Damaged Goods

by slytherin after dark

Hermione, now in her mid-20s, is back at Hogwarts to pursue higher education. Trying to forget the trauma carved into her by the war, she spends one lust-filled night with a certain pureblood. But that night will have consequences.
While her personal life unravels, a string of mysterious murders forces her to work together with Draco Malfoy, who himself seems to carry many secrets.

"He scared her. Not because he wielded killing curses like they were nothing, but because he seemed to understand her in a way that even she didn’t. The more she let him in, the more power he had to destroy her."

Come for the smut, stay for the plot.

Read if you like:
- Murder mystery
- Dark Arts
- Hurt/ Comfort
- Hermione and Draco both deal with PTSD
- Angst, so much angst

Genres: Fan Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Dark Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Magic, Dark

703 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[Abbey M]

Blacked out and read this in like 24 hours idk what happened

[Sammie Reads]

I swear, with every Dramione fanfic I read, I just fall further and further in love. And I did absolutely love this. The ending made me cry so many times!!!! I was excited to read this because it’s mostly set in Hogwarts, their late college years. Hermione is fresh off her breakup with Ron, and she’s struggling to come to terms with the fact that she’s changed since the war. Her PTSD is starting to rule her life, and she longs for an escape. So when Draco finds her in the library during a rather…unusual moment, he takes advantage and does exactly to Hermione what he’s been fantasizing about all these years. And then everyone finds out.

Hermione is socially ostracized until she takes matters into her own hands. Snape, who is still the hardass to Hermione he always has been, forces Hermione to work with Draco as punishment for her recklessness. They must solve the mystery of recent murders, while Hermione is also seeking a cure for what ails her. The closer she gets to Draco, the further she seems to be from her old self. And I, for one, was here for it! This is the Draco we all know and love, the good the bad and the sexy. And Hermione, the greatest witch of her generation, did NOT disappoint. I loved this! Craved it when I wasn’t reading it! And now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go study so that I can learn book binding, because my library needs this STAT.

[vaishnave]

this is the annoying fandom obsessed part of me relishing in openly reading dramione fic and sharing opinions about them that no one ever asked for.

i don't care how many different variations of the same dramione plot i read, because as soon as i read a line of draco confessing his love for hermione my heart melts and i start binge reading the nearly 50 chapters in a day.

"I think I loved you long before I knew it—long before I wanted to admit it to myself. I belong to you in a way I can't explain. With every fiber of my being, I'm yours, Hermione."

[Emily]

This FUCKED ME UP.
One of the best fics and favourite dramione dynamic I’ve read.
It literally had me screaming, crying, throwing up (more deeply nauseous with anticipation), giggling, and kicking my silly little feet.
It had me going there for a second, I was in fact quaking in my metaphorical boots. I had to check if there was a HEA tag and THERE WASN’T ONE. But it said Hurt/comfort, so I was praying that this would apply to me and I would end this book comforted.
This is was just so slay, so slay, so slay. Like I’m actually speechless. Like WHAT THE EVERLOVING FUCK.
I’m overwhelmed, I stayed up wayyyy to late to finish this as if I don’t have class tomorrow, but it was well worth it for sure.
Anywho, first 5 star reading experience of the year
#slayersgonnaslay #dramione4lyfe

[Sara]

Dnf at 16%. Writing was terrible

[Kate]

This was quite frankly really difficult to read. I DNF’d but kept trying because of the rave reviews.

I am a Brit picker ™️ and this was just not do able for me. I’m still trying to understand what ice would smell like.

[Solene]

Dnf @10% I don't think I've ever given up so early on with a book. Sorry, I don't understand how this keeps coming up on the lists of best Dramione fan fictions - I cringed the entire time, and that was just 10% of the book. I don't recognize the characters, the Hogwarts rules do not make sense, and I know there's a plot somewhere that's supposed to pick up any minute but I can't be arsed.

[Anahí ✨]

I feel like tiktok recommendations lied to me once again. I started reading it with high expectations, not only this fic had an amazing first chapter but it had a ton of good reviews.

I feel kind of weird criticizing a fic, but I feel that there’s some of them that are really astonishingly good and this one shouldn’t be put in that category.

The plot twists are good, the author has good plot ideas, but the execution was horrific. Narration was simplistic at best, had a lot of american terms (the characters are British, like be for real), Hogwarts had a lot of weird things (ex: dorms somewhere non disclosed that where outside of any common room, “a coffee barista” in the slytherin common room), bad chatacterization, and most plots where solved in no order in particular in just a few chapters each.

Not to mention this Draco is heavily inspired by Manacled Draco (and I wouldn’t say that made it any better).

It was kind of boring to finish it and I’m pretty certain I will forget about it soon enough.

[Piper Pham]

4.5 Stars.

I knocked off half the star because some parts REALLY REALLY grated at me.

