Fic Rec Fridays 2018 - part 30

[katajainen]

Things Worth Knowing by @femmequixotic and @noeeon
Word Count: 164,523
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Summary: After the Battle, Harry thinks he’s left Hogwarts for good, but Minerva insists that all students return for an Eighth Year if they wish to sit for NEWTs in the spring, and Harry needs those NEWTs to go into the Aurors. Draco’s just grateful not to be in Azkaban. Or the Manor. He’s hoping he can steer clear of Potter this year and grapple with his own problems. Unfortunately for him, Potter appears to be one of those problems. And that’s not even addressing the fact that Potter’s got serious issues of his own, which Draco realises as he’s forced to share an Eighth Year dormitory room and several classes with the Gryffindor Git. If only they can make it through the year without killing each other, it should be all right, shouldn’t it?
Author’s notes: Written for @shiftylinguini in the 2017 @hd-erised fest. We are incredibly grateful to our amazing betas, @sassy-cissa, @o0o-chibaken-o0o, and @bixgirl1. You are all treasures, and your encouragement, speed, precision, dedication, and irreverent humour has meant the world to us. Shifty, we couldn’t have asked for a more amazing giftee–it was an honour to write for you, and we’re sorry it’s so LONG (that’s what Draco said…) Seriously, though, we have tried to tailor to your exact wants and prompt ideas, and we sincerely hope you enjoy the result! All mistakes are our own, and no magical creatures or their habitats were harmed in the making of this fic. Also the HD Erised mods are paragons of justice, proofreading, and wit, and we are beyond grateful for the extra time to complete this monster fic of monsters. Title is from The Hogwarts Song.

Read on AO3.

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First off, this is easily one of the best 8th year stories I’ve read. Like ever. It doesn’t try to embellish the post-war reality, but rather tackles difficult issues (anti-Slytherin bias, personal feuds, homophobia) head-on, without giving in to the temptation of easy resolutions.

Because the students returning to Hogwarts are all war-scarred in their own way; hurting, confused, grieving -- Harry and Draco perhaps more than anyone else. Add to that the reality of being eighteen and trying to find your own identity and place in the world, and you get realistically portrayed characters who make stupid hurtful mistakes - and come up with quite brilliant ways to make up for them.

Second, I love a good slow-burn romance, and this is an excellent example of the genre - but it’s tagged “Frenemies with benefits” for a reason. (So you get both the pining and the hot stuff, which made me feel quite the spoiled reader.)

An finally, there’s a well-rounded cast of supporting characters (including a few OCs to die for), some quite nice subplots, and the whole thing is wrapped up in beautiful, flowing prose that makes that 160k read incredibly smoothly... so what are you all waiting for? Do yourself a favour and go read the thing already!

[Text above line copied over from the authors' original Tumblr post.]