Voldemort is dead and the war is considered by many to be over. Hogwarts students are in danger; Harry is determined to save them all. There's only one thing he knows for certain: Draco Malfoy is somehow involved.
This is by far the best Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy fanfic I've read so far. Not because there was such a big amount of romance, love or sex. No. Because it easily rivals the original HP books--with the little (or big) extra of the attraction between Harry and Draco.
It was gripping as hell. The plot was even more interesting and even better than one or two of the original 7 Harry Potter books.
This is a post-Voldemort, post-seventh-year story. Harry, Hermione, Ron and most of their fellow students are back in Hogwarts, for more or less their 8th year, because with the war against Voldemort and his troupes none of them was actually able to finish their last year and get their N.E.W.T.s. While Voldemort is defeated, the war's still not completely over. There are still Death Eaters out there, there's still a threat left, and it would be stupid for people to let their guard down completely. But exactly that is what most of the students, most of the people in the Wizard World in general--relieved that Voldemort has been stopped for once and for all--are doing. And suddenly ominous things are happening in Hogwarts. Each occurrence, each accident on its own wouldn't really look all that suspicious, but all of them occurring together.. This can't be a mere coincidence, Harry muses. And somehow Malfoy seems to be involved. & Harry's rather intent on finding out in what capacity Malfoy seems to be part of said occurrences. Intent on identifying the danger and not letting anybody (else) get hurt.
I don't want to spoil the reading experience, but it gets really, really suspenseful & thrilling. Harry and Draco are true to character, as are all the other characters. The plot, as already indicated, doesn't solely concentrate on the romance part, actually it's not even the most prominent part of the plot. Well, although it's there all the time and plays a big role--but more in the background of the story, in the beginning, at least. Nothing really happens between Harry and Draco until ~50% into the book. Which makes it more believable, IMO. Believe me, when I say that the plot without the romance between H&D would still be entertaining and enthralling enough on its own. Of course, this tidbit makes it all the more delicious, though.
And, although it's not really a comedy or anything similar to that, I was laughing often enough--e.g. about comments in the books, which are mostly involving Ron in one way or another. But Draco's snarky comments were amusing as well. ;D
Highly recommended. But keep in mind that this is not solely a romance, there's plenty of the typical Harry Potter action as well. There's not that much shagging, snogging or what else. Despite that, it's totally engrossing and a solid 5 star read.
SECOND FULL RE-READ 20 August 2016 Still one of my all-time favorite Drarry fics. I love how plotty it is, and how long--so there's time for character development and for the gradual enemies-to-friends-to-lovers.
Some New Favorite Quotes: Confusing they were, confused they were not supposed to be.
"And for the record, when someone kicks me, I kick them back, and I might do it more than once just because I can, but I wouldn't curse them."
"I don't think he should be expelled; I think he should be helped."
UPDATE: First re-read August 2013
I'm a little bummed that I didn't love this as much the second time through. The first half with the development of the mystery just seemed to drag this time.
The second half was still brilliant and amazing, and I still totally enjoyed it. I don't know as I'd still give this 5 stars, however, if I were to rate it today...
ORIGINAL REVIEW: March 9, 2013 Quite possibly my new favorite drarry fic.
I agree with another reviewer who said that this was very much like one of the actual books in that there's a real plot, a real problem to solve, and that the romance is just a delightful extra along the way. The former seventh-years are all back just to take NEWT-preparation classes, and are therefore unable to participate in school activities like quidditch teams or being prefects or head-boy or girl. Harry keeps noticing Draco turning up in suspicious places and tries to investigate. At the same time, he notices that Draco's life keeps being endangered and tries to protect him. Draco is delightfully sarcastically resistant to Harry's attempts at both investigation and protection.
I thought the mystery was fantastic. I was captivated by each new twist and Harry's attempts to track down what was really going on. And when it was revealed what was really going on, I was delightfully surprised and quite impressed by how imaginative the whole thing was. And by how well executed!
What makes this potentially my new favorite is how believable the relationship between Draco and Harry is. They're so beautiful together! And things progress at the perfect pace to make me really believe they're honestly coming to care for one another and that it's not just Harry's need to save everyone and to redeem Draco, or Draco's infatuation with his rescuer that are the foundation of their relationship.
Favorite Quotes: His relationship with Ginny had started like a bright spark. Harry had been so hopeful. But then, somehow, the spark had died. It turned into a thick blanket you could wrap over yourself and feel cosy and safe, but never warm enough. There was no fire to put a flush to his cheeks and heat him up down to his toes. Harry had told himself it was enough, it was better than nothing, but then he realised Ginny deserved better. She deserved fire, too.
"Oh, right," he sneered. "Another victory for the great Harry Potter! You have saved a poor Hufflepuff's life and an evil Death Eater's soul. Now, if you will excuse me, I must write a poem about your heroic deeds."