Overall it's a very well written dramione. It had me gripping the edge of my seat as well as squealing in delight at some of the sexual tension scenes. Give me killer draco any day.


The part that grated at me the most to give this half a star down. Dropping houses and having to re-sort MAKES NO SENSE. I just ignored it, honestly. In my mind, that part never happened.

[Amna]

Damaged goods Draco has my whole heart.

[Belle]

I finished this fic only to be able to write this review with all necessary knowledge. First of all, I don't really understand how the average rating is above 4 stars. The writing is, and I'm sorry for the term but I need to be honest, simply atrocious. The world building is really bad, mainly because of the fact that there are already seven published books that go on and on and on about how Hogwarts works, how the castle is built, what the main spaces are named, and the importance of the Houses and their features. The manual is there, you just have to follow the guidelines. No need of adding anything more. But since the very beggining of the fic some things are so out of place that they are impossible to ignore, even for the sake of following the plot. The story starts with Hermione and Harry's whole class in Hogwarts, but at 25? They have jobs, houses and full-fledged adult lives outside of Hogwarts, but at the same time they are all there, sleeping in dorms (that are at undisclosed parts of the castle and not inside of the Common Rooms ), playing boarding school in uniforms they can buy FROM THE SECRETARY OUT OF A GIFT SHOP? INSIDE HOGWARTS? I get that anyone from anywhere can write fanfics, but if the characters are British, they should remain so. Draco using words like "Mom", "Dad", calling the Great Hall a "cafeteria", the fact that there was a "coffee shop with a barista" inside the Slytherin Common room???? With all the respect I have for people from the USA, this fic is so painfully american it hurts. Although English is my second language, I can recognize when a fic is being linguistically butchered. The main idea for the plot is somewhat good, if we ignore the blatant similarities with other famous Dramione fanfics, but the execution is mediocre at best. If anyone made it this far reading my review, I want to clarify that the vehemency of my criticizement is originated by the deep sense of unjustice I believe there is when it comes to the average rating. There are some fanfics out there that are full masterpieces, tremendously well-written and detailed, with 4.2 or even lower ratings, and *I believe* Damaged Goods should not be in the same category as the others. 1 star for the smut in the first scene, but if I could rate lower I would.

[Susan]

I really wanted to like this. The potential was there, but even for a fic there was a desperate need for editing. So many issues & a bunch of stuff made no sense. Had the author ever read the series or just seen the movies? The list isn’t comprehensive but here are some issues:

-Distinctly American- 5th/6th grade???
-Hogwarts is a university now? Or is it still a regular school + university? Why are there houses at university? She has to be re-sorted???????
-Hermione is soooo off her academic game - NEVER.
-Debutante ball, really
-took ibuprofen for a hangover NOPE
-occlumency medicine & calling legilimency occlumency
-why would Harry be a FT student but also working for the ministry
-broke college student doesn’t work for Hermione OR Harry
-whole ass adults openly ridiculing/harassing someone for having sex…in college
-pounds instead of galleons
-“she didn’t have her wand since she was in muggle London” DUHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[౨ৎ emily ౨ৎ (semi hiatus)]

I've really gone down the rabbit hole of dramione fanfics. This is my Second fanfic and I was absolutely obsessed. 5 stars HANDS DOWN

I remember reading this after manacled thinking it couldn't be THAT BAD, it was THAT bad, the pain, the hurt this book caused me?!?? Not secrets and masks hurt but the last 250 pages of this book was so intense... Mann I don't hear people talk about it as much as other fanfics tho. i read this over a year and a half ago just wanted to write more since when I wrote this when I barely had any friends 💖🤣

[Rachael]

Did this person even read HP? The mistakes were innumerable and not just diverting from cannon to serve the plot. It’s so distracting
The angst is good. The Ron bashing is good. I don’t think the higher Ed at Hogwarts worked but I’m willing to suspend some belief there. The Americanisms were annoying even as an American

[Mia Wade]

I absolutely DEVOURED this fic.
I’d swear this was written just for me. It has every single one of my favorite Dramione tropes/elements and I ATE IT UPP. I just wish it had been longer because I didn’t want it to end!

[vanessa]

It was the hitting the cervix that did it for me.

[Sally]

Started this at 10pm finished with blurry, sore eyes at 4am, and I don’t regret a thing.

Dramione has taken over my entire personality and it’s safe to say I physically can’t go an hour without thinking about them, at this point anything I read that had Draco and Hermione falling in love I don’t think I’ll rate lower than a 4 because I love them so much and I don’t care how they act so long as they end up alive and married!

