Hi, This Is Very Random But I'm Actually Writing A Dissertation On Harry Potter Fanfiction And I'm Looking

Hi, this is very random but I'm actually writing a dissertation on Harry Potter Fanfiction and I'm looking for the 'big' fics, i.e. fics that lots of people in the fandom read - the most popular/famous ones that might even have their own sub-fandom (All The Young Dudes for example). Do you know of any Drarry ones like this? Thanks in advance!

What a wonderful topic for a dissertation @realistic-but-optimistic - I would LOVE to read it if you ever publish/want to share. And I definitely have some recs for fics that have their own mini fandom and/or are ‘The Drarry Classics’

What We Pretend We Can't See by @gyzym [131k words]

Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought

This is THE fandom classic almost everyone has read and talks about. It features a redeemed, slightly obsessive, charming Draco. Grimmauld Place plays a huge role in the fic and Ron/Hermione are wonderful. Overall 10/10.

Running on Air by @tinyhistory [75k]

Draco Malfoy has been missing for three years. Harry is assigned the cold case and finds himself slowly falling in love with the memories he collects.

I genuinely do not know if any fic rec can do justice to this masterpiece. It’s so beautiful and poignant and somehow nostalgic. The language, the plot, the pining and the mystery are all breathtaking. You have to read this one yourself to believe me. This is definitely a major fandom classic.

Tea and No Sympathy [70k] by who_la_hoop

It's Potter's fault, of course, that Draco finds himself trapped in the same twenty-four-hour period, repeating itself over and over again. It's been nearly a year since the unpleasant business at Hogwarts, and Draco's getting on with his life quite nicely, thank you, until Harry sodding Potter steps in and ruins it all, just like always. At first, though, the time loop seems liberating. For the first time in his life, he can do anything, say anything, be anything, without consequence. But the more Draco repeats the day, the more he realises the uncomfortable truth: he's falling head over heels for the speccy git. And suddenly, the time loop feels like a trap. For how can he ever get Harry to love him back when time is, quite literally, against him?

If you like Groundhog Day style fics, this is the winner! It has over 32k kudos on AO3 which is INSANE! It’s super well written and keeps you hooked until the very end. And it’s not just this one, every fic by this author is a classic in its own right. Especially ‘written on the heart.’

Right Hand Red [73k] by @lqtraintracks​

Harry felt Malfoy's breath on his lips as they came together over the bottle, hands firmly planted on the floor as though they each needed their familiar soil, refusing to cross into enemy territory.

Except that Malfoy no longer felt like his enemy.

Malfoy felt inevitable.

No rec list can be complete without an eighth year fic. The fandom is FULL of eighth year fics and they’re perfect for anyone craving a Harry Potter continuation but with Drarry. This is one of my absolute favourite ones. It features a lot of party games and it’s really nice to see Harry and Draco have a chance at a normal school year for once, something they’ve been robbed of for so many years. There’s a lot of pining and healing in this one and I felt all the feels when I read it. 

Away Childish Things [151k] by @letteredlettered

Harry gets de-aged. Malfoy has to help him.

This one. This one. THERE ARE NO WORDS BUT I WILL VALIANTLY ATTEMPT. I love it. It explores Harry’s childhood in a way very few fics have managed to and it really really tugs at the heartstrings. It’s gorgeously written and evokes so many emotions. Please read this one.

Stop All the Clocks (This Is the Last Time I’m Leaving Without You) [44k] by @firethesound

Living with Draco was difficult; living without him is unbearable. But if there’s one thing Harry learned from the war, it’s that even when one life ends, the rest of the world goes right on living.

Full disclosure- I haven’t read this and I don’t know if I ever can. It features MCD (main character death) and I really struggle with reading fics that don’t have a happy ending. Having said that, it is a fandom classic and everyone who has read it, RAVES about it. They say it’s gorgeous and beautiful and devastating. What I can confirm is that firethesound is an amazing author and I have read several other fics by them which could also be considered fandom classics. Especially ‘All Our Secrets Laid Bare’ which is the ultimate Auror partners fic and ‘A Convenient Impracticality’ which is the ultimate fake dating/friends-with-benefits fic. 

Dwelling [83k] by aideomai

Curses, James and Lily Potter ride again, several Ministry balls, a teenage Summer of Love, a grim young adult dystopian winter, a few different Draco Malfoys, secrets and the problems re: not having any, alternate lives, impossible lives, real lives, allusions to Dirty Dancing, and just because it's not called the Mirror of Erised doesn't mean you shouldn't know better.

Oh my goodness, this fic ruined me. In the best possible way. If you want a glimpse into how Harry’s life could have been if his parents had been alive and if Harry and Draco had been friends from the start, this is the one. There's a huge twist which makes the fic EVEN better. I don’t want to spoil too much but this one is worth a read. Another fic by the same author, ‘Far From The Tree’ is also gorgeous. It’s a newer fic so I wouldn’t say it’s a classic yet but the plot is SO unique. It features Harry’s grown up kids coming back into the past and how that could affect Harry/Draco’s relationship. All the characters are super well written and it’s one of my personal favourites!

