8th Year
The fics are rated in the following way:
⋆⋆⋆ fics I absolutely adore, can’t fault for anything and sometimes find better than the books
⋆⋆ fics I like a lot but they just aren’t as perfect as the ones with ⋆⋆⋆
⋆ fics that are good enough for me to recommend, have original ideas and are very well-written but have something that jarred me
Reparo by amalin ⋆⋆⋆
Summary: Voldemort's final defeat does not mean Harry Potter's troubles are over; far from it. In the aftermath of war, he returns to a Hogwarts that is fractured and divided, but this is no break that can be fixed with a spell. New owls, fading scars, surprising alliances-- and along the way, the hardest task of all, to live with it.
Word Count: around 85k
Rating: NC-17
I have an extreme love-hate relationship with 8th year fics (as this rant review indicates). On one hand, they have so much potential: you can ignore the epilogue and make the story completely yours, or write it as epilogue-compliant and Drarry, and probably make it into a spectacular break up/drama/denial fic. On the other hand, however, you have all these fics which spin it as if they read a different Harry Potter series than I did.
Considering that Draco was raised in a specific way and never questioned his father’s beliefs, I can’t imagine him suddenly acting as if his mudblood sentiments have never happened. Similarly, after all the years of the animosity between him and Harry, if he suddenly fell in love with Harry, he’d probably not be all that accepting of his feelings. I can see him making Harry's life harder as a result, rather than going around making puppy eyes at him.
I cannot count the number of times I started reading an 8th year fic, got super excited and then punched in the gut by how bad and out of character it became. I can understand some changes in character as people grow up and mature, but in an 8th year fic you can’t get away with as many things as you could in a post war one (unless you’re writing a non-DH compliant AU, I guess.)
Anyway, every now and then I find an 8th year fic which I can't complain about, and re-read, and re-read, and cackle to myself while reading it, and then re-read some more. "Reparo" is like a holy grail. Draco behaves like he does in the proper books. Everything he says actually sounds believable. His relationship with Harry makes sense. I can actually imagine this being a continuation of the Harry Potter series. And I will forever die at the chocolate bath, like Draco please, really? What can I say? This fic withstood the test of time. I might even like it more now than I did when I read it for the first time, a few years back. That rarely happens.
Moving On by Lampsprite ⋆⋆⋆
Summary: An Eighth Year fic in which Draco transforms and Harry finally comes back from the dead. It’s time to move on.
Word Count:151,187
Rating: NC-17
This fic. THIS DAMN FIC. I stumbled upon it by accident, browsing random tags in AO3. The summary sounded vaguely familiar but I couldn’t remember what it was about. It wasn’t until I reached chapter 2 that I realized that I had indeed read this fic before, even if I could not remember a single thing about the plot. Now, usually that means that I forced myself to forget that the fic existed because of how bad it was. Not this time though. The only reason for my temporary amnesia was the fact that I loved this fic, it’s a WIP and has not been updated for a good year. Erasing it from my memory meant that I didn’t have to torture myself with waiting for something that might never be updated again.
“Moving on” isn’t exactly what my perfect 8th year fic should be. Normally, I would not stomach the way Draco is depicted but the author does a great job of justifying his behaviour. I might have raised my eyebrow here and there but ultimately I didn’t really care that my canon was ignored. As to the rest of the characters, I had absolutely no complains.
The romance in this fic is delightful but not the central focus for me. If the relationship between Draco and Harry didn’t progress beyond friendship, the fic wouldn’t have suffered. Everything else that happens is enough to keep one’s attention. I thought the addition of Animagus classes to the curriculum for the 8th year was a really good idea. Not to mention the new DADA teacher.
Now, I know I said it’s a WIP and therefore reading it can be quite painful once you realise that this is it. Still, it might eventually be updated and it’s definitely good enough to give it a chance, especially if 8th year fics are your thing.
Beneath Boundless Skies by blamebrampton ⋆⋆
Summary: Home is a world filled with funerals, a girlfriend who can't bear the sight of you, and people who are convinced you came back from the dead. Bugger it, even Australia sounds good.
Word Count: 29,813
Rating: PG-15/M
I can’t remember reading an 8th year fic that basically starts from the moment the last HP book ends. This fic does exactly that and it does it well. I could really see this as a continuation of the proper books.