This book was incredible, and for a moment I thought the end wouldn’t be a HEA and I could feel myself falling into a deep depression but fear not it is a HEA so don’t be scared. Now go read this it’s incredible

[Paige]

Whilst I really enjoyed the story and a few parts definitely had me with tears in my eyes, I did feel like this was just a combination of The Auction/TRTTD/Manacled all smushed together. Also a lot of the Americanisms made it quite difficult to read at times. And a bar in the common rooms? A coffee shop on campus? It didn't always feel like I was in Hogwarts. That being said the main storyline itself was really intriguing and easy to follow even if it did feel a bit bastardised from other fanfics.
3.5/5

[Caroline Florus]

“Come find me again, Hermione, in another life. One where I get more time with you. One where I get to love you longer”

“Even when everything went dark, I told the stars about you”

😭😭😭😭

[Ronnie Rune]

Why didn’t I read this sooner? Oh my god. I have no idea what all these ff authors are putting into their work to have this effect on us but this is my 5th dramione ff and I’m so fcking addicted to them. I’ve read it in 24h cause I COULDNT PUT IT DOWN! Ever since the first chapter! It had everything.
Plot AND smut. Mystery. Emotions. Angst. Tension. It made me giggle. It made me so hot. And it made me fcking CRY! So much again.
I’m thinking that this is the perfect fanfic to start your dramione journey. It’s not long compared to others (believe me, I read Secrets & Masks and Greenlight haha😂). You will fall in love with them. I swear. Go read it, please.

[Jenn]

Sorry. Had to DNF this. The author is clearly American and it’s extremely jarring to have Americanisms where it’s meant to be British culture. Haven’t decided if that was more jarring than the opening graphic scene

[Meg Todd]

I fear I’ll only read Dramione from now on

[Lucie V.]

✅ Hermione being adopted by the Slytherins
✅ Pace
✅ Good ideas
✅(🆗) Plot
✅(🆗) Characters
🆗 Second half of the book
🆗 Not so good execution
❌ There was no need to have them back at Hogwarts if they spend their entire time investigating outside of the school
❗️❗️Trigger warnings: deaths, poisoning, dark magic, scars, nightmares and PTSD
🔥 Spice level : 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 / 5

2.5 stars
The second half barely deserves 2 stars.


Did I read the same story as everyone else?


“Come for the smut, stay for the plot.”

That’s how this fanfiction was sold to me.
Well.
The smut was… there? The first chapter is quite spicy, but after that there is not that much smut, and it is not the best either (the dirty talk didn’t land) and the plot was okay I guess, but also a little all over the place.

I started this one with high expectations, but had a tough time making it through the first 10%... and the second half was a trainwreck. I had a good time reading the first half of the book, but I was still hoping for more. It did feel like the author couldn’t pick between writing an 8th-year fanfic or a grown-ups one, and the result was a weird mix of both with a lot of plot convenience.

The ideas are good, but the execution is less so. As previously said, there are many instances of plot convenience, but in some chapters, the plot also feels rushed. As if the author was in a hurry to get to the resolution of the current issue as quickly as possible, and rushed through important moments or skipped relevant character and relationship development to get there. The last part also feels like the author wanted to add way too many tropes to her story, but only had a few chapters left to do it.

There was no need at all for the characters to still be enrolled at Hogwarts in the "higher education" program. Especially since they spend so little time attending their classes. Harry and Ron are back at Hogwarts with Hermione, yet Harry is also training as an Auror… How does he do both? Why go back to Hogwarts if he has a job as an Auror already? It felt like the author wanted him to be involved as an Auror and have access to some of the Ministry’s resources, but also wanted him to be present at Hogwarts daily. There is a “higher education” program at Hogwarts now, apparently, and the students have individual dorms somewhere outside of the common rooms. There is also a coffee shop with a barista, which is not an issue, but also took away some of the magic of the school.

Hermione went back to Hogwarts to pursue higher education, yet she spends all of her time investigating murders with Draco… So why have her back to school? It annoyed me so much, because it didn't make any sense. This whole story would have been better if it happened outside Hogwarts. Harry and Draco are already partially working for the Ministry anyway, and Hermione does not attend classes besides a few potion lessons here and there.

Also, a teacher using Legilimency on students? Blackmailing them and asking for an unbreakable vow? That does not seem to be very professional or ethical… Thankfully, Hermione is older now, since this happens after the war, and I know she is an adult, but it was still questionable to have a teacher behave this way with a student, whether they are adults or not. Still, as I previously said, it would have made more sense if it happened in a setting outside of school.

There are some differences between the War in this fanfic and the one in the original series, and it was not clearly stated at first, so I got a little confused. First, Snape did not die in this version of the War. The War also didn’t end with the Battle of Hogwarts, but continued for years after, becoming more violent and deadly. Still, besides the fact that Hermione became a healer for the Order, and that Draco was an active soldier for Voldemort and killed a lot of people, we don't know anything about those extra years, or how the war was eventually won.

