Secrets

by Vorabiza

Drarry Fanfic
Beginning with Draco's unexpected arrival at the Dursleys, Harry's summer becomes filled with activity and many secrets. He generates several unexpected allies as he finds himself actively becoming the leader of the Light side.
Words:390,438 complete

Genres: Fan Fiction, Fantasy, M M Romance, Romance, Harry Potter, Magic, Enemies To Lovers

1172 pages, ebook

First published June 2, 2006

About the author

Fanfic author aka: mellod89
http://www.hpfandom.net/eff/viewuser....
http://www.mystkyten.net/vorabiza.html
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/V...
http://www.thehexfiles.net/viewuser.p...

Reviews

[Dana Abel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, truth fact, the writing here is not great. It’s not so bad that I had to put it down, but it’s no J.K. Rowling and it pales in comparison to a lot of the really good Glee fanfiction I read in the height of my fanfic days. There’s a lot of repeated words; sometimes I’d find the exact same verb/adjective used 4-5 times on the same page. However, the story is fun, and I liked her portrayal of the Harry and Draco relationship. It developed naturally, and both Harry and Draco kept their most well-known character traits. A lot of fanfic authors rely on gimmicks to turn Draco into a romantic prospect (memory loss, muteness, etc.) and to me, that’s not Draco anymore. This character was definitely Draco Malfoy with believable growth and development that lead to some maturity. The sex scenes were decent and there was a good balance between sex scenes and plot. Sometimes there was some unbelievable behavior on the parts of the adults regarding Harry and Draco’s tendency to flaunt their PDA, but overall I was satisfied with their relationship. I loved the way they continued to argue with each other. The story took place (and was written) between book 6 and book 7, which made for a very interesting reading experience. So much that has become ingrained knowledge in me about Harry Potter (Hallows, war casualties, etc.) wasn’t present here. This is not a flaw or strength, obviously, just a fact, but it definitely affected the way I read. I LOVED the huge inclusion of Fred, George, and Ginny who are three of my favorite characters (especially since Fred made it out alive). The book was largely more violent, with more dark magic, than the actual Harry Potter 7, but far fewer characters died. I also thought the sideplot involving Lupin and Snape was a fun diversion and not something I would have thought of. To be honest, the quality of the story/writing was not the best, but I just loved being back in Potterworld so much, that I enjoyed my time with this book.

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Should've been about 650 pages shorter, and contained a lot less of them randomly saying 'fuck you!' and having corny, repetitive conversations.

[Ann_Nyaruai]

1. I loved Harry and Draco's relationship in this book. They were snarky, loving, supportive and basically balanced each other out. It was so sweet! They were my favourite part about the whole fic. They had so many cute moments.
2. I didn't know how to feel about Victoria. She was basically the hook for Drarry but kids in books are a grey area for me.
3. The family dynamic with the malfoys, Severus, Remus and Harry was amazing and basically kept me reading. Then the neutral slytherins got added, which was really nice.
4. The horcruxes and the battle were way better. (I find that hilarious considering the author wrote this before hallows was released!) With the twist in horcruxes, Dumbledore is not much of a villain here, but I still hate him and hated that they kept believing in him.
5. I HATED the fact that Harry kept referring to the abuse as a "crappy childhood"
6. Fred and George were really great in this fic. From the bisexual talk with Harry, being a safe place for him to go to and overall just supporting even his craziest ideas.
7. Hermione and Ron were annoying. Esp Hermione. She kept nagging Harry and it was honestly getting hard to read her parts. They resolved their issues later, but it makes sad that in canon, he only has the two of them. Its even worse that Ron and Hermione still get paired together even in this AU. She could honestly do better.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This LONGfic (written before Deathly Hallows was released, now available at archiveofourown.org/works/8184311 ) is more pro-Dumbledore (deceased but still influential), pro-Snape, and otherwise forgiving than I can ever whole-heartedly be, but somehow I still really enjoyed it. Harry's network of alliances, family-by-choice, and authority (however reluctantly accepted) is built step after step, through implausible-if-you-just-see-the-results circumstances. There are complicated considerations throughout of who (among old allies and new) must not be told what, when or ever — after all, the title is Secrets! — with Harry bearing the weight of being the ONLY one who knows the full picture. He must make more than a few ethically difficult and painful choices (the reason I shelved this as "content warnings"). Nevertheless, it's full of warm feels as well as the pain, plus clever and suspenseful plot twists, and never loses a sense of humor for long.
It's hard to say more of what I liked without spoiling surprises right from the beginning. I will say, the ending is much less shadowed by losses, the horcrux hunt and climactic battle going down differently (of course), and there's plenty of denouement (including one more eye-opening necessity) showing the shape of their lives "After" beginning.

