Dramione Recommendations

My absolute OTP in Harry Potter is, as it's always been, Dramione! I adore both characters and feel they have such chemistry, especially in the hands of a good writer. Please see below for particular fics that I think do them so much justice. And let me know if you check these stories out and, if so, what you think!

In a World So Cold by @WindingArrow
Length / Completed: 11,130 words / 7 chapters (complete)
Genre(s): Angst, AU, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Summary: It's been nearly a decade since the War ended. Former Death Eaters left and right are struggling to reform and reintegrate into Wizarding society. Who really suffered the most during the war? That depends on who you ask and how you look at it. So I chose to ask one Mister Draco Malfoy how he saw it.
Reasons for Recommendation: This story is stunning. It won first place in the Dramione Challenge I hosted in 2019, and for good reason. Liz crafted a world that fits within canon, but brings so much more to the characters we know so well. The interview between Hermione and Draco is a beautiful way to show the parallels and differences between their past and their present. The emotions throughout are so raw, and the scenes Liz has created are pure perfection. The juxtaposition between the hurt that Draco and Hermione are feeling and the seed of hope that there is for the future is so lovely.

in brightest shades of ochre by @TidalDragon
Length / Completed: 4647 words / 1 chapter (complete)
Genre(s): Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Summary: The search for another, across oceans and over time, always ends in discoveries never expected by those who make the journey.
Reasons for Recommendation: I absolutely adore this story. Kevin has admitted that he isn't a huge fan of Dramione, so it's even more impressive that he handles the ship so masterfully. The insane amount of skill in his diction and syntax throughout this cannot be overstated. The language is just stunning. And there's a stream-of-consciousness style in some areas that is so frantic and disjointed and perfectly shows Hermione's state of mind after the war. Kevin flawlessly portrays the raw emotion in the trauma that Hermione and Draco have experienced, and it's very, very impressive.

The One With the Technical Difficulties by @aurevoir
Length / Completed: 7061 words / 1 chapter (incomplete)
Genres: Fluff, General, Romance
Summary: Hermione has spent the past six months perfecting her werewolf legislation and has finally been granted a hearing. The last face she wants to see in the Wizengamot chamber is that of a certain blond wizard. And the last place she expects to find herself afterwards... is stranded in a lift with him.
Reasons for Nomination: Cassie is undoubtedly one of the best writers I've ever had the pleasure of reading and her stories are so freaking good. This one is no exception! It's cute and in-character and so well paced. Draco and Hermione's banter and bickering and sheer freaking chemistry are stunning. Cassie balances Hermione's canonical characterization (passionate, a bit short-tempered) with a maturity that we all know the Golden Girl would reach as an adult. And she's able to show Draco's discomfort and bumbling attempts at genuinely complimenting someone. It's amazing.  Everything about this story is so well done. You gotta read it. You just gotta. 

The One With the Frosting by @aurevoir
Length / Completed: 2885 words / 1 chapter (complete)
Genres: Fluff, Humor, Romance
Summary: Someone in Hermione Granger's division of the Department of Mysteries has a sweet tooth, because there's no other reason for 22 people to eat 60 cupcakes in less than 8 hours. She just doesn't anticipate the surprise waiting for her after making 192 cupcakes.
Reasons for Nomination: Cassie is the queen of Dramione in my book. Honestly. This story is so cute and fluffy and sweet (pun 100% intended). It's a rare look at the playful side of Draco that isn't shown in canon, and it's an opportunity for true Dramione fluff, which is rare. Hermione in this story is so passionate about solving the Mystery of the Cupcake Addict, and it's adorable and hilarious. And Hot, Tall, Sugar-Addict Draco is perfection. Like...what sort of insane person comes up with such a hilarious plot concept? Cassie, that's who. So read this story and giggle over the shenanigans in the cupcake war and enjoy!

you were good to me by @aurevoir
Length / Completed: 9540 words / 1 chapter (complete)
Genres: Angst, Song-Fic
Summary: Sometimes, even when someone is good to you, the best thing you can do is leave to heal yourself. To save them. To give them the life they deserve, even if it means watching them move on from the sidelines. 
And I'm so used to lettin' go. But I don't wanna be alone. You were good to me. You were good to me, yeah, oh.
Reasons for Nomination: Okay, so I've established that Cassie is insanely good at fluff. But she's also good at straight-up angst. I'm warning you now: this story will rip out your heart. I've rarely had such physical heartache reading fics, but this one did it. The writing throughout is so phenomenal. The characterization is perfect, especially the relationship between Hermione and Draco and their experiences with PTSD after the war. (I think it's really important to acknowledge that our characters were children during the war. That has to absolutely wreck your psyche. And Cassie doesn't shy away from that.) In addition to the characterization, the emotions in this story are absolutely visceral. You'll feel what the characters are feeling, so maybe save this one for a time when you're in a good place mentally. It's that real.

beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth by @aurevoir
Length / Completed: 23,161 words / 7 chapters (complete)
Genres: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Romance Song-Fic
Summary: 
     Psy·cho·so·mat·ic | sī-kō-sə-ˈma-tik | adjective | of a physical illness or other condition caused or aggravated by a mental factor, such as internal conflict or stress. Or by severe post traumatic stress disorder from a war against a mad-man.
     Hermione thought everything would be simple after the death of Voldemort - she and Ron, Ginny and Harry - they would all get the happy ever after that they all deserved, with little stress in life. Her brain has other ideas, causing her to constantly relive her night of torture anytime anyone touches her, or at least almost everyone. How are you supposed to handle a world where you can't touch the first love of your life or friends and move on past the psychological trauma of the past?  
Reasons for Nomination: I swear I'm not trying to just rec everything Cassie has ever written...but she's just so good at Dramione that I would be remiss to not tell you about her stories. As I mentioned in the rec for "you were good to me," Cassie is ridiculously skilled at writing angst. And this story is heart-wrenching. It's an incredibly honest portrayal of PTSD during the time after Voldemort's defeat. The ways that Cassie shows Hermione's trauma and how it manifests make it clear to us as readers that Hermione is suffering. And the lack of support from her friends only makes things worse. It's hard to read versions of Harry and Ron who fail as friends, but Cassie shows that it's very possible, especially when trauma is involved. Even as the boys fail her, though, Draco begins to help her in their stead, and the relationship that grows between them is so natural and steady. Even if you aren't a Dramione fan, you'll get why they grow closer and you'll appreciate how natural their connection feels as the spend more and more time together. This is just a lovely story.

Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot by Dark Whisper
Length/Completed: 3856 words / 1 chapter (complete)
Genre(s): Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Summary: When Draco finds out that Hermione's New Year's resolution is the same every year, he uses his private resources to secretly help her.
Reasons for Recommendation: Talk about a throwback! Dark Whisper is one of the very first Dramione authors I ever read, and this story in particular was first posted online around 2013. It's a classic Dramione in some ways, but it was somewhat revolutionary when it was first written. Back then, there weren't a lot of post-war Dramiones, so this one was one that stood out to me. Dark Whisper does so well showing Draco's growth in subtle but meaningful ways. The way his empathy for others (and especially for Hermione) drives him to do good things is just lovely. And in this story he secretly helps Hermione's quest to find her parents without ever asking for credit or praise for what he's doing. It solidifies how he feels about her before there are even any romantic moments between them. Just a lovely piece that I definitely recommend.

a boy of hans by @dirigibleplums
Length/Completed: 7187 words / 1 chapter (complete)
Genre(s): Angst, Drama
Summary: The books would paint it as something gloriously tragic. They would say that Draco is a work of art: copper stains on his teeth, wrists thin and carnations knitting together his ribs. A boy hopelessly and deliriously in love.
Perhaps that is true, but so is this - Draco Malfoy is dying and it's Hermione Granger who led him here.
Reasons for Recommendation: This story straight-up wrecked me. Before I read it, I'd thought of Hanahaki as a pretty meh trope, so I'd never checked any stories about it out. But then...plums decided to write this and sink my ship like the goddamn Titanic. The descriptions in this story are horrifyingly vivid and visceral, but so, so good. And Draco's characterization is amazing. As his feelings towards Hermione change, his emotions are so real and raw, and it will absolutely break your heart to see how in love with her he is even after all they'd been through in their past...and to realize that she'll never return his feelings. Just...wow. On top of all of that, plums manages to write a very advanced narrative with highly masterful pacing and stylistic choices. It's not really a Dramione story in the end, but you might find yourself wishing it was.

The One With the Scrunchie by @aurevoir
Length/Completed: 2777 words / 1 chapter (complete)
Genre(s): Fluff, Humor
Summary: Sharing a life is one thing. Sharing a closet is quite another. Especially when your husband’s wardrobe is so extensive it basically needs its own bedroom.
Reasons for Recommendation: Back to Cassie again for something light and fluffy and adorable! This story is amazing (as all of hers are, if you couldn't already tell, haha). This story establishes Hermione and Draco's relationship as something that's been ongoing for several years, and it will honestly make you want to read more about their past. I'm not kidding when I say that I would read 200,000 words about the obliquely referenced eighth-year that they spend together and grew closer during. Because Cassie's just the type of writer who makes you want to read every detail of a 'ship and how they got to where they are in her stories. And this particular story is so incredibly cute! Hermione and Draco live together and have a cat and are in such disgustingly adorable domestic bliss that I can't even. The way they interact is so adorable—their banter is natural and funny and they have undeniable chemistry. And the premise of the story (Draco owning an absurd amount of clothes) is hilarious.  This one will definitely make you laugh and leave you grinning. Because, just so you know, Draco owns some particularly atrocious canary-yellow wizard's robes.

The One With the Green Dress by @aurevoir
Length/Completed: 7657 words / 1 chapter (complete)
Genre(s): Fluff, Romance, Smut
Summary: Hermione Granger has told herself two things going into the Ministry Winter Solstice holiday party: (1) she is not going to drink too much champagne and (2) she is definitely not going home with a certain glib blond .... for the ninth time. When she keeps neither of those promises to herself, she manages to gain a lot more out of this night than she ever could have imagined.
Reasons for Recommendation: (Jfc, Cassie is going to come back to the forums from her hiatus and think that I am legitimately stalking her.) But really! This story is fantastic! I know I say that about literally everything she writes, but this one is different in a few ways and really excels because of them. First of all, it starts with Draco and Hermione in a friends-with-benefits (maybe friends is even too much to describe their acquaintance) relationship, but from the first paragraph, you've got your fingers crossed for them. Cassie has a way of writing character interactions that's just so genuine. Draco and Hermione have so much chemistry, and this story may even make you a Dramione shipper if you aren't one already!