The Scavenger Hunt

by emeraldsinthedark

Genres: Fan Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook

797 pages, AO3 story

Published May 14, 2024

Reviews

[Irina S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Easy to read, entertaining, funny. Even if it’s pretty long, i didnt get bored at all.
It made my top ten Dramione. 😍🥰🥰🥰

[Kristina Ojaniemi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tykkäsin tästä ihan super paljon, tää oli tosi hyvin kirjotettu ja täs oli kaikilla päähahmoilla paljon mielenkiintosia juttuja ja ajatuksia. Juoni oli tosi mielenkiintonen ja piti kokoajan on the edge of your seat!’ Voisin hyvin lukee uudestaan!!

[Manuela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is fanfiction elite! It references so many others masterpieces I don’t recommend this as your first fanfic. It’s also HILARIOUS

[Bri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute fluffy Dramione fic. Definitely needed this after finishing Secrets & Masks

[Sabrina Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 / 5 stars

I listened to this as a podfic through Spotify > The Dramione Archives. I ultimately DNF'd this fic at 70%. The podfic production was very well done and I was really torn about finishing this one but I decided I just wasn't invested. The plot started out interesting, but I was kind of annoyed having to hear every pair go through each challenge in the scavenger hunt. It was very repetitive and when there were still so many more to go I just didn't really care to read more. I found Hermione and Draco's relationship to be vanilla, even though he teased her about her relationship being vanilla with Ron. But Ron's relationship with Pansy was actually WAY more exciting IMO. It also felt very contrived that each pair ended up hooking up with each other. While it made the overall story have more interest, it was too convenient. I also felt that for young adults, the sex was way more advanced than realistic. All in all, this wasn't my favorite.

[Giulia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prima di tutto, una premessa doverosa. Le fanfiction nascono come atti d’amore: scritte nel tempo libero, gratuitamente, senza alcun obbligo verso il lettore. Non sono “prodotti” da giudicare con il righello dell’editoria tradizionale, e farlo rischia di essere profondamente ingiusto (oltre che un po’ snob). Parlarne, invece, è un modo per raccontare cosa ci hanno lasciato: risate, ansia da pagina successiva, insonnia non programmata o semplicemente la sensazione di essere stati presi sul serio come lettori. Non è un giudizio sull’autore, ma sulle ore che abbiamo passato dentro quella storia. E questa è solo la mia esperienza.

Ambientata nell’ottavo anno post-guerra, The Scavenger Hunt si svolge sotto l’ombrello del cosiddetto Unity Project, un’iniziativa del Ministero nata per obbligare ex Gryffindor ed ex Slytherin a smettere di sotterrarsi metaforicamente (e a volte non solo metaforicamente) in sala comune. Il progetto culmina in una gigantesca caccia al tesoro a coppie: prove da superare, indizi da decifrare, convivenze forzate, dormitori che non rispettano le distanze di sicurezza e una quantità perfettamente ragionevole di caos ormonale. Ma, come spesso accade, la competizione non è che la parte visibile del meccanismo: sotto la superficie si muovono traumi, sensi di colpa, nostalgia, desideri che non trovano ancora il coraggio di chiamarsi desideri, e soprattutto un Paese intero che non ha compreso davvero cosa significhi “pace” finché non si prova a ricostruirla.

Era da tempo che non leggevo una FF così. Ha quel mood che amo: lento, corale, progressivo, con personaggi che maturano invece di limitarsi a limonare dietro una tenda. Draco “cade” per primo — il che non è una lamentela, anzi — e lo fa con la logica disastrosa e bellissima dell’adolescenza che tenta la prima serietà della vita adulta. È un innamoramento osservato quasi in tempo reale, fatto di scivolamenti fuori controllo, di sguardi che durano un po’ troppo e di frasi che, se lette ad alta voce, potrebbero costituire legalmente un’ammissione di debolezza.

