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Better Off Forgotten
Fandom: Harry Potter
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Cho Chang/Theodore Nott, Katie Bell/Marcus Flint, Dean Thomas/Ginny Weasley
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The Light side won the battle but lost the war. By Ministry decree, all Mudbloods have been Obliviated and "repatriated" to the Muggle world. When Draco Malfoy seeks out Hermione Granger, he wants only one thing . . . but gets far more.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Cho Chang/Theodore Nott, Katie Bell/Marcus Flint, Dean Thomas/Ginny Weasley
--------------------------------------------------
The Light side won the battle but lost the war. By Ministry decree, all Mudbloods have been Obliviated and "repatriated" to the Muggle world. When Draco Malfoy seeks out Hermione Granger, he wants only one thing . . . but gets far more.
759 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 20, 2017
Now I reveal the guilty little secret I have been hiding from goodreads, and that is I discovered Harry Potter fanfiction and have been sneakily delving into these goodies.
Okay, okay. I know that this is glorified YA disturbia at best, especially since Rowling has since come out and evinced shock and dismay at a whole generation of girls who glorify Draco Malfoy, who she and the movies depicted as a cowardly, snobbish, despicable bully with his mouth perpetually down-turned to reflect a spleenish disorder. I myself had no such fantasies until I turned from reading online manga to online fanfiction and found the irresistible blackhole that is Dramione fanfiction. At the same time, I also have to say that if she had done a slightly better job pairing Hermione with a magical and intellectual equal, this whole genre would not exist. Or would it?
But...
Do you like revenge? Did you watch the entire series of Harry Potter movies? Do you like amnesiac romance plots? Do you like a good manipulative bastard as the antihero? Did you think that Slytherin was made out to be unfairly bad -- because if Slytherin was totally without merit, then it should long since have died out in the first place? Did you think that Hermione was way too good for Ron, who should have been in the Hufflepuff house?
If you think all that, then this incredibly long fanfiction just might be for you. I calculate it clocks in at approximately 700 pages, and I read the whole thing in one day, huddled over my phone like a crazed stalker. I had read fanfiction before. If you have also, then you'll know that HP fanfiction is the biggest collection out there. I've scanned through decent writing (but without passion). I've sifted through grammatical errors and terrible dialogue. I've gone through many that lost me in the first few chapters. But this one blew me away.
Plot
Deatheaters pushed for new legislation after the death of Voldemort, claiming that they were all acting against their will. This legislation protects and bans all Muggleborns by repatriating and obliviating them with compensation -- 42 Muggleborns would be bonded with Deatheaters, as guarantee for the Muggleborns' safety in their new magic-free life. Hermione is the last one repatriated, and she was approached by Narcissa Malfoy to be bonded to Draco Malfoy.
Four years later, Hermione is living a magic-free life, preparing to enter graduate school. On the other hand, Draco Malfoy is four years married and has gone through multiple miscarriages of his wife. His parents--and all pureblood families--all wish for heirs, but the entire second generation of purebloods has somehow been rendered impotent. In a nasty confrontation, it's revealed that Astoria Greengrass, his wife, had been cheating with numerous wizards in an effort to get pregnant. A chance meeting with old acquaintances reveals that Voldemort cast a curse on all his followers with the intention of awarding only the most loyal with an entire line of pureblood wizards--but died before he could see it through, with the result that all those who had done dark magic was completely incapable of producing children or produce only children who were Squibs. But one former Deatheater found a loophole--the daughter his repatriated and magic-unaware girlfriend gave birth to four years ago suddenly performs accidental magic. Apparently the pureblood fanatics could produce -- but only with halfbloods or Muggles--an irony of the highest order. And thus, backed by his former Deatheater buddies, Draco embarks on a plan that will give him what he wants more than anything in the world, a magical child.
It's probably not the most creative of plots, since the forced marriage/pregnancy trope has been a favorite in the romance world since time immemorial. But this is executed most brilliantly. Malfoy is manipulative, cunning, selfish, and focused mostly on self-preservation. But, with an inside look at his agenda and his political acumen, he is somehow likable for all that. There's a perceptive look inside just why a wizard Malfoy would hit it off with a magic-less Hermione: without her interfering in matters that conflict with his family's traditions and without her intellect and abilities directly pitted against his in school where his competitive and critical father was sure to notice, Malfoy finds her stimulating and exciting. Removed from the wizarding arena and with a goal of his own, Malfoy has the motive and cunning to chase and handle a prickly but always intelligent and capable Hermione.
The reader sees a side of Slytherin house that was never fully explored -- the charming, cautious cunning of this group that defines it as one that doesn't lose to either the intelligence and strength of Ravenclaw or the grit and persistence of Gryffindor. We see a Narcissa Malfoy as the omniscient brains of the Malfoy family, whose long-reaching plans take everything into consideration. The Hermione in this story is more than a match for this cunning, manipulative, compulsive liar that was Draco Malfoy, even without magic and with amnesia, and in the actual ending, she has a pretty decent revenge on him as well.
