April Recs Part 3
April's been a terribly busy month for me and I've not read much, so I'll be drawing upon some of the fics I've enjoyed in the past for this post.
Title: Stray Cat, Pierced
Author: Lynst Holin
Rating: R
Word Count: ~63,000+
Warnings: References to past child abuse and domestic abuse (mild) and erm, misguided masochism?
Summary: 2 years after the Battle of Hogwarts,the after-effects of Voldemort's reign of terror have caused changes in everyone Harry knows. No one has changed more than Draco, with his new gothic look, new name, and desire to live as a Muggle
Why I loved it: It's adorable! It's the kind of fic I usually go for whenever I'm consumed by the weird craving for flangsty fics with a bit of humor and drama on the side. Plus, I've always had a thing for what I normally call, perfect imperfection; where the boys aren't portrayed as superhuman Heroes or Gods who could do no wrong or as physically perfect Super Models. As adorable as the plot is - a Cute!Gothic!Muggle-ish!Draco with a penchant for very alley cat-like behavior and a Pining!Harry - the primary underlying concern behind the cute stuff is guilt and regret. Both Harry and Draco have their hang ups about life, commitment and sexuality issues. Draco, in particular, has the worst hang ups ever and as usual, they affect Harry too, in one way or another. Yet, while it does make Draco look extremely flawed and partly broken, it doesn't make him look overly piteous. Naturally, at least some measure of wretchedness had to be woven into Draco's character in order to properly reconcile his character with the many, many issues but it isn't the hopelessly pathetic type. He refuses to be saved. And that's what I truly liked about this fic.
Excerpt(optional):
The boy smiled, exposing pointed canines. "You remember me?" The tattoos on his arms were thorned vines that looked like they were erupting through his skin, complete with trompe l'oeil blood droplets and flesh shreds. They completely obscured his Dark Mark.
"How could I possibly forget?" Harry nodded toward the table where the middle-aged businessman sat, looking less than pleased at being left alone. "Dealing with your daddy issues?"
"Robert takes care of me," Draco said airily. His wash-worn shirt gapped at the neck, showing how much his clavicles stuck out. There was a fragility to the blond boy. Harry was sure he could circle one of Draco's forearms with his thumb and index finger.
"Your father popped into my office the other day."
"That must have given you quite a turn." When he spoke, a tongue piercing glinted inside Draco's mouth.
"Your mother is worried about you, apparently."
Draco grimaced. "They're trying to marry me off. To a woman."
"Um, do they know that you're..."
"Queer? Of course. But Father says it's like breeding dogs. The sire doesn't have to love the bitch to make a litter."
Harry winced. It reminded him a bit too much of something nasty Vernon Dursley's sister had once said to him. "That's so romantic. Does he know that you're a Muggle now?"
Draco was watching his older lover, who was getting up from his table. "He knows I've left the wizarding world."
"Seriously?"
"I threw my wand in the Thames."
Title: Ex Libris
Author: Zsuzsi
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: ~26,000+
Warnings: Explicit M/M sex?
Summary: Harry's a Quidditch player who runs across Draco working in a quiet bookshop on the end of Diagon Alley. A low-key, no-fuss romance.
Why I loved it: It's Harry and Draco and a bookshop!! Duh. What's not to like about that?! Anyways, for the sake of putting that into a proper explanation... First off, I have a huge thing for a post-war!down-on-his-luck!Draco, looking to redeem himself or pay off his past crimes. Ex Libris has a poor!Draco in tattered robes working in a small and isolated little bookshop because no one else wants him. Still, Draco being Draco, is all passive-aggressive and resilient about everything that Fate has to throw his way. Instant deal breaker, that. I adore the premise! And sweet Harry is so very curious about all things Draco Malfoy that he just can't help but visit that little bookshop almost every day! Along with gorgeous characterizations of both Harry and Draco, there's a very cute, very interesting little OC - in the form of a thirteen year old little Squib girl, whom Draco adores. Through her, you get to see the soft, tender side of Draco Malfoy and if that doesn't make you proud of him and your heart is made of stone. As an added plus, the bookshop is filled with Old Magic and sentient books and other extremely intriguing forms of magic! Imagine Flourish and Blotts but with a much more 'antique' feel to it. Sort of like what it would feel like to walk into a bookshop in the 17th or 18th century, with piles and piles of books in old printing everywhere... plus magic!
Excerpt(optional):
There was no response. When Harry looked over, he saw that Malfoy seemed engrossed in the paper -although Harry didn't doubt that was an act. Frowning, he went back to looking at the shelf. The books were arranged totally haphazardly. Really, Malfoy must be a pretty incompetent employee: not that that was surprising, really, since he probably hadn't much work experience.
One of the books gave him a little push, a shiver of energy that went up his finger as he ran it over the spine. "Hey, I can feel them."
That got his attention, all right - Malfoy looked up, his eyes narrowed in appraisal. So did the girl in the corner, her dark eyes wide.
Malfoy walked over to where Harry was standing, and touched his own hand, tentatively, to the same book Harry was touching. Harry was struck by how much thinner, and paler, Malfoy's hand was below his, almost touching.
"You see, Potter", Malfoy said, light and mocking, but somehow also fond, and Harry felt obscurely pleased that his question had moved Malfoy to civility, "Wizarding books, as you know, may possess some enchantment, but more subtly, they take on a little of the magic of their authors, and at times of their readers as well. Even a muggle book may gain some magic, as it passes through the hands of wizards who touch its pages, listen to its words, and fall under its spell for a while. After a while, the book may even seek its own readers -gently calls out to the ones who will best appreciate its tale." Malfoy tapped the spine of one, as if it were an old friend. "Somehow, such books end up here, and similarly, somehow the people meant to read them also come. That is probably what you felt."
He looked at the girl in corner when he said that, though, as if he was telling her more than he was telling Harry. She blushed, and hid her face in what she was reading. Harry couldn't help but look at the pile of volumes stacked around her, and wonder if she felt something in all of those books.
Harry nodded slowly. "So that book - Wharflington's book - it was calling to me?"
Malfoy shrugged. "A quidditch autobiography: you're the perfect reader for that." He hesitated for a moment, before adding, "I read it too, when I first worked here."
Harry felt the corners of his lips twitching upward.
"So, is that how did you ended up here, then? The books call you too?"
Malfoy shrugged. "It's just a job." He slid a book he had been toying with back into its place on the shelf. "But yes, I like them."