Other notes:

I made a Drarry rec list when I first got into the fandom. I would say almost all the fics on this list are also classics/very well liked. 

Another great way to find classics are through this link. They are Drarry fics on Ao3 (30k+ words) sorted by the number of kudos they’ve received. I would say all fics on the first five pages can be considered classics. 

Here are three other SUPER adored authors in the Ao3 fandom: Bixgirl, Saras_Girl and GallaPlacidia

All works by Bix and Saras_Girl are considered classics. GallaPlacidia started writing for the fandom only a couple of years back but she has such a knack for writing both these boys, it’s absolutely insane. I’m 100% confident her fics will be considered classics in a few years! Especially ‘The Bucket List’ and ‘Ship of Theseus.’

Enjoy and hope this helps!!

Aaron getting into medical school and leaving exy behind at Palmetto. He makes some friends, of course, and he doesn’t feel the need to mention to any of them that he’s family friends with multiple professional exy players, including the son of exy himself Kevin Day. He’s moved on from exy and while he’s proud of the Foxes he doesn’t want to be known for it while starting this new adventure.

But obviously he’s not gonna cut ties with the Foxes, so he continues to text them and call them and he’ll be included in some of their social media posts and occasionally he’ll post something with them in it. And his new classmates and friends start to catch on that he’s the Aaron Minyard, former starting backliner for the Palmetto State Foxes NCAA champions, brother of one of the best goalkeepers in the league and close friend of many other professional players.

And Aaron absolutely dreads it when they connect all the dots. Like he refuses to acknowledge that he knows them. People will ask him like “omg do you really know the Kevin Day?” or “is all that stuff about Neil Josten true?” or “are you actually Andrew Minyards twin?” and he’ll just deadpan stare at them and just go “who?” Even worse when someone tries to treat him like a celebrity or ask him about his time as a Fox and he just gives them the most disgusted stare until they eventually walk away.

Yet he’ll keep posting with them he even increases how much he posts with them because he proud of them because he thinks it’s hilarious to watch people get pissed off at him for pretending not to know who they are and then turning around and posting a picture of himself at their games or on their annual vacations.

And when Kevin signs with the team that’s located in the same city that Aaron’s in they start hanging out all the time. They’ll go out to a bar and his classmates are shocked that this kid from their anatomy class is taking shots with Kevin Day. Aaron will just ask them “who” when they confront him and immediately turn back to Kevin to continue their conversation.

Idk just something about Aaron being this random med school kid with 3 of the best professional Exy players trailing him is my favorite thing. Also him being proud of his foxes and showing it in his own asshole way

A bit of Andreil character design from earlier today because why not 🦊

Andrew is a vans boy

ultimate dream team fic list

all fics have been curated by me as of 23/08!

apocalypse/end of world/zombies AU

let the world burn by TheAnonFanOn

minecraft but in real life

manhunt 3v1 (gone sexual) by Anonymous000000000

manhunt (gone sexual… again) by Anonymous000000000

training by Anonymous000000000

all i need is you by KittyKrazy

free the game, beat the end by goatgoatwasfound

allies and more by hiyacaramel (NSFW)

if only i could by enonymous

can we hunt? by yukako

ignore it. by Anonymous

scented smoke from dead by Closeted_Bookworm

the beginning? by amooniesong

manhunts with benefits by carbonbrine

a hero divided by amooniesong

shorts (<1,500)

and you’re gonna be happy by anonymous 

oh my god they were roommates by Rei (Arterra)

august slipped away… ‘cause you were never mine by InAGetawayCar

cold december weather by A_small_cabbage

often i am upset by anonymous

the sound of our love by rampageking

bad movies and purple hickies by dreamnotfound (NSFW)

awkward by 1_800_HOTLINE

don’t change my phone wallpaper by ThatOneWeirdWriter

liar (not on purpose) by rain_morpheus 

a drunk man’s words is a sober man’s thoughts by Zorse_not_here

oh, you little things by samdooodles

chaos by LlamaLamma

dear, hold me by vdearest

cozy by JSparks

the sleep that had finally settled by mwolfeo

sleepy dream by Flandusgirl

I can find comfort in your arms, in the shape of your heart, in the curve of your neck by colourspaz

sleeptalking by giacomettisteve

sorry not sorry by milkteacrystals

meeting for first time (george in florida)

there is more beauty past the surface by colourspaz

day dream by bakedbeanbuild

pancakes for dinner by hendollana

lovesick (the beat inside my head) by meridies

colors of florida by ndestroya

i want you only here and nowhere else by hiyacaramel

happy birthday dream by Moonl1ghtwastaken

the problem wasn’t the plan by jamingbenn

forever would be nice by jbird181

you have got to be kidding me by TheAnonFanOn

7 minutes in heaven, but it’s 7 days in flordia by Ship_On_The_Sea

inhibitions make for interesting situations by Ship_On_The_Sea

night terrors by ggaydennnn (TW)