It's not fluff. There's no insta-love. Hermione is suspicious of Malfoy even with amnesia and his considerable charm and persuasive skills. She's a force to be reckoned with, and Malfoy learns this early on and changes as he gets to know her, from knowing not to accidentally use the word "mudblood" or refer casually to her as "pet," as he's almost castrated in bed. There are pretty angsty side characters with heartbreaking plots of their own that add considerable heft to the story, as the repatriated Muggleborns have their own grievances that bear out despite being obliviated.
If you like trashy romances that are well-written, then this just might be for you. If you like revenge and amnesia tropes, then that would really top this story for you. I found the plot well-crafted, the logic well-worked, the prose complicated but elegant, and the narrative well-researched. If, on the other hand, you like gushy romances where the hero goes on for ten pages on the glories of her hair, then I would give this one a pass. (Heads-up: there are issues of infidelity and several gory references to and scenes of rape.)
Okay, okay. I know that this is glorified YA disturbia at best, especially since Rowling has since come out and evinced shock and dismay at a whole generation of girls who glorify Draco Malfoy, who she and the movies depicted as a cowardly, snobbish, despicable bully with his mouth perpetually down-turned to reflect a spleenish disorder. I myself had no such fantasies until I turned from reading online manga to online fanfiction and found the irresistible blackhole that is Dramione fanfiction. At the same time, I also have to say that if she had done a slightly better job pairing Hermione with a magical and intellectual equal, this whole genre would not exist. Or would it?
But...
Do you like revenge? Did you watch the entire series of Harry Potter movies? Do you like amnesiac romance plots? Do you like a good manipulative bastard as the antihero? Did you think that Slytherin was made out to be unfairly bad -- because if Slytherin was totally without merit, then it should long since have died out in the first place? Did you think that Hermione was way too good for Ron, who should have been in the Hufflepuff house?
If you think all that, then this incredibly long fanfiction just might be for you. I calculate it clocks in at approximately 700 pages, and I read the whole thing in one day, huddled over my phone like a crazed stalker. I had read fanfiction before. If you have also, then you'll know that HP fanfiction is the biggest collection out there. I've scanned through decent writing (but without passion). I've sifted through grammatical errors and terrible dialogue. I've gone through many that lost me in the first few chapters. But this one blew me away.
Plot
Deatheaters pushed for new legislation after the death of Voldemort, claiming that they were all acting against their will. This legislation protects and bans all Muggleborns by repatriating and obliviating them with compensation -- 42 Muggleborns would be bonded with Deatheaters, as guarantee for the Muggleborns' safety in their new magic-free life. Hermione is the last one repatriated, and she was approached by Narcissa Malfoy to be bonded to Draco Malfoy.
Four years later, Hermione is living a magic-free life, preparing to enter graduate school. On the other hand, Draco Malfoy is four years married and has gone through multiple miscarriages of his wife. His parents--and all pureblood families--all wish for heirs, but the entire second generation of purebloods has somehow been rendered impotent. In a nasty confrontation, it's revealed that Astoria Greengrass, his wife, had been cheating with numerous wizards in an effort to get pregnant. A chance meeting with old acquaintances reveals that Voldemort cast a curse on all his followers with the intention of awarding only the most loyal with an entire line of pureblood wizards--but died before he could see it through, with the result that all those who had done dark magic was completely incapable of producing children or produce only children who were Squibs. But one former Deatheater found a loophole--the daughter his repatriated and magic-unaware girlfriend gave birth to four years ago suddenly performs accidental magic. Apparently the pureblood fanatics could produce -- but only with halfbloods or Muggles--an irony of the highest order. And thus, backed by his former Deatheater buddies, Draco embarks on a plan that will give him what he wants more than anything in the world, a magical child.
It's probably not the most creative of plots, since the forced marriage/pregnancy trope has been a favorite in the romance world since time immemorial. But this is executed most brilliantly. Malfoy is manipulative, cunning, selfish, and focused mostly on self-preservation. But, with an inside look at his agenda and his political acumen, he is somehow likable for all that. There's a perceptive look inside just why a wizard Malfoy would hit it off with a magic-less Hermione: without her interfering in matters that conflict with his family's traditions and without her intellect and abilities directly pitted against his in school where his competitive and critical father was sure to notice, Malfoy finds her stimulating and exciting. Removed from the wizarding arena and with a goal of his own, Malfoy has the motive and cunning to chase and handle a prickly but always intelligent and capable Hermione.
The reader sees a side of Slytherin house that was never fully explored -- the charming, cautious cunning of this group that defines it as one that doesn't lose to either the intelligence and strength of Ravenclaw or the grit and persistence of Gryffindor. We see a Narcissa Malfoy as the omniscient brains of the Malfoy family, whose long-reaching plans take everything into consideration. The Hermione in this story is more than a match for this cunning, manipulative, compulsive liar that was Draco Malfoy, even without magic and with amnesia, and in the actual ending, she has a pretty decent revenge on him as well.
It's not fluff. There's no insta-love. Hermione is suspicious of Malfoy even with amnesia and his considerable charm and persuasive skills. She's a force to be reckoned with, and Malfoy learns this early on and changes as he gets to know her, from knowing not to accidentally use the word "mudblood" or refer casually to her as "pet," as he's almost castrated in bed. There are pretty angsty side characters with heartbreaking plots of their own that add considerable heft to the story, as the repatriated Muggleborns have their own grievances that bear out despite being obliviated.
