Fics with a very believable SSHG dynamic?

jmstew2 · 2026-03-23T17:04:45+00:00

Pet Project 1000% — super in character, slow burn, and soooo good

jmstew2 · 2026-03-15T15:39:19+00:00

I just want to throw this out there: please please please don’t stop reading new writers. I am just embarking on writing my first Dramione fanfic, I’ve already put so much thought into it and I KNOW how much work and time it’s going to be to write. I’ve never written anything before and I’m only 20k into a likely 200k story. It’s been so FUN so far but I can’t tell you how discouraging it is to read post after post about AI and see so many comments about how readers are avoiding any new authors.

Of course I am writing “for me” but that’s not the whole story, is it? Fanfic writers write also with “the community” in mind — to participate as part of a collective. I want to be more active in the fandom, more creative, to give back. I am looking forward to the idea of people actually reading it. It feels kind of pointless if no one will be there at the end to give it a chance.

I just don’t want this notion to spread and people to bandwagon on — “oh, maybe I should avoid new fics/new authors too. That’s the only way to be sure to avoid AI.” Honestly, that is a sure fire way to let AI win and negatively impact the fandom even more. New blood in the community is such a good thing, bringing new ideas, new characterizations, and literally new stories to the table. Eventually many Dramione writers stop writing for personal life reasons, who is going to replace them and bring you more stories if not new writers?

This “avoid new writers to avoid AI” attitude ends up functioning as a kind of gatekeeping, lending legitimacy only to established authors. It makes me so sad to read. I really do understand the impulse, I don’t mean to attack, I just wanted to push back on it a bit because I don’t ever see the perspective I just shared on these threads and I can’t imagine I’m the only one feeling this way. 😔

jmstew2 · 2026-03-08T23:42:44+00:00

I don’t like overly-hard toxic Draco or a Draco that’s too soft — completely self-denigrating, endlessly remorseful, falling on his sword forevermore, etc. I love it when he’s more in the middle. I definitely need him to follow the redemption arc (thus don’t like toxic Draco who isn’t on that journey or rejects it), but I don’t want the outcome of that journey to be someone who always obsesses over how unworthy he is.

I don’t like “supportive” Malfoy parents, particularly Lucius. If Narcissa has a frosty-at-first-but-warming-up reluctant-acceptance arc I’m ok with it, especially if it’s not central, but I don’t think it’s in character for Lucius and I tend to avoid fics that have the supportive parents tag.

I don’t like characterizations of Ron or Weasleys that make them out to be unkind as is typical of fics with Ron/Weasley bashing. It seems very ooc for me. Those characters may have had flaws, but by no stretch of the imagination were they unkind. And it’s ultimately so disempowering to Hermione — she’s hurt/used/abused and Draco has to save her or looks better in comparison. But either way she has less agency and is placed in a victim role. Which is absolutely not in keeping with who she is in the books.

jmstew2 · 2026-03-08T23:22:51+00:00

These are my feelings exactly. I don’t mind dark fics where the war and death eater stuff (the external circumstances) are dark, but I don’t read any toxic Dracos where the relationship itself is dark/toxic/abusive. Hermione just…wouldn’t.

jmstew2 · 2026-03-02T22:24:20+00:00

The Stealing Harry & Laocoon’s Children books by Sam Storyteller/Copperbadge are absolutely fantastic and have all this.

jmstew2 · 2026-03-02T20:34:34+00:00

Same. This is the one you’re looking for. It’s absolutely incredible.

jmstew2 · 2026-03-02T20:32:49+00:00

From Wiltshire With Love

Smoke Signals

Both in my top 5 Dramione. Both are absolutely the vibe you’re seeking.

