Mini-theme: Tie-Switch Reveal (Draco/Harry)
Since I seem to be almost out of lists to make, I thought I'd do a little mini-theme list. Just a set of three ficlets that on the surface seem to tell the same story, but actually showcase just how differently the same story can be told in the hands of different authors.
What's cool is how very dissimilar each of these ficlets are, even though they all involve more-or-less the same crucial incident: that of the boys inadvertently wearing each other's tie by mistake and thus revealing their previously secret relationship to the Hogwarts student body.
Note that the second and third fics in this list were both inspired by the same tumblr gifset that went viral in July 2014.
Title Author Rated Length Pub Date
Shame faithwood NC-17 1,700 3/16/2012 Draco can handle it, as long as they do it under the cover of darkness. Broom cupboard sex. Some angst. 2nd person PoV.
The Ties That Bind Us
dracoxlovesxharry PG 1,200 7/29/2014 In which Harry dresses a little too quickly after some alone time with his secret lover.
Tie Me Up in Knots lauren3210 NC-17 2,000 10/29/2014 “Harry, are you wearing a Slytherin tie?”
faithwood's Shame was written earliest, and indeed pre-dates the gifset that inspired both of the two subsequent fics. Shame is also quite different from the other two fics because it is written with 2nd person POV, and its focus is entirely on Draco and his thoughts and perceptions.
As the title suggests, in Shame Draco can barely acknowledge that he and Harry have a relationship at all, and in fact they barely speak to each other. But once the switch happens, Draco ends up quietly wearing the wrong tie all day--almost defiantly.
Both Shame and
dracoxlovesxharry's The Ties that Bind Us are about Draco getting over his hangups. When the tie switch happens in both stories, Draco realizes it but he refrains from telling Harry or doing anything to stop it before they're caught. But that's where the similarities end.
In The Ties that Bind Us, Harry and Draco argue about going public (Harry's for it) before Draco ultimately takes advantage of the tie switch mistake to make a grand romantic gesture in the great hall. We still get primarily Draco's POV here, but it's more limited, and through his POV we also get to see a little more of Harry too. The way their relationship is portrayed makes for a sweet and endearing story.
lauren3210's Tie Me Up in Knots is the only one of the three to have the focus be more on Harry, as well as showcasing Ron and Hermione's reactions as well. It's more humorous, and also feautures a much more confident and possessive Draco than either of the other two: he didn't know about the tie switch until Harry told him, but he clearly doesn't mind at all. This is probably the hottest version of the bunch.
I enjoyed all these fics, and could probably read another dozen on the same theme without hesitation :)