If you like trashy romances that are well-written, then this just might be for you. If you like revenge and amnesia tropes, then that would really top this story for you. I found the plot well-crafted, the logic well-worked, the prose complicated but elegant, and the narrative well-researched. If, on the other hand, you like gushy romances where the hero goes on for ten pages on the glories of her hair, then I would give this one a pass. (Heads-up: there are issues of infidelity and several gory references to and scenes of rape.)
April 20, 2019
I was intrigued by the premise, but ultimately the story fell flat for me. (The story does have over 2000 favorites on FFN, so my opinion is only one of many.)
At times it felt like the author was playing fast and loose with character development, and if the characters were on point, the plot disappeared. There were several points at which I had to re-read previous passages to make sure the sudden plot and/or character development had, in fact, come out of absolutely nowhere.
The fact that the author added in an alternate ending before the real ending is also grating, especially considering the length of the story. I cannot imagine being one of the original readers and reading the false ending only to have the author denounce it and continue posting the rest of the story.
All in all, I was frustrated by the story and don't understand how it's become hallmarked as a great Dramione, but 2000+ people on FFN disagree with me, and you, dear reader, might disagree with me too.
At times it felt like the author was playing fast and loose with character development, and if the characters were on point, the plot disappeared. There were several points at which I had to re-read previous passages to make sure the sudden plot and/or character development had, in fact, come out of absolutely nowhere.
The fact that the author added in an alternate ending before the real ending is also grating, especially considering the length of the story. I cannot imagine being one of the original readers and reading the false ending only to have the author denounce it and continue posting the rest of the story.
All in all, I was frustrated by the story and don't understand how it's become hallmarked as a great Dramione, but 2000+ people on FFN disagree with me, and you, dear reader, might disagree with me too.
September 30, 2018
3.5 Stars.
Yay for finding fanfic writers who are actually great writers and still maintain the character's original voices.
The 2nd ending was WORLDS better though. I get why she might have wanted to include the first ending. It's very reminiscent of Rowling's epilogue and what-not but Hermione deserved way better than that.
Yay for finding fanfic writers who are actually great writers and still maintain the character's original voices.
The 2nd ending was WORLDS better though. I get why she might have wanted to include the first ending. It's very reminiscent of Rowling's epilogue and what-not but Hermione deserved way better than that.
January 1, 2022
3.5 this was really enjoyable but it was too long. Would have been better if it was trimmed down. I did not like either endings. Second ending: as much as she was seeking revenge she was also depriving her son of a father.
January 23, 2026
3 STARS—I LIKED IT, BUT IT NEEDED SOME DETAIL MASSAGING TO BE GREAT
A lot of good; enough to tolerate the not-good.
After the war, Voldemort is dead but pureblood ideology still rules the wizarding world, and new Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt bows to pressure to enact legislation that sees all Muggleborn witches and wizards Obliviated and then “repatriated” to the Muggle world to live without magic, none the wiser. To ostensibly ensure their well-being in this vulnerable state, and to ensure they have no inappropriate interactions with the wizarding world that would violate the Statute of Secrecy, each Obliviated wizard is assigned protection by a Death Eater. Further, it has come to light that in an act of both self-loathing and hatred of his pureblood followers half-blood Voldemort had cursed his lackeys, meaning none of their pureblood unions will produce a viable child. Thus the postwar Death Eaters have a stake in winning the favors of fertile Muggle-born witches and wizards, whose children with putebloods will now be considered themselves to be pureblooded. Narcissa Malfoy, ever ten steps ahead, sees the potential of having the Golden Girl as a resource for her family and specifically Draco and convinces Hermione to let him stand as her Death Eater caretaker. At the last minute Hermione decides to have Draco, not Minerva Macgonagall, Obliviate her, as he must make an Unbreakable Vow to never harm her and she figures this promise will compel him to be gentle and even perhaps lax with his Obliviation. This appears to be the case, and thereafter Hermione continuously experiences “breakthrough” memories or sentiments that warn her off of, say, this handsome silver-blond man she happens to meet in a bookstore who is insistent on getting her to date him. Even so, Draco succeeds, and we see him manipulate a clueless, vulnerable Hermione both to sadistically amuse himself as he watches her fall for him and also to sire what will undoubtedly be a superior child with the brightest witch of her age. They begin to genuinely fall for each other, but in the trauma of childbirth Hermione’s memories are restored, which she hides from Draco, and she plots to drug him while they’re still in the hospital, to plant memories in his head that she and their newborn son died in childbirth, and to escape with her infant son to Australia, where they live under assumed names. Eleven years later, Draco is a shell of a man, devastated by the death of the love of his life and his heir. In the intervening decade he’s dedicated himself to fighting for legislation that will protect Muggleborn rights, and just as his son would have matriculated at Hogwarts he succeeds in getting the Muggleborn Repatriation Act overturned. Hermione uses the improvement in Wizarding England’s politics to secretly enroll their son at Hogwarts under an assumed name, but she grants him the right yo decide for himself whether or not he will contact his father, since now there is no threat to them if Draco knows they are alive. Almost right away Draco is reunited with his son, and his entire world is shattered—they did not die, the love of his life still lives, and she utterly betrayed him. Hurt and enraged, he confronts Hermione, and they undertake to coparent their son despite a mutual loathing, hurt, and distrust. But it’s only a matter of months—three and a half to be exact—before they completely fall for each other again, Hermione decides to take a job in England, Draco acknowledges and apologizes for his heinous abuses, and the little family is reunited and sound.