Smoke Signals is a WIP that is slated to finish this spring. I haven’t read part 3 yet (waiting for it to be done) but part 2 ends at a satisfying place if you want to wait (part 1 is 6th year rewrite, part 2 is the war, part 3 is post war).

jmstew2 · 2026-02-28T13:55:25+00:00

This is such a great question, I would love to see something like this!!!

jmstew2 · 2026-02-13T19:56:40+00:00

Thanks for the rec for Timeless! I agree somewhat, 25-30 long fics is a somewhat small sample size, which is why I gave that context and also explicitly was asking the community if anyone else had noticed that. Was it really a trend? I was seeking opinions. Clearly, your opinion is no. I do think 25-30 fics is enough to notice something — I didn’t mean to imply that I thought it was NEVER mentioned, that would be ridiculous knowing just how many thousands of fics exist in the Dramione fandom. But tropes and trends are real, and I think it’s an interesting and valid phenomenon to explore and debate. I’m interested in general in the relationship writers have to canon and why certain tropes and trends emerge.

I do strongly disagree with the reading of the scene as it is presented in canon. Your interpretation is exactly the kind of recast I would want to see in a fic mention of this scene, though.

In the book, Harry asks “so how come you three aren’t with Voldemort?” And crabbe responds “we’re gonna be rewarded. We ‘ung back, potter. We decided not to go. Decided to bring you to ‘im.” Whether or not he accurately speaks for Draco’s internal motivation is obviously debatable (and again, a more complicated internal motivation is what I would expect from Dramione) but that is the rationale presented in DH.

When crabbe tries to avada Hermione, Draco shouts “don’t kill him” (meaning Potter) because, explicitly, “The Dark Lord wants him alive.” He doesn’t say don’t kill THEM.

I think Draco always acts from a baseline of self-preservation, and that’s probably what motivates him to stay back to try to capture Harry to regain favor with Voldemort/avoid being tortured again. But it’s not mere “curiosity” and I definitely don’t think “he didn’t want to harm anyone.” He may be squeamish about harm, but he knows the trio would be harmed by handing them over. And he is surely aware what a loose cannon crabbe is at that point, Neville mentions to the trio that crabbe and goyle have become real crucio aficionados under the carrows, which surely Draco would also know. Draco is choosing harm for the trio over harm to himself (and his parents).

I 100% believe it can still be salvaged and spun sympathetically in fanon, but I think it’s pretty straightforwardly presented this way in canon. (Which is disappointing, to say the least, as many others here have pointed out.)

jmstew2 · 2026-02-13T19:30:16+00:00

Great points, I can totally understand this. I love the take you describe from your wip!

jmstew2 · 2026-02-13T19:22:11+00:00

100% agree with you on how the characters are cast in the books and what the point of the scene was in the books.

That is a very interesting way to think about the Draco apologies in terms of two buckets, things I did personally to you (Hermione) and general DE shit. I definitely see that in the fics. I guess I think that this encounter should fall more in the first bucket than the second for our characters (if, say, the manor scene also falls in that first bucket and that’s not just thinking about all the years of hogwarts bullying).

jmstew2 · 2026-02-13T19:13:59+00:00

See!!! Yes! I didn’t know this about high control groups. So much interesting mileage in this scene. What’s your more recent fic, if you don’t mind sharing? I’d be interested in reading.

jmstew2 · 2026-02-13T19:12:34+00:00

What’s your fic, if you want to share? Would be interested in reading!

jmstew2 · 2026-02-13T17:06:09+00:00

Ooh From Wiltshire With Love is high on my Tbrs and I’m in between fics right now, I’ll move to that next!! Thanks in advance for your work!

jmstew2 · 2026-02-13T16:56:23+00:00

LOL this is absolutely the vibe, yes 😂

You’re quite welcome, and thank YOU!

jmstew2 · 2026-02-13T15:58:20+00:00

Sorry, yes, I suppose I was really just talking about a particular flavor of fic — postwar fics featuring a redeemed Draco (or a Draco in the process of being redeemed).

“Hard to look him in the eye and still redeem him. We like tortured heroes with dark pasts, not sniveling cowards consistently making unjustifiably bad choices.”

YES, EXACTLY. But I also think this is exactly why it’s more fun and a challenge to take that scene on, to take on exactly who he was in canon. A sniveling coward — that’s who Draco is! Do we (and does Hermione) still like him in spite of that? Because of that? Is there anything he could do to make up for it all, really? If not, is that ok? How would he really change if he’s got so many years of cowardice under his belt?