Anche il POV multiplo, che di solito mi fa alzare una sopracciglio, qui funziona sorprendentemente bene. Serve a raccontare non solo Draco e Hermione, ma anche gli altri legami che si intrecciano attorno a loro, permettendo alla storia di respirare. Non è solo una ship: è un ecosistema. E attraverso questo ecosistema scopriamo che Ron e Pansy sono — senza esagerare — una delle sorprese meglio riuscite della fic: ironici, imperfetti, teneri, e con quella dinamica da “non dovrei ma lo faccio lo stesso” che appartiene alle grandi coppie secondarie. A ruota seguono Harry e Theo, Ginny e Blaise, tutti inizialmente improbabili e poi, quasi per stanchezza del pregiudizio, inevitabili. Alla fine ti ritrovi a tifare per ognuno di loro, non perché la trama te lo imponga, ma perché la storia ti convince che la crescita personale può essere una forma molto elegante di ship-building.

Lo slow burn è poi una forma di tortura di altissimo livello. Lo si capisce quando arrivi a frasi come:

“You hold the power to completely shatter me, Granger, and I'd be so willing to let you.”

che hanno tutto il sapore di un’autodenuncia emotiva e che fanno capire in che direzione stiamo andando molto prima che i personaggi trovino il coraggio di ammetterlo.

Se devo essere onesta, qualche aspetto poteva funzionare meglio: alcune scene smut sono davvero ripetitive e a un certo punto mi sono ritrovata a saltarle per pura impazienza narrativa. Non perché scandalose, ma perché troppo simili tra loro e non più utili alla crescita dei personaggi. In certi momenti mi è sembrato che la fic insistesse sulle stesse dinamiche fisiche quando ormai era la componente emotiva ad avere più cose da dire.

Ma arrivati in fondo, quello che resta non è la frustrazione né l’eccesso, ma la sensazione di aver seguito un percorso: quello di un gruppo di ragazzi che tenta di trovare un modo per essere adulti in un mondo che non somiglia più a quello che conoscevano. Ed è forse per questo che quando arrivano gli epiloghi non sono un semplice “dove sono ora”, ma la conferma che valeva la pena restare fino all’ultima pagina.

[Sofija · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through the first half of the book, I was convinced this fanfic wouldn’t get more than 3 stars from me. By the end, however, it turned out to be one of the most well thought-out HP fanfics I’ve read. Despite a few downsides that kept it from being a 5 stars read, I absolutely recommend it.

The story is set during 8th year at Hogwarts and centers around the Unity Project, created by the Ministry of Magic to erase the divide between those who fought on opposite sides during the war and the Battle of Hogwarts. We get all our favorite Gryffindors back, as well as the most popular Slytherins. Students from other houses are present too, though they’re mentioned far less often. I listened to the fantastic audiobook by The Dramione Archives, and it honestly felt much longer than the roughly 800 pages listed on Goodreads (but every page was worth it!)

At the start of the story, each student is assigned a partner, and the tasks they’re given are designed to help them realize how similar they are to their partners, despite initial assumptions. I enjoyed the walk down memory lane this book offers, as well as different POVs, although following every single step of each task across four or five different pairs did feel repetitive at times. That said, without seeing all of their stories unfold, we wouldn’t get the full picture. That complete understanding is essential to making sense of the characters and their choices.

While the pairings didn’t feel particularly natural at first, the author managed to fully convince me by the end that these were the best possible matches. Initially, the pairs seemed to be formed purely out of convenience, but the development was handled so well that I completely changed my mind. I also appreciated the portrayal of a Ministry that is far from perfect. It felt much more realistic than a magically flawless post-Voldemort world.

As for the things I didn’t enjoy: the repetitiveness, while sometimes necessary, could have been worded more efficiently. I also couldn’t quite understand how Ginny ended up in the Unity Project, considering she was in her seventh year and none of her classmates seemed to be involved (or they were mentioned so briefly that I may have missed it). Finally, one thing that often bothers me in fanfics (as well as in the original books) is how emotionally mature 18/19-year-olds are portrayed. I understand that they’re magical and have been through hell, which would naturally force them to grow up too fast, but I still wish we got to see them enjoy their teenage years a bit more.

[Cierra McCauley (Cierra's Corner) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so Great! I absolutely Loved this fic! It easily makes my top 10 list! I read a clip off TikTok and decided to give it a shot. AHHHHHHH!! Yessss!! I loved the whole Project Unity thing! All the gryfindors and snakes upset about having to work together in close proximity was the best! The beginning was different, everyone had designated love partners, meaning they were in relationships. This author did a fantastic job on the story. It was so well thought out and written. I loved the scavenger hunt and how everyone was connected. All the angst and pent up frustration was DELICIOUS!!! I couldn’t get enough. I devoured this fic in 2 and a half days. I was eat, sleep, dreaming these characters. It was hilarious and cute. I lived for the banter and all the secrets. It was also super sexy! I highly recommend this read.