The story is fascinating and often heartbreaking, but several weak plot points threaten the integrity of the whole thing: Why after passage of the Repatriation Act would the wizarding world accept Muggleborns to Hogwarts only to Obliviate and expel them upon graduation? It seems a waste. Also, while I can believe that Voldemort’s death wouldn’t automatically resolve pureblood prejudices, I need a bit more plot explanation to understand Kingsley’s craven political concessions and how the victors could so immediately be politically neutered; note, I find it potentially plausible but unlikely enough in the face of the actual challenges that I needed more detail from the author to believe it.
Even with these major flaws, overall the fic was very compelling. I particularly liked how well the author wrote the sly manipulations of the Malfoys and Shacklebolt; really chillingly Slytherin levels of conniving. The author wrote both a dark ending and an HEA, which was a very fun exercise; that said,both were rushed. While it was quite satisfying to see each play out, the reconciliation in particular felt way too easy: Draco and Hermione basically just decided that everything that had happened didn’t really matter anymore and that they needed to let bygones be bygones instead of actually working through their immense loads of baggage. This felt cheap and disappointing. In the more chilling, dark ending where Draco “wins” without reforming, so much critical action takes place so quickly that even though the ending is plausible considering the plot and character hurdles the author has written that the ending feels hollow and unearned.
Cho was singularly awful to be around. But within the confines of the story I found her trauma and attack-dogginess very believable (before the passage of the Repatriation Act she had been abducted by Death Eaters, held at Nott Manir for three days, and been brutally gang-raped for three days before being Obliviated and dumped, half-dead, in Diagon Alley; even though she didn’t know what had happened to her, and even though she was then subsequently re-Obliviated under the Act, later living as a nonmagical her rage and caginess and a much-sublimated understanding of all that had happened to her made her loathe Hermione and certainly any wizard she encountered who had been part of her abuse). If anything what I didn’t believe was how passively Hermione and others accepted her—and Pansy’s—cruelties. Further, it’s fascinating and heartbreaking when she rejects Theo and leaves with their child after she learns of his involvement with her assault. While I do believe there was definitely enough between them to heal the relationship in theory, getting to see exactly none of that and only a hand-wavy “oh yeah—they’re fine now; nothing to see here” in the final chapters was incredibly disappointing. I had become so invested in Cho’s wellness that I needed to see some of the healing.
It was a thrill to see Blaise so briefly and horribly used in the story (as a sexual predator, sadist, and possible serial killer using Death Eater revels as his playground). That said, considering the level of damage he inflicted, he is disposed of so quickly and early on in the story, and with no ostensible narrative blowback, that it felt a bit like a waste of an excellent plot thread.
Narcissa’s overlooking Lucius’s Death Eater revelry rang very true; a woman like her would be balancing a lot of contradictions to keep her warped worldview from shattering entirely, and chalking his predations up to “a thing he had to do to stay in the Dark Lord’s good graces” and not counting it as REAL infidelity, especially if the victim was a non-person like a Mudblood, sounded so real. Further, I found it fascinating how evil presents dynamically and in gradation: Blaise is pure evil destruction. Nott Senior et alia are safissts who do not consider Muggles or Muggleborns to be fully human and so are happy to torment them for their enjoyment. Lucius despises Muggles et alia but isn’t a sadist and finds any interactions with them distasteful so will grudgingly accept a blowjob from one of it means he can ultimately convince his friends to stop the nonsense. Theo is a coward and so cannot explore let alone act upon better impulses until he is so horrified by Cho’s torment that he is impelled to act and in the moment determines that using an Unforgivable on her to participate in her assault is worth it if it means he can get her to safety without his father suspecting his perfidy. Draco is lazy and uncritical and selfish and only puts aside pureblood supremacy when doing so is convenient to get him an heir and then later reflects on Muggle rights as they are contextualized in his growing personal attraction to Hermione; it is only when he’s lost everything he’s wanted, and really nothing is at stake for him, that he sees the error of his ways and seeks to make retribution. Marcus Flint was apparently uncritical and happy to remain apolitical and pursue his attraction to Katie Bell even before the Act was passed and then used his pureblood status to protect her and help her thrive, while doing absolutely nothing to enact structural change. Shacklebolt genuinely felt for the Muggles but decided throwing them under the bus and appeasing pureblood supremacists was preferable to losing political clout and thus any hope of eventually enshrining into law what so many had fought and died for. The surviving members of the Order individually resisted in small ways they thought would protect the most vulnerable without bringing down devastating legal repercussions. The most vulnerable victims, the Obliviated witches and wizards, for the most part acted with the greatest courage, but the sacrifice was also in their best interest; their integrity was perfectly aligned with their own protection. Katie Bell was an interesting case: she thought the suppression was wrong but found her own life of Oblivion too comfortable to challenge; she did not take that red pill. There are few examples of people who acted against their best interest to do what was right. This is not a criticism. I found the exploration of need, want, and consequences fascinating. But it was a dark, punishing mindset to be in for so many pages. Perhaps this is why I needed greater detail and time out toward plot resolution.