Some things felt like discrepancies, rather than the author taking liberties. As an example, Hermione points out that she never visited the Malfoy Manor at the beginning of the book, and Draco’s friends also think that she never saw it, but Hermione also kept thinking about her Mudblood scar. So it’s either a mistake, or the author decided that Hermione’s torture happened elsewhere and forgot to mention it…

The last part of the fiction is where things got out of hand, and not in a good way. First, after the main plot seems to be resolved (but there is still 30% left), we get an “I get kidnapped, you get kidnapped” moment, followed by a shocking revelation that Draco is dying, which is not an issue, but the fact that he makes Hermione forget, and we get an amnesia trope was too much for me. I am not a fan of the amnesia trope to begin with, but the way it was rushed at the end of the book felt pointless. I thought the main problem was resolved and that we would get to the HEA, but instead it was a series of problems that were predictably and too easily resolved.

The golden girl was officially dead.

The way Hermione went from being ashamed that people called her names to showing them how good she could be at revenge was awesome. It also created a logical reason for Draco’s friends to be impressed with her “Slytherin side” and to be happy to welcome her in their midst. On the other hand, she did feel quite naïve and lost about what was happening for most of the book, and it just doesn’t fit with the “brightest witch of her age” we are used to seeing.

This Draco reminded me of Manacled Draco. He was a soldier for Voldemort in the war, and a very good one. He killed countless people, is scarred by the whole ordeal, but hides it behind a cold mask of indifference. I didn’t find him that compelling or fleshed-out, though. Overall, he fell flat and didn't impress me much.

I know that this fanfiction is getting traditionally published in October; it is the reason I decided to finally read it. While I didn’t find Damaged Goods exceptional, reading this story in a whole new setting (so I am not compelled to compare with the Hogwarts I know from the series) with new characters and hopefully not a weird mix of Academia and grown-ups not attending the school they are enrolled at will probably be much more enjoyable. I am still going to read the book, and I am eager to see if I enjoy it more than I did this fanfiction.



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[ELCisreading]

I laughed. I cried. Was there for the smut but stayed for the plot.

[ApoorvaReads]

no words, this was perfection fr.

[hanzhi]

DNF’d at 10%… the writing is, and i don’t use this word lightly, atrocious. it was hard not to correct every sentence, word, nuance in my head as i read and this was very clearly written by someone who doesn’t know a thing about Britain

how does this have a 4 star rating??

[Ashley Hollinger]

Can’t stop won’t stop. Dramione forever

[Alisha]

Book club pick! Not gonna rate this one. I DNF’ed about midway through but they may have had more to do with me than the book.

[sianreads97]

From the first chapter, I was hooked, though I never expected this story to completely shatter my heart in the best way possible. The emotional depth in this fic was extraordinary, especially the authentic and sensitive portrayal of PTSD in the aftermath of war. The author expertly wove together the murder mystery and potion trial plotlines, keeping me constantly on edge and eager to see what would happen next. Alongside all this, the gradual evolution of Draco and Hermione’s relationship was utterly heartfelt and moving.

Highlights that stood out to me:
-Character development: Hermione taking revenge on people making fun of her due to Ron running his mouth about Draco and Hermione (👩‍🍳’s kiss). Consequently, Hermione being resorted into Slytherin after facing punishment for said revenge!
-Reclaiming power over past trauma: The way dark magic, once a tool of torment, was reclaimed and wielded with strength and purpose added a meaningful layer to the story.
- Unwavering devotion: Draco and Hermione’s unbreakable bond was at the heart of this fic. Their love for each other wasn’t just romantic but lifesaving—literally. They rescued each other time and again, a testament to their trust and connection.
-Possessive and protective Draco: The fierce intensity of his love for Hermione, tinged with jealousy and protectiveness, was the perfect blend of swoon-worthy and emotionally raw.
-Complex, morally gray characters: The nuanced exploration of these characters—flawed, struggling, yet redeeming themselves—added emotional richness that truly resonated.
-Subtle moments of humor and tenderness: Amidst the heavy themes, the lighter, more intimate moments provided a perfect balance, making their relationship feel real and multi-dimensional.

Quotes:
“They simply don’t understand you anymore. They’re trying to help someone who is drowning by giving them more water. And they don’t even notice it. But I do. I see you drowning.”

“The hero would sacrifice you to save the world. A villain would sacrifice the world to save you.“

“Say the word, Granger. For you, I’ll break every fucking rule there is.”

“Come find me again, Hermione, in another life. One where I get more time with you. One where I get to love you longer.”

“Obliviate” IFYKYK 🫠

“You could never lose me. Even when everything went dark, I told the stars about you”

“I didn’t know I was lost until I found you”

[Ali]

4/5 ⭐️

Kicking off my first read of the year with another Dramione! This one did not disappoint 🐍

“Come find me again, Hermione, in another life. One where I get more time with you. One where I get to love you longer.”