don’t call me sweetheart (dreamnotfound) by passmethemolly

his butterflies by kumibladder

my beestings by kumibladder

burnt cookies by QueenOfFluff/Ship_On_The_Sea

bread crumbs || dream not found by blinderror

it was only a fic by imagineitdear

meeting for first time (dream in england)

feeling by amooniesong (TW)

how to cuddle 101 by Diamond_Sylvie

take the L by dontrollthedice

earn the W by dontrollthedice 

the consequences of spontaneously flying to a foreign country by caffinefeverdream

i won’t regret it by LateNightMonthly 

chasing snowflakes by passmethemolly

finally intertwined by sapnap

furry shit

a quiet kind of love by 4amsprite

the run by Wolfleap

assassins/killers/FBI agents

you missed by Lilbug

i missed by Lilbug

cowboy/historical

hand in unloveable hand by antsu_in_my_pantsu

thanks, bastards! by antsu_in_my_pantsu 

DnD/fantasy

Chaotic 12 by AkikoKotodame

the dragonborn’s tale by freelyf4llen

protected by Anequa

stream moments/video moments

you deserve better by rocket_pop

minecraft, but every time i take damage, my IQ goes down by rosetalon

pet names by ThatOneWeirdWriter

i found my by Yikes (CoralFlower)

dream hidden in your heart by Yikes (CoralFlower)

stream wars by Lillian_nator

text messages and face reveals by Lillian_nator

sunkissed (butterflies) by SanciaWasTaken

pickup lines by SatanicDoormat

motion sickness by 4amsprite

a nudge in the right direction by dontrollthedice

you love me by Anonymous

yes, mon amour? by Rei (Arterra)

Three Little Words (The Three Times George Stayed Silent, and the One Time He Didn’t) by Nyx93

text fics

[message redacted] by just your average loser 

PWP/NSFW (smut)

sweater weather by iemfo

surprise visit by koomega

surprise visit: the sequel by koomega (TW)

sweet thing by Dream_Not_Found

hanakai disease/other illnesses

but you like her better by Hopefulturtle

i just want to see you happy by chickens_for_AO3

visiting hours by amooniesong 

i’m not ready to say goodbye by NightRiser

forget-me-not by rain_morpheus

college/university/high school AUs

patches of pink by isleofdreams

you’re killing me, maybe by sapnap

meet cute/coffee shop AU

little coffee shops in big cities by Ships_On_The_Sea

dream SMP war

war by Moonl1ghtwastaken

video game AUs (the last of us)

the way you look tonight by NightRiser

the stars are out tonight by Chicken_Nuggets800

soulmate AUs

soul swapped by raquelli

off-script by mini_puffs 

00:00:00 by isleofdreams

bloom in the ocean of withering flowers by lazy_kitkat

spoiler alert by mini_puffs

social media AUs

current location by hendollana

other (no category)

sometimes it ends by giacomettisteve

the inconsistency of nothingness by icycas

the way the daisies flow in the wind (dont let the fire rescind) by Anonymous

What? by Anonymous 

heavenstruck by dontrollthedice

limbo by isleofdreams

in your dreams by dontrollthedice

dreams come true by dontrollthedice 

the mask by TheStarvingWriter

never seen your face (until you disappeared) by rubber_duck 

the chocolate raisin production line by dontrollthedice 

roommates (living together)

am i dreaming (dreamnotfound) by Salsablock

Hogwarts Eight Year (part 3)

More, more, more eight year fics!! I just love them so much. Hope you enjoy:)

Helix (Saras_girl) (E, 92k)

Seven months after the end of the war, Harry is feeling lost. Fortunately, he is about to be offered an unexpected and sparkling chance to find himself again.

Seven Steps (DorthyAnn / @dorthyanndrarry) (E, 134k)

It started with just seven steps to try and win Potter’s affection, but life and relationships are rarely as easy as a checklist on a piece of parchment.

The Romantic Prawn Who Loved Christmas (bixgirl1 / @bixgirl1) (E, 39k)

When Draco, forced into sharing a room with Potter for the year, finds out that Potter has a sleepwalking problem, he expects the odd conversations and the weird games of chess.

What comes as a complete shock are Potter’s other activities…And why he seems so intent on having Draco join him.

You cannot save people, you can only love them (heyitsamorette) (E, 51k)

Upon returning for Eighth Year, there are so many strange things going on with Malfoy, Harry doesn’t know where to start. He won’t talk to Harry, but he’s talking to ghosts. He won’t apologize for his past, but the Black Family tapestry has crossed him off its tree. And the worst of it all, he still has that infuriating, snotty mouth on him that gets Harry’s dick hard as a rock drives Harry insane.

Sex and the Art of Castle Maintenance (birdsofshore) (E, 14k)

“Come on, boys,” Zabini drawled. “You’re only delaying the inevitable.”

Trouble always had a way of finding Harry, and eighth year was obviously going to be no exception.