In the end, the book was uneven, but still I couldn’t put it down. The prose was workmanlike—solid but nothing beautiful. Te pacing (except where noted) was good and the galloping plot all nail-bitey. So happy I stumbled upon this, even for its imperfections. I rate it a solid mid-tier Dramione.
A lot of good; enough to tolerate the not-good.
After the war, Voldemort is dead but pureblood ideology still rules the wizarding world, and new Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt bows to pressure to enact legislation that sees all Muggleborn witches and wizards Obliviated and then “repatriated” to the Muggle world to live without magic, none the wiser. To ostensibly ensure their well-being in this vulnerable state, and to ensure they have no inappropriate interactions with the wizarding world that would violate the Statute of Secrecy, each Obliviated wizard is assigned protection by a Death Eater. Further, it has come to light that in an act of both self-loathing and hatred of his pureblood followers half-blood Voldemort had cursed his lackeys, meaning none of their pureblood unions will produce a viable child. Thus the postwar Death Eaters have a stake in winning the favors of fertile Muggle-born witches and wizards, whose children with putebloods will now be considered themselves to be pureblooded. Narcissa Malfoy, ever ten steps ahead, sees the potential of having the Golden Girl as a resource for her family and specifically Draco and convinces Hermione to let him stand as her Death Eater caretaker. At the last minute Hermione decides to have Draco, not Minerva Macgonagall, Obliviate her, as he must make an Unbreakable Vow to never harm her and she figures this promise will compel him to be gentle and even perhaps lax with his Obliviation. This appears to be the case, and thereafter Hermione continuously experiences “breakthrough” memories or sentiments that warn her off of, say, this handsome silver-blond man she happens to meet in a bookstore who is insistent on getting her to date him. Even so, Draco succeeds, and we see him manipulate a clueless, vulnerable Hermione both to sadistically amuse himself as he watches her fall for him and also to sire what will undoubtedly be a superior child with the brightest witch of her age. They begin to genuinely fall for each other, but in the trauma of childbirth Hermione’s memories are restored, which she hides from Draco, and she plots to drug him while they’re still in the hospital, to plant memories in his head that she and their newborn son died in childbirth, and to escape with her infant son to Australia, where they live under assumed names. Eleven years later, Draco is a shell of a man, devastated by the death of the love of his life and his heir. In the intervening decade he’s dedicated himself to fighting for legislation that will protect Muggleborn rights, and just as his son would have matriculated at Hogwarts he succeeds in getting the Muggleborn Repatriation Act overturned. Hermione uses the improvement in Wizarding England’s politics to secretly enroll their son at Hogwarts under an assumed name, but she grants him the right yo decide for himself whether or not he will contact his father, since now there is no threat to them if Draco knows they are alive. Almost right away Draco is reunited with his son, and his entire world is shattered—they did not die, the love of his life still lives, and she utterly betrayed him. Hurt and enraged, he confronts Hermione, and they undertake to coparent their son despite a mutual loathing, hurt, and distrust. But it’s only a matter of months—three and a half to be exact—before they completely fall for each other again, Hermione decides to take a job in England, Draco acknowledges and apologizes for his heinous abuses, and the little family is reunited and sound.
The story is fascinating and often heartbreaking, but several weak plot points threaten the integrity of the whole thing: Why after passage of the Repatriation Act would the wizarding world accept Muggleborns to Hogwarts only to Obliviate and expel them upon graduation? It seems a waste. Also, while I can believe that Voldemort’s death wouldn’t automatically resolve pureblood prejudices, I need a bit more plot explanation to understand Kingsley’s craven political concessions and how the victors could so immediately be politically neutered; note, I find it potentially plausible but unlikely enough in the face of the actual challenges that I needed more detail from the author to believe it.
Even with these major flaws, overall the fic was very compelling. I particularly liked how well the author wrote the sly manipulations of the Malfoys and Shacklebolt; really chillingly Slytherin levels of conniving. The author wrote both a dark ending and an HEA, which was a very fun exercise; that said,both were rushed. While it was quite satisfying to see each play out, the reconciliation in particular felt way too easy: Draco and Hermione basically just decided that everything that had happened didn’t really matter anymore and that they needed to let bygones be bygones instead of actually working through their immense loads of baggage. This felt cheap and disappointing. In the more chilling, dark ending where Draco “wins” without reforming, so much critical action takes place so quickly that even though the ending is plausible considering the plot and character hurdles the author has written that the ending feels hollow and unearned.