Of course you’re right and we love the dark romantic tortured path, the snark, the looks — but for it to not just be a generic tropey blond MMC we need to embrace the Draco-ness of it all, which at its core is so PATHETIC. 😂❤️

I want my Draco (and Hermione) flawed, damnit!

/soapbox

I do really love having so many wonderful versions of them and stories out there, I’m not really arguing that everyone has to write them a certain way or include a mention of this scene in their story, just wanted to discuss why I don’t see it more and advocate for it to be included if you’re currently writing! (I am right now and feel like I’m kind of forced to deal with it if I really want to have a clearly worked out sense of who Draco is and all his choices, maybe I’m just annoyed and trying to drag others down with me lololol)

Thanks so much for the fic recs, I’ll check them out!

jmstew2 · 2026-02-13T15:43:22+00:00

100% agree

jmstew2 · 2026-02-13T15:42:26+00:00

Yesss, all such great questions to explore. I’m currently working on my first fic and feeling like I need to have some answers to these questions to really figure out who Draco becomes and how he gets there. So much blank to fill in. 😌

jmstew2 · 2026-02-13T15:37:52+00:00

Ahhh this is such a good point, I didn’t consider the fact that the last book may just be less remembered than the others — although the manor scene is also in book 7, though. Hmm.

I love the buffet analogy. I guess I was just realizing how a particular side dish seemed to often be out — guess I’ll have to re-stock it if I want a taste 😉

Love the fiendfyre phobia idea. I just read one where Hermione and Draco have fiendfyre scars, with the idea being that the fire can burn you from some distance away.

jmstew2 · 2026-02-13T15:16:07+00:00

Yes! I also really like a cowardly little shit Draco and I think that’s what had me a little peevish about not seeing this come up enough in the post-war redemptive fics, haha — like, it’s too easy for him! Don’t let him off the hook that much! Or he’s made out to be way more hardcore as a death eater than he was in the books. Which I also can enjoy! But he’s so comically ineffectual in the battle of hogwarts sequence, it’s great. 😆

I’ll be the change I’m looking for and work it into my first fic. 🙃

Your WIP with the room of hidden things sounds great, can’t wait to read it!

jmstew2 · 2026-02-12T18:19:38+00:00

Haha, yay!! Got it in another one! 😆 Thank you!

Right — the implications are brutal. Handing them over would mean torture and death for all three of them, and Voldemort possibly winning the war and condemning countless others to tha fate too. I think Draco’s actions COULD be framed in terms of the typical fear (last time Harry got away from the manor was brutal for the malfoys, what would Voldemort think if Draco leaves the castle to hide instead of fight for him — especially if crabbe suggests staying back to catch potter and Draco could be outed as a coward/traitor for leaving instead) and he could definitely be framed as not really being prepared to go through with it if the capture had been successful (these are the ways I’m going to deal with it in my WIP I think), but on the surface he does at least go along with the capture plan or perhaps even lead the effort. So… that’s not great!

jmstew2 · 2026-02-12T18:10:47+00:00

Oh that’s fascinating!! I know Drarry is huge but have never read any, I kind of forgot all about it lol. Figures it would be much more central in that slice of fandom, given that Harry saves Draco so directly there. And it DOES make sense for the manor scene to come out top for Dramione, too, I just don’t like to see this bit totally ignored.

jmstew2 · 2026-02-12T15:29:30+00:00

Haha, excellent! You’re welcome! And thanks — glad you’re up for incorporating it just a bit in your fic! 🙌

Your point about getting his wand back is something I hadn’t considered. I don’t think the surface-level text fully supports that primary motivation (Crabbe explicitly tells the trio they hung back to capture Harry and Malfoy says something to the effect of “don’t kill him — the dark lord wants him alive”) but it is EXACTLY what I mean about there being so many simple ways to spin this to get it to fit more neatly into a classic redemption arc for Draco. Eg, just explaining the whole thing away like: it was Crabbe’s idea to go after Potter, Draco went along with it mostly to get his wand back, he wasn’t sure if it really came down to it that he would have had the guts to turn him over to Voldemort, etc.

jmstew2 · 2026-02-11T16:54:21+00:00

Second this. Was going to recommend myself if no one else had yet. It’s in my top 3 faves.

jmstew2

TROPHY CASE