P.S. I made a Grimmauld Place pictorial alternate cover for it, with Hogwarts-House-colored snaky "S"s:

(Try the link if the inline image isn't showing up properly [or at all].)

[Ainara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I fricking finished it!!! Finally!!! So, where should I begin??

The plot is not that bad; I was enjoying it at the beginning. However, I felt that after some pages it was becoming rather long and repetitive.

I found it a bit misogynistic at some points with quotes about “girl” stuff and them being fully against being seen as girls just because they are two boys in love. It is as when men ask lesbians who is the man in the relationship. There’s none, as there is no woman in a gay relationship. I found it as if being a girl was something bad, something to be ashamed of…

And what about this sentence: “How can you two get over a fight so fast? Hermione can go days, or weeks, before speaking to me again after we fight.” / “Neither of us are girls? - Harry suggested," - Like, am I supposed to be okay with blaming women for a man’s inability to see what is wrong in their relationship or their partner?

Anyways, loved Victoria; she seemed cute. Loved the twins, Ginny, and Narcissa, the best characters of the fanfic. And shoutout to Severus and Remus; I think their couple is actually very adorable.

[Pr!ya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just discovered this mammoth of a fic, which was completed before Deathly Hallows was published! I love the nuances of the characters and how beautifully everything comes together. The story spans about 2 months but is thoroughly detailed. Loved it!

[fayre]

Mm
Draco x Harry
Draco has a baby (Victoria) drops her off with Harry at the Dursley’s
Draco and narcissa move in with him there
They spy on the dark side
Snape is a spy for the dark side
Then end up moving into grimmauld with lupin
Snap and lupin are Harry’s adoptive parents later on

[Elizabeth (Lizzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a ride! The writing was not the best, but the story was pretty addictive.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun ride, it was sweet.

[☾⋆⁺ Nurse After Dark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content Rating: Explicit
Setting: post-HBP
Tags: secrets, baby, gfy/awakening,

“I’ve always pegged you as the ultimate Gryffindor, trying to save the world. And you are that,” he admitted. “But what no one seems to realize, is that there’s this Slytherin side of you that hides behind that Gryffindor exterior.”

This mammoth fic is a game of allies vs antagonists, friend vs foe, and finding out what side of right and wrong you can stomach being on in times of war. It's also about how to play the cards you are dealt when you can't tell anyone everything but need to tell someone(s) something. I think that's what I've always liked about this particular fic - its a rare one where you see Harry realistically becoming the chess master, moving the pieces around the board, before anyone even really realizes it (including himself).

“She added the wards to help protect us,” Draco continued. “It only protects us from the Ministry, though. I spend most of my time in my room because I never know who will be at our house.”
Harry slowly realized that Draco was offering him information for information. He’d learned a little about Harry and was now telling Harry a little about his home life, such as it was.

This fic is not without faults, but nostalgia gives me the opportunity to overlook those ;) My biggest complaint is probably how unrealistic the adults would reacted/responded to Harry, as though he was an adult too and not a teenager. Sure, he was "old at heart" but the continued verbalization of "He's really something, isn't he?" was just so OTT and a little cringey.

“You’ve always fucked with my world,” Draco said ruefully.

The other reason this fic is high on my list of classic favorites? The realistic, slow process of learning to trust and overcome the past between Harry and Draco. I felt like they were both characterized well for what this story was.

Overall, I'll always come back to this fic when I need a solid Drarry fix!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best fanfics i've ever read. Pretty terribly written to begin with (if I notice the style of writing, you KNOW it's bad) but the story is incredible. It's fascinating to see writing improve as a story goes along - i assume as it was written as a serial there was feedback as each chapter was published? I can't imagine being able to weave so many ideas together and it's so impressive.

Set after book six, this is a reimagining of final book. This Harry Potter is a far darker Harry Potter than what we're used to and I thought that it fitted his character perfectly. It's also a far more emotional Harry Potter (if that's possible). There isn't at much of the usual gang as I'm sure many people would like, Ron and Hermione have an even smaller role than Ginny and the Twins (sorry, /the matching pair/).

Obviously it has some dirty bits in it, as all good fanfiction does but it doesn't detract from the story. Excellent all round.

Now, I really need to actually start reading a real book soon. *sigh*

[Tasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to force myself to finish this.

[Mercedes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite Drarry. Didnt like the tone, i found it sexist.

[Lindsay Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think my enjoyment of this story was mostly rooted in self-indulgence. It had a lot of little aspects to it that I really enjoyed and I'm always a sucker for any story that treats Harry like he is smart and capable and doesn't automatically belittle all of Harry and Ron's actions and contributions by saying that Hermione is the only reason why they accomplish anything. And despite the fact that I'm not normally a Snape apologist I actually enjoyed seeing the development of Snape and Harry's relationship in this story. Another thing that I am always a sucker for but that I rarely see is fanfiction authors who don't build the Redemption of Narcissa and Draco on a foundation of an irredeemable Lucius. That never really made sense to me because the only way that it works is if you portray Narcissa as being meek and subservient and I think that that is a boring and overdone Trope for characters like hers. I also really loved how the twins and Ginny were portrayed in this. I even loved bill, even though we saw relatively little of him.

