bookmark, but i fear that the author has made it hidden from google search otherwise i'm sure i'd have already found it through all the specific phrases i remember.

i remember more but was afraid of overwhelming anyone with too many details, so let me know if further ellaboration is needed. i do, however, have a bit of trouble recalling the order of events.

thanks in advance for any help finding this xx

We believe you are looking for Brave Though The Stars They Make Me by dwell_the_brave & puncertainty (108k,M)

Title: Brave Though The Stars They Make Me Author: @dwell-the-brave Artist(s): @puncertainty Pairing(s): Harry/Draco, Minor Ron/Hermione, Minor Lupin/Tonks, Minor Fleur/Bill Other Key Characters: Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Narcissa Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore Rating: Mature Word Count: ~108,000 Era: Deathly Hallows AU Content/Warnings: Non-Consensual Potions Use, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Physical Abuse, Body Horror (blood), Blood and Injury, Torture, Knives, Dark Magic, Dreams and Nightmares, First Time, Kissing, Pining, Slow Burn, Coercion, loss of appetite, Canon-Typical Violence, Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Horcrux Hunting, Canon Rewrite, POV Draco Malfoy, Sharing a Bed, Patronus Charm (Harry Potter), Dancing, Crying, Astral Projection, Draco Malfoy Redemption, canon compliant character death, lots of feeling like [you] want to scream, Desperation, Suicidal Thoughts Summary: After the events at the end of his Sixth Year, Draco Malfoy has been kept all but prisoner in his childhood home, Malfoy Manor. Alone, terrified, and desperate for some way out, he begins to have strange dreams - dreams of Harry Potter. Are they a trick of his mind? Or are they a way to change his fate, and a chance at redemption? Author’s Notes: I've often heard writers say that their writing process has been "a journey", but I never truly understood what that meant until I wrote this story. I've had this idea banging around inside my head for years - what if Draco Malfoy, at his weakest moment, developed the ability to see and communicate with Harry Potter in his dreams. How would that change Deathly Hallows? I started and stopped so many times, always displeased with the story. Turns out, all I needed was the trauma of spending over a year in isolation during a global pandemic. Funny how global trauma can fix one's writers block. I haven't seen my immediate family in over two years, and I have been alone, desperate and so very scared, much like Draco is at the start of this story. Ultimately writing this has been a catharsis, to the point where I cried when I typed the final words. I would like to take this opportunity to thank some people. Thank you for our wonderful mods, Grace and Writcraft for organising this amazing fest. When you emailed to say you'd received over 2million words, I nearly fell off my chair! To the writers over on the @harrydracobang discord - you guys have been a source of support and comfort for me while writing this. The little conversation meant more than you could ever know. To Cice/@wonderingaimlessly for your help as an Alpha - your suggestions and patience were much appreciated. To Sara/@captn-sara-holmes, my stalwart friend. Thank you for your patience and for your Beta help. I know that you're not the biggest Potter fan, but you are always safe in my stories. To @puncertainty, who created the gorgeous pieces of art you see within this story. Thank you for seeing the emotion between the words when I was struggling to. Your work has encapsulated perfect moments between these characters, and I am so very thankful. And finally to you, dear reader. Thank you for coming on this journey with us. I hope you have found some much needed distraction within these words. Please note - the title, chapter titles and even the inspiration for this work came from 'Ghost' as sung by Kate Rusby. I thoroughly recommend you listen to it - it can be found on the fic playlist, which is here Artist’s Notes: Thank you so much to all the mods and of course, dwell_the_brave, for writing this absolutely amazing story. She did quite a number on my emotions and I just hope that my art is able to convey the intensity of her writing even half as well. It has been so exciting for me to be able to work on a fic that I truly love and with such a wonderful team for my first ever bang, so again, thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone involved in this process, and to you, the readers!! Please enjoy!