The author doesn’t shy away from writing about the funerals, the sudden post-war fame or problems with Ginny. She also creates a delightful new part of the wizarding world: Wollongong Wizarding University. I loved the little things about the Australian wizards - their obsession with Quidditch, attitude towards wearing robes or having Houses. Harry and Draco fell naturally into place in this world. It was really fun to read.
Again, however, blamebrampton doesn’t do it for me with the romance. What she writes is a great start for a friendship, and, by the end of the fic, Draco and Harry do reach that state when a friendship is believable. I think the fic would have needed to be quite longer for the romance to feel like a development that was inevitable.
Draco Malfoy, It's Your Lucky Day by faithwood ⋆
Summary: Even though he's unarmed, injured, lost in the Forbidden Forest, and facing a possible murder charge, Draco Malfoy gets lucky.
Word Count: 37,382
Rating: NC-17
The beginning of this fic is absolutely hilarious. I was laughing out loud at most of what Draco was thinking and saying. Harry's flirting and Draco's reactions to it were priceless. The interactions were definitely on point. The theory of magic and the explanations of potions were also done really well.
What my problem with this fic was, is very simple. Certain things that happened in the forest were unnecessary. I'd have preferred this fic to have stayed under R-rating actually. I don't feel like the sex scene added that much to the plot. I generally though tend to feel that sex scenes are used way too liberally in fics. Then again, a lot of people are into fics for the sex so who am I to judge.
Room with a View by cutecoati ⋆
Summary: The portraits at number twelve, Grimmauld Place have seen many strange things over the years, but none as strange as Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy staying under the same roof while there's a war going on outside.
Word Count: 24,000k
Rating: NC-17
”Room with a View” is unusual in that it is written from the POV of one of the portraits hanging in the Grimmauld Place. I wasn’t sure if it’d would work, especially if romance was involved and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
It was a very fast and easy read. Still, the characters were fleshed-out; the one that I found the most intriguing was the portrait which narrated the story. That is quite an accomplishment.
Annus Mirabilis by renrenren3 ⋆
Summary: Harry and Malfoy are trapped at Hogwarts around the time the school was founded. Stuck with a different way of doing magic, with no chocolate, and with each other, they have to find a way to work together if they want a chance to go home.
Word Count: 39,679
Rating: NC-17
What a fascinating read. Ren’s way of depicting the castle, the food, the customs and the wandmaking were very well done and realistic. I’m sure quite a lot of research went into this story.
I can’t complain about Draco and Harry. Their behaviour was what I would expect. Probably if their relationship progressed a bit more slowly, this fic would have been even better (but I do like very long fics on principle and rarely think they couldn’t be longer).
I enjoyed “Annus Mirabilis” a lot. I absolutely love the idea behind this fic and it’s a nice change; there are time-travel fics out there but I don’t think anyone had tackled the period when Hogwarts was founded before.
(Not sure if this is more of a postwar or 8th year fic. I saw it listed as 8th year so I went with it.)
At Your Service by faithwood ⋆
Summary: Hogwarts students are in danger; Harry is determined to save them all. There's only one thing he knows for certain: Draco Malfoy is somehow involved.
Word Count: 95,752
Rating: NC-17
I’ve been mulling for a good month on whether I should rec this or not. Since I wasted so much brainpower on this fic, it’s safe to say that it couldn’t have been bad. I was even tempted to give it 2 stars but I still can’t decide if it’s worth it.
“At Your Service” might be long but it’s a surprisingly fast read. The story is fast-paced and very enjoyable. The mystery centered on the Room of Requirement is neat. Draco is great, Harry is pretty great too - yeah, why I am so stingy with my rating then, huh? I guess I like my relationships just that bit more slow-paced. Make the attraction too out-of-nowhere and I’ll feel much less partial about your story. If that’s not a problem for you, then you’ll definitely think this fic deserves a higher rating.
I wasn’t sold on the ending. The resolution was believable, considering the rest of the plot, but I didn’t much like what happened to Draco a few times and the amount of hatred displayed by some characters seemed over the top. Also, that Chamber of Secrets scenes? Nope, not my thing at all.