However, I have a hard time swallowing any story that ignores or tries to gloss over the inherent corruption within the ministry. A defining characteristic of Harry to me has always been the little anarchist rebel screaming down with the man that lives inside him. I felt the absence of that part of him throughout this whole story.

Another absence I felt bone deep through this entire tale was that of Ron and Hermione. In the service of building up Harry and his relationship with other characters, the ride or die friendship he had with them both was sacrificed. Now, dont get me wrong, I fully support and exploration of the ways in which Ron and Hermione both failed at being supportive friends to Harry. The golden trios relationship contains a ton of depth and complexity and none of them are angels in cannon, but they are, fundamentally, each others ride or die. This portrayal of that bond left much to be desired.

I think the other reason why the golden trios friendship was sacrificed is also one of the other things that never did sit well with me, even after 62 chapters. This Draco never really feels like he truly goes through a redemption arc. His feelings about Harry change and I dont doubt that he does genuinely fall for this Harry, but its not because he realizes that siding with Voldemort is morally and ethically wrong. There are a lot of things that he realizes he was wrong about when it came to Harry, things that he admires and loves, like Harry's determination and his commitment to fairplay and the way that Harry always keeps his own council and insists on coming to his own conclusions and defining his own beliefs. But the development of dracos feelings consistently revolves around him growing to respect Harry because of the power that Harry wields and how he uses that power. In fact, that is a prominent feature of how Harry wins the respect and support of any of the malfoys. And this nor any of the other judgemental, prejudiced, regressive beliefs of any of the slytherins are never questioned. Harry repeatedly accepts and adapts to these things, consistently ceeding ground by changing his behavior and compromising his boundaries to accommodate the traditions and beliefs Draco was raised with, but we never really see Draco do the same in return. Let's not mince words here, Voldemort and the death eaters are allegories of fascists and nazis. I have always felt that depictions of Draco that dont confront this fact head on and show him overcoming it are a disservice to his character's potential.

A couple of final notes, I rapidly grew tired of the way that everyone was characterized by their hogwarts house, as though they were all just archetypes who could only embody the characteristics associated with their house. It was a major factor in so many of the other little flaws in the character's because it severely limited everyone, keeping them all very two dimensional without real depth or complexity. The other thing that rapidly saw me losing my patience was the constant fighting. There is a major difference between flirtatious bickering and the constant overly dramatic fighting we got from Harry and Draco in this. There were comparatively few moments that built intimacy and companionship between them. Most of that legwork was accomplished with Draco being surprised and impressed when he sees harry behave in ways he didnt expect. On Harry's end, we are only ever really told how he his feelings have developed towards Draco, never shown it. And the only way that intimacy is really built or expressed is through sex or physical affection. In fact, the only real ways that they show support for each other or care for one another are physical affection (kissing and sex mostly) or through being angry at one another. When they are scared they pick fights. When they are concerned they pick fights. When they want to take care of one another they pick fights. I know they are teenagers but bloody hell I dont remember being this exhausing and exasperating at that age.

[bubblegumpopper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to Opalsong's podfic for this, and so I'm not sure whether how I feel about this is more related to the story itself, or that presentation of it. Overall I enjoyed it and it was an impressive podfic achievement, but I never got over her nasally Snape voice, the fact that Harry sounded like he was running around in a stromp for most of it, or the fact that she pronounces Blaise "Blace" and not "Blaze". I found certain things stretched my credulity (especially how quickly Lucius and Harry were best buds) and I thought it stretched out a tad too long, but overall it was fun to listen to. I may come back to the story and actually read it sometime in the future and see how I feel about it, separate from the podfic.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le iba a poner un 4…. Pero el final se me ha hecho larguísimo y lo que es peor… aburrido. Después de la batalla con Voldemort me esperaba un par de caps a lo sumo… no unos quince…

Aún así, me ha gustado la idea y valoro mucho el hecho de que esté fanfic se escribiera antes de que saliera el último libro, porque la manera en la que se resuelve el tema de los horrocruxes no ha estado nada mal.

A nivel trama bien, a nivel romance bien, ahora… los diálogos…. A veces era repetir una y otra vez lo mismo. Los caps no son especialmente cortos y a veces un capítulo era un 80% darle vueltas a una conversación que se iba a tener otra vez en los siguientes 3 capítulos…

Aún así me ha entretenido. Y reconozco que el principio me ha encantado. Solo ese mal sabor de boca del final.