Cho was singularly awful to be around. But within the confines of the story I found her trauma and attack-dogginess very believable (before the passage of the Repatriation Act she had been abducted by Death Eaters, held at Nott Manir for three days, and been brutally gang-raped for three days before being Obliviated and dumped, half-dead, in Diagon Alley; even though she didn’t know what had happened to her, and even though she was then subsequently re-Obliviated under the Act, later living as a nonmagical her rage and caginess and a much-sublimated understanding of all that had happened to her made her loathe Hermione and certainly any wizard she encountered who had been part of her abuse). If anything what I didn’t believe was how passively Hermione and others accepted her—and Pansy’s—cruelties. Further, it’s fascinating and heartbreaking when she rejects Theo and leaves with their child after she learns of his involvement with her assault. While I do believe there was definitely enough between them to heal the relationship in theory, getting to see exactly none of that and only a hand-wavy “oh yeah—they’re fine now; nothing to see here” in the final chapters was incredibly disappointing. I had become so invested in Cho’s wellness that I needed to see some of the healing.
It was a thrill to see Blaise so briefly and horribly used in the story (as a sexual predator, sadist, and possible serial killer using Death Eater revels as his playground). That said, considering the level of damage he inflicted, he is disposed of so quickly and early on in the story, and with no ostensible narrative blowback, that it felt a bit like a waste of an excellent plot thread.
Narcissa’s overlooking Lucius’s Death Eater revelry rang very true; a woman like her would be balancing a lot of contradictions to keep her warped worldview from shattering entirely, and chalking his predations up to “a thing he had to do to stay in the Dark Lord’s good graces” and not counting it as REAL infidelity, especially if the victim was a non-person like a Mudblood, sounded so real. Further, I found it fascinating how evil presents dynamically and in gradation: Blaise is pure evil destruction. Nott Senior et alia are safissts who do not consider Muggles or Muggleborns to be fully human and so are happy to torment them for their enjoyment. Lucius despises Muggles et alia but isn’t a sadist and finds any interactions with them distasteful so will grudgingly accept a blowjob from one of it means he can ultimately convince his friends to stop the nonsense. Theo is a coward and so cannot explore let alone act upon better impulses until he is so horrified by Cho’s torment that he is impelled to act and in the moment determines that using an Unforgivable on her to participate in her assault is worth it if it means he can get her to safety without his father suspecting his perfidy. Draco is lazy and uncritical and selfish and only puts aside pureblood supremacy when doing so is convenient to get him an heir and then later reflects on Muggle rights as they are contextualized in his growing personal attraction to Hermione; it is only when he’s lost everything he’s wanted, and really nothing is at stake for him, that he sees the error of his ways and seeks to make retribution. Marcus Flint was apparently uncritical and happy to remain apolitical and pursue his attraction to Katie Bell even before the Act was passed and then used his pureblood status to protect her and help her thrive, while doing absolutely nothing to enact structural change. Shacklebolt genuinely felt for the Muggles but decided throwing them under the bus and appeasing pureblood supremacists was preferable to losing political clout and thus any hope of eventually enshrining into law what so many had fought and died for. The surviving members of the Order individually resisted in small ways they thought would protect the most vulnerable without bringing down devastating legal repercussions. The most vulnerable victims, the Obliviated witches and wizards, for the most part acted with the greatest courage, but the sacrifice was also in their best interest; their integrity was perfectly aligned with their own protection. Katie Bell was an interesting case: she thought the suppression was wrong but found her own life of Oblivion too comfortable to challenge; she did not take that red pill. There are few examples of people who acted against their best interest to do what was right. This is not a criticism. I found the exploration of need, want, and consequences fascinating. But it was a dark, punishing mindset to be in for so many pages. Perhaps this is why I needed greater detail and time out toward plot resolution.
In the end, the book was uneven, but still I couldn’t put it down. The prose was workmanlike—solid but nothing beautiful. Te pacing (except where noted) was good and the galloping plot all nail-bitey. So happy I stumbled upon this, even for its imperfections. I rate it a solid mid-tier Dramione.
June 5, 2021
A dark and difficult read about how blood supremacy ideas persist after Voldemort's defeat. Death Eaters remain in power. Muggleborns are obliviated and exiled for nefarious intentions. Not a happy read and not really any happy ending that I rooted for. There was a kind of bittersweet ending, I guess, but this is a Wizarding world that you should abandon/escape from and not look back. I think this version of Wizarding Britain should die out. Draco here was evil af and didn't redeem himself imo. Not that he had too.
That said, the story was well written and kept my attention. Reminded me a good bit of Utterly Despicable by camnz, which I loved. This was a lot longer and more brutal. Mind the tags.
The behavior of Kingsley Shacklebolt as minister of magic in this fic really puts Dumbledore's plotting in the books in a different light for me.
This was an excellent depiction of an insular, regressive, post civil war society. It has given me so much to think about in regards to current society and racial/gender inequality and oppression. Power dynamics. I'm glad I read it and highly recommend it. It's not a typical Dramione and not fluff, but it's in my top three Dramione's for sure. I'll probably reread this at some point.