I thought, you're not so hopeless after all, Draco. There's someone who thinks you're worth saving.
Really good 8th year fic, back at Hogwarts, once again bad things are happening. This is more than just your average "Draco and Harry fight then shag at Hogwarts" story, it actually has a really cool magical mystery behind it. And I can't be the only one thinking, "oh no, not .
I think I should probably stop writing reviews for Drarry fanfiction, because they're all near 5-STAR ratings with at least one hundred mentions to how much I fucking loved the story and Drarry. But really, I did love this story. And I really really love Drarry. So I'm sorry for being repetitive.
Apart from that, what I really adored about this book was the plot. There was actually a legitimate plot that was actually separate from the romantic plot, and I can honestly say that both were pretty fantastic.
This was really a fun, comforting read with a 'mystery' that I actually hadn't figured out until the big reveal.
Anyway, I truly recommend this to you, especially if you're a Drarry fan (or maybe a closet fan). In the mean time.. be careful what you wish for.
After Voldemort's death, Harry&co. return to Hogwarts for a final semester, to get ready for their NEWTs. However, strange events keep happening all over the castle, students get attacked, a strange, hooded figure is seen around the Hufflepuff side of the castle and all sorts of mad events occur.
Read for the 2023 popsugar reading challenge, prompt #25 A book with just text on the cover
I’m Convinced either Faith Wood or Sara’s Girl (another absolutely fabulous Drarry author) is Rainbow Rowell. The quality of both of these authors is nothing short of very successful published author quality. The vibe Faith Wood always goes with for Draco is always the unreformed git version who’s still unhinged but human. The banter it’s always great and if you ever miss the HP tone but want to read more mature adventures with a serious dose of plot and some perfect Drarry loving pick this one up. The story itself is so lush with details that just FEEL like the universe readers know and love.
A lot of people said in their reviews that this story sounded and felt like a true Harry Potter book, but I have to disagree. It doesn't sound like HP story at all. And that's okay. The writing style is different. The way the story is told is different (for one thing J.K.Rowling have never explained magic the way it is explained in At Your Service). But it's all doesn't really matter. You can read this fanfic without connecting it to real Harry Potter. It wasn't bad as mystery goes. Though, one part regarding vampire was way too obvious. And the other part was a bit over the top, but still entertaining.
Each JKR's stories about Harry takes place during the whole Hogwarts year. Here, however, everything happened before Christmas. From the epilog you can guess that their troubles stopped before December. So it took 3 months for Harry to fall over Draco. Or to realize he had feelings all along and they just sprang out into the open now. We have no idea when Draco started drooling over Harry though.
The sex was awkward. They kept coming in their pants and the first time they are together virgin Harry fucked Draco. I am sorry, but I did not believe in their romance. I really wanted but the author failed to deliver. In my opinion anyway. Considering everything that was happened in the story, I think they would have been better off with just snogging. With possibility of something more intimate later.
As for the ending (again IMO) I think it would have been better with the idea of Harry
Harry/Draco Hogwarts Eight Year Post Deadly Hallows EWP?
Entertaining.
Good mystery and not rushed Draco/Harry. I liked humour and how relationship between Harry, Ron and Hermione was portrayed. Nice to see that other HP characters were included as well, especially, I liked Parvati/Lavender friendship.
And Draco's comment about Harry defeating Basilisk in the second year? Priceless.
However I found smut scenes unnecessary and unrealistic.
fanart Unhand me Potter by phoenixdow["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>
"At Your Service" is another Harry Potter fanfiction taking place after Voldemort is defeated. Our favorite trio and a bunch of other students in their seventh year resume their N.E.W.Ts. Peculiar incidents keep happening in Hogwarts and Harry is determined to solve this mystery.
I love how the author preserves the behaviors of the characters from the original books while maintaining the excitement of the plot. Mystery, humor and romance smooth the story, making it entertaining and easy to read.
4.4* exceptionally good reading with griping action and brilliant idea behind the mystery I must say that I was REALLY, REALLY IMPRESSED with the idea behind this mystery And I really could see that the author put a lot of thoughts into it because of very detailed explanation provided throught the story. It felt very original, may be even better than the ideas behind the original series.
The action, suspense was thrilling and very gripping at the beginning, and I felt like I was watching a really exceptional, well made action movie. The whole story was good, but when it comes to Faith Wood, FOR ME things tend to get slower, less thrilling after page 70 which happened here too. Towards the end there were a few moments or mini-arcs that made me very invested in the story and which were very exciting to read, but I can say that I didnt read the second half with such passion and vigor as I did the first half.