Last updated: 04.11.2014
⋆⋆⋆ fics I absolutely adore, can’t fault for anything and sometimes find better than the books
⋆⋆ fics I like a lot but they just aren’t as perfect as the ones with ⋆⋆⋆
⋆ fics that are good enough for me to recommend, have original ideas and are very well-written but have something that jarred me
Reparo by amalin ⋆⋆⋆
Summary: Voldemort's final defeat does not mean Harry Potter's troubles are over; far from it. In the aftermath of war, he returns to a Hogwarts that is fractured and divided, but this is no break that can be fixed with a spell. New owls, fading scars, surprising alliances-- and along the way, the hardest task of all, to live with it.
Word Count: around 85k
Rating: NC-17
I have an extreme love-hate relationship with 8th year fics (as this rant review indicates). On one hand, they have so much potential: you can ignore the epilogue and make the story completely yours, or write it as epilogue-compliant and Drarry, and probably make it into a spectacular break up/drama/denial fic. On the other hand, however, you have all these fics which spin it as if they read a different Harry Potter series than I did.
Considering that Draco was raised in a specific way and never questioned his father’s beliefs, I can’t imagine him suddenly acting as if his mudblood sentiments have never happened. Similarly, after all the years of the animosity between him and Harry, if he suddenly fell in love with Harry, he’d probably not be all that accepting of his feelings. I can see him making Harry's life harder as a result, rather than going around making puppy eyes at him.
I cannot count the number of times I started reading an 8th year fic, got super excited and then punched in the gut by how bad and out of character it became. I can understand some changes in character as people grow up and mature, but in an 8th year fic you can’t get away with as many things as you could in a post war one (unless you’re writing a non-DH compliant AU, I guess.)
Anyway, every now and then I find an 8th year fic which I can't complain about, and re-read, and re-read, and cackle to myself while reading it, and then re-read some more. "Reparo" is like a holy grail. Draco behaves like he does in the proper books. Everything he says actually sounds believable. His relationship with Harry makes sense. I can actually imagine this being a continuation of the Harry Potter series. And I will forever die at the chocolate bath, like Draco please, really? What can I say? This fic withstood the test of time. I might even like it more now than I did when I read it for the first time, a few years back. That rarely happens.
Moving On by Lampsprite ⋆⋆⋆
Summary: An Eighth Year fic in which Draco transforms and Harry finally comes back from the dead. It’s time to move on.
Word Count:151,187
Rating: NC-17
This fic. THIS DAMN FIC. I stumbled upon it by accident, browsing random tags in AO3. The summary sounded vaguely familiar but I couldn’t remember what it was about. It wasn’t until I reached chapter 2 that I realized that I had indeed read this fic before, even if I could not remember a single thing about the plot. Now, usually that means that I forced myself to forget that the fic existed because of how bad it was. Not this time though. The only reason for my temporary amnesia was the fact that I loved this fic, it’s a WIP and has not been updated for a good year. Erasing it from my memory meant that I didn’t have to torture myself with waiting for something that might never be updated again.
“Moving on” isn’t exactly what my perfect 8th year fic should be. Normally, I would not stomach the way Draco is depicted but the author does a great job of justifying his behaviour. I might have raised my eyebrow here and there but ultimately I didn’t really care that my canon was ignored. As to the rest of the characters, I had absolutely no complains.
The romance in this fic is delightful but not the central focus for me. If the relationship between Draco and Harry didn’t progress beyond friendship, the fic wouldn’t have suffered. Everything else that happens is enough to keep one’s attention. I thought the addition of Animagus classes to the curriculum for the 8th year was a really good idea. Not to mention the new DADA teacher.
Now, I know I said it’s a WIP and therefore reading it can be quite painful once you realise that this is it. Still, it might eventually be updated and it’s definitely good enough to give it a chance, especially if 8th year fics are your thing.
Beneath Boundless Skies by blamebrampton ⋆⋆
Summary: Home is a world filled with funerals, a girlfriend who can't bear the sight of you, and people who are convinced you came back from the dead. Bugger it, even Australia sounds good.
Word Count: 29,813
Rating: PG-15/M
I can’t remember reading an 8th year fic that basically starts from the moment the last HP book ends. This fic does exactly that and it does it well. I could really see this as a continuation of the proper books.