One more thing, on those sorting hat tests, I came up as slytherin, which was a little surprising but kinda fun. This fic made me feel ashamed of that bc these slytherins are *that* bad. Maybe their depiction was too extreme? I want to lie and claim Ravenclaw, lol, the irony.
That said, the story was well written and kept my attention. Reminded me a good bit of Utterly Despicable by camnz, which I loved. This was a lot longer and more brutal. Mind the tags.
The behavior of Kingsley Shacklebolt as minister of magic in this fic really puts Dumbledore's plotting in the books in a different light for me.
This was an excellent depiction of an insular, regressive, post civil war society. It has given me so much to think about in regards to current society and racial/gender inequality and oppression. Power dynamics. I'm glad I read it and highly recommend it. It's not a typical Dramione and not fluff, but it's in my top three Dramione's for sure. I'll probably reread this at some point.
One more thing, on those sorting hat tests, I came up as slytherin, which was a little surprising but kinda fun. This fic made me feel ashamed of that bc these slytherins are *that* bad. Maybe their depiction was too extreme? I want to lie and claim Ravenclaw, lol, the irony.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2019
Even with the war won and Voldemort being dead, Deatheaters still pose a threat to the Wizarding World. The Ministry has no other option but to nagotiate with them even if it means some sacrifices.
They agree to get all Muggleborns obliviated and send back to the Muggle World but in order to be sure of their safety, each Muggleborn is linked with a Death Eater so if anything happens to them, the Death Eater will get killed as well.
As it turns out tho, the only way for Death Eaters to have children is with Muggleborns, since Voldemort cursed them all to be infertel.
With no other option, Draco and his friends are forced to pretened to be Muggles in order to start a relationship with their Muggleborns and produce the heirs they so badly want.
This fic took me so long to finish. It was really long and it kind of dragged.
I loved the plot and the characters were true enough to their real selves, but I wanted Hermione to get her memories back alot sooner and take a more drastic revenge against Draco. The same goes for Cho and Katie.
But other than it's lenght and the time it actually took me to finish the entire fic, I have nothing bad to say about it. It was a very good read I just don't think I will ever read it again.
April 23, 2018
I finally read this after seeing it in various places for ages but not going for it because of the warnings. And the warnings are accurate, but not actually why I couldn't really get in to the story. I am never convinced of actual love between Hermione and Draco, and yes, I needed that here to 'justify' (of sorts) reading a story with all these warnings. Because while traumatic events can have a place in stories, I think there needs to be a hell of a good plot in there as well that makes it something other than gratuitous violence.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2018
But only the second ending. That first one, the alternate? It made me want to punch things.
October 7, 2023
This was goood
Top tier dramione for me
Finally a long book well made , intriguing storyline well developed.
I was so happy not to be able to guess where it was headed🤩 after soooo many last book below 300pages where I could guess it , this was so refreshing
The writing is excellent 👌 the multi POV well done 👏
I got hooked and kept thinking about it while I was not reading it : how is it going to finish ? Will she get her memory back ?
I hated Draco but at the same time I was rooting for them idk 🤷♀️ can’t explain
Love the ending
Definitely will reread
What am I going to read now xD
Top tier dramione for me
Finally a long book well made , intriguing storyline well developed.
I was so happy not to be able to guess where it was headed🤩 after soooo many last book below 300pages where I could guess it , this was so refreshing
The writing is excellent 👌 the multi POV well done 👏
I got hooked and kept thinking about it while I was not reading it : how is it going to finish ? Will she get her memory back ?
I hated Draco but at the same time I was rooting for them idk 🤷♀️ can’t explain
Love the ending
Definitely will reread
What am I going to read now xD
June 13, 2022
3.5⭐
I can't quite decide how I feel about this one. I definitely consider this dub-con and feel so betrayed by Toxic Draco. But, I did like the ending quite a bit, even the alternate ending although not quite as much.
I can't quite decide how I feel about this one. I definitely consider this dub-con and feel so betrayed by Toxic Draco. But, I did like the ending quite a bit, even the alternate ending although not quite as much.
Did Not Finish
May 10, 2024Dramione
Interesting premise- she had to be obliviated. But I don't like this Draco. He took advantage of her and he continues to do so after he Gets what he wants. Even if he will fall in love with her, i dont like who he is. Dnf.
Interesting premise- she had to be obliviated. But I don't like this Draco. He took advantage of her and he continues to do so after he Gets what he wants. Even if he will fall in love with her, i dont like who he is. Dnf.
October 14, 2025
One of the few memory charm Dramione fanfiction that I actually get to enjoy. Theo and Cho Chang as a couple doesn’t really sit well with me but I guess there have been few Muggleborns to choose from.
April 17, 2022
Alittle dark for my taste but I did enjoy it
June 8, 2022
The bananas Draco romances Muggle Hermione while she's obliviated from the magical world and impregnates her because purebloods can't reproduce anymore fic. 5 stars for bananas.
October 28, 2022
Overall I enjoyed this. I did prefer the ending where Hermione kept her memories. The other one felt wrong in so many ways.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2023
Slightly disappointed. I was expecting a lot of grovelling and got next to nothing. Nevertheless, it was really well written and interesting.
