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Fandom: Harry Potter
Relationships: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy, Millicent Bulstrode/Hermione Granger, Lavender Brown/Ron Weasley
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Now that Harry is back at Hogwarts with Hermione for eighth year, he realises that something’s missing from his life, and it either has to do with Ron, his boggart, Snape, or Malfoy. Furthermore, what, exactly, does it mean when one’s life is defined by the desire to simultaneously impress and annoy a portrait? Harry has no idea; he’s too busy trying not to be in love with Malfoy to care.

355 pages, ebook

First published December 12, 2013

6 people are currently reading
223 people want to read

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Zeitgeistic

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5 stars
201 (39%)
4 stars
208 (40%)
3 stars
84 (16%)
2 stars
12 (2%)
1 star
7 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
Profile Image for Finnegan.
1,246 reviews60 followers
August 30, 2015
I am obsessed with fanfiction, and now have my beady little eye on Drarry. *sigh*. This fic was awesome. I had so much fun reading this.
Profile Image for Bitchie.
1,464 reviews75 followers
August 24, 2014
This was very good, very well written. It hi ALMOST all of my buttons, I would have preferred a bit more heart and angst, but this was a very solid read. Recommended to any Drarry fans. I quite liked Harry deciding o go the complete opposite of what everyone expected of him, and becoming a Potions Master, apprenticing under Snape('s portrait) no less!
Profile Image for karlakolumna.
502 reviews46 followers
April 3, 2016
This was... really, really good. Intriguing, gripping plot. With so much detail to small things.

These versions of Harry, Draco, Hermione, Ron and Co were absolutely true to character and the small changes after the war and everything they had to go through are totally believable. And snarky-as-ever Snape was amongst my favourites in this fic. I've always loved that moody bastard.
Profile Image for - ̗̀  jess  ̖́-.
713 reviews277 followers
September 27, 2016
This is the fic that turned me into a Drarry fan.

Before, it was sort of like, haha, Drarry lol. And then I started looking up fanfiction. And holy shit. This was so, so good, and there was obviously a lot of research put into the alchemy and potions aspects. It gave a lot of depth to something that didn't have much depth in the series - the precison of potion-making, post-secondary education. It didn't sideline Ginny or Ron or Hermione, and it didn't mischaracterize Draco.

I love that Harry didn't want to be an Auror. I love that he picked the wildest career change that he could think of and it was written well. I loved his and Draco's dynamic. It was funny and strange but you get the sense they really did love each other. Beautiful.
Profile Image for yaishin.
904 reviews117 followers
July 31, 2022
truly great writing and i can see the amount of research done on this must have been tremendous and i do appreciate it but i wasn't that fond of the storyline😔.
Profile Image for Julesmarie.
2,504 reviews88 followers
April 11, 2016
FIRST RE-READ 19 March 2016
So many unique things in this fic made it refreshing to read even the second time through. Delightful.

Some New Favorite Quotes:
It occurred to Harry then that he was probably in love. And that was a very dangerous place to be.

It was hard to take anything seriously when Hermione was swearing.

Though, perhaps Luna noticing wasn't necessarily reflective of its obviousness.



ORIGINAL REVIEW 14 Aug 2014
Some Favorite Quotes:
Then it was just the twelve of them, alone in the common room together, as if they'd never been in four different houses--or, in Harry and Malfoy's case, never tried to both kill and rescue each other.

"Really, Longbottom," Milicent said, brusquely, not looking up from her Arithmancy book. "Honestly. One would think you didn't slay a twenty foot snake with a sodding mythical sword."

what the werewolf had really done was destroyed everything she'd ever valued. But then Lavender had got up and decided to value something different.

"I don't want to be 'Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived and Was Only Mediocre at Everything Else.'"

The more he understood Malfoy, the more he understood potions.

there weren't particular spells for this sort of thing, only annoyance and magical power.

maybe it was just that he liked the look of someone who could fight with him and not lose all the time.

"The last time we were like this, it was on a broom," said Draco.
"You think about it, too," Harry said.
"Yes."

Harry cackled. Hermione kicked him, and it made Draco move his legs back, which was the opposite of what Harry wanted. Suddenly bereft and feeling sort of cold about the leg area, he thought now would be a good time to pay Hermione back for that time when he'd been enjoying the feel of Draco's leg against his own, and she'd ruined it. Which was just now. Harry had never been one to sit on an opportunity for revenge.

"You really need to stop spending your free period with Snape's portrait. You're starting to sound like him."
"He's insulting me into greatness." Harry protested.