The author doesn’t shy away from writing about the funerals, the sudden post-war fame or problems with Ginny. She also creates a delightful new part of the wizarding world: Wollongong Wizarding University. I loved the little things about the Australian wizards - their obsession with Quidditch, attitude towards wearing robes or having Houses. Harry and Draco fell naturally into place in this world. It was really fun to read.
Again, however, blamebrampton doesn’t do it for me with the romance. What she writes is a great start for a friendship, and, by the end of the fic, Draco and Harry do reach that state when a friendship is believable. I think the fic would have needed to be quite longer for the romance to feel like a development that was inevitable.
Draco Malfoy, It's Your Lucky Day by faithwood ⋆
Summary: Even though he's unarmed, injured, lost in the Forbidden Forest, and facing a possible murder charge, Draco Malfoy gets lucky.
Word Count: 37,382
Rating: NC-17
The beginning of this fic is absolutely hilarious. I was laughing out loud at most of what Draco was thinking and saying. Harry's flirting and Draco's reactions to it were priceless. The interactions were definitely on point. The theory of magic and the explanations of potions were also done really well.
What my problem with this fic was, is very simple. Certain things that happened in the forest were unnecessary. I'd have preferred this fic to have stayed under R-rating actually. I don't feel like the sex scene added that much to the plot. I generally though tend to feel that sex scenes are used way too liberally in fics. Then again, a lot of people are into fics for the sex so who am I to judge.
Room with a View by cutecoati ⋆
Summary: The portraits at number twelve, Grimmauld Place have seen many strange things over the years, but none as strange as Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy staying under the same roof while there's a war going on outside.
Word Count: 24,000k
Rating: NC-17
”Room with a View” is unusual in that it is written from the POV of one of the portraits hanging in the Grimmauld Place. I wasn’t sure if it’d would work, especially if romance was involved and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
It was a very fast and easy read. Still, the characters were fleshed-out; the one that I found the most intriguing was the portrait which narrated the story. That is quite an accomplishment.
Annus Mirabilis by renrenren3 ⋆
Summary: Harry and Malfoy are trapped at Hogwarts around the time the school was founded. Stuck with a different way of doing magic, with no chocolate, and with each other, they have to find a way to work together if they want a chance to go home.
Word Count: 39,679
Rating: NC-17
What a fascinating read. Ren’s way of depicting the castle, the food, the customs and the wandmaking were very well done and realistic. I’m sure quite a lot of research went into this story.
I can’t complain about Draco and Harry. Their behaviour was what I would expect. Probably if their relationship progressed a bit more slowly, this fic would have been even better (but I do like very long fics on principle and rarely think they couldn’t be longer).
I enjoyed “Annus Mirabilis” a lot. I absolutely love the idea behind this fic and it’s a nice change; there are time-travel fics out there but I don’t think anyone had tackled the period when Hogwarts was founded before.
(Not sure if this is more of a postwar or 8th year fic. I saw it listed as 8th year so I went with it.)
At Your Service by faithwood ⋆
Summary: Hogwarts students are in danger; Harry is determined to save them all. There's only one thing he knows for certain: Draco Malfoy is somehow involved.
Word Count: 95,752
Rating: NC-17
I’ve been mulling for a good month on whether I should rec this or not. Since I wasted so much brainpower on this fic, it’s safe to say that it couldn’t have been bad. I was even tempted to give it 2 stars but I still can’t decide if it’s worth it.
“At Your Service” might be long but it’s a surprisingly fast read. The story is fast-paced and very enjoyable. The mystery centered on the Room of Requirement is neat. Draco is great, Harry is pretty great too - yeah, why I am so stingy with my rating then, huh? I guess I like my relationships just that bit more slow-paced. Make the attraction too out-of-nowhere and I’ll feel much less partial about your story. If that’s not a problem for you, then you’ll definitely think this fic deserves a higher rating.
I wasn’t sold on the ending. The resolution was believable, considering the rest of the plot, but I didn’t much like what happened to Draco a few times and the amount of hatred displayed by some characters seemed over the top. Also, that Chamber of Secrets scenes? Nope, not my thing at all.
Last updated: 04.11.2014