I already read one story by this author before, so this time I could digest her take on Drarry romance better, but still her Drarry isnt my cup of tea. I dont say it is bad, because it isnt, it just doesnt give me sparks of joy when I read the Drary romantic moments. This is another story where she presents the idea that Draco hid his feelings for Harry and then Harry is pushed by fate to fall madly in love with Draco, although this time it is explained much better and feels more natural than in Draco, it is your lucky day. Yet her presentation of their love feels to me like it magically appeared there and the reader should enjoy it. I dont know if it is also partly because I dont see Draco having such romantic tendencies in that way, therefore it feels constructed or staged, or I am not fond of storytelling through Potter´s lenses. It is really pity that Faith Wood´s Drarry romance doesnt work for me, because otherwise I would rate these stories as brilliant.
It also makes me waver whether I should read her other stories - I experience that she has mindblowing ideas and talent for writing suspense, but then comes the part of the story when things slow down and the focus changes to Drarry romance which doesnt give me butterflies. It is like eating sweet cake where you get to slightly rot strawberry. :/
Apart from that, I also liked that we could get insight into Malfoys psyche and see him go through hard times. It was interesting to see Malfoy feeling guilty and witnessing him being part of many things that happened in the story. I loved that Malfoy played a big part here and his character wasnt restricted to a person who became love interest of Harry and who has problems. I also loved the idea that he could become the inventor in future. :)
Anyway, it was really amazing book deserving very high rating.
Jestem pełna podziwu dla autora. To jak dobrze to zostało rozpracowane, postacie, miejsce. Zagadka która została tam wprowadzona, przyznaje szczerze że tak bardzo ta historia mnie wciągnęła że nie byłam w stanie się oderwać i czytałam to całą noc. Mimo że uniwersum to jest J.K Rowling to myślę że to jest jedna z lepszych kontynuacji serii ( fan fiction ). Było to przyjemne do czytania, w momentach kiedy musiało zabierało dech w piersi, wywoływało płacz oraz śmiech. Było to pokręcone i nigdy bym się nie spodziewała że to magia pokoju życzeń sprawia że dzieją się takie a nie inne rzeczy. Plus jeśli chodzi o sam koniec, w pełni rozumiem Draco i jego rozterki uczuciowe tą wątpliwość czy Harry jest prawdziwy. Rozczulił mnie też opis Irytka na sam koniec książki i epilog. Myślę że dla wielbicieli Drarry oraz intrygi.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was an extraordinay fic! I loved every second of it! I may have gone to bed at 7am as a result… well, I'm happy, I love when that happens (and I don't do anything the next day) I kind of understood that the mysteries were happening because of the castle in the middle I think. However I didn't anticipate that it was the Room of Requirement behind it. I thought it was the spells in the castle being destabilized because of the Battle and that they wanted to protect the student or something. That it was the Room wanting to fulfill the wishes of the student… incredible! I loved it! I love how Harry became slowly addicted to Draco, and how Draco didn't believe that Harry was real. Oh, the tension, so good. Another great story!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I do not even know how to find the words to explain how absolutely brilliant this hidden treasure is. OH MY GOOODDDD I WEEP FOR THE LOVERS OF DARRY LITERATURE WHO HAVE NOT FOUND THIS GEM! 😭
How is it so brilliant? The plot, the characters, the steam, the mystery, the everything! I read it in 1 1/2 days not because I didn't want to risk my health and safety by not moving an inch for anything until I consumed each and every word written on the pages! No I definitely wanted to risk it! But my blasted, traitorous body finally gave out at the ass crack of dawn and pulled me down into unconsciousness!
Alas...I have now devoted my life to reading everything Faith Wood has written.
Very sweet, fun, but a little overdone (castle destruction for example). I love to be immersed in this world, but there were just some things I didn't enjoy - the whole Draco/Harry romance started quite suddenly and very quickly..... I was also quite unhappy about the destruction of the castle. Wish there was some other way. Other than that I just sometimes thought, the story weirdly skipped some time without any sort of break (like a chapter break or idk, just some sentence that indicates this is happening...).
idc the plot was pretty interesting and drarry interactions were perfect until they weren’t, it all went downhill since chapter 6 or so. smashing scenes? cringe. the way harry was suddenly hyper affectionate and protective of draco and was practically glued to him in front of ENTIRE SCHOOL? cringe, so much second-hand embarrassment.
maybe it’s just a me problem, but i don’t think that’s how these characters would’ve acted around each other after all the shit they’ve been through.
Drarry What was promised is delivered: this is a really good, substantial Drarry. We take the story where it was stopped and the chapters follow leading us in a fantastic adventure with Malfoy and Potter as we love them (at least I do ;) ✨☠️👻💝❤️💝👻☠️✨
This was good, well-written and clever. However, it is very plot-driven, so only 3 stars for this reader who would really prefer more tortured-angsty, silly-fluff, dialogue-driven Drarry.