July 19, 2023
Do yourself a favor and DONT read the alternate ending. It’s bullshit and I can’t believe the author had the AUDACITY to do my girl Hermione like that!!
Draco needed to get his!
Draco needed to get his!
May 10, 2025
The one with obliviated hermione
Read
August 30, 2025DNF @20%
Couldn’t do it. Clearly didn’t read the trigger warnings if there were any. The tropes were too dark and off putting.
Couldn’t do it. Clearly didn’t read the trigger warnings if there were any. The tropes were too dark and off putting.
November 2, 2025
boring, never finished
January 6, 2022
So first of all, ignore the Goodreads description that says this ebook is only 50 pages, it has 227,936 words, which means it is probably closer to 500 PAGES long. So it is a longer dramione fic.
I am very picky with my fics, if I am not intrigued within the first 3 chapters I dnf. I would say what kept my from dnf'ing this one was the following: Draco Malfoy and the Slytherin crew are all very much so in character. Also the premise for this AU post war fic made some amount of sense (I'm looking at you crazy marriage law fics). In this fic, the light side wins, but they end up losing the political fall-out of the war.
The writing is good and the characters are well written. Hermione is OOC but there is a reason for that (I don't want to spoil anything so I won't say why here). I wouldn't say this fic is dark, but it's definitely gray, especially in terms of the romance. In short it's compilated, but again that's what I liked about it. Overall I give this fic 3.5 stars.
I am very picky with my fics, if I am not intrigued within the first 3 chapters I dnf. I would say what kept my from dnf'ing this one was the following: Draco Malfoy and the Slytherin crew are all very much so in character. Also the premise for this AU post war fic made some amount of sense (I'm looking at you crazy marriage law fics). In this fic, the light side wins, but they end up losing the political fall-out of the war.
The writing is good and the characters are well written. Hermione is OOC but there is a reason for that (I don't want to spoil anything so I won't say why here). I wouldn't say this fic is dark, but it's definitely gray, especially in terms of the romance. In short it's compilated, but again that's what I liked about it. Overall I give this fic 3.5 stars.
May 24, 2023
I don't know how to feel about this reading, it's an unpleasant story because of the raw themes and the way things happen, but even so it's a story that kept me completely obsessed and I couldn't stop reading because I needed to know what was going to happen, I felt anxiety, I felt rage, so much rage that made me sweat from the heat.
Regarding the endings, I feel disappointed, the alternate ending I just didn't read it because from the comments on ao3 I imagined it was terrible, the real ending left me empty, we didn't see a redemption of Draco, Hermione's revenge doesn't make sense, I mean if you're going to leave Draco thinking you're dead, just stay dead forever? I don't know. At the same time I feel bad for Hadrien, because he grew up without knowing his dad. But at the same time I'm trying to think what an ending to such a raw story would be like and I can't imagine what ending would be appropriate.
Finally, 10/10 I would recommend it, excellent service 👍🏻 Most of the story was... Disgusting? It certainly was disturbing in some parts and really infuriating but the story cause a feeling in me that no other story has ever done: Disgust... And that is GREAT.
Regarding the endings, I feel disappointed, the alternate ending I just didn't read it because from the comments on ao3 I imagined it was terrible, the real ending left me empty, we didn't see a redemption of Draco, Hermione's revenge doesn't make sense, I mean if you're going to leave Draco thinking you're dead, just stay dead forever? I don't know. At the same time I feel bad for Hadrien, because he grew up without knowing his dad. But at the same time I'm trying to think what an ending to such a raw story would be like and I can't imagine what ending would be appropriate.
Finally, 10/10 I would recommend it, excellent service 👍🏻 Most of the story was... Disgusting? It certainly was disturbing in some parts and really infuriating but the story cause a feeling in me that no other story has ever done: Disgust... And that is GREAT.
February 4, 2017
Might have rated this 3 or even 4 stars if only the ending had been better.
I'm honestly so disappointed by the ending. This story started out with a bang and everything was going great until I reached chapter 45. It pretty much went downhill from there.
The alternative ending was just.. wrong. For Draco to alter almost all her memories!
Sadly, the actual ending wasn't that great either. It had become way too sappy and it's just not like Hermione to hide from everything!
I'm honestly so disappointed by the ending. This story started out with a bang and everything was going great until I reached chapter 45. It pretty much went downhill from there.
The alternative ending was just.. wrong. For Draco to alter almost all her memories!
Sadly, the actual ending wasn't that great either. It had become way too sappy and it's just not like Hermione to hide from everything!
March 28, 2017
I didn't like this one very much. The law itself was cruel and pointless... the misconception of it was mental! It makes it look like the Ministry is run by Voldemort himself instead of Shacklebolt. This story has a Draco with all the bad traits that makes him the Draco we shallowly know by the books but it's true to his character in a way, so it was well depicted. Hermione... oh, Hermione... the second and true ending was so unlike her! In a way, she surpassed Draco cruelty at the beginning when he is the most selfish, manipulative and doesn't love her.. although he is still selfish and manipulative BUT loves her through the course of the first ending. It was well written, didn't like the story but I applaud the author for the effort!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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