"I really have no expectations that we'll make any progress at all, especially with you constituting half of an academic pursuit, but it's an interesting prospect, and fuck, it might be moderately fun."
Harry considered this. "That was the most rousing bid for my company that I've ever entertained."

"That's what love is, stupid. Friends plus sex plus love."

Draco grinned, all sexy teeth and crinkly eyes. Harry died, perhaps, then struggled to maintain his best we're-just-mates-and-I-only-love-you-like-a-bro face.

even as a cat, Hermione had an excess of hair.

Harry forgot completely that he wasn't supposed to be in love with Malfoy, and that in the event he was unable to help himself, he still wasn't supposed to show it.

The academic in him would always win out over silly things like ethics.
Profile Image for Alison.
892 reviews32 followers
August 5, 2019
This was really great. I found this really engaging all around--the characters were excellent, the plot was intriguing, the romance was really lovely, and the writing was just top-notch. I had a hard time stepping away from this when life called. It was so well done and I'm impressed. I don't read a whole lot of fanfic, but sometimes it's just the right thing. I don't remember who recommended this to me, but thank you for pointing it out.
Profile Image for Djenifer.
285 reviews1 follower
October 12, 2015
I'm really loving fanfic. There are just so many possibilities. I like this one because it takes place after the last book and it makes sense. I thought it was brilliant how Harry was both his heart's desire and his greatest fear. They grew up and out! Isn't that what we all do? Ron pulls away to make a life outside of the charmed three. Harry stretches himself to something other than a dark lord vanquisher. He becomes close to the very two he scorned the most. And Hermione was just so heartbreaking. Unable to reconnect with her parents, she is an orphan. Her support from Ron is gone. In fact he is attaching himself to her reformer rival. And then she discovers another side of herself that bears exploring. I loved seeing them grow up. When things change, it doesn't have to be the end of everything. It's just the evolution into something new. They took the good, made the bad better and move on.
69 reviews25 followers
November 8, 2017
Oh This was Brilliant...

Poignant, meaningful and well paced..

It surprised me in so many ways, and kept me on my toes without being too overwhelming, or dramatic. It kept me interested enough to want to know what happens next and before i knew it i finished the whole thing without so much a thought to stop and consequently dropping it.. (like how i did with countless books i tried to read and couldn't finish, which was agony because you really can't force yourself to read something that cant hold your interest few chapters in)

Basically cured my year long book slump! and I've never been so relieved, cause I've got a looong list of TBR books to catch up on....

I cant adequately convey how much i appreciate this being written, it fills my fujoshi/shipper heart to read about HarryxDraco, I'm a sucker for star crossed lovers and enemies to lovers story lines, I feel so happy and satisfied and to feel this way whenever i finish a story every time i read would be spectacular.
Profile Image for Calathea.
273 reviews
August 6, 2016
Wow. That was unexpectedly good. Really, awesome. I mean it was about chemistry, sorry, Alchemy was the word. How exciting can that be I thought, but then it was and I couldn't stop reading. And it had Harry and Draco. Obviously.
Profile Image for Antonella.
1,534 reviews
October 7, 2020
3.5
First time I read a fanfic in the Harry Potter fandom. Finally a universe I know ;-).
It is well written, and it blends seamlessly with the world as it is after book 7. The relationship was well developed, but - as usual for me - I preferred the first part to the second one.
I round up because the alchemy part is cleverly done, even though I found it a bit too detailed at times.
Profile Image for Rielle.
569 reviews69 followers
February 6, 2023
Drarry fanfic. Cute story about self-discovery and growth. A very fun competence kink with a bit of spice thrown in. Not a fan of the attempts at angst/tension as it all just ended up vague and confusing.
Profile Image for Anna Kļaviņa.
817 reviews207 followers
January 9, 2021
Draco/Harry
Hogwarts 8th year


It occurred to Harry then that he…was probably in love. And that was a very dangerous place to be

Lighthearted Drarry.
Profile Image for maja.
64 reviews
November 17, 2025
ngl this is my fav piece of media i‘ve ever consumed in my entire life
Profile Image for Agnieszka.
104 reviews26 followers
August 24, 2016
Loved this! A lot of the alchemy babble went over my head but this was so well written, I don't even care.
Profile Image for Kait.
143 reviews1 follower
May 6, 2021
Good enough for me to get 60% of the way through but it was rather boring from that point on.
Profile Image for mara.
256 reviews2 followers
June 21, 2015
PLEASE READ THIS FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY
Profile Image for 0m4!m.
606 reviews13 followers
September 10, 2023
This is my first Drarry fic as an adult, and I'm not sold on it yet. However, I grew up being a Drarry shipper, as it makes sense, considering how Harry talks about boys, men, and his obsession with Draco in the original work.
Harry being gay makes total sense, Draco being bi makes sense, and the two of them coming together also makes sense. Both had their childhood stolen from them, were forced into paths they didn’t choose, and ofc shared trauma.