[Gabriela M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think maybe I was expecting too much, from the hype this fic receives. It is not bad, but to me it’s average, I guess.
I didn’t like Draco being a teen dad, or Harry having weird snakes just because. I didn’t like Harry’s mood swings or adult-like behavior because it was not consistent. The magic cloak that could deflect the killing curse? Girl that makes no sense.
I loved Narcissa and Lucius, Crabbe and Goyle. The twins were absolutely perfect here. Petunia being less than hateful. The ragtag family of strays Harry collected.
It was a fun story to read. Very far fetched at times, even for magic, but not bad.

[Patrícia Szabó · Rating 3 out of 5]

the story itself isn’t bad, but the begging is horrendous in terms of writing. gets better over time, but its vocab its still annoyingly repetitive. the amount of ly ending adverbs sometimes in the same paragraph, lowkey make me wanna rip my hair out.😃 plus the story gets a bit overwhelmingly corny, like harry getting a bunch of useless stuff like snakes with super powers and a phoenix?! get it author bf wants to make him op, but i font think dressing him in weird props and animals is the right approach, that being said i haven’t actually finished reading this yet, not sure i will at all tbh
& please ignore the fact, i cant put together proper sentences:) english is like, my 4th language

[sofija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have I become a Drarry convert?

*shudders*

My new loyalties aside, this was brilliant. I vote for the Deathly Hallows to be erased from canon and replaced with this.

There were times where I was uncomfortable with all the PDA and trauma dumping Harry gave everyone but it's fine, I suppose. It must be if I'm still giving it five stars.

I still can't believe this was written before DH and when Harry wondered if he was a Horcux, I literally screeched. But I love that he actually isn't and it's Voldemort's magic inside him and not a soul.

100000000/5 ⭐

[Felicia Lannan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It probably took me longer than it should of to realize this was written before the official final book was released and that only makes it better!

The similarities and differences are so interesting to compare and I love this story as an alternate ending. Without book 7 as a frame of reference I actually didn't know what this one was leading to, and the magic and explanations to cap off the series were still logical and fit within the world of magic.

It's explicit, it dark, it's emotional and it relies on some really unexpected relationships but I thoroughly enjoyed.

[Brittingbloom · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

For those who want a super fascinating AU seventh year book: this is for you. It should have a four or five stars, because the writing, characters, and dialogue were fantastic and well thought out.

However this is long. Really long. OK with long drawn out hp sagas, but maybe this should have been two books. By the last few chapters, I was skimming. The last four or so chapters felt like an extended epilogue.

[Kaitlyn Dalbec · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

writing quality was not the best. for me personally, it felt like everyone was very out of character. there were some good parts though. loved seeing harry and draco take care of a little girl. it was also interesting seeing the role the slytherins played in harry’s life and the war. i can see why this book is well loved by others. just not my style.

[almooneh · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY HEAVEN
this fic is my absolute favourite fic of all time, EVER
the characterization, the writing, a harry with a brain, the twins, remus, cissa, snape, VICTORIA!! oh goodness this book was brilliant
and don't get me STARTED on the drarry

[Rhema P __(：з」∠)__ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Any fic that doesn't need to have any Weasley/Dumbledore bashing to have the Malfoys on the Light side and still leave everyone sans harry flabbergasted is worth it in my opinion. Well that and some well placed humor, which this fic has a lot of.

[Cláudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Loved it! And the way this story was written, before the last book came out, is so so cool! Loved all the characters 🥰 The family Harry got is so cool and adorable and fuck everything, but I really liked Lucius for the first time ever 🤭🤣

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

據說也是在《死神的聖物》出版前完成的小說，時間線是六年級暑假，Draco帶著自己的女兒找到Harry，希望Harry幫助他。
這篇的Harry超強，融合了葛來分多的勇氣與史萊哲林的審時度勢，成為一個好的領袖，簡直是圓我的夢大作
因為分類帽曾說：「史萊哲林可以幫助Harry登上巔峰」而《Secrets》裡的史萊哲林真的幫了很多忙。
我很喜歡Harry在前作戰，而Draco穿著斗篷隱藏在旁幫他防禦，他是影子。
Harry是全巫師界的英雄，而Harry的英雄是Draco

[mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es entretenido, y esta historia fue la que me hizo darme cuenta de que los fics escritos antes de que salieran todos los libros de Harry Potter son los mejores, los escritores tenían sus propias ideas de cómo podía terminar todo y cada cosa es más impresionante que la otra!

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is why I keep reading these. I find a diamond in the rough of a fic and it makes me want to read all of them. I loved the family aspect and how Biza actually accounted for all the plot holes in cannon. 10/10.

[Kythwena · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me it was like "what it would be if Harry was an even better person". Too good to be real but still awesome

[K. Oletha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still one of the best HP fics ever.