Team EWE: 19. A snitch up his sleeve.

[hdcup_mod]

Title: A Hope in Hell
Team: EWE
Author: aoifene
Prompt: 19. A snitch up his sleeve.
Wordcount: 20,192
Rating: R for sex and violence
Warnings: Draco-centric.
Summary: In the aftermath of war, where extreme justice has led the way to injustice and victory has turned into complacency, Draco Malfoy finds the strength to save himself and a few others along

Comments

[jamie2109]

Bah, you kill me with your angst, my dear. How awful to have gone through everything they did to find love and then to have something so fundamental as touch so cruelly snatched away. I am glad you didn't leave the ending ambiguous, their determination to stay together is the perfect ending for this particular story, setting us up for a sequel, yes?

I really loved the progression of Draco's regard for Harry. Not a sudden epiphany, but a slow understanding and realisation that Harry was not who he'd thought, although that underlying friction between the two of them has always defined their relationship. The line that says it had always been that way between them - that they could never leave each other well enough alone, is a wonderful representation of what it is that makes all this so believable.

I like the way you've portrayed Draco's strengths and familial loyalty in this story, too. In canon we've seen how much Draco loves his family and the extrapolation into this still naive, yet determined young man, is credible. You've managed to display the very real fear he has about being seen as anything less than the dignified Malfoy he is, and introduced a real humanity to him. He's not perfect, and we would not want him to be.

But his sacrifice for Harry seemed to be very real. A mix of not letting Lestrange win, whilst being able to hold on to something infinitely more important than magic. In the end, though, the cruel twist of having the curse returning to make his sacrifice meaningless, just confirmed the conviction that they needed to stay together and the brief time the 'cure' allowed, cemented the very real feelings between the boys.

And I haven't even started on Harry yet. lol. I really liked how you gave us glimpses of Harry's changing emotional state as well, that were small enough that Draco really didn't pick up on them, although they softened his heart further. Harry doing his hero bit was expected, but it was great to see because you also showed how Draco had grown, and that this time he wasn't prepared to just wait to die, but was going to do whatever it took to escape.

The kissing was gorgeous, and the hot little scene where Harry had him pinned to the wall in the alley made me cheer seeing Harry so forceful. I like me a forceful Harry. heh.

All in all an excellent interpretation of the prompt and I am going to be the first to demand a sequel where they find Lestrange and have the curse lifted so they can be together properly. Not being able to touch is heartbreaking for both of them and you showed this so well with deeply passionate language and the very intense emotional angst Draco felt.

Loved it! ♥

Go team EWE!!!!

[aoifene]

Thank you, hon! You were such a big help with this fic. So patient when I cp a scene to you in order to gauge reaction and of course the beta work you had to do. *laughs* I'm so happy you liked Harry! You know how much I whinge about writing him.

The sequel is already in the works.

*winks*