A few of my favorite quotes/moments:

"Don’t worry, Weasley. I was a gentleman and took the chaise, although I do think she looks better in my Quidditch jersey than yours," Draco taunted

Always the boy who made the wrong choices, but fuck, he wished if he could make just one right one, it would be her.

"You hold the power to completely shatter me, Granger, and I'd be so willing to let you,”

Hermione Granger was single… Hermione Granger was livid with him… Hermione Granger might never forgive him.

“Granger… you can’t take this back if you give this to me…… You’ll be mine; you know that?” he rasped; his voice thick.

[Tuva · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn’t bad, but it was way too long. 1200 pages is excessive. The five different points of view make it more bearable. It was well-written, but occasionally boring. I skimmed some uneventful parts, especially fluffy and bed scenes.

I didn’t particularly care for Draco and Hermione. They weren’t bad, but I wasn’t very intrigued. The same goes for Blaise and Ginny. They weren’t bad either, but I didn’t really care for them. Some scenes were genuinely sweet, but most weren’t interesting.

I was curious about Harry and Theo because I wanted to see how their relationship would develop. In the end, I was a bit disappointed. Their build-up was good, but then it kind of cooled off. They just got together, and nothing more happened.

My favorite by far was Pansy and Ron. They were so entertaining. I really enjoyed their dynamic and how Pansy liked Ron for who he was and made him act like himself. I also liked how she made her own life and didn’t care about Ron’s status. Ron is such a great character. Many people hate him, but I will never. If I’m talking about the original books, I’m a hardcore Ron and Hermione fan. But this ship was also great. I’ve never read about them before, and it was so enjoyable.

I didn’t blame Ron for being upset. Hermione lied about her feelings for Draco, and to him, Draco was largely responsible for her torment. It’s no wonder he was upset. He’s not a perfect character, but neither is Draco, but many people forgive him for so many worse things.

[Irene Nano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mi dispiace dare di meno perché non l’ho neanche finita ma non ci sono riuscita. È tutto così superficiale e noioso, tutti i grifondoro che si mettono con i serpeverde senza troppe motivazioni. Ci dovrebbe essere tantissimo storia tra loro, tanto odio, fraintendimenti, punti di vista diversi e invece si avvicinano tutti senza un vero motivo, si perdonano senza troppi sforzi. Non c’è posta in gioco e gli indovinelli sono davvero noiosi. Avevo sentito tanti bei pareri ma non mi è proprio piaciuto.

[Sarah Schmuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is Dramione going to be my new personality? I hope so. AGAIN top-tier fanfic. After reading Manacled I didn't think I could get into a new Dramione story, but the writing in this story was amazing, the author captured all of their personalities and voices to a tee. The story was heart warming, funny, and smutty. I loved the Unity Project and what it did for the group, I also loved the epilogues, they were such a great wrap up to the story and everybody's futures.

[Amanda Perry-Larkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

New fave, I’ll probs reread this one down the road as well! Loved the premise and the gradual change of some of my favourite characters. Wish there was more of Neville and Luna in this one however. Also, some new pairings for me that I actually enjoyed. I was skeptical in the beginning but they grew on me.

[booksnbooze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good story and plot! I loved all the different POVS

[Olga · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Jenae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute and felt like it included a bunch of little things from other dramione’s fics

[Chloe Drescher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly a 2.75. Hated the characterization of some of the characters and grammar is important!

[Lottie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing 🤩

[Tanya Vasileva-Seubring · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best fanfic I’ve read!

Favorite chapter is of course 48. Love it!

[Bookracer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written and finished well as well! Highly satisfying read!

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

not gonna rip on it (dm me). good to know i’m not a fan of multiple pov when it comes to my taste in dramione. I like what I like and it’s simply just those two ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Layla · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT!!!!!

[Chris Baron · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Dramione fanfic with allll the best pairings: NottPott, Dramione, Ron/Pansy, Ginny/Blaise. The teams are assembled (with Ministry magic) and compete in an 7th/8th year scavenger hunt in the name of reconciliation.