In general, I'm not a fan of Harry 😭 Crazy, I know since most of what I read is HP FF. I think the Marauders fandom would've written Harry better than JKR. Anyway, in this fic Harry was more likeable. He was sassy, and a bit deranged which makes sense after the war and having to carry the world on his shoulders.

I liked that he didn’t want to be an Auror, because ACAB. And he decided to be a potion master?! Which is cool even though he sucks at potions and guess who is great at potions … DRACO.

Harry in this fic gave James’ vibes and when it comes to the Blacks, well like father, like son. He was playful, smart, and a lover boy, just like James was. RIP James, you would’ve loved your son’s bf.

I also liked Hermione being lesbian/bi/pan whatever she was written as, she had a gf and I see it. Besides Dramione pairing, I never saw her with any man, and she’s so boyfriend so it makes sense that she likes women (I mean who wouldn’t). I also liked seeing her change after the war. She’s crude, loud, impatient with the boys, and has no room for their bs.

I have never liked Ron, and in my opinion, his spot in the golden trio was due to trauma bonding. He really didn’t redeem himself throughout the OG series, even when he grew up, he was still giving misogyny and racism vibes–I know I know lots of characters do, but I don’t need a reason to hate men. Fight me. There is a reason why Ron Bashing is a popular tag, and I didn’t wanna hear about him in this fic or any fic, although he was more tolerable this time.

Overall, in terms of HP FF. First and foremost, I am a Marauders stan as I love the fact that most of them are written as queer (Reg being trans? Slay. Sirius being non-binary? Ofc they are, makes total sense. WOLFSTAR? wearing a wolfstar bracelet as I write this) and the fics are gut-wrenching. I enjoy suffering (crying is a hobby of mine) with the Marauders, there is always a tragedy. Followed by Dramione and that’s between me and my therapist. Although, in addition to the toxic chaos, they’re a good match in my opinion. Both intellectual, high achievers and perfectionists. Drarry is a maybe for now.
Profile Image for Quinn.
199 reviews
November 3, 2024
so torn.... on one hand, terrible character-building, offensively non-canon-compliant plot-holes, generally nonsensical storyline. on the other, genuinely fascinating, reader-inference-oriented narration style--very strange technique, but i liked it. almost insultingly good writing, honestly, for the straight-up awful content it was portraying.

flaws were unfortunately too glaring for me to overlook them.

0/5⭐️ story, 4/5⭐️ writing.
Profile Image for arta ☾.
10 reviews10 followers
January 8, 2022
i never thought i'd enjoy potions master/alchemist harry so much. honestly, i've forgotten the details, it's been 2 years since i read this, but i remember absolutely loving it. i think when i finished it, i just lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about it for hours. a really solid fic, one of my top 5 favorites.
Profile Image for bubblegumpopper.
957 reviews18 followers
July 16, 2019
I liked the blend of science and magic in this one, though I have my doubts that wizards are familiar with the concept of protons. ;)

I liked that the chemistry processes at the beginning of the chapter could be interpreted to fit with the plot points of that chapter.
Profile Image for Alicia.
408 reviews9 followers
January 26, 2023
Well written and enjoyable to read. Probably a must-read for drarry fans. I am not so much, so it didn't hit the right notes for me. I personally was hoping for more Harry learning to be a potions master from portrait Snape. However, I did really like all the cat antics.
Profile Image for meg.
Author 3 books65 followers
July 2, 2024
Azoth: ★ ★ ★ . 5

Zeitgeistic

Tropes:
– Draco/Harry fanfic
– Friends to lovers
– Fake dating
– Only one bed

Slightly diff approach to the ones I usually read, what with Harry being the one pining but I loved this take!!
Profile Image for Henrietta.
407 reviews26 followers
May 29, 2017
this one is so unique. it took me off-guard i definitely did not expect to love it as much as i did. g o d i don't even have words this is a beautiful fic seriously i love it so much :')
Profile Image for Tobe.
818 reviews2 followers
April 6, 2020
It gets very deep into potions. Deeper than I needed. But strong story and writing, and great Drarry depiction.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews

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